eye shadow

Natural Makeup & Less Toxic Alternatives: Recap

CaitlinLeave a comment

This is the recap post for a 6-post series about replacing my drugstore makeup brands with less toxic products, as rated by the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database, which is an awesome free resource for researching your own beauty products and common ingredients.

Read the first post in this natural makeup series »

The Recap

In the previous six blog posts, I’ve outlined the makeup I use for my day-to-day look and identified less toxic replacements for all of my beauty store brands. Here’s a quick look at the new products I’m using and what I think of them.

Mineral Fusion Volume Mascara:
Just OK. Definitely less toxic, but I’m not crazy about the applicator.
BUY ON AMAZON | READ THE POST

Zuzu Luxe White Liner Pencil:
Great! I like this liner even more than my previous one.
BUY ONLINE | READ THE POST

Mineral Fusion Concealer Duo:
Great! This product works well for me.
BUY ON AMAZON | READ THE POST

Zuzu Luxe Eye Shadow:
These work well for me. Easy to apply, and lots of colors available.
BUY ON AMAZON | READ THE POST

Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eye Liner:
Just OK. I’m going to keep looking for a liner with a better felt tip applicator.
BUY ON AMAZON | READ THE POST

Mineral Fusion Eye Primer:
Great! The hold is good, and it’s less expensive than my previous NARS primer.
BUY ON AMAZON | READ THE POST

What do you think?

Have you tried any of these natural, less-toxic makeup brands? What are your favorites, and which brands do you recommend?

Affiliate Disclosure: This website uses affiliate links. If you buy a product on Amazon using my links, I’ll earn a commission on your purchase. It doesn’t add anything to the product prices. Unless otherwise noted in a specific post, I am not paid or endorsed by the manufacturers of the products I use.

Eye Shadow: Less toxic alternatives to CoverGirl

Caitlin2 Comments

This is one post in a 6-post series about replacing my drugstore makeup brands with less toxic products, as rated by the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database, which is an awesome free resource for researching your own beauty products and common ingredients.

Read the first post in this natural makeup series »
Step 2 in my daily makeup routine after eyelid primer is eye shadow. What is a good, less toxic natural eye shadow brand to use?

The High-Level Comparison

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Individual Shadows

  • Rating of 4 on EWG’s hazard scale
  • A lot of shadow included in each pan
  • Applicator included in case
  • Cheap

Zuzu Luxe Individual Shadows

The Details

Step 2 in my daily makeup routine after eyelid primer is eye shadow. I’ve used CoverGirl for a long time because it gives good, smooth coverage and is available in a wide range of colors, for sale pretty much everywhere, and not super pricey. I typically prefer shadows that are 1 color per pan—with the 3-color pans, there’s always one color that runs out first and it turns into a hassle to have several trios just because I used more of “Fancy Peach” than “Desert Sand!”

My usual application is a nude color over the entire eyelid, followed by a darker neutral at the outside of each eye and into the eyelid crease. So, I needed to replace two CoverGirl colors with two less toxic alternatives.

Step 2 in my daily makeup routine after eyelid primer is eye shadow. What is a good, less toxic natural eye shadow brand to use?

The CoverGirl eye shadow I used was rated a 4 on the EWG’s hazard scale. Not awful, but not great. The first replacement shadow I’m trying is Zuzu Luxe, which is rated a 2 on the hazard scale and classified as low hazard.

I found these individual pans of Zuzu Luxe shadow for sale at my local Natural Grocers in a wide range of colors. They also had a lot of open test products available so I was able to pick my two colors and actually try them on the back of my hand before buying which was great for ruling out shades that were too dark, too light, and too orange!

The Zuzu shadows apply evenly and the coverage seems equivalent to the CoverGirl shadow I was using before. You get less shadow in each pan than the CoverGirl shadows, and each one is more expensive. However, I definitely recommend trying your local health foods store like Natural Grocers, Sprouts, or Whole Foods because I think the prices were slightly less in-store than online.

The only downside with these Zuzu Luxe shadows is that they don’t include an applicator or space to store it within the case. I bought a pack of 1000 cheap applicators online and, after suffering through about 900 of them, decided to treat myself to the CoverGirl applicators . These are really soft, hold a lot of product, and last a long time without the foam ends falling off.

The Conclusion

Want to reduce your exposure to toxins in makeup? Zuzu Luxe eye shadows make a great alternative to drugstore brands like CoverGirl. They offer smooth application, good coverage, and a wide range of shades available.

Want to reduce your exposure to toxins in makeup? Zuzu Luxe eye shadows make a great alternative to drugstore brands like CoverGirl. They offer smooth application, good coverage, and a wide range of shades available.

Other Posts in this Series

Affiliate Disclosure: This website uses affiliate links. If you buy a product on Amazon using my links, I’ll earn a commission on your purchase. It doesn’t add anything to the product prices. Unless otherwise noted in a specific post, I am not paid or endorsed by the manufacturers of the products I use.

Eyelid Primer: Is there a natural brand with good hold?

Caitlin2 Comments

This is one post in a 6-post series about replacing my drugstore makeup brands with less toxic products, as rated by the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database, which is an awesome free resource for researching your own beauty products and common ingredients.

Read the first post in this natural makeup series »
I decided to try Mineral Fusion's Smoothing Eye Primer and so far, so good! I'm able to wear makeup for 12+ hours per day—including workouts—without it getting smudgy or getting an eyelid crease.

The High-Level Comparison

NARS EYE PRIMER

  • Really strong hold (occasionally overnight)
  • Keeps eye shadow in place during workouts
  • Easy to apply

MINERAL FUSION EYE PRIMER

  • Strong hold (12+ hours)
  • Keeps eye shadow in place during workouts
  • Slightly tacky consistency, less easy to apply

The Details

I wasn’t able to find data in the EWG database about the NARS primer specifically, but saw that most NARS products were rated a 4 or 5 on the hazard scale. So, even though I’ve used this NARS primer loyally for years, I decided this was the first product to switch. I researched and read about a number of primers online, from the All Natural Face’s Magic Primer (which I didn’t try, but am curious about) to some homemade primer concoctions sold online with no labels (sketchy).

I decided to try Mineral Fusion’s Smoothing Eye Primer and so far, so good! It’s stickier to apply than the NARS primer, which has more of a powdery dry feeling. I’m able to wear makeup for 12+ hours per day—including workouts—without it getting smudgy or getting an eyelid crease. I think NARS held slightly better (occasionally even overnight when I was too lazy to remove makeup at night), but I don’t really need that level of adhesive for day-to-day wear!

I tried this eyelid primer with both my “normal” CoverGirl eyeshadow and my new less toxic replacement shadow (Zuzu Luxe) and the hold seemed the same with both.

EWG scientists reviewed Mineral Fusion Smoothing Eye Primer for safety according to the methodology outlined in our Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. We assess the ingredients listed on the labels of personal care products based on data in toxicity and regulatory databases, government and health agency assessments and the open scientific literature. Mineral Fusion Smoothing Eye Primer is EWG VERIFIED™.

EWG’s Skin Deep Database

The Conclusion

Is there a natural, less toxic brand with good hold? Yes! The Mineral Fusion Smoothing Eye Primer is working great for me. The hold is good, the product is cheaper than the NARS primer I was using before, and one tube lasts a long time.

Is there a natural, less toxic brand with good hold? Yes! The Mineral Fusion Smoothing Eye Primer is working great for me. The hold is good, the product is cheaper than the NARS primer I was using before, and one tube lasts a long time.

Other Posts in this Series

Affiliate Disclosure: This website uses affiliate links. If you buy a product on Amazon using my links, I’ll earn a commission on your purchase. It doesn’t add anything to the product prices. Unless otherwise noted in a specific post, I am not paid or endorsed by the manufacturers of the products I use.