Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Elements Mineral Makeup’s Smoky Eye: Like a Comfy Cardigan

Professional Makeup Artist Alla Christina of Pro Emm Artistry shares how to create an Autumn-worthy dramatic eye with Elements Mineral Makeup’s shadows:

Creating a smokey eye with loose mineral shadow is easier then you think. Don’t shy away from loose powder, embrace it! Creating that dramatic smoky ‘black’ or ‘blue gray’ eye is easier with powder, just think, no more hard to blend lines, hello…. blended wonder.

Here’s how to do it yourself:

1. Start by applying primer to your whole eye lid, all the way to the brow. This will help the power stick and become more pigmented.

2. Dip one side of your curved, stiff bristled, brush into your desired color.

3. Apply generously, pushing the color into the top lash line.

4. Dip into more color, again on one side only, starting at the saturated lash line and blend up, by patting with the brush.

5. Use a clean, soft bristled brush, to soften the top edge… and ta-da! you’re ready for a night out!

Alla Christina at work!

Radiant Natural Beauty with Jessa Blades and Greta Eagan

Jessa Blades of Blades Natural Beauty makes up Greta Eagan
Photo by Clemens Kois

When natural beauty makeup artist Jessa Blades and eco fashionista Greta Eagan recently got together for an Eco-Chick style photo shoot, the theme of the day was radiance. Jessa, who is passionate about promoting beauty that is connected to health, aims to help women look and experience their most vital selves.

Jessa Blades
Photo by Clement Kois

Not only does she offer an amazing expertise on cosmetic safety, but her stellar makeup artistry is convincing women of all ages—from savy fashion clients to impressionable teens—that natural beauty products should absolutely be the norm.

Blades Natural Beauty
Photo by Clemens Kois
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Team Eco Chick’s Favorite Natural Beauty Products for a Healthy (Skin) New Year!

I know plenty of progressive, conscious ladies who eat organic, work out regularly, and even choose eco fashions over conventionally-made clothes when they can, but get stymied when it comes to makeup and beauty products. We all have our go-to’s, those tried-and-true products that will do what we want, when we want them to. Unfortunately, many of those same products contain toxic ingredients (check yours at The Cosmetics Safety Database to find out what carcinogens or neurotoxins might be lurking in your faves).

To make switching to organic or at least less-toxic products easy, try this two-step process. Pick a product you use every day (moisturizer, mascara, or lipstick), and look around for a more natural version. Once you find a couple in your price range, that seem like they might work for you, try them both. Choose which one works best, then adopt it as your ‘new regular’. Then, when you feel ready, try another product. Over the last five years I’ve replaced my pthalate-laden perfumes, conventional makeup, moisturizers, body washes and other shower necessities (like shaving cream) to natural versions, slowly but surely. Check out some of our team’s picks below for inspiration:

Starre Vartan, author, publisher of Eco-Chick.com

Starre Vartan Loves:

I’m a total mascara junkie! And I’ve tried them all, from natural to not. My favorite by a long shot has got to be Lavera’s Volume mascara in black. It has never flaked out on me, which is unusual because pretty much every other mascara I’ve ever used gives me raccoon eyes. Fortified with jojoba and wild rose oil, it smells delicious and goes on smoothly, no clumping. I have long, relatively thick lashes, with blonde ends, so I don’t need a thickening mascara; if you do, you might find this one too thin. But it’s perfect for me as it darkens and lengthens my lashes and the brush allows for easy manipulation and fine-tuning of application.

My go-to powder is definitely Tarte’s provocateur pressed mineral powder in Light. It’s thick enough to even out my skin tone, but never feels cakey. I usually don’t wear foundation, and find this powder to be enough coverage for me, plus it’s got an SPF of 8.

Alicia Lubowski-Jahn, Eco Art and Design Correspondent

Alicia Likes:

Moksa Organics is a carbon neutral certified company that produces a sustainable line of affordable hand made soap, body lotions, body oils and baths salts. They won me over with their super yummy-smelling, chemical-free, organic bar soaps packaged in 100% postconsumer waste. The soaps are made with fair trade, unrefined bulk ingredients blended with essential oils. Each soap is named after an awesome place on earth and a portion of its sale benefits a designated environment group.

I love the simplicity of Sprout Wellness’ lip, body, and face products. True to their tag line “detoxify your life”, Sprout is inspired by a process of elimination– especially nasty ingredients like preservatives, animal products, petrochemicals, and fragrances. Although it’s a cliche, they actually do smell so good you could eat them and, indeed, they are made with plant and essential oils and kitchen-cupboard ingredients like organic almonds, organic oats, organic apple cider vinegar, and sea salt.
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Eco Chick Giveaway: Win an Everyday Minerals Smokey Eye Set!

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Everyday Minerals. What’s not to love? A dazzling array of colors to complement all skin tones, impressively natural organic & vegan ingredients, no animal testing and great prices make Everyday Minerals the kind of brand you’ll blab on to other women about whenever you get a chance. And that I do – so I’m really excited to give you all a chance to try some of this stuff for free!

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Drugstore Eco Beauty: Physicians Formula Organic Wear

Like any girl born with naturally pale, sparse lashes, I rely on mascara to keep me from looking like a creepy Children of the Corn extra. And since I’m not a big fan of putting carcinogens and other toxins adjacent to my eyeballs, I am always on the lookout for great natural, non-toxic mascara – and damn, is there a lot of hype for a little drugstore product called Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara.

A panel of green beauty experts rated this product ‘Best Natural Mascara’ along with a $22.50 product from Couleur – but the Physicians Formula stuff costs just $10. After taking a gander at the ingredients, learning that the Organic Wear line is the first ECOCERT® makeup line in the U.S., and reading tons of positively glowing reviews online, I figured I’d give it a shot.

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