make it green: mascara.

Over the past several years, I have worked diligently to clean out my makeup collection, skincare items, shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and lotions and traded them for products that are safe for the body. The result is a small, but dearly loved arsenal of items that work well and also meet a strict green beauty standard. Many products marketed and sold today are packed with unsafe, unnatural ingredients. Our skin is the body's largest organ. It absorbs a shocking amount of what we might believe we are harmlessly applying to it when, in fact, we are doing irreversible damage. I have become a lot stricter with the companies I choose to support, and am introducing this new series to my blog to help you weed your products out and replace them with thoughtfully made alternatives.

Because this can be an overwhelming task, I will be posting one product to replace every couple weeks. I'll share two or three replacement products that I've either used personally, or would love to try out. There is a common misconception that the green alternative isn't as good as its drugstore counterpart, and I have found that statement to be completely untrue. In my search, I have found plenty of products that I much prefer over the original item it has replaced.

However, I will say straight away that these products are almost always more expensive than drugstore products and that's because the companies that make these safer alternatives are using better ingredients and they are often smaller establishments, which means you pay a higher price. I'm absolutely happy to support these companies, even if that means spending a bit more. In my opinion, they're doing important work by being transparent about ingredients and giving their customers truly beautiful products.

MASCARA || What I'm looking for: black; volumizing, non-clumping formula; no transference to browbone or undereyes; long-wearing; does not dry out after 1 to 2 months of purchasing.

1 || ILIA Beauty Mascara (in Nightfall) - $26: This is my very favorite mascara. It makes my lashes look thick and volumized and is super long-wearing. I don't experience any transference, which is my biggest gripe with any and all mascaras across the board. The only downside of this mascara is that the product in the tube tends to dry up a little more quickly than I would prefer. ILIA is a cruelty-free company.

2 || W3LL PEOPLE Expressionist Mascara (in Pro Black) - $21: This mascara reminds me the most of a classic drugstore mascara. The brush is fantastic and you get a lot of product. The formula is not as volumizing as the ILIA mascara, but it does coat the lashes beautifully and most certainly gets the job done! I do experience some transference throughout the day. This is the mascara I am currently using. W3LL PEOPLE is a cruelty-free company.

3 || Lily Lolo Black Vegan Mascara - $19.50: I have never been able to try this mascara because it's almost always sold out on The Detox Market (I purchase most of my products from here because they have a great loyalty program)! It has fantastic reviews. This will most definitely be my next purchase when I run out of my current mascara. Lily Lolo is a cruelty-free company.

I would love to know if you have any mascaras that have really impressed you! Mascara is probably my favorite makeup item, so I love trying new ones to see if they could potentially be added into my rotation. xo