I Did a Face Full of Clean Beauty and Here Are My Thoughts

I was chatting with my sister-in-law yesterday via text and we were talking about how as we get older, clean beauty products and clean makeup has become a priority in a way it never was before. I started wearing makeup when I was 13, and in the nearly 20 years that I’ve been applying cosmetics, I hardly ever double-checked a label before I purchased.

I have my facialist to thank for turning me on to clean skincare (Eminence is truly my favorite line. Everything is amazing!). I used to (foolishly) write off clean beauty as ineffectual, but I was so wrong.

For a long time, I thought I was a super oily skin type (I’m actually combination). I realized my longstanding Japanese sunscreen, which is from Sekkisei, was actually what was making me so incredibly greasy. It made my makeup separate on my skin after just a couple of hours, and I went through several oil-blotting sheets a day. I switched over to Eminence Organic Skin Care Red Currant Protective Moisturizer SPF 30 ($68), and haven’t looked back.

After getting my skincare cleaned up, I turned my attention to makeup. I have super sensitive skin and when it doesn’t like something, I break out with cystic acne the day after. In some ways, this is a very annoying barometer for how clean makeup is.

I decided to do a look using only natural beauty products, and I have to say, I love all of these products listed below. I think many of these will be permanent replacements for other items in my makeup bag. There’s just one hang up I have about clean beauty, however, and that is a lot of the products are quite pricey. This post is primarily going to be for face makeup, but I plan on doing another one on eye makeup down the line, and maybe then I can explore some more budget-friendly options. Here’s what I’m wearing in this look.

Kjaer Weis’ Translucent Pressed Powder ($58). I’ve tried a handful of different translucent powders, and including W3ll People and RMS, and I must say, that this one by KW has the most beautiful finish. It disappears into the skin instead of sitting on top of it, so it never gets cakey and like the best kinds of powder, you don’t see it. If you’re oily like me, try this trick where after you moisturize, apply powder FIRST. Follow with primer, then foundation, concealer, and powder again. It’s a great trick to keep my T-zone matte for longer.

Ilia True Skin Radiant Priming Serum ($52). Now, I’ve raved about this primer before in my Travel Beauty Bag post, but it smells so good and it goes on more like skincare than a makeup. I love that it has aloe so that it’s soothing, and it’s also silicone-free.

Ilia True Skin Serum Foundation in Bowen ($54). I’ve been using this foundation for some time now, and I first sought it out because I was looking for a base that didn’t look like I was wearing a heavy amount of foundation. If you’re looking for medium coverage with a dewy, skin-like finish, this stuff is amazing.

Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer in Yucca ($30). Readers, don’t sleep on this concealer. I did for so long, and I regret not switching over sooner. It makes sense that this concealer works like a dream in conjunction with the foundation and primer. It doesn’t settle into your fine lines at all, so it’s not super obvious, yet the coverage is akin to NARS Creamy Concealer of Urban Decay Naked Skin (two of my non-clean favorites).

Han Skincare Cosmetics All Natural Bronzer in Malibu ($16). If there’s such thing as a natural contour shade, this is it. There is no sparkle in this bronzer and it’s cool-toned, which makes it perfect for contouring. It’s pigmented, but not so much that you’d have to work on it with a brush forever to make it blend. It’s colored with cocoa powder and free of talc. I also used this as my eyeshadow.

RMS Luminizer X Quad ($48). These days, I find myself gravitating away from glittery highlighters and towards the glowy sheens that just catch the light. I used Luminizer Nude in this quad for accenting my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, my Cupid’s bow, the inner corners of my eyes, and along my brow bones.

RMS Lip2Cheek in Spell ($36). I love a good double duty product, and I think RMS Lip2Cheek is one of these holy grail products. It’s super pigmented, so just a few dabs on the cheeks give a lovely, natural flush. I tend to like pinky-brown nudes, since even though I’m pale, I have an olive undertone. I use this on my lips sometimes as well.

Juice Beauty Ultra-Natural Mascara ($24). This mascara is what I used for this look, but I received this as a sample, and it’s my first time using it. I can’t yet tell you how well it wears, but I can say the application was smooth and not clumpy. My mascaras tend to smudge, however, so I will report back in my next post about clean beauty.

Jane Iredale Triple Luxe Long Lasting Naturally Moist Lipstick in Jamie ($35). I love Jane Iredale. I got to meet her when I was an editor at Brit + Co, and she was an absolute gem. Additionally, she’s been in the clean beauty game well ahead of other brands, and I have so much respect for her for it. The best part is her products are amazing. I’ve said before in my travel post, but I’ll reiterate, I use these Triple Luxe lipsticks as a balm sometimes when I can’t find my Chapstick. They are that moisturizing.

Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist ($32). I can’t say this enough but this stuff smells so good. While it’s not a setting spray per se, its still really great at melting your makeup for a smoother finish.

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Featured Photo: Park Street/Unsplash