Minimal, Low Waste, Natural Make up

Make up is one of the biggest selling markets in the world. There are new products released daily. Most of these products are filled with harsh chemicals and tested on animals.

Now you can avoid make up altogether but if you like wearing make up and want to reduce your waste there are very few companies fulfilling that requirement. I like to keep it simple and minimise my products and make my own versions where I can.

Foundation:

I do my best to buy in Ireland rather than buying online. It took a while to find a plastic free, vegan and cruelty free brand. I found this foundation from a French company called Couleur Caramel. I chose glass packaging over plastic. The company is cruelty free and vegan. It is not as good as my old mainstream brand but it does the job at covering up blemishes and even out skin tone. I apply using my clean fingers.

Eyes:

I use a stainless steel eyelash curler and a homemade mascara. I haven't been able to find a plastic free mascara and I couldn't justify the constant throwing away of mascara tubes which are mostly made with non-recyclable plastic.

I make the mascara out of burnt almonds. I haven't perfected the recipe yet but I find it performs the same as the average high street brand. I use an old mascara brush that I cut short and keep in a reused sterilised essential oil jar.

When it comes to eyeliner I stick to a pencil. This 'elf' brand is cruelty free and vegan but not natural, so the hunt goes on for a quality pencil.

Lips:

I use a bamboo toothbrush to buff my lips and a lip balm in tin packaging as this is easily recyclable. I am still on the look out for a zero waste lipstick in paper or tin in Ireland.

Powder:

I use the brand 'EcoTools' for my make up but I also have brushes from years ago, that I use too. This powder is the same brand as the foundation. I did make a powder out of cornstarch and arrowroot powder with a teeny amount of raw cacao.

I also use raw cacao as a bronzer albeit rarely.

When it comes to blush you can squeeze your cheeks for a healthy glow or make some out of beetroot powder which can be found in most health food stores.

In conclusion I try and reduce the need for make up as much as possible and I am still tweaking my collection to be as low waste and cruelty free as it can be. It's an ongoing project.

Thanks for reading and if you want to check out the video its here...