Okay, friends, ready for a scene change? I have never chatted beauty products on my blog before – I have here-and-there on Instagram – but I’m cementing the convo here for the first time because 1) I actually have a lot to say about the new-and-improved, CLEAN products I’m currently using and 2) I’ve had the conversation about why and how I’ve been “going clean” four different times in the last two weeks, which tells me that someone out there on the world wide web might benefit from the convo, too. I shared on my IG Stories last Saturday that I’m dedicating the rest of my blog posts this week to the four “clean swaps” I’ve made, inviting anyone there to tune if they wanted to, so HERE WE ARE! Let’s kick things off with all things “face.” 🙂

The products above are what I’m currently using for both skin care and makeup. I’ll dive into each of them below in a second, but first, here’s my run-down as to why I’ve been transitioning from “dirty” to “clean” products.

MY WHY

The story is pretty simple: I started a little journey over a year ago to help my skin heal from old acne scars, to help my skin even out in texture and skin tone, to kill adult acne breakout frequencies, and to help my skin for the long run (I started seeing wrinkles and fine lines and wanted to nip that sweet stuff in the bud). Basically I wanted GREAT SKIN, and I wanted to experience great skin as I age, so I made it a goal to get my skin to the point of being “makeup free” — of being able to step outside without thinking twice about it.

As my journey began, I came across a friend-of-a-friend on IG with great, natural-looking, healthy skin that was sharing her few, affordable, effective skin care products. She introduced me to a toner that I still use and a wrinkle-reducing moisturizer. I jumped on them ASAP and started to see results! I was so happy. I shared these products with y’all on IG, and some of you tried them and you were so happy! Fast forward at least six months, and I come across another woman on IG – @just.ingredients – who introduced me to the science behind the toxins and additives in our products and food, and how they effect our bodies’ systems. EX, endocrine disruption is being proven to have correlation with non-organic, “dirty” products, and endocrine disruption, my friends, is not good. The endocrine system manages hormone production and balance and when it gets out of whack, scientists are finding, things can get really out of whack. Disruption in the endocrine system is linked to infertility, acne, mood swings, depression and anxiety, poor sleep, and more…and okay, YIKES. None of that sounds fun. Some of that was what I was experiencing then, too – the acne, the moodiness – I mean, all of that goes along with being a human woman (female hormones are crazy town), BUT. I found myself wondering if the products I was using were playing into my little problems?? I started to think about the break I could cut my endocrine system – and my body overall – by cutting out the not-so-good products I was using, and I decided that as I ran out of my “dirty” products, I was going to try those deemed “clean.” Well, guess what…

The clean products have worked for me. The bright, firm, clear, even-toned skin I once dreamed about and hoped for has arrived for me (can you hear the angels sing!!!), and I largely attribute it to my new and improved, toxin-free skin care and makeup goods. I think they’re working for me in two ways:

1) The ingredients in my daily, go-to products nourish my skin. My face serum doesn’t just hydrate; it has additional ingredients that heal. My foundation doesn’t just cover up blemishes; it also has ingredients that heal. So externally, the products are kind and literally helpful to my skin.

2) Because the products are chemical and toxin-free, they’re also nice to my body internally. They’re not bringing endocrine disruptors into my body via chemicals and toxins, so my endocrine system isn’t having to work overtime to decipher which hormones are natural and which are mimicked by the chemicals. In other words: my body’s systems aren’t being jolted so, naturally, I have had less skin hiccups. That is so major! Without incoming toxins, my body’s systems can better do their job, leaving me without acne, and then with less moodiness, etc…again, can you hear the angels sing?

That said, I want to be sensitive toward my girls shouldering the bigger health issues, like infertility and depression and anxiety. I do not want to “umbrella” you and claim that if you just switch your products out, then your problems will be gone. Because no, there is so much that goes into those health conditions, and if you’re battling one of them right now, I ache for you, sister. I admire you. I so understand that you’re fighting in ways I cannot see and do not know anything about. But I do think, because of science and some personal experience, that our health conditions can be impacted by products that we use and food that we eat, and that little by little, our health can be improved on a whole.

I hope that if you read my blog that you forever take what I say here with a grain of salt. You do you, because you know “you.” I’ll do me, and I’ll share what has boosted life, but man how I respect you. “Clean living” is a topic that merits that kind of respect between friends, simply because the clean living spectrum is huge! I mean, you can go so far as to having a “clean,” toxin-free carseat for your babies. I don’t personally feel that I have that need, but once upon a time, was my skin needing help? Yes. All of us has the opportunity to evaluate our health and where we may be lacking (like my poor skin) and to ask ourselves, “Are the products I’m using and is the food I’m eating throwing off my systems and perpetuating my problems?” If we can answer “yes,” like I have been able to, then it’s our opportunity to do something about it! Our bodies are such gifts. Our bodies deserve serious, deliberate love and care. We deserve the best love and care, sister! When we are well, we are happier and we feel whole. When we are well, our people have a better chance at being happy and whole, too.

MY WHAT

Now let me introduce you to WHAT I’m currently using for skin care and makeup. Come get ready with me! This will be fun. 😉

— Makeup removing cloths. To cut down on product use, I snagged these wipes about a month ago and I’ve been totally pleased with them. All you do is wet the wipe and rub your makeup right off, no cleanser needed!

— Oil-based cleanser. Even with the makeup removing cloths, I still like to use cleanser, and this one has been my go-to for a while. I’ve learned that this cleanser isn’t as clean as I’d like it to be, so I’ll find a cleaner option when I run out of it. But I have definitely liked how this cleanser does its job overall.

— Witch hazel toner. Not pictured above, but something I’ve talked about on IG before, my skin toner has kept my skin very happy. Witch Hazel is a natural astringent, so it helps skin cells bind together, leaving your skin firmer and tighter. Win-win.

— Face serum. Okay this one. It is king. Between this healing bottle of face-serum magic and my clean foundations (see below!), my skin has reached my goal of being acne-free, even, and bright. Ha-le-lu-jah. I love this face serum (it has jojoba oil, frankincense and citrus oils – stuff that helps and heals). I’ve thought about making my own concoction like this later on, but for now, I’m happy to get it from Just Ingredients’ site. Mm stuff is so good!

— Dew Skin foundation. Okay, Beauty Counter’s clean makeup has been GAME CHANGING for me. I mean, it makes sense: foundation is something I put on my body’s biggest organ – my skin – on the daily. It makes sense to me that my skin improved when I swapped out my old Clinique foundation for Beauty Counter’s clean, kind options. Like the face serum above, the Dew Skin foundation has healing ingredients within it (like black currant and Vitamin C!), so it doesn’t just cover up my face, it nourishes it.

— Tint Skin foundation. Same with this guy! It’s a healing product, too, on the outside, and it’s a nice product to my body on the inside — it isn’t packing endocrine disruptors into my system. I like to use a blend of both foundations. The results with both are so pretty.

— Concealer and brow gel. Okay so now we’re jumping into products that are just fun. Beauty Counter’s concealer pen is unreal good at its job. I used to get Clinique’s concealer and it pales in comparison to this one. I can cover up a blemish in the morning and it’ll still be covered in the evening with this stuff. I love it. The brow gel is awesome at what it does, too. It makes my brows look natural, like they’re made of hair and not ink, all while tinting them.

— Lipsticks! I love these two lipsticks. I like to mix both of them, too. One is a little red, one is a little pink, together both work for me. My lipsticks aren’t “clean,” because remember that spectrum concept? I don’t fall on the end of clean lipstick like I do with my foundation. No doubt some people do, but I’m not there right now.

— Highlighter cream. This is another not-clean product that I still love and will still recommend 100% while I’m still using it. I’m on the hunt for a clean highlighter when I run out of this one, but I use such a small amount of highlighter that I’m not worried about its “dirtiness” effecting me too much. Again, the spectrum concept and knowing your needs is important to keep in mind when weighing which clean products are important for you to use and worth your financial investment.

— Lastly, lashes. I wasn’t born with long, lush eyelashes, so anything that can give my lashes a good lift is something I’ll take. Beauty Counter has a clean mascara that I like well enough, but again, my eyelashes don’t feel “needy” for clean mascara so far, so I’m good to still use my more affordable, effective grocery-store option, like this one by Maybelline.

And now, since I’m alllll ready now – for kicks! – here’s my “before” I put those products to use…

And my after. Happy skin, both with and without makeup! Although I love how my makeup and works with my face — I can still see my freckles, I look like myself, but my skin tone is even with a little side of “glow.”  Huzzah! Makes me a happy girl. 🙂

And that, my friends, is that. Woo! This post turned out to be a novel. A necessary-to-share novel, though. I can’t go back to my old lotions or foundations after experiencing the results I have had with my clean products above, and I can’t stay silent about it all while the girl next door may be struggling like I was. Honestly, at least regarding Beauty Counter’s makeup and its cost? I wish I could go back to the dirty, cheaper stuff, haha! To offset the makeup cost, I actually joined Beauty Counter as a consultant in March — I mean, to get a 25% discount on these good-for-me products? I’ll take that (especially since their consultant program has no monthly buying requirements). Unless I can find something even better, I’m a Beauty Counter makeup lifer. I don’t plan on becoming a Beauty Counter junkie – just a solid makeup customer – and a lady that’s eager to spread the “clean” word. I am just so grateful to have a clean makeup option – especially makeup that works. So grateful to have found cleaner products overall! So grateful that my skin finally feels like “me.”

Thanks for reading, friends! See you back here tomorrow for my transition to clean deodorant (promise that post will be a little shorter — and that it won’t stink 😉 ).

xoxox

Jeni