2019-12-01_Harper__x27_s_Bazaar_Australia_UserUpload.Net

PIERRE

TOUSSAINT.

MODEL:

HANNAH

KIRKELIE

AT

CHIC

MANAGEMENT;

HAIR

AND

MAKEUP

BY NADINE MONLEY AT TALENTLAND; STILL LIFE: EDWARD URRUTIA. PRICES APPROXIMATE

Fortunately, when it comes to your beauty regi-

men,considering the planet can actually save you.

“Themost important step is to look at all your

single-use items,” Hemsley says. On a roll from

mydental breakthrough, I swapped cotton makeup

remover pads for reusable ones from Face Halo,

whichcan be put through up to 200 wash cycles;

thereare also compostable cleansing wipes from

RMSBeauty and Simple. When it comes to sheet

masks,there are biodegradable options such as

TheBody Shop Seaweed Balance Sheet Mask and

K-beauty sensation Innisfree My Real Squeeze Mask.

Another simple switch to make: sunscreen,

whichmay contain chemicals (namely, oxyben-

zoneand octinoxate) that are bad news for ocean

reefs.Mineral (or ‘physical’) sunscreens with zinc

oxideortitaniumdioxide are better, such as the Cancer Council

formulas,as wellas ranges from Eau Thermale Avène and Derma-

logica. Anothereasyswap that may be as good for your skin as it

is fortheenvironmentis cult clean beauty brands such as Tata

Harper,deMamiel andDrunk Elephant. They focus on formulas

thatsteerclearof parabens, pthalates, sulfates and petrochemicals

to ridyourregimenof toxins, but share philosophies that chime

withsustainableissues,too, including eco-friendly packaging and

thoughtfullysourcedingredients.

Thebiggesthurdle for the beauty industry (and those of us

temptedbybeautifulthings), however, is the plastic. According to

ZeroWaste,more than120 billion units of packaging are pro-

ducedeveryyearbythe global cosmetics industry, most of which

is notrecyclable.Consider this sobering fact: the average moistur-

iserpotcantakenearly1000 years to decompose. It’s enough to

makeyouwantto hideunder a compostable sheet mask and cry.

Thankfully, beauty companies are cleaning up their act by

switchingto glass,aluminium or recycled packaging. Aveda already

uses 100 per cent post-consumer recycled PET and, recently,

Kevin.Murphy becamethe first beauty brand to make all of its

packagingfromrecycled ocean plastic. You can also opt for brands

with recycling-reward initiatives (pioneers in Australia include

M.A.C,Lush,Kiehl’sand Jurlique) and those embracing refills. Of

note,NarsandKjaerWeis are my picks for luxury colour and base

youcaneasilyreplenish, while L’Occitane refills bestselling for-

mulas,as doesMecca-stocked natural-fragrance house 100Bon.

Forme,the point is that while these small steps may hardly

seemworthwhilein the grand scheme of things, they become

significantwhenweall make them. So I’ve decided to ignore that

littlevoicethatsaysI’m a hypocrite for swanning around with a

ceramiccoffeecupandrefillable lipstick while covering my left-

oversin clingfilm.Wejust have to do what we can, regardless of

howmanydoublestandards we trip over along the way.

THECURRENTTHINKING:smallchangesmakeall

thedifference.Soifyouwanttoleada lesstoxic,more

sustainablelife,thebestplacetostartmightjustbe

yourbathroomcabinet,saysBrookeLePoerTrench

o muchof thewayweliverevolvesaroundhabitswe

barelyeventhinkabout,whichis whythere’softena

chasmbetweenhearingthatourplanetis headedto

hell in a handbasket and changing our behaviour.

Thatgapclosedforme,justa little,at theLondonzoo

ona fieldtripwithmy eight-year-oldsontolearn

Animageflashedontoa screenthattookmybreath

away:theGreatPacificGarbagePatch,anareain theNorthPacific

that’salmost thesize ofQueensland wherewinds andcurrents

drawourdebrisontoa hugecarouselthatnever(ever)stops.

Now,I’vebeenexposedtoalltheterribleimagesdesignedto

shockusintoaction,suchas penguinsbeingsuffocatedbysix-

packrings,andit’smademegenuinelysad.Butit wassomething

aboutthekidsallstaringat thatpictureofgarbagethatdidit.

Inthewordsof someonehalfmyage,I gotwoke.

Likea cyborgthathadbeenactivatedbutdidn’tknowit, my

wokenessdidn’tsurfaceuntilthenexttimeI wasdoingsome-

thing incredibly pedestrian:buying a toothbrush.I suddenly

rememberedthatit would outliveme (andmy teeth) by 400

years.Andso I founda bambooalternative.I knowthisdoesnot

makemeGretaThunberg,butthisis exactlythekindof change

thatLondon-based wellness expert andsustainability advocate

Jasmine Hemsleybelieves weneed toembrace.“It mightjust

startwithwhatseemslikethemostminorthing,buteachswitch

youmakeis worthwhile,”shesays.“Andmoreoftenthannot,if

it’sbetterfortheplanetit hashealthandwellnessbenefits,too.”

S

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T

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SWAPS 1. Face Halo Original Makeup

Remover, $30 for pack of three.

2. Grants of Australia Adult
   Bamboo Medium Toothbrush,
   $5. 3. Lush Amazon Primer
   Naked Facial Oil, $20. 4. Lush
   Gritty Politti Naked Cleansing
   Balm, $10. 5. Lush Argan Naked
   Facial Oil, $20. 6. 100Bon
   Davana & Vanille Bourbon eau
   de parfum, $61 (50ml). 7. Kjaer
   Weis Cream Blush in Joyful, $83.


3. Tata Harper Hyaluronic Gel
   Moisturizer, $172.

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156 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU^ December 2019

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