Read me before you apply make-up.

Stop! Before you apply make-up you must stop to think of the step that comes after the party. How will you remove it?

Why is this important? I don’t know which make-up are you using, but I know that most makeup will interfere eventually with skin function if you leave it for long enough.

It seems that Nefertiti, the beautiful Egyptian queen, used an eyeliner made of Kohl, ground galena (a mineral made mostly of lead sulfide). She could afford to use a highly toxic material on her eyes because she died when she was about 40 years old. We will probably live to 80 or 90, so we need to be more careful than Nefertiti. The FDA does not allow any toxic ingredients to be used in cosmetics, but there are other ways in which a non-toxic ingredient can hurt you.

Nefertiti wearing Kohl on her eyes.

Take, for example, eyelash cosmetics, those black and thick and water-proof, just as you want them to add drama to your beautiful eyes. They are OK to leave on for the duration of the party, but afterwards, don’t go to bed wearing them. Your delicate eyelashes, pride of your face, are alive. Maybe not the eyelash itself (made of mostly protein, no cells) but the cells that keep forming your eyelash when the old one falls out. You don’t want to mess with those cells, to obstruct the minute pore that the eyelash is coming through or to affect the life of the keratinocytes, skin cells making the protein that your eyelash is made of.

Another consideration is that a surprisingly high  percentage of the population is allergic to one or more ingredients in make-up. The FDA is not supposed to protect you from allergenic ingredients, simply because so many substances are allergenic and you can’t predict which one will do it for you. Beware, especially, of some “natural” make-up products, because they get their “cred” from using natural chemicals. These chemicals may be good for the plant but too often they are good for the plant because they may be bad for you, a possible predator. One of the most surprising natural additions is Balsam of Peru, an extremely allergenic substance that has reached way too many “natural” products. So when you see the word natural on the label, check the ingredients against a list of allergenic ingredients like those banned in Europe.

Why do you need to be aware of ingredients? Ask yourself whether you would use poison ivy on your skin just because it is natural.

After the party

Please don’t use a make-up remover that ignores the biochemistry and physiology of your skin and hair. Use Skin Actives make-up removers.
For hard to remove make-up, here comes Lauren, with two new product by Skin Actives.

Skin Actives Make-up remover
Water, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Floral Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Polysorbate 80, Sea Kelp (Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate) Bioferment, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Petrolatum, PEG-16 Macadamia Glycerides, Caffeine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Astaxanthin, Fucoxanthin, Porphyridium Polysaccharide, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol (and) Chlorphenesin (and) Caprylyl Glycol.

What’s in this make-up remover? The basics: water and oils (mineral oil, fatty acids, including essential fatty acids), a hint of surfactant and preservatives. Believe me, you don’t want anything capable of supporting bacterial life near your eyes, and this is why preservatives are required in most cosmetics.

Because this is a Skin Actives product, there is also some nutrients and antioxidants (glycerol, Astaxanthin, Fucoxanthin, Porphyridium Polysaccharide) and some caffeine to help reduce inflammation.

And another new product formulated by Lauren:
Skin Actives Brow and Lash conditioner

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Seed Oil, Linum Usitatissimum (Flax) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Squalane.

Here we don’t need preservatives because this formulation, lacking water, can’t sustain bacteria or mold. But don’t share this lovely conditioner with a friend: it is safer to just buy a second one for her/him. This conditioner contains valuable essential and non essential fatty acids

And don’t forget our brow and lash serum, your eyelashes will appreciate all the nutrients and KGF, everything your very alive skin needs to make eyelashes.