2019-04-01 Women's Health

42 / WOMEN’S HEALTH APRIL 2019

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If you told me three years ago that

my entire makeup bag would even-

tually be filled with clean products,

I would have given you some major

side eye. Although the veggies in my fridge

were organic and I saged my apartment on the

regular, clean makeup was the one wellness

trend I did not want to get on board with. Per-

haps like you, I was skeptical that the formulas

could perform, and I imagined the experience

would feel less luxe than the conventional

products I loved. But I had to weigh that risk

against another potential one.

“Makeup sits on your skin all day,” says

dermatologist and Women’s Health advisory

board member Ellen Marmur, MD. “It’s im-

portant to select products free of question-

able chemicals such as parabens, phthalates,

PEGs, and synthetic fragrances that are

l i n ke d to ha r m f u l he a lt h effe c t s l i ke sk i n i r r i-

tation, hormone disruption, even cancer.”

Armed with this knowledge I couldn’t

ignore any longer, I finally decided it was time

to fully walk the wellness walk. But diving

face-first into the clean-makeup world was

confusing. The main reason: “There is no

government or third party–certified defini-

t ion st at i ng what qua l i fie s a s cle a n be aut y,”

says Tara Foley, founder and CEO of Follain,

one of my now-favorite clean-beauty shop-

ping destinations. “Unfortunately, some

brands try to capitalize on the clean-beauty

movement by labeling their products with

words like clean, nontoxic, and natural, but

when you take a closer look at the label, you’ll

find some nasty ingredients,” adds Foley. In

other words: Green-washing is rampant.

S o I t u r ne d to t r u ste d sou rc e s, l i ke t he

be aut y store s Fol la i n, C re do, a nd The D etox

Market, which exclude all brands and prod-

ucts that contain controversial or harmful

ingredients; I flipped each product over and

read its ingredients; and I referenced the

Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep

database, which has unbiased ratings of

products’ safety.

And what did I find? Foundations that felt

l i ke sk i n c a re, l ipst ick s t hat went on l i ke but-

ter, shadows that lasted all day, and mascara

that lifted my lashes. Honestly, I was shocked.

Christy Coleman, chief artistic officer at

Beautycounter (a clean-beauty brand that

has over 1,500 ingredients on its “The Never

List”), says she would have been surprised as

well 10 years ago, when she first transitioned

her makeup-artist kit to clean items. “But

we’ve come a long way in formulations and

innovations, and our products perform as

wel l a s a ny ot her s on t he m a rket.”

Now, I’m not suggesting you panic and

throw out your whole current stash. But when

you run out of something, try replacing it with

a clean version (below are some personal

faves). Prepare to feel beautiful—naturally.

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1.“Conventional liquid lipsticks are

drying, but the shea butter and babassu

oil in this make it so comf y to wear.”

Burt’s Bees Liquid Lipstick in Flushed

Petal, $10, amazon.com

2. “Clean palet te s don’t have to be bor-
   ing. This one has all the neutrals you
   need, plus a few fun sparkly pops.”
   Beautycounter Velvet Eyeshadow Pal-
   ette in Romantic, $50, beautycounter.com


3. “Thanks to rose hip and marula oils,
   this feel s like sl athering on a luxe face
   cream.” Ilia True Skin Serum Founda-
   tion, $54, iliabeauty.com
   4. “Most clean bronzers are shimmery,
   but this is hands down the best matte
   version I’ve tried.” Alima Pure Bronzer,
   $24, alimapure.com
   5. “Sunflower-seed wax and organic
   coconut oil blend easily into skin—I just
   use my finger to apply!—and leave
   behind the prettiest flush.”
   Jillian Dempsey Cheek Tint in Rosy,
   $28, jilliandempsey.com
   6.“This pot gives that dewy, I-work-out-
   every-day glow to cheekbones.”
   RMS Beauty Champagne Rosé
   Luminizer, $38, rmsbeauty.com
   7.“TBH, I don’t love many natural
   mascaras, but this one builds awesome
   volume and stays put all day.”
   W3ll People Expressionist Mascara,
   $26, amazon.com

Marta’s Must-Haves