I know I am not the only product junkie obsessed with beauty blogs and the latest and greatest. When my great friend, Stephanie approached me to tell me about a new journey she'd started, my ears instantly perked up when I heard it involved beauty products. Lord knew, I'd been spending a decent chunk of my discretionary income trying anything that sounded like it would help lighten, brighten, age defy, or firm. I was a VIB at Sephora, and had my favorite counters picked out at Nordies. Last November, my call with Stephanie introduced me to a line I hadn't heard a single thing about, Beautycounter. In reality, it wasn't the beauty product concept that got my attention all together. Stephanie shared with me that she'd made some changes at home, working hard to make safer decisions when it came to the household and wellness products she brought into her house after the sudden passing of her mother to cancer. What did wellness products have to do with the passing of her sweet mama, I thought?
Then she hit me with a pretty important fact. Several ingredients in wellness products are actually linked to hormone disruption, fetal development, and yes, cancer. I had never even considered that the beauty product and wellness industry was going unregulated in the U.S. I always assumed that if I could buy it in a store with a reputable brand, it had to be safe for me to use at home. Wrong. In fact, the U.S. hasn't passed a law related to safety regulations in this industry since 1938. That's the year the Golden Gate Bridge was built. To date, the U.S. restricts the use of 30 ingredients in the products we can buy here. Need more perspective? The European Union restricts 1400+. Need some good news? Beautycounter, in it's 4 years of life, has developed skin care lines, body care, baby + kids skin care, make up, and hair care avoiding over 1500 questionable ingredients.
And I needed to get my hands on them. Immediately. Not only did I begin purchasing some of these products because I was so impressed with their effectiveness (while being safer to use!), I signed up to be a consultant so I too could share their story. Our story. It's creeping up on a year since I first became introduced and I haven't looked back. I've had the opportunity to try almost everything in their line, and have quickly identified by go to favorites. I love their skin care lines, the kids wash and their hair care. I think I get the most excited to use their make up each day because if I was forced to pick my favorite every day products, I think these would have to be them.
 |
| Dew Skin // Concealer Pen // Matte Bronzer // Color Pinch Cream Blusher // Volumizing Mascara // Lengthening Mascara |
Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways. First and foremost, it has an SPF in it which is a must when it comes to a tinted moisturizer for me. What I love most about the Dew Skin is that it allows my natural skin to show with just the right amount of coverage. As I age, I notice that the whole 'less is more' concept really does come into play when it comes to makeup. I don't have problem skin and I don't need a lot of coverage, so I should be using a product that compliments me in that way, which helps me look younger in the end. (Don't worry, if you do like a fuller coverage for whatever reason, their Tint Skin product is also amazing. It's a medium coverage initially, but is very build-able so you can make it into a fuller coverage if you apply it to the areas that might need a little more love.) I use shade No. 3 now, but given it's turning to fall will start using No. 2 pretty soon.
Concealer is the most important step in my daily makeup routing. I am a horrible sleeper, and frequently dehydrated and my poor eyes tend to take the hit for that. I started trying a lot of different products for under the eyes, and this is the only one I've used in a very long time that doesn't leave my under eyes dry and cakey looking. It has a color corrector in it as well so it quickly, with very little product, erases any redness or darkness. I use the shade Light.
I've used my fair share of bronzers over the years and I can't say enough good thinks about this. I use shade No. 1, and it's perfectly matte for every day use and super natural looking. It has amazing staying power, and I love that it gives me just the right amount of color to draw out what color I might already have (with a fake tan!) or give me just the boost I need as my tan fades.
To this day, I am still shocked at how much I love this product. I've been a NARS Orgasm blush loyalist for about 10 years, so I wasn't easily convinced to buy this. Not until I saw my closest friends rocking it. I was sold. It's just the prettiest shade of pink, providing such a natural awake look to my skin. These days, being awake and looking awake are two very different things. This is a must. Another super fun way to use this guy is to use it as a lip stick. On my 'no makeup makeup' days #everysingleweekend, this gives me just the right amount of color there, too.
Beautycounter recently launched two new mascara formulas and I love them both, equally. And I use both equally every single day. The Volumizing formula gives my lashes great fullness at the roots, giving them a nice and fluffy look. The Lengthening formula is perfect for adding that extra length to the ends, and gives the perfect application to the bottom lashes so you don't look like Tammy Faye. I was surprised that 'safe' mascara impressed me. I love to pile on the mascara but I always hated that it transferred to under my eyes by the afternoon. Not to mention, the removal process killed.
There you have it, my top 5(ish) favorites from Beautycounter. You can shop the links here in this post, and you can of course ask me any questions in the comment fields below.
I know there are a lot of safer product options out there. What are your favorites? #addict #betterbeautyjunkie
My favorite is the hibiscus cheek pincher cream stick! Gives me just enough color for a 95% makeup less face and it's so easy to apply!
ReplyDelete