Hello, Clean Beauty

I may earn a commission for purchases made through the affiliate link in this post.

Ever since I was a young girl, my mother always promoted the use of natural products whenever possible. She wasn’t a fan of dyes or artificial ingredients and always reminded us to try and be mindful of what we ate and what we put on our skin. And since I was an asthmatic who also suffered from allergies and eczema, my mom was extra cautious about the bath soaps and lotions she purchased for our family. Mostly everything was unscented and limited in its ingredients…for the times.

Skincare History: As junior high approached, I was very much drawn to the fun, lightly floral scented products sold by Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret. By my late teens and early twenties, my preferences evolved, and I soon only cared for citrus smelling products from stores like Lather, The Body Shop, and Origins. Now in my thirties, I’m still obsessed with bright citrus notes and also enjoy calming herbal blends as well. Overly aggressive fragrance literally makes me nauseous, so I always gravitate toward light, clean, and natural smelling lotions. As far as facial products are concerned, I mostly used Proactiv, Murad, and Neutrogena in high school. Throughout college and in my early twenties, I was primarily buying Aveeno and Trader Joe’s cleansers and moisturizers. And by my late twenties/early thirties – I started trying other natural skincare products from Alba Botanica and the Yes To line.

Makeup History: Growing up my mom by and large used Clinique products and sometimes purchased other department store brands like Estee Lauder & Shiseido. I would use her products for special occasions but only started wearing full makeup on a daily basis while in high school. By the time I was sixteen, I quickly fell in love with bareMinerals and regularly used their loose mineral powders alongside products from a few of my other favorite brands like Bobby Brown and Nars. I continued using bareMinerals throughout college and well beyond. From my late twenties until I was 32, my makeup products solely consisted of just eight items across four different brands which I will of course be discussing in future posts. I was incredibly happy with all of my go to makeup products and still use some of them today.

However, in the spring of 2018 a few things changed…

Clean Beauty Story: On my path to transitioning over to natural deodorant, I became incredibly curious about what exact ingredients were in my facial cleansers, moisturizers, and makeup. I was always so proud of myself for using natural products that were almost always paraben, phthalate, and cruelty-free, but after a few days of research, I quickly discovered that there were definitely much “cleaner” alternatives on the market than what I was currently using. By the summer of 2018, my passion for clean beauty was in full effect, and my new favorite place to shop for makeup was a small retailer in Santa Monica called The Detox Market. After I successfully swapped out my deodorant and makeup for cleaner brands, I stopped using my Yes To skincare products and have been testing out better-for-me cleansers and moisturizers ever since.

Clean beauty has definitely become much more popular over the last two years, and both Target and Sephora have dedicated plenty of shelf space and marketing dollars to promote these purer products. Big name drugstore brands have also jumped on the clean beauty bandwagon and have been recently cutting out unnecessary chemical ingredients from their products and developing cleaner alternatives – which in my opinion is truly fantastic because non-toxic skincare and cosmetics should be easily accessible & affordable for all whether it’s trendy at the time or not.

MY MAKEUP STYLE

I don’t like spending too much time getting ready, and I don’t love liquid foundation. As a result, I can confidently categorize my makeup style as minimal to medium coverage with a natural look. On days that I wear makeup my routine is fairly simple and takes just five minutes. I use an SPF based moisturizer after cleansing and apply the following items in the order listed below:

1. Powder Foundation
2. Concealer (mainly just under my eyes)
3. Pressed Powder Blush
4. Pressed Powder Eyeshadow (in a champagne like color applied to my eyelids for a faint shimmer)
5. Mascara

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CLEAN BEAUTY SECTION OF HOMEMADE IN LA

• Personal Stories
• Sunblock Assessments
• Skincare & Makeup Reviews
• Tips & Tricks for Healthy Skin

SOME CLEAN BEAUTY ADVICE

If you are going to choose one beauty item for the rest of your life, make it a broad-spectrum SPF that is either mineral based or made with clean chemicals. The sun does so much damage to our skin that we oftentimes cannot see until years later. It is so vital to shield yourself from harmful UVA and UVB rays whenever possible. And to our great fortune, we live in a time where so many amazing SPF products exist to help us protect our oh so sacred skin.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

I am in no way a beauty or skincare expert. I’m just a regular gal who happens to be passionate about the beauty products I use on my skin, body, and hair. All of my future posts will solely be written as opinion pieces for entertainment purposes. If you have any serious skincare issues or concerns, please visit a licensed dermatologist in your area.