Finally! The best concealer yet!

Hi sweeties!

Happy Monday! This blog post is dedicated to all you ladies who had way too much fun this weekend and need just a little bit of extra makeup magic to perfect that ideal “Monday” face. So, to make your Monday even brighter, I have great news! I finally found the Holy Grail of makeup – a concealer that actually WORKS and isn’t chockfull of nasty toxins! How exciting, right?!  I’ve posted before on my quest to find the perfect toxin-free concealer that will hide under eye-circles and blemishes and have come up with so-so results in the past. But finally, after many trips to the store and lots of online orders that simply got sent back because of their lackluster results, I finally found a great product in Tarte’s Maracuja Creaseless Concealer. It’s truly amazing! I’ve tried it out in all types of settings: office, late nights in the humidity, beach, working out, etc. You name it, it’s been there and guess what, it remained on my face, didn’t slide off, crease, or fade away. Plus, it’s waterproof and for someone who lives in Florida, having a concealer that is waterproof is essential so I was thrilled to put its waterproof feature to the test and have it pass with flying colors! I know, I did a happy dance too! 

I actually found it at my local Ulta store and tried out the different colors they had on display. I ended up with the second to lightest shade in “Light.” I usually go with the lightest shades as a rule, but the “Fair” shade was actually too light for me. The consistency is very thick. You really have to squeeze the tube hard for it to come out, but don’t let that scare you. I squeeze a tiny bit, and I do mean tiny, on my finger, lightly pat my fingers together and dab on under my eyes. It has a thick, creamy texture which makes it stay when you put it on. It does have a shine to it once it’s applied so make sure you set it with some pressed powder when you’re done. The concealer was $24, which is a bit on the high side, but given that you use such a small amount, I’m happy with the bang for your buck.

Now, let’s get down and dirty. What’s in this concealer that I can’t stop raving about? You know I won’t put something on my face, much less recommend that you do so, without putting this baby under the proverbial microscope. So here she is in all her glory:

Ingredient	EWG Skin Deep Rating
Phenoxyethanol	4
Tocopheryl Acetate	3
Titanium Dioxide	1
Iron Oxides	2
CI 77491	1
CI 77499	2
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride	1
Cetyl Alcohol	1
Microcrystalline Wax	1
Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Palmitate)	1
BIS-Diglycerlyl Polyacyladipate-2	0 (no data available)
VP/H0065adecene Copolymer	0
Silica Dimethyl Silylate	0 (no data available)
Passiflora Edulis (Passion Fruit) Seed Oil	0
Caprylyl Glycol	0

EWG gave it an overall rating of “2.” 

Bottom line? I couldn’t be happier with this concealer and am thrilled to finally throw out my toxin-filled department store brand that used to be my lifeline. Into the trash you go! Anyone else want to join me in trashing our nasty ingredient-filled products and saying hello to natural, healthy beauty? 

As always, feel free to leave a comment about your experience or tell me about the products you love! Stay sweet!

Finally, a great eyeshadow and liner that's all-natural!

Hi sweeties! I’m super excited about this post for a number of reasons. 1) It’s about an awesome makeup product that I ordered and 2) It’s Amazing!!! Seriously, I have high standards, as you know, and when I finally put this bad boy to the test, it shined! So what is this amazing product? It’s 100% Pure’s Dual-Ended Creamstick in Chocolate/Champagne. I’ve been on the hunt to replace my old Clinique eye shadow primer (touch tint for eyes). And when I say “old,” I mean old. As in, I’ve been doing the makeup no-no of using a product for over (cough, eight, cough, years). Yikes. That’s even more embarrassing when I reread it. :)

I did a major order of 100% Pure’s makeup two months ago and have been putting their products to the test. I am so glad that their creamstick passed! First, the quality of the product. It’s beautiful and a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Secondly, I love the colors. They are just gorgeous. 

Photo credit: 100% Pure

The champagne is a nice light color that I like to use on my whole eyelid and the chocolate color makes a nice liner above your upper lash line. It also has great staying power which surprised me given that the ingredients are all-natural, which brings me to my favorite part: the makeup of the makeup! As always, I’ve outlined the ingredients below and their corresponding score with the Environmental WorkingGroup: Skin Deep Database, but let me give you the quick and dirty details.

• It’s 100% Natural (check out the ingredients, it really is)
• It’s 100% Vegetarian
• It’s Gluten free

Amazing, right? I’m so happy with this product and can’t wait to try out the other colors. It was $18 for the liner, which is a lot more than I’m used to paying for a liner/shadow, but I’m so happy with the product that I’m okay with saving up my pennies to buy such a great makeup tool. What do you think? Have you tried any great products lately? Drop me a line and stay sweet!

Ingredient	EWG Skin Deep Rating
Jojoba Oil	0
Silica	0-2 (depends on if its aerosolized)
Meadowfoam Seed Oil	0
Mango Seed Oil	0
Candelilla Wax	0
Shea Butter	0
Macadamia Seed Oil	0
Carnauba Wax	0
Kelp	0
Agar Agar	0
Spirulina	0
a-tocopherol (Vitamin E)	0
ascorbyl palmitate (Vitamin C)	1
Rice Starch	1 (may have contamination concerns, depending on where they get their rice starch)
Black Tea Powder	0
Acai Berry	0
Pomegranate	0
Cranberry	0
Goji Berry	0
Blackberry	0
Mica	2
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride	1

 

All Natural Concealer Review - My Holy Grail

Hi Sweeties!

I feel like giving myself a good old "welcome back" as I am 19 days post surgery and am able to sit upright again. To give you just a brief update, I made the decision to have major surgery for two reasons: 1) this particular surgery could help prevent my particular brand of cancer from coming back and 2) to ensure that my cancer hadn't spread to my lymph nodes. I did it for my husband, my family, my pup, and for me. It's crazy to think about really, but I'm glad I did it. I'm sure I'll be even more glad I did it once I get my energy back and my body goes back to normal. For now, I'm content with my Frankenstein scars and penchant for soft foods. :)

Anyway! I haven't forgotten about my quest for the perfect concealer! I've been a diehard Lancome Concealer fan for years, but after researching the ingredient list and almost passing out, I have been on the hunt, literally, for the perfect concealer. I've been to department stores, Ulta, Sephora, you name it, I've gone and checked them out and have come up with zilch. My standards for the ingredients are just too high, I suppose. So I took my search to the internet. Since this is my must-have for my makeup routine, I literally can't go without it thanks to my awesome under-eye circles. So, prior to me going in for surgery I ordered two different types of concealer from two different companies.

The first one I ordered was the RMS Beauty "Un" Cover-up in shade 11. I read a ton of reviews about this concealer and had some pretty high hopes. The ingredient list alone is amazing compared to the toxic waste that's out there. It arrived pretty quickly and came in an adorable package with some free samples!

Unfortunately, even though the ingredient list is superb, after using it for a week in several different environments (outside in the Florida summer heat, inside at work, night out, etc.) I was slightly disappointed. First, the shade I ordered, "11," is the lightest shade they offer and it turns a bit orange on my skin. Second, the pot of concealer is TINY! I mean it's really small. Granted, you wouldn't be using this all over your face, but for $36 you would hope for a little more product. Third, it creases. It definitely migrated into my lines on my eyes which is a huge no no for a concealer, right.

So off I went in search of another concealer. I decided to try 100% Pure because they use great ingredients and are 100% vegan. I ordered the Fruit Pigmented Brightening Concealer for $16 (along with some other products which I will post about later) and selected the White Peach tint. The other products I ordered were great and I can't wait to post about them, but the concealer did not hold up to my standards. First, it's oily and slides all over the place when you're applying it. I tried to set it with my powder but then it just makes it look splotchy and grainy. Second, it does not have any staying power. After an hour or two it just kind of melts away and leaves some light spots. My under eye area looks pixilated. Bummer. But, I did like the fact that it was more of a liquid than RMS. It was easier to spread but still too oily.

So, if I had to choose between the two? I would go with 100% Pure. The color is better than RMS for my skin tone and it's a lot cheaper. I'm going to continue to use 100% Pure's concealer for now but I'm not going to stop looking for that perfect concealer. It's like my Holy Grail. I did order the foundation from 100% Pure and really liked it (which I will post about later) so I'm hoping they will make a concealer that is a little more like their foundation, i.e., less greasy.

That's all for now, sweeties! Let me know if you've found that elusive toxin free concealer and you'll be entered to win some awesome freebies!

Review of Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer

Hi sweeties! I hope your week has been wonderfully sweet! I’ve spent mine deciding which product I was going to feature in my first ever product review. I’ve been trying out lots of new products lately and so far have had some great finds and some great duds and I’m happy to say that my test of Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer stick passed my test! What did I put this poor lip shimmer through you ask? Well, first of all, I did an ingredient review using the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. I checked each and every ingredient listed in their database to read about the possible health concerns that the ingredients may have had. (I’ve posted my review of each ingredient below). The EWG Skin Deep Database rates each ingredient on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being the lowest risk to 10 being the highest risk. It also provides how much data is available for each ingredient, which can really help you decide if you want to stick with a particular ingredient or product.

So let’s talk about my criteria. Now coming from someone who has had cancer and is in the process of ensuring that it doesn’t come back, I have REALLY high standards. I’m not about to use anything on my face or body that is going to put me at risk and I don’t recommend that you do either. Luckily for me (and for Burt’s Bees, frankly), their Lip Shimmer passed my test. Here’s why:

All of their ingredients scored a three or below (and I don’t use anything 4 or higher

It’s cruelty free (not tested on animals)

It’s recyclable

It’s made in the US

And let’s not forget that it’s actually a great lip shimmer! I tested the “rhubarb” shade and it gives your lips a nice rich color, with a tiny bit of sheen (hence the “shimmer”). Now, it’s not a lip stain, so you do have to reapply after a few hours, but I’m okay with that. There are also a lot of different shades that you can try out, so I was really pleased to finally have found a suitable replacement for all of my awesome, yet packed full of carcinogens, lip stains and lipsticks. Here’s a pic pre and post lip shimmer. What do you think?

Do you all have any recommendations for lipsticks/stains/gloss? I’d love to hear them! Stay sweet and stay tuned for my next review!!

Ingredient	Rating	Research Amount on Data
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil	2	Fair
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil	0	Fair
Beeswax	0	Limited
Euphorbia Cerifera Wax	0	Limited
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil	1	Limited
Lanolin	1	Limited
Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter	0	Limited
Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax	0	Limited
Butyrosperum Parkii (Shea Butter)	0	Limited
Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Seed Oil	0	Limited
Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil	0	Limited
Ribes Nigrum (Blackcurrant) Seed Oil	0	Limited
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract	0	Limited
Sambucus Nigra (Elderberry) Seed Oil	0	The oil did not have any data. However, the extract had limited data with “0” rating.
Tocopherol	1	Fair
Canola Oil	1	Limited
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil	0	Fair
+/-
Mica	2	Fair
Iron Oxides	2	Fair
Carmine	1	Fair
Alumina	2	Fair
Titanium Dioxide	1-3 (Depends on usage) Higher rate for aerosols	Fair

 

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