Welcome to Natural Organic Makeup and Skin Care Resource!

Why organic? What is it? Who makes it? Where to get it? These are the questions I get all the time. The organic movement is growing faster and wider every day. There is so much out there, that it is easy to get lost. And it’s only getting bigger…

So my goal is to find the best natural skin care and makeup products and to share my findings with you. You will find here detailed reviews, brand features, tips, tricks and anything else that can help us find our way in this brave new world of natural cosmetics.

As a guide to the site, please note that there is a regularly updated blog, where you will find some very popular reviews of organic products I've been testing on myself.  For example, there is a very detailed review of Dr. Haushka Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream, which I can no longer live without.  There are also some general information articles, such as the Organic Skin Care Myths (and you won't believe how many there are!), and the guide to organic certificates (not all are created equal). 

On the left you will find sections by brands and other relevant topics.  I am continuously updating those, so check back often.

Shopping for Organic Skin Care and Makeup

Many of the products I profile can be bought online.  Whenever possible I provide links to reputable retailers.  There are some products that I think are great, but are not always easy to find.  I am still mentioning them because you never know -- your local health food store just might carry them.  Or they can be on a great deal on eBay.  Or you live in the country where they are sold everywhere.  Of course, if you buy from the links on this site, you'd also be supporting it, and I can better maintain it :) 

So if you want to support this site, buy from SkinBotanica.com -- they've got many wonderful brands, such as Dr. Hauschka, Nvey Eco, Suki, Eminence, etc, and they have a great shipping policy -- over $49 is free within US, and they do ship internationally.  I also like the amazon beauty store, because you can search for specific products and the number of sellers is constantly updated.  You can frequently get a very good deal, without the hassle of signing up with hundreds of different retailers. 

Last, but not least, take advantage of free samples.  Many stores do not openly display them, but have them nevertheless.  For example, anytime I am shopping for a new organic face cream at Whole Foods, I ask them for samples.  Almost all manufacturers make them, and they supply them to retailers.  So don't be shy to ask.  Also, some companies make small trial packs of their products.  Weleda is notorious for that. 

My Road to Organic Cosmetics

I’ve always had a sensitive skin. And I don’t mean just a little bit sensitive. I mean REALLY sensitive.

When I was a kid it took a not so gorgeous form of eczema, dermatitis, and various horrible patches all over my body that scared the heck out of other kids and made my childhood much more memorable than I’d wanted it to be.

Luckily I outgrew that part by late tweens. But the sensitivities remained. Never as a teen could I just try on lipsticks, foundations or whatever other facial machinations my friends were into. Unless, of course, I was in a mood for seeing my face swell up and my throat itch like crazy just from the joy of putting on some drug-store lipstick.

For the longest time I thought that there was something really wrong with me. I tried brand after brand hoping that it will work ok, or at least be of tolerable discomfort. It took me years to realize that my skin was actually a gift from Lady Luck – it clearly told me when stuff that has no business being on my face was somehow finding itself there. I consider myself lucky now, cause by having to avoid those suspicious lipsticks and foundations I saved myself from eating and absorbing tons of potentially hazardous chemicals.

But I live in the real world. And in the real world sometimes we dress up. And have to put some colour on. And have to moisturize our faces. And cover up some dark circles (especially once kids come into play… I believe that ‘kids = dark circles’ is a much more relevant equitation than e=mc^2…). And I was so glad to find out that all that does not mean that we have to go the route of self-poisoning for the sake of beauty. I was amazed to discover so many choices that value healing over symptom-targeting, and nature over chemical factories.

I have since made my skin care and makeup routines as organic as possible. And I’ve never looked back. My skin is smoother then ever. My makeup doesn’t make me swell and itch.

And, ironically, even though I now know where to get safe foundation – I don’t actually need it!