Thursday, November 19th 2009

By leanne mark

LEANNE MARK

SILHOUETTE STAFF

Organic beauty is similar to the basic principles behind living a greener lifestyle—it’s based on the premise of bettering the environment, your skin and you. With the same bold colours, but newly added better-for-you ingredients, it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of organic beauty, especially at the reasonable cost of these natural products.

Let’s start with the all-important lips. With Tarte’s line of lip products you can hope for the best and prepare for the best. With Sephora’s Natural Seal, you can rest assured it is free of GMO, parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates and other chemically engineered ingredients that aren’t that great for your insides or outsides. In addition, the lipsticks, lip glosses and lip stains are all packed with antioxidants, vitamins and other skin softening properties that taste like an “Apple-a-day.”

Another favourite of Sephora’s Natural Seal is the Bare Escentuals foundation that has won countless awards for “Best Natural and Organic Beauty” and “Best Foundation” every year since 2007. Its success is attributed mainly to its basic and pure composition with naturally obtained benefits like SPF 15, but it was noticed firstly because of its effectiveness.

Nvey Eco is a newer brand supported with Sephora’s Natural Seal but also carries its own Australian Organic Certification. Like Bare Escentuals and Tarte, Nvey also carries a full line of beauty products; however they’ve also created unique palette combinations of eye shadows in shockingly bright and bold colours that have amazing staying power through the day or night.

While the developments in organic make up are extremely exciting and highly applicable, organic beauty goes beyond make up. Using organic washes and moisturizers like those by Live Clean, Lush, and Juice Beauty are better for your skin and hair and leave you feeling moisturized and smelling fresh.

Levi’s is looking to prove that organic beauty is fashion forward with their eco line of jeans made with 100 per cent organic cotton. Also joining the organic bandwagon is American Apparel with their everyday T’s and tanks also made with 100 per cent organic cotton and Stella McCartney with her infamously green and eco-conscious line of fur and leather free designs that always use organic materials like bamboo and hemp.

While the integration of organic products into any beauty regimen can really make a girl nervous, remember that in the long run it’s better for the environment, healthier, and doesn’t actually change the way you curl those lashes or pout those lips. So go green, ‘cause green is gorgeous.’

Tip: When shopping for organic products, make sure you see an approved Organic Certification. An example would be Ecocert, the international Organic Certification.

Tags: natural beauty