lip gloss

August 18, 2015

My Ipsy August 2015 & EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database scores for each of the products

Posted in Hair, Makeup / Cosmetics, Nail Polish, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

My Ipsy August 2015 and EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database scores for each of the products

Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted – this is a slightly dusty light purple. Very interesting shade. One that I think may look better on than in the bottle. Something about it seems kinda 90’s to me and I’m not sure why. Not in a dated way but in a resurrection of a style way. This nail polish is 5-free. Since I ran the EWG score for the OPI that came in my birchbox, I’m running the EWG score on this too. So while this is “5-free,” the OPI is healthier. This comes in at a 5. Still going to try it because it’s nail polish.

LATHER ultra mild face wash – didn’t I get this recently in my birchbox? It seems familiar…Wait … nope. It was the face lotion not the wash and it was an ipsy glambag. Anywho. Nothing bad looking in here. Scores a 3 and none of the ingredients scream “run” so I may give this a shot. I am however very happy with soapless cleansers like the Liz Earle now so it would take a lot for this one to win me over.

Hikari Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Salsa – Parabens, Mineral oil, I’m out even if this one has a healthy score. Lip glosses that use mineral oil just feel weird and wrong on my skin now. This comes in at a 4 – not horrible but I know better.

Briogeo Blossom & Bloom ™ Ginseng + Biotin Volumizer – I really liked their conditioner and the ingredient list here looks excellent too. This scores a 3 and one of the ingredients it was docked for was over contamination concerns … so if they sourced that one well it isn’t really a concern right? Anyway – looking forwards to trying this one.

Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Liner Pen – no fragrance and no cones or parabens. Looks good. Though I tend to personally aim for a waterproof eyeliner which seems to be the only downside. So the EWG score is only a 2 which is good. Might try it when I want a distinctive cat eye just to see…

Sign up for Ipsy:

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h051sec1kqq5g8p
{affiliate link – I get 250 points which points equal products but it’s still a little unclear how many points to the dollar}

February 14, 2015

Ipsy glambag February 2015 including EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics database scores

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Hair, Makeup / Cosmetics, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

CARGO Cosmetics Mini Lip Gloss in Anguilla – no cones, no fragrance added, no parabens. I have high hopes for this one and it’s not too bad at a 3 with the EWG skin deep cosmetics database. I’m looking forward to trying this one and it’s a really nice basic shade as well that looks like it would work well with a lot of skin tones – very neutral but maybe a little bit light depending on how opaque it ends up being.

Eva NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray – dimethicone rules this one out for me. It also has fragrance though and diazolidinyl urea (formaldehyde releaser) though and this ranks a 7 with the EWG skin deep cosmetic database so I wouldn’t want to use this anyway.

Hey Honey Take It Off! Exfoliating Honey Peel Off Mask – the only negative ingredient I see on the list here is fragrance. Since all the other ingredients are all natural I decided to go see if I could find anything on the company site that might indicate natural or essential oils used as fragrance instead of synthetic (ingredient labels have certain requirements and lump all “fragrance” under the same label.) While they do have a very thorough rundown of the ingredients, fragrance is not specifically addressed in any of the main sections that would or could normally address this. Thus I’m going to have to assume it is in fact a synthetic fragrance. That said, there are some other ingredients that are “harmful” according to EWG that are included because this is in fact an exfoliating peel. A peel SHOULD take off some layers on purpose but because of some of the ingredients, it gets a higher score even though I would still consider this a fairly healthy product. It ranks a 5 with the skin deep cosmetics database. This is why I always take the EWG scores with a grain of salt. I’m going to give this one a shot … after sniffing it to make sure the scent isn’t going to trigger my sinus allergies of course.

ModelCo BLUSH Cheek Powder in Peach Bellini – no cones, no fragrance, no parabens. But it does have paraffin and talc … neither of which feels right on my skin anymore for some reason. BUT this ranks pretty well with the cosmetics database at a 3. So although I probably won’t be trying this, it is healthy. Also another reason I typically don’t jump for joy over blush is that I have naturally rosy cheeks so I tend to stick with bronzer. Blushes tend to make me look a little …. overdone or clown-like and that’s not even about the quality or shade but my own skin. It IS however a really nice shade so if blush is your thing you might want to give this one a shot.

“Pencil Me In” Cosmetics Natural Eye Liner Pencil in Amethyst (purple) – no cones, no fragrances, no parabens, everything is looking good. But apparently vitamin A brings this one’s score down – it ranks a 4 with the skin deep cosmetics database. This is yet another score I’m going to take a grain of salt. I’m going to try this product especially since I don’t think purple is going to be a shade I wear daily.

And the bag this month is super cute.

February 14, 2015

Birchbox February 2015 “Rent the Runway” box including EWG Skin Deep scores for each of the products

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Beauty & Skin, Hair, Makeup / Cosmetics, Skin Care

This month I chose the “Rent the Runway” box because none of the other sample options were appealing and I really wanted to try the derma e glycolic scrub. I was also kinda crossing my fingers that there might be a beauty blender in the box that they hadn’t mentioned … but that wasn’t the case.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Raina (a navy blue) – no cones, no frangrance, no parabens. It does have paraffin which I have mentioned feels weird on my skin … when it’s in blushes or eyeshadows or foundations but since eyeliner is such a small amount I’m fine with it as of of the ingredients here. So the other ingredient that’s a problem is one that I think may have been mistyped. “Isodecodane” seems to be a typo. The closest I get for that is “Isododecane” which is the ingredient that shows up for Sumita eyeliner on the Glossybox website. So this scores a very healthy 2 with the EWG skin deep Cosmetics Database. I’m looking forward to trying this one!

derma e® Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub – so you know how I’ve mentioned that some of the scores should be taken with a grain of salt? This would be one of them. The “fragrance” in this case is from a natural source (oils) and the vitamin A … it’s supposed to be in this product. Your skin will be more sensitive after using this because it IS a scrub. So even though this ranks a 6 with the Cosmetics Database, I’m looking forward to trying it. In my opinion the fact that it was docked points for two ingredients isn’t a problem in this case. Yes, you should be aware you may more easily burn in the sun after using any scrub, exfoliant or peel.

Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo – no cones, no parabens but it does have added fragrance. The last dry shampoo I tried almost killed me with the fragrance. The ingredients are fairly simple though so let’s just check the ranking with EWG to see if anything else throws up red flags here. Isobutane which is what makes this an aerosol spray is also fairly toxic at a 7 on it’s own. So between the 8 it gets for fragrance and the aerosol delivery it brings the score down to a 5. Not the worst I’ve seen but also not the best I’ve seen. I may sniff and try this … but I’m not sure. It does make me think that surely someone could make a nice healthy dry shampoo though. One that also doesn’t turn brown hair white (which is another problem I’ve encountered with dry shampoos … throwing some corn starch into blond hair might work but not so much on brown hair.)

Not Soap, Radio Body Wash in “the stuff that Cupid dips his arrows in” – so no cones, no parabens BUT it does have fragrance added. And coloring (for a body wash is this really neccessary?) And DMDM Hydantoin (Formaldehyde releaser). So although the total score is only a 4 I’m not jumping up and down to try this product. Meh. Could be worse, could be better. Not going to be adding this to my daily staples anytime soon though.

theBalm® cosmetics Read My Lips™ Lip Gloss in “Bam! – Rose Pink” – no cones, no fragrance, no parabens. But it does have added flavor (usually these are going to be synthetic flavors) and it does have Vitamin A in it. In this case the product is left on the skin so having something that increases skin sensitivity and is worn doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. BUT it also contains a sunscreen (titanium dioxide) so maybe it kinda crosses itself out. This is the kind of thing that the EWG score doesn’t take into consideration. So I’m on the fence on this one. I’m not a fan of added synthetics anything in any product and I suspect that’s the case here with the “flavor/aroma.” So while I debate, feel free to make up your own mind. The EWG score for this is a 5.

So there’s also a coupon code for $30 off a $75+ rental from Rent the Runway in here too. And you know what? They have accessories and purses which I don’t remember seeing the last time I checked out this company.

Still not signed up for Birchbox?

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October 18, 2014

Ipsy Glambag October 2014 unboxing & EWG scores

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Makeup / Cosmetics, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in Mango Mandarin. So this is petroleum free, paraben and mineral oil free and all natural ingredients. Well that last one is a little fib because in my research carbomer is one of the few unnatural (but harmless) ingredients in many natural products. So the EWG score I’m going to cut some slack … because the fragrance in this instance is from natural ingredients. Soooo with the assumption that this is synthetic fragrances EWG scores it a 7. But if you assume as they say on the website that the fragrance is from natural ingredients then the score would be more realistically at … a 6? This still seems awfully high for the ingredient list. Bah. I don’t know … I’m thinking about trying it on my feet despite the score.

H2O+ Face Oasis™ Hydrating Treatment cones (rules this one out for me because cones break my skin out) but it’s the parabens and the synthetic fragrance that has me thinking this isn’t a healthy product anyway. Yup that would be an unhealthy 10 with the EWG skin deep cosmetics database.

NYC New York Color Big Bold Curl Mascara not waterproof is a deal breaker for me. Especially since I’ve found some good waterproof and healthy mascaras. So I’ll just check out the score for those interested here. 6 from the EWG skin deep cosmetics database. Could be healthier, could be worse.

Skyn Iceland Mini Glacial Cleansing Cloths I’m rather ambivalent on this – I don’t know that I really need a facial cloth, especially one with added fragrance. So this ranks a 5 with EWG’s cosmetics database.

Starlooks Lip Gloss in guilty pleasure – mineral oil and parabens … pass. Even thought this isn’t super toxic at a 5 it’s also not very healthy either.

March 13, 2013

Burt’s Bees new lipgloss tubes

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Makeup / Cosmetics

I’ve had a couple of Burt’s Bees new lip glosses for maybe about a month now and really love them so time to do a review.

I first saw these at CVS near where I live around the beginning of January (I think) but some jerk had broken the seal on every single tube. So it wasn’t until I managed to head over to another CVS that I managed to buy my first tube.

My favorite natural lipgloss has been Gabrielle Cosmetics Zuzu Luxe and I find the Burt’s Bee’s new lipgloss tubes to be very comparing in consistency, quality and staying power. Zuzu Luxe is about $18 a pop at Wholefoods or online. Burt’s Bee’s is about $9 each which makes them very appealing particularly if you like variety.

Burt’s Bees lipgloss tube 251 “Evening Glow”

Back in November I bought Zuzu Luxe in “Tango” (I keep meaning to do my Zuzu Luxe haul post but haven’t yet.) Evening Glow is a dead ringer for this shade. My only problem with it … is I didn’t mean to buy a dup of something I already owned! And it’s a little darker than my daily wear.

click for a larger view

Burt’s Bees lipgloss tube 221 – “Sunny Day”

Sunny Day is a really nice perfect light pinky peachy color – it’s a very easy to wear color. A sort of “your lips but better” option and I’ve been using it a surprising amount. Before I used Zuzu Luxe “Crystal” which is a nice clear gloss but I like this just that little bit more for daily wear. This one is definitely a lot less pigmented.

Both colors have a certain amount of shimmer to them but neither of them is over the top or glittery on your lips. I don’t think any of the available shades don’t use mica which is what gives it that shimmer (no matte or cream gloss here.)

Overall I’m really pleased with these and I’ve got my eye on a couple of additional shades to try out. https://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/lips-lip-color/lip-gloss.html

Zuzu Luxe lip glosses:
http://www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com/index.cfm/product/43_20/zuzu-luxe-lip-gloss.cfm

If you prefer lip gloss sticks, check out my posts on Burt’s Bees vs Wet N Wild Lip Shimmers.
http://clothingcult.com/2010/11/03/burts-bees-vs-wet-n-wild-natural-blend-lip-shimmers/

Side note about Burt’s Bees: Burt’s Bees company was purchased by Clorox in 2007 but Burt’s Bees still does NOT do product testing on animals. Some people dislike the parent company enough to not want to purchase products from them, and that is your right to make that choice. I however am reviewing based on healthy ingredients and quality instead of politics on this post. It can be hard to find good natural makeup resources and I personally don’t plan on disqualifying Burt’s Bees over their parent company alone.

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November 3, 2010

Burt’s Bees VS. Wet N Wild Natural Blend LIP SHIMMERS

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Makeup / Cosmetics

I previously talked about the WNW Natural Lip Shimmers here:
http://clothingcult.com/2010/08/12/wet-n-wild-natural-blend-lip-shimmer-review/

Now I have some photos so you can see these Lip Shimmers compared to the Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers. I also did the swatches on my arm in different lights since it can often be hard to tell what color something is online. Sorry that the first photo is a little blurry.

Burt’s Bees VS. Wet N Wild Natural Blend LIP SHIMMERS bottom line:

As you can see, many of the colors are similar but only a few could be mistaken for one another. Wet N’ Wild’s “Frost” is almost indistinguishable from Burt’s Bees “Champagne” Lip Shimmer and both “Nutmeg” colors are pretty darn close.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the ingredient list is natural with no parabens, no synthetics etc. which is very surprising for a cheap drugstore brand that doesn’t usually focus on natural products.

And when I say cheap drugstore brand, I really do mean cheap. Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers are $5 each whereas the Wet N Wild Natural Blend Lip Shimmers are only $2 each. You can typically find then at Walgreens but if you don’t see them in the stores you can still buy them online. Amazon.com carries them but at a much higher price so I would recommend Walgreens.com or Drugstore.com if you’re having trouble finding them locally.

UPDATE: If you prefer lip gloss in tubes, check out my post on the Burt’s Bees new Lip Gloss:
http://clothingcult.com/2013/03/13/burts-bees-new-lipgloss-tubes/