Alicia Silverstone's Secrets to Green Beauty

Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

By Sophia Panych, Allure magazine

Ok, so while we know Kermit wasn't talking about beauty when he uttered his now cliché "It's not easy being green," the sentiment does capture what many women feel about maintaining a natural beauty regimen.

But according to Alicia Silverstone-the unofficial queen of eco-friendly everything, whom I met her last night at the launch event for her Spring 2011 collection for ecoTools-the most important thing is simply to try: "Everything in my routine matters. I try to be as pure and organic as I can every day, but if there's something you can't avoid or if you accidently slip up, you can't go beating yourself up about it," she said.

Related: Allure's Favorite Green Beauty Brands

"Being green is about being a better you-it shouldn't be shoving anything down anyone's throat." Her April 2011 ecoTools line includes five new cruelty-free makeup brushes and six embroidered cosmetic cases made from hemp and recycled plastics. Silverstone helped develop the delicate floral designs that adorn the cases, which she now uses every day. And the idea for the new Detailed Eye Shading Brush was sparked on the set of her new movie, Vamps (out in 2011): "We needed a brush to get really close to the lash line to get a dark, Vampire-like effect-so we came up with a short, stubbier shadow brush," Silverstone said. (The brush is also our favorite in the line: Its not-too-stiff, not-too-soft bristles really do help you place shadow right along the lash line.) The actress's other go-to green product include:

Alima Pure: This is Silverstone's favorite mineral makeup line. "They have beautiful shades and everything is richly pigmented," she said.

Related: Do You Go for Organic Beauty Brands?

Gabrielle Cosmetic ZuZu Luxe Mascara: "It's one of the most natural ones out there," and doesn't contain beeswax or parabens.

La Bella Donna blushes: Silverstone likes these for their natural, pretty shades and non-chemical sunblock.

Zoya nail polish: On her blog, "The Kind Life," Silverstone explained that she gets manicures to keep her nails groomed but usually skips polish. But, as she wrote, "Sometimes, very rarely, I just get the urge to wear it too, and I go for the most eco/healthy/friendly polish I can find." Her pick is Zoya, which makes vegan polishes free of the controversial chemicals formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate.

Feeling the green itch yourself? Check out our picks for best natural products in this year's Best of Beauty Awards.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ecotools