Top 10 Clean Beauty Picks 2019

Happy New Year! I just love the ring of 2020, don’t you?  Well, a new year means it’s time to round up last year’s faves! I whittled this list down to my top 10 very favorite products of last year and upon first glance, you might notice some of them look very familiar due to my singing of all the praises on social media during 2019. It should be noted that these aren’t my favorite new products of 2019, these are all-time favorites – ones that I used the most, regardless of when they were launched.

Here are my top 10 clean beauty picks of 2019!

 

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A post shared by Sarah James (@whoorl) on Jan 15, 2020 at 10:46am PST

#1 – EVOLVH HEALTHY HAIR TRIO

I am absolutely thrilled at the comeback EVOVLh made in 2019. Some of you might remember that this haircare line was a favorite of mine a couple of years back, but I stopped talking about it. Turns out, the company wasn’t fully transparent in regards to the original scent of the product line (ingredient-wise) and I didn’t feel comfortable using it or promoting it any longer.

Well, EVOLVh listened to their customer base and went back to the drawing board concerning fragrance formulation. You can now see every scent ingredient in the ingredients list of all products. Also, all of the products’ ingredients now follow the INCI (International Nomenclature of Ingredients) standard, making it easier to identify every ingredient in our products by anyone anywhere on Earth.

This fragrance reformulation means a new scent for my favorite UltraShine Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner, and the UltraRepair Masque, all of which are now fragranced with just one ingredient, white grapefruit oil. (I LOVE the new scent – so light and fresh!)

Nothing earns my respect more than companies who realize their shortcomings and make changes accordingly. EVOVLh’s aim in making these changes was to achieve and promote total ingredient transparency not only in their products but to help and inspire the spread of this movement across the entire cosmetics industry. Bravo, EVOLVh. I’m a customer for life.

The Healthy Hair Trio is a great way to get acquainted with the brand and please use the code WHOORL for 15% off your purchase at the EVOVLh website!

# 2 – BEAUTYCOUNTER EYESHADOW PALETTE IN ROMANTIC

Shocker. My obsession with this eye shadow palette continues. It is hands-down THE BEST eye shadow palette I’ve ever owned, clean beauty or not. Even on days when I don’t wear eye shadow, I always line my eyes with the gorgeous dark plum shadow called “Smolder.” I just dampen a liner brush and apply very close to my lashline to visually enhance the fullness of my lashes at the base. You can see this palette in action in my Tutorial for Hooded Eyes.

 

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A post shared by Sarah James (@whoorl) on Aug 3, 2019 at 8:51am PDT

#3 – LE PRUNIER PLUM BEAUTY OIL

Ohhhhh, this is my top pick for 2019. I am completely ENAMORED with Plum Beauty Oil and wrote a detailed post about it a few months ago. I use it as my moisturizer every day and honestly, just get ready for the incredible scent. So delicious.

#4 – AFRICAN BOTANICS CELL RECOVERY SERUM

A full year in, my love for African Botanics Cell Recovery Serum has not diminished a wink. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s worth it. Everything you could possibly need to know about this clean retinol is in my post from earlier this year.

#5 – AFRICAN BOTANICS FLEURS D’AFRIQUE OIL

Now, if you want to take your skin to ultimate next-level status, use the Cell Recovery Serum followed by African Botanics Fleurs D’Afrique Oil (which also has retinol in it) every night. Once again, ridiculously expensive, but when people remark that I don’t look 45 years old, these two products used concomitantly are the reason why. 100%, no questions asked. Need more details? This post should help out.

#6 – W3LL PEOPLE BIO CORRECT CONCEALER

Concealer can get really tricky in midlife, and while I’ve bounced around between several, I reach for W3ll People Bio Correct Concealer 80% of the time. It’s a thinner consistency than most which makes it much easier to blend and doesn’t ever look cakey or feathery around my eyes. (Also doesn’t congregate in my fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes. Much appreciated!) I also wear this around my nose where I’m almost always a little bit red. I wear the shade Light in this concealer.

#7 – OULI’S OINTMENT

My favorite highlighter! Designed to be a do-it-all balm, I actually love Ouli’s Ointment on my cheekbones to give me some sheen without any sort of mica or shimmer. As we ladies age, that shimmer can make a temporary home in the wrinkles on our faces and it’s just not a good look, ya know what I’m sayin’?

#8 – CLOVE + HALLOW LIP MASK

New in 2019 and almost impossible to keep stocked, Clove + Hallow Lip Mask is a mega hydrating lip balm that totally reminds me of old school petroleum jelly but is completely clean. #praisebe This is on my lips every night before I go to bed.

#9 – INIKA BB CREAM

wearing inika bb cream in nude

You might have heard my stance on women in their mid-40s and beyond…I’m not the biggest fan of a face full of foundation. Less is definitely more as we age, but let’s face it, there are going to be days when a little bit of concealer is not going to hack it. (For me personally, it’s days when I have more redness or discoloration than usual.) Inika BB Cream (I wear the shade Nude) is so lightweight – your skin totally shows through, but it just blurs everything the perfect amount. I wrote a full review here if you are interested.

# 10 – VAPOUR VELVET GLOW FOUNDATION

I know, I know. I just said less is more and I was NOT expecting to love the brand new Vapour Velvet Glow Foundation as much as I do. (I didn’t even receive this product until December! And it’s in my Top 10 of the year! That says something.) This foundation is for the ladies who don’t want that shiny glow that all the whippersnappers have been busting out this year. Nope, this is a velvety matte finish – not super matte in which you look like you’re wearing a mask…no, just beautiful, flawless, and weightless coverage that looks super natural and doesn’t sit in your pores like other liquid foundations can do. This foundation will see a lot of play in 2020 on those days when I need extra face coverage due to redness or discoloration. (I wear 115 when my skin is lighter and will probably wear 123 in the summer.)

There you have it! Those are my Top 10 products of 2019. What were your 2019 standouts? I’d love to know!

Wanting more? Well, my two favorite beauty queens just posted their Top 10 lists as well! Check out Lisa from This Organic Girl’s list here and Suzi from Gurl Gone Green’s list here!

Also, drumroll please, I am giving away ALL TEN PRODUCTS to one lucky winner! A value of over $750, y’all. See below for details.

Good luck!!