Green beauty. What is so interesting to me about so-called green beauty trend, besides the fact that it empowers consumers to make environmentally-conscious decisions, is the fact that many of these formulations are rather old-fashioned and simple. Some jojoba oil maybe, perhaps a little chamomile infusion, and maybe some tea tree oil or aloe vera. This is not to say that they aren’t sophisticated formulations but they are ultimately somewhat basic.
It is so tricky to know if we’re making the right choice for our skin or our wallets when we buy that new moisturizer or some celebrity-approved concealer. We don’t know how our skin will react and we often don’t really know if it’s really good for us to put on our skin in the first place. By virtue of it being on a store shelf or approved by someone we know, we might assume it’s at least safe… but it might not be the right solution and we might still end up tossing it out as we find out it’s not really that miracle product. And when you shop for beauty products, maybe you go in thinking your choices are constrained by how much disposable income you have and you feel you should buy the least expensive option that appears to give you what you need. Or maybe you buy the most expensive option because you think that it’s probably more likely to “do the trick”. Or maybe you’re in-between those two profiles. Whatever the case, it ain’t easy being green. (Okay, sorry, I just wanted to put that in there)
The modern pharmacy is no longer a place to pick up your prescriptions, but aisles and aisles of another drug of choice. Cosmetics! Trust me, I *AM* addicted too. Endless choice of lotions, washes, eye creams, mascaras, shampoos, nail polishes, scrubs… The list of beauty enhancing products goes on and on. The problem for me is that the ingredients lists to your average product ALSO go on and on. Many preservatives, alcohols and petroleum-derived chemicals make up the “simplest” of products and I think this is a really sad reality about the mainstream beauty industry. As a disclaimer, I’m not an expert in this by any means, but am just mentioning it to illustrate a point that in this day and age, you would be hard pressed to find one simple cosmetic product in your local pharmacy or department store, even among those that use keywords like ‘natural’, ‘organic’ and ‘eco-friendly’. You will rarely spot an unadulterated bottle of Aloe Vera gel or a bottle of witch hazel that is alcohol-free at Shoppers Drug Mart or its equivalent. Things are getting better though.
Like I’m sure many of other women, it’s been a process of trial and error. Online communities like Makeupalley and beauty blogs can help us all share and occasionally commiserate on the results of our own personal beauty experiments and help each other make better decisions.
Evan is a holistic beauty guru and makes some of the most wonderful products for her line evanhealy , but my absolute HOLY GRAIL moisturizer that I want to tell people about is her Rosehip Treatment Serum (Blue). It’s really an oil and you need so very little to get major effects. Literally a few drops on your fingertips is more than enough.
I love everything about the line. I’ve tried just about everything, but I think the Rosehip Serum is the most simple and most wonderful. I won’t lie, my skin went through a bit of a purging phase as it adapted to Evan Healy’s skin care philosophy. But I stuck with it, and after a couple weeks, I honestly could not believe how good I felt – not just in how my skin felt, but also because the routine was just so pleasurable. This oil smells like heaven and it just feels so good on the face with a little bit of a toning mist/hydrosol. She advocates for using the oil on your skin during the day, and nothing at night. What, no night cream?? Well, she says you don’t need it. Anyway, trust me, this stuff rules! You only need to use a few drops (max!) to get a completely moisturized, hydrated face. And you don’t get an oily after-effect.
According to evanhealy website:
“Rosehip seed oil is rich in the naturally occurring vitamins A and C. It has considerable amounts of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (EFA) containing 80% gamma linolenic acid (omega 6) and linoleic acid (omega 3). As a result it significantly regenerates and strengthens cell membranes aiding in the prevention of early signs of aging. With daily use, Rosehip Treatment Facial Serum works to fade hyper-pigmentation (brown spots), minimize and soften scars, and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. It also soothes dry, sunburned and sun-damaged skin. This Serum helps to balance excessively oily skin, minimize the appearance of large pores, and detoxify impure skin prone to pimples. Used on a consistent basis, your skin will look smoother, fresher and suppler.”
Ingredients: No GMOs, petroleum-based products, parabens, or synthetic fragrances. Cruelty free. Rose hip seed oil (Rosa canina seed);* essential oils of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia maillette),* blue chamomile (Matricaria recutica), immortelle (Helichrysum italicum), carrot seed (Daucus carota), and vitamin E (tocopherol).
* CERTIFIED ORGANIC
The pitch doesn’t lie, folks! This is good stuff. I’ve been using it for over a year now and I cam honestly say that no other moisturizer has ever held my attention this long. In fact, because of using this serum, I find myself needing to use the moisturizer less often altogether simply because my skin is so happy. Love it!