A Green Beauty Highlighter Showdown

 

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Ladies, I love myself a little highlighter now and again. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bonafide strobing aficionada or anything, but a little dab of highlighter on my cheekbones, inner corner of eyes, and cupid’s bow can take me from blah to luminous in less than a minute.

There are a fair amount of safe, natural highlighters out there, so I decided to look at the 5 that I’ve seen and heard the most about over the past year or so.

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My Top 8 Green Beauty Must-Haves

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I know jumping into the green beauty world can seem a bit overwhelming at times (do you remember how I started?), but I’m here to take it down a notch for ya. Trust me when I say I’ve tried a ginormous amount of green beauty products, and this list you are about to digest contains the bee’s knees in terms of natural beauty. Now, I was all gung-ho to keep it succinct and go for my Top 5, but I just couldn’t narrow it down. All 8 of these products are must-haves for me!

Bite Beauty Lipstick – Where do I even start? I have over 20 shades from this brand, and I just can’t quit. I CAN’T QUIT, people. Top shades for me are Fraise, Mimosa, Chai, Meringue, Aubergine, and Pastille.

Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Lovely – Perfect pink, dewy flush. Enough said.

Ilia Lip Gloss in Peek-a-Boo – Obsessed with this gloss. Although my skin is fairly light, my lips must be really pigmented because almost all light pink and/or nude lipsticks and glosses wash me out. (And when I say “wash me out,” I mean it looks like I applied concealer to my lips.) Well, not this lip gloss – it’s the perfect nude shade and the consistency of the gloss is on point. Good staying power, but not sticky.

Drunk Elephant Sheer Physical Defense – I have an entire post planned describing my foray into the Drunk Elephant skincare line (hint: it’s amazing), but today I will focus on the sunscreen for the face. It isn’t greasy, doesn’t leave a white cast on my face, and doesn’t break me out at all. I love it.

Perfekt Beauty Lash Perfection Gel – Will you please just listen to me and buy this stuff? It beats out all mascaras, green or conventional.

Hynt Beauty Concealer in Light – This concealer is HEAVY DUTY. It doesn’t mess around. I use it sparingly under my eyes and it works wonders.

Jane Iredale Lip Pencils – About half of the week, I forgo lipsticks and glosses for lip pencils with a little balm on top. Jane Iredale lip pencils are super creamy and stay on for hours. My favorites are Spice, Rose, Nutmeg, and Plum.

Beautycounter Tint Skin – I sound like a broken record, but I still love this product. (Just search for it in my sidebar if you want to read review after review.) ALTHOUGH, ahem, I would like to announce that I may have found another product I love as much, if not more. Now, I’m only in my first month, so I don’t want to jump the gun, but the Honest Everything Tinted Moisturizer is really winning me over right now. It has all the pros of the Tint Skin, but it ALSO has SPF 20. Oh yes, people. All in one. The color match is spot on (I wear Cream), and I’m really enjoying it.

(Also, if you are going to try out Honest Beauty, go for the bundle. It is such a great deal! I got the Tinted Moisturizer, Everything Cream Foundation, and the Daily Beauty Fluid with SPF for 50 bucks. Saved so much moolah!)

So, there you have it. My can’t-live-without products. Now, if you are wanting even more, be sure to check out the Ultimate Green Cosmetics Guide with tons more recommendations.

As always, leave me questions, and I’d love to hear what your favorite green beauty products are!

Odds and Ends

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1. My love for Andrew Bird will never die. Have you seen his new duet with Fiona Apple?

2. No one writes about divorce and single parenting from a father’s perspective better than Serge. Love his latest.

3. Have you spent much time on Reddit? Apparently, there are some amazing beauty tips on there.

4. What causes love to go away. Deepak always makes you think.

5. Tips on living a creative life. Kick fear to the curb, for one. (Oh, like it’s soooo easy.)

6. How to be painfully condescending to women without even knowing it! Mansplaining.

7. Oh, and by the way, women need more sleep than men because fighting the patriarchy is EXHAUSTING. Heh.

8. Get ready to cry your face off. For real.

9. President Obama does the tango. I love that man.

10. Speaking of dancing, you will never be able to unsee this, people. MY EYES.

11. How do you feel about clogs? I love all things 70s and will be partaking this summer.

Happy weekend to all of you! I’ll be enjoying March Madness and Easter festivities with my family.

image by claire oswalt 

A Little Spring in My Step

Tracking PixelThis post is sponsored by Børn Shoes.

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Spring is here, friends. I mean, not officially, but here in Oklahoma, we’ve been experiencing Spring-like temps since mid-February. (Is there actually anyone who doesn’t believe in global warming at this point?)

I’m pretty sure Spring is my favorite season when it comes clothing and accessories – I love adding pops of color to my otherwise neutral uniform, and of course, sandals. Sandals, sandals, sandals. It’s so nice to break free from clunky winter boots and socks. I mean, HOW OPPRESSIVE. #thestruggleisreal

I’m pretty selective when it comes to purchasing sandals – I want them to be chic and stylish  (of course!), but as I get a bit older, comfort is almost as important. I said almost, people. I’m not planning on orthopedics anytime soon.

Luckily, I found two pretty adorable pairs of sandals from Børn this season. If you don’t know about Børn shoes, they are known for the utmost comfort for busy ladies on-the-go, and they have a done a great job at merging style and comfort in their footwear.

Take a look at the two pairs I will be wearing in the upcoming warmer months.

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The Cindie Sandal in Sabbia/Rosa, $120

I adore this sandal – the simplicity, the wooden heel, and and camel/pink combo? Perfect. Very easy to walk in over the course of the day.

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For some super casual kicks, I’m all about these cuties.

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Idina in Ivory Snake Metallic, $95

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The pewter straps and natural sole make it a done deal for me. All about the natural sole. Also, #snakeskinforever

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These will get lots of wear this summer, for certain.

If you are looking for shoes that fit the bill for style and comfort, I have a feeling these two pairs will reside at the front of your closet. Happy Spring to all of you!

This post is sponsored by Børn Shoes.

My Favorite Natural and Organic Hair Care

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This post has been a long, looooong time coming, but I wanted to take my time in regards to using these products before sharing my thoughts with you all. And the thoughts…oh, I have them!

Let’s first talk about hair care in general, though. Switching to natural/organic hair care was the final frontier for me. (And I’ve come a long way, folks!) I had successfully switched most personal care products to greener alternatives, but was definitely dragging my feet in this category. For reference, for the past couple of years, I used Oribe shampoo, conditioner, and styling cream. My reasoning for not making the switch earlier was Oribe’s performance and scent (kind of amaaaazing), and really, I just figured, hell, hair is dead, how much damage could I be doing?

Ahem.

Let’s first take a gander at this from a broader perspective. So, the skin is our largest organ, and although it provides a protective barrier, it still allows up to 60% absorption into the bloodstream. (Yes, up to 60% of all the creams and lotions and oils and potions you are rubbing on yourself end up directly in your blood, and all it takes is 26 seconds from application for the chemicals to get in there. Awesome!)

Furthermore, the scalp is one of the most absorbent parts of the body. (More than your face, ladies and gents.) Also? It is the most sensitive part of your skin. It’s just like a big ol’ sponge, soaking up all that chemical-laden goodness you slather on it daily.

I could write for days on specific chemicals that are found in most conventional hair care products, but today, I will only make a few points. Surfactants aren’t great, folks. (These are the chemicals that are used as wetting agents – they trap oil and dirt sticks to it, allowing water to rinse it off.) The problem with surfactants (look for SLS – “Sodium Lauryl Sulfate”, or SLES – “Sodium Laureth Sulfate” on the ingredient list) is that when they are ethoxylated, they produce a carcinogen called 1,4-dioxane. You will never see this compound listed on a label, because it’s a byproduct of other ingredients. But it’s bad, friends. It harbors a very high risk factor for cancer, and should be avoided at all costs. Oh, and something else to chew on? According to a 2007 study by the EWG, 1,4-dioxane is found in 22% of all personal care products and 57% of children’s bath products. Ouch.

(If you want to stay away from 1,4-dioxane, look for the ingredients PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, sodium laureth sulfate, and most ingredients ending in “eth” or “oxynol.” If you see those ingredients, place the product back on the shelf and back away slowly.)

Other potentially dangerous products in hair care aren’t necessarily the active ones – it’s the preservatives, fragrance, and additives you need to look out for. (Common ones are lauramide DEA, cocamide DEA, MEA, methylparaben, DMDM hydantoin.)

So, should switching to natural/organic hair products be a priority? I say yes. Absolutely.

(Sidenote – When I spoke on green beauty at a conference in Laguna Beach a few weeks ago, the number one question asked of me was about options for natural and organic hair color. I’m researching this right now, and will have a post up in the upcoming months!)

So. Let’s talk about some great, high-performing products that don’t contain any of the above chemicals, but more than that, do what they are supposed to do. I have lots of categories to talk about, but I wanted to first show you my holy grail, everyday products that I absolutely love. These are my MVPs.

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Simple and 100% Natural Face Contouring

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When I hear the term “contouring,” I immediately think of this.

And that, my friends? Is a makeup situation I really don’t need in my life. Luckily, intensive contouring is on its way out, with more of a focus on highlighting the face, aka “strobing.”

However, I do understand the desire to subtly contour the face…creating natural dimension does give the face a boost, so I thought I would give it a go. The absolutely lovely Tata of Tata Harper sent me her brand new Contour & Highlight Kit to try out, so I decided to make a tutorial out of it. If you aren’t familiar with the Tata Harper line, it’s 100% natural and non-toxic and completely luxurious. (I love her Rejuvenating Serum and Replenishing Nutrient Complex something fierce, and am about to pull the trigger on the Regenerating Cleanser.)

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Let’s get this party started. As you know, I only use safe and natural beauty products, so rest assured these brands are all fantastic.

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