Get to Know: Kiss My Face

I've long thought of Kiss My Face as being a crunchy, hippie personal care company.  After all, it was founded by two vegetarians who were on a mission to find healthy body care products.  Kiss My Face is committed to using natural, organic ingredients to create their cruelty-free products.  Because I've dismissed Kiss My Face as a sort of hippie-dippy company, I never really tried their products.

Silly me!  Kiss My Face has some really good products...and their eco-friendly, cruelty free stance is a huge plus.  Be on the lookout for their new line of skin care products in the start of the new year (available in January at Whole Foods).  Their Potent and Pure Organic Face Care line is worth a look.  It includes:

• Clean for a Day, $15: a creamy face cleaner that is soap-free and non-drying.  
• Startup, $15: an exfoliating cleanser that contains natural fruit alpha hydroxy acids for gentle exfoliation.
• Brightening Day Creme, $23: a cream that includes SPF to help protect from the sun's damaging rays.
• Night Creme, $23: a cream that provides extra moisturizing power along with detoxificaiton.
• Underage, $21: a "mega-moist" blend of organic botanicals and vitamins that will smooth lines and nourish skin.

Kiss My Face is a great brand to get to know if you're concerned about organic ingredients, animal testing, etc.  Their new skin care line will leave your face looking good and your conscious clean!  Check it out at Whole Foods in January.

Be a Caring Consumer

I've written about this before, but this is a subject that I find to be rather important. So bear with me if you've heard this before.

When it comes to being a beauty consumer, I find it very important to support cosmetics companies that do NOT test their products on animals. I don't think that one single animal should have to suffer for us to have longer lashes, redder lips, or fuller hair. And yet, I cannot say with 100% certainty that ALL of the products I use are cruelty free. This is frustrating and makes me feel like I'm not living up to my ideals.

The subject of animal testing is an emotion one. And PETA, the organization that helps maintain the cruelty-free list also brings up a lot of emotional responses. People think that PETA is too militant at times and because of their tactics, people don't want to listen to what the organization has to say. That's unfortunate because they really do a great job of informing consumers about animal testing.

Now, I am a meat-eating, leather-wearing woman. I don't make any excuses for eating meat. I don't think I should have to. However, that doesn't mean that I am an evil person who likes animals to suffer for my lifestyle. I bet many of you feel the same.

If you're at all interested in this topic, I urge you to visit the Caring Consumer website, put together by PETA. See if products you use are made my companies that test on animals, and then try to find a cruelty-free alternative.

Like I said, I am not perfect. I do use products made by Unilever, Olay, and Pantene--all of which DO test on animals. Yikes. Perhaps it's time for me to rethink my personal care purchases.

Enhance Your Eyes With Minerals

Ah, eyeliner. It's an obsession for some and forgotten by others. Eyeliner enhances the shape and color of the eyes and adds either drama or subtle glamor depending on how it's applied.

I recently had the pleasure to try out mineral eyeliner from J.Lynne Cosmetics. Their Smoulder Collection of mineral eyeliners includes amazing colors in fun-sounding names. Here are the colors in this collection:

• Coquette: rich, aquatic teal with blue-green undertones
  
• Charmer: deep emerald green
  
• Mistress: deep midnight blue with silver undertones
  
• Drama Queen: rich, luxe cool purple
  
• Tart: deep, sultry black-cherry scarlet
  
• Strumpet: deep, smoky taupe suede with cool gray undertones
  
• Tigress: rich bronze with golden undertones
  
• Femme Fatale: deep copper brown with burgundy undertones
  
• Flirt: deep, smouldering brown-black espresso
  
• Vamp: ultra-deep jet black

The intensity of the colors is incredible and completely adjustable. If you want a smoky eye, just apply the liner dry, with an eyeliner brush. If you want a fun, dramatic and intense look, mix some of the color with a drop of eye drop solution and you're good to go.

I tried using the colors both ways (dry and wet) and they are easy to apply...much easier than products like liquid eyeliner. And whether you go wet or dry, you'll get a great looking end product.

The colored mineral eyeliners would be a lot of fun to wear for the upcoming holiday season. They'll add some sparkle and mystery to your look.

If you want to try out all the colors, J.Lynne offers a sample sized set of all the colors for only $12.50. $12.50 to try out 10 different colors, resulting in 20 different looks for only $12.50? That's a great deal! And you only need to use a little bit of the product to get a unique look, so you can get several day's of wear out of each little jar.

Here are a few other things you should know about J.Lynne: their a cruelty-free company, and none of their products contain chemicals, synthetics, or fillers. Not bad! Try these eyeliners--they rock!

Bask In the Afterglow!

Mineral cosmetics are all the rage. I made the switch from liquid foundation to mineral foundation a while ago and haven't looked back since. In the world of mineral makeup, we all know who is king (or would that be queen?): Bare Escentuals. But if you want to try mineral makeup and don't want to buy into the corporate machine that is Bare Escentuals, consider the Afterglow cosmetics family of products.

Afterglow products are not tested on animals (as confirmed by PETA's Compassionate Consumer list), are made in the USA, do not contain nasty things like parabens, are made of organic ingredients, and is a cosmetics company for women, owned by women (love that!). Afterglow products are listed on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database as being a low health hazard, meaning they don't contain harsh ingredients and that they're not full of chemicals. Afterglow is also a "compact signer" for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Plus they donate money from their sale of their bronzer to help breast cancer patients and survivors.

So...Afterglow cosmetics fall into the "compassionate consumer" category, but are they any good? Well, I've been trying out a few of their products (specifically their blush, lipstick, and eye shadow) and I am impressed. The minerals are easy to apply (oh! I forgot to mention they make the softest cosmetic brushes, very worthy of an investment!) and feel very light on my skin. When I wear their makeup, I don't feel like I'm suffocating under a mask of gunky cosmetics.

Just like other mineral makeup, a little goes a long way. The highly pigmented products make my skin "glow" just by using a small amount of product so this stuff will last quite awhile.

While I've been fairly faithful to Bare Escentuals, I really appreciate Afterglow's business philosophy and I could see myself switching over to their brand. To get familiar with their brand, I would whole-heartedly recommend Afterglow's Glow Kit for $59. It contains all sorts of travel-sized goodies that will give you an idea of the quality of Afterglow's product.

With Afterglow, you can look good and feel good about supporting a company that believe there is more to life than making money.

Conscious Consumer

So you're concerned about what ingredients are going into your cosmetics. You're also worried about animal testing, the over-use of packaging materials, and other environmental issues. But you still want to look good and take care of your skin. And you don't want to break the bank buying beauty products. What should you do?

Here are a few hints to be a more enlightened consumer:

1. Look for products that are botanical, biodegradable, and renewable. Cargo sells lipsticks that come in biodegradable boxes that have wildflower seeds in them. You get lipstick plus packaging that can sprout new life. If you can't afford Cargo's products, look for cosmetics that don't have a lot of extra packaging. The less plastic and cardboard, the better.
   
2. Be a vegetarian beauty consumer. Sure, you may like to eat a bloody steak every now and then, but try looking for products made from plant-derived ingredients. You'll have to trust the packaging, but look for vegan beauty products since they're less likely to be filled with parabens and other nasty chemicals. Plus they'll be less likely to have had as much of a negative environmental impact than mass-produced, chemical-laden products.
3. Look for companies that give back to a cause. This is becoming a more popular trend. A lot of companies are donating a part of their profit to an environmental or health cause. Sometimes it's just the proceeds from particular products that go to a cause, but the way I see it, you're planning on buy mascara anyway...why not buy a mascara that will make your lashes look great while helping save the Earth or find a cure for cancer?
4. Educate yourself. If you want to know if your beauty products are tested on animals, check out PETA's consumer guide. Not sure about what ingredients you should avoid? Go to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website. There are so many sites filled with consumer info--it just takes a few minutes of googling to become more enlightened.
5. Talk back. If your favorite cosmetic company uses too much packaging or tests on animals, write them a letter expressing your concern. These companies are in business to make money, and they need to hear back from their customers. The more they hear from us, the more they may take change seriously.

What are your tips for being an eco-friendly beauty consumer. Leave a comment and let me know. Don't forget to enter to win a set of ecoTOOL makeup brushes. Click here for more info!

How Safe Are Your Cosmetics?

Sorry I didn't have time to post yesterday. I was stuck working a 13-hour day and was brain dead by the time I made it back home. 'Tis the season?

I received an interesting email from one of my fellow bloggers with a link to Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database that tells you how safe your cosmetics products are (or aren't!). They have a searchable database that lists hundreds of beauty products and rates them as being either low hazard, moderate hazard, or high hazard. This site also tells you if a company conducts animal testing or has signed their Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

I did a quick search on two of my favorite products, Maybelline Great Lash mascara and DuWop Lip Venom. Here's what I learned about each product:

MAYBELLINE GREAT LASH MASCARA, BLACKEST BLACK
Rating of 5: Moderate hazard

Ingredients in this product are linked to:
	Cancer
	Developmental/reproductive toxicity
	Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
	Allergies/immunotoxicity
	Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes

This manufacturer:
	Compact for Safe Cosmetics signer
	Conducts animal testing

DUWOP LIP VENOM
Rating of 3: Moderate hazard

Ingredients in this product are linked to:
	Cancer
	Developmental/reproductive toxicity
	Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
	Allergies/immunotoxicity
	Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous

This manufacturer:
	Compact for Safe Cosmetics signer
	Conducts animal testing

This site is amazing and is really worth a look if you're concerned at all about the ingredients in your cosmetics. You should really click over and look up your favorite products--its fascinating and scary.

What Does Organic Mean To You?

Organic beauty is big business these days, but what does it mean if a product is labeled organic? Does it only contain certified organic products? Is made only of natural ingredients? Does the company follow any sort of environmental regulations? Or does the company simply slap on the word organic on an otherwise average product as a marketing gimmick, as a way of making an everyday product a high end product?

While I can't give you the answer to these questions, I can tell you that the FDA does not regulate organic goods. It's left up to manufacturers to decide when the organic label applies. Organic basically means that all the active ingredients in a product are grown without chemicals or pesticides. Products described as natural are supposedly made without the addition of some synthetic additives like chemical preservatives or non-natural colors or fragrances. To further confuse things, some beauty products are labeled as containing botanicals. All this means is that the product contains naturally derived ingredients and essential oils.

I've had issues with so-called environmentally friendly products in the past, and the lack of any real regulations over the organic/natural/botanical label further frustrates me. Consumers receive mixed messages every day. We hear that our lipsticks have lead in them, we hear that man-made chemicals are potentially deadly. But then we learn that no one is really paying attention to what goes into our beauty products. It's enough to almost make me what to stop wearing makeup (I said almost--don't panic!).

I wish I could tell you what you could do as a consumer, but I'm at a loss. My rule of thumb when it comes to makeup is that I try to buy products that are not tested on animals. I simply don't know what to do when it comes to yucky chemicals or toxins in my makeup because I'm not a scientist and I have no way of knowing what's going in to my favorite mascara. As a consumer I have to trust the manufacturer, and that something that's becoming increasingly difficult.

Do you have any thoughts or advice on this matter? Leave me a comment!