Product rec! Product rec!  This is going to be a staple in my makeup bag for quite some time.  The brand is Josie Maran and she fills the white space in the all-natural but high quality makeup marketplace.  Lets be honest….a non-allergenic, non-toxic foundation that actually offers coverage and staying power is RARE.  But Josie Maran did it.

Check it: Josie Maran cosmetics are PARABEN FREE, ANIMAL CRUELTY FREE, FRAGRANCE FREE, ORGANIC, NATURAL, VEGAN, PETA APPROVED, in packaging that is RECYCLABLE OR BIODEGRADABLE.  She also has a strong non-toxic rating in the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/)

While she became famous for her Argan Oil, my favorite product is the Matchmaker Serum Foundation.  Gives incredible coverage, matches perfectly to my skin shade, and goes on like a light lotion so never feels cakey. I also set it with her Matchmaking Powder.

A superb all-natural makeup in an ocean of large cosmetics companies who are not willing to take the chemicals out of their products.  Josie Maran sets the bar, and hopefully  many more in the industry will catch this wave.

http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com/

Sold at Sephora for $42.  http://www.sephora.com/argan-matchmaker-serum-foundation-P280202?skuId=1308121

If equipped with the right resources, we are able to make better decisions for ourselves, as well as take hold of our power as a consumer and actually create change.  

Hello, EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.  Tap this into your Bookmarks Bar now.

The Environmental Working Group’s mission is to “use the power of information to protect human health and the environment”.  Skin Deep Cosmetics Database was created in 2004 to divulge skincare ingredients and safety precautions otherwise unregulated and unlisted on cosmetics packaging.  It now includes about 70 thousand different products within their searchable database, rating brands and ingredients based on their levels of safety and/or toxicity.  Leave-in conditioner…Toothpaste…Lip Liner….even baby products… it’s extensive, and totally user-friendly.  The site sees over 1 million visitors per month.

Before you go plowing through all of the ingredients in your bathroom cabinet (you know you want to…) explore the site and focus on 1-2 personal care products you would be willing to update to something cleaner.  The site can be overwhelming, and there’s no way to control everything we touch.  But little edits to your daily routine will reap great benefits; not only for your body, but will support responsible brands who have chosen to edit the toxic chemicals out of their products. 

                                             http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/