Mineral makeup is THE biggest thing in cosmetics right now, and for once, the concept behind these flawless foundations, eyeshadows, lipsticks and even mascaras, seems to be going in the right direction, away from artificially produced chemicals and towards more naturally derived ingredients. Lowering our toxic overload from personal care products must be high on everyone’s beauty agenda right now, as we aim to create a flawless finish without clogging our pores, ingesting carcinogenic ingredients and polluting the environment with manmade chemicals. And what’s the point of spending all that time and effort using organic, toxin-free soaps, shampoos, deodorants and bubble baths when the moment we step out of the shower and get to the mirror, we start loading regular cosmetics onto our faces and nails?
But, don’t just grab your purse in panic and rush down the road to the nearest chemist to buy up stocks of the latest mineral makeup from the shelves! Despite claims of natural, healthy and pure ingredients, even the most cursory of scans of the packaging will prove that even in the so-called pure world of mineral makeup – once again, organic cosmetics stand out on their own not only for safety and consideration for the environment, but for purity and importantly, performance!
Organic mineral makeup products are made from a pure mixture of mica, iron oxide and titanium dioxide as well as a range of different organically extracted essential oils. Many high street brands are loaded with synthetic fillers and preservatives, such as talc, bismuth oxychloride, parabens and phlalates, which as well as being toxic, can irritate the skin and block pores.
Top luxury organic online beauty store buyOrganics tried and tested a number of products before settling on their new makeup range, which we are now delighted to introduce to you. We now stock the organic, vegan makeup range by Inika, which includes a range of twelve different shades of organic mineral foundation which acts as a foundation, concealer and powder, all in one.
We have found that even the most sensitive skins and those with visible facial skin complaints such as redness and rosacea not only benefit from the superior coverage of the Inika organic makeup, to name but one, but also the benefits of leaving pores able to breathe and the natural sun protection factor of the ingredients (iron oxide and titanium oxide are also used in organic sunscreens to provide excellent protection from both UVA and UVB rays). This means that as well as being safe internally, your foundation also has anti-ageing properties. They are so safe for use that they can even be used straight after facial cosmetic surgery. What we particularly like about using mineral foundations is the ease of application and the fact that one pot will last a very long time, meaning a sharp decrease in packaging and necessity to keep buying the product – making it a true investment! Only the smallest amount is required and once you get the hang of controlling the brush to apply the powder, we guarantee this method of facial coverage will knock minutes off the usual time it would take to use a liquid or pressed foundation.
The real secret with mineral makeup, from foundation to eyeshadows and even lip colours is in the brushwork – you will become an artist in no time! The knack is to use either a flat foundation brush (buyOrganics stock the Inika vegan brushes) or a blusher brush, take up a small amount of the powder knocking it against the pot to rid the brush of any excess, then apply in bold, rounded movements to the face. You can either cover the entire facial area or simply pay attention to areas which need more coverage (which is where a concealer brush, again using the foundation powder under the eye area comes in useful), so one product goes a very long way, making your cosmetic bag light and simple, and less packaging too. Covering blemishes but allowing your natural beauty to shine through to give a healthy, glowing complexion can’t be bad!
Eyeshadows can be applied simply as powder with an eyeshadow brush or for more definition close to the lashes, or for a dramatic evening or party look, wet the brush, take off the excess water and dip into the eyeshadow powder for an effect similar to watercolours, you can build up the colour as you wish. Use a base colour such as Inika’s Bling Bling over the eye lid up to just below the brow line, then fill in the eye socket area with another colour – we love the depth of Inika’s Purple Haze. You can even use the eyeshadow as an eyeliner by dampening an angled brush and using the eyeshadow wet to create perfect lines of any colour you like. If you’re a stickler for your eyeliners though, Inika’s eyeliner pencils come in a range of shades – try Sage with your Purple Haze eyeshadow for a fantastic festive party look – and they come with a handy sharpener on the pencil lid – again cutting down on makeup bag bulge!
You mustn’t forget blusher, giving depth, definition and a healthy glow day or night. The Inika kabuki brush together with their blusher powder (four sensational shades) will complete your healthy look. With such gorgeous products giving fantastic effects and also vegan and organic, why would you choose anything else? It’s a no-brainer really! See the entire range of organic makeup from buyOrganics, including Inika, Miessence, Nvey Eco and just in – non-toxic nail polishes from Zoya – from buyOrganics and get the safest, purest beauty looks around!
Makeup is important. Pouty lips and luscious eyes make us feel good but - trust me! There’s nothing glamorous about absorbing up to 5lbs of synthetic chemicals into your body every year – formaldehyde, phthalates, synthetic polymers, parabens, chemicals solvents, VOC’s amongst a few. Yet the makeup you buy over the counter that makes you look ‘oh so gorgeous’ is feeding you just that according to a leading biochemist. Each day women apply several different cosmetics to their skin, during which they are exposed to lead, cadmium, and arsenic, which are also incidentally found in shampoo’s deodorants and perfumes.
Whilst you quibble over whether Chanel, L’Oreal or Estee Lauder is best, we’ll take a deeper look into the ingredients of those beloved lipsticks, blushers, mascaras and foundations that grace your cosmetic bag and your skin. It feels good when you open your bag and it’s full of beautifully packaged luxury makeup, don’t get me wrong, I’m not particularly singling out the above brands, just pointing out that when we choose our cosmetics, we are often choosing a brand that says more about our lifestyle than even our clothes - they are expressions of who we want to be and what our priorities are. We choose a brand that represents us.
We buy from places that we feel familiar and comfortable with, where we fit in. This can unfortunately play on our sense of ego and then bypasses our basic rights to being provided with products that are not polluting us. Often the primary factors that govern women’s choice is image, packaging, and price but If you’re going to eat about 6lbs of lipstick in your lifetime, I would say ingredients needs to figure as top of the list -make it sure it’s safe!
Although off the shelf products meet federal and government safety tests, because they tell you the toxin quantities are so small as not to harm you, imagine that you are ingesting this stuff over a whole lifetime, and not just through one product, but all the products you use. There is no evidence to suggest that when combined with other makeup and toiletries, the chemical concoction will not cause you harm. Also the chemicals that are ingested and absorbed through the skin can build up in our body and be stored in our fat cells only to be released later in life. No wonder certain cancers are on the increase!!
Here’s a quick heads-up on the chemicals that plague your cosmetics and what you need to avoid:
Phthalates:
Some side effects reported of exposure to phthalates are damage to various organs such as the kidneys, liver and lungs. These are used as plastic softeners in nail polish, hair sprays and many other toiletries. They also help the fragrance in your product last longer. Research has found that phthalates may have a disruptive effect on human hormones, possibly causing birth defects and liver damage. Both DEHP and DBP (the later is often present in nail varnish) are classified as class 2 compounds, toxic to reproduction, but are still present in many cosmetics
Parabens:
In a nutshell, parabens are used as preservatives in most cosmetics and skincare products, including foundation, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner and hairspray. There are several types of parabens that exist in common formulations; Methylparaben, propylparaben, butyleparaben and ethylparaben. As well as being linked to hormone disruption and various cancers, they can irritate the skin. They have been detected in human breast tissue as they can even act as oestrogen mimics -increased oestrogen levels are linked to cancer.
One, propyl paraben, has been shown to adversely affect male reproductive functions; at the “daily intake level” currently acceptable under EC law, it decreased daily sperm production. (Oishi, S., ‘Effects of propyl paraben on the male reproductive system’; Food and Chemical Toxicology, 40: 1807-1813 (2002))
VOC’s
A lot of makeup contains VOC’s, such as formaldehyde and ethanol. These have be shown to cause eye, nose and throat irritation, difficulty breathing, allergy symptoms and headaches. Formaldehyde is considered a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the formaldehyde in your lipstick gets ingested. We probably eat about 6lbs of lipstick in our lifetimes – not so yummy!
Chemical Solvents
Amongst this nasty bunch of chemicals is acetone, toluene, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate and alcohol. They have been linked to many different health problems from headaches to liver damage whilst also causing harm to the environment.
Synthetic Polymers
Synthtic Polymers are ingredients such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). These synthetic substances are derived from petrochemicals and used in mascaras, eyeliners and hairsprays to ‘fix’ the product to your skin or lashes. Watch out for them in natural and eco-friendly hairsprays too; they have been linked to headaches, dizziness and allergic reactions.
buyOrganics founder Sonia recommends some Natural alternatives in Organic Cosmetics and Makeup to keep you looking a million dollars!
The Phthalate DBP and toluene, another toxic chemical is found in nail polish. This compound is flammable and can make the nails dry and brittle. Instead of using the chemical based polishes found on the market, you could use a natural water based polish, but these do not last long and have to be removed quickly otherwise they become impossible to remove!
I love Zoya Nail Polishes for totally natural nails because they are long lasting, don’t have to be removed quickly and come in over 300 shades, we stock around 80! Worn by the stars!
Choose mineral based eyeshadows such as Nvey Eco or Inika as eyeshadows traditionally contain a chemical called polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). This compound has been shown to cause an allergic reaction in some people. It is important to read all product labels before purchasing any brand of eye shadow and avoid those that contain PVP. Both Inika Eyeshadow and Nvey Eco Eyeshadows are totally natural and don’t contain synthetic fillers such as Talc or Bismuth oxyclorane or PVP either.
Lipsticks traditionally contain petroleum, chemical fragrances or FD&C colours and can contain formaldehyde, lipsticks containing lead and heavy metals can be especially dangerous for pregnant women. Children exposed to lead have been shown to have impaired school performance and lower IQ compared to children un exposed. Always choose natural organic lipsticks that do not contain synthetic colours or preservatives. I love Nvey Eco and Inika natural organic lipsticks, which come in a great range of natural colours without synthetic colours and toxins. Miessence has been cited by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to be one of the purest ranges on the market.
When choosing a loose or powder foundation, its best to choose organic as the organic cosmetics do not contain talc which has been linked to cancer. No-talc powders instead use bentonite and/or kaolin as well as essential oils which have been extracted from plants that have not been treated with pesticides and herbicides. Organic foundations also do not contain paraben preservatives such as methyl parabens or propyl parabens. I love Miessence and Nvey Eco cr̬me and liquid Foundations Рthe same mineral formulations in a cream format for people who like a cream rather than a powder. Inika Mineral foundations give such fantastic coverage that they can even cover skin problems such as acne, rosacea and scarring completely naturally.
Summer visions of strawberry, chocolate and pistachio icecream are still be on the menu despite the chilly autumn with a beautiful new autumn range of co-ordinated organic outfits for baby and toddler boys and girls from Bamboo Baby, available online at buyOrganics
Organic children’s clothing fashioned from bamboo fleece is becoming increasingly more popular on the designer circuit, and to reflect this growing trend, buyOrganics has just added this new autumn range of beautiful new colours and designs to their stock.
Girls will be in neopolitan heaven with soft and snug pink and chocolate knit dresses, and boys – will revel in pistachio warmth with khaki combats and chocolate pullovers. Team the outfits with buyOrganics’ range of baby and children’s bamboo T-shirts, bodysuits, vests and socks for the warmest, softest look this autumn. The range from Bamboo Baby, was inspired by sisters Sophie and Chloe, who wanted their new knitwear range to be both comfy and snuggly as well as unisex. Their visions of hot chocolate in front of a roaring winter fire has created this beautiful selection of jumpers, combats and dresses. Sophie originally studied fashion design at Kingston University and went into business with her sister Chloe. They both knew that they wanted to do something eco –friendly.
Bamboo children’s clothing is not only luxurious to wear and 100% organic, but probably the most sustainable, ethical material currently available. So your kids won’t just look good – they’ll be helping save the planet! Plus it’s durable for all that indoor and outdoor toddling, climbing and tripping over!
The new autumn chocolates range, which is organically certified by OCIA, is the perfect solution for keeping baby and child warm and trendy during the cold winter months – as well as its antimicrobial and antifungal properties, bamboo fleece is temperature regulating, making it soft and cosy in the cold. It also wicks away moisture from the body naturally, meaning no sweatiness when you come in out of the cold into a warm room or shop.
Bamboo is one of the most sustainable plants on the planet – like hemp it grows prolifically and has a short cultivation cycle, meaning the moment you cut it down, up it shoots again! It absorbs absolutely loads of carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere and is so naturally hardy that absolutely no chemicals are required for growth and, more importantly, requires minimal precious water.
So start baby as they mean to go on this autumn – healthy, well-dressed and environmentally friendly!
