While I was in New York last month, I visited the new Birchbox store in Soho with Shirley Pinkson of W3LL PEOPLE.  I have to say, I was really impressed.  While Birchbox is not a Green Beauty retailer per se, there are a number of Clean brands present among its highly curated product selection.  Going in, I thought it would be similar to a Sephora – ummm, no.  First of all, Birchbox merchandises by product, not by brand.  Looking for a lipstick?  Go to the lipstick area.  WHY hasn’t anyone else thought to do this?!  I found many under-the-radar non-toxic beauty brands, so I was finally able to test out products that I’ve been lusting after, (then forget to order, repeat – anyone with me there?)  Birchbox also offers makeup and hair touch ups, polish changes, and even master classes (so you can finally learn how to achieve that fancy braid yourself).  And, of course, there is a BYOB area (build your own box) where you can choose five samples for $15.

On to my W3LL PEOPLE makeup lesson with Shirley Pinkson.  For those of you who think that Green Beauty brands are always started by a bunch of hippies in their kitchens, lemme set you straight.  Shirley worked for MAC corporate for almost ten years and then went on to be the leading makeup artist at NARS – she basically taught every NARS makeup artist how to give your cheeks an “orgasm” (the name of the top selling blush in the world for those not in the know).  When Shirley realized how dangerous conventional makeup can be to our health, she teamed up with two friends, one a former Whole Foods marketing guru, the other a natural-minded dermatologist, and W3LL PEOPLE was born.

I first met Shirley at A Night for Green Beauty in LA this past summer.  I basically attacked her, telling her how much I loved W3LL PEOPLE’s mineral powders and that I wanted my made-up face to look like her made-up face.  (Her makeup always looks natural, but polished and perfect.)  Shirley graciously made my wish come true; read yesterday’s post to learn how to achieve an no-fuss day-to-night look.

You all know I love a Q&A…

BB: What is your desert-island cosmetic of choice?

SP: W3LL PEOPLE’s Universalist 5

BB: What is next for W3LL People?  Any new products coming down the line?

SP: There are a couple natural wonders in the works… one of which is a high performance, corrective Bio-Concealer. No one will ever know you missed a night of sleep!

BB: The most common makeup application mistake you see is:

SP: TOO MUCH makeup. Women overestimate what they need. 

BB: What do you love best about your awesome job?

SP: Empowering woman to make better choices for themselves that not only make them feel good, but look good.

Thank you so much, Shirley!!