Two years ago, I quit wearing makeup due to health and financial reasons. I had learned about the toxic effects that mainstream makeup can pose for one's health and it made me take a careful look at what foods I ate, cosmetics I used, and chemicals I subjected my family and I to. For someone who practically depended on makeup to make me look better than I felt, as I live with a chronic illness, it was challenging to muster up positive self-esteem some days. I began to look as poorly as I felt.
As time passed, I began researching organic makeup. As living an organic, healthy lifestyle became so important to me, I knew organic makeup was the way to go. In addition to this requirement, I didn't want any makeup that contained toxic ingredients or that contained ingredients that I was not comfortable with, such as hydrogenated oils. I began my hunt for organic, non-toxic makeup armed with the realization that not all organic makeup is created equal or avoids the use of potentially harmful ingredients. I knew I had to investigate the ingredients that natural or organic companies offered for sale, in order to ensure that they met my health and safety requirements.
In my search, I became aware of just how sneaky companies could be when marketing their 'natural' or organic makeup. However, I was able to find makeup that met my standards or at least I was willing to compromise on. Price was still a concern, but by utilizing coupons and eBay auctions, I managed to snag some unthinkable deals! Below, I will review my choices.
SAPPHO ORGANICS/NEW PARADIGM
The Sappho eye shadows that I purchased were in the colors: Norma, Chloe, Jono, Turtle, and Bekkit. I absolutely LOVE Matte eye shadows. All except one of these is a matte shadow. I purchased these from eBay for a truly remarkable price from a super nice lady who let me have them for a steal. You can use these dry or wet, and they can double as wonderful liners and contour colors. I did not love how they creased at first, but I realized that the creasing happened because I was also wearing the Sappho concealer as a eye shadow primer/base. Big mistake! I have not had any creasing since though, so I absolutely love these eye shadows.
Here is a picture of the eye shadow swatches, alongside the Emma's Blush. They look simply divine on and I am so happy and fortunate that I was able to find them for such a great price.
The Emma's Blush from Sappho was something I was not sure I would really like or not. I won it in an eBay auction, but I am very glad to say that I do absolutely love it! The color and pigmentation is just right and I am able to control just how much I want to apply at a time, without going overboard.
As the makeup that covers the most of your face, in my opinion it is important that the foundation be organic and containing non-toxic ingredients. I decided upon the Sappho liquid foundation, in the color Rachel, because of its organic ingredients and rave reviews. Sadly, this particular foundation has gone under reformulation, causing customers to be unhappy with the added coconut oil it contained. However, the company has made a coconut oil-free foundation for those who cannot wear foundation containing it. Problem solved! Personally, I was able to find this for an unbeatable price on eBay, making my goal of having organic makeup a reality.
My thoughts on this product: I absolutely love this foundation! It gives light to medium coverage that is somewhat buildable. It is a nice, natural look that doesn't make me look like I am wearing makeup. It does a good job at evening the skin tone, too, while not clumping or caking. When deciding on liquid foundation, I researched the dangers of breathing in substances such as titanium dioxide, clay powders, zinc oxide, etc. in powder/pressed form. As someone who already has lung scaring at my young age, this was something I wanted to limit exposure to. This is why I chose a liquid foundation. However, while I love this liquid foundation, for my dark circles and problem areas I knew that I needed a concealer.
Admittedly, I was not in love with the Sappho concealer at first. I did not think that it covered my dark circles well at all, because by the time I applied the foundation on top of it, it all had spread out to provide very minimal coverage. Prior to deciding on the Sappho concealer, I had been planning on purchasing the Hynt Beauty concealer. However, I was not comfortable with its ingredients, even if it is considered one of the best at concealing in the green beauty world. When I first used the Sappho concealer, I temporarily regretted my decision. I knew my dark circles were going to be a problem, but I thought it would give more coverage than I received those first times using the product.
However, when I applied the Sappho concealer over my foundation, I got the coverage I had been dreaming of in an organic, natural product. It does have a tendency to crease under the eye, as most do, so be sure to set it with a good setting powder. The Sappho eye shadow in the color 'Turtle', which is a very light beige, worked great for this purpose. The only downsides to this concealer is that it does tend to cling to the dry spots on my nose and I would not recommend using it as an eye shadow primer, as it causes your shadows to crease. I have to exfoliate well and pay extra attention to these areas to ensure that this does not happen.
TERRE MERE COSMETICS
I happened upon such a great deal on eBay that I could not pass up these Terre Mere products, which I purchased so that I had some non-matte eye shadows to play with on days that I want to look more glam. Yes, they are in powdered form, and do contain titanium dioxide, which I did want to limit (especially in a powdered form), but for such an unbeatable price I knew if I was careful in how I applied them (by tapping off the excess) I should be fine. This is one area I compromised in, because I have not come across a cream eye shadow that did not crease. Yes, it is ideal to use all cream formulations, but on my budget and with my non-creasing requirements, I couldn't look into RMS Beauty, Vapour Organics, etc. which have a tendency to be outside my realm of affordability.
The Terre Mere eye shadows retail for about $20 each on the Terre Mere website. I purchased these on eBay for less than the cost of one on the website! In addition, because I can share powdered formulations quite easily, I was able to share half of each product with someone who also wanted organic makeup to make the price even more affordable for both of us. Win/win! These are very pigmented and glittery, so if you are not into that then these are not for you. I would love these even more if they had come in glass containers.
My most notable savings was the full-sized blush, which I won in an eBay auction for .99 plus $2 something in shipping and normally retails for about $54 for 9 grams. The bronzer I purchased for slightly more than that, but taking into consideration the fact that these were powdered formulations I was able to split the contents in half with that other person interested in organic makeup, causing the cost to also be split in half. You get a whole lot of product to share and it will last you ages! This is the only way I could afford organic, natural makeup. Both of these are also very glittery and come in plastic containers, instead of glass.
ROOT COSMETICS
From this company, I purchased the 100% Lash Mascara, the White Gold Highlight, and the Saddie Blush. I wasn't able to find these cheaper on eBay, so I had to utilize sales and coupons to make it fit into my budget. I did receive 10% off my first order (as a new customer), but to my disappointment they only gave me 10% off of one item, not my whole order. While, these are some of the most affordable organic/natural products around, definitely hold off until they are offering a good sale! They just about always are. I also shared these products, minus the mascara, so the cost was not as steep as it would have otherwise been.
My thoughts on these products: The 100% Lash from Root Cosmetics is just phenomenal! I have not had any issues with streaking, flaking, clumping, or the like. It smells like vanilla and the ingredients are great! I don't mind the small wand, as I am just obsessed with this mascara! For $14 you just can't go wrong! That may seem like a lot of money to spend on a mascara, but in the green/organic makeup world that is super inexpensive! I was tied between this one and Hynt Beauty's mascara, but I am glad that I made this purchase, especially since it was cheaper than the Hynt Beauty one. I may one day give the Hynt Beauty mascara a try, but for now I am definitely satisfied.
Pictured above are two samples that I got with my two separate orders to take advantage of two different sales. One is the Saddie's Blush, which I did end up purchasing as a full-size later on, because I loved it so much as a sample. The other is an eye shadow in the color Lucky Penny. At first, I was not thrilled with the idea of receiving this particular eye shadow color, as it was probably the only one I decided on the website that I didn't eventually want to try, BUT when I actually gave it a chance and wore it I FELL IN LOVE! Seriously, it looks so beautiful! When I am personally able to afford additional eye shadows, I will be trying more of these shades from Root Cosmetics and yes, Lucky Penny will be one of them!
Root's White Gold Highlight, which doubles as an angelic eye shadow, and the peachy pink color of the Saddie's Blush is pictured above. I love the blush! BUT, the highlight is just incredible! I mean look at that highlight! Better yet, look at a picture of me wearing it! BAM!! How can you miss it?
The only thing I could think of that could be improved upon in this line is the use of glass containers. However, considering my limited budget and the price of these products I cannot complain. I will keep an eye out for affordable glass containers to put these in. That is just my personal preference.
HUSH AND DOTTI
Finding an eye liner that would not run, smear, or smudge was tricky enough and I was disappointed that I could not find one, other than a few pencil liners, liquid liners, etc. that did not contain bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, hydrogenated oils, or other not so pleasant ingredients, even in natural or organic products. I had been leaning towards purchasing one from DabHerb or PranaPotions, both of which are Etsy shops that one day I hope to purchase from. However, I was not sure if they would melt on my face, smear, etc. and on my budget I needed to be as certain as possible that whatever I purchased would work for me. So, with very limited options that met my criteria, I went with Hush + Dotti. I REALLY wanted to purchase their gel liner (as I am a huge gel liner fan), but it contained bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2 and I was not comfortable with that, so the liquid liner is what I settled on.
My thoughts on this product: I have to be honest and say that while this liner smells deliciously like vanilla cake, I am not 100% in love with this eyeliner. This is most likely because I am not a huge liquid liner fan. I really miss a good gel liner. After wearing it a few times and washing it off I did notice that the skin on my eyes was feeling a little irritated and super sensitive. I'm not 100% sure that this was the cause, but I am about 90%. When applying, it did manage to stick to my eyelashes, and if not careful it would cause your mascara application to be difficult to comb through properly. I have also just recently noticed that my eyelashes are more sparse than normal. I think this product may cling so tightly to my skin and eyelashes that upon removal it may cause me to lose some of my lashes. On a positive note it does last all day without smudging once dried! I guess that aspect met my requirements, lol.
However, when I think about my other options I know that this is just about as good as it gets when looked at from my list of requirements. Yes, I could have found pencil liners that didn't have questionable ingredients, but after seeing reviewers state that they had a tendency to loose product when sharpened and not actually sharpen correctly so you can apply a thin line, I couldn't justify trying them out for myself considering their cost. I later found this out the hard way in one of my other purchases. So, while this was not an A+ product for me, I will use it for the time being and perhaps try others when I can afford them if they meet my requirements (healthy, organic, natural ingredients, no toxins, no ingredients I am uncomfortable with, and with mostly positive reviews).
LAUREN BROOKES
I purchased these two organic lip liners from Lauren Brooke, as I was wanting something that did not have titanium dioxide in them. To save me costs, I knew I could use lip liner as a lipstick if need be, by adding a little coconut oil on the top of it. I did not feel comfortable swallowing titanium dioxide and since it was going on my lips, this is the most important area to be concerned about this happening. Lauren Brooks impressed me with their organic ingredients, as well as their prices. I purchased the colors persimmon and wild cherry. While, they cost more than mainstream liners, they were far less than others I had been considering.
My thoughts: When these arrived I noticed right away that they were not sharpened very well. This immediately was a red flag to me. I realized that if the company could not get these to sharpen properly or without losing most of the product, than I couldn't either! In fact, the above picture is as sharpened as I can get it! See how much product gets trapped in the sharpener/lid? I purposely didn't purchase the Vapour Organics pencil eyeliner, because of reviewers having this very issue. This was a real disappointment for me. However, I am making do with these just fine to my surprise. I use it the best that I can and take any product that gets "wasted" while sharpening and scoop it up with a liner brush to apply like liner or lipstick. I am making every bit of this lip liner product work for me whether it wants to or not! Actually, it doesn't look bad, either.
Would I repurchase these again? Yes, actually, because I do like them and am willing to forgive this unfortunate issue, as I am finding a way to use all of the product any way. However, if I found lip liners that did not have this issue and still had ingredients I was okay with then I would go with that other product the next time. I hope the company is able to improve this issue or even offer an option for a liner pencil that you didn't have to sharpen and still maintained its hardened shape.
One thing I really did like about this company was that they included pretty neat free samples with my order! Check them out! Receiving these certainly made me excited.
100% PURE
To some people's surprise, 100% Pure's products are not all organic, so be sure to decide what you are comfortable with. Personally, I was more comfortable with wearing this lipstick than wearing an organic lipstick that also contained titanium dioxide or many other questionable ingredients. Since we end up eating an average of 4 lbs of lipstick in our lifetimes, this was something I truly cared about especially with the safety of these questionable ingredients being of such speculation and concern as of late. This was an area of compromise for me, as I wanted at least one lipstick.
I purchased this color in particular, because I was able to find it for $8 on eBay, instead of for $30 on their website. I also bought it to pair with the Lauren Brooke's lip liner in wild cherry. The two look really nice together. Since I have really thin lips, I am able to use the Lauren Brooke's liner to make my lips look bigger, while I use the lipstick to really give me a great pop of poppy-like color. It also smells so delicious!! When applied it is really nice, though it does of course transfer when I kiss my husband or my children.
FINAL LOOK
I am very satisfied with my products overall. Yes, some could use some formulation improvement, but I am still finding ways to make them work for me. Living an organic lifestyle on a budget can be tricky and it took me a while to save up some money and to be willing to treat myself in this way. If you are also trying to live organically on a budget, I would recommend that you consider selling things that you no longer need or have a purpose for around your house, like I did. It was a tough decision to spend money on makeup and I had put it off for so long, but treating myself in this way is also important sometimes. It has boosted my confidence and helped me feel sexy again. When you are a stay-at-home mommy to four children, you sometimes need things like that. Inner beauty matters the most, but it does help to do things that make us feel great, as well. This is one of those things for me.
To find out more about living an organic lifestyle on a budget checkout: https://www.facebook.com/LivingLifeOrganically/. Please comment below with which product you could try if you could or if you like any of these products after having tried them yourself. I was not paid or compensated in any way to review these products. Thank you.
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