DIY: Homemade Cheek & Lip Stain

There are many secrets cosmetic companies intentionally keep from consumers. Thousands of toxic chemicals abound in lipsticks, fragrances, shampoos, and eye shadows being sold in the United States and beyond. Take one look at the Cosmetic Safety Database and you’ll see for yourself that we’re literally killing ourselves for the sake of beauty.

For this reason I made a pledge at the start of the year to dump all of my artificial makeup and skin care products and start over with natural cosmetics. I’ll admit that January was a difficult month. I went shopping and had a very very difficult time finding products that fit my high caliber expectations. Continue reading

Rocking NYE Naturally: Makeup Tips

Last week I made a sweeping change to my daily makeup routine and ditched all of the harsh chemically products that were in my rather large stash.

I tossed about five pounds of designer and el cheapo eyeliners, blush, shadows, lip sticks, glosses, primers, and more! It was part of my yearly pre-New Years purge. Websites like the Cosmetics Safety Database convinced me that no look is worth the mercury infused mascara or phthalate laced cheek glow.

With this in mind, I wanted to share how us super eco-divas can still rock an edgy look using natural, safe, and earth friendly products. Some of my favorite items include a hemp based line of staining lip balms by Colorganics that can be purchased at most Whole Foods, the entire line of cosmetics by Greek skincare company Korres, and the ever cute and increasingly natural brand Tarte.

The following tutorial uses a mix of the above brands to create a vintage-inspired party look for New Year’s Eve. I hope it gives you some food for thought for 2011 and beyond. Continue reading