I would have liked to see a few other companies... I
was hoping for 23 different brands, not a handful of companies with many
products, but obviously not.
I use Everyday Minerals, and find these to be awesome in color choices,
quality, and price as well - Everyday Minerals full sized foundation is $12,
their eye colors/ eye liners, blushes and concealers
are $8, and lips are $4. With the opportunity for smaller sizes to be
purchased (most items come in a sample and a big/ full size, and some also come
in mini, giving you up to three choices for your needs and budget). They
also have a line of skincare and brushes, but I don't personally use these,
thus cannot give an accurate review.
The best part about the company? They have customizable kits to save you
money on the cosmetics - Their personal custom kit includes any 6 pieces
(anything from skincare, cosmetics, or brushes) for $34, and the super custom
kit for $50, that includes any 12 pieces. These kits include the largest
size of each item put into it, so they certainly are a money-saving
device.
Also, if you're unsure as to whether you'll fall in love with the brand, they
have a FREE sample makeup kit, which includes any 3 sample sized foundations, a
sample sized concealer, and a sample blush (you
choose which ones you'd like to try). All you pay for is the
shipping. I did this to try, plus bought 2 sample eye colors and a sample
eye liner (they were $2.50 for each sample), and ended up paying less than $12
for everything, including shipping, and received it in 3 days.
Even the sample sizes are decently sized - I've been using my samples for a
month or so now, and am only about 1/5 down on my foundation and concealer, and cannot see a level change at all in my
eye colors and blush!
I can vouch for the EcoTools, though, they are
soft and I love them when applying the mineral colors and foundations...
I especially love their angled eye brush, as it's perfectly suited for loose
eyeliner!!
I still believe in Eden Essentials for skin care. From what I understand the owner is a chemist who became sick from exposure and decided to start her own natural bath and body line. That's why her prices are so low because she doesn't deal with the middle man when purchasing the oils, she knows a lot of them personally.
I've sent email to her on several occasions and she responded personally within hours. Plus Eden Essentials gives out free thank you gifts with every order.
Afterglow Cosmetics is by the far the best brand recommended in this entire article! I've tried almost every "natural" brand available and Afterglow Cosmetics is the only line that I can feel good about putting on my face. Afterglow IS natural and clean and my skin has never felt better! Anyone who tries it will find freedom because you'll never have to try another brand of cosmetics again. Oh and you'll want to read the labels because Afterglow is free of parabens, synthetics dyes, nano technology and petro-chemicals. www.afterglowcosmetics.com
BTW platano71 Arbonne's products are full of chemicals, parabens and lots of nasty ingredients. Their company philosophy and their customer service is TERRIBLE if you ever dare to request their full ingredient list. Again - like many of the other companies - until you look at the actual full ingredient list... the whole thing is just greenwashing and marketing. If you are interested in safe/natural cosmetics stay far, far away from Arbonne.
Actually - I have read the ingredients on all these products MSN is recommending. Most of them are really bad. I've tried quite a few of them. Here's my experience:
The ONLY brand of all the ones mentioned that actually lives up to it's clean, organic infused marketing is Afterglow. They don't hide their ingredients in some obscure place on their website. Afterglow lists the ingredients front and center. You can see all their ingredients here.
Plus - their customer service is fantastic. Their foundation is miles better than Jane Iredale. Honestly - I'm not even going to address the other companies ... Tarte, Smashbox!?!? who are they kidding?!? Those companies are just product greenwashing. Their products have nothing to do with the products being safer or more natural. It's all marketing to get your $.
Take it from someone who's already tried these recommendations. Check out Afterglow, they are the only one that offers a truly natural product that works. I especially recommend their Organic Mineral Foundation (yes, it's minerals which are inert and is mixed with certified organic antioxidant botanicals like organic grape seed, organic jojoba and organic rosemary) AND you must try their Organic Lip Love Lipstick.
It's not mica which is created in a lab, but iron oxides because the chemical properties of naturally-occurring iron also attach themselves to other elements which are harmful. The lab-created iron oxide follow the same structure as natural iron oxide, but it's safer for your skin. The FDA has required it by law that it be lab-created, and iron oxide is only ONE part of mineral makeup-- there's also mica, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide.
Honestly, the only brand I know of that makes a good effort to be organic and natural is what I use, Everyday Minerals. It's actually better than BE and other brands I've tried. They are also reasonably priced, and last A LONG time-- I still have the foundation from 2 years ago, which works just as well. Since mineral makeup is inert, it doesn't harbor bacteria and the main thing you have to do is wash your makeup brushes regularly.







