Going, Going Green: Tarte Changes It’s Colors

I can’t stay away from Sephora.  It used to be difficult, being a green makeup artist, walking into Sephora and wading through pretty products with toxic ingredient labels.  But things are changing:  a line you didn’t like last year might just be unrecognizable today. Of course, there’s also something so satisfying about being left alone to PLAY in an entire store full of makeup.  To test the density of eyeshadow color, to feel a foundation’s  slip and texture…to SMELL the lipglosses.

Unlike buying  makeup from a department store, (where you’re stuck with it as soon as you use it)  Sephora’s generous return policy allows shoppers to relax about makeup.   So, with a relaxed frame of mind I recently waltzed down the Tarte aisle and was struck to see Sephora’s  green leaf   “Naturally Sephora” label hanging over the entire brand.  I’d previously tried only three of Tarte’s products, all from the “Health Couture” line: Lash Hugger Eco Mascara, Glam Gams, and Eco Cheek stain.   The rest of their products were heavily tainted with petrochemicals, parabens, and other less than sundry fillers (In fact, the Tarte brand scored a whopping 7-8 rating on the Skin Deep toxicity database)….and then suddenly……

A big green sign. What gives?  My heart pounded.  Could it be?

“Yes,” she said.   A rep for Tarte happened to be in the store and was as excited about the change as I was.  “The formulations changed at the beginning of the year, but we couldn’t advertise it until about a month ago—after we changed the packaging with the old ingredients list.”   She told me that Tarte’s products are now ALL paraben free, with many products free of dyes, fragrances, petrochemicals and phthalates as well.

I think my hands were shaking a little as I approached Tarte’s Natural Beauty 7 Piece Combination Set in FAIR (they had me at FAIR!)

It includes the new Age-Rewind tinted moisturizer (spf 15),  with a Foundation Brush, Pressed Powder, Pressed Bronzer, Concealer Wand, and Face Primer.  The seventh piece is the see-through recyclable zippered pouch everything fits into.

I read the ingredients a few times.  I wouldn’t eat the stuff, and you know my feelings about makeup.  I like to be able to eat it.  But it is FAR and AWAY cleaner than most cosmetic products on the market, and a VASTLY cleaner line than it used to be.   And I think that’s worth celebrating.

And yes, it all WORKS really well, too.  The Age-Rewind glows on the skin, feels silky smooth, and provides more coverage than any other tinted moisturizer I’ve tried, ever.   Comes in shades from Fair to Deep.   Blends easily, feels light, and pumps from the airless container.   Foundation brush is a nice touch.  The primer is professional quality: it actually feels like a slippery silicone base, and keeps your makeup in place all day.  (I still prefer aloe based primers,  but this one works really well).  The concealer wand is great for touchups , but it’s lightweight.  (Tarte’s got a great new pot concealer, though, that has fantastic density).  The powder and bronzer are small, but separate (important) and potent.  A little dab’ll do ya.  The bronzer’s not orangey, either, but it is highly pigmented, so use a light hand.

The new Tarte also has a “clean” waterproof mascara, called “Lights, Camera, Splashes” which I’m eager to try out on a few sobbing brides.   (Until now, clean waterproof mascara was an oxymoron!)

While I was there, I picked up the limited edition REFILLABLE Tarte eyeshadow palette called Femme Fatale.  The colors are dense and blendable and the palette comes with a two ended eyeliner as well as a nice double ended application brush.  Several shadows can also be used as eyeliners (with a small wet brush) or can be dampened for a fabulously bold effect.  I was surprised at how much I missed pressed shadows (I have a large green kit full of loose ones in every color); I vow to use this palette til it’s gone!  I love the refillable aspect, too–you can choose your own colors!

As usual, my enthusiasm comes with a grain or two of salt.  You STILL have to read the label, girls. There’s no getting around it.  Tarte has really cleaned up its act, but there a few products I just can’t get behind (for example, the Celebutante Dry Oil Shimmer Spray, which still contains BHT, a fragrance/masking ingredient used as a substitute for toluene.  BHT gets a 7-9 on SkinDeep.  Such a shame.  A fabulously delicious smelling product with avocado oil and gold shimmer.  Were it clean, I’d coat my body in it everyday of my life—alas).   So yes, Tarte is well on its way to being green, but tread carefully, friends.

Why do I bother reviewing anything that I wouldn’t eat?  Because, like you, I want to know what’s OUT THERE.  I want to know who’s trying to move in a greener direction, and how their products stack up. Perhaps you’re the kind of woman who can stick to a clean (organic, even) purely mineral line like Larenim or AfterGlow, and be a happy, healthy camper from there on out.  But there are some women who simply WON’T put up with powder all over their bathroom sinks, or whose complexions will not tolerate a plethora of powder.  I keep my eyes peeled for options.

Some people (like me) won’t be happy unless a cosmetic product is food safe.  Others just want something paraben-free.   It’s up to each of us to decide where to draw the line—we are all different shades of green.

Here are the specs provided by Sephora on the $54  Tarte Natural Beauty Combo Set

This set contains:
- 1.16 oz Clean Slate T5™ Infused Natural Primer
- 1 oz ReCreate™ Natural Anti-Aging Foundation with Wrinkle Rewind™ Technology in Warm Bisque
- 0.19 oz The Eraser 4-in1 Natural Concealer in Bisque
- 0.15 oz Provocateur Pressed Mineral Powder in Light
- 0.15 oz Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess
- Travel Foundation Brush
- Reusable 7 Recyclable Makeup Bag

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens (all)
- Preservatives (Primer)
- Propylene Glycol (Primer, Concealer, Powder, Bronzer)
- Petrochemicals (Primer, Concealer, Foundation, Powder)
- Phthalates (Primer, Concealer, Foundation, Bronzer)
- Sulfates (all)
- GMOs (Primer, Concealer, Powder, Bronzer)
- Triclosans (Primer, Concealer, Powder, Bronzer)

What else you need to know:
All products are free of fragrance, talc, MEA, DEA, TEA, and animal testing.

Here’s what Tarte Founder Maureen Kelly says about the brand now on their website:

Nine years later tarte is the leader in earth engineered™ beauty offering the widest selection of natural cosmetics full of skinvigorating™ ingredients including our proprietary t5 super fruit complex™ (a blend of the five most active, free-radical fighting super fruits), vitamins, minerals and natural fruit and plant extracts. But it’s not just about what’s in our healthy formulas; it’s what’s not in them that really sets us apart! We are 100% free of parabens, petro-chemicals, phthalates, sulfates and synthetic fragrances, just to name a few.

We don’t just stop at the formulas – our chic, runway-inspired cases and compacts are more then just pretty packaging. We’re helping reduce green house gas emissions one mascara at a time by creating components that are made from recyclable or post-consumer recycled material and can often be re-used to help reduce environmental waste. We like to say we’re doing the ‘leg work’ to help all of us minimize our carbon footprints.

Chameleon photo by Flickrs Kaibara87

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AHA! The Beautiful Secret to Glowing Spring Skin

As Spring quietly approaches  in warm midmornings between rain showers and cool gusts of wind, I am made aware of texture.  Each early blossom that lifts off a tree reminds me that Springtime is the right time to tighten and brighten, to smooth and perk and prepare to be happier than I’ve ever been.

Spring is the ultimate season of happiness, creativity, and love.  Spring makes your heart and soul glow. Shouldn’t your face glow, too?

Your heavy, winter weather moisturizer is ready to take a break (unless you live in one of those states that is covered in sheets of ice until June).  As the weather warms, your moisturizer should feel lighter.  If your face sweats after applying your regular moisturizer in morning or night, you know its time for a change.

My spring favorite is AHA’s 10% alpha hydroxy moisturizer.  Not only is this product clean as a whistle, it’s light, and it sloughs off (rather the fruit acids peel away) old, dead skin overnight, leaving your face bare but for a gorgeous glow.

The AHA line (by company Nonie of Beverly Hills) is a great little group of products available at your health food store, and another bonus: They come in GLASS bottles!!

A little goes a long way with AHA, the price point is comparable with other natural lines (my bottle of moisturizer was around $25), and you FEEL the product working.  Best of all, my skin is extremely smooth, without having used a facial scrub in two weeks.

Here’s a note: When you use products with alpha hydroxy, your fresh, baby like skin will be vulnerable to sun damage– exactly what we’re trying to defy, right?  So MAKE SURE you use a tinted moisturizer or foundation with spf during the day.

If it’s your first time trying the tingling newness that alpha hydroxy acid imparts, start with a 5% product (AHA offers one), and use only in the evenings.  I’m an old hand at it, though, and adore the little champagne bubbles-on-skin feeling just before retiring, and look forward to it when I wake up.

Additional note: WASH your face when you wake, and wash away the dead skin from the previous night BEFORE reapplying the moisturizer to enjoy its full benefits!

AHA is safe to use under the eyes, as well, and I’m experimenting for the first time NOT using a separate eye cream.  (I’ll get back to you on the efficacy of this idea, although the line does offer an eye cream, as well)

Here are the ingredients for the 10% Alpha Hydroxy Moisturizer:

Distilled Water, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Wheatgerm Oil, Alpha Hydroxy Acids from Bilberry, Apple, orange, Grape, Lemon, & Grapefruit, Coconut Emulsifier, Orchid Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, & Oil of the Seed of Grapefruit.

That’s right-orchid oil! Just what a spring face needs: fruit and blossoms.  May your spring be a rejuvenation of all that is beautiful, including yourself!

To read more about the company & its products, visit them at:

nonieofbeverlyhills.com

Say Cheese: Whitening without frightening

White teeth do a lot of talking. They talk about their owner; they say ‘Hey, she’s healthy, she’s neither a smoker nor a heroin addict, and she practices good hygiene.’ Furthermore they say…..‘She’s happy.’

It may seem as though I’m obsessed with the ability of cosmetic products to make us look happier. Maybe you’d rather look younger. Fine, white teeth will also make you look younger. Our teeth naturally yellow with age, thus whiter teeth take us back to our prime. One of the easiest ways, in fact, to take a couple years off the face is simply to whiten your teeth. Doesn’t matter if your teeth are crooked, if you have a hideous underbite, or are missing a few teeth altogether. Whiten them up, and reap the compliments.

A few of you out there have greyish teeth, rather than yellow stained teeth. This is often due to tetracycline poisoning (from an antibiotic you took as a child or your mother took when she was pregnant with you). Don’t waste your money on tooth whiteners; the staining is from within, and if you’d like a great white smile (a dear friend of mine is very shy about her greyish smile) then chat with a dentist about veneers. It could change your life.

If, however, like many of us, your dingy smile is due to the accumulative effects of coffee, red wine and blueberry pie, then whitening your teeth is easy as…eating blueberry pie. I get compliments on my teeth quite often, by women. (Men will say, ‘Nice smile’…but women are more specific. They say, ‘You have really white teeth’) They ask what I do. Do I get them professionally whitened?

That’s not my secret. While I think a professional whitening job can immediately improve a woman’s self esteem, it’s expensive (up to $500) and the ingredients are a little iffy for my taste. Speaking of taste–ewwww…. would I ever want to swallow that stuff? I don’t even use toothpaste with flouride! And skip the drugstore whitening kits, they’re full of gross chemicals, too…unless you just have to have results this weekend.

The best thing you could do for your smile and your health is to make a decision to whiten your teeth every single time you brush, using a non toxic method.

Here are a couple of my favorite teeth whitening tricks:

1. Use food grade peroxide to swish and spit with. (It won’t stick to your teeth to whiten them, but if you brush your teeth while it’s in your mouth, you’ll get an oxygenated tingling and foaming action that gently lifts stains).

2. Use baking soda as toothpaste. It’s cheap, it works, it whitens. (It absorbs stains and scrubs them away) Put a drop or two of food grade peppermint or spearmint essential oil in a cute one cup container of baking soda. Tasty! It’s a natural abrasive, and the feeling of clean after you brush (dip a wet toothbrush into the powder) is the cleanest you will ever feel. Very similar to getting a professional cleaning. Do it for two weeks and you’ll notice a whiter smile. Then do it for the rest of your life because it works and it’s natural.

3. If you hate home made stuff, try my favorite powdered packaged toothpaste, Eco Dent Extra Brite (I like powders. Gels and pastes disappear too quickly, and whitening is about getting rid of stains. Peroxide bleaches, but powders SCRUB. This company makes a couple formulas; I like the whitening one, because they added peroxide! You just flip the cap, and sprinkle a modest amount on your wet toothbrush, and brush (If you wet the toothbrush after, you wash away powder). While I’m not a fan of the foaming agent sodium lauryl sulfate (the oceans need less foam, not more), this toothpaste is fluoride free, it whitens, and it’s natural.

ExtraBrite Tooth Whitener, Fluoride Free helps brighten teeth naturally while providing low abrasive action, natural effervescence and natural cleaners. Premium Oral Care Products. Mint without Fluoride. polishes with Less Abrasion. Baking Soda Toothpowder. Naturally Effervescent. Better than Pastes! Natural Effervescence and Peroxide make it better! Less Abrasive. Helps Prevent Plaque. For a great smile, brush with Extra-Brite twice daily for 2-3 weeks. Then maintain your new smile with Eco-Dent Daily Care. 100% Natural Ingredients.

Suggested Use: Apply small amount to moistened toothbrush. Brush as usual. Not recommended for children under 12.

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Tartanic Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Carbonate, Calcium Peroxide, Sea Salt, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (Coconut Derived), Hydrated Silica, Natural Flavoring Oils, Guar Gum, and Myrrh Extract.

I Scream, You Scream: Fabulous Eye Cream

Some mornings I wake up looking like I’ve been abducted by aliens.  My face is puffy, my lips are dry, and my skin is coarse.  Worst of all: Thousands upon thousands of fine lines emanate from the corners of my eyes, and the skin beneath my eyes is a crepey mess.   These are the ugly physical  manifestations of a dehydrated body. Yes, we should all drink more water.  But don’t talk to me about that when I’m staring at the Mohave Desert in the mirror.  Give me solace.

Give me eye cream, immediately.

A good eye cream can make you feel better instantly. It IMMEDIATELY quenches your skin.  I find if I can just lay my hands on good eye cream on a bad morning, that the day begins to look up within five minutes. The crepey-ness is gone, the thousands of new crow’s feet retreat, leaving me with the one set of laugh lines I’ve earned.

My eye skin plumps up, the sagging skin firms, and the whole shebang is taken care of with just a little cream! My current favorite eye cream is 100% Pure’s Acai Eye Cream. It’s clean, it’s green. It works.  100PercentPure.com makes two great eye creams: One formula relies primarily on coffee, to rev up the eye, and the other uses the antioxidant (and anti aging) power of concentrated acai (a groovy south american fruit) to restore youth.

My advice?  Don’t wait for an alien abduction.  I’m a HUGE fan of eye cream; use it DAY AND NIGHT (it’s rich and thick and essential and also preps your skin for that concealer I know you’re wearing!) and I try as many different ones as I can.  You’ll know a good eye cream by its power to make you feel better as soon as you massage it in. Take that, aliens!

No laughing matter: Lines, lines, everywhere lines.

I have laugh lines and I have pout lines. Thankfully I’ve done more laughing than pouting, but both lines are getting deeper, spreading!, and generally running amok across my once youthful visage. Why is it that I’m so proud of the deep lines in my palm (makes for easy palm reading) but not willing to accept them in my face?

I don’t care to discuss my Freudian hangups at the moment, I just want to get rid of the evidence. While I’ve never considered Botox, (injecting poison into my face is somewhat antithetical to my mission as a green makeup artist–not to mention my fear of needles), and I’m not interested in wearing a face-lift wig (see illustration), I do work in the beauty industry and am acutely aware that the older I get, the more desperate I’ll undoubtedly become. I’m trying to head those fears off at the pass by taking care of the small stuff while I still can. Cue the anti-aging creams, wrinkle serums, lifting lotions and miracle elixirs.

Skincare, I find, is the one area in which green cosmetic companies seem to perform well. How hard can it be to hydrate my face without poisoning me or making me break out? (worst case scenario, just throw a bucket of water at me) The cleaner the skincare line, the better results on this front. But when we begin talking about firming, lifting, minimizing, and brightening, we’re talking about serious stuff. Such potions are never cheap, and while the green versions may not hurt you (they tend to leave the poison out), they may not do anything at all.

And unlike many consumers who are willing to give a product a full 30 days before expecting results, I want to look better immediately. I haven’t got all day, and neither do my clients. If it’s supposed to firm, I want to FEEL IT FIRMING, if it’s supposed to lift, then it had better START LIFTING NOW, and if it’s supposed to plump with antioxidants, I’d better feel like Violet FREAKIN’ Beauregarde, rolling out of the chocolate factory as a giant blueberry.

Here are a few products I’ve tried, and my immediate impressions of them:

Aubrey Organic Lumessence Rejuvenating Eye Cream: A clean product which feels more like a serum than a cream. I used it for 2 weeks, am and pm. I found hydration to be only minimal, (and I count on things like hydration around the eyes), I experienced no measurable lightening of my morning under-eye circles, and also didn’t feel any firming whatsoever.

Earth Science A/B Hydroxy Acid Night Rejuvenator: This product claims 10% alpha and beta acids, has no parabens, but does contain dimethicone, polyprepolymer-2, and nylon-12. For hydroxy acids, I expect a hearty prickling/stinging sensation, letting me know that it’s burning off my dead skin. Wow, that sounds gross. Unfortunately, I felt as though I had only used a good toner. (ie, slightly refreshing tingle). After two weeks of use, I was not rejuvenated in the least. My pores weren’t smaller, my skin wasn’t smoother or brighter, and my lines were not diminished in the slightest.

Earth Science Beta Ginseng Cellagen Renewal Serum: Won some awards in the UK trade show, but failed to do for me what it claimed. Did take down redness in my husbands face, (he’s a willing guinea pig), but it didn’t do the plumping or firming it’s supposed to do. 25% hylauronic acid, (which helps the skin retain moisture), but perhaps I need a serum with 75%. Still dry as the desert.

Zia 15-Minute Face Lift: Love this stuff! I’d originally gotten this product for use with bridal clients, or their mothers on the Big Day. While it does have long term effects, it’s meant to make the biggest difference when used before applying makeup. The tightening/lifting lasts for up to 8 hours. (and no, your face doesn’t fall like a smashed pumpkin at midnight, it’s just less “pulled”) The product uses clay (I love clay’s beneficial long term properties) with which you make a little mask. Comes with a nice brush for painting it on, then you lie down and let your face begin pulsing. It really does what it says it does. Immediately.

Burt’s Bees Repair Serum: A delightful, generously bottled collection of soothing oils for the face. While the product doesn’t reduce my lines, it is supremely luxurious, smells like heaven, and gives me a luscious glow. Use sparingly. (It really should come with a dropper, I think. Most folks are heavy handed when given the chance, and too much of this one could cause issues for acne prone people). Otherwise, divine.

Frownies: An old “Hollywood Secret”. These things work. They’re weird, but they’re natural and they work. Essentially, Frownies are little bits of stiff paper. Before you sleep, you moisten the backs (if you lick them, they taste like the paste of your childhood. I’m told.) and you stick them to various spots on your face. If you want to be rid of frown lines, there’s Frownies for the forehead. There are laugh line Frownies, and Frownies for the deep lines around the mouth. I like to call these lines parenthesis (since I clearly like parenthesis and the word Marionette gives me the creeps.) Frownies have been used for ages, and several celebrities swear by them. The way they work is simple. Once they’re attached to your face, they prevent you from making the crazy faces you inevitably make in your sleep. (That’s 8 hours of frowning and smiling that happen when you’re not even trying). Once you stop making these faces at night, your lines diminish SIGNIFICANTLY. I go through bouts of using Frownies, and every time I use them, I’m always surprised how something so simple works so well. So why, then, would I keep looking for miracle creams? Because I’m lazy. You really do need to use Frownies consistently for at least 3 weeks at a time to experience the results. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a great lifting serum to keep your results longer……by the way, don’t forget to take your Frownies off in the morning, or someone else will remind you to.

I speak from experience.