Category Archives: ‘Green’ Beauty

Dear Carissa- Seeking Natural Skincare that Actually Works

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Dear Carissa,

I prefer natural skincare but I’m tired of throwing money away on things that don’t work. What’s a skin care line that will make my skin look good without any harsh chemicals?

Thank you!

Heather Allentown, PA

Hi Heather,

There are so many natural and organic lines out there, but one homerun that I see work for women (I’m also a big fan) time and again is Nude Skincare. They started out with a smaller range and have gradually introduced some heavy hitters in terms of advanced skincare like their Advanced Cellular Renewal Moisturizer $92 which is sort of the La Mer of the natural skin scene. Its texture is silky with a medium weight that absorbs into the skin quickly – great for both under makeup and nighttime wear. Their pro-biotic and Advanced Cellular Renewal technologies along with select natural actives are what make it so effective. It’s not that it really works without including chemicals, it’s that it just really works.

Safe Skincare For Babies

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When it came time to choose skincare for my yet to be born daughter, I knew I wouldn’t be reaching for the typical J&J, (you can see what’s in their original formula Baby Lotion HERE.) I knew the formulas I chose would be clean, safe, and effective so after some research here’s the skincare we’ll be using on our baby girl.

Mustela Cold Cream

Cosmetics Database Rating: 5 See HERE

The product that’s linked to the database score is for the stick formulation, this is the cream one that I’m using but the ingredients are almost identical. I think the 5 score is because of the addition of fragrance but it’s a French line which means their fragrances aren’t sourced the same as ours and tend to be much safer.. This has been the only cream I’ve used on my growing belly that has stopped the insane itching. It locks in moisture using beeswax and natural fatty acids leaving a mild slip behind for hours with only the tiniest amount needed. Its dry skin formulation can also be used on red or irritated skin to calm and soothe.

Weleda Calendula Baby Cream

Cosmetics Database Rating: 5 See HERE

Again, pesky fragrance is to blame for the misleading 5 score, but I’m comfortable knowing that it’s safely sourced without chemical compounds. We’re big Weleda fans in our house so we knew their baby line would be a good fit for what we wanted. It’s rich in Almond Oil, Beeswax, and calming Calendula. I’ve heard for years how people use this formula to get rid of chicken skin on the backs of their arms because it’s so moisturizing and healing. It’s also rich and really creamy so just a little bit goes a really long way.

Olive Remedy Natural Diaper Cream

Cosmetics Database Rating: Unknown

A basket of goodies from this made in Colorado line was a gift from friends and it has me totally obsessed. It’s formulated by a pharmacist dad of three who was desperate to cure his children’s constant diaper rash. The line is outstanding- their Body Butter is the best I’ve ever used, a creamy solid that quickly melts into a rich oil upon skin contact for maximum absorption. I can’t obviously speak to the effectiveness of the rash cream yet, but the ingredients are the cleanest I’ve found (olive oil, grape seed oil, zinc, beeswax, jojoba oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, vitamin e, shea butter, palm oil, and almond oil) with a high 21% zinc to fight off skin irritations. If it’s as good as the rest of the line, I’ll be happy.

Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Baby-Mild Castile Soap

Cosmetics Database Rating: 1 See HERE

This and a foamer are all you need to clean just about everything. We ditched the Dial long ago and found that Dr. Bronner’s used as an everyday hand soap makes the biggest difference in the softness of your skin. I’ve gotten everyone hooked on this wash for their hair, skin, hands, dogs, kids, and whatever else needs mild cleansing. It’s ultra concentrated and the best castile soap you’ll find. Their unscented baby formula is what we’ll use for our little one’s bath time.

Alima Pure Let Them Eat Cake Collection

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If you’re named after something it’s called a namesake, but if you’re named after a cake would it then be a cakesake? Namecake? Anyway…These 4 totally adorable shadows from Alima Pure’s Let Them Eat Cake collection are the ‘cakesakes’ of the yummy desserts they resemble. I like Alima Pure’s shadows – versatile with good pigment and with one of the cleanest formulations around. Each of these 4 shadows are of the everyday variety with the deeper shades allowing for some options in depth. Red Velvet reminds me of Stila’s epic Twig shadow while Angel Food gives a nude shimmer similar to their popular Kitten shade minus the orangy tint that can make Kitten a challenge on fair skin. Strawberry Shortcake is a delicate pink shimmer while Devil’s Food can be used for a punch of drama or as a liner.

Check it-


Left to right: Red Velvet, Strawberry Shortcake, Angel Food, Devil’s Food

I’m slowly transitioning into mineral formulas when I find ones with good pigment and wear time, not an entirely easy task but these 4 made the cut into my kit. You can use them wet to punch them up, or pat them right over a still-tacky layer of shadow primer for a better grab and a heightened look.

Vapour Organic Beauty Stratus Instant Skin Perfector

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Don’t be confused by the stick applicator, just think of it as a makeup primer/skin perfector with a hint of moisture. Infused with 70% certified organic ingredients and 30% vitamins and natural pigments, it’s the first naturally sourced primer that I can actually use in my kit because it gives a professional result as soon as it touches the skin. Use it as a quick primer under makeup, or because of its soft focus pigments that blur pores and imperfections, as a perfector in place of foundation so your skin looks really great without adding color. Great for for hitting the gym or for days when you just don’t have the energy for a full face of makeup, which for me is admittedly most days.

It comes in 3 very subtle skin tone balancing shades, but the one I have is 903 the yellow-based one that I’ve used successfully on all skin types. The carry less of a ‘color’ and more of a ‘tone’ that’s so slight that the yellow cast disappeared immediately.

I especially love it for crow’s feet pre-makeup to blur out fine lines and give a good base that makeup doesn’t settle into. For a while my go-to for this was L’Oreal Studio Secrets but I honestly get a better result with Stratus not to mention how much better I feel about using a chemical-free formula.

I also found that if you rub a little onto your finger tips, you can press it on top of areas where your foudation looks heavy or chalky to help it warm into the skin a’la Mercier’s Secret Finish.

Check out Stratus and all things Vapour HERE.

Blissoma Botanical Skincare

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Blissoma’s science-meets-nature approach is what I love about great skincare. It’s the happy medium of having more than just two ingredients of nuts and berries or being solely engeneered with chemicals you can’t pronounce. You can pronounce all of their ingredients, most botanical, but there’s also a lot of science that goes into every little jar so that each ingredient helps another to work better, penetrate deeper, and give a better result than if used alone. Blissoma is award winning and popular enough to be sold at Abe’s Market yet remains slightly under the radar.

I had a chance to try out the line recently and really liked it. Nothing caused my skin to freak out as some botanical lines do (I’m looking at you Hauschka and Evan Healy. Sidebar: I might do a separate post on Evan Healy which was the worst skincare experience I’ve had in years.)

Anyway, here are a few standouts from the line I liked best.

Most certainly natural, but not all the way hippie is the scent behind this thick serum of plant-based moisture. Awake is designed for normal to oily skin, it works to both hydrate and lightly mattify giving the perfect prep for makeup. I found that it felt very neutral on, just how I like my skin to feel. If you’re looking for something more hydrating, check out Restore and its blend of 10 essential oils that gives skin a healthy glow and a ton of clean moisture.

As much as I can, I use natural-based cleansers which I’ve found to strip less and leave skin really clean. Their Mild Rice Cleanser is thick enough to grab onto impurities but still really gentle. I used olive oil and my Magic Mitt to remove my eye makeup as I always do, so I didn’t give it the mascara removal challenge. I had a client with Eczema use it to see what she thought and she said it was one of the best cleansers she’d ever tried because it didn’t leave her skin red and inflamed after washing. She’s so sensitive she was down to using just Vaseline and water so she was thrilled. I gave her mine. The girl deserves a calm face.

Check out Blissoma HERE or at Abe’s online.

My Safe Skincare During Pregnancy Segment on Denver’s Everyday Show

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carissa

Here’s a look at my segment from this morning’s Everyday show where I brought my person arsenal for keeping skin looking great during pregnancy. Don’t mind the microphone pack in my back pocket, I thought I was going to be on the other side…

Here’s a list of what I brought along with pricing and links out to the products:

For stretch mark prevention and to soothe dry, itchy skin:

Coconut Oil
One Love Organics Skin Savior $68

For acne and oily skin:

Glytone Cleansers $30

Obagi Exfoderm Forte $58

For melasma, acne scarring, and discolorations:

Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation $45

For wrinkles and fine lines:

Trilogy Organic Rosehip Oil $44

Everything I brought were products I use daily and love (you can tell by the Ole which had finger dips in it) so it’s a great lineup even if you’re not pregnant but just looking for safer, chemical-free alternatives.

Again, see the segment HERE