Product Review: Blûm Naturals Daily Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes

I have a confession. I don't always do the right thing when it comes to non-toxic makeup. I try my best, but when I'm getting home at 2 in the morning after a rockin' gig, it's all I can do to remember to actually take off my makeup before I crash.

So, instead of using my awesome eye makeup remover, I usually reach for a towelette. I know, I know ... The waste! The parabens! Ugh! So when I ran across Blûm Naturals Daily Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes at Pharmaca, I was excited at the prospect of ruling out at least one of those problems.

The towelettes score a 1 at EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database - not too shabby. And the ingredient list reads more like a spa menu than a beauty product. But would they work?

Sadly, not so much. They smell good, and they do an OK job of taking off blush & base, but eye makeup? Forget it. Even after scrubbing until my eyes were red, I was left with big black raccoon eyes (and this was a light makeup night for me). Boo!

The good news? Looks like I'll be taking the extra 3 minutes to use my eye makeup remover before I go to bed - that'll eliminate the paraben problem AND the waste.

Ingredients
Aqua (Water)
Decyl Glucoside (sugar-derived)
Organic Chomomile Extract
Organic Aloe Vera Extract
Lavender Oil
Vanilla Oil
Patchouli Oil
Gluconolactone
Sodium Benzoate (naturally-derived; salt preservative)
Glycerin

DIY Eye Makeup Remover

One of my favorite times of year is May, when InStyle releases their Best Beauty Buys. Each year, I pore over the issue, ripping out the shopping list, pinning wish-list beauty items to my Pinterest boards, and otherwise drooling over the editors' picks.

Until recently, the issue didn't contain an Eco-Friendly section (mad props to the pub for adding that in 2012!). And before my eco-makeup craze began, I frequently referenced their regular ol' picks for every beauty purchase I made. One of the consistent contenders year after year was Lancome's Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover. I tried it, I loved it. Eventually I began noticing an imposter on the drugstore shelf: Neutrogena's Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. Similar blue packaging, similar mysterious separation between the compounds within. I tried it, I loved it (especially for its lower price).

Nowadays, as you know, I'm trying to use products that are as close to nature as possible. No preservatives, parabens, nasty additives, etc. Lancome's 2007 formulation of this eye makeup remover scored a 5 over at EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, and Neutrogena's scored a 4. Not bad, but I'd like a 0, so I made this simple, super-effective eye makeup remover at home myself.

Efficacy was important for me - I'm a performer, and I wear some serious eye makeup at my shows. When I come home, I need something that will remove it swiftly without scrubbing or tugging at my eye area. This one's pretty perfect. Try it, you'll love it!

Ingredients:
1 part sweet almond oil (or jojoba oil) - these are non-comedogenic and won't clog pores
1 part filtered or distilled water

Combine ingredients. Shake well before each application. Apply with a cotton ball and watch as even the heaviest eye makeup disappears.

Oh! And throw it in an old container ... I'm all for re-using bottles! :)

DIY Facial Toner

What do you do when your favorite skincare products are toxic? Lately, I've been trying to make my own. It's been sort of a science experiment in my kitchen these days, but some of my creations are good enough that I'm not missing the fancy department store counter as much. Like this one.

This is the easiest DIY ever. Seriously. And it totally works! It feels great on the skin and rivals even my most beloved toners of the past in terms of cleansing and that great tightening feeling. The only thing I'm not loving about my first batch is the smell ... but I can fix that in my next batch by adding a few drops of essential oil.

The star ingredient in this toner is raw apple cider vinegar. Raw apple cider vinegar is a pretty impressive health tonic - it naturally has antiseptic, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial qualities, in addition to many other health benefits. Seriously - nutritionists around the world go wild for this stuff. For external use, it's particularly great for oily or acne-prone skin.

Enjoy!

1 part raw apple cider vinegar - I like Bragg's
1-2 parts filtered or distilled water - make sure your filter is appropriate for your water! Check out EWG's Tap Water Database to find out what's in yours and which filters work best for your water.
A few drops essential oil - be choosy about which essential oils you use for your face, as not all are safe for facial use. Rosemary or lavender would be good choices.

Combine ingredients. Shake before use. Apply gently with a cotton ball to clean skin before moisturizing.

Safe Sunscreen

The Environmental Working Group just released its 2012 Sunscreen Guide, a super-helpful tool to find safe and effective sunscreens. They analyzed over 800 sunscreens and found that only 25% met their standards. Find out how yours stacks up against the competition!

Product Review: ZuZu Luxe Oil-Free Liquid Foundation

On the hunt to replace my L'Oreal TrueMatch Super Blendable Makeup with a less toxic alternative, I decided to give Gabriel Cosmetics' ZuZu Luxe Oil-Free Liquid Foundation a whirl.

Powdered or mineral foundations can dry out my skin, and I like the "dewy" look of liquid foundation - especially with summer approaching - so it was important to me to find a good non-toxic liquid option.

I tried the R-6 color, and it is an absolutely perfect match for my skin tone. In terms of coverage, the ZuZu Luxe liquid foundation is extremely light - much more like a tinted moisturizer than a foundation. It's also quite streaky when applied with a foundation brush. It looks much better when applied with fingertips.

Bottom line:
The ZuZu Luxe Oil-Free Liquid Foundation doesn't stand up to other foundations in terms of coverage and blendability. As a tinted moisturizer, however, it's ideal for light coverage and daily use.

Price:
I bought it at my local Pharmaca for $29.99, but a Google search revealed that I probably could have found it for less online.

I should also clarify that, while the data is extremely limited, the L'Oreal TrueMatch foundation has a pretty low toxicity score of 4 over at EWG's Cosmetics Database. So it's not necessarily terrible in the first place. I may keep it around for those few times when I need heavy coverage.

Ingredient List:
Aqua (Infusion of Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice)
Glycerin
Cetearyl Alcohol
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Tocopheryl Acetate
Limonene
Cellulose Gum
Lecithin
Silica
Mica
Xanthan Gum
Cetyl Alcohol
Kaolin
Iron Oxides
Ultra Marines
Titanium Dioxide
Potassium Sorbate

After 30 years, cosmetics safety

Any lead in there?

For the first time in 30 years, Congress met last month about cosmetics safety. They're dusting off an important issue. According to PhD and toxicologist Michael DiBartolomeis, over 17,000 common personal care products contain carcinogens or reproductive toxicants.

(Why do we even wonder where cancer & infertility come from?)

The next hurdle for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is preventing the industry from creating its own legislation and allowing itself to continue poisoning consumers. 

It's nearly impossible to sound apolitical when discussing this. But why would anyone want toxins in their cosmetics? There are alternatives that are safe and inexpensive. There's no reason for my favorite lipstick to contain lead.

In the words of today's youth: WTF?

Anyway, my intent is not to bitch & moan. I wanted to pass along a positive action we can all take to stop the madness. It's super easy to make your voice heard - click here to tell Congress to stop this new industry-created bill that will make things even worse.