By Nicolle
In my effort to go completely clean with my beauty products, I’ve slowly switched over my makeup. I jumped on the clean foundation bandwagon instantly – it’s way less chemical-filled than your standard foundation AND it covers better – but was having trouble finding a few other staples.
Few makeup products can enhance and complete your look like mascara can. With the right mascara, your eyes look wider and more awake, and your face is opened up significantly.
My clean mascara picks had been marginal at best. They flaked, wilted and were way too dark for my naturally light lashes. It’s easy for companies to make clean mascara with charcoal (and it’s almost as easy for you to make it yourself), but that creates a blackest-of-black shade that doesn’t exactly complement my skin tone, dark blonde hair and light lashes/eyebrows. What I really wanted was a dark brown mascara to enhance my lashes for daytime without looking like I was headed to the bar at 8 a.m.
I’m also a veeeery picky mascara user. I have long, naturally curled lashes that need to be plumped, but because I don’t usually wear any other eye makeup, I want a little extra length as well. For a while, I was using two mascaras: a lengthening one as a primer, and a thickening one to finish the job.
That fetish ended when I started cleaning up my makeup act and realized that I couldn’t afford to use two different mascaras per day if they cost over $10 each. Plus, it seemed stupid and wasteful.
Courtesy of Couleur Caramel
Enter Couleur Caramel, a New Zealand-based natural cosmetics company. On more than one recommendation from clean beauty junkies, I recently bought Couleur Caramel’s “cils courts” mascara, which is for both lengthening and thickening.
It’s hands down the best mascara I’ve ever used for a daytime look. I got it in brown so it wouldn’t be as bold on my lashes and I’m already in love with it. It doesn’t flake like other natural mascaras I’ve tried, it’s semi-waterproof and it actually thickens and lengthens. You can even layer it on for more lash thickness, and I’m considering getting a second one in “black” to use for a more intense eye look.
Aside from the fact that IT WORKS LIKE I WANT IT TO (novel idea, for cosmetics to actually do what they say they’ll do…), I love that it’s free of the petroleum and tar that infuse most drug and department store mascaras. Sorry, but I don’t want that stuff near my eyes.
Two thumbs up for this natural beauty find. What about you readers? Any other amazing mascaras I should be checking out? Tell me in the comments below or email me at [email protected].
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