Organic Makeup Girl

I was presently surprised by elf (eyes lips face) cosmetics. It was in Target that I first encountered this brand. The products seemed appealing because of the strikingly low cost. A lipgloss for $3.00? An eyeliner for $1.00? I picked up one of the products and peered at the packaging. It was sleek, black & simple. I decided to purchase several items, including:

Minty lip gloss in Nashville (5/5)

This gloss is long-lasting and incredibly minty! It is great on its own or over a nude lipstick. A nude lip works best with a bold look elsewhere on the face. For example, pair smokey eyes with nude lips and nude cheeks for a sultry, sexy look.

Blush in Tickled Pink (4/5)

This blush reminds me of MAC’s mineralized blush in Love Thing. Use Tickled Pink to create a matte look on your cheeks. Matte blushes are versatile because you can pair them with shimmery or matte eyes and lips. Additionally, the compact comes with a mirror which makes application on the go simple & carefree.

Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in Blushed/Bronzed (5/5)

This compact is excellent for traveling. The colors are both matte and will flatter many skin types & hues. The e.l.f. bronzer is similar to my favorite bronzer, which is Physician’s Formula SPF 20 Solar Power Bronzer ($12).

Two Waterproof Eyeliner Pens – Coffee & Black (3/5)

The felt tip on these eyeliner pens makes it simple to create a winged or double-winged eye look. There is a downfall to these products, however, once applied, the product tends to travel. Skip using it on your waterline and you can easily avoid the problem!

I spent less than $15 and received all of these e.l.f. products. That is impressive! To put it in perspective, I could buy one MAC lip glass or five e.l.f. products! I will be purchasing different e.l.f. products and also repurchasing some of the products I own (especially the minty lip gloss in Nashville – it is the perfect nude lip color). Visit http://www.eyeslipsface.com/. (Fyi: There is a promotion going on right now on the website – make a $25 purchase and receive a free mineral starter kit! Enter this code: EGEDCQ for the promotion. It is going on until May 15th!)

-Katie x0

This lip balm smells so good! I love everything about it:

*USDA organic – always a plus ;)

*the scent – delicious but light

*the lip balm itself – incredibly moisturizing

*the packaging – easy to use and cute

I would definitely repurchase! I have tried several eos products in the past but this is a new favorite!

x0 Katie

I bought a Sephora PURE palette about two weeks ago. The palette comes with 1, blush and 6 eyeshadows – an awesome mix of shimmer and matte. The blush is ultra-pigmented (a little goes a longgg way!). I bought the stargazer edition because the colors looked fun to work with.

This palette will allow you the create the perfect smokey eye! : ) The makeup is long-lasting and easy to blend.

The best part about this palette is the price right now on sephora.com-$15! That is such a great deal!

Sephora PURE pros: No parabens. No sulfates. No synthetic fragrances. No Synthetic Dyes. No Petrochemicals. No Pthalates. No GMOs. No Triclosan. 95% natural. 10% organic. No animal testing.

This is an awesome palette for $15.00! It is small and lightweight so it is perfect for travel, your bag, work, school, etc.

*If you are into neutral colors, the stargazer edition might not contain the best colors for you! I would recommend that you purchase a different edition, such as wanderlust. :)

Prior to my organic/natural makeup obsession, my cheap (drugstore) blush standby was Covergirl Cheekers blush. I experimented with most of the Cheekers blushes but Coral Rose was always a staple for me. After doing a bit of research on the safety of the Covergirl blush, I was shocked to find that it received a horrible rating on  http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

According to the Cosmetic Database, this blush is considered to have a high health hazard risk. Another website, http://www.goodguide.com, revealed that the Covergirl blush contained ingredients that were on their list of carcinogens. It seems that many of the ingredients in the Covergirl makeup were potential instigators of both long and short term health hazards.

Although I had used this product for years and it was inexpensive, I decided that I had two options: 1. Stop using all makeup (which was impossible because I love it!, I love applying makeup on me, my sisters, my friends, etc. & I love buying it & I love organizing my collection…) OR 2. Find healthier options that will not force me to compromise my health. Obviously, I picked #2!

My research on healthier makeup options led me to Ecco Bella, a brand that provides natural and organic beauty solutions. I found a blush that was incredibly similar to what I had. Ecco Bella Flowercolor Blush is an awesome, healthier makeup option. It was a bit difficult to locate, however, definitely worth it. I bought the Flowercolor Blush in the color Peach Rose (sounds almost exaclty like the Covergirl one! & it is…). The makeup is made from natural pigments, which are powerful producers of color.

Ecco Bella Flowercolor Blush: (4.5/5.0)

-no talc

-no fragrances (which is wonderful!! Some of the natural & organic makeup products have an unpleasant odor! That is NOT the case with this blush, it is completely odorless, which is refreshing & healthy!)

-no additives

-infused with sweet almond oil, vitamin E, &  green tea

-is GREEN because the packaging is minimal : ) (*I bought the Ecco Bella paperback duo – a magnetic case that holds up to two individual blushes!)

-can be used as an eye shadow as well

-goes on easily & looks great all day

-very reasonable in terms of price! A little bit of this blush goes a long way…

-most importantly, it is a healthier option!

Check out how your makeup products scored on the websites I provided above. I hope you will be encouraged to choose healthy beauty products & pass the knowledge on to others! Natural & organic products are definitely the best option. : )

-Katie

This is going to be a mini post! I just went to Sephora and purchased the Tarte Treasure Chest. It was $52.00 but has a retail value of $686 dollars! I have not used it yet but I am really excited about this palette. It contains 16 shimmer eyeshadows, 16 matte shadows, 16 lipglosses, bronzer, luminizer, 4 blushes. The palette comes in an adorable case with a metallic lid adorned with jewels.

The makeup contains NO parabens, petro-chemicals, phthalates, preservatives, glycol, gluten, talc or GMOs. It is also cruelty free and natural.

This palette is an amazing deal! I cannot wait to try out this product~I will let you know how I use it & if I would recommend it.

-Katie

(4.0/5)

Inexpensive makeup purchases always seem a bit questionable to me. How can a product be beneficial if it is so cheap? Will it make me breakout? Does it work? These questions provide a bit of a glimpse of the thoughts that zip around in my head prior to making a purchase.

While I admittedly usually gravitate towards the brands that I am most comfortable with, I have to admit that I noticed the pleasant packaging of Wetnwild Natural Wear Pressed Powder and was intrigued.

After scanning the ingredients and reading the back of the compact multiples times, and standing in the aisle for a suspiciously long time, I decided to buy the powders (powders? yes, I bought two).

This is a natural makeup product, with natural ingredients. My purchasing priority goes like this: organic, natural, then traditional makeup. I always attempt to select the healthiest option in my purchases, and of course a greater amount of organic and natural ingredients is preferable.

I was impressed with this makeup! I used it on top of lotion. I always apply lotion to my skin prior to applying makeup. Sometimes, I skip the foundation and/or concealer and jump right to powder. I do not really mind if that is a bit unconventional either – I prefer to define my own makeup routines, techniques, and styles.

Wetnwild Natural Wear pressed powder helps me to create a great matte look while minimizing pores and imperfections (like it claims to do on the compact).

The applicator puff (that the makeup comes with) was useful for me only around the eyes, however for the majority of application I used an EcoTools powder brush. Since the price was so reasonable, I purchased the powder in two shades: buff an bare. Honestly, the colors are very similar so I find that I can use them interchangeably.

Wetnwild Natural Pressed Power:

-contains 100% natural ingredients

-is 100% free of parabens and fragrances

-is dermatologist approved & hypoallergenic

-has a compact that is made with recycled paper (yet it comes with a applicator puff and a sizable mirror)

-is not tested on animals

-is so inexpensive! (Under $5.00)

Try it!

Peace*

*Love

Makeup*

: ) Katie

(0.5/5)

I love the sound of this product: a natural, liquid bronzer with no synthetic preservatives, fragrances or colors, no parabens, and 84% organic. Sounds great right? (I thought so too!)

Physicians Formula Organic wear 100% Natural Origin Liquid Bronzer is incredibly disappointing. I purchased this product in the shade Light Skin (it comes in three shades: fair skin, light skin and medium skin).

I was not immediatly impressed with it upon my initial uses. However, I did try to like it. After about a week of attempting to make it work for me, I decided that it was a hopeless endeavor.

What I was looking for: a healthy-looking, bronzed glow

What I got: an oily, unpleasant sheen

Some other unimpressive aspects about this product:

-the scent (I generally enjoy the smell of natural and organic products, they seem to smell earthy, like understated florals mixed with dirt or something. If you know what I am talking about, how would you describe it?!) The tinted bronzer smelled awful! And the scent did not dissipate, it sort of stuck with me all day, constantly reminding me that it was on my face… (*Even my boyfriend commented on the scent-how embarassing! He was not a fan of it either.)

-the price: too expensive

-my advice: skip this product!

If you need to get a bronze glow: try applying your favorite moisturizer (let it dry for about 3 minutes-I am obsessed with Burt’s Bees radiance day and night cremes) then gently sweep some bronzer over your forehead, temples, nose, cheeks and chin. Then, blend it all out with a clean kabuki brush. Your skin will look healthy and natural.

(4.5/5)

I love lip gloss, and lip products in general. I always find myself buying new lip glosses and balms. (I bought a Yes to Carrots lip balm in berry today and I can’t wait to try it!) Anyways, it doesn’t matter if I need it or not-if I see it & want to try it, I am so buying it!

Since I have a lot of  lip products, I often find that I buy one, use it for a week or so, then forget about it. It is rare that I find one that is awesome but when I do- I keep it with me…like it is always in a pocket of the jeans I am wearing or in my purse or makeup bag.

Lavera Lipgloss Trend in No. 4 is fabulous! It is one of those lip products that I find myself reaching for over and over again. It is a clear gloss with a distinctive, gorgeous gold shimmer. I personally enjoy wearing it alone on my lips or on top of my Badger balm. However, since it is clear and shimmery, it would look perfect on top of your favorite lipstick.

There are so many great things about this gloss:

*looks & smells GREAT

*moisturizing

*made with organic jojoba

*It contains NO synthetic preservatives, perfumes, colorants or mineral oil  (Awesome!)

*Not tested on animals

I especially love this product because I think it is a great holiday pick. The clear with gold shimmer is so pretty and wearable for everyone. Try it out for yourself, or make it a gift!

Overall: (4.5/5)

Badger cocoa butter lip balm is awesome! It makes my lips feel so soft. Right now, I am using the creamy cocoa one.

I love this stuff for these reasons:

-It is organic.

-My lips feel great. The cocoa butter and extra virgin olive oil are excellent moisturizers.

-It smells so good-like chocolate! The scent is light and not overpowering.

-Price. I bought my lip balm at Wegman’s for under $5! You get a great amount of lip balm for that price. It is such a good deal!

-Tastes.Like.Chocolate. Yum!

-I love the packaging. There is something nice about applicating lip balm from the tube that Badger cocoa butter lip balm comes in. It is wider than a traditional lip blam tube (think Chapstick) and the balm goes on smoothly.

-Fair Trade: It just feels better when you know that something you are purchasing or using is a product that contains fairly traded ingredients! New to the term? It means that the people who are producing the ingredients in developing countries are getting a fair wage or amount for their work and products.

I know that you can buy this lip balm on the Badger website:  http://www.badgerbalm.com/default.aspx. I checked the website because I can’t wait to get some of the other varieties of the Cocoa Butter Lip Balm, especially Cool Mint and Lime Rocket.

Also, the website says that Badger is offering 20% off all fair trade products this month because it is Fair Trade Month. I would definitely recommend that you get this lip balm! It would also make a great gift!

Just a little tip-I keep a lip balm in all the pockets of my winter coats and jackets so that I never have to worry about having dry/chapped lips (just make sure you take it out before you do the laundry)!

Let me know what you think about Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balms!

-Katie