Not All Skincare is Created Equally...

I've never been that in to my skincare or makeup routine. I use things that work well-ish and call it a day. I've never spent a lot of money and we all know, I love a good sale. 

Well... when Kate started pureed foods, I started to research and realized, not all formulas, purees, foods, etc are created equally. And there are some not so great things in baby products! About that time I started using cleanlabelproject.org on the reg. I wouldn't buy anything if it didn't get 5 stars... don't worry, I'll blog about that sometime soon. 

Like the next week I go in to see my friend Carly at Pout for a makeover. I was sick of how I looked and my little makeup routine had taken on a life of it's own. Suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly) my skin looked tired, BAGS (okay, that can be a sign of this new mom-hood) and my makeup was looking too thick and not like me. I had been in for a facial recently and we started talking about skincare and how many bad things were in the makeup, deodorant and skin care items that we use. So we continued this talk during the makeover. 

Your skin is the largest organ on your body and it absorbs more than 60% of what you put on it, closer to 100% for deodorants! Let that sink in and then see if you like that your moisturizer that contains any of the following:

Parabens. Parabens are widely used preservatives that prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast in cosmetic products.  Parabens possess estrogen-mimicking properties that are associated with increased risk of breast cancer. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin and have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors. They can be found in makeup, body washes, deodorants, shampoos and facial cleansers. 

Fragrance. This particular category is pretty scary, because what does “fragrance” mean anyway? This term was created to protect a company’s “secret formula.”  According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep Database, fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system. 

Phthalates. A group of chemicals used in hundreds of products to increase the flexibility and softness of plastics. They are known to be endocrine disruptors and have been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, early breast development in girls, and reproductive birth defects in males and females. 

Triclosan. Tricolson is widely used antimicrobial chemical that’s a known endocrine disruptor — especially thyroid and reproductive hormones, and a skin irritant. 

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) / Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). This surfactant can be found in more than 90 percent of personal care and cleaning products (think foaming products). SLS’s are known to be skin, lung, and eye irritants. 

Toluene. A petrochemical derived from petroleum or coal tar sources.  Toluene is a potent solvent able to dissolve paint and paint thinner. It can affect your respiratory system, cause nausea and irritate your skin. 

So if you are cool with those things, you can just go ahead and leave this post. There is nothing here for you. If you are still here, those are just a few things you want to avoid. I won't bore you with all of them but there is plenty of information and research out there if you want to do some reading on your own. I saw a statistic the other day that showed around 1,400 harmful cosmetic ingredients have been banned in the EU compared to only 11 in the US. That's a huge difference. 

So Carly and I are talking about this and discussing an app called, "Think Dirty" where you can log all of your items and it will give you ratings on how clean or dirty it is. The goal is to use all green/clean items! My "bathroom shelf" was dirty! I didn't have a single clean item. The average rating for my items, was an 8. That's bad. I've also been using the Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep Database to check out the things I'm using. 

So during my makeover I bought some tinted moisturizer and under eye concealer. My goal was to not go crazy but replace items as I run out of them. Carly used a new line that I had never heard of, Chantecaille. My face looked great. Well moisturized, not cakey and actually pretty. And I felt good knowing everything was clean. 

Chantecaille is made with botanical, pure ingredients. And contains none of the things listed above. It is more expensive than anything I've ever worn before but when you think about what you are putting on and what's being absorbed into your body, it's worth it. 

These are a few of the things I've moved to. I love the Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer. It gives me plenty of coverage and makes my skin feel good. I have super dry skin so we used only creams/gels and I've seen a huge difference in my skin.  

I LOVE the Cheek Gel. It's probably my favorite item from the line. Again, plenty of moisture and a pretty little cheek color. Also love the eyeliner, the color is so different but goes on smooth and stays. The Eye Concealer is almost a little too light for me. It's perfect when I've had a few good nights of sleep but I need some backup on the ones where I haven't slept.. or had enough water. And the big silver item to the left is eye shadow.  I have a trio of three pretty colors! 

I still use drugstore mascara and bronzer. I hit my under eyes, nose and chin with some translucent powder from clinique. 

The other big change is my skincare routine. I know there are tons of clean and organic products out there but I have fallen in love with Eminence. I heard great things from too many people so I finally tried it. And I'm hooked. 

Carly gave me some samples after one of my facials and I fell head over heels in love with that rosehip oil. And yes, I thought oil would be horrible for my face BUT it's not. And haven't you heard that vitamin C is like the best thing for your face? I'm on the train here. 

L-R: Rosehip Oil (love), Burt's Bees eye make up remover wipes, Eminence Guava & Bamboo Moisturizer (smells awesome and LOVE!), Eminence Monoi Night Cream (love!), Primally Pure Deodorant (really works!) and Eminence Neroli Age Corrective Eye Serum. 

I really like all of these products and I see a definite improvement in my skin. Both websites, Eminence and Primally Pure have quizzes you can take to match products. Take them! They both gave me really good recommendations based on my answers.  I took the eminence ones and then went over it all with my esthetician before buying anything. 

I've also switched up a few others things but I'm trying to do these upgrades as I'm running out of product. And it's given me plenty of time to research and try samples before diving in. 

I'm not ready to write letters to congress or join in a protest or anything like that but I am in to researching and eliminating poor products. It is so crazy that these things can be sold and the lack of regulations we have on personal products. 

Do some reading...and do some trying!! XOXO

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