This year, I started to be a little more conscious about my choices when it comes to what makeup I’m using (here are some of my posts about choosing safe cosmetics and body products: shampoos, winter skin cream, henna hair coloring, and makeup primer). I have not made a full switch-over to healthier cosmetics. Not even close, if I’m being honest. I am very attached, for example, to my Dior Mascara. But on the other hand, I adore using Burt’s Bees lip gloss. So right now, I’ve got a real mixed bag of products on my face.
I’ve drunk the kool-aid and definitely feel that I “need” makeup, so I’m not about to get into gender politics here. I wear makeup, I’m not going to stop wearing makeup. So it’s a matter of which cosmetics I will choose to buy and where to find safe cosmetics.
One of the greatest influencers on my “cosmetics quest” has been Canadian author Gillian Deacon and her book There’s Lead in Your Lipstick. In her introduction, she notes (bold emphasis is mine):
“Having bought into the image-conscious society around us, we’re sitting ducks. Marketers and manufacturers alike are highly skilled at taking advantage of our desire to look just so. Most North American consumers will buy and use a product without ever really knowing what’s inside it or how it will affect our health. Of course, we can be forgiven for assuming that a protective body out there somewhere is ensuring that products made available to us are, in fact, perfectly safe, since that’s a reasonable expectation in civilized society, right? Unfortunately, it just isn’t the case.
According to several researchers, between 85,000 and 100,000 chemicals are used in the marketplace today; 85 percent of those chemicals have never been tested for human health impacts. ” (p. 9)
I’m not gonna lie to you. Trying to figure out which cosmetics are “clean” and do not include the toxins leading environmental activists say you should avoid is no easy feat. I do not enjoy having to do this research, nor do I enjoy having to read every label before buying. But with green-washing everywhere; an informed consumer must undertake these un-enjoyable and time-sucking tasks.
Or, you can just shop at Terra20. They do the hard work for you. Shopping at Terra20 does mean that I need to get to a store that is further away from my local drugstore (or that I shop online), but it makes choosing cosmetics that you know are safer, healthier, and better for the environment easy. Beyond easy, actually.
And right about now, I am in dire need of some cosmetics. When the seasons change, I need to change-out my makeup. In the summer, I’m looking for a lighter coverage foundation, mascara that is waterproof, and instead of rich-coloured lipstick, I usually opt for a gloss. Terra20 will be giving me the opportunity to pick up these summer treats for myself, and will share my finds with you in a future post.
But Terra20 wants you to have the opportunity to try their cosmetics as well! This giveaway is for a $100 gift certificate that you can use to buy anything you’d like … but if you do opt to choose cosmetics, please come back and tell us what you picked and how they worked for you! Inquiring minds want to know!
Edited on July 12th to add: Please remember to answer the specific question posed in the rafflecopter form or your comment will be considered ineligible. Also, you will see that someone named Paula has provided answers to a number of your questions below. I contacted Paula and found out that she is a full-time sales associate at Terra20. Yes, people at Terra20 are that enthusiastic about the store that they respond to customer questions in their spare time. No joke. In fact, the last time I went into Terra20 and bought some shampoo, the associated asked me if I’d ever tried it before. I responded, “no, have you?” He then told me that he hadn’t, but that it’s quite new and as soon as it arrived, another associate dunked his head in the backroom sink to try it immediately and proceeded to give it a “thumbs up” review.
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