Green Options

Terri Bly, president and founder of The Nature of Beauty, interviews mineal makeup pioneer Jane Iredale about her company’s goals, vision, and safety standards, as well as her views on the natural makeup movement, the Skin Deep database, and more. An insightful conversation with the creator of the world’s first mineral-based makeup line.

Last year, when deciding which skin care lines to offer at Natureofbeauty.com, I wanted a selection of high quality products for every budget. In a perfect world we could all use ethically- and sustainably-sourced organic skin care. The reality is that doing so would burn a big hole in most people’s budgets. The next best thing, I determined, was to go with a BDIH-certified line of natural beauty products.

Why BDIH certified? Because in a world where “natural” has no meaning, buying BDIH is really one of the few ways of knowing the products have met a high standard for natural and naturally-derived ingredients. Every ingredient in a BDIH-certified product has to have been demonstrated safe, the list of allowed synthetics is teeny-tiny (and again, must be proven safe), no animal testing is allowed at any stage of production, and the company must meet high standards for ethical and responsible sourcing and manufacturing. Batches are randomly tested to assure against contamination, and all fragrance must come exclusively from essentail oils.

The most well-known BDIH-certified brand is Dr. Hauchka, followed by Lavera, both based in Germany. As their celebrity has increased here in the U.S., so have their prices. Logona, also German (founded in 1977), has never invested much in the American market. Their reputation in Europe, however, is strong and the products are sold alongside their German peers. Here in the U.S., Logona’s neglect is your gain. We can get skin care, hair care, and makeup that is of the same quality as the more expensive German brands, but pay much less for them.

Of course, because you don’t hear much about it in the American press, it’s easy to overlook Logona’s vast selection. So I thought I would point out some of what I have found to be their most extraordinary products that are now available at disproportionately low prices.

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty, discusses why she loves Erbaorganics, an organic line of skin care for mom and baby. As a bonus, The Nature of Beauty is offering a Buy 1 Get 1 Special, with 25% off your second Erbaorganics product.

I love self-tanner; since 1992, self-tanner is what has stood between me and legs the color of ivory pillars. Fortunately, when I choose to get a little lotion-induced color, I now have a number of natural options to choose from. That being said, even the most natural of self-tanners has a few highly processed, if not downright synthetic, ingredients. More importantly, recent research suggests that the chemical reaction that happens when the active ingredient in self-tanners makes contact with the skin actually increases your risk of free radical damage for the first 24 hours after application. While I’m not too concerned my legs, since they don’t spend a ton of time in the sun anyway, I’m more inclined to find other options for my face. Plus, I get lazy sometimes and neglect to put the stuff on my face. That’s where natural, mineral-based bronzers come in.

When the right one is applied in the right places, bronzer will make your face look as sun-kissed as if you just spent the day at the beach. You can even apply it to the décolleté and shoulders in the evening for a warm, sexy glow. Here are a few of the best all-natural bronzers I have found thus far. Find one that is perfect for you, and you’ll never leave home without it.

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty, offers her best tips for detecting when a product is not as natural as it may seem at first glance.

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty, announces Bonus Time at Natureofbeauty.com. With any purchase of $75 of more, customers receive a free hand-crafted, free trade makeup bag from India, stuffed with free full size and travel size products from top brands including Jane Iredale, Erbaorganics, Keys, Rare El’ements, Dr. Alkaitis and more.

Terri Bly presents the Emerald Awards for Best Natural Hair Care, the fourth in a series featuring the best natural products, as chosen by a group of top natural beauty experts.

Recently, I wrote about Sephora’s questionable marketing practices when it comes to their “Naturally Gorgeous” standard, and gave Cargo’s PlantLove Lipsticks, which were listed as containing parabens even though the product page said they were free of them. I am pleased and actually quite relieved to say that Cargo has contacted me with an updated list of their ingredients, and they are apparently working with Sephora to change that information on the website. So here is the new ingredients list. Now if ALL of the other brands bearing the Naturally Gorgeous seal would reveal that they, too, are free of the nasty chemicals listed in their products, too…..

Anyway, thank you, Cargo, for the clarification!

Terri Bly discusses her concerns about Sephora’s Natural Standards, giving examples of several products that contain numerous synthetic chemicals, despite being advertised otherwise.

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty and regular contributor to Feelgood Style, presents the third installment of The Emerald Awards, bringing you the absolutely best in truly natural beauty products, as voted on by a panel of green beauty experts.