EcoSalon’s Made In America Box features items that are made right here in the U.S.A! July is an all-around patriotic month here in the states, so join your fellow eco-friendly patriots with a box of products worth $494.85, for just $129 + free shipping!

Sold Out!

You see it everywhere: The words “Made in America” are proudly-displayed symbols of the self-made American spirit. With this edition of The Box, you’ll be sporting your (ethically dyed) reds, whites, and blues especially proudly – and consciously – as your skin glows and your hair shines. With everything from beautiful hand-crafted jewelry to the perfect makeup, you’ll be ready to shine as brightly as the stars and stripes themselves.

There are only 40 Boxes available.

Beginning on Friday, July 24th, we will reveal between three and four of our fabulous participating brands per day. The Box will go on sale Monday, July 27th, at 8 o’clock AM Pacific Time. So set your timers and mark your calendars–these will sell out fast! Check back daily to see the latest reveals, and read on to discover today’s products!

Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Lip Glaze + Gift

Did you know that your skin absorbs 60 percent of anything that is applied to it? That includes those products made with petroleum, artificial colors, toxic chemicals and harmful preservatives. What’s the result? Clogged pores and aged skin! Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques has a solution to this dilemma, creating products from natural and certified organic plant oils and extracts, flower essences and minerals from the earth. This makeup is the kind that your skin craves. Filled with vitamins and nutrients for moisturizing and anti-aging, it leaves the skin rejuvenated and soft. With makeup that can do all that, AND give us the confidence that comes from that perfect shade of lip gloss, sign us up!

$50 gift card redeemable Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Products

ColourFusion Lip Glaze: $9

Total value: $59

Nurture My Body Luscious Duo

Get ready for your best body – instantly – with these two nourishing products. Improved elasticity and skin revitalization comes from Nurture My Body’s Wild Eucalyptus Body Wash, while proactive repair and broad spectrum protection is provided by their Organic Sunscreen (SPF 32). Both products are made with organic ingredients that help keep your skin healthy and protected. While the invigorating scent of Wild Eucalyptus will make your shower energizing and fun, the fragrance-free sunscreen is made without nano-sized particles, which can get into the bloodstream. This nutrient-packed combo will give your skin everything it needs to stay safe and good-lookin’ for the rest of the summer.

BONUS: Just catching The Box after it’s sold out? Nurture My Body is offering 15% off to all EcoSalon readers, even after all 40 Made In America Boxes have been purchases. Just use the coupon code ECOSALON to redeem this great offer!

Organic Sunscreen: $29.99

Wild Eucalyptus Body Wash: $26.95

Total Value: $56.94

Tyramin Succulent Stud Earrings

These beautiful earrings are made by socially-conscious Tyramin (only the most sustainable materials are used whenever possible, with jewelry crafted in small batches), whose unique designs are sold in high-end boutiques, museums, and fine art galleries. These earrings are especially unique; they are cast from real succulent plants in pewter. From everyday to special occasion, these fun studs will catch you compliments no matter where you go.

Value: $53

Osmia Organics Facial Calibration Serum

This serum is everything but the (all-natural) kitchen sink. Not only does it nourish the skin, but also, it helps your cherished epidermis balance and become even and smooth, helping oily and combination skin learn to behave itself over time. Plus, your skin will get a blast of antioxidants and vitamins from acai and organic black seed oil. It even smells heavenly. This super powered serum checks every box on our skin-needs list, and it’s made in the U.S.A.

Value: $50

Good Karma Skincare Lux 7 Age Defying Four-in-One Face Cream

Let’s be honest: We don’t always have the energy to apply all of the products we know they should use, day-in and night-out. Well, Good Karma Skincare doesn’t believe you should have to. Cynthia Ransom created Good Karma to address the needs of real women, including the need for a simplified system. This revolutionary face cream acts as a daily moisturizer, skin refining serum, eye cream, and night cream, all in one. Made to make skin glow, this detoxifying cream will leave your skin smooth and radiant. As a bonus, a portion of every sale goes to feeding animals in shelters.

Value: $48

Sprayology Hair + Nail Tonic

Did you ever get an awful haircut, and wish you could grow your locks back faster to recover from the hacking? With Sprayology’s Hair +Nail Tonic you can do that, and more. This homeopathic oral spray contains 17 ingredients that will also give you healthier nails and heal a dry scalp, which means you’ll see a reduction in hair shedding. The best part of this magic potion? You’ll never find anything easier to ingest. Simply spray twice under your tongue, and be on your merry way.

Value: $29

Raw Materials Skin Grit

This top-selling exfoliator is a true wonder. It can be used both by women and men, and is versatile enough to handle your face and body. Your skin will be fine tuned and softened by this antioxidant-packed exfoliant. Using everything from jojoba beads (which gently soften skin and slowly melt to release natural moisturizing components) to finely crushed walnuts (to boost up the cleansing experience by unclogging pores and removing dead, dull skin), your pores will be clear, and your body will be happy.

Value: $27.95

Divining Oil Designs Personalized Healing Bracelet

Treat yourself to a beautiful, uniquely healing bracelet with a $25 gift card from Divining Oil Designs. These beautiful, customized pieces are intended to provide holistic healing to the mind, body and soul. Each bracelet’s beads slowly diffuse oils over time, with a bead composition personalized to fit your needs. The wonderfully scented bracelets can also be refreshed as they begin to fade, simply by adding another drop of the desired oil to the beads. Take your favorite scented oils with you, everywhere you go, and enjoy the healing that they provide.

Gift Card Value: $25 (with free shipping!)

Good Clean Love Oils Rollerball Gift Set

These nourishing oils are good for your skin, and good for your love life. These love oils have aphrodisiac qualities that work with the brain’s chemistry to smell unique to everyone that uses them. How many products are in your beauty supply stock that can actually enhance a kiss? These oils send a clear message, and will excite your foreplay…only in the safest, vegan, and most edible manner possible.

Value: $23.99

Au Naturale Organic Creme Eyeshadow

We won’t say that Au Naturale’s creme eye shadow is the best thing since sliced bread, but it’s pretty close! This stuff is dripping in gorgeous color, and can be blended, used as an eyeshadow, eyeliner, or brow polisher. Not only will these eyeshadows leave you looking sultry and sexy, but they’re also free of nano-particles, sulfates, and additives. “Good for you” looks good on you.

Value: $20

Aura Sensory Hair Care Set

The problem with using shampoos and conditioners that aren’t natural, is that the chemicals will actually strip your hair of its natural moisture. That can make hair look damaged and frizzy, but have no fear: Aura Sensory’s sulfate-free Shine Enhancing Shampoo and Deep Hydration conditioner are here. These products work together with a promise to bring life back your hair, thanks to the natural vitamins, oils and amino acids that are packed into the duo. Your scalp will be healthy, and your hair will be safe with these top-selling miracle workers.

Value: $20

Beautiphyed Age Defense Antioxidant Mist

The truth is, we could all benefit from some more antioxidants in our skincare regimen. This age-defying face mist, which also doubles as a toner, makes the task easy and fun; only a couple of quick squirts will protect your face from environmental toxins with hydrated, protected skin. The spray also works to fight aging and irritation, without any funky stuff; as dictated on Beautiphyed’s website, “Good nutritional advice tells you: ‘If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it!’ It’s no different for your skin.”

Value: $20

Rejuva Minerals Mega Lash Mascara

If you came here looking for makeup that made you look like a movie star, you came to the right place. Rejuva Minerals’ Mega Lash Mascara is a clump-free top seller used by celebrities and their makeup artists alike! In fact, every single Grammy nominee and VIP guest received this incredible gift at the 2015 Grammy nomination ceremony. What makes this mascara star-worthy? It actually conditions your lashes with organic cotton flower extract and avocado, as well as lengthening and thickening them.

Value: $20

Sona Organics Custom Soap (made exclusively for Ecosalon!) and Natural Deodorant

Yes, you read that correctly: Sona Organics is including an organic soap in that’s only available in THIS Box, made exclusively for the fabulous readers of EcoSalon! On top of the exciting exclusivity of this gift, Sona is also providing its awesome, all-natural, vegan deodorant to keep you smelling sweet and fresh all day. The formula is so good, it only takes a maximum of two swipes for this product application to have maximum effectiveness. Body odor is fun for no one, but this product works on everyone!

Custom Natural Soap Exclusively For EcoSalon Readers: $3

Vegan Natural Deodorant: $12

Total Value: $15

Hello Products Toothpaste Mint Medley

An all-natural toothpaste that tastes so good, it actually makes you want to brush? It’s the truth! While most toothpastes are packed with sweeteners, triclosan, artificial dyes and microbeads, which can get stuck under the gums, Hello toothpaste is free of all of those offenders, and leaves out polyethylene and microplastics found in many oral care brands. Not to mention, these great toothpaste flavors also deliver cavity and enamel protection for your pearly whites. Hello products have reached major chains like Target and Walgreens, but with our Box, you get to try three awesome flavors, including the latest flavor, peach mango mint, and decide which one you like best.

Peach Mango Mint Toothpaste: $4.99

Supermint Toothpaste: $4.99

Mojito Mint Toothpaste: $4.99

Total Value: $14.97

All Beauty Water Beauty Bundle

What if you could enjoy a drink that not only made you more beautiful, but also tasted good? Now you can, with All Beauty Water’s nutrient-enhanced water that works to make you more beautiful from the inside-out. With All Beauty Water’s patented combination of “SkinVitamins®” and “SkinNutrients®,” your skin will get everything that it needs that it can’t get from regular water, like minerals, antioxidants and electrolytes. This product is a great tasting alternative to skin-harming soda and other sugary drinks. Each box comes with four bottles of water, with delicious flavors that include Pomegranate Rose, Strawberry Açaí, and Cucumber Aloe.

Value: $3 per bottle

Total value: $12 (for 4 bottles)

Total Value for the Made In America Box: $494.85

Sale Price: $129 + free shipping! That’s a 74 percent savings. It’s our salute to you, and your loyalty to an eco-fabulous lifestyle!

Sold Out!

The Box will go on sale Monday, July 27th, at 8 o’clock AM Pacific Time. So set your timers and mark your calendars–these will sell out fast (the last one sold out in under one hour)!

Note! We recommend purchasing The Box from a desktop device vs a mobile device (while we dial in mobile purchases).

Offer good anywhere in the continental U.S. International shipping is not available at this time. Buy, one, two, or three boxes! Please allow up to three weeks for delivery. All sales are final. Due to the nature of this exclusive one-time sale, we cannot accept any returns or exchanges. Any inquiries or concerns regarding purchased Boxes must be submitted via Customer Service within 30 days from date of purchase.

Say hey to Amanda on Twitter or Instagram

Related on EcoSalon

The Insourcing Trend: What is the Impact of Clothing Made in the USA?

8 Best Made In America Jeans Brands: On Trend

10 Memorable Quotes From the Less-Than-Memorable Film: ‘Make it in America: Empowering Global Fashion’

The post A Salute! With EcoSalon’s The Box: Made In America appeared first on EcoSalon.

What woman doesn’t wish for longer, thicker, darker lashes?  Maybe there are a few fortunate ones who have them naturally, but for the rest of us, mascaras do the magic. 

Mascara is often that one conventional (read: toxic) beauty product that’s the hardest to trade in for a healthier option, and for good reason.  It’s hard to make mascaras that darken, thicken, lengthen and stay put using natural  non-toxic ingredients. But lucky for us, several great brands have stepped up to the challenge to provide good options that are far healthier than your mainstream mascara formulas.

In no particular order, here’s your guide to good options that deliver good color, shine and performance without clumping, flaking or immediately dripping down to your chin:

1. Alima Pure Natural Definition Mascara – $22 – The new kid on the block, this pure minerals pigment formula definitely fits the bill. A great molded brush helps to reduce flake and maintains color after several coats without the glop. Provitamin B5 and natural oils condition lashes and leave them healthy. Do take care when applying to avoid smudging, as this formula tends to go on wet. Fan ‘em before you flutter.

2. Pacifica Stellar Gaze Lenth & Strengh Mineral Mascara –  $14.00 – Also newer to market, this “shoot for the stars” formula stays put all day and feels light on the lashes, two qualities I really like in a mascara.  Infused with coconut oil and vitamin B to strengthen, lengthen and hydrate, it’s lash friendly and easy to layer. One swipe to keep it natural and light for day; two to three passes for more extreme volume at night.  An excellent, soft brush makes clump free application a snap.

3.  Organic Glam Mascara – £20.95 – Five years of research and testing proved worth the wait for this lash conditioning, organic aloe and beeswax based formula, enriched with vitamins A, E and C for a high performance mascara that’s a treat for your lashes.  Ideal for sensitive eyes, it’s free of artificial colors, preservatives and fragrances. Well worth the conversion to U.S. currency and shipping from across the pond!

4.  Josie Maran Go Go Instant Natural Volume Mascara – $22 – Goes on beautifully for well defined, clump-free, dark, thicker looking lashes.  Water resistant formula wears well throughout the day for a glossy, define fringe that can really take a beating. Even better, sales of  Go Go Mascara support cancer patients and survivors at the City of Hope.

5.  Physicians Formula Organic Wear Lash Boosting Mascara – $9.99 – While I’m not sure about the long term, lash enhancing benefits when you’re not wearing it, it performs well as a mascara, delivering good color in a non-clumping/flaking, volumizing formula.  The Organic Wear collection is widely available at drug stores and a low price point, making it easily accessible and the most affordable option on the list.

6. Jane Iredale Longest Lash Thickening and Lengthening Mascara – $33.00 – This petroleum-free formula contains a blend of seaweed lipids to condition, moisturize and protect lashes while reducing splitting and breaking. Interestingly packaged in a squeezable tube with an oversized brush to prevent clumping and to create separated, defined lashes. Will stay put without runs throughout the day unless you plan to get super sweaty at the gym after work.

7. Dr. Hauschka Volume Mascara – $29.95 – Gentle and soothing way to add full volume to lashes while still keeping it smudge-free. It may take a few applications to achieve a very noticeable look, but if you’re going for day-to-day au natural this is a good choice. Contains beeswax, rose and candelilla waxes to plump and protect your black beauties. Black tea extracts take care of the delicate skin around the eyes while neem leaf extract strengthens lashes.

8. Tarte Lights Camera Lashes –  $19.00 – While not as super-natural as some of the others on this list, this 4 in 1 formula is a great, less toxic option for newbies switching from conventional mascara to something cleaner. It conditions, thickens, lengthens and curls, just like your favorite tube of dirty mascara.  It also won’t run or flake for hours and creates great volume after only one coat. Infused with olive esters to condition, treat and protect lashes, this paraben, mineral oil, and phthalate-free formula is also gluten-free.

9. Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Mascara – $11.99 – Inexpensive, USA-made, vegan and paraben-free formula boasts a light as a feather base and zero clumping due to the absence of clay. Botanically enriched recipe includes palmetto fruit and avocado butter to condition lashes from base to tip. Has a good amount of staying power – work out with it on – but don’t jump in a pool and expect to have vibrant lashes when you get out!

10. Devita Absolute Length Mascara – $23.95 – Great for sensitive eyes, the advanced brush and synthetic preservative free formula strengthens and lengthens. Additives such as biotin-D and carrot oil keep your lashes healthy while pure pigments of black tea and pomegranate with iron oxides add rich, deep chemical free color. Free from coal tar, TD&C colorants and other mainstream mascara toxins. Only downside: oddly, the wand sometimes is hard to get back into the tube.

11.  100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara – $18 – glosses, conditions, colors and enhances with fruit pigments, proteins and vitamins, this formula is a favorite for many and smells amazing (not in a perfume on your eyes way, but in a fruity goodness way).  Works well for just about everyone, including those with sensitive eyes and contacts. Decent staying power unless you plan to sweat a lot or get wet.

12.  Coleur Caramel Cils Longs Mascara – $24.25 – a favorite among make-up pros with a penchant for natural, the formula is rich in plant based active ingredients to pamper lashes. The brush is a wee bit stiff, but it layers well, taking you from subtle to glam in a few swipes with rich color and good definition. Stays put for regular daily activities.

A last piece of advice: you’re not committed to the wand supplied. Find one you like that coats without clumping, and perhaps another that helps to separate lashes.  There’s no monogamy required here! In fact, using a wand other than the one supplied may even make your mascara last a little longer and stay a little fresher, keeping the tube free from bacteria that can be transferred from lashes to tube with each dip & swipe.  Here’s to creating your best fringe yet!

Related on EcoSalon

Beyond the LBD, it’s Eco Fashion With an Attitude: On Trend

How Pure Are Pureology Hair Care Products? Behind the Label

Natural Beauty: Get a No-Knife Facelift with 3 Natural Ways to Beat the Sags and Wrinkles

Top image: starlights, all other images appear by courtesy of the brands

The post 12 Totally Not Gross Natural Mascaras That Actually Work appeared first on EcoSalon.

The team at Ecosalon is excited to announce the following winners in each of the 14 categories in the first ever Ecosalon Beauty Awards.

Public voting was open last week (after our Judges’ panel had narrowed down the results) so these are your choices for best products in each of the below areas. You can check out all the nominees here, as well as which product was picked by which judge.

You’ll notice that raw local honey won in two categories: It was voted the best face mask and also the best “Judges’ Choice” beauty product (an open category in which each judge nominated their fave product that wasn’t covered by our other categories). So this beauty awards will be remembered as naturally sweet!

Congratulations to all the winners!

Best Acne Treatment: Tea Tree Oil 

Best Makeup for the Face: Dr. Hauschka Bronzer

Judges’ Choice: “Local raw honey-such a good multipurpose item for the beauty cabinet. Great face mask, heals wounds, good for immunity.”    —Judge Jessa Blades 

Best Face Mask: Raw honey. “There is nothing better for hydrating and clearing up blemishes.” —Judge Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff

Best Perfume: Pacifica Nerola Orange Blossom Solid Perfume

Best Shampoo:  Acure Organics Pure Mint + Echinacea Volumizing Shampoo

Best Conditioner: John Masters Organics Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner

Best Lip Product: Mineral Fusion Lip Gloss

Best Sun Protection: Organic Coconut Oil

Best Eye Makeup: Zuzu Luxe Mascara in Onyx

Best Eye Cream/Gel: Weleda Pomegranate Firming Eye Cream

Best Body Moisturizer: Acure Organics Lemongrass and Moroccan Argan Oil Moisturizing Lotion

Best Nailpolish: Zoya

Best Facial Cleanser: Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Moisturizing Cleanser

Best Anti-Ager: RMS Raw Coconut Cream

Honey Photo Credit: Flооd; Coconut Oil Photo Credit: Phú Thịnh Co

Related on Ecosalon: 

Vote Now in the Ecosalon Beauty Awards! 

The First Annual Ecosalon Beauty Awards (Meet Our Judges!) 

The post Announcing the Winners of the 2013 Ecosalon Beauty Awards! appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWant to have an iconic summer look beachside? Follow these tips.

Sun-bleached blondes with beach tousled hair, smoldering black eyes and pouty nude lips captured a time in the ’60s when curvy women in bikinis lit up movie screens. Over the decades, Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Schiffer have been inspirational icons for this playfully seductive summer look – one that will never go out of style.
GUESS’s Spring 2011 campaign reignited the part of me that would love to go wild with a box of peroxide, a teasing comb and a kohl pencil. Like most things that inspire me, this is a pretty unrealistic look for anyone who wants to do more than sing songs with choreographed dance moves on the beach. The reality is that much black eyeliner would protect from sun glare, but would be a nightmare as soon as one drop of salty water hit.  If you plan to stay dry and want to have some fun with your makeup recreating yourself as a ’60s beach bombshell, here’s the how-to.

Black out

To start you’ll need a black eye pencil, black liquid eyeliner, black eyeshadow, a tube of black mascara, and an eye contour brush.

Green product suggestions:

Living Nature Eye Pencil in Midnight

Lavera Liquid Eyeliner (vegan)

Alima Pure Satin Matte Eyeliner (to be used as eyeshadow) in Black (vegan)

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Brush #004 (vegan)

Pro tip: Put foundation on after eyeshadow so you can easily clean off any powder that may have dropped onto your face.

1. Line the upper and lower lashes of your eye with the black eye pencil. This doesn’t need to be precise but it does need to be thick and dense.  You may have to go over it a couple of times to get the right intensity.

2. Take your eye contour brush and begin buffing the edges of the lines to diffuse them up into the crease for the upper lid.  For the lower lid, pull the liner with the brush down to about the place where the ends of your lower lashes touch. On most people that’s about ¼ of an inch.

Pro tip: Do not connect the inner corners of the eyes with black and leave the water line free of liner to give a more wide-eyed effect.

3. Use the brush and go more heavily into the crease of the upper lid with black eyeshadow using a windshield wiper motion using very rounded strokes. Leave a fair amount of space between the shadow and the brow bone. Everyone’s eyes are different, so for some it maybe 1/8 of an inch and for others almost 1/2. Concentrate the color on the outer edges of the eyes. Make sure that the edges aren’t pointy, rather soft and arching. Follow with just a touch of shadow underneath the eye following the rounded curve. Keep the application a bit lighter here.

4. Curl your lashes.  A lot.

5. Whip out that black liquid liner and make a thick line across the top lashes. Then paint on a thick, but slightly thinner line underneath.  If you are feeling very deft, make the lines a little bit thicker towards the outer corners of the eye as you go.  Remember not to connect the inner corners with liner because it will shut down the eye and make it look more punk rather than 60’s.

Pro tip: If you mess up your liner use a pointy cotton squab dampened with a touch of water to quickly “erase” your mistake.

6. Layer on the mascara. This look has nothing to do with restraint. If you need to use half a tube on both upper and lower lashes then do it! Clumpy and pointy work here.

A bold brow

Is anyone getting tired of hearing me say that bold brows are the way to go for pretty much every look? This look really needs it and it’s what is most modern. Naturally groomed and less manicured brows add a great frame to the eye and structure to the face. Need a quick tutorial on that, check out this video.

Don’t touch those freckles!

If you are blessed to have a freckly face or even a freckle-less face, don’t cover it with a pile of foundation.  Let your skin show through and only conceal the tiniest bits where necessary.  The key to this look is really keeping things raw, rough and textured.  Use a tinted moisturizer with SPF to help even skin tone, protect and allow the skin texture to still be seen.  Try Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30.

Light lips

To balance such a heavy eye, a very nude lip is the way to go.  There’s nothing overly skilled about this part.  Just slap on some lip color and you are set! Ecco Bella makes a great natural, vegan lip color called Almond that should do the trick.

Alright beach babes, get out their and show ‘em how glamorous your summer style can be!

Editor’s note: Got a celebrity look you’d like to copy or a trend you’d like to see incorporating healthy, non-toxic makeup? Send your questions to High Definition columnist Kristen Arnett at beauty@ecosalon.com

New York City based Kristen Arnett is an internationally renowned makeup artist and founder of the Green Beauty Team, styling high profile celebrities and runway models as well as a sought after beauty expert, educator and teacher for other makeup artists.

Image: Ellen Von Unwerth for GUESS Inc.

The post High Definition: Beach Bombshell appeared first on EcoSalon.

I like to take spinning classes. At the end of a recent session, my sweaty instructor announced to us that she needed to buy new mascara “because her eyes were burning.” Eager to help and suck up to teacher, I leapt off my bike while recommending green product suggestions off the top of my head. Such is what happens when you write about green beauty professionally – you become a powder keg of unsolicited information ready to blow at the slightest mention of organic beauty.

My teacher’s burning eyes got me thinking. Yes, we want to keep our cosmetics as pure as possible simply because they go on our skin which absorbs them straight into our systems. But does mascara have a special place on top of the pyramid of clean? Like our lips, our eyes make like a waterslide for chemicals to enter our bodies. Common sense and the Center for Disease Control all warn that the quickest way to catch a cold is to touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

Traditional mascaras seem like they contain more chemicals that you might need to paint your car. Just check out the ingredients of this mascara from Revlon. Its composition is linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, allergies, and more. Other mascaras contain parabens, (linked to reproductive issues,) phthalates, (problems with liver, kidney, reproduction,) Petrolatum (cancer,) Diazolidinyl urea (cancer), and more.

Then there is Latisse. Every time I see actress Claire Danes flashing her lashes on TV while shilling for this product, I want to reach through the screen and ask her if Angela Chase would approve. Latisse is a drug by pharmaceutical giant Allergan that promotes growth of eyelashes. Recently, the FDA sent a warning to Allergan that they were minimizing the dangerous risks associated with this product. Just some of these side effects include “changing eye color to brown, infection in the cornea, inflamed red eyes, darkened skin on eyelids, and the growth of hair in areas of the body other than the lash area.”

Consequently, if elves were stealing my makeup bag and let me keep one thing out of it, (it could happen,) I would grab my mascara. My eyelashes are slightly anemic and need cosmetic support to stand out. I want to keep this support as pure as possible.

So how best to keep your mascara clean? Way back in 2009, otherwise known as a world without Lady Gaga, we looked at what the organic industry was offering up as green mascara. Since then, we’ve discovered another brand that pack a cosmetic punch without an overload of chemicals.

Lately, I’ve become enamored with Jane Iredale’s Longest Lash ($32.00). First, this product gets a low hazard rating from Skin Deep. Second, it really gives a great, natural look. Rather than immediately coating your eyelashes in a slick, clumpy coating, it rather looks like you’re not even wearing mascara – just that your lashes are suddenly enhanced. It’s also available in natural shades like “dark blonde” and fun hues like “ripe plum.”

FTC Compliance

strict

The post Mascara: Why You Want This to Be Green appeared first on EcoSalon.

For many of us, the quest for long, luscious lashes is something akin to Goldilocks looking for that “just right” bowl of porridge. Except Goldilocks, being a supposed natural blonde, probably had eyelashes noticeable only under NASA’s strongest telescopes. Why? Because as many descendants of Northern Europe like myself will tell you, eyelashes were not an evolutionary priority in the back woods of Gaul.

Therefore, many of us are left looking enviously at our darker-lashed kin and sighing extensively. Usually we are staring at men, who inevitably sport the eyelashes we would have to paint on with industrial-sized tubes of mascara. So what’s a pale-lashed girl to do?

First, are there any ways to naturally lengthen our lashes without makeup? Apparently, the secret to long natural lashes is olive oil. If you coat your eyelashes each night with olive oil, they will allegedly become long and lustrous. In actuality, they will probably be so shiny they will reflect light, and yes – they will look longer. The same goes for castor oil and vitamin D.

How to apply? I would use a clean mascara brush for application. Olive oil straight to the eye cannot be a good thing. You can also dab some oil between your fingers and roll your eyelashes between them. Experts report that eyelashes have a six month growing period. Then it separates from the root while a new last forms in the follicle. Keeping them moisturized will help stimulate growth.

And most importantly? Take care of your health. Your eyelashes can actually fall out when you are sick. Luckily, they will grow back once your health is restored. In the meantime, some nutritionists suggest adding more natural foods that are rich in biotin, silica, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, and vitamin B6. One nutritionists suggests olive oil and seafood to get these necessary nutrients.

And of course, if all else fails, there is a new drug on the market that is patented to actually lengthen your eyelashes. It’s called Latisse, Brooke Shields hawks it, and it is said to stimulate eyelash growth. Of course, “one possible serious and permanent side effect could be that it might change the color of the iris.” Still want to try it? (Are pigs flying?)

Image: kylemay

The post Want Long, Lovely Eyelashes? appeared first on EcoSalon.