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The Ultimate Green Beauty Cosmetics Guide

green-beauty-guide

I’ve been working my way through multitudes of green beauty products over the past few years, and thought it was high time to share my knowledge with you in one (fairly) succinct list.

Here’s the thing, though. There are so. many. amazing green/natural/organic beauty brands out there, and this list just grazes the surface. I highly recommend trying whatever you can get your hands on, but in the meantime, these are all personal favorites that I’ve used for quite some time. Although I very much enjoy the research behind ingredients in beauty products, I know many of you would rather have a root canal, so this list is for you. The brands I write about in this post are all clean, trustworthy, and most of all, fabulous.

Tinted Moisturizers/Foundations:

Beautycounter Tint Skin – I’ve written about this product time and time again. It’s the perfect tinted moisturizer with lightweight coverage…just enough to even out the complexion. My only beef is that it doesn’t have SPF.

100% Pure Tinted Moisturizer – And this is where 100% Pure’s Tinted Moisturizer comes in. It has SPF 20 and is quickly becoming my favorite. Originally, I was turned off by this product because I bought the wrong color, which turned really orange on me. However, when I found my match (I wear the lightest shade, Creme), all I can say is TRUE LOVE, people.

Suntegrity 5-n-1 Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen – This sunscreen is a relatively new product for me – I’ve been using it off and on for about a month, and I am really pleased with the way it makes my skin look. This will probably be what I wear in the warmer months because it has an SPF of 30. If you want to know more about the above two products, check out Mercedes’ review of them both. (She’s one of my favorite green beauty YouTubers. My only difference in opinion from Mercedes is that I feel I get just as much coverage with the 100% Pure as the Suntegrity.)

Kjaer Weis Foundation – Wanting full, flawless coverage? Look no further than Kjaer Weis. This foundation is stunning on the skin, but it’s definitely full coverage. You also need to prep your skin with an oil or moisturizer beforehand to get the best application. My go-to oil is Mun No.1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum – I’m currently using this as my only moisturizer, day and night. More on this serum later, but I am obsessed.

Concealers:

Hynt Beauty Duet Perfecting Concealer Stop everything and buy this concealer. Nothing compares. I promise you. It’s the closest thing to Amazing Concealer, and I can’t live without it. I use it under my eyes and around my nose…and the littlest amount goes the longest way. (For reals, a tiny pinprick does both my eyes and around the middle of my face.) It doesn’t crease either! (Thanks to The Green Bunny for sharing about this product!)

RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up – Another great cover-up for under the eyes. Has a pretty, dewy finish. You could also use this as a foundation.

Beautycounter Touchup Skin Concealer Pen – This is a green dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat.

Powder:

Beautycounter Mattify Skin Finishing Powder – I usually don’t use powder, but this skin finishing powder has worked beautifully at setting my makeup when I don’t want it to budge for a long period of time.

Highlighters:

First off, I have to point out that I am doing a comparison post of these three highlighters on the skin – coming soon!

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer – To me, the tones of this highlighter tend  to go very cool and silver on the face. Very dewy.

Kjaer Weis Radiance Highlighter – My favorite of the three- worth every penny! This overall shade is much more skin-like…almost a dewy beige. I’m telling you, it’s gorgeous on the skin.

Tata Harper Highlighter in Very Illuminating – The Tata Harper highlighter sits in the middle of the above two, in terms of color. You can see it on my skin here.

Bronzers:

Beautycounter Color Contour Matte Bronzer – I love this powder bronzer, as there are no orange tones to be found. Great for warming up the face.

Tata Harper Contour in Very Bronzing – This my go-to cream bronzer – you can see it in action here.

Blush:

Kjaer Weis Cream Blush – Ohhhhhh, just buy this shade in Lovely and don’t look back. The best natural flush out there.

Beautycounter Color Sweep Blush Duo – For you powder blush buffs, I’m very partial to the Tulip/Bloom shade. Natural and lasts for a long time on the face.

RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek – Another beautiful, dewy cream blush. I love Demure (a cool pink) and Smile (a retro coral pink). If you haven’t read about Rose Marie Swift (hence “RMS”) and her mission, you definitely should. Wearing the Demure shade here.

Tata Harper Volumizing Lip & Cheek Tint – Once again, another lovely, dewy cream blush. I have Very Charming and Very Nice. FYI- Tata Harper’s blushes have a strong fruity scent, so if you are sensitive, you might want to try a sample first.

Antonym Baked Blush – This blush was sent to me as a sample, and I’ve found myself reaching for it almost every day. It’s a gorgeous, subtle rose shade that you could wear all year.

Eye Shadow:

Kjaer Weis Eye Shadow – Not going to lie – these shadows are STEEP. ($45!) But I’m also not going to lie about the performance and the shades – absolutely exceptional. I wear Cloud Nine and Charmed every damn day.

Zuzu Luxe Eyeshadow – For those of you who would rather not spend 45 bones on an eye shadow, may I introduce you to Zuzu Luxe? These shadows are fantastic and $15. Sahara is one of my all-time favorites.

RMS Beauty Eye Polish – If you prefer cream shadows, RMS makes some gorgeous colors. These definitely shimmer on the eyelid, if you are a fan.

Eye Liner:

Antonym Noir Eye Pencil – Best black eyeliner, green beauty or not. Never have used a better black liner in my life.

Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner – Again, best black liquid eyeliner, green or not. This liner has a cult following.

Beautycounter Color Outline Eye Pencil – I like these for lining the inner rim, but a word to the wise, these pencils are very waxy so they don’t glide easily. However, they stay put.

Jane Iredale Jelly Jar Eyeliner – These replaced my MAC and Tarte gel liners. I love to apply these with a stiff, flat liner brush, and they don’t budge.

Mascara:

Zuzu Luxe Mascara – A great mascara for a natural look. This mascara doesn’t give much drama or volume, but I love it for day-to-day.

Per-fekt Lash Perfection Gel – When I’m looking for a little more oomph, this mascara is tops. See it on me here. (I’m also using the Jane Iredale gel liner in black in that photo.)

Lipstick/Lip Tints:

Nudus Lipstick – The 27 Kisses shade has just about every green beauty blogger buzzing, and count me in. I adore this “your lips but better” shade – perfect for day-to-day. I love the way it looks on Lilly from Genuine Glow.

Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner – Great, buildable lip color. Goes on sheer, but you can adjust the intensity with application. My favorite (which doesn’t get near enough love from other beauty bloggers) is Lust for Life.

Ilia Lipstick – These lipsticks are more opaque than the above lip conditioners. Fantastic color range. Great video with many of the colors here.

Beautycounter Lip Sheers _ Broken record. Love these. See every single shade on me here.

Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crayon – This is my top choice for matte lipstick. (I’m wearing a few of my faves here.) Also, the Best Bite Rewind Set that just came out for the holidays is amazing. I would highly suggest starting with those four shades! I love them all.

Bite Beauty Butter Cream Lipstick – The butter cream shades from Bite are much more subdued and neutral. Great for day – my two faves are Rosewood and Pecan.

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick – Yet another formula that I adore, and the shade range is unbelievable. Vigne and Palomino are current faves.

Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tint – Um, okay. I am pretty much obsessed with Bite, as you can see. I will say that Bite does contain a few synthetic dyes in some of their colors, but still super safe on the beauty continuum. This formula is very sheer.

Kjaer Weis Lip Tint – I was just recently introduced to these lip tints. I have Captivate, which is so lovely. It’s described as a beautiful, neutral nude-brown. It’s is very, very pretty on.

Lip Balms:

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask – I put this on my lips every night before bed. Totally heals and locks in moisture.

MadeOn Natural Lip Balm – I love this balm for everyday, and I use it as a prep before lipstick or lip pencil.

Lip Pencils:

Jane Iredale Lip Pencil – No need to look any further for a lip pencil – these are fabulous, and everyone should own Spice.

Zuzu Luxe Lipliner – Another great product from the less expensive Zuzu Luxe brand. I love to wear the Bounce shade out on the town.

Lip Glosses:

Beautycounter Lip Gloss – These taste like candy, straight up. Love Peony, and the new shades in the Limited Edition holiday sets (Ruby and Opal) are must-haves.

Jane Iredale Lip Gloss – Snow Berry is hands-down the best gloss I’ve owned. It’s a pale, neutral pink that looks amazing on top of the Spice lip liner or any lip color, actually. I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on the Soft Peach shade.

Nail Polish:

Treat Polish – These polishes are “5-free,” and the shade range is perfect. I’m a huge fan of Good Thing and The Everyday Girl.

Online Green Beauty Retailers:

Unless you live in a major metropolitan area, many green beauty cosmetics need to be purchased online. Luckily, there are some great online retailers that carry fantastic brands and whose employees are super knowledgeable. I have purchased from many green beauty retailers, and these are tops in my book.

Citrine Natural Beauty Bar – My favorite. Expertly curated brands, customer education, reward perks, and super fast shipping…I am such a fan of Citrine. They also offer a sample program – 5 samples for $15 dollars, including shipping. I know buying cosmetics online can be daunting, so the sample program is key. They also do consults! Free shipping over U.S. orders over $75, and use the code whoorl10 for 10% off your entire purchase. Boom!

Beauty Heroes – Another great curation of green beauty brands, and Jeannie the founder is very particular about brand inclusion. The shop exemplifies responsible, ethical, high-performance green beauty brands AND if you are a Beauty Heroes member (you’ve heard me talk about this, right? The monthly beauty box that ships with full-sized products?! THE BEST), you get 15% off everything in the store 365 days out of the year. So worth it! It’s the only monthly subscription box I receive.

The Detox Market – This shop is amazing. The sheer number of green beauty brands is impressive, and I have purchased from The Detox Market many, many times. (I’ve also visited the brick and mortar shop in LA, which was like waking up on Christmas morning as a child.) You can accrue “detox” loyalty points which go towards future purchases, and you get free shipping over $80.

Pharmaca – The great thing about Pharmaca is its wide selection of cosmetics, skincare, supplements, homeopathy and more. It’s like a green beauty buff’s Target. Plus, there is a wide range of price points, which is super helpful. (Parents of tweens and teens looking for more natural beauty options that don’t break the bank will love Pharmaca.)

A couple more fabulous retailers are Credo Beauty and Integrity Botanicals.

There you have it, fellow green beauty enthusiasts. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions in the comments section. I could seriously write a book about natural and organic beauty, and am more than happy to share with you!

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29 comments
  1. Amber

    October 26, 2015 at 8:37 am

    thank you for this–so many products I am hoping to try! I would love to get your take on green hair care too–especially dry shampoo and styling products.

    • whoorl

      October 26, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Hi Amber! I am planning a green skincare, as well as hair care post coming soon! Still working through some hair products at the moment….

      • Dawn

        October 26, 2015 at 8:54 am

        I know you don’t color your own hair but if you have any thoughts on more natural home hair dyes I would love that!

  2. Joy

    October 26, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Thank you, THANK YOU for putting this together and sharing it! It is so very helpful.

    I, too, look forward to a haircare post. I’m 42 and color my hair to cover my gray (ugh! Went quite gray at 32) and ever since I started coloring my hair, it’s so dry and the frizz is out of control. I’ve tried so many green hair products, but haven’t had much success with any of them.

  3. Paige

    October 26, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    Such a great list! I’ll definitely have to look through these brands!

    Paige
    http://thehappyflammily.com

  4. Kirsten

    October 26, 2015 at 5:04 pm

    Great list, what about hand soap and laundry soap and things to clean around the home, do you use green products and do you like them? Also, do you use any essential oils for cleaning or health? Just curious, you seem to be good at research !!!!

    • whoorl

      October 27, 2015 at 11:46 am

      I use tons of the flower essences by Lotus Wei (for my health and vitality), and use mostly Seventh Generation for house cleaners. http://www.lotuswei.com/

  5. Kelly

    October 26, 2015 at 5:40 pm

    Thank you for this!!! I remember your previous post on green beauty included many recomendations from Tarte. Just curious why you no longer recommend them?

    Thanks again!

    • Courtney

      October 26, 2015 at 5:51 pm

      I was wondering this as well!

      • whoorl

        October 27, 2015 at 11:48 am

        Tarte definitely has taken a step in the green beauty direction, but I have become much more stringent about the ingredients in my cosmetics, and unfortunately, Tarte still uses some questionable ones. (But they are still much better than most conventional brands.)

  6. Christina

    October 27, 2015 at 9:58 am

    I just broke down and bought the Hynt concealer…so excited! I am going to have to try the 100% Pure tinted moisturizer now too!

    What do you like to use for eyebrows?

    • whoorl

      October 27, 2015 at 11:49 am

      My bangs cover my eyebrows, so I don’t do much. However, I’ve heard Ecobrow is great!

      • Christina

        October 28, 2015 at 10:30 am

        Would you still consider yourself light-medium in Tarte if you still wore it? Trying to figure out what color would be best for the 100% Pure.

        Thanks!

        • whoorl

          October 28, 2015 at 12:04 pm

          I would wear Light in Tarte right now.

  7. Renee

    October 27, 2015 at 10:57 am

    Hi Sarah- Curious what shade of the Hynt concealer you use. Thank you!

    • whoorl

      October 27, 2015 at 11:50 am

      I use the Light shade.

      • Christina

        October 30, 2015 at 9:29 am

        What are your thoughts on concealer shades…do you go lighter or match your skin tone for dark circles and redness? I’ve seen so many conflicting answers!

        • whoorl

          October 30, 2015 at 11:16 am

          I stay close to the actual color of my skin.

          • Christina

            October 30, 2015 at 11:40 am

            Thank you!

            I think I went too light with my Hynt…I am white peach in 100% pure tinted moisturizer and sand in Juice Beauty tinted moisturizer. It looked fine after putting my finishing powder on though…

  8. Beth

    October 28, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    Hi Sarah – thanks so much for this! I assume you mean snow “berry” not snow “bunny” for the Jane Iredale lip gloss, but just wanted to double check. Thanks!

    • whoorl

      October 30, 2015 at 11:08 am

      Yes, thank you!

  9. Laura

    October 28, 2015 at 9:46 pm

    LOVE!!!!!!!! Such good picks. love your writing style, too.

  10. Kerri

    October 28, 2015 at 11:35 pm

    LOVE this list. Thank you for all your research and work on this green beauty list.

  11. Beth

    November 6, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    Tried to order several of your suggested Beautycounter items, but they don’t appear to ship to Canada, Boo!

  12. Heather

    November 12, 2015 at 8:49 pm

    Thank you so much for this post – I’ve been mulling over it for a while and finally placed an order tonight for some clean beauty items. Thanks for your research and time you put into this! It’s super helpful to the rest of us :)

  13. Joy

    November 16, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    I bought the Hynt concealer you recommended and boy are you right…just a tiny bit goes a long way. I’m wondering how you apply the concealer. Do you use your finger, or do you use something else? Thanks!

    • whoorl

      November 17, 2015 at 11:12 am

      I use it lightly with my ring finger.

  14. Maria Borror

    December 3, 2015 at 12:40 pm

    Hi, sorry I’m a bit late to the game here and if you’ve already addressed my questions, but I’m just now trying to replace all of my products (I’ve already done household cleaners, which i took care of when I was pregnant). First, what are the ingredients you avoid when looking at beauty and healthcare products? I’m overwhelmed at what I need to look out for. Second, do you have a complete list of products that make the natural/healthy list? I know you’ve narrowed down this and other lists to include those that you prefer, but can you direct us to all the brands (including drugstore) that have made the initial cut? Thank you!