After attending an exclusive preview of Toronto’s first clean beauty makeup studio, Bloom Beauty, I’ve taken quite an interest in natural and toxic-free products. I’m learning that the ingredients in a cleanser, a blush, a foundation and a moisturizer can be extremely important for my health! Sure, a product chalk full of chemicals can cause breakouts…but that’s the least of my worries. They can also be potentially harmful to the body long-term in many different ways. And personally, that’s not something I want to put on my face and threaten my body with. But we’ll get into that towards the end of this post (if you make it there 😉).
I received a goodie bag full of clean beauty products to test out from the Bloom Beauty event, and since then I’ve fallen in love with quite a few of them.
Graydon Fullmoon Serum
This serum is lovely!! It’s very lightweight and feels kind of like water. Which makes sense, seeing as it’s marketed as a “youth preserving water serum”. It dries fast without leaving any sticky residue behind. There’s a slight scent that I’m personally not a fan of. It’s a little floral, which I believe comes from the blue tansy. But it disappears pretty much as soon as the serum has been absorbed into my skin.
For being a clean beauty product, I’m impressed by the number of “super powers” this serum has. For example, it contains retinol derived from moth bean to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. The amino acids encourage collagen production to firm the skin. Which brings us to our next ingredient…
The Graydon Fullmoon Serum contains a botanical collagen derived from African Mahogany Bark Extract, which (in short) helps shrink pores. It is also made up of moringa, which is rich in vitamin C and helps to brighten the skin. The blue tansy acts as an anti-inflammatory ingredient to reduce any redness and an anti-pollution complex protects the skin against pollution and environmental aggressors. And finally, the last ingredient is my favourite…hyaluronic acid. In the case of this serum, it is derived naturally from the seed of Indian senna. It’s a plant grown in Egypt, which was originally used in herbal tea for it’s cleansing properties. Like any other hyaluronic acid, it has the ability to absorb 1000 times its weight in water and helps the skin look hydrated and plump.
It’s also made in Canada! YAY!
I’ve been using it pretty much morning and night for the past couple of months and I’m nearly halfway through the bottle. It has never caused my skin to feel dry, like many retinol products can. And I’ve never experienced a poor reaction or breakout. In fact, I think it’s working! I’ve noticed a faint wrinkle that I have between my eyebrows has shrunken (or maybe it’s my mind playing tricks on me…) and the overall tone of my skin is more even. Plus, it seems to help scarring and dark spots heal faster!
I also have to make note of the adorable packaging! I love that it comes in a clear glass bottle, allowing you to see the beautiful blue liquid inside. There’s something so calming about the colour. But I also love the little comic with application instructions. It was such a cute addition!!
Vapour Beauty Aura Multi-Use Classic in Eros
I’ve talked about this product a ton on my Instagram stories lately. If you follow me there, you’re probably sick of me raving about it. If you’re not following me there…“c’mon over, c’mon over baby!” (@beauty_by_birdy)
I believe the full size version of this product comes in stick form. And to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that. I love having the pigment in this little jar. Firstly, it’s glass and feels very luxurious. But secondly, my brush fits inside perfectly! Which means the product stays contained inside the pot and NEVER gets messy.
I have the colour Eros, and while I do really love using it on my eyes, cheeks and lips to create a monochromatic look, I prefer to use it mainly as a blush. It’s easy to build and although it can feel a bit tacky on the skin, it seems to be fairly long-lasting. I will often set it with the tiiiiiniest bit of powder…either a similar coloured blush or a setting powder…to eliminate that sticky feeling, which helps further prolong the wear time.
I just love how natural and glow-y it looks on the skin!
Ere Perez Jojoba Eye Pencil in Bronze
I have to admit, I was skeptical about the power of a natural (or clean) eye pencil. Especially one with the word jojoba in the name. How long-lasting could it truly be if it claimed to be formulated with soothing oils? I imagined the product just sliding all over my face after an hour or two.
BUT I’ve been proven wrong. Yes, it is buttery smooth and glides on easily without tugging at my eye. PLUS it stays put pretty much all day long! I don’t have particularly oily lids, but if I know I’m going to be out and about on a hot day, I’ll set it with a powder eyeshadow a similar colour just to be safe. For example, I wore this liner to a friend’s wedding, which just so happened to land on one of the hottest days of the year (45 degrees…felt like I’d just gotten out of the shower because I was soaked in sweat…kind of hot) and miraculously it did not melt off my face.
That’s when I knew I had to share it with you! It’s nourishing formula also stimulates lash growth! And with the growing trend of lash tints and extensions EVERYWHERE, this is something I can appreciate!
I have the colour bronze, which as you may guess is a beautiful bronze-y hue. But it also has a slight shimmer for added appeal. It’s perfect for adding definition without looking too harsh. There are a total of 8 tones in the range, and I definitely want to collect them all!
Epic Blend Mojito Lip Scrub
Do you know what berry sugar is? No…me neither. But lucky for you, I just did a quick Google search. According to the results, berry sugar is a finely ground version of granulated sugar that dissolves quickly. In other words, it’s powdered sugar.
There. Now you know.
Why do you need to know this?
Well, the Epic Blend Mojito Lip Scrub is formulated with berry sugar and jojoba oil. Which surprises me, because powdered sugar is very soft…almost like flour! But somehow, this scrub is gritty.
It’s gritty enough to buff away dead skin on, but the chunks of sugar melt away rapidly
It’s also fragranced with tangerine, grapefruit, spearmint and lime to mimic the essence of a mojito. It doesn’t taste like the minted beverage though. But because it’s clean and completely natural, it is edible! It’s just sugar and fruit oils after all. I personally prefer to wipe away the excess with a towel, which helps to further rid my lips of any dead skin.
What Is Clean Beauty?
According to The Clean Beauty Box, “Clean Beauty is defined by products that are mindfully created and produced without any proven or suspected toxic ingredients. Clean Beauty products include ingredients ethically sourced and are made with the health of our bodies and the environment in mind.”
The Clean Beauty Box has a great breakdown of ingredients that should be avoided (see the full piece here). But to summarize:
Parabens have been linked to breast cancer.
Phthalates can damage the reproductive systems for both genders.
Triclosan can disrupt thyroid functions.
Siloxanes can increase uterine tumours.
SLES, SLS, ALS, labelled as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene are synthetic antioxidants and can cause liver damage.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that can cause lung irritation, and be toxic to the kidneys and nervous system. Long-term exposure can cause organ damage.
Scary, right?!
Now, this doesn’t mean I’m going to be using ONLY clean beauty products. At least not right now. I’m a beauty addict (if you didn’t already know..) and I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sensation of NEEDING to try every product that hits the market. Even if it contains parabens…
However, I am being more conscious and trying to incorporate more clean beauty products into my routine. When I need a new face wash or lipstick, I’m going straight to the clean beauty section at Sephora first to see if there’s a clean beauty brand that carries what I need. The only downside is that clean beauty products can be quite pricey, but I suppose my health is worth spending the money.
Have you tried any clean beauty? Let me know if you have a holy grail product that you think I should try out?
xxx
