Clean Beauty Products

 Hi there and happy Friday! I hope you've all had a good week!

Today I want to talk about some of the clean beauty products I've been using and loving-- and also steer you away from some clean products I tried that felt weren't great. 

First of all, why clean beauty products? Since my diagnosis I have become hyper-aware of all the toxins in our everyday environment. I may have been eating super healthy before I got sick, but I wasn't paying any attention to what I was putting on my skin. What lotions, makeup, face masks, etc. If any of those products have harmful chemicals, those could easily seep into our skin and get into our bloodstream. Am I going to be able to avoid ALL toxins? No, but I can try to limit the harmful ingredients, and that is my plan moving forward. 

I have tried a variety of “clean” beauty brands over the past few months and while most have been really good, not all of them have. Let’s play “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, shall we?

The Good

Kosas Concealer- I got this concealer from a local clean beauty store and absolutely LOVE it! It reminds me of my tarte concealer I used to use. Great coverage, lasts all day, easy to wash off at the end of the day. 

Purlisse BB Cream- When I first started going down the clean beauty path, I was sad to leave some of my favorite beauty products behind. I assumed this company made regular beauty products, not clean, but after checking out their website it turns out they are free from all the toxic chemicals too! I’ve been using this for years and have always loved it, so I was thrilled that I could keep this product.

Thrive Mascara- mascara was the hardest product to find for me. I wanted one that looked like a regular mascara, but didn’t have the gross chemicals. Well according to one of the workers at Sephora, the ingredients in mascara that makes them “good” are the toxic ones… so finding a “good” non-toxic is HARD. I was about to give up when a friend suggested Thrive and let me tell you, this mascara is GREAT!!! Maybe even better than my old Tarte one? It enhances each lash without clumping together and is easy to take off (I use a little organic coconut oil). 

Indie Lee Retinol Alternative— not only do I love this product and think it works to reduce wrinkles, I also love Indie Lee’s story of how she started her makeup line. Indie Lee was a woman who lived a very healthy lifestyle… ate healthy, exercised, did all the things she could to take care of her body, only to be diagnosed with cancer (sound familiar??). She asked her doctors how this could’ve happened and one of them said to her “are you careful about what you put ON your body?” She decided then and there that if she beat cancer, she would create a skincare line of products free from toxic chemicals. I really do like this retinol alternative.

Raw and Wild Honey Face Mask- oh I love this mask. It smells incredible and leaves your skin feeling so soft and hydrated. I still do my egg white mask sometimes too, and just alternate with this one.

The Bad

Indie Lee Face Wash— While I love Indie Lee’s retinol alternative cream, her face wash just didn't do it for me.  It wasn't terrible, there wasn't anything special about it. 

The Ugly

Ilia— I tried multiple mascaras from this brand and did not like a single one. The mascaras were clumpy and the wand didn’t help to separate the eyelashes. I also thought it was a pain to take off. I. wasn't the only one to have trouble with this brand, a girl friend of mine who is also using clean makeup felt the same way. I'd steer clear of Ilia.

Thanks for reading along today! I hope you have a good weekend! Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites.