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Birchbox has added an “ingredient conscious picks category” to their website. I’m so happy! Granted it doesn’t take care of my personal issue with cones / dimethicone (we’ll just call it an allergy until I start seeing people step up and say it’s causing acne for them as well.) BUT it is a MEGA step in the right direction! We put makeup and skin CARE products on daily, shouldn’t those be healthy?
Check it out here: http://www.birchbox.com/shop/featured/ingredient-conscious-picks
Be A Bombshell Lash Out Mascara – parabens, no cones (an ingredient that rules out makeup for me personally), but it’s not waterproof. Mascara as I’ve said before I will accept a little less healthy for the waterproof tradeoff. This is a 4 with the skin deep cosmetics database (reminder: low numbers are healthier! with 10 being the worst.)
DERMAdoctor DD Cream Dermatologically Defining BB Cream with Broad Spectrum SPF 30 – cones rule this one out for me. Ingredients aren’t too bad though with the skin deep consmetics database ranking it a 4.
Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray – no cones, but it has added fragrance. This ranks a 5 with the cosmetics database … and would rank lower if they hadn’t added the fragrance. I’m debating giving it a try anyway since I’m curious how it compares to the old discontinued John Frieda Beach Blonde Ocean Waves.
Nicka K New York Shimmer Eyeliner – cones rule this one out for me. It’s fairly healthy though since it ranks a 3 with the cosmetics database.
NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair – no cones but it has added fragrance. I’ll probably give it a shot since it’s only a 4 with the cosmetics database. It would be MUCH healthier if they hadn’t added the fragrance though.
(And a very cute patterned Rebecca Minkoff cosmetics bag!)
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Benefit Cosmetics – Benefit They’re Real! Mascara: no cones but not waterproof and I’m not a huge fan of the brush type. I can’t ever seem to get the spiky ones to work as well as the brush type wands. It ranks a 4 with the cosmetics database which is ok though.
Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Valentine: cones rule this out for me which is too bad because it’s a cute shade AND it’s a healthy 2 with the skin deep cosmetics database. So healthy and cute but I can’t use it personally.
English Laundry Signature for Her: no no no. Not only is it a synthetic fragrance but it has even more unhealthy ingredients beyond that. On the plus side though this one came in a sealed pouch so it didn’t kill me when I opened the box so that part’s good. It ranks an unhealthy 7.
Evologie Stay Clear Cleanser: looks good. It’s ok. I’ve used it for about three days now. Not a miracle worker but seems pretty good. Not too harsh which is one of the problems with many of the acne focused cleansers. It has not caused any problems and I do wonder if it would have better results over time because it’s not harsh. If you want a soap style cleanser this seems like a good choice. It’s going to be tough for anything to beat the Liz Earle hot wash cleanser though. This ranks a decently healthy 3 with the skin deep cosmetics database.
Number 4™ Super Comb Prep & Protect cones rules this out for me. If they hadn’t added fragrance though it would be pretty healthy too – it ranks a 3 as well.
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I’m a little obsessed with Natalie Zea’s (character Claire Matthews) short (er) to medium length curly bob in this episode.
It’s like a shorter version of Connie Britton’s hair and I think it would work well with my hair and be an easier length to manage particularly during the summer. Maybe also look good with a slight ombre / highlights on the bottom (nothing too harsh) or just lightening from summer sun and the pool. 🙂
I may see if I can find someone who can actually cut my hair for a change as I’ve been cutting my own hair for years. Why? Because of too many stylists no matter the price gave me the exact same cut no matter what I ask for and I could cut my own hair better. I spent $20 and I spent $120 and did not get the cut I asked for really any time I went.
But I don’t think I can pull off this cut on my own so it’s probably time I risk letting someone else try again. I would be armed with a whole series of photos and different angles though so maybe I’ll have better luck? 🙂
Fragrance added (likely synthetic), no cones, could be healthier but not bad. This scores a 4 with the cosmetics database (0 is healthiest, 10 is worst.) The synthetic fragrance knocks that down a lot but it does have some other ingredients that are excellent for skin moisturizing so I’ll probably give this a try.
Fragrance added (likely synthetic), no cones, could be healthier but could also be worse. This scores a 5 with the cosmetics database. I’m not big on body washes anymore so I’m not sure yet if I’ll try this.
Cones rule this one out for me personally. It has one ingredient to be a little concerned about which brings it’s ranking up to a 4 with the cosmetics database (0 is the healthiest, 10 is the worst.) Not bad, could be better but if it’s not something you are allergic to, I would give it a shot.
Pretty good here. None of the usual nasties. No fragrances etc. This ranks a healthy 3 with the cosmetics database. Now lip balms are nice but I do lean towards glosses so I’m really not sure how much I will use this in particular.
This is going to sound a little odd but between the name, the color, and the tube itself, this reminds me of some sort of tinkerbell lipstick I had as a kid. The color is a fairly vibrant pink but it’s also still a lip balm so it’s sheer.
One thing to note – the twist tube on this seems to like to let the product fall back down into the tube. This is something Pixi Beauty needs to maybe work on. This is not a dollar store product (like I would wear anything from the dollar store to begin with – scary!) and it makes it a bit harder to put on.
Ok here’s where I’m going to get a little weird. Soy candles are supposed to be healthier than paraffin candles right? Well every time I’ve tried to go with healthier candles, I’ve ended up with a MASSIVE headache. Soy candles. Paraffin candles with natural scents. I’m not sure what goes on here that really messes with me. Basically the only candles that don’t give me a headache are synthetic (I know, bad) and paraffin. Best is a basic vanilla. I will give this one a shot even though it looks like it’s soy with synthetic fragrance so not entirely healthy. But I really have not figured out my deal with candles. Tim is the same way though … with some opposite allergies (he can’t handle lavendar for example) so it makes candle choosing VERY difficult and I opt for the “not healthy” candles because “not healthy” is better than a massive headache.
Out of the box the smell is decent. Lit might be another story completely. We’ll see.
Another neither here nor there. See my comments on the sunscreen ipsy sent this month. This is also a 5 with the cosmetics database. With a little planning you can do better. Take a look at my previous post on natural / healthier sunscreens.
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This one I’m kinda on the fence on this one. No cones (issue for me, not everyone) and no synthetic fragrances and some of the other common nasties. It can be hard to find a good healthy sunscreen but not impossible. Or at least it’s easier online. This one based on the ingredients ranks a 5 with the cosmetics database. Good enough if you have very little in front of you to choose from and are in a pinch. But not quite good enough in my opinion for any advanced planning situations. Take a look at my previous post on natural / healthier sunscreens.
Dimethicone rules this one out FOR ME. But you know me, I LOVE most of Pacifica’s products so if you aren’t sensitive to cones, go for this one. This ranks a healthy 2 with the cosmetics database.
It’s water. In a spray can. BUT I’ve learned that not all water is created equal. Minerals in the water can make a HUGE difference in the quality. I doubt I would buy this though simply because it’s an aerosol spray and at $12.50 per bottle. It’s ph 7.5 but I also wish it had details about mineral content. http://www.aveneusa.com/products/thermal-spring-water But it does make me consider adding mineral water to a pump spray bottle. …. I do have a bad feeling that I’m going to actually like this one despite the aerosol and price….
Side note: I’ve been drinking a lot of Gerolsteiner Mineral Water because of it’s mineral content. Magnesium in a bioavailable form in particular and I think I might pop some of that in a spray bottle. For a fraction of the cost. I know it’s not the same but again, not aerosol.
On the plus side, this one was from Drugstore.com which means that there’s a discount this month for Drugstore.com orders.
AWESOME ingredient list. This one I’m looking forward to trying. I wish it didn’t have soy oil BUT it’s organic so I’m going to give it a try. This one ranks a 0 (super healthy) with the cosmetics database.
Dimethicone rules this one out for me. Also bad is added synthetic fragrance and mineral oil. This ranks a 6 in the cosmetics database.
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