Breakup With Your Makeup!

We talked about why I made the switch to safer, now let’s chat about breaking up with your traditional makeup! Have you taken inventory of your current makeup bag? One of the first things I did was that, and then I scoured the ‘Never List’ and checked the labels of what I was currently using and found a lot of ingredients that weren’t safe. It was the push I needed to change, and maybe you need too!

Once you decide to break up with your traditional makeup and make the switch I love that Beautycounter makes it easy for you to do. If you’re ready to take the leap I suggest the Flawless in Five bundle! It’s a great way to convert your makeup bag, and get some awesome products that are safe.

The best part of this routine is that I can do my makeup in five minutes! It’s what I need for my busy days as a wife and mom, most days I don’ t have a lot of time to get ready, so I need something that works, and this does!

What is Flawless in Five?

INCLUDES SIX SAFER, HIGH-PERFORMING PRODUCTS:

• Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation

• Touchup Skin Concealer Pen

• Color Define Brow Pencil or Brilliant Brow Gel

• Lengthening or Volumizing Mascara

• Satin Powder Blush

• Lip Gloss

You get to choose your shades on the foundation, concealer, brow product, blush or gloss. How awesome is that! For $150 you get all these products for a flawless look, and a savings of $39! This is why it’s our best deal!

Are you ready to break up with your makeup and switch to safer too? If you have color matching questions or other questions fill out the “contact” form on my site here and I’ll get your questions answered and help you pick out the bundle that’s perfect for you! Shop here.

Safer beauty into the hands of everyone.

Why I Made the Switch to Safer Products, and Why It Matters.

Years ago I realized the importance of ridding our home of toxins and harmful chemicals. I started out small and one by one as we ran out of things I replaced them with safer options. This has been a journey of realizing why we need safer in our homes; my children deserve safer, we deserve better for our over all wellness and health.

Even though I cleaned up “my act” as far as it came to my cleaning products and the foods we were eating- I was still consuming products with my personal care and cosmetic items that weren’t the safest. The only difference was I sat in the dark, un educated for the longest time.

Like most of you, I assumed the personal care items that were on the shelves were regulated by the FDA or someone. That they were safe. I always tell people “once you know, you can’t un-know.” That was me. I started doing more research and realized the personal care and cosmetic industry isn’t regulated at all. There hasn’t been a law on this since 1938! That’s crazy!

The European Union bans over 1500 harmful/questionable ingredients. The U.S. only bans 30. We need safer laws and more regulations in our country. There had to be a better way, and I was going to find it.

I started switching things out in small ways; natural deodorant, safer body wash choices and toothpaste.

I had two events in my life that really were the catalyst to change. One, my Grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of 2017. And In early 2018 I had my very first skin screening, which resulted in a biopsy. This was a HUGE wake-up call for me. Our skin is our largest organ and it only takes 30 seconds for our skin to absorb what we put on it.

A friend of mine told me about Beautycounter. I didn’t make the switch right away, but started researching this company and soon realized they had a high standard of ingredients, safer options, and the transparency in a company that I was looking for.

Beautycounter’s ‘Never List’ was a great jumping off point for me. It’s their list of harmful ingredients that will never be in any of their products. I appreciate that Beautycounter marries high quality makeup with safety standards.

I soon was converting everything and Beautycounter has made it so easy for me to switch to safer and not look back. Even if you can’t switch everything all at once, I suggest making the switch slowly as you run out of items switch and replace it with something safer.

I decided to partner with Beautycounter and become a consultant. I fell in love with their mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. If you are looking to make the switch to safer I’d love for you to take a look at what Beautycounter has to offer; start with the Never List and educate yourself. Take a look under your sink, in your shower and in your medicine cabinet and see if any of that harmful list is in your products. It’s eye opening.

Educate yourself.

Advocate for safer.

And switch to products that work and are safe.

Shop Beautycounter here. Learn more about partnering with Beautycounter here.

My Healthy Hair Routine

They say everyone’s hair tells a story. If that’s true, here’s mine; over processed, serious case of dandruff, and itchy all the time. A year ago I visited my dermatologist and she confirmed my bad dandruff. She educated me about some of the stuff I was using on my hair, and helped me understand the root cause. Did you know that dandruff is more than just an itchy scalp and dry flakes? Dandruff is when your hair over produces yeast, causing it to itchy and eventually dry out.

She suggested my switching over to Head and Shoulders to take care of it. For me personally, I’d be trying to ‘clean up my act’ as it came to my products I was using, I knew I wasn’t going to try Head and Shoulders that was full of harmful ingredients.

I decided I was going to do an experiment with my hair, I completely stopped using all the hair styling products I was currently using in hopes that would help with my itchy scalp and clear up some of the dandruff. I stopped using Dry Shampoo, hair spray and texturizing sprays. When I ran out, I didn’t re purchase and I wanted to see how it would change my hair. Right away my routine changed, because I wasn’t relying on dry shampoo. My dermatologist mentioned these products coat your hair and clog you scalp.

I can tell you with a few weeks my scalp felt much better and most the itchiness was gone. Now, it was time for me to change my shampoo. About this time I started using Beautycounter. They have a hair care line as well in addition to their makeup and skincare lines. First I tried the Volume & Shape line for obvious reasons with my fine hair.

And next I tried their Daily Shampoo & Conditioner. I really loved it! I saw noticeable results, my dandruff if almost completely gone after 7 months of use, my hair no longer is itching like crazy. My hair is HEALTHY! I saw my stylist a couple weeks ago and she showed me all these baby hairs around the crown of my head that are new growth! Who knew?!!

I am so pleased with this line and I'm a lifer now. Traditional shampoo and hair care products can contain any or all of the following;

• parabens (cancer causing)

• coal/tar

• artificial fragrance

• phylahataes

Not anything I want on my hair or getting into my blood stream. I know that Beautycounter is a better choice for me. Beautycounter sources their ingredients, and uses their Never List, which is a list of ingredients that are banned from their products. The U.S. only bans 30 harmful ingredients from their products, the E.U. bans over 1500! We’ve got to do better here. I’m so glad there’s education out there and products that are safer so you can make a better choice.

If you’re interested in Beautycounter you can check it out here.

The Mascara Showdown!

Finding a great mascara is key to any beauty routine! Finding that one that works best for you can really up your make up game. Sometimes all I wear is lip gloss and mascara most days around my house! 

This year I've tried quite a few brands from high end to drug store and today I'd thought I'd share with you the best and worst of what I've tried. Some pros and cons and hopefully help you find something that might work for you as well.

Let's go! 

Maybelline Big Shot Mascara - (psssst.... get it cheaper on Amazon using my link for $6.99) I've loved their mascaras for a while, I think I used almost all of them in high school and college. This one is fairly new. 

PROS- Great color pay off, good wand, gives great length and definition. water proof. 

CONS- I don't think this one added as much volume as it claims. I liked it for the length and definition it gave me not volume. 

Younique 3D+ Fiber Mascara - This is a two step fiber mascara that you can use. First you add gel and then fibers and repeat till you get the desired look. It's pricey at $29. Overall I wouldn't choose this one, read why; 

PROS- Works well the first time you use it. 

CONS- Fibers don't stay on lashes, they fall off into the eye or face. The fibers are also quite clumpy. And the gel dried out after just 3 weeks of using it. It says it lasts 3 months but I never got that much used from it and re ordered it 4 different times, each one dried out before that time. 

ULTA Legendary Lengths Mascara - I got this mascara and used it for a few months on my search for a great mascara. I really liked the color pay off of this one, and the definition. It's waterproof as well. I would choose this one again and again if it weren't so hard to remove.

PROS- good definition and length. 

CONS- Nothing for volume, and it's really hard to remove. I had to use two makeup wipes to get it all off. Be prepared for racoon eyes when you try to take it off. 

Almay One Coat Multi-benefit Mascara - One coat? Not so sure. I had to work with it quite a bit to get the desired look I wanted. It kept clumping on me. 

PROS- good color pay off, water proof, once I got my lashes coated I liked the look. 

CONS- However, I felt it took several coats to get the look I wanted and I didn't like the clumps.

LimeLight by Alcone Perfect Mascara - This is a new to me mascara. I've only been using it 3 weeks but I really wanted to try another fiber mascara and this one the fibers are built right in, it's one step. I'd choose this one again and again. It's a really great product.

PROS- Great volume, love the look of the fibers, the length and definition it gives me. 

CONS- NOTHING! 

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The two that I'd repurchase would be the Perfect Mascara by LimeLight by Alcone and The ULTA Legendary Lengths mascara. Both really great for what they do. I hope you found this helpful. What mascaras have you tried lately? Have you tried any of the ones I mentioned? I'd love to hear your faves in the comments below. 

Summer Beauty Faves

Summer is the perfect time to find new things, try some color and shake up your routine. I'm going minimal with my makeup this Summer. No fuss but still feeling confident. 

I thought I'd share some of my favorite Summer beauty must haves for my family and myself. These are the products I'm reaching for most these days. 

Organic Healing Balm- I love this stuff and I've been using it over a year now. For the summertime since I'm in sandals so much I slather it on my heals at night and cover my feet with socks to help keep them moisturized and not dry during this time of year. I also love it for scrapes on my kids. 

Honest Bug Spray- I keep this in my kiddos bag for when we're out at the park or splash pad. It also comes in handy at night when they are playing in the back yard. 

Sunscreen Stick- Sunscreen in a stick?! I'll never go back, so easy to apply on my kids. 

Lip Bon Bon in Red Velvet Cake- This is the perfect hint of color and chapstick combo! Plus it smells like dessert. 

Essie Gel Top Coat- This gel top coat is amazing. A friend of mine shared it with me, and the first time I used it my mani lasted 2 weeks! And I love this new Essie color I picked up, it's the perfect pink for Summer! 

L'OREAL Everpure Repair & Defend Hair Lotion- This stuff is so good! My hair takes a lot of "heat" and this stuff keeps it soft and damage free. And helps speed up the air drying time on my hair. 

Younique Moodstruck Opulence Lipstick in Upper Class- The perfect shimmery nude for Summer. 

What are some of your favorite beauty finds for summer? Let me know in the comments below. 

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*affiliate links used. 

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