WHAT'S IN MY MAKEUP BAG

I am a big fan of no-tox natural cosmetics and body products. Our skin's like a sponge, absorbing up to 60% of the lotions, potions, perfumes & soaps we slather on ourselves. It's hard to fathom just how many chemicals the average woman is exposed to on a daily basis -  cleaning, exfoliating, moisturising, shaving, primping, deodorizing, colouring, whitening, bronzing and polishing, some estimates exceed 500 chemicals a day!

But we consumers are wising up! As the cleaner living movement grows, there are more and more options for natural and organic skin creams, soaps, moisturisers and the like. There are some awesome New Zealand companies - Trilogy and Antipodes to name a few. It's pretty easy to make them yourself, too - see here for my DIY Facial Cleanser, here for my Rosehip and Kiwiseed Moisturiser and here for my Vitamin C Serum recipe.

I found it relatively easy to clear out the crud and restock my bathroom with pure and natural bath and body products, but cosmetics on the other hand! What a mission! It's easy to slather on a night cream and look like a shine ball right before bed - but cosmetics actually need to perform during the day, all day, especially when my skin is not!

Hey makeup, can you please be all natural, nourishing for my skin, make me look awesome and stay on all day? Too much to ask?

So today I'm giving you a sneak peak inside my makeup bag. I haven't had the chance to trial all the natural/organic/safe cosmetics out there (I tend to find something that works for me and stick with it). So for sure there are some very nice brands that aren't mentioned in this post, including Inika Cosmetics, Bare Minerals, Dr Hauschka, Vapour and Zuii. And if you have a brand that you love, please share it in the comments below! Here's what I'm using at the moment, & loving it:

sally b's skin yummies

These three gems are my new faves. Sally B's Skin Yummies blend certified organic, natural, and wild-crafted ingredients into luxurious skin care and makeup products that are kind to people and the planet. Her products are simple, I understand the ingredients list, they are cruelty-free, and non-toxic.
I'm using:

• B Glossy Lip Gloss, in "Every Blonde's Pink". It's 98% certified organic and made with castor oil, beeswax, shea butter, carneuba wax, vitamin E, micas and essential oil of Peppermint. Its a super yum lip gloss that gives you a sheer hint of colour and tastes fresh and minty (pure genius to put peppermint essential oil into lip gloss!)
  

• The Get Even Finishing Powder, a lightweight loose powder designed to work with most skin tones by adding a sheer, smoothed finish that enhances your skin’s natural glow. I chuck it over Jane Iredale's BB cream orTrilogy Balancing Face Lotion. No badies in sight, just natural Micas, Boron Nitrate, Silica, Organic Jojoba Oil, Iron Oxides and Ultramarines. Not great coverage but good on laid back days.
  
• Last but not least - Sally B's solid perfumes. I love these because commercial perfumes are dodgy as. The word 'fragrance' can actually refer to up to 3,100 different chemical ingredients, most of which are synthetic and artificial. All companies are required to divulge on their ingredients list is that seemingly innocuous word "fragrance". Sally B's solid perfumes are made from organic shea butter, organic beeswax, organic oils (jojoba, almond and vitamin E), and a blend of organic and wildcrafted essential oils. Plus, it fits snug in my wallet. You simply apply the perfume  to your 'pulse points' - wrists and neck - as needed.
  

Sally B's Skin Yummies are handmade in the USA (Atlanta, Georgia), but you can get them exclusively online in NZ from the lovely Buffy and her awesome online shop Be Good Organics.

jane iredale pressed powder and glow time bb cream

Jane Iredale's cosmetics are all about natural minerals, SPF protection, performance, integrity and nourishing the skin. Everything in the line has the secondary benefit of enhancing the health of the skin, and is free of perfume, alcohol, talc and paraben fillers, chemical additives and artificial dyes. Everything I've tried works like a charm.

My go-to daily makeup is Jane Iredale's Pressed Powder SPF20. I never used to use powder, but now I'm a total convert, because this mineral powder feels so light, looks natural and blends with your natural skin oils so you glow and never look chalky.

I have the Glow Time BB cream too, which I save for for long, sunny or active days when I need good staying power, coverage and/or a good SPF25 sun protection.  The SPF 25 sunscreen is a natural non-nano titanium dioxide.

All in all I find Jane Iredale products kind of expensive, but awesome - you don't have to compromise performance for safe & natural ingredients, you get it all!

DEODORANT

Ok, so this is not quite cosmetics, but I'm on a roll now, and I really think our selection of deodorant is pretty darn important. Why?

Most people opt for an antiperspirant over a deodorant, because they supposedly do the job better. But how? Anti-antiperspirant's active ingredient is typically an aluminum-based compound (check your deodorant ingredients list!) that plugs the sweat ducts and prevents you from perspiring. Combined with artificial scents and a number of other inactive artificial ingredients, these products literally stop sweat from escaping your body, and make you smell all flowery. Like putting all your dirty dishes in an airtight box and tying it up with glitter and pink ribbon.

There are two things about this. The first is that our amazingly designed bodies sweat for a reason. If my body says hey Hannah, it's time to cool down and purge some toxins, I don't want to put a chemical barricade in it's way. The second is that our armpits are basically a big spaghetti junction of lymph nodes and breast tissue. There are many studies showing that aluminum and other artificial ingredients have the potential to mess with our DNA.

To be fair, you'll find articles online that say the evidence of aluminum causing breast cancer is not conclusive. But with 1 in 8 women predicted to get breast cancer, and a marked increase in all types of cancers in the last 100 years since all these processed foods and chemical-laden hygiene products started flooding the market, my logic wins, and I'm choosing the precautionary route of natural safe deodorant. 

Luckily there are some great options out there, like crystal deodorants, coconut and baking soda combos, spray ons and more. I've started using (and now stocking in my online store!) Eco Dan Natural Coconut Deodorant and I'm loving it. It sprays on, smells like coconut and does the job of any good deodorant. Grab yours here for summer, too.

SELF-TAN

Similar situation here. I am not keen on roasting in the sun, but I do like to feel bronzed and glamourous every now and then!

What's the solution? Fake it! Unfortunately, here are some of the nasties you might find in a standard self tan product:

• Phenoxyethanol
• Propylene Glycol
• Pegs
• Parabens
• Animal Derivatives
• SD Alcohol
• Silicone
• Food Colouring & Artificial Dyes
• Petrochemicals

Eco Tan is a healthy alternative: certified organic, non-GMO, cruelty free and full of nourishing ingredients like chamomile flower extract, grapeskin extract, avocado oil, aloe vera and rose geranium oil. The colour is derived from the superfood cacao so doesn't contain green or orange tones. Buy some here. Woop!

Liquid eyeliner

And here's a nifty little bonus: a recipe that will save you money and wrinkles: Nourishing coconut charcoal eyeliner ... (because did you know that regular liquid eyeliners typically contain alcohol, fragrance, and synthetic polymers - AKA plastic?). No thanks!

Click here for the Coconut Charcoal Eyeliner Recipe

And there you have it. Not the most comprehensive list of cosmetics because I really just stick to the basics. But it sure feels good to know that almost every makeup product I use is either all natural, non-toxic, green or organic. I would love to hear your product recommendations too: what have you found!? Any NZ brands that work really well?