As you may know, I strive to live a more healthy ‘natural’ life in terms of the food I eat and the products I use.  In terms of skincare and makeup, I tried out all kinds of crunchy, smelly ‘natural’ versions before finally finding a skincare brand I’m obsessed with! 

In a nutshell, Beautycounter makes high-performing skincare and beauty products without the potentially and known-to-be harmful ingredients in most products out there. I used their products for nearly two years (and was SO impressed with my skin’s transformation) before finally joining as a consultant in Aug 2017 to help spread the word.

Here’s why:

• The makeup is legitimately good (it’s what I’ve worn to any friend’s wedding you’ve seen me at recently), and the skincare products feel luxurious and are effective! They’ve resulted in a noticeable change in my skin’s smoothness, brightness, and hydration.

• It’s safe to use. It’s not crunchy/hippie at all, but is significantly safer, free of known irritants and harsh chemicals. BC uses top-notch ingredients and rigorous screening processes. 

• I’ve been using BC for 4 years now, and I’ll happily help you figure out what’s worth trying for your own skin or makeup bag.

Beautycounter also lobbies and works with Congress to improve regulation of the industry as a whole; in the US, we're far behind the EU in terms of recognizing and banning harmful ingredients (1400 banned in the EU vs. only 30 in the US).  That's partly why I love it -- it's truly a mission-based company, and joining as a consultant has made that even more clear. (Like my skin!)  Learn more about Beautycounter's advocacy work here.

Below are my personal recommendations (and a few non-recs as well). PLEASE let me know if you have any special concerns or questions.

• *Charcoal Cleansing Bar

  • This was one of the earliest products I used; it converted me. Unlike every facial cleanser I had ever used before, it did not leave my face dry. I no longer need to put moisturizer on my face after I wash it.  The charcoal also helps reduce/prevent my acne. FAVE. 

• Cleansing Balm

  • The multi-tasker of all products - can be used as a deep cleanser, a moisturizer, a mask (sometimes I use it overnight), a spot-treatment… 

• Makeup remover wipes (Biodegradable!)

• Eye makeup remover (Liquid)

• Nourishing Cream Exfoliator - I like this as an exfoliator, because the beads are tiny, and so how aggressive it is really depends on how gently or harshly you press. 

• *#1 Charcoal Mask - Do it. Removes impurities, targets acne. Use once/week or as needed.

• Overnight Resurfacing Peel - This isn’t really a mask (nor is it truly a peel), but moreso an overnight treatment. This became an INSTANT favorite and gained a cult following.  For me, it took a few uses and a combo with the brightening to see the results, but then those results DID come. My skin is simply smoother-looking and -feeling. Big fan. 

THE BESSTTTTT. These can be used with or replace moisturizer. (I basically just use this now.)  Oil does not make you oily! I repeat: Facial oil does not make your skin oily!

• *#1 Brightening Facial Oil - My personal favorite. Biggest game-changer for my skin (this & the charcoal cleansing bar). Citrus-scented (thought I’d hate that, but this product made me love it.) 

• #2 Plumping Facial Oil - A more soothing scent, and good for calming and hydrating skin. 

• Color Intense Lipstick - These are truly color intense and have great staying power. They also feel nice/moisturizing to apply. Only caveat: Be careful not to get it on your teeth while applying/drying!

• Sheer Lipstick - Some people really love, some say the color doesn’t last.  “Twig” shade is an Allure favorite / “best” something or other.  I recently got myself the "Twig" sheer lipstick, and I really like it but I use it almost more like a balm/chapstick for shorter-term moisture and a hint of color. I don't mind re-applying, but it doesn't have the lasting strength of the color intense lipstick. 

• Lip Gloss - As a lip gloss addict, it means a lot when I say: This is my favorite lip gloss ever.  It looks nice, isn't sticky, and lasts.  (I use ‘buff’ - it’s very neutral/natural. Moisture lasts a long time; don't need to re-apply much.)

• And I’ll again plug the lip conditioners. Throughout this past winter and even spring, I’ve been using these more than anything else. Looove these. I also keep one on my nightstand to put on before bed.

• The Countertime Collection is the latest and greatest in aging well skincare

  • Find all the Countertime products here, or buy the daily regimen or full collection.

  • I personally love and use daily:

    • Mineral Boost Hydrating Essence  (like a toner)

    • Antioxidant Soft Cream (a daily day cream / moisturizer)

    • Ultra Renewal Eye Cream

• Overnight Resurfacing Peel

  • This is brand new and an immediate fan favorite. Use 3-4 times/week, overnight. (Apply to clean face and neck, let dry for 5 minutes, follow with moisturizer.) 

  • Reduces fine lines, dark spots, pore appearance, etc. Gives brightness and glow.

• *Lip conditioners (for moisture / treat chapped lips) Their lip conditioners are my favorite! So moisturizing, and such unique scents/flavors (Peppermint, Calendula). You can also save $4 by buying them as a pair. Feel free to come by my apartment if you'd like to test the flavors.  

• Citrus Mimosa Body Bar - If you told me I'd be using bar soap.... HA. But I do. Just rub it on the loofah and voila, it's like a body wash. Lasts a really long time, too.

• Body wash - Admittedly, it's just okay. It's worth the switch to safer for me, but it won't leave you as silky as conventional kinds. It does the job of cleaning, though! But I do prefer the bar, somehow. Plus it lasts a lot longer than the container of wash, which is easy to overuse.

• Sugar Body Scrub - Wow. This reallllyyy smoothed out the 'chicken skin' bumps on my upper arms, as well as just my skin everywhere else. Big fan and feels SO nice. 

• Nourishing Body Lotion (citrus scent) - This is fine. I used it when switching to safer and it does the job. 

• Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Body Lotion - My new favorite!!!!! I personally like this one much better than the Nourishing. 

• Body Butter - This is more luxurious :) I use this after the sugar scrub. 

• Sunscreen lotion, mist, and stick - a variety of forms and sizes!  All must be rubbed in and re-applied, like normal sunscreen. Minus the toxic and bad-for-the-ocean stuff.  

  • Doesn’t turn you white like other zinc-based suncreens! (I used Badger for a while, which is fine but leaves you totally white.) 

  • There's also a tinted version, which is kind of like Dew Skin for your body - it does have have skin-tone tint, so wear carefully around white clothes or suits. 

• After sun cooling gel

• *Even if you don’t go with Beautycounter’s sunscreens, I strongly encourage you to find MINERAL / ZINC-BASED alternatives to your Neutrogena/other sunscreen!*

• The Clean Deo comes in 3 scents!  It's formulated without aluminum and without synthetic fragrances. It's also more sustainable, being recyclable and refillable. (After you use up your first one, you can save $10 by ordering a refill to place in the original casing!). More detail on this new deodorant here.

• *Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer - THIS is my daily must-have. It just smooths over my face and blends seamlessly, making my skin just a little more 'finished'/glowy than it was before.  For reference, I use #3 

• Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation - More coverage; more of a foundation.  It's not heavy coverage, so you'd need to layer a bit if you want a really opaque coverage.  For reference, I use “Sand”

• Concealer Pen - Love it. For reference, I use “light”.

• *Cream Blusher - This rubs on and you can blend or pat it in -- use a little or a lot, to build and blend as desired.  For reference, I use the “Caramel” color for everyday. It’s a good natural color. But also have “hibiscus” which either adds much more pink for me for special occasions, or would be good for lighter skin tones. 

• Nudes Eyeshadow Palette - really rich color palette, set up in trios that complement one another.

  • The other eye shadows (the “duo” versions) are nice, but very light; I don't recommend them.  

  • If looking for a smaller shadow set, try the new 9-color palettes seen here.

• NEW MASCARA!  Previously, I couldn't recommend Beautycounter's mascara, but I loooove the brand new, all-in-one lengthening and volumizing mascara.  Watch my video recap here.

• Color Define Brow Pencil - Goes on nice and smooth and comes with a little brush/comb to set brows in place. 

• Precision Liquid Eyeliner (comes in black only) - My new love! I struggle with pencil liners (don't know why; I always feel like I'm going to poke my eye out), but find this perfect and smooth for formal events. It is also nice and long-lasting! Waterproof. 

• Update: I got a Native Deodorant in a swag bag and loved it! So I've since bought it again four times and often alternate it with the (later-released) Beautycounter clean deo.  I like the charcoal deodorant below, but this Native goes on clear, which is a plus. Feels smooth like "normal" deodorant.  Also like the cotton scent recently.  

  • (Note it does list 'fragrance' :( I have yet to find a deodorant (besides Beautycounter's) that works and does not list 'fragrance' as an ingredient, even the unscented ones.) 

• Primally Pure Deodorant - I used the charcoal one for about 2 years.  It works well enough; I liked using it. The only time I would avoid using it is with tank tops that are likely to pick up the color because it WILL show white/gray marks.

• Piperwai Natural Deodorant - I used this way back when and found that it worked, but was a pain to use. It’s a paste form, that really crumbled upon application. Messy. So I stopped. BUT looks like they made a stick version! Try that here. 

• Credo Beauty sells an assortment of clean beauty products, including tons of makeup and skincare.  From them, I get Ilia "Limitless Lash" mascara and other Ilia makeup on occasion.  

• Other brands I'd generally buy from in this category include: Ilia, Ursa Major, Drunk Elephant, RMS 

• Scotch Naturals … used to be around. Now I can’t find them. Maybe they went under.

• Côte Shop non-toxic polishes, and even have a super cute little salon in NYC!  They did a fantastic job on my nails - it lasted a solid week.  Let me know if you want to go together! <3 

• Karma Organics - They have safer nail polish and also a very mild but effective remover. I've personally met the founder twice and he is passionate about his products.

• Prose - After moving to an area with hard water, I was really struggling. My hair was tangly, frizzy, and shedding.  A friend recommended Prose, because it asks your zip code to adjust for water hardness.  And WOW what a difference! Love love love.  Prose has a thorough questionnaire it uses to create shampoo/conditioner (+ optional hair masks, styling product) formulas just for you. Then, you give feedback on your first shipment and they'll adjust as needed for your next one.