Being an eco, organic, cruelty-free makeup artist, I strive to teach my clients about being good to themselves and the environment. Being a woman of the world means more than likely fashion and beauty are a huge part of your life. I have chosen to be a beauty who loves nature and so can you. Let me tell you how.
In today’s society, women are constantly bombarded with advertisements on the newest and latest makeup and skincare technologies. Unfortunately, there are down sides to this overabundance of product stimuli. Firstly, some well known cosmetic companies still test on animals and sadly are endorsed by celebrities. Secondly, our cosmetics aren’t legitimately regulated! This means that toxic chemicals in the majority of our cosmetic products can lead to harmful buildup in the body, and attribute to infertility, hormone disruption, and even cancer after repeated long term use. Uh, scary! Thirdly, the environment suffers because of the amount of pollution it takes to produce these toxic products. There are few ingredients that have been tested for long term health-impacts in America. So far only 11 toxic chemicals have been banned in the US, while in the European Union they have banned over a 1000. Some of the most toxic are: fragrances, lead acetate (a poisonous substance found in hair dyes and some lipsticks), nanoparticles, parabens, hydroquinone, and petrochemicals aka petroleum, propylene, and crude oil! Yikes! Word of advice, stay away from drugstore cosmetics.
The upside is this, we CAN make a difference by making the right consumer choices. Luckily, there is a movement happening within the natural cosmetics industry. These small businesses want to make a big difference. They promote safe cosmetics through using fair-trade, USDA organic, eco-cert, cruelty-free, non-paraben, non-petrochemical and non-toxic ingredients in their products. Remember everything we put on our skin is absorbed through our pores, or inhaled and ingested from the air. Shop for the best eco cosmetics at a reputable store like Evolue in Beverly Hills or online. I’ve listed the best of the best below.
If your makeup is older than 12 months, chuck it! A good way to know when your makeup is going to expire is by checking the bottom or side of the tube. It will usually have a 12M or 6M to signify a year or 6 months from the opening date. If you’re not sure about the safety of the ingredients in your favorite makeup or skincare don’t despair. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s skindeep database to check your ingredients. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ It’s easy and educational.
An Interesting Fact:
According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics; “The 50 billion dollar U.S. cosmetics industry opposes laws that would protect consumers and the environment. The cosmetics trade association has lobbied against laws that would control pollution at cosmetics manufacturing plants, require recycled content in packaging and add more consumer safety information on labels. The industry says it can regulate itself. An industry funded panel-not the FDA or any other government agency-currently reviews the “safety”of cosmetics.”
5 Eco Friendly Makeup Line Must-haves:
1. Vapour Beauty www.vapourbeauty.com
2. rms beauty www.rmsbeauty.com
3. 100 percent pure www.100percentpure.com
4. Josie Maran www.josiemarancosmetics.com
5. ILIA lipsticks www.iliabeauty.com
5 Eco Friendly Skincare Must-Try’s:
1. Arcona
2. Tata Harper
3. Evolue- in house line
4. Golden Path Alchemy
5. Dr. Alkaitis
(These skincare lines can be found at Evolue in Beverly Hills www.evoluebeauty.com)
6 Healthfood Store Brands I love:
1. Peacekeeper Lipstick www.iamapeacekeeper.com
2. Dr. Hauschka Makeup www.drhauschka.com
3. Jurlique www.jurlique.com
4. Honey Girl Organics www.honeygirlorganics.com
5. Eco Logical Skincare SPF30 www.ecologicalskin.com
6. John Masters Organics for Hair www.johnmasters.com
(Check out your local healthfood store and see what amazing natural cosmetics you can find.)
What You Can Do to Make a Difference:
The Story of Cosmetics video http://youtu.be/pfq000AF1i8
Companies who DO test on animals:
http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdotest.pdf
Companies who DON’T test on animals:
Click to access companiesdonttest.pdf
Megan is an eco-friendly, cruelty-free, organic Makeup Artist, based in LA. She is one of the first pioneers in the eco cosmetics movement and is part of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. She teaches her clients about how they can make eco conscious cosmetic purchases that will help them and the environment. She loves to hike, kayak, workout, and hang with her handsome hubby and doggie Hobo.
Please visit her website at http://www.meganporschen.com
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