Of course, make up ended up being just as bad as the skin care products I tried. The difference was, however, that at least the product that cased a rash also covered up the rash. So I put up with it and kept wearing it.
I eventually "woke up." The more I sought to eat an organic diet, the more research I came across warning about the toxins in make up and skin care. The problem was that I couldn't afford the organic and natural products, and I wasn't willing to go without make up since I became reliant on the way it hid my bad skin. So I allowed myself to get sucked into the marketing campaigns by companies like Almay, which tried to convince us consumers that their products were safer than typical drug store brands. They used terms like "98.7% Natural" or even claimed to be an organic line, despite only using a few organic ingredients in a long ingredient list. I was young and inexperienced, so I thought that meant the products were safe. I had no idea that the term "natural" didn't mean anything at all. I also didn't pick up on the fact that the "organic" products were not certified organic, but just used the word "organic" in their names. The blessing was that those products didn't irritate my skin nearly as much as the other drug store brands I used to use. The problem was that because they weren't irritating my skin, I kept using them without realizing how many toxins were still in them. I wore those products for years and years.
It wasn't until about 3 years ago that I found a truly natural brand of make up's foundation on sale and bought it. The difference was astounding. My skin thanked me! My skin stopped "putting up with" the Almay foundation I was using and started to heal. The redness in my skin started to disappear, my acne lessened, my fine lines (at the age of 24) vanished, my skin grew softer, I wasn't fighting peeling skin every morning, and the make up looked so much better. It didn't look like I was wearing heavy cakey make up anymore. My face looked so much more natural. Major difference. That was my wake-up call, and since then I've never looked back at drug store make up.
The foundation that converted to me to organic and truly natural make up brands was MyChelle's Cream Foundation. MyChelle is awesome. Some of their products are a little too pricy for my budget, though, so I buy them when they're on sale. Thankfully, they do last a while, and I honestly believe that their products are fairly priced. I should note that while they offer safe products, they are not organic. Their foundation does have a mild natural scent to it. It doesn't smell like fragrance, but I think the ingredients themselves have a smell to them. It has not bothered me (I just wore it yesterday with no problem,) but for those of you with MCS, I would be cautious with MyChelle.
This caused me to look around for more brands that would work for me. I soon discovered another foundation on sale: Mineral Fusion's Pressed Powder Foundation. This foundation is actually slightly more expensive than MyChelle's foundation stick, but I've been able to find it on sale much more easily. I believe I only paid full price one time in the past 2 years of using it regularly. Between Amazon.com, Vine.com, LuckyVitamin.com, and Whole Foods it's possible to find a great price. I also use their mascara, 3-in-1 blush/ eyeshadow/ lip goss, and eye pencil. I'm madly in love with their products. They offer, by far, my favorite make up ever. The foundation is perfect: it's a bunch of minerals that I get to paint on with a brush. It's a lot like Bare Minerals, if you've heard of them, only a much more trustworthy brand with higher health standards. It looks totally natural and even. Even when my skin looks good without make up, I still like to wear this foundation because it enhances my natural skin and protects it very well.
This is me wearing Mineral Fusion foundation, a heavier amount than normal since you're supposed to do that for photo shoots. (Ignore how tired my eyes look - I have chronic fatigue, give me a break!)
I have not had any eczema or rashes on my face from my make up since switching to natural make up. It has made a profound difference. I wish I had the confidence to switch to being totally free from make-up, but since my skin has a lot of old damage and I prefer to look professional, I doubt I'll quit any time soon. If wearing make up were not considered a professional thing to do, I probably would go without more often... except for the fact that I love how the Mineral Fusion foundation looks on me. ;)
So what's so bad about drug store make up and non-organic make up anyway? A lot of things.
1. Your skin absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it. This news story claims that women have up to 5 lbs of cosmetics in their bloodstream per year.
2. The ingredients in cosmetics are designed to look good and stay put on your skin, not be good for you. Cosmetics are not a health product. Most companies care about how well the product works and how good it looks, meaning they'll use whatever ingredient they feel works best for the job, no matter how toxic or safe. The FDA essentially lets cosmetic companies to do whatever they want.
3. Many common cosmetic ingredients are known toxins and carcinogens.
4. There is a ton of information out there on the subject. When a health issue is this well documented, it's time to take notice:
http://stason.org/articles/wellbeing/health/Hidden-Dangers-Lurking-in-your-Products.html#.VIjPRHuwHP8
http://safecosmetics.org/section.php?id=33
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-cunningham/dangerous-beauty-products_b_4168587.html
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/environmental-breast-cancer-links/cosmetics/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/04/new-study-finds-major-toxins-in-many-cosmetics.aspx
http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Beauty-Cosmetics-Personal-Care-Products/dp/1933771623
http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2012/03/12/dangerous-beauty-top-5-contaminated-beauty-products/
Need I post more links to news stories, studies, and information?
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