Ideal Bite

I'm surprised to see Besame makeup left off today's "Wanna Try" list! They go to great lengths to ensure that many of their products are free of the bad stuff, and though I haven't actually tried them myself, they sure do look pretty. I love their vintage aesthetic. And you can order samples for super cheap if you're not sure you want to buy the whole tube/container sight unseen.

I have the same addiction. There could be life-saving medication sitting next to a lipgloss display and I'll choose the lipgloss - probably in a perty shade of brown, which I fall for everytime. I wish Hauschka had hipper makeup, but I love Jane Iredale stuff, and I LOVE LOVE the new Alba TerraGloss lip gloss in a tube. Whore it up!

By the way, Cargo Plant Love has parabens - a friend just sent it to me and I refuse to wear it even though it has great packaging...

I dont mind the usage of the word whore to describe your all-consuming passion for a thing; I think it's quite apt for several things I'm deeply enamoured of, myself. Besides, there's nothing wrong with being a whore anyway; unless you're forced to do it - which is criminal - I just dont see what the stigma is all about, and personally, I never saw any reason for it to be illegal in the first place. But I will say this: I do have a major, major problem with the fact that many of the things you recommend have jaw-droppingly insane, consumer-unfriendly pricing. Today's cosmetics tips were a prime example of this. This is wholly unnecessary crap you put on your face. There is no real reason to use it whatsoever, save to soothe a rampaging vanity in a society which believes that women should serve as mere decoration at all times, no matter what else we are capable of doing, no matter how much we achieve. While it's a good tip for those unfortunate individuals who buy into this entire cosmetics scam, how eco-friendly is it to waste a hundred dollars on merely three or four items that serve absolutely no good purpose and are meant purely for a social type of vanity that does nothing more than continue to make women feel that without unnatural artifice they are not "beautiful" enough to be seen in public? Are you also the type of women who do nothing but diet your whole lives because being five or 10 pounds overweight would be a worse fate to you than cancer? If so, this strongly suggests to me that you may be in desperate need of rethinking your priorities and your self-worth...especially if you have, or plan to have daughters. This way of thinking is poisonous, and it throws us back decades. We are more than just how we look. This mental slavery to an unrealistic, discriminatory ideal must stop. Cosmetics do nothing more than enforce gender discrimination and stereotyping. While it's wonderful that safer products are available, it's also appalling that the prices are so high and yet you support and advertise this. Got a tip for you, ladies: toss the mascara and plant a tree. You'll feel better in the long run - and your skin will thank you when youre 60 if you avoid a lifetime of suffocating and abusing abusing the life out of it with this garbage. Incidentally, $14 for a bottle of shampoo is also outrageous. Just because you have to wash your hair every day or two doesnt mean you should go broke doing it. I'm sure I'll be roundly mocked and ridiculed for my point of view. For what it's worth, I'll be 42 in June. I never, ever wear cosmetics and I am complimented numerous times during the week on how clear and lovely my skin is. I have repeatedly had to tell people that no, I dont wear mascara; those are actually my own lashes. My routine response to comments such as this is "and I run my own business and am pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology, too!" Snap out of it, girls, and take your dignity back. :) You are beautiful. You - we - dont need this stuff. Be as you are, and be who you are. Don't buy into this cosmetics nonsense. It's wrong on pretty much every single level. Save your money and use it for things that are truly worthwhile.

Just wanted to follow up on the comment about Cargo's Plant Love lipstick. I was definitely confused when I saw it on the list of paraben-free cosmetics. As an example, here's the ingredient list of the Lindsey lipstick: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Mica, Candelilla Cera (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax), Cera Alba (Beeswax), Lanolin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Jojoba Esters, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cymbidium Grandiflorum Flower Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), PEG-8, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, BHT, Silica, Alumina, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Benzophenone-3, (+/-): CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake), CI 77491/Ci 77492/CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 15985 (Yellow 6 Lake), CI 75470 (Carmine).

I would add Ecco Bella to the list. They are a good deal cheaper than some of the other brands, and they are also on the EWG list. They make great mascara!:) You can buy Ecco Bella products on Amazon and on many other sites. I really love Burt's Bees as well. I've been using their lip balm since it first came out. Their products all work well and smell delicious. I think everyone has the right to their opinion when it comes to makeup. I have huge dark undereye circles and everyone always tells me how tired I look if I skip concealer. I have some trouble with more conventional brands and I'm also concerned about the effects of putting dangerous chemicals on my eyes and mouth! I think the kinds of companies that make natural products aren't (usually) the ones who profit from making women insecure about their looks. I usually wear very minimal makeup. I don't want to look like someone else, and I would never want to be one of these women who are unrecognizable without makeup! (Eeek!:) I just want to be me, but with clear skin, longer lashes, and shiny lips.:)

With regards to the woman who thinks wearing cosmetics is a sign of low self-worth - I suggest you stop judging people. I would assume the majority of the women who post here are educated, hard-working career-minded individuals, and if the "worst" they do is putting on a little mascara and blush in the morning, that's pretty damn good. There are people in this world who abuse others, steal, take drugs, use welfare, scam, live dishonest lives, etc. Maybe you should try giving THOSE people your little pep talk. As for me, I'm off to finish my lunch break, put in my last 4 hours of work and then continue to my local food co-op where I'll put in a couple hours of volunteer work before I head home for some rest. And on the way, I'll probably re-apply my lip gloss.

Twenty dollars for mascara?!?! Since when did the blog turn into a place to rip into each other? I thought this was all about helping other people to do better. Not all women are lovely and long lashed without makeup, but should not have to shell out that much for lashes! Many times I have really liked your product promotion, but you tend to cater to women who are rich. What about the stay at home mom who still wants to look nice too?

Add The Body Shop to your list, for cosmetics and other such products. They have natural, not tested on animal, fair-trade products. A great company - socially responsible, sustainable, all that good stuff.