Green Face

Makeup purge... it all went to my sister.

I decided to change my approach to product consumption. I currently buy products for my kids that have a low toxicity rating from the EWG's Skin Deep website (0-2/ green), if I can help it. 

Then I got to thinking... Why shouldn't I use the same concern when choosing products for my husband and myself? I've already started using greener products for laundry, and I use my kids' shampoo/body wash. So, next I decided to green out my makeup bag. This, in turn, will inspire the obligatory "what's in your makeup bag" post (brushes).

For too long I've been a fan of (read: sucker for) the make up counter freebies. I mean, who doesn't like getting extra "free" stuff, right?  (see my magazine offers here and here, my street-side freebie, and my crunchy freebies). Most of the mascara samples go to my sis anyway. Well, since the budget doesn't really allow for department store makeup anymore, I thought doing my makeup overhaul would be apropos (I like that word!) That, and a lot (I mean, a lot lot) of them have really nasty cancer causing, body system altering stuff in them. Yuck!

Another reason this process is green for me: downsizing. I know my lil' sis doesn't have a ton of money either, so I'm only slightly conflicted over giving her the huge bag of discards. It will certainly be used, I know that. For me, I am only replacing what I needed. I wanted it to fit into one bag for the most part. Lets face it... Until people stop getting impressions of us based on what they see, women will need makeup.
So, I've chosen a selection of considerably less offensive products to replace the ones I handed down. I am allowing myself the range of 0-2 so that the product is still in the green category, but I can still choose from drug store brands.

Pencils, sticks, and pots

Essentially, I got the basics. I already had 2 foundations, 4 eyeliners (gel and pencil), 2 primers, a mineral foundation, brow powder, and an illuminating primer. To that I added a blush, bronzer, eye palette, bb cream, mascara, pressed powder, and translucent powder (still have to buy).
The only thing I lack is the variety of eye colors I had. I know that if I need a color, I have one of 2 choices: borrow from my sis or get the color of choice from Mother's Market or Whole Foods. They have makeup with a low rating.

Powders, palettes, and bases

Sorry about the photo size and quality. Blogger on my phone doesn't seem to like pictures that have been rotated. Plus the quality isn't all that great. So, in the first picture (top to bottom): Bare Minerals brow powder and foundation sample (with mini brush), Clinique lip pencil, L'oreal HiP eyeliner pencils in black and brown, Maybelline gel eyeliner in black and brown, Maybelline blemish treating concealer, Essence clear brow gel, Urban Decay eyeshadow primer, Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara, and Too Faced mascara.

In the second picture (also top to bottom): Sally Hansen luminizing primer, Revlon Photoready foundation, Ulta BB cream, Physicians Formula all seasons bronzer and pH matching blush, Maybelline Fit Me! powder, Maybelline Dream smooth Mousse, Physicians Formula eye candy shadow palette, and L'oreal Magic perfecting base. Not pictured: e.l.f. Studio High Defitition powder, e.l.f. Studio concealer, and Physicians Formula tinted moisturizer.

Pixi Palette, Clinique Blush

Japanese products, Jelly
Balms, Clinique keepers,
makeup tools, liner

There you have it. I have expanded my committment to a greener world by using products with a low toxicity rating and recycled by giving the resulting purge to my sister.

There are some products, however, that I have decided to keep regardless, I don't have enough info about, or I just like the container. I included some of them in the pictures because I feel that leaving them out would be a bit dishonest, to myself, about exactly how green I've gone. The Pixi palette at left is just exactly slim and complete enough for my taste in a travel kit. Below it is a Clinique blush that is just the perfect color and rated a 3, so I couldn't give it up just yet. Likewise there are some tools that I just use too much like the makeup corrector pen and clear lip liner. Then there are other products that are hard to find or expensive like the lip gloss and eyeliner (top) from Japan. The L'oreal HiP lip glosses are expensive-ish and I really like them. That leaves the Clinique eye gel and skin spray that I also like enough to keep (for the time being).

Check out my brush collection.

Please leave a comment or link to your site or a great product. Tell us what products you use. Have you gone green? What products are too good to let go?