Tag: toxins

Busy Mama Makeup Routine

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Y’all – in my pre-mama days I would spend enormous amounts of time in front of the mirror doing my makeup in the morning. I actually really enjoy doing makeup. It’s fun to play with color combos and eyeliner. But this season of my life really doesn’t leave me with much time to paint my face. That being said, I  still want to look put-together when I walk out the door.

Let me introduce you to the Flawless in Five set from Beautycounter. This makeup routine takes me less than 5 minutes and I do it in the car on most days. It has totally simplified my beauty routine and I’m always impressed with how it perks up my face without being overdone. It is an absolute busy mama must-have!

Before I tell you about the set in detail, let me spend a minute telling you why safer makeup is so important. Makeup sits on our skin all day long and touches some of the most sensitive areas like our eyes and mouths. We are absolutely absorbing the ingredients that our makeup is made out of. The build up of toxic ingredients over time in our bodies is proving to have serious negative impacts on our health; things like cancer, infertility and hormone issues and autoimmune diseases.

Most drugstore/department store makeup contains harmful ingredients like parabens, fragrance, SLS and heavy metals to name a few. Beautycounter makeup contains none of that. In fact, they promise to never use over 1,500 harmful ingredients in any of their products. That’s way more than the US or the EU has banned.

But, Nicole. I’ve tried “natural makeup” and it just … sucks.

Yes, that can be true. But let me tell you, Beautycounter is the real deal. Our stuff is high performing- used on the red carpet by celebs like Connie Britton and Alessandra Ambrosio. It. Is. So. Good.

Check out how easy this is:

So here is the rundown…

For $150 you can get everything you need to have a flawless, simple yet put-together look in under 5 minutes! Clean out your makeup bag!

The Flawless in Five Set includes:

Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation– a hydrating, creamy formula that is actually good for your skin. It’s buildable for light to medium coverage. I’ve worn it for many professional pictures and formal events with great results!

Touchup Skin Concealer Pen– like a magic eraser for my tired eyes (along with the Rejuvenating Eye Cream)

Color Define Brow Pencil– brows have become my favorite makeup! They instantly make my face look alive and dare I say… younger 😉

Mascara- pick lengthening or volumizing. Both are fantastic. It took us 3 years to formulate a safe and effective mascara!

Satin Powder Blush– the texture and staying power of our powders is crazy. They are made with butterpowder which feels as dreamy as it sounds.

Lip Gloss– another must-have. I love the texture- not sticky! It’s a moisturizing formula so I actually have stopped using lip balm. The scent is a yummy vanilla made from REAL VANILLA.

The colors are fully customizable! I can help you color match. Just send me an email or DM on Insta 💕

Of course you can buy these items separately, but your getting an amazing deal if you buy them as a set. If you love eyeshadow and liner- add the Get the Look set to your cart and you’re literally set for makeup!

If you’re not sure how your current makeup stacks up on terms of how clean it is, look it up on the EWG Skin Deep Database and see what you’re working with.

Looking and feeling great doesn’t have to involve hours in front of the mirror. Six products, five minute, flawless face!

XO, Nicole

Why I Love Charcoal

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Charcoal is having a moment and I am totally on board! After a weekend of sun, sweat and sunscreen my pores need some love. Remember when those Biore pore strips were all the rage?  Well, charcoal has the same pore cleansing effect, but better and also…safer.

Activated charcoal is like a magnet for the dirt, oil and gunk in your pores! It pulls them out and they wash away as your rinse your face. It is amazing for oily and acne prone skin, but honestly, all skin types can benefit from a weekly charcoal mask.

Important note: this mask is NOT the kind you peel off, which can actually be pretty harmful to your skin. You just wipe it off with a wet cloth.

The Beautycounter No. 3 Balancing Charcoal Mask is an essential in my skincare routine! It’s like a 10 minute spa-grade facial <3 Once I’m done my skin feels clean and firm. Here are some of the benefits:

  • Refines skin and cleanses with a matte result
  • Draws out impurities and toxins
  • Immediately reduces the appearance of pores
  • Leaves skin brighter, clearer, smoother, and more even-toned
  • Soothes and calms skin, reducing redness, irritation, and blotchiness

I usually wash my face with the Charcoal Cleansing Bar first to get the first round of dirt off my face which leaves my skin ready for a really deep clean from the charcoal mask! Then I follow with the Cleansing Balm as an overnight hydrating mask and holy smokes my skin is perfection in the morning.

Step One:

Step Two:

Step Three:

 

Okay soooo let’s address the elephant in the room…why do I have the charcoal mask on my armpits?

I switched to natural deodorant about 2 years ago as I was making my transition to safer products. Conventional deodorant contains aluminum, parabens and other harmful ingredients. Aluminum has been linked to alzheimer’s and breast cancer. And parabens are known hormone disruptors. They have actually found parabens in breast cancer cells. On top of that, it’s actually not good for your body to not sweat. It is one of our natural ways to detox our body and it an important, albeit annoying, bodily function.

Sweat itself isn’t actually stinky, it’s the bacteria that the sweat comes into contact with that makes ya smell.

::enter charcoal::

As I made the transition, my hubby made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t a fan of my new “hippie” deodorant choices. It takes your body a hot minute to adjust to being without its trusty aluminum. Using the charcoal cleansing bar to wash my armpits daily and the charcoal mask weekly really helped reduce the…odor…I was emitting because it draws out any bacteria that might cause said odor.

Although, I’ve adjusted now and I don’t get quite so stinky anymore, I still use my charcoal products to maintain. It’s not glamorous, but I’ll do almost anything in the name of safer beauty 😉

Finding a safe deodorant that works took a lot of trial and error and honestly, I think different brands will work better for different people. I love Native! My favorite scent is the Coconut & Vanilla, but they always have yummy ones to choose from. If Native doesn’t work for you here are a few more brands that are definitely safer and get great reviews from my fellow safe beauty babes:

Schmidts

Type A

Primally Pure

 

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