❤ Vapour Organic Beauty Siren Lipstick ❤

Vapour Organic Siren Lipstick

I don't know about you, but when I look at my tube of lipstick I don't exactly think: "Yum, can't wait to eat that." I should though, since the average woman eats five pounds of lipstick in her lifetime. If this isn't enough to change your mind about changing your lipstick to a healthier option, I don't know what will.  My new favorite lipstick from Vapour Organic is actually good enough to eat, with it’s certified organic, food-grade ingredients and delicious citrus scent.

Usually I don’t wear just lipstick on its own, but sometimes I like to mix it up. Mostly, I wear it layered under lip gloss, so I can sort of tweak the colors and invent new ones. However, I really like this product, and wear it often without a gloss. The texture is a little thick compared to MAC, but the colors are really beautiful and wear well on lots of different skin tones (I know since I gave out some of my samples to friends).  I would say that it is really comparable in texture to the MAC matte formulas such as the color “O”.

For the colors I tried, I don’t know that I would have bought Hint on it’s own, but it came free as part of a gift set. It is a little too "coral-y" for me, but I will see if I can mess with it. It might be cute for summer.  I would venture a guess that it would be beautiful on a blonde or redhead with more of a golden complexion.  I love the color Possess, it is so pretty and replaces a lot of my MAC colors (Angel, Hug Me, Patisserie, to name a few). It is described as a sexy adult pink. This seems like a really fitting description, it is extremely wearable and not too bright or too bubble-gum. I would say it is definitely more of a blue-based pink than orange. For me, it is the perfect all season color, to the point where I want to stockpile it in case it ever gets discontinued! Right now, I'm loving it layered under my 100% Pure juicy pink grapefruit lip gloss. It is a great spring combination. The Ravish color is a sheer blue based red, is the most moisturizing of the three and goes on sheer but can be layered for fuller coverage. One light coat looks natural and basically gives you a deeper shade of your own lip color. Two coats gives you a more dramatic real red shade, though still a bit sheer and very glossy.  Bliss was my favorite of all the colors I ordered. It is a fresh, slightly peachy pink, so beautiful for spring and summer. This is my daily go-to color these days.

I have to say that along with perfume, (because it is inhaled and has proprietary formulations ie: chemicals) makeup that you could potentially ingest is at the top of the list for safety concerns. So, if you’re going to change one cosmetic product, make it your lip products.......

‘Cause you are what you eat, even if it’s a lipstick.

Bon Appetit!

Eco Belle Elle

The once over……….........

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: MAC lipstick

Eco Belle Elle product pick: Vapour Organic Beauty

Color tried: Possess: a pale Bardot-like pink, Ravish: a sheer blue-based red, Hint: a coraly-pink, Bliss a peachy nude pink

Buy it: spiritbeautylounge.com, vapourbeauty.com

Gonna lighten your bank account: $22

Cheers to:  Healthy organic ingredients, non-plastic packaging, highly pigmented colors that will last a while.

Jeers to: Price? $36 is kind of a lot for concealer, though it is cheaper than some. People may need to buy two if they tend to get darker in the summer.

Shop 'til you drop?: I would definitely buy this again, in fact they had a special so I have some on the way. I also can't wait to try their lip & cheek stain combo sticks!

Can't wait to try:  Their multi-use blush

EWG score: 1 excellent!

Ingredients: Organic/Bio Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Organic/Bio Cera Alba (Beeswax), Organic/Bio Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Essential Oils & Natural Fruit Essences, Camelina Sativa Oil, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Organic/Bio Punica Granatum (Pomegranate Oil), Organic/Bio Rosa Damascena (Rose) Buds, Organic/Bio Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm), Commiphora Myrrha (Myrrh)*,  Stevia Rebaudiana (Stevia) Leaf Extract  [+/-: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Mica (CI 77019), Carmine (CI 75470)]77492, CI 77491, CI 77499] * signifies certified organic (Made in USA)

Company low down: Remember the sweet and ever-so-talented Kevyn Aucoin? Well, this line was co-founded by the president of his (now disbanded) cosmetics company, Eric Sakas. They have a great company philosophy and a large range of products and colors. Check out their company info and products at vapourbeauty.com

BONUS POINTS: 100% of proceeds from the sales of HONOR Elixir Plumping Gloss are donated to benefit breast cancer research at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, where they are working towards the first breast cancer vaccine! Plus if you follow them on Facebook or sign up for email notifications on their website, they have all sorts of specials. Recently I got $80 of products for $18! 

❤ RMS UNCOVERUP ❤

So I love this entire line. However, in the effort of filling up my blog and giving each product its day in the sun, I will review them one at a time. This concealer comes in a pot, and you can apply it with either your fingers or a little brush. Although it is described as just a concealer, I would really call the uncoverup more of a multi-use product. It works great to cover up any blemishes or under eye circles, but on those days you don’t want to apply foundation you can use this on its own. I warm a few dabs of this up on the back of my hand, apply them to areas that need evening out and kind of buff it in using a small, fluffy foundation or concealer brush (I like Sephora’s Airbrush set: made of cruelty-free taklon nylon and so soft). It blends out really well and is moisturizing, but non-greasy. Plus, it is made of organic, unrefined coconut oil, full of free-radical fighting antioxidants. It actually makes your skin healthier when you wear it! 

Yay for healthy, free-radical-free skin!

Peace, love & beauty,

Eco Belle Elle


P.S.  How do you use your concealer? Do you prefer a pot style to use with a brush or the sponge tip applicator?

The once over……….........

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: MAC concealer

Eco Belle Elle product pick: RMS Beauty Uncoverup

Color tried: 11 (the lightest of the three colors, ugh, always the lightest, thanks to all the rain and sunscreen)

Buy it:  www.saffronrouge.com, spiritbeautylounge.com, rmsbeauty.com

Gonna lighten your bank account: $36

Cheers to:  Healthy organic ingredients, glass packaging, large amount of product that will last you forever. Also, one of the top safest makeup brands in the US!

Jeers to: Price? $36 is a lot for concealer, though it is cheaper than some. People may need to buy two if they tend to get darker in the summer.

Shop 'til you drop?:  I would definitely buy this again

Can't wait to try:  All of their other products, especially the lip2cheek. Eyes, cheeks, lips, Oh my!

EWG score: 1 excellent!

Ingredients: *Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, *Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopherol(non-GMO), *Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, and may contain: [+/- Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Iron Oxides CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499] * signifies certified organic

Company low down: Developed and founded by celeb makeup artist, Rose Marie Swift, so you know it’s good. This company is extremely proud of it’s ingredient list and has a beautiful website to show it off.

BONUS POINTS: Pretty packaging, organic and one of the most favorite products in the realm of natural, organic beauty products. Signer on the compact for safe cosmetics.

❤ Scotch Naturals ❤

Okay, so this is my first experience with water-based nail polish, and I have to say.... I am totally impressed! A lot of the reviews I read about water-based polishes were bad: tales of chipping, peeling and the like. I thought I was going to have to give up having my nails painted. It seemed like I had to choose between using toxic chemicals and having pretty toes. Turns out I was wrong!  I followed the instructions exactly: made sure all the old nail polish residue was removed, buffed with jojoba oil and nail buffer and applied two coats before going to bed. Two weeks later, my pedicure is pretty much chip-free and shiny :o).  Even after a massage involving wrapping my feet in steaming hot wet towels, wearing high heels, and trips to the steam and sauna rooms (my best friend treated me to a spa day for my birthday, I know, BEST friend ever! Thx Jules). My daily activities also include running, which is something that used to make my old polish wear at the ends.  After two weeks of this the only place I lost any polish is on the side of my little toe, where I did a poor job of removing my cuticle. I tried the “Kiltlifter” color, a perfect classic red.  I also painted my nails and the red lasted 3 days before chipping. The wear was on par with an OPI polish in a similar color, so I consider this a non-issue. One of my favorite features was the ability to completely wash the polish off with soap and water before it dried. This way if you mess it up or change your mind it's super easy to switch!

My Toes.... a week and a half later and still holding up well!
Highland Fling an Adorable Summery Orangey-coral

I really loved both the color and the application.  It went on completely opaque and streak free, which surprised me given the thin consistency. If you’ve never tried water-based polish before, know that it goes on thinly, and doesn’t build a thick lacquer-like finish like my old OPI. I don’t really miss the thick finish and the bonus is that is pretty much smells like nothing, if pressed, I would say it smells slightly bitter, maybe a little like vinegar? Some describe the scent as crayon like. You can sniff for yourself and decide. Either way,  the smell is completely innocuous, a non-issue. Honestly you have to stick your nose right next to the bottle to smell anything at all.  It is a huge departure from the headache-inducing fumes of my old polish.  Love that they kept the scotch theme throughout the line, with witty and cute names.  Plus, if you’re looking for some creative color choices check out Hopscotch Kids. They have a rainbow of options going on with the same formulation. Tthere is a link through their main site.

Cheers to SCOTCH NATURALS, thank you for saving me from boring toes!


P.S. What is your favorite nail polish look? Pale and neutral? Red and racy? Or funky and colorful?

The once over……….........

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: OPI (EWG 4) and Essie Nail (EWG 7) enamels

Eco Belle Elle product pick: Scotch Naturals water-based nail enamel

Color tried: Kiltlifter

Buy it:  www.scotchnaturals .com and several online retailers including Spirit Beauty Lounge and Abe’s Market Natural Goods

Gonna lighten your bank account: $14.99

Cheers to:  Their cute names and great color range

Jeers to: Pretty much nothing, I wish it would be available in my local stores so I wouldn’t have to ship it!

Shop 'til you drop?:  I can’t wait to get more colors!

Can't wait to try:  Colors in: Neat, Highland Fling, Heather Blush, Tartan Swizzle, Hot Toddy and Flying Scotsman, and nail polish remover (two different types available)

EWG score: 1!! Seriously, WOW! Practically unheard of for nail polish.
Ingredients: water, acrylic polymer emulsion, and non-toxic colorants
Company low down: Although I did not order from them, since they were out of the color I wanted at the time, I sent them an email requesting back order information and the response I got was super-quick and very nice. Since the order was going to be for a gift they offered to expedite the shipping process and get it to me in time! Love that!

BONUS POINTS: Cute names, additional product line of hopscotch kids and if purchased through the Scotch Naturals website: 30-day return policy, 15% off of three bottles + remover, free shipping after $35. Try risk-free, returns are accepted.


UPDATE!! I am still loving this polish- I got 3 more colors: Neat, Highland Fling and Tartan Swizzle. They are all so pretty! I got the remover too, which works fine, but I have also learned that you can use rubbing alcohol to the remove nail polish too. It's cheap and handy if you already have it. YAY!

❤ Badger Lip Balm ❤

Badger lip balms are my new lip love. Every night after brushing my teeth I slather on a  lip balm.  When I had to give up my old stand-by, Smith’s Rosebud, I was truly sad. I wanted to find something that was organic and petroleum free, and I found it! Better yet, I think it works better than my old stuff. It smells delicious like chocolate, thanks to the moisturizing cocoa butter!  I have the Creamy Cocoa flavor and one of the tinted double-ended formulas in Rose Tourmaline. The colored side of the Rose Tourmaline goes on like a pale baby pink. Although it is a subtle color, the opalescent side gives you a little shimmer, perfect for those days that you are not feeling a made-up lip look.

Love you Badger! Not only does the company donate to charity, but their clean ingredients + USDA certified organic rating means that you never, ever have to worry about eating your lip balm again!

The once over………….

I’m bidding a (not-so-fond) farewell to: Smith’s Rosebud Salve, Kiehl's and Bonnie Bell Lipsmackers

Eco Belle Elle product pick: Badger Organic Lip Balm

Color/variety tried: Pink Tourmaline and the non-colored Creamy Cocoa

Buy: Lots of places! Whole Foods, various health stores and online retailers

Gonna lighten your bank account: $5-6.50

Cheers to:  Yummy smells, an organic and clean product, fab moisturizing, widely available and affordable pricing

Jeers to: Pretty much nothing

Shop 'til you drop?:  Yes! I can’t wait to get more colors and flavors!

Can't wait to try: Garnet & Opal Shimmer, Mocha Cocoa and Vanilla Bean

EWG score: 0- Creamy Cocoa, 1-Lip tint

Company low down: I bought this at my local health food store, so I didn't deal with the company directly. However, in perusing their website I am extremely impressed with the purity of their products ingredients, their highly-rated sunscreens and their company philosophy which includes charitable giving.

Ingredients: Lip tint: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Beeswax, *Fair Trade Certified Cocoa Butter, *Castor Oil, *Aloe Vera, and CO₂ Extracts of * Rosemary Antioxidant, *Seabuckthorn Berry, and *Rosehip.

* = Certified Organic, Each Tint contains one or all of the following: Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Silica, Iron Oxide.

Lip Balm: Base Ingredients: *Olea Europaea (Extra Virgin Olive) Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Ricinus Communis (Castor) Oil, *Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Extract, and CO₂ Extracts of *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary), *Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn) & *Rosa Canina (Rosehip).

* = Certified Organic

BONUS POINTS: Badger donates 10% of before tax profits or $10,000 (whichever is greater) to non-profit organizations which focus on the healthcare & welfare of children. For more on why you should avoid petroleum products please see http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dangers-of-mineral-oil.html or http://www.health-report.co.uk/petroleum_petrolatum_health_concerns.htm, it will give you a brief glimpse into the controversial manufacturing process that results in thiscommon ingredient.

Hello Everyone!

So we didn't quite have this much makeup
on, but we were pretty close!

So here it is, my first blog entry.  I am probably a lot like you. I love my family, animals, going to the movies, reading a great novel, and playing for hours in Sephora.  I can still recall my first visit to the makeup mecca universally loved by girly-girls everywhere.  I was young, fresh out of college and celebrating in Las Vegas, when one of my closest friends and I happened across this place that celebrates all things beauty.  Let me just tell you, for girls like us, it was glorious. It was like adult play-land, but prettier, with glowing lights and pulsing music.  Three hours later we emerged, sweetly-scented and absolutely covered in sparkling powders, shimmering eye shadow and shiny lip gloss (also with considerably smaller balances in our bank accounts).  Seriously, between each of us I think we tested about every product in the place.  It was a happy time, carefree and easy, and we never gave a second thought to reading the ingredient list on anything we purchased.  I’m a little older and wiser now, and should have figured out by now that manufacturers don’t always have our best interests at heart.   I just hadn’t really thought about it…… yet. 

Well actually I had, just a little.  This is embarrassing to admit, but I had wondered to myself how many calories were in my lip gloss that I applied at least eight times a day, but I never questioned what was actually in it.  I blame the loss of my makeup ingredient innocence on my mother.  Lovingly, she recently suggested that we should look into a deodorant with natural ingredients since she had heard some scary things about the everyday stuff we had been using with aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY.  So I did, and this is where it all began. 

It was a pivotal point in my consumerism.  I began to learn, and a lot of what I learned, I was not happy about.  So much so, that I packed up every single health and beauty product I owned and got rid of them.  It turns out what you don’t know CAN actually hurt you.  Now, I’m on a mission to change the way people innocently accept what is in the products they use every day.  I am not going to dwell on scary factoids (like the fact that depending on the study, 30-60% of lipsticks have been found to have lead in them) but I do want to inform people. 

My friends think I am crazy to give up my entire makeup collection, and that I have hopped onto some crazy hippie soap-box.  But they love me so they will roll their eyes and listen to my ramblings about formaldehyde in my false eyelash glue.  I will admit, my makeup drawer was a beautiful thing and I will miss some of it.  However, I am determined to make a change by choosing products that are: healthy for my body, do not contain synthetic chemicals, are cruelty free and better for the environment.  I eat mostly organic, and work out or go for a run nearly every day in an effort to take care of my body.  So what is the point of smearing myself with scary petro-chemicals, right? 

Too Cute to Torture.  All of us
deserve a happy, safe life. Whether it's
an bunny or a baby. We need to protect
those who cannot protect themselves. Go
cruelty free, it benefits EVERYONE!

I also love the fact that when I buy from companies that are environmentally conscious, I am supporting their actions and making a statement to companies that choose old polluting manufacturing methods.  In this day and age, for better or worse, money is one of the most powerful tools we have in our society. So choose wisely who you give it to.  Reward those who do good, and just maybe those who aren’t may just get the message someday. 

So on to my point to all of this.  The point is: once I started to make changes I found that there is a lack of information out there.  So many people (me included) will pick a product based on the label claims without actually learning about the actual ingredient list. I always thought, oh, it's expensive and says natural, so it must be good, right? Unfortunately, this is the wrong way to pick a product. There is no certification process or truth in advertising police making sure that the claims on the label are true. It can say natural or organic with only one ingredient as such in its listing.  It is up to you (or in this case me!) to figure out what you are actually using.  Peer reviews on organic and natural makeup is not always easy to find.  Natural and organic makeup is mostly a cottage industry, many of these companies are new, and so much of what is offered is only sold on the internet.  I found it a bit hard to take the plunge when I didn’t know what I was getting into.  My friends and family seem generally interested in knowing how my new products stack up to my old standbys, I thought that you might be too.

In my research to find new products I flip-flopped between so many sites; the cosmetics database created by the environmental working group, makeup alley, eco-conscious blogs, individual manufacturer's websites and several online and brick and mortar stores that specialize in organic, vegan and chemical/cruelty-free makeup.  Even then, I couldn’t find images and reviews on so much of it.  So, I made the decision to pass along what I have learned so far.  I am going to search out the cleanest products, review them and tell you about the best of the best.  That way you all can make a change along with me.  All of these items are products that I have chosen and purchased myself, I am not affiliated with any of the companies or products that I review.  Plus, if nothing else this blog will at least give my friends and family a chance to roll their eyes in the comfort of their own homes.

Up first, Scotch Naturals! Water-based (& toxic-chemical free) nail polish!