2010 Archives: Revamp Your Red Carpet: Sustainable Beauty For Your Big Night Out
You may not have made it to Oscars this year, but once in a while everyone gets invited to a “red carpet” event—a hot date, big party, anniversary, reunion or wedding—that inspires a hair and makeup transformation. And even if your daily routine is full-on green, most of these pre-event transformations typically involve a retreat to paraben-heavy pancake, super-leaded lipstick and hairspray shellac that sends your carbon footprint up a size—or four.
Newsflash: Sustainable hair and makeup works just as well—or better—than its chemical cousins to get you ready for your big night!
As we’ve found in two years of EcoCelebrity interviews, even celebrities green their hair, makeup and fashion routines for the red carpet. Many pay thousands of dollars to high-profile stylists who can find them one-of-a-kind sustainable gowns, shoes and accessories, makeup artists who give them glowing, gorgeous skin without hormone-altering chemicals, hairstylists who create signature looks that last for hours without toxic sprays and manicurists who polish their nails in the chicest colors that won’t leave them stained yellow from formaldehyde.
But who has thousands of dollars to throw at a stylist? Read on, ecoista. We’ve got you covered.
ABOUT FACE
As Jessica Alba proved at Global Green’s 7th Annual Pre-Oscar Party last week, beautiful makeup starts with perfect foundation. But typical liquid foundations and concealers are loaded with parabens, artificial colors and other harmful ingredients, and way too many are tested on animals.
For a flawless, Earth- and animal-friendly face, we love NVEY ECO Certified Organic products, especially the amazing Erase concealer, which hides imperfections like dark circles, age spots and blemishes.
Once you’ve concealed, if you’re looking for full coverage, opt for NVEY’s Crème Deluxe or try their tinted Moisturizing Liquid Foundation for a dewy, barely made-up look.
Matte-addict? Make sure your skin is photo-ready with a dusting of NVEY’s Compact Powder—a great product to pack in your clutch if you tend to, you know, glow.
Like Jessica, your knockout red-carpet dress probably shows some skin—which typically calls for a tan. But exposure to UV rays can lead to sun damage, premature skin aging and skin cancer. As for sunless tanning products, though they may save you from an unhealthy solar sizzling, many have their own associated risks. So-called “tanning pills” typically contain canthaxanthin, which can cause eye damage and liver injury, while plenty of “safe” sugar-based sunless tanning creams are still chock full of parabens, propylene glycol (antifreeze in your fake-bake, anyone?) and artificial fragrance.
Instead, get a glow that saves your skin—and the planet—by using cruelty-free, drugstore-brand Physician’s Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Bronzer to achieve your just-blew-in-from-Barbados shade. We’re big fans of the dual-tone bronzer palette, which contains organic rice silk and organic jojoba seed oil—but no parabens, synthetic preservatives, synthetic colors, synthetic fragrance or GMOs—to create a subtle and slightly shimmery effect.
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THE EYES HAVE IT
As Serena Williams showed at Global Green, when it comes to paparazzi photos your eyes need to pop. Even if you plan to keep your makeup natural and understated, you’ll want to make sure your eyes are well-defined to avoid looking washed-out. With five radiant shades to play with, jane iredale’s new Perfectly Nude Eyeshadow Kit, contains an arsenal of shades that do just that, and her bestselling Longest Lash mascara and PureLash Conditioner combo (which was voted a “best of” on EcoStiletto in 2009) can’t be beat for smudge-proof, clump-proof lashes—an all-day, all-night-party must.
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LIP LOCK
Between greeting (even air-kisses warrant a lip smack) sipping, snacking and talking, lips get a workout on red-carpet nights, and you need lip color that will stick with you until the DJ packs it in. Disturbingly, many long-wear lipsticks contain carcinogenic colors, lead, chemical preservatives and phthalates, long associated with hormonal disruption, including liver, kidney and lung damage—no cause for celebration.
That’s why we’re so excited about Lip-Ink, which adheres to the principles of PETA and the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, while turning out wax-free, paraben-free, kosher, vegan, long-wear lip color that’s loaded with more than 40 natural herbs, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Applying Lip-Ink lip stain is a three-part process, involving lip-prep, color application and shine coat, and we will caution you that the color does tingle briefly, but intensely, when applied. But once we got this stuff on, it stayed on, and on and on and on, through laughing, smiling, smooching, drinking and eating, until we swabbed it off with Lip-Ink’s all-natural Off color remover. The best part? You can layer several Lip-Ink shades (they’ve got zillions), to achieve your perfect color. Smooch!
WEEK OF 6.14 ONE ECOSTILETTO MEMBER WILL WIN A $63.95 LIP-INK COLOR KIT!
THE MANE EVENT
And then there’s hair. What to do with one’s tresses is almost always a source of stress for even the mellowest party girl. Up or down? Tousled or tight? And what about those propellants, petrochemicals, skin irritants, neurotoxins and carcinogens so often found in hair sprays, mousses, gels and other holding products?
Not a pretty picture.
So we’re thrilled to offer a lesson in fancy ’do’s from eco-hair expert and Carla Gentile of Steam Salon in Los Angeles, CA, who blew our minds at GreenBlogCon2009 by using some of her miraculous eponymous pomade, a wide-tooth, rat-tail comb and mixed-bristle brush (Mason Pearson, made from cruelty-free, naturally shedded boar bristles, natch) to back-comb her way to gorgeous, indestructible, product-free updos like the one pictured above.
Using Intelligent Nutrients certified-organic and all-eco-all-the-time products, here are Carla’s favorite red-carpet redo hair tips:
For Volume: “Always towel-blot the hair so it is semi-dry. Don’t rough dry the hair with a towel! This will wreak havoc on your ends and increase breakage. Then tip your head upside-down, spray with a light-hold hair spray like Intelligent Nutrients Volumizing Spray and secure hair in a high pony tail until dry. Shake it out for full, natural volume that requires no electricity or product at all!”
For Curls: “Towel blot your hair, then work through Intelligent Nutrients Hair Balm. Towel blot again to remove excess product and moisture. Section the hair, roll it into curls and pin using curl clips, making large pin-curls all over your head. Let your hair dry naturally, or, if you don’t have the time, use your hair dryer on a low setting to finish drying. The most eco-friendly way to achieve these curls is roll them in at night before you go to bed. When the hair is dry, simply remove the clips and shake your hair out for soft texture and wave.”
Now, go work that carpet, baby!
