Have you ever heard that women consume 6-7 lbs of lipstick in a lifetime? I was totally grossed out so I decided to do some research to see if that was true. Thankfully, another blogger already did a bunch of research for me and came to the conclusion that women actually consume 3.5 lbs of lipstick. That is a little better than 6-7 lbs but still…
The fact that we inadvertently consume our lipstick is a BIG reason why it is SO important that the lip products we use are non-toxic. With that in mind I want to share my top lipstick recommendations. Some of these I have personally tried, some are products that friends I trust rave about. All of them are formulated with ingredients you can feel good about, even if you are inadvertently consuming them (still kinda grossed out by that thought!) When I can, I am including swatch videos so you can see all the colors.
These beauties are how Ilia started and over the years they have expanded their shade range to include 12 beautiful colors. Ilia lip conditioners have a cult following and for good reason. Lightweight, moisturizing lip color that doesn’t look wet on your lips, LOVE! I have the shade Forever and it has been a go-to for me but I am always hearing about the shade Nobody’s Baby. My next purchase will probably be in the shade Little Sister because it looks like such a beautiful neutral pink. Formulated with some beautiful ingredients like sunflower seed oil, cocoa butter & orange peel wax, these lip conditioners are also gluten & cruelty free. Because of the moisturizing quality, I would not call these matte. This video from detox market gives some great info about “Why We love It” Price tag – $28
Continuing with the lightweight lipsticks. I LOVE these lip glazes! These are part of 100% Pure’s fruit pigmented line. You can read their blog post all about what that means and how co- founder Susie Wang developed this amazing line of products. Besides fruits these lip glazes also contain avocado and cocoa butters. As the name suggests, these are more sheer but don’t think light in color – these are beautifully pigmented and the bolder shades can really pack a punch. I have the shade Elderberry which the website describes as a deep pink mauve. Depending on how much I apply I can get just a light wash of color all the way to a beautiful full-pink lip. This lip swatch video from Integrity Botanicals is a couple years old but all the shades are current so it should give you an idea of what 7 of the 20 shades look like. Price tag: $26 but as I write (02/2020) they are on SALE for $10.40
This was the first Beautycounter product I ever tried and I totally fell in love with it. It smells like vanilla! I love the sheer coverage and the fact that it is buildable. I have tried the shades Petal, which is a beautiful light pink and Twig which is warm rosy beige. Of the two shades I definitely preferred Petal only because Twig was too warm form my skin tone. I gave it to my sister and she still uses it. While I love this product, I will say that it is not very long lasting so be sure and keep it in your purse for reapplication. Price Tag: $32
Note: Beautycounter also has a color intense lipstick which I have never tried but plan to purchase soon. This video has a great swatches of the color intense formula.
Kosas lipsticks are best known in the shade Rosewater which has a huge following and is a bestseller. Described as a sheer, cool tone pink Rosewater is a flattering shade for most women. I find it to be a “my lips but better” color but it may look lighter or darker depending on your skin tone. Just because Rosewater is the most popular doesn’t mean it is the only shade worth trying. There are so many beautiful colors! This swatch video shows all the shades and honestly, makes me want to buy them all. This is another weightless formulation that goes on sheer but is buildable. I love that Kosas uses great ingredients and gets such beautiful colors. Price tag: $28
Axiology is a brand that I personally haven’t used but it is #1 on my list of things to purchase. I have heard nothing but great things about these lip products. A few years ago they were featured as a Beauty Hero and included in the BH subscription box. I highly respect Jeannie Jarnot and Beauty Hero for all the research they do to find the best clean products so her recommendation alone was great but then add Gurl Gone Green raving about it and I was sold! Axiology has several formulations from lip sheer all the way to a matte lip crayon so just choose which intensity suits you. This is the most recent swatch video I could find and…it isn’t in english so I have broken it down a bit 1:38 starts discussion of product; 3:35 starts swatches. Even though I couldn’t really understand what she was saying, she did a great job on the swatches! Price tag: $28-$30
100% Pure Cocoa Butter Matte Lipstick
Another great product from 100% Pure’s Fruit Pigmented line are these matte lipsticks. While not as dryingly (is that a word?) matte as their more toxic counterparts (*cough, MAC *cough,* cough) they are an excellent option for those who do not like a more wet looking lip finish. Unlike the options above, these lipsticks are full coverage and the matte finish makes the color seem even more highly pigmented. I absolutely LOVE this swatch video by Holistic Habits and am using it to help me decide what shade to buy. Price tag: $28
If you want to read more about clean beauty you can see all my blog posts on the subject, here.
