Topic: Cosmetics

Fake Made Fantastic: 6 Natural Sunless Tan Products To Keep Melanoma Survivors (& The Rest Of Us!) Safe

Having grown up as an extremely pale person — really, it’s nearly impossible to find foundation for my skin tone — I understand the desire to be tan. People used to call me Casper, Morticia, Wednesday…basically, any supernatural or superweird being with skim milk skin.

However, going gold does not have to mean harming your body. there are dozens of reasons to go sunless for your tan — these are just a few of the means by which to do it. More »

What Is Beauty Balm? A Guide To This (Deservedly) Trendy Combo Cosmetic

Part skin care, part makeup, beauty balm describes an all-in-one cosmetic that combines the functions of primer, anti-aging serum, moisturizer, foundation and sunblock. More »

55% of Lipsticks Contain Lead, Says GMA–So Why Won’t They Tell Us Which Brands?

55% of Lipsticks Contain Lead, Says GMAâ��So Why Won't They Tell Us Which Brands?

Good Morning America wanted to know if common brands of lipstick contained lead, so they sent 22 samples over to the scientists at Underwriters Labaratories. The scientists determined that 12 out of the 22 samples (or 55%) did contain lead. So why didn’t GMA release information about which brands of lipstick are made with lead? More »

Weight-Loss Jeans? We’ll Pass, Thanks

I’m calling bullshit on the claims of several denim companies that say their jeans can do miraculous things like reduce cellulite, prevent sagging and even help you lose a few pounds. I love the Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants as much as anyone, but last time I checked jeans don’t actually have magical powers. More »

Gluten-Free? Maybe Your Cosmetics Should Be, Too

We’ve already shared some surprising places where gluten lurks in your daily life. But one that may have a larger effect on you than you realize is hiding in your purse and in your medicine cabinet: cosmetics. Gluten is in scores of cosmetic products, including mascara, lotion and even shampoo, and could be the cause of your unexplained rash or skin reaction. More »

7 Makeup Mistakes We’ve All Made (And How To Never Make Them Again)

7 Makeup Mistakes Weâ��ve All Made (And How To Never Make Them Again)

I’ve already written about the many reasons why I love makeup. But liking cosmetics doesn’t mean I’m great at actually putting them on my face. In fact, I’m actually kind of terrible at it. I’ve made many makeup mistakes in my day. Everyone has. Celebrities do it all the time. But the key to avoiding cosmetic catastrophes isn’t really getting better at makeup, it’s just learning tricks to avoid making yourself look like a Ganguro girl. More »

The 6 Scariest Toxic Beauty Products Experts Would Never Touch

We’ve all heard that beauty products may contain toxic ingredients that are bad for our health and the environment, but remembering the list of offenders is kind of a lost cause. We’ve created a cheat sheet for you to use before (quick: print it, cut it out, and stick it in your wallet!), but we also wanted to know which products we should nick from our routines completely…so we went to the experts. More »

Essie Releases Yogaga Collection That Has Exactly Nothing To Do With Yoga

You know that yoga has become a commodity when there are yoga-related products that have absolutely nothing to do with yoga. Like the new Yogaga collection from Essie, which is actually more fitness-themed than yoga-specific and also kind of problematic. Designer yoga mats and $90 butt-hugging leggings are one thing, but yoga-themed nail polish that also places emphasis on looking hot and being skinny? Pass. More »

Amanda Seyfried And Her Skin Would Like You To Buy This $13,000 Moisturizer, Please

We can all probably agree that Amanda Seyfried has pretty great skin–but I don’t think any of us knew exactly how great. Her skin is, in fact, so great that a luxury cosmetics company has asker her to be the face of their 30th anniversary limited-edition skin creme line. And by “line,” they mean “three jars at $13,000 apiece.” Could your skin sell a $13,000 pot of moisturizer? Mine either. More »

What We're Reading:

Study: Increase In Cancer, Fertility Problems Driven By Common Chemicals

Fifteen years worth of research has made it clear that chemicals common in cosmetics, household products and medicines are wreaking havoc on our bodies, the European Environment Agency says. In a study published yesterday, the agency warns of “strong evidence” linking these “endocrine disrupting chemicals“—substances (like phthalates, bisphenol A and parabens) that disrupt the hormone system—to cancer, obesity, neurological problems and reduced fertility. More »

Alicia Silverstone Launches Eco-Friendly Beauty Line That Actually Looks Pretty Great

Say what you will about Alicia Silverstone‘s recent “baby-birding” kerfuffle, but the fact is that the Clueless star has grown into quite the advocate for animal rights, veganism, and green living; her blog, The Kind Life, has become a go-to resource for moms and non-moms alike, looking for information about products, trends, and news. Which is why I’m actually pretty excited about her new line of eco-friendly beauty products. More »

I Love Makeup: Does That Make Me A Bad Feminist?

Earlier this week, I wrote about how much I dislike the way that beauty products are exploitatively marketed toward women. This is especially true of advertising about cosmetics, which preys on manufactured insecurities and purposefully-manifested low self-esteem. And while the expectation or assumption that women must wear oodles of unhealthy, pore-clogging, lead-filled makeup to look and feel beautiful and confident is certainly absurd and needs to be shaken apart, I am torn…because there’s still a part of me that that just loves makeup. Like a frilly, dress-wearing, PMS-blaming, gender-norm-loving, Lilly-Ledbetter-denying traitor. More »

Cosmetic Label Decoder: What Natural, Organic And Cruelty-Free Really Mean

Natural, organic, green, clean, cruelty-free … Cosmetic labels say a lot of things, and it’s hard to know what really means squat. Throw in labels like ‘vegan,’ ‘non-toxic’ or ‘made with organic materials’ and packages gets even more confusing. Don’t worry. We’re gonna (try to) sort it out for you—though when it comes to makeup labeling, the guidelines (where they exist) aren’t exactly stringent, and most products aren’t tested or reviewed by the FDA. More »

When To Toss: The Very Short Shelf Lives Of Cosmetics

By the time I came into this world, my mother had mostly stopped wearing makeup–but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a large cardboard box of very-bright cosmetics circa 1982 which I routinely dove into. And while I didn’t die or break out in a disfiguring rash, the truth is that all of that makeup (and, indeed, probably much of the makeup in medicine cabinets and dresser drawers across the country) was expired. Because, apparently, the shelf lives of cosmetics are a lot shorter than most of us think. More »

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