If you're already feeling guilty about having broken your new year's resolution, then rest assured, you're not alone. Not only do I seem to have had the same list since I was 13, but each year the number of items on it grows. For almost two decades I've been resolving to eat more fruit and vegetables. Terminally unable to eat the requisite five portions a day, I thought I'd try a healthier beauty regime instead.
Finding natural beauty products is harder than you'd think. Many health food shops have creams for face and body, but if you want something more glam, you'll have to look around. Few products are completely natural, due to the preservatives used to give them a shelf life, but they do exist, and some are less bad than others.
My best find is the Face Luster powder from Fresh (mail order, 08708 377377 or fresh.com). Great as a light coverage face powder, it's made from pure mineral base pigments with extracts of green tea and aloe. And best of all, there are two dark shades, Half Moon Club (my perfect match) and Shangri-la (a few shades darker).
The Comfort & Joy range (01367 850278 or comfortandjoy.co.uk), by Merri Myers, is a godsend to anyone concerned about the ingredients of beauty products. After two days, I was hooked on Honeymoon, a wonderfully sticky rinse-off cleanser with a pleasingly low number of ingredients (honey, jojoba oil and sandalwood essential oil). The eyeshadows and lip glosses are made from completely natural ingredients, with no nasty extras. The make-up range is limited, but the colours, such as Mayan Mayhem eyeshadow (deep purple) or Guilty Secret (multipurpose gold), are great, and if you're after a particular colour, they'll make it for you.
One of the best-kept secrets of the beauty industry is the Dr Hauschka range (01386 792 642 or drhauschka.co.uk), which even has an organic mascara, made from black tea leaves, with rose and jojoba. Once you've smelt it, you'll think twice about the clumpy old chemical-laden wand that's in the bottom of your make-up bag.
Useful links
