4 spring beauty launches we love

Spring brings buds on trees, daffodils in the parks, and skin-care launches on the shelves of beauty stores.

We perused the natural newcomers, and found four especially fresh-faced options that make us feel renewed and luminous just looking at the labels. (And, during a test-run, they also proved their mettle.)

Here are the spring debuts we’ll be cleansing with, dabbing on, and beautifying with for clear, bright, and healthy-looking skin all season long. And beyond…. Have you tried any new products for spring?

3. TRES PURE

When you have a science background and love beauty products, but go into banking, sometimes your heart calls you back. That was the case with Shahnaz Hussain, the founder of Tres Pure. The pretty (and still ambitious) New Yorker supports cooperatives in Uganda to farms in Tunisia, when sourcing the ethical, clean, and often super-expensive ingredients (we’re not going to lie) that make up her luxe line. (The popular product trio above is $145.) And while Tres Pure is made in New York, it has fans from London to the UAE, and has just started to catch on at home.

The natural products are simple—rice and adzuki bean is used in the scrub, carrot seed in the toner, and a blend of marula, chamomile, and other plant oils hydrate and brighten skin in the face oil (a best-seller). As Hussain says, “The simplicity of quality ingredients is the secret behind beautiful skin. And I think that’s what people really want.”

www.trespure.com

4. W3LL PEOPLE

The performance-based “hippie tested, diva-approved” makeup brand just got a white-hot makeover—both the packaging and what’s inside it.Now the entire handcrafted, natural line contains skin-calming organic aloe, which “adds amazing luminosity, and a creamier, more blendable texture,” explains color director, Shirley Pinkson. You can really see the aloe’s magic in the foundations that absorb excess shine without disappearing your glow. (No mannequin skin!)

Spring brings three new multitasking Universalist Colorsticks ($33) for cheeks and lips (we heart the blood-orange No. 6). And we’re not the only one loving the brand reboot: W3LL PEOPLE will have pride of place in H&M’s new luxe retail stores, called & Other Stories, in London, Paris, Milan, and beyond, reaching scores of healthy beauties across the pond.

www.w3llpeople.com

See the first two picks here!

Do You Use Products That Contain Silicone?

By Siobhan O’Connor for NoMoreDirtyLooks.com

When I first met Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and, more recently (thank goodness), Intelligent Nutrients, we spent a lot of time talking about silicone. Silicone, most of you probably know, is widely used in personal care products across the spectrum—from the relatively clean to your standard-issue drugstore brands. It’s especially useful in makeup, primer, sunscreen  and tinted moisturizer because it gives products a slippery sit-on-skin feeling that allows for even spreading, no rubbing, and produces a nice surface on top of which you can go ahead and make your face.

It’s also in a lot on conditioners and leave-ins, because it sits on the shaft of your hair and can take the guesswork (and manual labor) out of smoothing unruly manes, especially when it’s humid out. My experience is that repeated use of silicone on my hair makes it look like complete and utter garbage. My experience with my skin has not been quite the same.

As a refresher, most of the people I have spoken with who swear against it do so for one of a number of reasons. Because it’s occlusive (that means it sits on the surface of the skin and blocks moisture from escaping—but also blocks other things from going in); because it might be comedogenic (the research is equivocal on this one); and because it “doesn’t break down in nature,” says Rechelbacher (and others). On the other hand, dimethicone’s molecule weight makes it impossible, I believe, to migrate past the top layer of your skin—which is where it’s designed to sit, anyway. That’s how it “works.” But our research is ongoing at this point.

I know natural-beady diehards who swear by it and diehards who would, well, die before they used a product that contains it. We were in the latter camp. Now, we’re rethinking our position—but the jury’s still out.

No More Dirty Looks has historically said no to all silicone. It wasn’t on the list of our dirty 20-or-so in the book, mainly because the research we were able to find about its toxicity was unconvincing. At the same time, we can appreciate that many ingredients don’t have nearly enough scientific data published about their safety, and we definitely skew more toward “when in doubt, don’t.”

But then something happened.

Keep reading…

7 best natural mascaras

By Well+Good NYC

Here’s a not-so-secret secret: Even natural beauty divas tend to cheat when it comes to their lashes, coating them in Maybelline Great Lash or lust-worthy DiorShow.

However, that’s beginning to change.

“Every natural makeup line is working on a mascara worth releasing,” says Spirit Demerson, founder of SpiritBeautyLounge.com. “Expect big reveals next year.”

Can’t wait till then? We found seven that added just as much volume, length, and drama as their chemical counterparts. (There’s still no waterproof natural.)

Here are seven great natural mascaras we wouldn’t bat an eye at.

—Melisse Gelula and Lisa Elaine Held

Josie Maran GOGO Natural Volume Argan Mascara

$22, www.josiemarancosmetics.com

We’re saying it: Maran’s argan-oil based mascara works just as well as traditional one. It produces thick, voluminous lashes (and a dewy shine) in just a few strokes with little-to-no clumps.

And it has a heart: For every mascara purchased, a dollar is donated to a women’s cancer charity.

One drawback: It’s otherwise natural, organic formula does contain a couple of suspicious ingredients at the very end of the list.

Korres Provitamin B5 & Rice Bran Mascara

$18, www.korresusa.com

This one is about length over volume. The small, thin spokes on the brush lengthen and separate perfectly, leaving a dark, matte finish.

Its ingredient list is not 100 percent pure, mainly because of the presence of preservative phenoxyethanol, but it’s a million steps up from L’Oreal.

Dr. Hauschka Volume Mascara

$29.95, www.drhauschka.com

It goes on as elegantly as a traditional mascara, so you wouldn’t know you were applying super natural ingredients, like silk powder and botanical waxes.

The mascara has a rosy, not chemical scent, which comes from essential oil fragrance (not the chemical kind).

Only downside is the smudge-proof claim didn’t hold true for me after just a couple hours.

Keep reading for 4 more here…

Dark circles? Natural concealers that work and how to use them

By Well+Good NYC

Yves St. Laurent Touche Eclat has been touted as a magic wand for dark under-eye circles. But its not-at-all-natural formulation disqualifies it for natural types. So what’s the solution for those of us whose windows to the soul are showing the pains of sleepless nights and possibly a genetic predisposition to dark circles?

First, acceptance of reality, says Brooklyn natural makeup artist Jessa Blades. “We think it’s possible not to have under-eye circles. But often they’re a shadow from your brow bone. You might want to be a little open to the fact dark circles are not going to go away completely.” (Even if you watch your salt intake and sleep.)

Natural makeup artist Jessa Blades

The second challenge: Finding a natural concealer that covers enough—or covers without looking cakey. And third, we just don’t know how to use concealers properly, says Blades, who’s witnessed many a cake-icing technique on that thin under-eye skin.

So how can you effectively cover dark circles? Read on for seven mind-blowing tips from Blades—and our top picks for natural products that work:

1. Hydrate the eye area
Is your finger or brush dragging on dry skin? The skin around the eyes is thinner and has fewer oil glands than the rest of the face. So you may need to hydrate the area first with something creamy first, then smooth on your concealer.
Solution: Weleda Pomegranate Firming Eye Cream, $33, www.usa.weleda.com, or Organic Pharmacy Honey & Jasmine Mask, $65.95, www.theorganicpharmacy.com

2. If concealer is too drying, use a creamy foundation
Often concealer is too thick or cakey like corrective makeup. So use a creamy foundation that feels more like a second skin, and yet provides some coverage, says Blades. You should love the way it lies on the skin.
Solution: NVEY ECO Organic Cream Deluxe Foundation, $43–$60, www.econveybeauty.com

RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up

3. Use concealer under a tinted moisturizer
This creates a barely-there makeup look that conceals a few flaws then illuminates your skin, if your tinted moisturizer uses mica, a mineral with light-reflecting properties.
Solution: RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up, $36, www.spiritbeautylounge.com or Lavera Natural Concealer, $19, www.lavera.com

Keep reading for 4 more here…

1-minute makeup: How to apply it faster and better

By Well+Good NYC

Is doing your makeup taking longer than your commute? Does your handbag runneth over with a variety of cosmetics “in case you need them”? After a workout, are you the last one standing at the mirror with your mascara?

I used to be this person, which is ironic because I use natural products to create what is a pretty natural look. But a few weeks ago I sat in the makeup chair of Shirley Pinkson, a former NARS executive and makeup artist with clients like Naomi Campbell and Isabella Rossellini, who now dabs her brushes into the 100-percent-natural formulations of W3LL PEOPLE, which she co-founded.

W3LL PEOPLE (pronounced “well people”) is based in Austin and recently launched in Henri Bendel. It’s a makeup line that combines “advanced performance, premium bioavailable/organic ingredients, and sustainability.” That’s a skill set not on the resume of most makeup lines coming across my desk. It’s fastidiously free of potential cosmetic toxins and it cares about cosmetic elegance.

And makeup artist Pinkson is a font of beauty knowledge—including how to cut corners on your application time, which she shared with me.

Need help consolidating your cosmetics? Here are two (or three) products that take less than a minute to apply:

1. Start with Narcissist Stick Foundation
It’s a gloriously mess-proof, moisturizing skin primer, concealer, and foundation in one.
Narcissist ($38)

How to apply: You can blend this breathable stick made with green tea, reishi mushroom, and pomegranate with a Kabuki brush. But you can also just use your fingers. It’s been a conversation starter in the Barry’s Bootcamp changing room, with women asking me where I got it. Love the soft-focus finish: it’s my ideal kind of coverage.

Keep reading…

Prime time: 6 tips for beating summer shine

By Well+Good NYC

Everyone’s obsessed with ‘getting the glow,’ says Jessa Blades, a makeup artist who stocks her kit with all-natural products. But in summer it comes pretty naturally. “Skin’s more hydrated this time of year,” she says. “And even if you use sunscreen, heat naturally boosts color in your skin.” In some cases, so much so that attention turns from keeping your natural summer flush from turning into an wanted summer flash flood.

How to defeat the melty, drippy feeling of unwanted shine?

“Use less cream-based moisture for one,” says Blades, who recommends stashing your face and eye creams in the fridge, along with a hydrosol mist. “Sometimes in summer your face almost feels swollen. Applying cool creams in the morning and spraying your face with a chilled hydrosol feels amazing.” It can help rein in the puffy feeling and help makeup sit, not slide, down your skin.

Blades gives us six recommendations and tips for getting unwanted summer shine to submit:

Sunscreen
Keys Soap Solar Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
“I love this product because it works as a light moisturizer too, which is great for summer,” says Blades. It’s one of the safest, most effective sunscreens on the market, according to the Environmental Working Group, and Consumer Reports calls it one of the most effective broad-spectrum sunblocks.

Mattifying powder
Jane Iredale Beyond Matte
“This new long-lasting powder has medium coverage and really absorbs oil,” says Blades. It comes in four colors including translucent, which Blades especially suggests for summer. “When you do mid-day touch ups, you don’t get too much color layered on. Apply it all over with a powder brush or just touch up your T-zone and forehead to prevent shine.”

Keep reading for 4 more here…

My Five Beauty Obsessions: Kirsten Kjaer Weis

By Well+Good NYC

We always learn something looking into the beauty bags of women who formulate their own natural products. After going to all the trouble and under-going a beauty formulation boot camp, we want to know what they trust and use.

That’s why we were thrilled to get a peek at the beauty preferences of Kirsten Kjaer Weis.

Her line of gorgeous makeup called Kjaer Weis, includes on-trend eye shadows, stunning lip shines, and radiance-boosting cream blushes. She’s about to debut a refillable natural mascara—no small beauty feat.

And the Danish beauty, who lives and formulates in New York, gives as much care to clean ingredients as she does to chic packaging. So we know she has good taste.

So what’s in her bag? Here are five of Kjaer Weis’s current favorites…

1. Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex ($45)
Two things I love about this product that comes in an on-the-go roller ball: It’s like food for my skin—just look at the ingredients!—and gives me a beautiful glow.

2. Dr. Hauscka Eye Contour Day Balm ($50.90)
I like to use a hydrating balm around my eyes, since this area can be more dry than the rest of the face. Make-up tip: It really preps the eye area and helps makeup go on more smoothly.

Keep reading for 3 more here…

Logocos – Logona & SANTE

Logocos carries beautiful natural make-up lines Logona and SANTE that are sold throughout Europe and are now available in North America as well. Their products utilize the highest quality, natural raw materials, such as: premium botanical oils, herbal extracts and essential oils derived from organic agriculture and wild-crafting. Thus, both cosmetic lines are natural and also perfect for ladies with sensitive skin.

Logona Natural Cosmetics

For many years in Germany, Logona has been creating organic products that are without equal, from award winning herbal hair colours to the elegant stylish palettes of their colour cosmetics. I tried Logona’s makeup line and I loved almost every product. I tried the following products: Perfect Finish Makeup in 03 Medium Beige, Trio Eyeshadow in 03 rosewood, Concealer cream in 02 light beige, Double eyeliner pencil in 01 coffee, Blush 01 rose + pink and Lipstick in 08 moonlight rose and 02 pink.

Sante Naturkosmetik

An organic range of exceptional quality and proud tradition, Sante has been manufactured in Germany for over twenty years by LOGOCOS.
Stylish and innovative, Sante’s makeup line was so beautiful and I loved it. I tried the following products: Compact Powder in color 02 Golden Beige, Eyeshadow Trios in color 03 Rose Wood, Lipstick in color 04 Pink Clover and Nail Polish in color 07 Metallic Lavender.

3 ways to make your natural makeup last longer

By Well+GoodNYC

If you’ve made the switch from mainstream makeup to natural brands like RMS Beauty or Vapour, you’re probably still admiring your new dewy, fresh-faced complexion.

But lots of converts also have a complaint: The pretty pots and sticks just don’t last as long as their conventional counterparts (because they’re missing the chemicals that make them cling).

“It’s just something that everyone will have to learn to expect,” says celebrity makeup artist Katey Denno, who gets stars like January Jones and Christy Turlington ready for the red carpet. “There are no crazy intense polymers in the natural world that will equal long-lasting color.” (Though some hyper-pigmented brands do stain well.)

But, says Denno, while you may have to work a tiny bit harder and touch up your face during the day, it’s actually a good thing. Instead of feeding your skin endocrine-disrupting chemicals over and over, you’re nourishing your skin with hydrating bases like jojoba and coconut oil every time you reapply.

It will look better, too. “Instead of adding another layer onto old makeup, which creates a pancake-y look, you’re just adding a fresh glow,” she explains.

And while you’ll have to schedule a midday reach into your beauty bag, there are ways to maximize your natural makeup’s staying time. Here are Denno’s expert tips:

1. Moisturize first. Make sure your skin is properly hydrated. “If you put makeup on dry skin, it will be difficult to blend, and it will more likely disappear more quickly,” says Denno. “You don’t want your skin to absorb the cheek colors.”

Keep reading for more here…

Josie Maran’s Expert Model Makeup Tips, Part 2

By No More Dirty Looks

Last week Josie told us why we should use our fingers to apply makeup (just make sure they’re clean, y’all!), and this week she dishes on the sliding scale of “green,” her other favorite sustainable cosmetics brands and how traditional makeup used to wreak havoc on her skin.

When you were modeling all the time did you notice a difference in your skin and hair from all the product used? Did that have any part in you going clean?

With 17 years of modeling experience, I’ve spent a lot of time in the makeup chair. There were days I’d have makeup caked-on and I often got break outs. I never heard about healthier alternatives that were functional enough to be used by professional makeup artists. If I had, I would have asked that we use them. This is what inspired me to start my own line.  It was also perfect that I was pregnant around the same time I was developing the line, because it definitely made me more aware of what I was putting inside my body and on my skin. I wanted to stay away from toxins as much as possible.

Where do you stand on the sliding scale of green? Totally clean without exceptions? Or do you bend the rules sometimes?

I was born into a family that cares about environmental and social issues, so being green and natural has always been an important part of my life.  I try to reduce my carbon footprint whenever possible—one of my favorite things to do is compost in my backyard!

As for my brand, it has always been a luxurious, high-performance line that uses many natural and organic ingredients.  As we’ve progressed, I have found that select synthetic ingredients are essential to high-performance cosmetics and since these will remain in some formulations, I am implementing ways to bring balance to this equation. Planting thousands of trees, donating profits to eco-organizations such as Global Green USA and the Natural Resources Defense Council, etc. Also, our packaging will remain compostable, biodegradable and/or recyclable.  I am committed to being as authentic and transparent as possible as my line continues to grow.

Are there any exciting new discoveries you’ve made?

I’m really excited about my new mascara. We found a great way to introduce natural blacker-than-black mascara that really performs, while also giving back to a great cause. The formula features a breakthrough ingredient: double silica encapsulated carbon black.  It offers unbeatable shine, the deepest carbon black available and water resistant, long wear benefits.

What’s your absolute favorite product from your own line?

My absolute favorite product is of course my 100% pure organic argan oil.  It’s the ultimate multitasking product. I use it as a daily moisturizer, to heal rough cuticles and to fix split ends.

Other than your own, what are some other favorite clean brands?

I love Jo Wood Organics, Lulu Organics, and Duchess Marden.