If you’re old enough to remember the 80’s and you had a mom like mine, you spent a lot of time in health food stores. These weren’t the slick and stylish natural grocery chains of the present day. Nope, they were cramped and crammed full of bulk bins and tofu blocks. The store always had a distinctive smell—like carob combined with nutritional yeast. And the few beauty products they offered were lackluster, a cluster of beige bottles sitting frumpily on the shelves like aging hippies at a poorly attended peace rally. As for makeup, a tinted lip balm was about as good as it got.
My, how far we’ve come! Today the selection of natural makeup is not only vast, but features performance quality and attractive packaging rivaling the sleekest, most stylish traditional cosmetic lines. The latest on my radar is Alima Pure. This mineral makeup brand combines simple yet stunning packaging (those typefaces!) with luxe formulations that go on smooth and stay in place, without compromising on the safety and transparency of their ingredients. I’m especially fond of the Pressed Foundation, which contains a rosehip antioxidant complex and is perfect for on-the-go touchups. Their Lip Tint is brilliant as well, providing a swipe of color that lasts through several iced coffee straws. A full range of cruelty-free brushes rounds out a collection that’s 100% health food store approved—without a single whiff of carob!
Shopping Guide: 1. Luminous Shimmer Blush 2. Lip Tint 3. Pressed Eye Shadow 4. Smooth + Prime 5. Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow 6. Natural Definition Eye Pencil