When we consider purchasing the best makeup, we often take into account several different factors like price, ingredients, whether or not the product is tested on animals, packaging, and skin type designation. However, once the purchase has been made, just as with other products, we have a tendency to think that the decision-making is over. What many do not consider is that taking care of our products is just as important in maximizing their effectiveness as is purchasing the right kind of products.

When it comes to makeup, proper care is absolutely critical. This is especially true of organic makeup. Why? Simply because organic products do not contain the fillers and preservatives that synthetic makeup products do. As a result, organic makeup products do not have a very long shelf life, and since most manufacturers do not print expiration dates, we must be ever-vigilant about the product’s state on our own.

An article in the Green Beauty Guide outlines the problems with expired makeup. Perhaps because of the lack of an expiration date on makeup, it is very common for women to store cosmetic products for years and years. And of course, makeup, whether or not it’s organic, is expensive. As such tossing products away unnecessarily can hit our pocketbooks pretty hard. But the dangers posed by expired makeup are far more damaging than the economic cost of keeping cosmetics products up-to-date.

According to the article, old makeup can harbor dangerous bacteria. With foundations, expired makeup can cause what is called peri-oral dermatitis, which is manifested by little red bumps that look like acne. Expired mascara can cause conjunctivitis, an eye infection that is also known as pink eye. What’s more, women should be particular vigilant when it comes to lipsticks and lip balms, especially if there’s the possibility that it could have been used by others. In many cases, women can get cold sores through a herpes virus that can easily be absorbed by lip products.

Experts say that when it comes to cosmetics products, go with the smell test. Even if it has only been three months since purchasing, if the product smells strange, then it probably contains bacteria and should be thrown out. It’s also very important to consistently change makeup applicators, which are also breeding grounds for bacteria. While it may be difficult to justify throwing out expensive cosmetics products, the cost will be significantly less than having to deal with a potential infection.

This guest post is contributed by Tisha Dotson, who writes on the topics of medical coding certification.  She welcomes your comments at her email: tishadotson86 @gmail . com.

The manufacturers do have to content with the looks and user-friendliness as well. Naturally. If the product is not packaged attractively, no one will pick it of the shelf. Or so the rumor goes. And if you can’t get that product out – you aren’t likely to buy it again.

But in the natural skin care and makeup field there are two other serious considerations:

First, the natural consumers demand that a packaging is as earth-friendly as possible. It better be recyclable, or else

Secondly, it is also important that the packaging contributes to the longer shelf life of the product. Because organic skin care usually (ideally) does not contain harsh synthetic preservatives, packaging has to help in protecting the ingredients from contamination.

One of the most popular packaging materials for natural cosmetics is glass. Glass is non-porous and inert material, which is good for the lifespan of the formulations.  And it is recyclable, making it a popular “green” choice.

Aluminum tubes (with protective resin) are also popular because they are recyclable, and because they squeeze the product out and don’t refill with air — thus minimizing contamination. They are used by Dr. Haushka, Weleda and many others.

Incidentally, the worst packaging from preservation point of view are the open jars where you have to put your finger in to get the cream out. You effectively transfer the bacteria from your hands into the jar. Not to mention continuous air exposure.  If you have such a product, try to use it as quickly as possible, store it in the fridge and always wash your hands! Or consider getting it out with a stainless steel spoon – but don’t double dip…

My recent excursion around the web has found a couple of other interesting packaging ideas:

I found a company called Megaplast (www.megaplast.de), which is a packaging manufacturer used by the likes of L’Oreal, Biotherm and Yves Rosher among others. They have recently patented a new type of dispenser, aimed specifically at bio-cosmetics and natural products. The Self-Sealing Actuator system “protects products from impurities and contamination through a membrane in the pump’s orifice that automatically seals once the formula has been dispensed. This prevents the product from coming into contact with oxygen, thereby reducing contamination, discoloration and product dry-out, and ultimately, increasing shelf life and effectiveness.”

This sounds promising. Preservation of natural products is a key concern when turning away from synthetics. But I think plastic is a bit of a drawback. Recyclable as it is, as Beth never tires to point out – we have too much plastic to deal with already.

And then there are companies like The Packaging Company (TPC), who introduced Biodigradable Cosmetic Packaging last year. They look like regular plastic products, but will biodegrade in a landfill after 5 years. Called PLA (polyactic acid or polyctide) the material resembles regular plastic in every way. But it is corn based. TPC presently makes compacts and lipstick cases from this material, and just by looking at it you’d never suspect anything unusual about them.

Hopefully the trend towards recyclable/biodegradable and preserving packaging will continue and leak into the mainstream as well. I think in the ideal world the job of preserving a product lies in the package – then we don’t have to ingest it. But this only works long term if the package is not the kind that will preserve itself in a landfill for thousands of years to come. Pretty or not.

But then the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a report in October of 2007. 61 percent of brand named lipsticks tested contained lead! And of course, none of them listed it as an ingredient.

How’s that for busting the “myth” part of this “urban myth”?

Among the top brands that were found to contain lead where L’Oreal (with L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red” coming in with a whopping 0.65 particles per million), Cover Girl (Incredifull Lipcolor “Maximum Red” – 0.56 ppm), Christian Dior (Addict Positive Red – 0.28 ppm) and others…

Lead is a proven neurotoxin. It also easily crosses the placenta, making pregnant women and their children especially vulnerable. But how many women stop using their favorite lipstick when they are pregnant?

Health Canada followed up the study with their own tests. The lipsticks in their samples contained levels of lead from 0.079 to 0.84 ppm. One lipstick had 6.3 ppm! Though, naturally, the brand was not disclosed. Go figure.

The Canadian government had the audacity to claim that the amounts were safe. Despite the fact that there is a growing amount of scientific evidence that there is no such thing as safe amount of lead. Because lead builds up over time. It doesn’t disappear. And when it comes to lipstick – women don’t apply it once in their lifetime. Some estimate that women eat about 4 pounds of lipstick in a lifetime.

As “safe” as lead is supposed to be, the acceptable level for candy is 0.1ppm. But there isn’t much regulation for lipstick.

And when somebody tries to regulate it, the big lobby guns come out. Despite passing the full California Senate, a bill that would ban lead in lipstick was defeated in the Assembly Health Committee, caving to the mega pressure from the cosmetics lobby. The swarm of lobbyists and big name executives from the likes of Revlon, Estee Lauder and Johnson & Johnson proved to be too much.

What a brave new world we live in. Where a few dollars here and there trump any health concern. Cause dollars must be so much more important…

So where does it leave the consumer?

Doing our own homework. Searching, sharing information, supporting those who try to do well by us.

Seeking out organic makeup and organic lipstick is a way to protect ourselves, our friends and our kids. Chasing the mighty dollar these companies forgot that their customers are human with biological bodies and health concern. They feel no responsibility towards us, but feel secure that we’ll let it stand and use their products cause we need it.

They are wrong. We value our health more than their over marketed poison tubes. And we know there are better options. Truly organic and natural makeup products are popping up everywhere. It’s just a matter of doing some digging to find the right product. But when it comes to health – digging is worth it.

Organic skin care can be simple. Organic skin care can be inexpensive. And best of all, it is always good for you.

So here is a list of tips that will help you enjoy natural products and stay on the budget at the same time. It isn’t in any particular order, so be sure to read through the whole thing!

1. Make your own skin care preparations. This way you control the purity of ingredients and it will cost virtually nothing. There are many recipes online and books in the library. My favorite tip is still the one about using oatmeal as an exfoliant and a cleanser . Use cucumber to take care of dark circles under your eyes and use parsley for a whole range of applications. These ingredients are probably already in your house anyways, so the cost of a facial pampering procedure would be complete zero.

2. Use fewer products overall. You probably don’t need a toner. You don’t need a mask for all occasion (and for rare occasions where you need one – find a recipe and do it yourself). You don’t even need a night cream! Did you know that Dr. Hauschka don’t even make a night cream? The point is your skin needs some rest and night time is the best time for it.

3. Don’t buy into the “you must use our whole line of products” routine. You don’t. Pick and chose what you need.

4. Use less of the product you are using. If you are using a moisturizer and your skin feels fine – apply less now and then or skip a day. If your skill looks fine and the exfoliant bottle says you should do it two to three times a week – don’t bother. Of course the people who sell it want you to run through the product faster. But if you feel fine – let it be.

5. Look for samples of the products you want to try. Almost all the manufacturers supply them to the stores. If your particular store doesn’t have a sample, write to the manufacturer. There is no point investing in a fancy new cream if you have no idea what to expect – it’ll just dust away on your beauty counter.

6. Invest in a good moisturizer. This might sound counterintuitive, but by getting a good main product you’ll prevent many other issues that will require you to spend on corrective measures in the future. Those who’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I’m fanatical about Dr. Hauschka Quince Day Cream. But you may like something else, of course. We are all different…

7. Eat better. Now this is common sense, isn’t it? Your skin is a mirror of your health. The more you take care on the inside, the less you’ll need to worry about the outside. Cut out junk and load up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Nothing is better at supplying you with all those anti-aging antioxidants. And if you want to eat healthy on a budget, read Julie’s post on how to do so.

8. Drink plenty of water. It’s the best moisturizer yet invented.

9. Eat almonds. Small wonder that so many under-eye creams use almond butter as a key ingredient. It’s a proven anti-wrinkle warrior. For greatest effect soak them overnight in pure water. This makes them easier to digest.

10. Get plenty of fresh air (but use sunscreen, of course).

11. To prevent wrinkles, gently rub your face with an ice cube in the morning. Yes, it’s probably an advice from your grandma’s days, but it still works.

12. Remind yourself over and over again that perfect skin on magazine photos are an illusion. They are heavily photoshopped. Just look at this photo magic. Nobody looks that flawless. So don’t kill yourself over it.

I hope these tips are going going to help you pamper yourself without feeling guilty. And if you have more ideas, be sure to share them in the comments section!

Do You Know What’s in Your Makeup and Skincare Products?

Most women cannot answer “yes” to the question above. But consider this, ladies: what you don’t know could hurt you!

We all want to have beautiful, healthy skin, and most of us are committed to a skincare and makeup regimen that utilizes our favorite products. That’s great, but have you ever read the label on your favorite cleanser or eye cream? Do you know what your favorite anti-wrinkle cream is made of? If not, it is imperative that you do some digging.

Consider sunscreen – we should all be wearing it! However, it is important to use the right sunscreen to avoid potential health and safety issues. Sunscreen is a perfect example of a skincare product that may contain carbon nanotubes, or small particles that are manufactured using nanotechnology, which allows them to deeply penetrate the skin. In other words, skincare products that utilize nanotechnology can deliver active ingredients into the skin much faster than other products. In a society where faster is better, nanotechnology-based skincare products are the latest and greatest.

But did you know that carbon nanotubes – the single-walled version of super-tiny mechanisms that deliver active ingredients deep into your skin – have been found to cause mesothelioma cancer in laboratory testing? Dr. Andrew Maynard, who is considered to be one of the foremost experts on nanotechnology, stated that there is no immediate danger for individuals who use products (including sunscreens and makeup) containing carbon nanotubes, but that further research into a possible connection between nanotubes and mesothelioma cancer is definitely necessary.

Nanotechnology is an emerging area of science that produces compounds known as nanomaterials, which are developed with specific targeting properties. Carbon nanotubes, for instance, are extremely tiny – often less than 100 nanometers, or less than 0.00001 centimeters – and are said to be stronger than steel. Nanomaterials are highly reactive, which indicates an increased likelihood of potential side effects from using a product that was manufactured using nanotechnology.

Products such as refrigerators, golf clubs, tennis rackets, air conditioners, cleaning products, skin care products, makeup and nail polish, chemotherapy drugs, and hearing aids may contain carbon nanotubes or other nanomaterials. One specific skin care company, Beyond Skin Science, utilizes a technology in their Eternalis Anti-Aging line that they have coined “NanoChem,” which allows the product’s active ingredients to reach the skin’s cells quicker than other products, thus rendering a faster and more effective result.

As a general rule when choosing skincare products, it’s a smart idea to consult the label. If you can’t pronounce it, you probably don’t want to put it on your skin! Now that the “green living” craze has swept the nation, most skincare companies offer products that meet green standards – that is, they contain organic ingredients that are easily pronounceable and are all hyper-allergenic, not tested on animals, etc. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require manufacturers to include a label on their products that indicates that the product was manufactured using nanotechnology, but because consumer awareness of this technology is quite low, several consumer activist groups are pressing the FDA to reconsider.

If you’re stuck on a particular brand of skincare product, you may also want to call the manufacturer (there is probably a telephone number on the package) and ask them to explain the product ingredients. This way, you’ll feel good knowing that what you are putting on your skin is safe and will not present any health or safety issues in the long run.

For additional information about carbon nanotube exposure and the potential connection to mesothelioma cancer, please visit “Mesothelioma.com News| Study Says Effects of Nanotubes May Lead to Cancer.”

Once you decide to take steps towards consuming natural products inside and out, it doesn’t take long to realize that while there is a whole plethora of quality organic skin care products, the field seriously thins out when it comes to organic makeup. Suspicious ingredients pop up even in the most respected brands. And in general, there are just far fewer choices.

Why is that?

The most important reason why organic skin care dominates and makeup lags is because of their intrinsic purposes. Think about it. The goal of any skin care is to nourish the skin from inside and out to reach its naturally healthiest potential. So ideally, if your skin maintains an equilibrium of required vitamins, minerals and other building components it will look good. Thus organic skin care aims to find the best ingredients in nature that provide these building/nourishing materials. And since nature is where we as humans get the building material for our bodies, it is not so difficult to find the right combinations of ingredients, to grow them organically and then make the skin care products.

But with makeup the goals are diametrically opposite. More often than not we are not looking to enhance a natural quality of our skins. There is nothing natural in purple lips, grey eye shadows or tinted eyebrows. With makeup we are not looking for ingredients that the skin will absorb. We are looking for ingredients that will stay on top, preferably in the place we designated.

So there is the dilemma. Finding the right combination so that the part that absorbs is natural and safe for the skin, while the pigmented part remains on the top in proper consistency/shininess/matte levels. Not to mention that the pigment itself has to be just the right shade. And of course, there is always the fact that after so many years of exposure to the beauty industry, the consumers have a very clear expectations of the products they need and the format they should come in (lipstick in a tube, powdered eye shadows, pencils for the liners).

And this is a much harder task. Far fewer companies are up to it. We all have expectations on how mascara has to “behave” and color expectations for shadows, foundations and lipsticks. Meeting these expectations with all-natural ingredients is a hard task for many. So synthetics, questionable ingredients and technology slip in here and there… But it’s our job as consumers to keep pressing these companies to come up with better and safer solutions. Continuous improvement needs to be a motto of all companies that have the potential to affect human health.

Taking bold risks is an option too. Consider SukiColor. That’s one company that totally rethought the idea of what makeup is. They don’t even have conventional powders or lipstick tubes. But they have a variety of creamy pigments that can work on your eyes, your cheeks and lips. For example
suki triple cream eye definer – sandalwood
can serve as an eyeliner, a brow liner and a shadow. While something like
suki pure cream stain lip/cheek – opal
can serve as a lip color and a cheek highlighter, creating automatic coordination in colors and completely defying expectations on what lipstick and rouge can be. It goes back to basics – makeup is color for the face. Here is color. Here is a brush. Apply anywhere.

Bold. Innovative. Natural. And since they work with creamy textures, they don’t have to worry about finding natural ways to create powdered shadows and the like. Hence no need to worry about whether talc is safe or not.

Perhaps that’s what organic makeup should be about. Defying expectations. Going back to the basics. Enhancing natural beauty with natural means. Maybe the task of finding organic solutions will be easier if preconceptions of what makeup needs to look and feel like can be stripped. When it all becomes simply about colors blending with our skin thinking out of the box could produce many more truly safe and healthy options for our faces.

After all, take a good look at nature. With such an abandunce of color around it’s hard to believe that there is no way for us to harmoniously work it into our own beauty system.

PS: For those new to this site, I do have a list of natural makeup manufacturers here. They may not always be 100% perfect, but at least they are trying. And they are definetly safer for you then the mainstream brands.