The Great Makeup Bag Detox - Part II

Normally this would be in the road test but since I promised that I would post my natural makeup findings if I found anything worthwhile so here goes.  I am still looking for a great lipstick so I'm taking suggestions.  Cheaper would be better. 

Creme and Pressed Powder Concealers and Foundations:

Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Creme and Pressed Powder Foundations (Skindeep: 0-2): The creme foundation is my favorite thus far.  A little goes a long way and although it's pricy, you get a lot. The pressed powder is a nice touch since it is a mineral makeup (see makeup bag detox part I) and you won't be stirring up a makeup cloud.  Plus they smell like raspberries due to certified organic raspberry extract. You can order some sample packs before you make the commitment, which is always nice. 

Honeybee Gardens Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation (Skindeep: 2): For powders, I do like this one best.  And of all those I've tried, it has the nicest pricetag.  I even got a discount when purchased through Lucky Vitamin. 
  
Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiageing / Antiwrinkle Concealer (Skindeep: N/A): Korres products rank from 0-8 on Skindeep.  I did a build my own report on this one and it came up as a 1, however, there are more than 5 unidentified ingredients, such as pentaerytrityl tetra-di-t-butyl, which just sounds scary, so it is NOT an accurate rating.  If it didn't have the questionable ingredients, it's a pretty good one. You have to blot though as smudging or using a brush messes with the consistency and has a tendency to goop up in your eye wrinkles (if you have them).

Mineral Fusion Dual Concealer (Skindeep: 2): I found this one at Whole Foods.  The top shade of "Neutral" worked perfectly for me, but not the bottom shade.  So it didn't last long.  And with the hefty price tag for half a container, I find it's not worth it.  Otherwise it worked nicely with a brush and was a pretty good find.

Eyeliners:

Korres Eyeliner Pencil (Skindeep: 2): So far this one is my favorite.  Nice rich color and no smudging but a bit pricy, so I'm using this one and the one below.

Honeybee Gardens Eye Liner (Skindeep: 1): The Belgian Chocolate has a nice rich color but is a bit soft and can get smudgy, especially in the summer.  It does, as all Honeybee Gardens products, have a great price tag, so a few q-tips in my bag to clean up smudges, makes it worth it.

Eyeshadow:

Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow (Skindeep lists 2 colors at a 2.): I'm not sure why, but I received these mineral eye shadows in a roll-on form instead of a powder that you have to mix. I am not sure if it is always this way because they came in a free gift pack.  No dust cloud, which I think is pretty awesome.  You can roll on a little then fix up with a brush.  Great price and nice colors.

Mascara:

I'm still looking for a great mascara that is not too expensive.  I've heard wonderful things about all Miessence Products (deodorant, toothpaste) but at $24, I'm hesitant to try it.  Especially since I feel as though I've already broken the bank on samples and everything you see here now. 

Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Mascara is the one I'm using now.  It has a low rating of 2, but does contain phenoxyethanol, which is not my favorite chemical right now. (See "Detoxing my makeup bag...")

That's it.  I do have some Honeybee Gardens nail polish and I'd like to take it with me to the nail salon to see if they wouldn't mind using it.  If not, I'll try it out at some point and write up a review in road test!

Detoxing my Makeup Bag... trading one chemical for another

I have started to become a little dismayed in my great makeup bag detox.

My first stop was mineral makeup.  The kind that comes in a loose powder that works magnificently but kicks up a great big cloud of dust when you stir it up with your brush.  Clearly there must be something of significance to this.  In my research on sunscreens, it is pretty clear that sprays and powders (although I've never seen a sunscreen powder) are bad due to inhalation concerns.  Zinc Oxide in the makeup + stirring = dust cloud = breathing it in = bad.  See?  (Forgive my equation, I'm obviously not a mathematician). 

So I kept looking.  I've ordered sample after sample. And what I noticed at the very end of the ingredients of a lot of natural makeups and my baby's lotion and butt cream, was a questionable sounding ingredient - phenoxyethanol.  So I did some research and discovered that I'm not the only one wondering about this chemical and in fact, pretty recently there has been some research done on it.

Now I'm not a scientist or a chemist or anything like that, but here is what I understand.  Phenoxyethanol replaced parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben...) as a preservative in certain natural products.  Preservatives are needed in water based material so they do not grown mold and or bacteria.  Parabens have been linked to cancer and they rate moderately toxic on Skindeep.  Phenoxyethanol also rates moderate in the 3-4 range depending on the usage.  It's often the last ingredient on the label and my understanding is that it is because it is the lowest percentage (usualy .5%).

The chemical was once used in a nipple cream and information supplied by the FDA stated the following: "The two potentially harmful ingredients in Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream are chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol, which may interact with one another to further increase the risk of slow or shallow breathing (respiratory depression) in nursing infants.

Phenoxyethanol

is a preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medications
can depress the central nervous system
may cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in infants"

It was suggested that nursing mother's stop using the cream... ya think?

So what to do?  Is it safer to use phenoxyethanol for external use at the limited concentration?  I'm not so sure, but I do know that I have been replacing everything baby related with products that do not use it... rather safe than sorry.

Bubble and Bee's Chemical of the Day suggest not using it at all, based on a load of research which you will find in her report.  I find the comments rather interesting, especially the one asking what we should do if we do choose to use things like makeup and sunscreen.  She does offer suggestions and I do promise to keep looking but in the meantime, I have just been using my old drugstore powder (not my first choice) and my new natural phenoxyethanol-containing mascara. If I do find anything worthwhile, I'll write up some reviews in the road test section.  

Rate Your Makeup (and your deodorant, toothpaste, lotion, baby products etc...)

The reason I am starting this blog is to help point others towards the invaluble resources I have found in this journey of mine.

I want to take a moment to introduce the EWG's Skindeep website to those of you who do not know about it.  Skindeep has been my go-to these days to check up on products.  I often do this before purchasing.

Basically, you can look up any personal care product that you use or are thinking about using and you will get a score from 0-10 on it's toxicity.  0 being low hazard and 10 being, well, HIGHLY hazardous.   I've found this to be a great asset in my research and hope it will come in handy for you as well.

Some of my other favorite go-to sites include Safe Mama - ample amounts of research and cheat sheets to help you wade through the sea of safe and natural products; The Soft Landing and Bubble and Bee (more info to fascinate you plus they also make the deodorant that my husband is currently using).   And last but not least, Amazon, because I consider Amazon the master of user reviews.

Enjoy!