Converting to Clean Beauty

I’m sure we all remember back in the day when all I wanted was a huge collection of makeup from the hottest brands. I used to save every penny to buy the newest eyeshadow palette, or makeup collection. When I moved from Florida to Chicago, Chicago to Madison, and Madison to Milwaukee I packed boxes on boxes full of my collection. In the last year or so I’ve felt so weighed down by it that I started purging. I finally came to the realization that no one actually needs that much makeup.

Back then I would buy items based off of reviews on YouTube. How pigmented a shadow was, how long wearing a foundation, how full coverage a concealer. Now, I’m looking deeper into my cosmetics to see if they’re worth my purchase. I’m trying to switch to as many certified clean beauty products as possible. I used to scoff at the idea of only shopping clean products, but it makes sense. Our skin is our largest organ. Why would I want to pollute it with phthalates, chemicals, and preservatives?

The Conversion

The clean beauty space is small, but growing. There are some products like eyeshadow palettes, that I can’t find, but makeup for the face has a ton of great options. So, when I was purging my collection I kept only what the clean beauty space currently lacks. I got rid of most of my blushes, bronzers and highlighters that I’ve accumulated over the years. I am using up all of my foundations and concealers that are not clean, but not expired. To my shock, the majority of my skincare was already clean! While some of the items in my collection held sentimental value (like the first highlighter I ever purchased), it was super easy and satisfying to consolidate my collection into smaller vessels.

I try not to be wasteful, so any products I had that were not expired or lightly used I have in a bin for my friends and family to steal from. In the past, I’ve donated my unused cosmetics and personal hygiene items to a teen shelter. Unfortunately, this time around a lot got thrown away because it was way beyond expired. I hate being wasteful and I think that converting to clean, and being more intentional with my purchases, will prevent me from being in this situation again.

My Current Clean Beauty Favorites

I’ve found so many good products that quickly replaced some of my old favorites. You can shop them here:

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As always, you can follow me on Instagram @oliviajoehl for more behind the scenes content, and to see these products in action. I’m always testing new products and giving you my honest review!