cleaning up my beauty products

On the whole, my makeup routine is wildly unimpressive. My mom doesn't wear much makeup and, therefore, neither my sisters nor I do; powder & mascara girls here. 

Last summer, I had some trouble with my scalp reacting negatively to my shampoo. I went to see a dermatologist and he said that while some products can seem really clean (I was using a plant-based vegan shampoo), they can have hidden ingredients that cause harm. Ever since then, I've been pretty diligent about shampoo purchasing, but hadn't given much thought to my makeup.

Then, last month all of the bridesmaids got our makeup done for Abby's wedding around 9 a.m. for a 6:30 p.m. wedding. By the time the event rolled around, I had to have mine redone because my skin had completely absorbed the makeup. Ever since then, I haven't been able to shake the fact that all of that makeup was in my body - I may as well have eaten it! 

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A while back I saw that Sarah Tucker suggested an app from the Environmental Working Group for finding beauty products with fewer toxins, Skin Deep. At the time I didn't think much about it - my powder can't be that bad, right? But then, after the wedding weekend I realized that even if it doesn't seem like much, I'm putting it on daily.

I put my products to the test last week and am now, officially, making some changes. Fortunately the Bare Minerals powder I've been rocking since I was 20 (told you I'm not good with this!) got a score of 2 out of 10, which is good. Lower is better and higher means RUN. 

Sadly, the Garnier BB Cream I use and love love got a score of 5. I hate to give it up, but now when I put it on in the morning I can't stop thinking about the fact that I put all this effort into being healthy through my diet, exercise, sleep habits and lifestyle in general and yet I can't give up my BB Cream? C'mon. 

The best part of the app is that it suggests better products, which means you don't necessarily have to spend an arm and a leg cleaning things up - you can see a lot of options all at once. 

For a new BB cream, I'm going to try out Batty's Bath Quick Tint Antioxidant Moisturizer, which got a score of 1 and is only $6 more. 

The one piece of makeup I do care about is mascara, but I'm always trying new ones, so I don't have much loyalty here. I decided to try out Rejuva Pur Lash Volumizing Mascara because it got a score of 0. That's right, 0! 

That's all for now on the makeup front. Next to tackle? Body lotion. My brother, Sam, got me hooked on Malin + Goetz, so that'll be my first line to try.