Once a makeup junkie, always a makeup junkie, right?

How does a product-obsessed, more-is-more makeup artist decide to “go clean” and find a home and career as a minimalist on the clean beauty scene?

In the beginning…

As a little girl exploring the endless bounty of my mother’s makeup bag, I felt enraptured by the colors, shapes, and textures. I would take each piece out one by one and separate them based on my kindergarten criteria (anything colorful or glittery = “super amazing cool” while taupes, mauves, or mattes = “ew boring”).

I carried this aesthetic into my teens and twenties. Here’s a visual: I worked at a restaurant where we had to wear vividly patterned neckties, and would match my eyeshadow to the tie. Subtle, I know!

When I first started as a makeup artist, I didn’t think anyone would hire me unless my makeup was as loud as possible. If it didn’t make a statement, where was the value?

I became a walking billboard for what many women actually don’t want to look like. I was clueless, but passionate – and when you’re 19, that’s just enough to pursue your dreams.

Luckily for me and my career, my tastes evolved over time. I traded in the magenta eyeshadow for a well-defined black winged eyeliner, an over-filled in extra-strong brow and a bold red lip. Although this is still a favorite look, at the time I was so focused on the glamour I never paid attention to what lay beneath the surface of the products I was using.

However, over time, I started to question my unhappy skin and seemingly perfect makeup products.

One day, I specifically remember trying a new liquid eyeliner that was supposed to be the best. While the application was flawless and it looked great, I couldn’t get it off. Makeup remover, coconut oil, face wash… it wouldn’t budge. What the heck was in this stuff, and why wouldn’t it come off my face? I swear I could hear my eyelids begging me to give it a rest.

My skin was also upset. I had blemishes and dry patches but an oil slick of a t-zone. It would take me up to three washes at the end of the night to remove my makeup – makeup that I was using to cover up my skin problems.

Time for a transition

Although transitioning to non-toxic makeup ended up having immediate positive effects, I began the journey with tons of questions (and some fears).

How could I possibly maintain the level of glamour my clients expect with organic, non-toxic, plant-based ingredients?

What if I use them on a client and she sweats on the red carpet?

And doesn’t the “all natural” label mean that everything would land in my “ew boring” pile?

I couldn’t compromise my kindergarten rating system. It was what made me… me.

I began to explore and educate myself. I started researching the brands in my local health food store – ones I’d glossed over for years.

Frankly, I was shocked when I started finding products that qualified as “super amazing cool.” I still remember discovering the perfect red lip that was free of petrolatum. Then came the gorgeous, vibrantly colored eyeshadow palettes made without parabens and synthetic preservatives – and were soft, silky, and blendable, at that.

I saw into the future!

Present day…

Now, I’m 31 years old writing from the point of view of a makeup artist who won’t ever apply a product with fragrance listed in the ingredients, regardless of how gorgeous it looks. I’ve tossed my favorite designer products, replacing them with makeup lines who focus more on the bioaccumulative effects of phthalates, versus whether or not it’ll stay impeccably applied for 72 hours.

My transition didn’t happen overnight, but the results of the process were almost immediate. I was hooked.

What changed?

Of course I needed to experiment on myself before I started to introduce this new approach to my clients. Almost immediately, the physical benefits revealed themselves:

  1. My skin improved. Not only did my blemishes seem to fade away, but my face looked brighter and more alive. It was easy to look tired being on set for 12 hour days because I was! And you could tell. Beginning to use makeup products with wholesome, nutrient-rich ingredients felt like I was watering a wilted plant. Within days, everything perked up and looked alive again.
  2. I didn’t feel like I had anything on my face weighing me down, or clogging my pores even when I went full-on glam. Most of us are familiar with that cakey, heavy feeling we can get from a full face of makeup. Cake be gone! (Unless it’s double chocolate ice cream cake… then I’m in.)
  3. I recovered quickly from sunburn. I have olive skin, so I’d always been a sun worshipper without thinking about damage. Now I wear SPF every day, but occasionally still get a bit of a burn. After switching to clean, my skin healed more quickly without compromising the integrity of texture. I could use my foundation without my skin looking patchy or dry because of how hydrating and healing the formula was.

Today, my skin is the most vibrant it has ever been. I get compliments on how beautiful and minimal my makeup looks, which has gotten me more new clients than using full-on theater makeup ever did. I’m a walking billboard for health, which most women do want.

Best of all, I’m putting everything non-toxic in my “super amazing cool” pile while staying true to the little girl who only wanted to wear blue eyeshadow and hot pink lipstick at 6.

The clean beauty revolution is upon us, and the only thing we have to compromise is what’s already in our makeup bag. It can be scary to break up with something that’s been your favorite for years, but trust me when I tell you: this new relationship you’re about to dive into will be your happily ever after.

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