How to Transition to Green Beauty Without Losing Your Fucking Mind

Entering Green Beauty Land from Scary Fucking Toxic Makeup World can be a little daunting, especially when you’re still recovering from the heartache MAC and Urban Decay inflicted upon you. I’m here to share my Green Beauty journey, and give you some tips and secret hacks to make life easier. First things first,

1. DON’T DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE IF YOU CAN’T.
   If you don’t have the resources to do an immediate rehaul, start with the most important items first, those being your base. Items like cleanser, toner, moisturizer/serum, primer and foundation should be your first concern when making the switch. Not only are these absorbed immediately into your skin, they also cover the largest surface area. I would also rank lip products as equally important. Most lip products contain extremely dangerous chemicals like lead, which are ingested and go into our bloodstream.

2. KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
   It may seem like common sense, but I’ve heard of people searching for their HG natural makeup, and getting disappointed over and over because they go by what the majority likes. A lot of women in the Green community like natural, light coverage makeup. If you prefer a matte or full coverage, you need to specifically search for that. But don’t get bummed, there are PLENTY of full coverage and glam options in Green Beauty Land. I would recommend following Brianna or FaceByMeagan if you’re more into the “instagram makeup” look.

3. GREEN BEAUTY GURUS
   I’ve found Green Beauty Gurus to be a lot like normal Beauty Gurus, but way less annoying and more authentic. Most of these women actually want to HELP you find the perfect product, not just appease their sponsors. Not ALL conventional beauty gurus are corrupt, but you’ve got to admit the culture has a nasty underbelly. The Green beauty community seems to be a lot more helpful and down to Earth. Some of my favorite gurus are:
   Jenna Catherine
   https://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalBeautifulLife
   AESTHETIKA
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3hHWkrz2VBJ1EY2LTWAddw
   Amber Newman
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU2OkjBKdv7B64PUUFi3aHw
   FaceByMeagan
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDiZ0V1Q6bKYpB8xHBUOhDA
   Brianna (best for affordable Green makeup!)
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo2MDTOK0FbWo4DmC8-i2vg
   Laura’s Natural Life (my favorite)
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsCiLm2u1H7npIafShH_Izg

4. SAMPLES
   This one saved my motha fuckin life. Because there aren’t near as many physical stores to shop Green beauty as conventional makeup, many online stores offer small sample sizes for a lower price. Just google the product you’re looking for followed by “sample” and you’re bound to find one. Most stores also offer 3 FREE SAMPLES with every purchase. Every sample I’ve ever received was extremely generous in size and allotted at least three uses. This allowed me to really test out the product and decide if it was for me before purchasing the full size.

5. ONLINE BEAUTY SHOPS
   Think you’re doing good by shopping for Bare Minerals and Tarte? Nope. Most of their products are labeled as “natural” but are just as full of bullshit as the others. This is a phenomenon called “Greenwashing” and a LOT of companies are guilty of it. Lush, Aveeno, Organix, Aveda and Arbonne just to name a few.There are several online beauty stores which ONLY sell truly non-toxic, cruelty-free products, so you can shop with peace of mind. Some of my favorites are
   www.integritybotanicals.com
   www.credobeauty.com
   www.thedetoxmarket.com
   www.aillea.com
   All of these sites offer at least 10% off your first order. But my absolute favorite place to shop Green in general is
   www.pharmaca.com
   Pharmaca almost always offers products at a lower price than their competitors, and on top of that, they are almost ALWAYS having a 20% (or more) off sale.

6. DEALS
   Just like any other kind of shopping, you have to know where to look for dem discounts. Try checking these websites around holidays or near the end of the month. I was lucky enough to do my makeup bag rehaul around Christmas and saved a RIDICULOUS amount of money. If the Green beauty stores aren’t having any sales, try going to the actual makeup brand’s website.

7. GREEN BEAUTY SUBSCRIPTION BOXES
   YES! They exist! And they make Ipsy look like trash. Currently my absolute favorites are two affordable options:
   Good Being, $10-25
   I love this box because you get to pick 1-2 products in your box each month and make a custom profile. This means receiving products you want, not random products that are going to sit in your bathroom drawer for months.

8. EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT PRODUCT COMBINATIONS
   Because Green makeup is missing all the nasties, it can behave a little differently than conventional makeup. For instance, i’ve noticed that every concealer I’ve tried has creased just the tiniest bit under my water line. However, I’ve been able to remedy this with a thin extra layer of powder directly in that area. I still have yet to find a non-toxic mascara that makes my lashes look beautiful and DOESN’T MF SMUDGE. It’s either one or the other. So for mascara I coat my lashes with a thin layer of my non-toxic mascara to form a type of “barrier” and then I put my HG conventional mascara over top. You might have to get a little creative, but wearing makeup that doesn’t give you fucking cancer is more than worth it.

9. HAVE FUN!
   Perspective is everything!!! If you see this as a chore, you’re going to get annoyed super easily and give up the first time you get disappointed by a product. Instead, think of the switch as a fun adventure where you get an excuse to try out and buy tons of new makeup {heart eyes.} I promise the process is just as rewarding as ridding yourself of toxic bullshit chemicals.