starting a natural beauty regimen

If you've been following me on Twitter and Instagram, you've noticed I'm starting to lean towards a more natural, less-toxic beauty regime. I love makeup (and fashion!) so this was sort of a no-brainer for me as I try to reduce my harmful impact on our planet. I've been meaning to try "green" beauty products for a while now. 

While I'm not against chemicals (hello, I am a converted microdemabrasion-once-a-month gal) and there are chemicals in EVERYTHING (even natural stuff), I was struck by this information: 

"Across the pond, the European Union has spent the past two decades restricting or banning approximately 1,400 harmful chemicals and ingredients from personal care products. In Canada, the number of restricted ingredients is a little less than half that, at around 600.
The United States? 30."

I'm a scientist and a teacher, so naturally I researched the facts. If you, like me, are curious to see which ingredients are banned in other countries and might be in your products, check out the Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s Skin Deep database.

I haven’t swapped all of my skincare and cosmetics (not even close), but I bought some natural products to incorporate into my daily beauty routine a few months ago and I’m really impressed so far! If you have any other natural products that you love, please send them my way.

RAWW Cosmetics

When I ran out of my old foundation, I dragged my husband to a nearby shopping mall to go to a store that I knew stocked Raww cosmetics. The things I liked about them: 100% cruelty free, vegan friendly, Australian made & owned, and they were made with natural ingredients. I picked up a bottle of their Wildberry Nourish Foundation (color: Honey) and put a dab on my hand. Not only did it smell yummy (an intoxicating blend of vanilla, lime, and coconut) but it blended perfectly into my skin!

What I have from them:

• Wildberry Boost Primer
• Wildberry Nourish Foundation (color: Honey) 
• From The Earth Loose Mineral Powder (color: Honey)

What I'm going to pick up next:

• Wildberry Blur Concealer (color: Vanilla Nude)
• Moringa Lash Impact Mascara (color: Carbon Black)
• Coconut Kiss Lipstick (color: Angelic Almond)
• Smooth-ME Fine Line Serum

Why I love them:
Not only does the color seamlessly stay on my face and blend in naturally, but it also washes away easily! My husband for the first week of me wearing this actually didn't know I had makeup on, that's how natural it looks. The yummy smells and the superfood ingredients (check them out here) have sold me. I'm excited to dip my toes into their skincare line, too, starting with the ​Smooth-ME Fine Line Serum.

True Botanicals

Where has this line been all my life?! True Botanicals started me out with their online quiz (whether you're a female/male, what age people think you look, your skin tone, if you're pregnant, what would you fix, how many skin products you use, and your hair type). They then give you recommendations based on what the quiz says!

This brand is not cheap- but, I'm happy to prioritize my skin case routine as an investment. And trust me, the line is worth the money. The Vitamin C booster can be mixed in with their serum to help with acne and uneven skin. It has brightened my skin in the mornings, locking moisture in! 

What I have from them:

• Vitamin C booster
• Clear Pure Radiance Oil

What I'm going to pick up next:

• Deep Repair Eye Serum

Why I love them:
Nontoxic skincare that actually works? Count me in! I love that they use essential oils for their fragrance instead of synthetic stuff, too. They are cruelty free (hooray for no animal testing.), are gluten free and largely vegan (except one product). If you’re not happy with them, just return the product within 30 days!

Herbivore

​Herbivore products are natural, vegan, and cruelty-free. I don't drink nearly enough water most days (I'm forcing myself to have 1L a day when in the office- stuck to that 5/6 days thus far!) and I have pretty oily skin. I'm dabbing myself with oil blotting towelettes during the day- it's gross. So I wavered over applying more oil to my skin. Bless the Lapis Facial Oil for giving me a hydrated "glowing" look and now like I just rolled around in pizza. The Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask helps with my redness, too!

What I have:

• TRUE BLUE Skin Clarifying Duo

What I'm going to pick up:

• MOON FRUIT Superfruit Night Treatment

Why I love them:
This brand has a cult following and for good reason. I've used a few of their things before (like their soaps, bath soaks, etc) and am excited to delve into their skincare line more. I've heard great things about the MOON FRUIT night treatment, so I'm ready to give that a go - I love​ masks.
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Lush

Gosh, what have I not tried of Lush?! When I moved to Wellington, NZ I moved right near a Lush store... sorry, wallet. They're ethical, fight against animal testing, handmade and largely plastic free.

What I have/have used:

• Butterball bath bomb (utterly divine)
• ​Mask of Magnaminty (smells so good and leaves me tingly)
• Limelight toothy tabs (was not a fan the first go-around)
• Mint Julip lip scrub (I use this once a week- HUGE fan)
• Godiva shampoo bar (love the smell)
• Retread conditioner (was not a fan- not enough conditioning)

What I'm going to pick up:

• Their solid perfumes intrigue me

Why I love them: 
Another cult following - and I've had more "winning" products than strike-out's. Excited to see what their solid perfumes can offer.

Ethique

While I am a HUGE lover of Lush (see above), their shampoo/conditioner bars just don't do it for my thick, coarse, curly hair. The conditioning bar just doesn't moisturize my curls enough and I feel they end up too dry... and look like straw. Yuck! I am trying to cut plastic bottles out of my life, but I won't sacrifice my hair health for it. So when I heard about Ethique from Facebook, I was intrigued! 

They're vegan, cruelty free, sustainably made and palm-oil free (which is good-- my dad is allergic and I may be too). I have ordered samples of their products and am excited to try the hair range out (especially Frizz Wrangler and The Guardian).

What I have:

• Ethique Hair Sampler (on it's way)

What I'm going to pick up:

• Coconut & Lime Butter Block
• Spearmint & Lime Glow Solid Deodorant

Why I love them:
The variety of what they carry! They hair bars for face, body, hair, pets and laundry! If I like the hair sampler I will get the full sized bars of those I like. I'm interested in the butter block since I have super sensitive and dry legs, and am interested to try their natural deodorant bars as well.
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If you have any natural products that you love, tell me!

Please note this post is not sponsored by any of these brands, ​I just really love their products!