A possible new series that I’d like to work on. The green beauty department has been increasing exponantially and we’re starting to see an exciting variety of makeup and skincare products that can without the shadow of a doubt rival the mainstream beauty products. So this would be what I consider the closest natural alternatives* to some popular beauty products. Starting off with lips and cheeks.
Kevin Aucoin The creamy Glow
There’s a lot of rave and hype surrounding the products from kevin Aucoin. This cream blush suposedly imparts a lovely and feminine glow, that starts off as subtle, but can
be build up for a more pigmented pop of color. The first and main problem with this product is the fact that it contains Propylparaben, a human endoctrine disruptor, proven highly carcinogenic (score of 10 on EWG!) This shouldn’t appear in any product, period.
Price 24$ //£21
Ingredients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Trioctanoin, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Candelilla Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Carnauba, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Ceresin, Grape Seed Oil, Octyldodecanol, Lauroyl Lysine, Propylparaben, Ethylcellulose, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Lecithin, Citric Acid. May Contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Carmine, Ultramarine Blue, Manganese Violet, Ferric Ferrocyanide, FD&C Yellow 5 AL Lake, D&C Red 30, FD&C Yellow 6 AL Lake, D&C Red 6, D&C Red 7 CA Lake, FD&C Blue 1 AL Lake.
The switch:
La Bella Figura Radiant blush in “Just Jenna”
After seeing pictures, and reading more about the product, I didn’t think twice : La bella Figura’s Radiant blush in “Just Jenna” seemed like the perfect choice. Aside from the similar packaging and shade, La Bella Figura has a creamy texture and provides a natural flush of color. It’s also safe to use as a lip color, as reported by the lovely Lilly from Genuine Glow. However, the best part remain the high-quality ingredients: free of parabens, synthetic materials and preservatives, Just Jenna is a stunning blend of exotic and luxurious oils, vegetable butters and flower extracts. Vegan, Gluten and GMO-free too. Your cheeks (and lips) are in for a treat, and they deserve nothing less.
Price : 36$
Ingredients: Camellia Oleifera (Camellia Seed Oil)*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Trichilia Emetica (Marfura) Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuacu) Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Cetearly Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate (Olive Wax), Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Wax, Maranta Arundinacea (Arrowroot) Powder, Kaolinite (White Clay) Powder, Opuntia Ficus Indica (Barbary Fig) Seed Oil*, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil*, Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) Extract, Terminalia Ferinandiana (Kakadu Plum) Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Oil, Schisandra Sphenanthera (Schisandra) Fruit CO2 Extract, Bertholletia Excelsa Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower CO2 Extract*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract*, May Contain-(+/-Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Iron Oxides CI 77499, CI 77891, CI 77019, Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Mica CI 77019
Christian Dior Crème de rose lip balm
Crème de Rose has been very popular in the beauty blogosphere, and it’s an SPF 10 rose-scented lip balms, that nourishes and re-plums the lip. When I searched for the ingredient list, I was quite shocked by how long it was! The brand puts the emphasis on three elements the rose of Damas essential oil, Vitamins A and E and shea butter. Technically with these three you could make a lip balm, but they only appear in (very) low concentrations here. ( I couldn’t find the rose oil, unless it’s what they call “Parfum”…). Truth is, you’re paying a whopping price for a synthetic lip balm.
Price: 27$
Ingredients: Octinoxate, (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate): 7.5%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane: 1%, Isononyl Isononanoate, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Mineral Oil, Polybutene, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Microcrystalline Wax, Shea Butter Extract, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Ribose, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Parfum, Tribehenin, Commiphora Myrrha
Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sunflower Seed Oil, Trimethylolpropane, Triisostearate, Bht, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Propyl Gallate, Alcohol,
Phenylacetaldehyde. [+/-: Ci 12085 (Red 36, Red 36 Lake), Ci 15850 (Red 6, Red 7, Red 7 Lake), Ci 15985 (Yellow 6, Yellow 6 Lake), Ci 17200 (Red 33, Red 33 Lake), Ci 19140 (Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 45370 (Orange 5, Orange 5 Lake), Ci 45380 (Red 21, Red 21 Lake, Red 22 Lake), Ci 45410 (Red 27, Red 27 Lake, Red 28 Lake), Ci 47005 (Yellow 10, Yellow 10 Lake), Ci 73360 (Red 30, Red 30 Lake), Ci 75470 (Carmine), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77002 (Alluminum Hydroxide), Ci 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride), Ci 77491, 77492, 77499 (Iron
Oxides), Ci 77742 (Manganese Violet)].
The switch :
As a self-proclaimed lip product addict, I have tried countless of balms and the Rosey lip balm truly is a stand out. It has the perfect consistency, not too oily, not too waxy, just luscious. Lips feel instantly nourished. It smells like a fresh bouquet of roses and the title “Crème de rose” would rightfully apply for De Mamiel’s lip balm, because as you can tell from the ingredients, it actually contains natural rose extract. (note : I recently tried a sample of
R.L. Linden’s La Balmba Rosa, and this might also be a fantastic US alternative!) The ingredients speak for themselves, unlike Dior’s balm, there are no synthetic ingredients in the Rosey balm.
Price: £12 (approx. 20 $)
Ingredients: Camellia oleifera (camellia) oil*, Oenothera biennis, Tocopherol (evening primrose) oil*, Mangifera Indica (mango) butter, Cocos nucifera, Gardenia taitensis (monoi) oil*, Rosa damascena (rosewax), Calendula officinalis, Helianthus annuus (calendula) oil*, Cera alba (beeswax)*, Manuka honey, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Pelargonium graveolensroseum (rose geranium) oil*, Rosa damascene (rose) oil
Moving on to
eyeshadow with the infamous palettes from Urban Decay. I picked the
Naked 2 because the colors looked similar, but you may find further Lily
Lolo alternatives for the other UD palettes as well.
Urban Decay Naked 2 palette
Some
of my friends swear by it, the shades do look very pretty and I’ve
seen plenty of great makeup looks with the use of this palette. The palette itself doesn’t score bad on EWG, however two ingredients are potentially troublesome: Talc (which is the first ingredient listed) and PTFE. Talc can contain some aluminum and be also contaminated with asbestos fibers, which are posing risks for respiratory toxicity
and cancer. PTFE (Teflon) when in high doses has a risk of toxicity. You may also know about the Teflon coated cooking pans, and how heating teflon is proven dangerous.
The price : 54 $ /£37
Ingredients: Talc, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PTFE (Teflon- polytetrafluoroethylene), Zinc Stearate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Silica, Ethyhexyl Palmitate, , Boron Nitride, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate All Shades May Contain: CI 77019 (Mica), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491/77492/77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77000 (Aluminum Powder), CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride).
The switch:
A beautiful collection of eight eye shadows (shimmer, semi-matte and matte). The Laid Bare palette offers a lovely range of neutral shades, and as you can see some are quite similar to Urban Decay. Lily Lolo provides greatly pigmented shadows. They are talc-free, and packed with pomegranate seed oil which is often used to protect the delicate eye area from, manuks for its antimicrobial properties, and nourishing ingredients ( jojoba – and argan oil).
Price £19.99// (approx. 31$)
Ingredients: mica, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, argania spinosa (argan) kernel oil, punica granatum (pomegranate) seed oil, leptospermum scoparium (manuka) oil, sodium hyaluronate, eryngium maritimum callus culture filtrate, may contain [+/- silica, tin oxide, CI 77891 (titanium dioxide), CU 77491 (iron oxide), CI 77492 (iron
oxide), CI 77499 (iron oxide), CI 77742 (manganese violet). CI 77510 (ferric verrocyanide), CI 77288 (chromium oxide)]
Special mention to
Silk Naturals, which also sell stunning Urban Decay color dupes! You can have a look at the comparison here (
click). Also, if you’d like to make your own pressed palette, you need to check out lovely Ru’s (Short, Small & Sweet) super useful post about
DIY pressed eyesdahow palette.Philosophy Lavender pound cake shower gel/bubble bath
I can’t really imagine what Lavender pound cake smells like, but I assume it’s very sweet. What bothers me more is the presence of known irritants such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate, fragrance (8 on EWG) and Methylchloroisothiazolinone. The presence of Maleic Anhydride is also troublesome, it is linked to allergies when in direct contact with skin, and is classified as a human respiratory toxicant and harmful when used on the lips or around the mouth. I don’t know about you, but as a kid I loved putting on a bubble beard, and I’d prefer to use a bubble bath product that is a bit safer.
Price: 17$ (approx. £11)
Ingredients (for the Peppermint one, couldn’t find the ingredients for Lavender) : Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Ppg-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Parfum/Fragrance, Glycerin, Glycol Distearate, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Panthenol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Tocotrienols, Triolein, Trilinolein, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-10, Maltodextrin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Sodium Sulfite, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Polysorbate 20, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Buteth-3, Tributyl Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Disodium Edta, Potassium Sorbate, Maleic Anhydride, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylene Di-T-Butylcresol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, FD & C Yellow No. 5 (CI 19140), D & C Red No. 33 (CI 17200).
The switch:
To me, it’s a no-brainer, the bottle might not be pink, but it bubbles and smells like Lavender dream. Cruelty-free, and really gentle for the skin, Deep Steep is my go-to bath product for a sweet and relaxing pamper session. The scent is not overpowering, and I didn’t experience any redness nor irriations. The scents of Lavender and Chamomille combined provide immediate soothing and relief.
Price : 7.65$ (iherb)
Ingredients : Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Infusion of Organic Herbs; Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Coco Glucoside, Glycerin (Vegan), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Aroma (Organic and Wildcrafted Aroma Blend), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Caprylic Acid (Coconut Fatty Acid), Tocopherol (Vitamin E) Natural, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid.
What do you think of this series? Would you consider these as alternatives, have your tried any of these?
Take care,
Liz
*Disclaimer: This post was based on my opinion and my researches. I have not personally tried the non-green versions, and I’m not
claiming the green alternatives would be identical, I can speak for them, because I have tried almost all of them. I’m not making the green switch an imperative, you’re free to decide for yourself. If you enjoy any of the non-green product listed, it’s fine. These are only suggestions, in case there are some people looking to gradually switch to more gentle and natural alternatives.
31 Comments
Hi Liz,
What a great series! I love that you took the time to do your research and display ingredients for your readers to see. I love this! Thank you for including our Just Jenna Creme Blush in your series. 🙂
xo La Bella Figura Beauty
Thank you so much for your kind words! I really enjoyed writing this post, and I'm so glad you liked it as well. Just Jenna was the perfect fit, and I'm sure it won't be the last time La Bella Figura will appear on this series 😉 Liz xx
Hello Twin! What a fab series. I love the look of all of these suggestions. I am still using my urban decay shadows (brought before loreal takeover) and will need a replacement when my fave shades are used up. Love the look of the blush and lip balm x
Thank you so much Twin! Oh you'd love the lip balm, it's just beautiful. The cream blush is also amazing, I just wish there was a stockist in Europe for LBF 🙂 xx
I have a very similar series on my blog as well! Can't wait to give that La Bella Figurs cream blush and the de Mamiel balm. I've heard great things about both!
La Bella Figura*
Awesome, I'll have a look at yours too, thank you! I look forward to hearing your thoughts about Just Jenna and the rosey balm. Both are gorgeous products indeed 🙂 xx
Great post! I can't wait to get my hands on the Lily Lolo eye shadow palette.
Thank you Julie! I can't wait to hear your thoughts about the Lily Lolo palette, there needs to be more green palettes 😉 xx
I really hope that you can continue on with this series. I really like the idea of finding natural dupes for high street brands! Nice work!
Thank you so much Heather! I'll carry on with this series, and do my best to find the closest alternatives 🙂 xx
What a terrific idea/post. This loyal reader would love more of the same.
Thank you so much for your support <3 Working on the next one 😉 xx
Brilliant post and I'd LOVE to see more! x
Thank you so much lovely Jen! Will do 😉 xx
Great post! I think you should make more, it's great to prove that there are some great natural products out there! I know the UD Naked Palette isn't the best but I can't bring myself to throw it out! 🙁 the colours are so pretty and they don't crease on me as much as my natural ones but I don't like putting it on, especially now I read there's carmine in it too ahhhhhh! x
Thank you Amber! I know, some shades of the UD palette are really pretty, and I'm aware that the UD palette might perform better, hopefully more green brands will launch eyeshadows palettes do so 🙂 xx
You always came up with the best ideas!<3 Loved it and I can't wait to read more 🙂 I also can't wait to get my Lily Lolo palette, or both :)) xx
Aw thank you sweetest Jana <3 I can't wait to see your review of the palette! xx
Loved it Liz and I look forward to seeing more of this type of posts. Great disclaimer too 😉 And what about that mile long ingredients list in the Dior lip balm, read like a Who's Who of terrible toxicity! deMamiel's balm is a steal in comparison for skin loving goodness! Xx
Thank you Nic! Haha, yes the disclaimer was necessary, I'm not an expert, I'm learning along the way, and in the end people are free to choose what they want ;D xx
This is such a cool idea for a post! I'm so late on the Deep Steep bandwagon – – I really not to get in gear and try some products! xx
Thank you Katie! Hope you try their products soon, some are really lovely. I only wish they wouldn't be so expensive in Europe (a good thing there's iHerb). Also, there's still this Deep Steep handcream I told you about, it can be yours anytime 😉 xx
Love this post! I still haven't opened the De Mamiel lip balm but this is making me want to dig it out, I love how it is presented in the cute box and the glass jar. Dior doesn't even compare as far as I am concerned
Tamara you make me smile all the time with "i still haven't opened".. How you doing this ? Lot of self control :))XX
Thank you lovely! I agree with Julie, I'm in awe of your self-control Tammy. No lip product would be safe with me lol. Yes, Dior looks pretty and I'm sure it plumps the lips as it says, but if people are looking for something with real rose, De Mamiel is a stellar product. xx
haha Liz the best disclaimer i read until now. ooh and you are a genius, this is a very cool theme of post! Also, we need more green eye shadow palette! Help!.. i dream about a rms palette (the only one i can wear with my wayward eyes) Nice post Liz. now my goal is to write the longest comment on your blog haha (i'm joking) thanks for your comment on my blog about haircare.. wow i have so much information with this :)) Xx
Thank you so much Julie! I felt the need to write a disclaimer, because I wouldn't want people to think I'm telling them to stop using their conventional products. That's not the case, I'm just showcasing product that look/perform similarly, with potentially less allergens. People are free to make their own choices. I'm not on a green crusade lol. xx
ps. You're more than welcome to leave me the biggest comment haha. Let me know if you try any of the hair care products 🙂
This is a great post goes to show that if you take the time to search in the lesser known brands you can find some hidden gems that have much better ingredients than their conventional counterparts, the CD lip balm ingredients list nearly gave me palpitations and I am generally quite relaxed about ingredients! Xx
Wanna try so much la bella figura (funny name LOL) make up..looks so luxury!!
The lily lolo brand is so reasonably priced and chic! I really need to give the line a try! Thanks for these great recommendations!