What is conscious beauty?
Much of my twenties were filled with caking on makeup without paying any attention to ingredients. Talc. What’s that? Parabens. Why should I care? Phthalates. Never heard of them.
Well, it turns out approaching my 30s and still battling hormonal acne, made me much more mindful and introduced me to a term you may or may not have heard of, conscious beauty.
What is conscious beauty you ask?
According to our good friend Google, conscious beauty “implies consumer's awareness and a strong interest in products that are placing a focus on health and environment.”
AKA, for the first time in my adult life, taking note of the products I was putting on my face each morning to ensure their ingredients weren’t contributing to breakouts, or harming my overall health and that of the planet.
I’m rounding up my 5 favorite beauty products that not only qualify as “conscious beauty”, but also help me look and feel my best, because let’s face it, the odd breakout still happens (thanks PMS) and when it does, I want a product that’s going to give me the confidence I love, while letting my skin breathe.
CC Cream by Andalou Naturals
I gave up on foundation a long time ago. It never blended well, it felt heavy on my face and by mid-day, it needed to be reapplied. Exhausting, really.
I was complaining to a coworker one day, when she recommended a CC Cream that she swears by, by Andalou Naturals.
I ordered it immediately and it has yet to disappoint.
Not only does it have a light floral smell from natural ingredients like alpine rose stem cells (you’re welcome), it provides hydration all day long, light coverage AND it contains SPF 30.
What’s better than coverage that also provides sun protection?
Full Coverage Concealer – Disappear by Jane Iredale
When researching more conscious beauty products for more clean ingredients, Pure + Simple kept popping up in my searches.
Amongst their services of natural facials and line of skin cleansers, they also have a full line of makeup from a variety of brands with organic ingredients.
This is when I stumbled upon our favorite concealer ever – seriously – Disappear by Jane Iredale.
It’s full of nourishing ingredients like willow bark and green tea extract, so not only does it help cover pimples, it quite literally helps them disappear, forever. A win, win!
Blush by Burt’s Bees
Yep, you heard it here, Burt’s Bees is not just a lip balm brand, they carry many natural or conscious beauty products. One of my faves is their blush that gives you that ‘glow from within’ look.
Remember the ingredients we didn’t care so much about in our early 20s? Burt’s Bees is formulated without any of them. Good-bye parabens, phthalates and many others we cannot pronounce the names of.
Daily Lash Serum by LashLuxury
Ok, you knew I had to put our amazing lash serum on this list!!!
It only adds 2 extra seconds to my everyday makeup routine, and the results are insane.
After just 6 weeks of use, my lashes are way fuller and longer, and when I add mascara on the occasional night out, my lashes pop way more than when I used to get extensions.
Best part of the serum? It’s all natural and cruelty free.
Natural Mascara by Pure Anada
Confession.
I have used the same mascara since the 7th grade when I first started wearing makeup; it was cheap (straight from the drug store) and did the trick.
However, when I started investing in healthier longer lashes with a natural lash serum, I didn’t want that to be wasted by applying a mascara full of chemicals.
So, thanks to one of my many trips to well.ca I found, Pure Anada. Not only is this mascara priced super fairly, it actually works.
Unlike other natural mascara products, it actually keeps your curl and height all day. Bonus: it washes off way nicer than drugstore brands.
It feels great to actually understand what I’m putting on my skin and near my eyes.
Now that I’ve found quality alternatives for my makeup bag, I’m working on switching out my skin and hair care. I’ll keep you posted on how my “shelfies” are evolving.
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Lara Roosevelt