Makeup Mess

Robert Munsch has written a hilarious children's book called Makeup Mess, in which young Julie saves her money to buy an enormous box of makeup. She then applies it VERY liberally, with amusing results. In reality, though, that makeup could be very toxic.

It is claimed that women who use makeup daily are absorbing nearly 5 lbs of makeup into their bodies. And, much of the makeup we buy contains nasty chemical cocktails that can cause all sorts of health issues.

This scares me, when I see my little girl watch me put on makeup, and then want to put some on, "just like Mommy". I'm sure we have all seen little girls who got into their mother's beauty products and liberally applied them, usually all over their faces, arms, legs... It's cute, but is it healthy?

My products aren't safe for her, so why would I then want to put them on my body? So, I have gradually been phasing out my current makeup and beauty products, and buying only "safer" products such as mineral makeup. It's expensive to toss everything and replace it at once, so do it when something runs out, if that is an issue. I rarely wear the stuff in the first place, but when I do I like to know that I am not smearing carcinogens onto my skin.

So how do you know if your makeup is safe? There is a fantastic (yet scary) website called the Cosmetics Database. When you go to the site, you simply type in the name of a product that you use, and it will bring up a "hazard score" for your product. Try it out.

What are the worst offenders? Green Living has a great article titled, "Six Makeup Chemicals to Avoid". Many of the chemicals that are in our products here in North America have actually been banned in the UK. Hmmm, that should be telling us something!

Take a minute to read the article, and then check your product labels to see if they contain some of these chemicals. I've checked mine, and some of them do. Even the expensive boutique brands are suspect.

What are the alternatives? In future I will be posting some product reviews of safer makeup and body products. The shopping links listed on my blog have many safer products available. And educate yourself, to read the labels. Chances are, if you can't pronounce it, it can't be that good for you.