Green Beauty for Drag Queens & Makeup Fiends: Dramatic Eyes

Does loving dramatic, edgy makeup and hair styles mean you’re stuck with potentially toxic beauty products that get great results, but might be slowly poisoning you? No way.

Sometimes, it seems like non-toxic beauty products are marketed to the kind of women who already have flawless skin, thick lashes, shiny hair and a rosy glow. Women who just need to slick on some berry-tinted lip balm and clear mascara before running out the door. Let me tell you – that’s not me.

I like glitter, false lashes, crazy hair colors and makeup looks fresh off the runway (I collect hundreds of ideas on Pinterest!). I won’t allow my determination to stick to healthy products prevent me from looking how I want to look.

The good news is, the greater the demand for hard-working, high-quality products that are also safe, the more there will be. And there are already some great ones out there.

Let’s start with the classic dramatic eye – the coquettish Sophia Loren-esque cat eye look, which makes any eye shape look bigger and brighter.

My two favorite products for dramatic eyes – without all the parabens, synthetic dyes, fragrances and petrochemicals – are Tarte’s EmphasEYES Waterproof Clay Shadow/Liner and Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara.

The eyeliner is silky-smooth, easy to apply, and lasts all day – sometimes even well into the night, if you’re so inclined. It also comes with a double-ended brush with a fine tip for applying the liner, and a smudge tip for blending.

And for full, lush lashes (especially for ladies like me, who were not blessed by nature in that department), Tarte’s clay mascara offers performance that’s simply unparalleled among non-toxic mascara formulas. It’s non-irritating, and won’t smudge.

If using the most simple, natural products possible is really important to you, try Truly Natural Mascara by Honeybee Gardens. While this product won’t give you the false-lash look, it definitely darkens and lengthens lashes in a nice, botanically-enriched, water-resistant formula. Because it’s so lightweight, it’s easy to apply multiple coats without clumping.

You can even make your own kohl eyeliner by collecting soot from a candle with the back of a spoon, scraping it into a small tin, and then mixing in some ghee or coconut oil until it’s about the thickness of toothpaste. Use an unscented soy or beeswax candle with an all-natural wick, as most store-bought candles are made of petrochemicals and may contain toxic substances. Heads up – this formula isn’t long-lasting, and will require multiple touch-ups throughout the day.

Clueless about applying eye makeup? There are lots of great tutorials on YouTube that spell out every step. Have your products and a mirror ready, and follow along.

Top photo by Maria Paz Zañartu Rivera