Today–we’re back with another update in my “safe skincare swap” journey!
As you know, after awakening to the fact that there are a lot of harmful ingredients in most of our mainstream skincare products (many of which are banned in many other countries, but still legal in the US, which is pretty scary), I’ve been testing out quite a few different products lately in the efforts to eventually make my beauty cabinet a less toxic place.
In my “swapping,” I decided to first concentrate primarily on skincare first (rather than every beauty product that I own) for a couple reasons:
Reason #1: Your skincare products are what your skin absorbs the most. Your skin is much more exposed to moisturizers, serums, and facial oils on a daily basis versus something like your blush or your bronzer, which can be, say, the 5th layer that you put on your face in the morning. If you don’t want to fully commit to switching everything over, believe me, I understand. Starting with skincare is definitely a HUGE improvement and is where I plan to concentrate the majority of my efforts here.
Reason #2: Honestly, I am kind of a beauty product snob. I think there a science behind effective skincare–products don’t have to have toxic stuff to work well. But with beauty products, I feel like it’s harder to find the “natural” versions that perform as great as–well, all the designer stuff I’m addicted to at Sephora. However, I have to admit I’ve been REALLY pleasantly surprised with a lot of what I’ve tried out so far!
Reason #3: I already owned a couple skincare items from “safe” brands, honestly, without even knowing it! This made it an easier place to start and made me less apprehensive overall. If you’re in the same boat that I was/am, I suggest trying to start focusing on your skincare first for this reason.
SO (…If you’re still reading. Am I rambling?) today I wanted to share two different facial oils that I really love, in case you’re also in the market for one (or two) as well.
First thing’s first–I understand if the concept of slathering your face in oil is puzzling. After all, you, like me, probably spent the majority of your adolescent and teen years trying to get away from oil. I was obsessed with finding oil free moisturizer and oil free makeup, thinking this was the root of my breakouts. However, there are in fact a lot of oils that have a ton of skincare benefits–hydration, detoxification, and anti-aging, to name a few.
Not sure where to begin? Here are my two favorites as of late:
Beautycounter Plumping Oil:
I’ve heard Blair rave about her Beautycounter facial oil for awhile now, so I really wanted–she actually has the balancing one, but because I wanted something that was anti-aging and helped with fine lines, I opted for the Plumping Jasmine oil. (To be honest, I kind of wish they would change the name, because the word “plumping” makes me think of those awful plumping lip products that hurt your lips and make them feel like they’re on fire–haha, I promise this is nothing like that!)
I really like this oil a lot–it absorbs really nicely and it hydrates my skin really well without making it feel greasy. It’s 100% plant derived and uses a combination of 7 different oils to moisturize and firm your skin. If firming, lines, and hydration are your main concern, this would be a great product for you!
Other Beautycounter favorites: their rejuvenating eye cream with caffeine (which I wrote about here) their daily shampoo, and their sheer lipstick (I have the “coral” color!)
Free night cream: Also, they have a special right now where if you purchase $150+ you get a free rejuvenating night cream ($75 value) so if you’ve been wanting to order a few BC products, you get an awesome extra perk if you do it between now and Sunday! I haven’t tried the night cream yet but I think I’ll be placing another order myself, so I’ll let you know what I think of it 😉 It has great reviews though! If you’ve tried it, or any other BC products, would love to know what you think!
Caudalie Vine[Active] Overnight Detox Oil:
I absolutely ADORE Caudalie’s products. I liked them even before I read the book, The French Beauty Solution (written by their founder), which kind of jump-started my whole safer skincare mission, but now I love the brand even more.
Their products are all natural made with grape vine extract which has incredible anti-aging powers. (And of course, no parabens, phthalates or any of that bad stuff) Their Overnight Detox Oil is one of my favorites, like the Beautycounter oil, it’s also a 100% plant-based oil that works overnight to address skin damage caused by external pollutants and stressors that your skin comes into contact with on a day to day basis.
It promotes cell turn over and flushes out free radicals and dead cells. (They did a clinical test of this product and 100% of women said their skin looked less tired!) If you’re looking for a regenerative product that makes your skin look and feel healthier, brighter, and more balanced in general, this would be an awesome product for you!
Other Caudalie favorites: their concentrated brightening essence, brightening serum, and glycolic peel face mask.
Also, a note on fragrance:
As I dive deeper into the “safe beauty” rabbit hole, I’ve noticed that the most stringent safe beauty standards warn that “fragrance” is toxic. This is true in many cases, but is not necessarily true in all, but there is a reason for this caution–beauty companies are allowed to list “fragrance” as an ingredient without having to disclose what the fragrance is. This means that technically, if they wanted to, an “all natural” company COULD get away with not listing any toxic ingredients on their label, and disguising them under “fragrance.”
In my opinion, you should use your best judgment when it comes to fragrance. I am OK with fragrance in products from both of these companies because they are founded on the values of creating high-quality, safe products made with all natural, plant-based ingredients. Fragrance makes me happy, and that’s not something that I want to lose out on if I don’t have to, you know?
Have you tried either of these products? Would love to know what you think!
I love Caudelie products – they’ve recently become my favorite since my skin has all of a sudden become pretty sensitive. I think you were the one who responded to me about having a bad reaction to a Kiehls product!
Still having trouble getting on the oil train (the whole oil-free teenage life really messed with our heads, huh?!) , but the ones I’ve tried have been good so far!
Face oils are of great importance and should be applied. I have very oily skin still I use face oil and it really works for me. It adds glow to my skin leaving it soft and hydrated.