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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Sleeping Beauty-full: The conclusion

Some months back, I mentioned I was green mattress hunting; I promised to keep you updated on the results of the organic wool and natural latex sleeping experiment.  Well, its been three months since I’ve written anything.  I’ve been catching up on my sleep.

I’ve slept on a variety of surfaces in my lifetime:  inner-spring mattress, American futon, Swiss futon, Japanese futon, straw, and, of course, the floor.  I’ve slept as high as three mattresses stacked, and as low as the hardwood itself.  I’ve also slept on a number of mattress toppers: “egg crate” foam, memory foam, cotton, down, and poly-fill.

I am a three-way sleeper.  I change sleep positions from back to side to stomach all in one night.  I have back problems, like so many of you, and insomnia.  I know good sleep when I get it, which is rare.

In the three months I’ve been sleeping  on the new pesticide, flame retardant, and chemical free natural latex mattress (with three layers of firmness ranging from firm to soft), and the organic wool topper (meant to add extra padding, as well as regulate temperature in both summer and winter), in addition to super soft organic sheets (I couldn’t put  pesticide-heavy cotton sheets on the new combo) I have experienced many, many more good nights than not.

The mattress seems to support my weight evenly, and imparts the feeling of being “lifted”, somehow.  Yes, it’s a bit like sleeping on a cloud, I’ll admit to the cliche.  I don’t wake up hot in the middle of the night anymore, and when I move…..no one else does.  HUGE improvement.  I went with the natural latex over a memory foam mattress because I wanted feel like I was lying ON the bed, rather than IN it (and the natural latex has the added benefit of having no added flame retardants or added chemicals).  With the level of flame retardants already in the average Californian’s blood stream, I should already be fireproof.   I can’t imagine the desire to wallow in even more chemicals. For info, check out this link to the issue of  California citizens and flame retardants: http://www.consumercal.org/article.php?id=1016

I would love to do a comparative sleep study of both memory foam and latex one day (maybe when this bed wears out), but I am thrilled to have a clean, green, serene place to rest my head for the next 20 years!

Our mattress comes from Savvy Rest Organic Mattresses, and is made from Dunlop natural latex.  Savvy Rest received the National Geographic “Greenest” award, and their website is  full of interesting info– I never knew how rubber was harvested before visiting them. http://www.savvyrest.com

One note of caution:  This is an EXPENSIVE item.  It’s not more than other specialty mattresses, but it is probably more than you’ve ever considered spending on something you enjoy while unconscious.  This is why I encourage ALL of you to do some research of your own when looking for a green mattress.  Perhaps your needs can be met by buying a simple organic cotton spring mattress, or an organic futon; there’s even a company that makes a mattress out of cherry pits!

For Bay Area readers who want to support their local merchants, I REALLY love “A Happy Planet” in San Francisco; it’s an indie store that carries everything you need for a green night’s sleep, from organic mattresses right down to organic wool, kapok, buckwheat, and natural latex pillows.  They even carry sheets and comforters; from them you’ll get an education and a warm smile.  If you’ve spent a lifetime sleeping on down or chemically laden down alternatives–shredded natural latex pillows are a GREAT choice, and rather than smelling “fowl”, they smell a bit like pancake batter.  In a good way. http://www.ahappyplanet.com

Going green is so easy,

you can even do it in your sleep….

Top photo from Flickr’s Wiros, “Sleeping Beauty”

Sleeping Beauty-full: The experiment begins…

Once upon a time I dreamed I got a good night’s sleep.  It has finally occurred to me that I probably dreamed of a GREEN night’s sleep.

I’m mattress shopping, a task as important as husband shopping, and as critical for healthy relationships as it is for healthy complexions.  After much searching, I think I’ve found my Prince Charming: all natural latex with a wool topper.  I’m going with a rubber bed because I want that sproing-y feeling without the dust mite poop that winds up in spring coil mattresses (organic or not).  Dust mites and other wicked hangers on can’t live in natural latex, and unlike memory foam mattresses (chemical laden), natural latex is more like walking on rubber flip flops than in Birkenstocks (one bounces back, one molds to your shape).  My unconcious mind likes a little give.  I’m finalizing my decisions on  brand and purveyor, and I wanted to give you all a teaser.  Once I get it home and give it a couple weeks of careful scientific testing (including before and after photos of the circles under my eyes), I’m going to give you the full story.  Like, do you know Californians have more flame retardants in their blood than anyone else in the world?! Good news if you’re worried about spontaneous combustion, not so good if you want to live like a healthy spitfire.

Cloud photo courtesy of Flickr’s Catounetta

All that Glitters is not Green: How to read between the lines

I really like fashion magazines.  There is a kind of art appreciation that happens while grazing through the seasonal spreads.  There’s often a story being told: Young, lithe girl finds herself in a dark forest in the middle of summer, wearing a bizarre conglomeration of haute couture and accessories au naturelle.  In this context, her bird’s nest bra looks….not out of place.

Fashion magazines are one part fantasy, one part delicacy, and ninety eight parts currency. They are not here for our aesthetic edification.  They exist soley to make consumers out of us, which is why I think it’s nice to view them exclusively in artistic terms, to appreciate the inspiration and vision that goes into the few extravagent vignettes tucked between the copious and predictably pandering advertisements.

Once in a while, I’ll read the copy, too, just for kicks.

The May 2009 issue of Elle magazine features “Face of Cover Girl” Drew Barrymore, and is calling itself the “Blue Issue” with a focus on designer eco-chic.   Intrigued, I dove in and was shocked to find a several page spread on green cosmetics!  Apparently, a large panel of makeup artists was chosen to vote on green picks, and the spread features the winners.

I had a mixed reaction: I was unsurprised by some of the winners (Physcian’s Formula Organic Wear for mascara and bronzer–two of their products which I’ve blogged about myself), and surprised to NOT see some of the greatest green lines on the market.  Dr. Hauschka, for example, was represented only by their clay mask, and 100% Pure (the cleanest line ever invented) was missing? Instead, there were several “winners” that I thought were “losers”.  I was glad to see the magazine devote pages of precious ad space to the concept of clean makeup, but that’s all it was: AD SPACE.

I thought about the magazine on and off all day.  I realize that a magazine’s first obligation is to advertising, not content.  (A number of “winners” had coincidentally rolled out large ad campaigns in recent months, including Physician’s Formula) While a concerted effort went into featuring lines which are branded as green, I doubt anyone went a step beyond–and say, looked at ingredients. (The green pick for tinted moisturizer was Josie Maran’s, which features a slew of questionable ingredients, including BHT, which pulls off a whopping 7 out of 9 offense on the Cosmetic Safety Database.  BHT is just another nasty substitute for toulene…ewww.)

That said, I noticed a few new “green” products which bear investigation.  The moral?  You have to find your OWN winners.  Never trust glossy pages with your health.  It’s not what they’re there for, and it’s certainly not what they’re good at.  They’re good at making you look, and making you buy.  If you don’t believe me, I’ve got a bird’s nest bra I’d be happy to sell you.

Check out Elle’s Blue Issue, and make up your own mind.  The underwater images are gorgeous, even if the Cover Girl isn’t green.

Images courtesy of Flickr’s Vichysoisse of Verbiage and Elle Magazine

Flawed: What we do to appear Flawless

I have a secret, and I’m going to share it.  I have found a holy grail among “natural” undereye concelears.

I’m going to preface my disclosure with another disclosure:  my current favorite undereye concealer is not as clean as the company would have you believe (their slogan is “Clean-Natural-Beauty”)

I’m also going to rationalize my use of this product by confessing that I suffer from extraordinarily dark undereye circles: I’m an insomniac, my diet suffers the perils of bad timing and low blood sugar, and hey– dark circles are largely heritary and hormonal, anyway.  (Let’s blame science!)

I’ve tried everything out there, and if it’s clean and green, I’ve tried it twice.   I really DO love 100% Pure’s peach pigmented natural wand concealer (not available on their website, but on QVC):  I like the consistency of the product, ease of use, and edible ingredients. I carry it in my purse for touchups (a surprise blemish, a fixer for smeared mascara, etc).  But (for me) it’s simply not dense enough to battle the darkness that lies beneath…

To really achieve a flawless looking undereye–and by that I mean this: when the skin beneath the eye matches the skin above the eye (brow bone)–I prefer a two step product.   One pinky/peach step, and one yellow step.  Most makeup artists agree.  The pink cancels out the greenish or bluish aspects of your circles, and the yellow step warms the skin up, and brightens the undereye.  Combined, they are magical.

I found my new concealer a few months ago, while perusing the cosmetics section at Whole Foods.  A nice counter person asked if I needed help.  I told her I was deciding between the clean stick concealers of Gabriel or MyChelle.  She said, “You know, my favorite is Mineral Fusion.  It’s really thick.”

Now, some people don’t want to hear the word “thick” when it comes to makeup.  Some of you naturalists are no doubt wrinkling your noses at the prospect of smearing a heavy concealer anywhere but over a hole in your living room wall.   But to me, it was like hearing, “Circles, what circles?”

What raised a flag for me, (and the reason I have not written about this product sooner) is the company itself, Mineral Fusion.  A company backed by Whole Foods (who often sport an enormous display of the line, next to a teeny tiny display for the completely clean makeup line by Dr. Hauschka) Mineral Fusion is NOT  the poster child for organic, green makeup.

The lipglosses contain petrochemicals (polyethylene being the worst offender, scoring a 6-9 on Skin Deep’s toxicity guide: polyethylene is determined by the  “safe” for use on skin by the CIR, assuming a low skin absorbtion rate (despite studies that show tumors developing on the areas of application by both American and British medical journals), we STILL KNOW that everything on our lips we eat….that’s major absorption!  I’m going to say that WEARING Mineral Fusion’s lipgloss on your LIPS means you’re EATING polyethylene, a little, everyday.  Maybe it’s meant to be worn on the earlobes, instead.

And while Mineral Fusion products are paraben-free, who cares, if we’re going to be ingesting disgusting ingredients? (By the way, the company is a proud donor to the Pink United Breast Cancer Research Foundation)  So when the gentle counter person said “Mineral Fusion!”, I understandably hesitated.

Then I tried the creamy concealer duo in “cool”.  ACK!  It works like nothing else.

I asked to read the ingredients.  Argh.  Number seven (out of nineteen ingredients).  You guessed it.  Polyethylene.

WHY?? Why do they do it?  Is it possible that polyethylene is sooooo important that they can’t make a fantastic product without it?  Clearly, there are 18 other ingredients that make this product work.  Can’t we just leave that one out?  Or is it possible that they’re in cohoots with the polyethylene producers? Is this some kind of flouride rehash, waiting to be exposed?

I was miserable.  And yet, I had never looked so happy, nor so well rested.   I held a magnifying mirror up to my face, and even under the hideous glare of energy saving flourescent lighting, I was magnificent.  A flawed flawlessness.

I didn’t buy it.  I bought the heartily clean MyChelle concealer stick instead, which I wore dutifully for a week.  It’s fine, but it’s no match against the dark void which exists beneath my eyes.  I went back to my 100% Pure, sniffling with resentment and heartache (nothing was good enough anymore).  Then I stopped wearing concealer altogether.

That’s right.  The girl whose mantra has always been “Concealer makes you look happy” was willingly going about looking like a sucidal heroin addict.  Finally, seeing my sad circles in the mirror day after day caught up with me, and I genuinely began to feel sad.

So I bought it.  I’ve been wearing Mineral Fusion’s concealer duo for two weeks.  I look like a new person.  I look younger, happier, healthier.   Ironic, isn’t it?

How does this all relate to my previous blog about “being Beautiful” (capital B) and “acting Beautifully”?  I’m not sure.  There’s a balance to be struck, I suppose, between finding the products that make us feel beautiful, and finding companies who are willing to act beautifully, themselves.

I have conceded this round to Big Industry, but as soon as someone develops the same product without using polyethylene, I will drop Mineral Fusion like a bad habit.  Which is, for now, what it is.

eyepatch image courtesy of Flickr’s  eye-patch

On Being Beautiful: Because Makeup Isn’t Enough

I’ve been stewing this week over the choices I’ve been making on a daily basis.   Some are “good” (i.e. moral, ethical, healthy, or beneficial), some are “bad” (i.e. immoral, unethical, bad for my health, or detrimental in every way), and some choices I didn’t even realize I was making at the time.

We act out of habit, and out of comfort. It’s understandable.  We are human creatures, most of us.  This year I want to resemble something closer to a human being.  Someone who exists to embrace the spirit of living, to breathe, to expand.

I realize that this cannot be a New Year’s resolution.  First of all, it’s a little late for such a sentiment, and secondly, I don’t want to doom this idea to failure.

So here’s my plan: I am going to be beautiful everyday.

Sounds silly, I know.  But I’m not talking about covering up my dark circles and wearing a lovely shade of blush while taking out the trash (although this would certainly go a long way), I mean that I want to make choices and behave in such a way that I feel beautiful everyday.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of feeling like a failure when it comes to being green.  Yes, I recycle.  Yes, I buy organic.  Yes, I use ugly lightbulbs.    But I know it’s not enough.  It’s not enough to be a green makeup artist, either.  I can preach to you day and night about throwing out your chemical-laden, cancer-causing, planet-polluting makeup, and I can publicly endorse or eschew companies that claim to be green, but that’s not going to make the world more beautiful.

We, as women, must strive to act beautifully if we want to feel beautiful.                                                                And when we act beautifully, the world becomes beautiful.

What does that mean, to “act beautifully”?  For me, it means I don’t want to cheat on myself anymore.  I want to live with integrity–instead of this thing, this replacement for integrity which is so pervasive–this PC-ness of the green movement, this Modern Decency Law (the acknowledgement that the world is collapsing, and it is our duty to behave responsibly so as not to hasten our own demise), which many folks follow to the letter, ignoring the Spirit altogether.  I’ve encountered many “ugly” environmentalists. When there’s a law, whether real or imagined, there are always loopholes, and it is our nature to obey social laws while exploiting the loopholes.  We find ways to appear to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons.

What I want to do is ignore the law, and stop looking for loopholes!  I want to act from a place which supersedes  civilian code.  Instead of trying to do the “RIGHT” thing, I want to do the BEAUTIFUL thing.

I believe beauty can save the world.  But that’s not my aim.  I will champion beauty, for its own sake. I will strive to act as beauty would dictate.  (Which will prove difficult–I have a mean temper, and a righteous indignation that creeps about looking for places to sink its teeth).  I’m also profoundly lazy, a fact which I attempt to disguise by being “productive”.

No more.  My only mission now is to live beautifully.  And busy bees are not beautiful.  I will live with purpose.  This probably means taking my time when I do things.  I find that when I hurry (I’m a last minute kind of girl) I inevitably cut corners.  Not beautiful.

You’ve been there: you’re shopping for something or other, the store is jam packed with people, you’re in a hurry.  You don’t see what you really want, so you settle for something else–because IT WILL DO.  Aren’t you tired of that?  Aren’t you sick of making do?

It’s one thing to “make do with what you have”….a nice way to reduce consumption and live simply, or creatively; it’s quite another thing to “make do”  WHILE consuming!!  To “make do” because you ran out of time.  To “make do” because you just want to get it done.  To “make do” because you’re ready to get married and he happens to be the guy you’re dating.  To “make do” because you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to make a living as an artist, and besides, middle management pays better.

Let us stop MAKING DO. Let us simply BE BEAUTIFUL.

We can do this by first examining our lifestyles, and becoming aware of times when we act in hollow ways.  When we slight ourselves and each other– you’ve felt this before, a kind of pinging or aching in your gut.  Maybe you’ve recently decided to eat at home more often (for your health, your budget, or to enhance your sensual experience), but you’re ravenously hungry, you’re tired,  and there’s a mediocre Chinese restaurant around the corner….(That was me, last night).  So how do I feel today?  More beautiful, for satisfying my insta-craving for sodium heavy fried noodles?  Nope.  I actually feel a little dirty.

I love treating myself, but I gain more satisfaction from experiences CHOSEN in the light of day (in a calm, detached manner), rather than FUMBLED for in the dark (when I’m more likely to make do, especially given a low blood sugar scenario).

And how about you?  What are your weak spots?  When do you find yourself settling for less-than-beautiful?

I intend to spend more time writing about this idea of Beauty (capital B).   It is an intellectual and spiritual concept as old as civilization itself, and yet, somewhere along the way we became simple minded, distracted consumers.  We are allowing ourselves to be “sold” beauty.  But Beauty (capital B) isn’t for sale.   It is our task to manifest it.

I hope that we can share our ideas on this topic:  Please write in! I welcome your comments, experiences, and insights as we explore the path of Beauty of together.  I will continue to post product reviews as well as cosmetic beauty tips, but I am now firm in my resolution to preach Beauty over beauty.

Step One:  Identifying our “Making Do’s”

When Winter White Goes Wrong: How to make your neck match your face

Funny thing, necks.  We rarely give them much consideration.  When you think about it, your neck is merely a pedestal for the work of art that is your face, isn’t it?   Think again, girls.

Your neck is your face’s date to a ball. While you can arrive stag, wearing a scarlet gown that screams ‘look at me’, your appearance is more awe inspiring when you arrive with a gorgeous man who is wearing a matching scarlet hanky in his tuxedo jacket.  It says to the crowd, ‘Bask in the divine happiness which stands before you.  Admire our unity.’

Which is exactly what your neck should do for your face.  It is the man in the fabulous tux with matching hanky.  It UNIFIES the skin on your face with the skin on your decollete.  It’s not just a patch of go-between skin, your neck.  It is an isthmus of color.

I fear I’m losing you.  Here’s what I want you to do.  When you take your makeup off tonite, stand back and stare in the mirror with your robe open. (Not ALL the way, just the top bit)  Now, look–really LOOK at the difference in the color of the skin on your face, your neck, and your chest.  Sometimes you’ll see three different colors, sometimes just two.  But it is RARE to see only one tone.  There are reasons for this:

1. we use sunscreen on our face but not our neck or chest.  Therefore, our chests carry the effects of sun damage: freckles, sunspots, age spots, and a general darkness, thanks to all those cleavage baring shirts we love.

2. even though we forget sunscreen on our necks, the sun rarely finds its way there.  Therefore, our necks are nearly ALWAYS five shades lighter than our chests.

3. we’ve only recently begun to be vigilant about sunscreen on our faces, and truth be told, we often forget (especially in the winter) to apply it at all.  Therefore, our faces are often THREE or FOUR shades darker than our neck.

So what’s a girl to do?  Are we supposed to match the color on our necks, or the color on our faces?  If you choose a lighter foundation to match your neck, your chest won’t match (unless you apply makeup down the front of your shirt)  If your match the color on your face, your neck won’t match, and you’ll have that old telltale “Foundation Line”, even though you’ve actually taken the time to color match.

The solution? Match your tinted moisturizer or foundation to your face.  Then, use BRONZER to warm up the color on your neck. Simple as that.  Now, I go through bronzer love/hate phases.  Sometimes I like a snow petal look: a porcelain face with rosebud cheeks, skip the sun kissed look.  But if you’ve gone skiing, hiking, snowboarding, or have been just standing around outside admiring the winter, you’ve gotten kissed by the sun and your face is carrying a hint of red, if not an outright tan.  Bronzer (lightly applied) across the forehead, down the nose, on the chin, and at the cheekbones will mediate that redness, and then you’ll sweep it UNDER your chin and down the sides of your neck to close the deal.  And even if you’ve avoided the outdoors for the past few months, you’re likely not a porcelain doll.  You’ve got years of built-in color that’s just dying to be spread around evenly.

If you’re wearing your hair in a ponytail, don’t forget to sweep a little bronzer on the back of your neck as well.

Avoid the line.  A little powder bronzer is all it takes to even out the whole of your complexion.  Remember, you’re more than just a pretty face.  (You’re a pretty neck and chest, too)

Here are a few bronzers I particularly like:

100% Pure Cocoa (that’s right, chocolate) Pigmented Bronzers

Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Bronzers (the pressed versions only, available at Walgreen’s) My favorite is the neutral bronzer with pink bits in it. Never orangey.

Dr. Hauschka’s Bronzing Powder: super light and silky!

top photo courtesy of flickr’s Juicy Carolina

Happy New Face: Green Brushes for the New Year

I don’t like change. But sometimes I love it.

Over the years, I’ve spent a small fortune on the actual tools of my trade, namely, finely crafted makeup brushes. The handles are a very nice (probably endangered) wood, and the brushes are all animal hair (sable, goat, pony).

I have two full sets which I keep in tip top shape. One set is 10 years old. I swore I’d never need to replace them, and I didn’t intend to…..but here’s what happened–I met someone new.

Oh, I’ll never get rid of my professional sets (they’re well worn old friends and I also hate to waste), but I will begin to recommend the new wave of eco and vegan tools available to those of you who need a few brushes in your arsenal, and I’ll begin to use the new brushes for my own makeup application.

Several green makeup lines have brushes or puffs that accompany their products, and so far I’ve been unimpressed by most, preferring to use my own tools–but I was incredibly surprised to find a new line of affordable (cheap, actually), environmentally delightful, and unbelievably soft brushes that do the trick.

ECOTOOLS offers bamboo (sustainable) handled brushes; the bristles are made of Taklon (a vegan, cruelty free synthetic); recycled aluminum forms the ferrule (the metal bit around the base of the bristles, and the company also has natural cotton/hemp linen cosmetic bags.

ECOTOOLS offers a 100% recycled aluminum retractable kabuki brush for only $7.99 (while major green lines offer their non-green kabuki brushes at around $30).

If you’re using mineral makeup, go ahead and get at least one of the 2 ECOTOOLS sets:

1. A Bamboo 5 piece travel set for $9.99. I love the brushes in it: Powder brush, concealer brush (great for liquid, cremes or minerals), an eye shading brush (almost identical to my expensive one in both appearance and effectiveness), and a baby kabuki (which I prefer to the retractable one, anyway–it’s super small but works well). The fifth bit is the snap-shut travel pouch made of hemp and cotton. For $10 BUCKS?? Don’t even think twice about it. What a great green tool kit for an incredibly great deal.

2. A 6 piece set for $12.99. You’ll need these brushes, too: Blush brush, eye shading brush (if you get both sets, you’ll have two of these-use one for darker colors, ie crease colors, and one for your light all over eye color), angled eyeliner brush, concealer brush (you’ll have two again, you can use one for your blemish formula concelaer and the other for your under eye concealer. And YES, THEY SHOULD BE DIFFERENT FORMULAS!), lash and brow groomer, and the snapping travel pouch.

You can buy the brushes separately, as well, and make your own perfect kit. Something else I like from this company: The machine washable, bamboo powder puffs. They’re super soft and also have a little strap on the back for your fingers. You get 2 for $2.99. PLEASE!! (you can check them out at eco-tools.com, new products launching January of 2009)

I don’t like change. I like my old brushes. But it’s a new year, and, as usual, I seek the new while clinging to the old. Change keeps us on our toes. Change keeps us invigorated, informed, eager. And sometimes change is just plain good for the world. … Happy New Year!!

Slough Bells Ring, Are You Listening?

Season’s greetings, girls! As the winter finally descends upon Northern California (while it has presumably covered the rest of the world in a cold and wind blown blanket), I am reminded that my skin HATES winter. If you’re like me, you’re wishing for a sunny Christmas, just so your skin won’t flake and your lips won’t crack in front of company.

I somehow forget, each year what happens to winter skin. It dries up (we drink less water, and more hot cocoa and coffee), it flakes (we don’t exfoliate nearly as much as in summer, when our skin receives maximum exposure–not to mention the fact that shaving often takes a holiday, too, and taking a razor to your legs is a great exfoliant in itself), and it forms disgusting little bumps on the backs of our arms and thighs. Ewww. Winter skin is not sexy.

UNLESS…..you decide to do something different this year. Instead of ignoring the plight of your skin, and burying it under petroleum based lotions (don’t do it!) and long winter underwear, what if you treated your skin to a delicious, luxurious, gift?

Slough it off. Just strip it down, all the flakes, the bumps, the weird patches of dryness. Last week my skin (my face, my arms and legs) was in the WORST condition it’s been in for a year. This week, it is in the BEST. I am the laziest girl you’ll ever meet, and yet, I saved my skin just in time for Christmas.

Here’s what I used:

1. To gently slough my face– 100% Pure Cherry Honey Scrub– I scrub my face in the shower; the little round jojoba beads rest on the top of the jar, and the thick honey bit is below. I use a finger to scoop up both (like a Mexican bean dip) and smear and rub the mixture all over my face and decollete. As I wash it off, the water runs down my face, and the honey covers my lips. At this point, I LICK THEM!!! It tastes soooo good! How many scrubs on the market are you actually willing to EAT?!

Ingredients: Honey, Jojoba Beads, Cherry Concentrate, Vitamins C (ascorbyl palmitate) and E (a-tocopherol), extracts of Strawberry, Blackberry, Grapefruit Seed, blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry and Pomegranate.

2. After the slough, I nourish my face– Answers From Nature Age Defying Moisture Cream– this stuff performed a MIRACLE. My actual face was flaking off, it hurt, and I looked used up. Within three days, I was looking and feeling fabulous. Bonus: It smells like Orange Sherbet, and contains MSM as well as DMAE. I adore this thick creme. I use it morning and night. My face looks plump and juicy, and my pores are less visible……I’m in love!

Ingredients: Deionized Water, MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), Alpha Lipoic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbitol, Shea Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Rose Hip Seed Oil, Hypericum Extract, Calendula Extract, Chamomile Extract, Orange Flower Extract, Kelp Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Aloe Vera Gel, Algae Extract, Locust Bean Gum, Co-Enzyme Q10, Tocopheryl Linoleate, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Allantoin, Lecithin, Tocopherol Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Amla, Grapefruit Seed Extract, DMAE Complex, Essential Oils

3. To slough my arms and legs– 100% Pure Organic Chocolate Mocha Body Scrub– This stuff is a HARD CORE body scrub made from Dark Belgian Chocolate and Fabulous Hawaiian Coffee Beans. Hum Drum shower becomes decadent and delicious. The caffeine stimulates the skin, the ground beans work hard to slough off the dead cells, and the chocolate makes you delirious with pleasure.

Ingredients: Dark Belgian Chocolate, Organic Hawaiian Kona Coffee Beans, Organic Grapeseed Oil, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate), Organic Blackcurrant Oil, Extracts of Pure Bourbon Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Grapefruit Seed, Golden Seal and Cinnamon

4. After the slough, I nourish my legs– 100% Pure Blood Orange Shea Body Butter or Honey Almond Milk Body Creme – 100% Pure has a plethora of nice of lotions and potions. I prefer the heavy stuff, and the cremes and butters work well for my purposes.

Ingredients: Organic Unrefined Butters of Shea, Mango and Cocoa, Organic, Unrefined Oils of Virgin Coconut, Mango, Cabernet Wine Grape Seed and Black Currant, Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Extracts of Lemon, Rosemary, Grapefruit Seed, Blueberry, Strawberry, Blackberry and Raspberry, Organic Essential Oils of Blood Orange and Sweet Orange

Ingredients: Organic White Tea, Organic Rose Hydrosol, Organic Cocoa and Avocado Butters, Organic Cabernet Grapeseed, Blackcurrant, and Rose Hip Seed Oils, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), Lavender Honey wax, Pure Almond Aroma, Extracts of Cherry, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Blackberry, Almond and Grapefruit Seed, Natural Food Preservatives from Cranberries and Salts (less than 0.1% of Sodium Benzoate & Potassium Sorbate)

This holiday season, treat your favorite organ right, and it will glow with appreciation. I expect all of you to recover before the New Year. Slough off the old, ring in the new!!

Super Face: The Secret Power of Natural Pressed Powder

First, a disclaimer: I’ve spent years discouraging women from using powder on their faces, and I’ve taken a good bit of flack about it from those women who feel incomplete without it.

My point? It is no longer the 18th century, Ladies. We don’t need to be surrounded by a dust cloud of powder to absorb our bodily and facial oils– we bathe! (The aristocrats who inspired over-powdering were the same folks who covered themselves in stick-on moles to cover up pock marks acquired from sexually transmitted diseases…and I seriously doubt stick on moles are coming back any time soon)

Furthermore, while a powdered face may indeed add a polished finish when you’re wearing a ballgown, it does NOT belong on your face when you’re wearing yoga pants, a jogging suit, or jeans and sneakers. It is unacceptable to powder our three dimensional faces into a two dimensional plane. It looks dry, fake, and completely cartoonish. While you’re at it, why don’t you shave off your eyebrows and paint them back on?

Let your skin breathe. Let your face glow.

–That said, I am going to recommend three brands of natural and healthy pressed powder. Why? Because there are some worthy new and natural brands out there, and because a good powder can make you look ethereal, softening your features by refracting a hazy angelic light.  And there’s nothin’ wrong with looking angelic.

One of the main reasons I’ve steered my clients from powder is because so many popular formulas are chock full of gross stuff that ends up settling in fine lines and wrinkles, not to mention clogging pores with extended use. If you’re going to wear powder, it should actually improve your skin.

My meters for great face powder include: Flexibility, Finish, and Fine Line-Proofness.

1. For Flexibility, you want a pressed powder. Lots of mineral makeup lines have clean loose powders: Loose powder is a one time sort of thing, used to “set” your makeup. Women who use powder throughout the day (because they’re frequently oily, or because they’re intent on maintaining a polished look) need to be able to carry in their purses.

2. For Finish, you want powder that rests lightly upon the skin. You don’t want the powder to be so fine that it enters the skin. Look for non “nano-particle” lines. Nano particles are often present in makeup lines that require you to buff powder into your skin, rather than letting it rest above the skin, using dimethicone (a natural silicone). Steer clear of bismuth oxychloride, while you’re at it. This popular mineral makeup ingredient is an irritant for many women’s skin, causing itchiness and, in some cases, cystic acne.

3. For Fine-Line Proofness, you want a silky powder. You don’t want your face to look ashy, sparkly, chalky, or dry. When you find a great pressed powder, you should be able to roll the puff lightly across your t-zone to take off shine, or sweep it across your entire face for a smooth finish. Look at your skin 30 minutes after you apply powder. Are your wrinkles more or less noticeable? Does your skin appear softer or does it look dry, caked, or flaky? Touch your face. Does it feel smooth and silky?

Here’s my new favorite pressed powder, by the company that makes my favorite clean liquid eyeliner.
ZUZU LUXE Dual Pressed Powder & Foundation (talk about flexible!) comes in 9 shades, for every skin tone!

Use as a pressed powder for touch-ups, or as a foundation with a matte finish. Available in 9 shades for any complexion (see color chart, and and refer to brief descriptions below). 10g compact is $21.95 each.

Ingredients: Mica, Zinc Stearate, Octyl Palmitate, Squalane (vegetable derived), Lecithin, Dimethicone, Silica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Grapeseed Extract

Here are two other great powder choices:

100 Percent Pure Peach Pigmented Healthy Glow Pressed Powder:

100% natural pressed powder made with rice powder, fruit pigments and light reflective pearl powder to make skin appear luminous. SPF 20 protects your skin from UVA and UVB rays while antioxidants protect against environmental damage. Does not contain preservatives, artificial fragrances, synthetic chemicals or any other toxins. Truly, 100% Pure.

color: White Peach- fair skin tones
Peach Bisque – medium skin tones
Golden Peach – golden, deeper skin tones

Ingredients: Rice Powder, All of the following fruit pigments : White Peach, Golden Peach, Apricot and Papaya, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Lavender Flower Powder, Eucalyptus Leaf Powder, Silk Powder, Fresh Oyster Pearl Powder, Vitamin A (a-palmitate), Vitamin C(ascorbic acid), Pomegranate Seed Oil, Avocado Butter, Rose Powder, White Tea Powder, Grape Seed Powder, Silica (Natural Mineral)
SUNSCREEN ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: 12% Titanium Dioxide and 6% Zinc Oxide

Larenim Mineral Airbrush Pressed Powder:

Comes in many shades. The great thing about Larenim’s product, as well as Zuzu’s is that they can be used as foundations as well as powders! This company uses no bismuth oxychloride, nanoparticles, or any chemical fillers or preservatives.