I would rather lose a good earring than be caught without makeup.
— Lana Turner, circa 1985
One could assume that Ms. Turner was either extremely vain or didn’t have very good earrings.
To be fair, however, many women do feel that their favorite beauty aids are priceless. Once they find, say, a certain color lipstick they like, no substitute will do. (Unless, as often happens, the company stops making it.)
And yet, loyal as they are to their favorites, these same women are also open to new products. Many, in fact, are turning to the biggest beauty trend to come along in years: green or eco-makeup. It’s nontoxic, healthful, and gentle on the environment.
Some style-savvy women agreed to share a few thoughts.
“In my youth,” recalls Passport Resorts marketing executive Nellie Draganic, “I wore very little makeup because I feared it would clog my pores and strip the color out of my face. In my thirties, I needed a boost and started using mineral makeup. Now that I’m in my forties, it’s reassuring to know that I don’t have to compromise my skin to look attractive. Eco-makeup enhances my natural tones without making me feel made-up.’”
Nellie’s favorites include:
Burt’s Bees Lips Shimmer—“Made from 100 percent natural ingredients, it’s a lip balm with my favorite lip color. Most lipsticks tend to dry my lips, so to have a combo of color and lip-care is a dream come true.”
The Colorescience line—“The colors are fantastic for my fair skin tone. It’s a mineral makeup with no perfumes, and natural sun protection. It blends beautifully and feels light on the skin.”
Jane Iredale Bling Eyeshadow Kit—“This lovely kit has five opalescent colors that highlight the eyelid. They’re all made with a gentle, healthful mineral. It comes in a little mirrored compact that I pop in my purse for an evening touch-up.”
“Eco-products keep improving,” Nellie adds. “It’s great fun to keep trying new ones and see which work.”
Green design guru Zem Joaquin is a KFOG radio host, a certified green building professional, and the founder of ecofabulous.com, an online source for “sexy, sustainable living.”
“I started ecofabulous,” she says, “while I was trying to create a house that addressed my children’s asthma and our earth’s dwindling resources, but was still gorgeous. Now I write “Zem’s List,” a weekly roundup of the freshest eco picks.
Some of her makeup favorites:
Nude Skincare Advanced Eye Complex—eye cream
Josie Maran Argon Oil—face oil
Duchess Marden products—foaming gel (in the warmer seasons), cream wash (in the colder seasons), and face cream
Pangea Organics Japanese Mask
Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics—lipstick, eye shadow, foundation
Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer with SPF 15
“It’s a big misconception,” Zem says, “that living green means you have to give up glamour.”
Another eco-crusader, Gina Pell, founded Splendora, “the fabulous girlfriend network.”
“It’s an extension of my interests,” she explains, “fashion, technology, design, the good life…shoes.
“I started using eco-makeup a few years ago, concerned about the ingredients I’ve been putting on my skin. The challenge is to find healthy products that produce great results. Often I’ve used eco or organic things that didn’t work well at all, especially deodorants. Here are three green products I absolutely love.”
Epicuren Colostrum Cream—“Unbelievable moisturizer that makes skin dewy all day.”
Weleda Rose Oil Deodorant Spray—“A natural deodorant that actually works!”
Dr. Hauschka Lip Balm—“I’m a lip balm addict, and this one has the best consistency.”
“Eco-makeup can be terribly pricey,” warns a woman who asked not to be named. “Some companies will send free samples, or you can ask a friend if you can try what she uses. Check out Target and Walgreen’s before you go crazy online. You can spend a fortune—and then not even like the product. Another idea is to try Googling ‘discount green beauty products’ and even ‘make your own beauty products.’ Bananas, grapes, olive oil, and things you have around the house can easily be made into inexpensive,wonderful products.”
San Francisco’s Queen of Green, Sloan Barnett, wrote the book on the subject, literally.
A believer in the common sense approach, she explains, “People always look at me and say, ‘Oh, you don’t wear any makeup.’ And I always tell them, ‘I don’t live in a log cabin. I don’t bake my own bread, and I wear leather shoes. I’m a normal girl, just like you. And I do wear makeup. In fact, I’m a journalist so I wear a lot of makeup when I go on TV.’
“I happen to use Minerelles, mineral-based products by Shaklee [husband Roger owns the company] that are available online or from a distributor. But there are a lot of good makeup lines out there, all of which are great replacements for the stuff people use now.
“What I usually advise is that you don’t have to throw out your whole makeup bag; that’s too extreme. It’s a matter of making educated choices the next time you go to the store.”
Referring to her book, Green Goes with Everything—Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Cleaner Planet, Sloan mentions, “I’ve a chapter that gives you a gazillion different plans and choices. You may have to try a few before you pick the one you like best. That’s my general philosophy about makeup. Women take it very seriously, as they should, and I’m all for it.
“Makeup is great! Just make healthier choices, that’s all.”
Merla Zellerbach was a Chronicle columnist for 23 years and is the author of 12 books. She was a TV panelist, and the Nob Hill Gazette editor for 12 years. Her new novel, Secrets in Time, is available online at Amazon, and at your local bookstore.
