Hi there!  I hope you had a great weekend, and I hope you called your mom!  Mother’s Day was really fun and low-key for us this year.  We went to the beach with friends and then had dinner with my husband’s family.  It made me never want to go to Mother’s Day brunch again.  Apparently, this woman read my mind; I laughed out loud when I read her piece on Huffington Post.

I recently wrote an article for Mind Body Green on how to “Green” your makeup bag.  When it comes to our makeup routines, women are definitely creatures of habit.  We have a hard time letting go of products that have served us well – many of us still even use the same blush we wore in college (Nars Orgasm, anyone?).  Often, readers and friends tell me that they want to make the switch to safer products, but the process seems so overwhelming; they don’t know where to begin, which ingredients to avoid, which brands to trust, or where to shop.  It does seem daunting, but here are a few tips to ease the transition.

1. Be open-minded.  Chances are, if you are transitioning to a more Green, conscious existence, you have already expanded your horizons.  Still, be patient.  You may go through a few mascaras until you find your match.  And, even then, keep in mind that there are some things that natural cosmetics physically cannot do.  For instance, while some safer mascaras are smudge-resistant, none are waterproof.  Nature is trying to tell us something: we shouldn’t be wearing the same makeup for 24 hour straight!
2. Shop at exclusively-Green beauty retailers.  While you should always do your own research, I know that sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day.  You can find a list of trusted Green beauty retailers on my Where to Shop page.  These independently-owned e-commerce sites have the highest standards when it comes to safer beauty.  Because they do not tolerate Green-Washing, you can shop worry-free.  Many of them even have sample programs, so you can try a few options before making a commitment.
3. Many people want to do a complete makeup bag overhaul all at once, but that can prove to be overwhelming.  I recommend switching out only 1-3 cosmetics at a time, or as you run out of your old products.  This will limit your time in front of the bathroom mirror during a new product’s “trial period”.  There is nothing worse than to realizer you’re running late while you fumble through a bag of new makeup you aren’t yet familiar with.  Trust me, I’ve been there, and I don’t recommend it (and neither does my husband).

Read the whole article (which includes some great swap-outs for Nars, Anastasia of Beverly Hills and Laura Mercier) here!

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