And so I’m very happy to introduce you to a new essential read on the subject that recently arrived on the market.

NO MORE DIRTY LOOKS – The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics, by Siobhan O’Connor & Alexandra Spunt

So what is special about this book?

It’s practical. It’s fun. Its focus is beauty products and healthy choices, and not a political agenda (though, it’s hard to avoid some politicizing on the subject…) It presents good research with practical applications.

Personally, I love the book’s writing style. As I already mentioned – it’s fun. It uses simple language and simple explanations of convoluted terms and practices. Though I must add a warning for the extra sensitive types – sometimes the language gets a bit PG using s**t type words…. But those are always in context and, in my opinion, used totally deservedly…

The structure of the book is simple and intuitive. In an entertaining (though scary in retrospect) string of personal anecdotes the authors describe how they stumbled into questioning the beauty industry (suffering through the stench of toxic fumes just to get the hair straight should eventually ring a bell for most thinking people… ) and the shock they experienced while uncovering mountains of evidence that this stuff isn’t safe, but no one in power is doing anything about it.

And you know what — I get it. That realization can be nerve-wracking. For those of you still doubting the shadiness of the beauty industry, what do you think of this:

“They’ve read the same reports we have, and then some. So why are they selling us these things? In the words of one industry scientist whose employer charges $250 for a 2-ounce pot of face cream, “Because we can” (p.4).

However, let me assure you. This isn’t just a book about how bad things are and that you should just write to the congress (though you should). It gets practical right away.

There is a very good section on the “dirty” ingredients you should be on the lookout for in your products. (Note: I listed some of the major ingredients to avoid some time ago, but the book’s list is more detailed, plus it includes an ingredient blacklist in an appendix that is really long and scary.) The book has great description of these offenders, including how to spot them, risk associated and studies that indicate that.

No More Dirty Looks covers every major product category relevant to human appearance, gives its background, potential hazards, things to look out for, a list of products you CAN buy in that category and even tips on how to make your own. It even has a recipe for making your own mascara! (! (Disclaimer – I haven’t tried it yet, but the thought is intriguing).

I particularly loved (and was disturbed by) the background story of shampoo. Did you know that it didn’t even exist as a product we know now until 1930s? Me neither…

There is also a very basic diet/lifestyle guide at the end. Some statistics, while true, read like pure entertainment. For example, statistically, all married men are healthier, but only happily married women are (now how is that fair?). And did you know that hugging and other physical bonding has a rejuvenating effect on the skin?

In short, this book is a great overall guide for those who don’t have time to do all the research. Probably one of the most practical and realistic guides I’ve seen. And it’s an easy read – took me only a few hours to get through it.

My only criticism is that the list of recommended products seems to focus too heavily on a limited set of already well known (in the green world) manufacturers. The brand research for things we can use could’ve been wider. I think this is a missed opportunity to introduce the lesser known makers of quality organic/natural products to consumers.

But overall, I recommend this book to any woman who wants to take charge of her appearance in a healthy way. And it should probably be “the guide” given by parents to their daughters when they discover themselves in the mirror.

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.

Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with Miessence. I’m not their representative. I was, however, contacted by a number of representatives. One of them, Annie, sent me a few samples, some of which I’m about to review. So if the product appeals to you, check out her Miessence store.

Ok, let’s get started.

Annie sent me a number of products, but in the interest of time I’m only going to review two: the moisturizer and the cleanser.

Product names:

Miessence Soothing Moisturizer

Miessence Soothing Cleanser:

About the brand:

The company that produces Miessence is called ONEGroup which is an achronim for Organic and Natural Enterprise Group. It is Australian based and it produces a whole reange of skincare, haircare, health care and cosmetic products. It makes product that are certified by ACO (Australian Certified Organic), the USDA and IFOAM (Organic Federation of Agriculture Movements, in Europe).

The company distributes its products via independent representatives. (Sort of like Mary Kay and Avon).

Price:

According to the web the moisturizer is about $40 for 50 ml and the cleanser is $40.95 for 250 ml bottle.

Certifications:

This is where this brand shines. Miessence got it covered. The products are certified organic by Australian government, the USDA and IFOAM. They are certified organic to International Food Standard. You can’t get better than that.

Packaging:

Both products come in recyclable plastic tubes. To quote from the bottle: “100% Recyclable non leaching Plastic”

Reading the ingredients:

Both products are concoctions of organic oils and extracts. I did not spot any ingredients I could complain about. Bravo.

Scent:

The products have similar scent. For some reason it reminds me of a certain cooking oil but I can’t quite place it. I wouldn’t say that the smell is the product’s strongest feature. That’s one place where some tweaking wouldn’t hurt. But it’s not all that bad either. Just different…

Texture:

The moisturizer is a very thin cream, almost watery. The cleanser is also a gentle cream mix, though a bit less runny.

Performance:

The cleanser does it job perfectly well. I used it to wash off all the fancy organic makeup I’ve been wearing lately (a layer of foundation, brow pencil, mascara and some shadows) and it all came off without excessive rubbing. It also felt gentle and not in the least irritating.

The moisturizer was a bit too light for my skin. And a bit watery – my skin was softer than without cream, but I felt as if there was a tiny tight film on it. (Annie also sent me a really small pack of Miessence Rejuvinating Moisturiser. I wasn’t going to review it officially, but after I tried it I wish she sent me a tube of that one! It was exactly what my skin was craving).

Verdict:

Cleanser – I haven’t tried it on tough mainstream makeup. But for regular cleansing and removing of natural makekup I would definitely recommend it. It’s pure and gentle.

Moisturiser – this particular moisturizer is not for someone with really dry skin. Probably for normal but I wouldn’t know… I think it’s a bit too thin. For really dry skin try the rejuvenating moisturizer.

In any case, do give this line of organic products your consideration. I think they really get what it means to be organic.

Tips: Annie also sent me a set of small sample packs. Which supports my theory that most reputable companies have samples. So if you are unsure about a product you could probably try asking for some samples or buying really small size packages before you plunge into a full blown shopping spree.

And I really needed a mascara. No room for error.

So I went to Wal-Mart. Because they have the best return policy. Just in case.

And I bought a regular big-brand mascara as well. Just in case.

So yah, I was one biased customer.

But I worried for nothing. The mascara IS good. For me, at least. But if you want to know more details, here is the really detailed review:

Product Name:

Organic Wear Mascara, by Physician’s Formula, also referred to as Natural Origin Mascara

About the brand:

Organic Wear is a Brand created by Physician’s Formula. You can read my Physician’s Formula brand overview here.

Price:

I paid just over $14 Canadian. It is about 10US dollars in the US.

Certifications:

EcoCert Certified Organic.

Packaging:

This is one of the most innovative packaging to hit the mascara world in a long time. The tube and handle are stylized with the handle looking like some kind of leaf. The brush itself is very flexible, which I think is a pro – it was easy to reach all the lashes. The brush is also 100% recyclable, which is a bonus.

Reading the ingredients:

The packaging says that 100% of ingredients are of Natural Origin and 47% are Organic. Which is commendable given that EcoCert requires only 10% of ingredients to be Organic and 95% to be natural. Basically, Organic Wear is taking its “natural” and “organic” claims seriously.

Reading the insert (or Other claims):

The back of the box is dedicated to 100%. It list a whole set of features for which Organic Wear Mascara scored a 100:

100% Natural Origin Mascara
100% Free of Synthtetic Solvents
100% Natural Origin Biopolymers – for clump free lashes
100% Natural Origin Preservatives
100% Natural Origin Rice Protein & Organic Tapioca Starch – naturally boost volume. Organic Beeswax 00 for a buildable formula.
100% Natural Origin Color Pigments
100% Free of Petroleum By Products.

It’s also 100% Cruelty Free.

It’s also hypoallergenic and fragrance free.

Scent:

I’ve read some other reviews where users have complained about the smell. Granted, it doesn’t smell like roses. It is fragrance-free, after all. But it doesn’t smell awful either. And it’s going on your lashes, not your nose. (Though I did smudge my nose while doing the smell test – it still didn’t bother me.)

Performance:

I applied it very carefully and had no clumps or smudges. It looked very natural on my lashes. I didn’t even feel the need for a second coat. After I applied it I accidentally hit the lashes with my finger and a couple of them stuck together – I used the brush to separate them without any issues. I didn’t smudge – I wore it for most of the day and didn’t have any problems. The next day I did two coats (very nice lashy look) and even a few time scratched my eye (carefully) – still no smudging.

Tip: to ensure perfect distribution and no clumping use an eyebrow brush or a toothpick to separate lashes you accidentally stuck together… But make sure you don’t poke your eye!

Verdict:

For such a low price (as far as organic mascaras go) this mascara is outperforming all expectations. No, it’s not water-proof – no does it claim to be. If you are going out in the rain or are headed for a serious sweat at the gym, this might not be for you. But for an everyday normal application it’s perfect.

I liked it. I liked it a lot. I’m keeping it for sure. The mainstream brand backup package is going back to Wal-Mart…

P.S: If you live in the USA, for a limited time (till the end of 2009) you can get a rebate on this mascara. Here is a rebate form from the company’s site: http://www.physiciansformula.com/rebates/2009/ow-mascara-rebate.pdf

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.