Imagine this, it’s summertime, and you’re sweating and can’t stop the drops from pouring. And worst of all, that makeup you spent half an hour putting on just this morning looks more like melted ice cream than a dewy glow. By the time you take off your makeup in the evening, your face is covered in craters. Oh your poor pores, what got inside?

I know the pain. Like many women, I struggled with clogged pores due to makeup until I discovered the beauty of natural products. It’s what saved my face from breaking out and made me feel more beautiful than ever. So, if you’re looking to freshen up your face and experiment with new make-up products, I recommend going for the natural route. From a colourful natural eye shadow to a dewy foundation, a hydrating lipstick and blush that doesn’t make your skin scream – there are plenty of products to get a healthy glow all day long.

So, What Makes Natural Makeup Better?

Let’s compare makeup to food. My grandmother once said if you can’t spell it, don’t eat it. Though it sounds like a random saying, it holds some weight. We all like to know what’s being put inside our bodies, so why should it be any different when it comes to the outside too? Your skin is your body’s biggest organ and it absorbs everything you slap on it. Plus, your face is the first thing people see, right?

Your skin doesn’t need a million things but the right things. Natural makeup has fewer ingredients which instead of being synthetically made, occur well, naturally on the earth. These ingredients pose no serious harm to your health. The only thing they may cause is allergies in some people who are sensitive to a certain ingredient. You could in a sense walk outside your house grab some mica, or flowers and make your own. Not exactly the products being sold, but you get the idea.

And if your skin is like mine which is naturally oily, the last thing you want to put on is thick makeup with 57 ingredients, most of which you can’t even pronounce. With natural eye shadows, foundations, and lipsticks tucked away in your handbag your skin will be great.

When you hear natural, you may immediately think of quality, but also more money. And since most people may be inclined to go for cheaper things, they may avoid this type of makeup and buy synthetic products instead. But at what cost? Your body is a temple and should be treated as such. I can’t say I don’t enjoy the wonderful world of candy, fast food and many other joys but to buy organic or natural is proven to be healthier and will leave you looking stunning the more you age. People will not believe you when you say your age.

Let’s Compare the Ingredients

Talc, Mica, Mineral Oil, Boron Nitride, Zinc Stearate, Dimethicone, Calcium Silicate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Quaternium-15. Did I lose you yet? I hope not. These are the ingredients to a very popular synthetic eye shadow, I only listed half and I know only one ingredient here.

The first ingredient listed is Talc. Talc is a naturally occurring mineral used to help cake the makeup on and stick together. But it’s been found to come with certain health risks. There have been a plethora of concerns over the safe use of talc in makeup as it can be tainted with asbestos, a toxic mineral that causes people to become very sick.

How about the ingredients in a typical mineral and natural eye shadow? You’ll find Mica, Titanium Dioxide, and Iron oxide as just a few of the ingredients in natural eye shadows. Mica is a naturally occurring mineral dust. It comes in paper-thin sheets. Titanium dioxide is a naturally occurring opaque fine dust that is great to prevent sunburn and skin damage. Iron Oxide is considered to be safe in cosmetics products because they are non-toxic and non-allergenic. This mineral is well tolerated by those with sensitive skin.

The world of natural makeup is ever-evolving, but it isn’t anything new. Ancient Egyptians known for their focus on beauty used true natural eye shadows like bright blue and extremely black eyeliner. We don’t need Kohl eyeliner to make a nice cat eye, we can leave that for the chimney. We have now mineral liners mixed with Castor Oil, Candelilla Wax, Jojoba Oil, and Cocoa Butter. These are ingredients I know. I can get on board with this.

Go an Extra Step and Choose Vegan Formulations

There are many animal ingredients used in a lot of our daily products, you just don’t know it. Have you ever seen the long list of ingredients and one says proprietary? This refers to information that doesn’t have to be disclosed, it can be a mix of special ingredients for a company. I can tell you sometimes that item they don’t have to say is an animal product. For those who feel strongly about not using products with animals natural vegan makeup is the way to go.

A manufacturer is allowed to label their natural makeup as vegan if they follow a set of specific rules: it must not contain meat, fish, fowl, animal by-products, eggs or egg products, milk or milk products, honey or honey bee products, insects or products from insects such as silk or dyes, or sugar filtered with bone char or be processed with any animal products or by-products.

The More You Glow

As mentioned before, our skin can be a very touchy thing. Preparing for a girl’s night out for the perfect makeup is hard to find. I too have my staples for makeup I know where to get my lipstick, my foundation and so on. But now, it’s time to make healthier decisions and use makeup that is natural and organic.

So, why not start with a simple product like a natural eye shadow? Don’t think you have to compromise variety with natural formulations. This market is growing and there are more colours than I can count to pick from. Whichever way you feel is ok, you shouldn’t feel pressured to be a certain way because others tell you to. But, it’s best to be informed about what you put in and on your body. The more you know the more you grow and then the more you glow.