Green Options

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty, presents tips from makeup artist Jessa Blades on how to get the most out of rms beauty, the newly launched organic cosmetics line from celebrity makeup artist Rose Marie Swift.

I’ve read with horror the stories of lead in lipstick and scary chemicals in cosmetics. I’ve stared into my bathroom bag and have wondered what I have been putting on my lips. After ditching any questionable lipsticks, I was looking for something else to put on my sleep deprived face.

Kiss My Face Lip Shimmers are just the thing. They come in a variety of colors, feel good on your lips, and are 91 percent organic. Made from minerals, they contain no:

*parabens
*SLS
*synthetic colors or fragrances or flavors
*and have no animal ingredients or testing.

Lately, I’ve seen a number of articles come through my RSS feed questioning the benefits of organic beauty products. Unfortunately, most of what I read is riddled with misinformation and blatent biases. Organic Schmorganic appears to be the conclusion drawn by these investigative reporters when they discover the issue isn’t an entirely black and white one. One of the more recent posts, which will remain nameless but can probably be uncovered with some clever Googling, revealed its bias with the following: “Although usually more expensive, organic foods can be better for you, so the same should be true for organic makeup right? Turns out, not so much.”

She goes on to conclude that because there are no USDA certified organic makeup lines, the whole thing is basically a hoax, going so far as to wag a finger at Stella McCartney. Although other articles I’ve read lately haven’t been quite as harsh in their judgment, most seem bent on debunking the notion that going chemical-free has any real advantages, even stories published on mainstream sites.

While I could go on at length as to the flaws in the logic behind these stories, I will instead devote this space to Nvey Eco’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Sarah Cherot. Nvey was one of the brands accused of participating in the deception. I asked her for her reaction to the story, and thought I would share her informative response with all of you:

Its safe to say most of us are cluching our wallets tighter these days and for those of us who refuse to compromise quality and purity in our beauty products despite these economic times, there is hope!  Follow one or all of these tips below to avoid falling victim to cheap and toxic beauty buys in the name of saving a buck.  

1). Open Your Cupboard

Keep it simple and affordable by getting back to the basics.  Know exactly what you’re putting on your skin and you’ll save some dough in the process:

For girls who love makeup, the perfect red lipstick is as essential as air, water, fashion. Red has graced some of the sexiest lips around and it’s actually a very forgiving color for anyone to wear if you find the right shade. Gwen Stefani always rocks the perfect pout. Problem is, if you’ve ever mounted a search to find what should be a ubiquitous item - you’ll know as well [...]

Many of you visit to find the latest, best and most effective natural and organic beauty brands amongst other things. Organic beauty is one of my favorite topics and one I’m passionate about.  And I don’t know about you, but I value honest recommendations from fellow consumers much more than I do when it comes from an owner or employee of a business.  And I know I’m not alone, otherwise Googling “review of X product” would not be the common pastime that it is.  So with that in mind, I’m bringing you the real deal about NatureOfBeauty.com. I’ll clue you in on which products I’m loving right now, the scoop on two hot brands they just launched, share my Christmas gift ideas and divulge how to get free shipping and 15% off your order.

Back in September, I shared a brand new organic cosmetic line coming to market and now all five products in various shades and colors are available for purchase online.  Designed to work synergistically with the skin, it is food for the face, highly concentrated pure skin care with mineral pigments and the only cosmetic line that pure skin care guru Dr. Alkaitis endorses.  Rose-Marie’s philosophy {from the site}:

“After many years in the fashion and makeup industry, I’ve learned a lot about the impact of daily exposure to chemicals in beauty care products.  I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t live up to its promises.  I see the results of taking a quick-fix approach to looking good.  I know first-hand the price our health can pay in the pursuit of beauty.  I realized that what women need is a cosmetics line that is as pure as possible, one that creates a solid foundation for anti-aging and long-term beauty.”

If there’s one must-have product you’re going to add to your beauty arsenal with the looming onlslaught of party & holiday season, make it a concealer. This will become your new BFF when it comes to keeping you looking fresh and radiant in the face of one too many martini’s, too many events to attend and weeks of sleep deprivation! This amazing new organic concealer from Afterglow acts on all levels to brighten under eye circles, cover skin issues and deflect attention away from where you don’t want it. Aloe is legendary for healing and soothing inflammation and is the ideal ingredient to address delicate under eye skin.

If you’re in NYC this week (or all the time), head over to Henri Bendel today through Sunday for absolutely free mini-makeovers by Suki makeup artist Melanie Isett.  As one of my favorite skincare and cosmetic lines, each bottle and jar comes chocked full of bioactive organic ingredients created for even the most sensitive of skin types.  I completely agree with Sophie Uliano, author of Gorgeously Green when she wrote ”Suki has developed one of my favorite skin care lines.  The products are every bit as wonderful as high-end products, but they are free of synthetics, GMO ingredients, petrochemicals, fragrances and dyes and animal ingredients“.  To register for your free makeover:

Top celeb NY makeup artist, Rose-Marie Swift works in the fashion industry on photo shoots for VOGUE, W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and most recently at LaCoste RTW Spring ‘09 Fashion Show where she used her own, absolutely brand new line of organic cosmetics.  She knows beauty and the dangers of toxic beauty products and how they can greatly effect health.  After years of exposure to conventional products, her health began to drastically decline.  She started to lose her hair and memory and begun having panic attacks.  After having lab tests done she was asked “Do you work in the cosmetics industry?”  She had toxic levels of heavy metals, lead, cadmium, aluminum, barium and mercury; along with high levels of pesticides and other chemicals.  The lab technician said “I can’t believe you’re even walking around!”

The girls over at Organic Beauty View have just previewed the official launch of the latest makeup collection from Aveda. Shown here are three hot new looks from the Uruku Makeup Collection. New formulas, new shades and all 100% color from the earth. Aveda has collaborated with the Yawanawa people in the Amazon to organically & sustainably grow urukum and annatto - two rich color pigments used by the tribes for faces, eyes and lips. With a product lineup that includes sheer moisturizing lipsticks, long-wearing crease resistant eye colors, cheek & lip glow, eye & lip liners there are no excuses for not rocking your inner organic glamazon! Get the look now.

Image credit: Aveda Website - Uruku Collection