I don't know about you, but this journey to make sure that what I'm purchasing was made in an ethical way is long and ambiguous. Sometimes it seems like the more I learn, the more I am weighted down in the details of my purchases and the more overwhelmed I become. 

One way I've been trying to combat feeling overwhelmed is by tackling one category of purchases at a time. I decided to start with a category I'm calling "Things I Put On My Face." It makes sense that the things that I put on my skin get absorbed into my body and luckily when it comes to ethically sourced cosmetic & soap companies not only do they tend to be concerned about how their products are made and tested, but also about the types of ingredients that go into their products. 

I've been trying out a new Cleansing Oil // Face Oil as well as a new brand of Mascara that I'm excited to share with y'all:

Olive & M

Like all good introductions, I first heard about Olive & M on Instagram. @onesmartpoptart thoughtfully commented on our post on Dr. Bronner's Soap and told us to check out @oliveandm. I started following them and getting a sense for their brand.

A few weeks later at the Renegade Craft Fair I saw their booth and got to meet the lovely ladies behind the brand. I'd not heard of using oil on your face as a cleanser, but when the Founder Mariska referred to it as "food for your face" I was intrigued and knew I wanted to at least give it a try. They kindly gave me a sample of their Cleansing Oil & Face Oil which happily lasted two weeks. Enough to get me hooked! (And now I refill the sample vials to use when I travel...)

I'm certainly no skin expert. My morning and nightly routine have always been pretty simple (some sort of Face Wash at night and a morning Moisturizer with SPF) and my skin seemed to respond decently well to the simplicity. An occasional break out that may have started increasing in frequency as I hit 30 (a warm welcome to the decade!) 

I've now been using the Olive & M Cleansing Oil and Face Oil for about two months and my face feels and looks healthier - which I'm sure both speaks for the product itself as well as the fact that it's using natural products. I'd highly recommend buying a sample online (they're on sale now for $12) and trying it out for yourself! It was pricier than other skin care I'd been using, but the bottles are large and seem to be lasting a long time. Definitely worth it for me. 

Now I need to find a way to add a moisturizer of some sort so that I can be sure to wear SPF every day. Any suggestions?

Lily Lolo Mascara

At Christmas this past year, I started using powder and mascara from a brand called Gabriel Cosmetics. Their products are made in the USA (thus they're held to our labor laws) and are not only vegan, but they have a list of each product's ingredients and which typical ingredients other companies use and why they leave them out. I found them on a blog that was reviewing natural mascaras and this one was listed as one of the top contenders - and I would have to agree!

I was ready, however, to try a few other brands to compare. While I was perusing the Dress Well Do Good Blog I ran across the company Credo Beauty and hopped over to check them out. From their website: 

Credo also lists out the ingredients as well as what it doesn't contain. 

I've only used the mascara a few times, but it seems to last all day and is easy to remove at night. It's so nice to find a shop that has already done the guess work on how the cosmetics were made as well as what's in their products. I will definitely be buying from Credo again. Besides, they add in fun samples (I got a face serum and a make up remover with my mascara purchase)!

What brands // shops have you found for ethically made "Things You Put On Your Face"?