The "Fluffier" Side of Science

Finally, a post about "fluff", as my mother would say: make-up. So, roughly eighteen months after giving birth, I am finally getting enough sleep (and enough showers) that putting on make-up no longer seems like a futile exercise in It-Doesn't-Matter-Anyway. And in those eighteen months, a lot of cosmetic products that I used to use have been relegated to my "no way in hell" list: mercury-containing mascara, lead-containing lipstick, paraben-containing skin lotions, etc. Since my time for experimentation is rather limited, I only have a couple products to tell you about right now, but luckily for me they are really the only two items of makeup I wear: mascara and lipstick.

Jane Iredale Purelash Lengthening Mascara

Earlier this year, Minnesota became the first state to ban mercury-contaning mascara. I am unclear about the logistics of the switch, and how long companies have to reformulate their products, so I was looking for something to use in the meantime. After an admittedly haphazard search (it really wasn't at the top of my to-do list), I found Jane Iredale mascaras. They are mercury-free, dye-free, and they do not create clumps on the lash. The mascara actually contains algae extract, which serves to strengthen lashes instead of turning them into freakish, shellac-ed Bettie-Davis-in-Whatever Happened to Baby Jane-type lashes. Actually, as soon as I opened the container, I could tell the difference from other mascaras I've used in the past: it smelled like beeswax, not a chemical processing plant. (Iredale in fact uses beeswax). Anyway, bottom line, I love this mascara not only because it is free of mercury and other nasty things, but because it's actually the best one I've ever used.

You can learn more about Jane Iredale mascara on her website, Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics (though you can't buy it there). I buy mine from Dermstore because they ship free and because it offers the Purelash Lengthening Mascara for only $16.

Lead-Free Lipsticks

As a tomboy who was once so obsessed with basketball that I carried one around high school, I strategically used lipstick as my reminder to the world that I was, in fact, a girl. But even that once-indispensable tool had become utterly dispensable and unimportant. After clawing my way back from total subjugation-by-precocious-toddler, I have finally decided to pick it up again on the regular. The problem is that the vast majority of lipstick contain lead. It's a bit hard to believe, given that lead has been deemed unsuitable even for gas, but I digress. I'm in the hunt for a lead-free product. The Daily Green listed eleven lead-free offerings not so long ago, and I posted them on this blog. However, they tested specific colors for specific brands, all basically blood-red. I have a couple companies in mind, whose lead-free products I'll be trying in the next few months, so I will keep you updated. In the meantime, here are a few companies currently making lead-free lipstick.

Afterglow Mineral Cosmetics
Vashon Organic Cosmetics (note: be aware that just because a cosmetic product is labeled "organic" doesn't mean it is lead-free. Vashon's lipsticks are, however, lead-free.)
Gabriel Cosmetics