Au Natural: My Cosmetic Bag

When it comes to personal care and household products, I go the natural route.  By that, I mean that I actually read the ingredient label before I buy a product (and more times than not, that means I don't buy it).  For those of you who are curious about what that looks like, I thought we would take a peek at some of the products I do use.  This post is a look specifically at natural cosmetics/makeup.  I plan to follow up with a post on Bath products, Kitchen products and Laundry as well.

Mineral Make Up - Daytime Magic Mineral Foundation by Ella Rose Minerals is what I use but there are obviously tons of different mineral makeup brands out there.  Check out this link about what ingredients you don't want in your mineral makeup.

Mineral Blush - Maple All Natural Mineral Blush by CMarie Minerals  Ditto what I said about mineral makeup.  Mineral blush is essentially the same thing with added pigment.

Mascara - Buxom Lash Mascara is the best, most chemical (paraben, sulfate, phthalate, etc.) free mascara that I've used thus far.  There are absolutely mascaras on the market that are more natural than this one, it's just hard to find one that functions well and is completely natural.  This is the happy medium for me.

Mineral Eye Shadow - Mineral Eyeshadow in Birthday Suit by Pure Diva is not the exact brand of eye shadow I have (the shop I bought mine from closed apparently :/) but the ingredients are exactly the same.  Because of that, I'll probably be buying from this shop when I run out.

Henna Lip Stain - Henna Maiden Cherry Bomb Lip Stain  This product is an amazing alternative to lipstick!  It comes in a bunch of great shades, doesn't feel cakey like lipstick and stays on a long time.  Word to the wise, all lip stains are not the same ya'll!  This one is the the best I've ever tried (and I've tried my share).  What's more, it completely natural!  I apply two coats, let it set and then wear lip balm over top.  I wear a red lip at least a few times a week, and this is my staple.

Lip Balm - All Natural Fresh Mint Lip Balm by The Jane Co. is also not the exact lip balm I have at the moment (mine is one I picked up at Whole Foods) but the ingredients ring true.  This is a lip balm that I would buy, and having one is essential to using the lip stain above.

3-free Nail Polish - Zoya and Priti NYC make up most of the nail polish I own.  3-free means that these nail polish brands make polish that is free of Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde and Toluene, which are pretty scary chemicals included in most nail polish brands (yeah, even OPI, Sally Hansen and basically every brand you probably own).

Fragrance - I tend to mostly use essential oils, but I do have a couple natural fragrances.  My favorite is by Pacifica, they use natural, pure grain alcohol, essential and natural oils in their fragrances.

Almost four years ago, in the midst of (what seemed like) a plethora of health issues, I did as many do and started reading.  Most of my reading (about wellness and an organic lifestyle) was information I already knew and had practiced growing up.  The part I didn't know though, was about all the health-threatening chemicals that lurk in our everyday products (everything from hand soap to tampons and in between).  Intrigued (and kind of grossed out), I searched for a book that would break that down for me and fully explain how I could avoid these products/ingredients to better my health and lower my eventual chances of cancer, alzheimers and other conditions.

This was the book that started it all for me, and convinced me of the real threat that these chemicals can be to our bodies.  Oooh, look the author even has a blog now!  Awesome!

I have loved my experience with natural products the past 4 years.  It is a transition (you throw out a ton of crap) and it does take trial and error to find products that are natural and effective for you.  In the end, it is so worth it though.  For your body, for your kids (now or someday) and yes, for environment that God so carefully created for us.

Not only is natural good for you, it's also a great way to support small businesses that make their products right here in the USA.  If you are interested, you can follow my Pinterest board for natural products here! :)