Well, let me offer a solution to your problem. I heard about Physician’s Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Eyeliner from the plethora of positive reviews about it online. It’s the little pencil with the long name that, apparently, works remarkably well. I decided that, even though I usually prefer to try smaller, organic brands, I’d test out the popular well-known brand just this once—if for no other reason than the eyeliner’s $ 7 price tag. I was more than pleasantly surprised with the results. It glides on smoothly and wears great. I prefer it in the color Black Woods.

Need more reason to make the switch? Check out this ingredient list comparison. 

Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner. Cost: $7

Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Ozokerite, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyethylene, Phenyl Trimethicone, Candelilla Cera (Euphorbia Cerifera {Candelilla} Wax), Tocopherol, Sorbic Acid, BHT, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, MICA, Black 2, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Carmine.

Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Eyeliner. Cost: $7

Ingredients: Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Mica, Capric/Caprylic Stearic Triglyceride, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Squalane, Oliva Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Rocky Mountain Soap Company, a great all-natural beauty company headquartered in the Canadian Rockies has accomplished what I previously thought was impossible. Their Foot Butter made with cotton seed oil, cocoa seed butter, carrot root extract and a host of other good-for-you ingredients, actually works.

When I first started using it, I assumed it would be similar to Heeltastic in that it would work for a while in the beginning but my feet would eventually return to their cracked, dry state even while continuing to use it. To my surprise, the reverse was true. The first week or two that I used it, I only noticed a subtle difference. Then about eight weeks into using it, I looked down at my feet one afternoon and was a little taken aback. They were almost as smooth my 7-month-old baby’s feet. They looked better than they ever had. I immediately wondered what I was doing differently…then I remembered…I’d still been using Rocky Mountain Soap Company’s Foot Butter. The stuff lived up to its promises. It works much better than Heeltastic. In fact, it works much better than anything else I’ve tried. I’ve not had a single crack or callous since I began using it. My feet are completely soft. Just click on the Testimonials tab on this page of their website and you’ll see that I’m not alone in my amazement at how this product was able to solve a previously unresolvable problem. I’ve since tried other products from this company and had great experiences with all of them. Their deodorants work…their lip glosses are great…they’ve created an all-around exceptional brand. You have to assume that anyone who’s figured out how to permanently fix dry heels might know a thing or two about making high-quality, effective beauty products.

Tell me a little about your background and the journey that led you to develop your own organic beauty line?

The human form and how colors mixed together to form other colors were subjects that were a common thread in my background.

Ever since I was a small child, I loved to draw and color. After high school, I attended the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit to study graphic arts. I was kind of a free spirit and left the school when I realized that it wasn’t fun for me anymore when I was told what to draw and my work wasn’t necessarily “inspired” by me. I moved to L.A. afterward and had two children. Throughout that period, I became a paralegal, working from 9-5, dabbled in property management and permanent makeup.

Once my children were in grade school, I became a Certified Massage Therapist. I was privy to a lot of information I had never heard prior to that time. I learned about aromatherapy, the muscles, anatomy and reflexology. I became enamored with the wonderful “basic,” yet fantastically intricate schools of knowledge ~ how the body heals itself if it is supported correctly.

I took a special interest in aromatherapy and delved into the subject full on after graduation. It intrigued me how for centuries, since the time of the Egyptians, it was known that certain oils applied to the skin, for either beauty or medicine, produced positive or negative responses by the body.

Through training and research, I learned of the potentially dangerous ingredients in a majority of the conventional skin care products and the positive affect that organic and therapeutic grade products have on the body and soul.  Then, it was only natural for me to want to teach women so they could make educated choices about the products they purchased and companies they chose to support.

After years of creating my own essential oil blends and skin care products, with great feedback from customers and friends, I created Eve Organics, LLC.

Something I love about you guys is that you really try to educate the consumer. That’s one thing that definitely sets your brand apart. When you started the company, did you make a conscious decision to do that?

Yes, that was our mission from the beginning. There are not too many companies that want to educate their consumers like we do. For us, education is first and foremost. We feel our products completely fit into a whole living lifestyle. But, most women (or men) do not even know that, although they feel they are doing their bodies good in every way, there is more to whole living than eating and exercising. Ingredients from personal care products being absorbed into the skin are a big part of keeping the body in balance and whole.

What else do you feel sets Eve Organics apart in the crowded all-natural/organic beauty market?

There are many products out there that are definitely nice on the ingredients end, but don’t perform too well. We have tested and tried all of our products (on people, no animals!) and have had great feedback on the performance of all of them. And, after all, if the ingredients are awesome and it performs well, why wouldn’t you change? It’s a no brainer!

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced since starting Eve Organics?

The obvious one would be that we need brand recognition. We have been building our customer base slowly but surely.  We have so many extremely loyal customers with such great stories about how our product has done what so many others (prescription, high-end or otherwise) could not do for them.

Who’s Eve? Is it a reference to the first woman herself?

Eve is not a reference to anyone we know personally. The name was given to the company for a couple of reasons. We wanted to have a name that was easily remembered and had a semblance of healthy, from the earth and “stands the test of time”. We thought Eve Organics was the perfect name to encompass all of those characteristics.

Every quarter you guys give 10% of your net profit to a different charity. What charities have you given to in the past and how did you pick them?

We really try to choose organizations we feel are making an impact. In the past we’ve given to Susan Komen Breast Cancer Research (on more than one occasion), American Multiple Sclerosis Society, City Mission (Detroit), Green America, and The Organic Trade Association, to name a few.

What is your personal favorite Eve Organics product?

My favorite product is the Balance Skin Care set (cleanser, toner and moisturizer). There have been a couple of times that I have run out on vacation (you would think I’d have buckets full at home) or somewhere I couldn’t get another and have used another product either to clean or moisturizer my skin.  In both instances, my skin broke out almost immediately and it took me a few weeks to get it back to normal.  I have since learned to keep a back up at all times!

What’s your bestselling mineral eye shadow?

Definitely Champagne, with Bling and Fanatic tied for a close second.

Can you really sleep in mineral makeup? Is it that pure?

You can sleep in mineral makeup, but you really should wash your face before you go to bed.  Even though the zinc in the foundation is extremely healing ~ anti-inflammatory for sensitive, inflamed skin and naturally anti-microbial and protects skin from the sun, everyday environmental pollutants and grime still build up on your face after a whole day of “living”.  This needs to be washed off with a creamy cleanser and re-moisturized with antioxidants to help support the skin in its “replenishing”, the majority of which happens during sleep.

Studies show that the chemicals found in sunscreens are absorbed through the skin and end up circulating in the blood stream.  And the main chemical in 90% of all sunscreens just happens to be octyl methoxycinnamate…which kills cells in mice, even at very low doses. Numerous other ingredients found in most common sunscreens have also proven toxic, (such as oxybenzone–a hormone disrupting chemical).

Replace your old sunscreen with one like Soleo that uses zinc oxide to reflect and scatter UVA and UVB rays. Soleo is full of non-toxic ingredients that are so safe I’ve been using it on my 2-year-old whenever she plays in the backyard:

Ingredients: zinc oxide 22.3%, vitis vinifera seed oil (grapeseed), helianthus annus seed oil (sunflower), capric/caprylic triglyceride, vegetable oils, candelilla cera, cera alba (beeswax), macadamia ternifolia seed oil, theobroma grandiflorum seed butter, camillia sinensis leaf extract (green tea), anthemis nobilis flower extract (roman chamomile), lecithin, carthamus tinctorius seed oil (safflower), cucumis sativus fruit extract (cucumber), tocopheryl acetate.

Apparently I didn’t look at myself in the mirror at all after I put it on because I remember a few hours later my husband came home, took one look at me and said, “Wow, when’d you have time to get so tan?” I walked over to the mirror. I looked like I just got off a cruise ship. Better still, I was brown, not orange. The stuff works.

Self-tanners (whether deemed “all-natural” or not) are made up of DHA and erythrulose—two natural ingredients that react with the amino acids of the skin to create a darker skin color. From what science has found, these two ingredients are harmless, often having been derived from sugar beets. So the main ingredients in most self-tanners aren’t the problem; the problem is all the unnecessary parabens, fragrances and other dangerous synthetics often added to them. For instance, look at this ingredients’ list for Jergens Natural Glow Daily Facial moisturizer and note the ingredients in bold:

WATER, DIHYDROXY ACETONE, GLYCERIN, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE, C13-14 ISOPARAFFIN, GLYCERYL STEARATE, POLYACRYLAMIDE, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, DIMETHICONE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, PEG-100 STEARATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, STEARETH-2, CETYL ALCOHOL, XANTHAN GUM, LAURETH-7, CITRIC ACID, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, DMDM HYDANTOIN, FRAGRANCE, CARAMEL, ERYTHRULOSE.

Lavera’s ingredients’ list, on the other hand, is full of products you can pronounce that won’t harm your health. And they use natural oils to mask the obnoxious DHA smell instead of some kind of cryptic “fragrance.” Take a look at their ingredients’ list:

Organic jojoba oil, calendula, aloe vera and rose water. Water
Grain Alcohol*
Glycerin
Dihydroxyaceton (DHA)
Erythrulose
Sodium Lactate
Sunflower Seed Oil*
Xanthan Gum
Castor Seed Oil*
Calcium Sodium Borosilicate
Silica
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Extract*
Aloe Vera Leaf Juice*
Rose Flower Water*
Lavander Flower Water*
Camelia Oleifera Leaf Extract*

At $24 a bottle, I think it’s worth it for the amazing tan you get. I’m officially hooked.

I love when smaller brands specialize in one type of beauty product because it often means they really know what they’re doing in that particular area. And bar soap is most definitely the Biggs & Featherbelle specialty. With choices like Granola Bar, Handle Bar, Beach Bar and Lemon Bar, you can immediately tell they’ve “raised the bar” when it comes to all-natural soaps. And if you don’t believe me, just read these testimonials.

The sisters who started Biggs & Featherbelle began melting and pouring their own soaps to give to friends and family and later realized it was something they wanted to do full time. One thing I especially love about this company is their artful packaging. Having worked in the magazine industry for years, I have a real appreciation for their eye-catching design and creativity.

I currently have their Tequila Bar in my shower and I absolutely love it. It contains a blend of saponified oils including coconut, sunflower, palm, soybean and macadamia nut. My morning shot of tequila truly invigorates me everyday. It smells great and works better than any drugstore brand ever has.

At only $4.99 each, the Biggs & Featherbelle soaps are well worth the knowledge that you’re not rubbing chemicals all over your body to kickoff your beauty routine. So go do some bar hopping today!

1. If you see the word fragrance, it’s time to find a new soap.  We already know that “fragrance” can be beauty industry code for up to 4,000 more synthetic chemicals. Fragrance also usually contain phthalates, and we know how hazardous those can be.

2. If you see any colors or numbers, it’s time to find a new soap. I’m talking about Yellow 5, Green 3, and other FD&C dyes often used in soaps. Why are these cause for concern? Well, Yellow 5 has been shown to adversely affect both the liver and kidney, not only at higher doses but also at low doses. And Green 3 has been prohibited by the European Union because it was “found to have tumorigenic effects in experimental animals as well as mutagenic effects in both experimental animals and humans.” Yikes!

The bottom line is that we can do far better than the chemical-laden drugstore soap brands. Nature has provided us with some exceptional options for getting ourselves clean if we’d just be willing to branch out. So forget your Dove, Dial, Irish Spring and Lever 2000 and try something new like the Tahitian Vanilla Soap from The Body Deli. Check out its list of all-natural ingredients:

Oils of organic Olive, organic Jojoba, organic Avocado, organic Castor, Palm Oil, organic Coconut, organic Shea Butter, organic Evening Primrose, organic Rose-Hip Seed & Pure Food Grade Extract of Tahitian Vanilla.

The Body Deli products are made with “fresh, uncooked superfoods.” It simply doesn’t get any better than that. Why wouldn’t you want to feed your skin and hair the same nutritious foods you feed your body?  Some of The Body Deli products are so fresh, in fact, that they actually have to be refrigerated. And no, it’s not just a silly marketing gimmick, (although it may look that way when you’re staring at a glass case full of refrigerated beauty products.)

Whenever I hear about celebrities who are diehard fans of this or that beauty brand, I usually discount it. But with The Body Deli, I didn’t have to because the celebrities who’ve embraced them are already known for their all-natural approach to health and beauty—women like Alicia Silverstone, Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson. In other words, they’re serious about this kind of stuff.

The first product I tried was the Blueberry Fusion Scrub, and yes, as many of the women in the testimonials proclaimed—it smells amazing and, better yet, my skin looked immediately smoother after just one use.

My pores were smaller and more refined. It’s not a miracle potion of some kind, but it is definitely an exceptional facial scrub. The reason it works so well is because it uses all natural lactic, malic and citric acids to remove dull, dry skin cells, revealing brighter skin texture. Here’s the part I love most: The ingredients include such things as wild blueberry puree, acai berry puree and pomegranate juice. Which sounds exactly like the ingredients I put in my Vita-Mix to make a smoothie yesterday. I can confidently say there is no other beauty brand willing to be this pure and innovative when it comes to what goes in their products.

I also tried their Radiance Enzyme Peel, which contains therapeutic grade Manuka honey, known for its skin healing benefits.

The ingredients’ list for this peel reads like the back of a Probiotics bottle at your local health food store, (L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricum, L. Leichmanni, etc.). Other ingredients that got me borderline giddy included kale juice, beet juice, spinach juice and goji berry. The peel worked well, revealing a brighter complexion. It may not be the best choice for those with acne-prone or sensitive skin, however.

The only negative thing I have to say about The Body Deli is really not negative–it’s just the downside to all things truly natural. Just as I’d have to pay a whooping $8 for a 4-pack of organic bell peppers at the grocery store instead of $4 for the regular, pesticide-laden ones, so too does this purity come at a higher price. The Blueberry Fusion Scrub is $36, (which is still not too bad when compared to some high-end brands), and the Radiance Peel was recently marked down from $48 to $38. So while I may not be able to outfit my entire bathroom with The Body Deli anytime soon (as much as I’d like too), for a beauty splurge, this is most definitely the freshest way to go.

Should I go out in the sun?

Yes! Sure! Have at it! Avoiding the sun completely is not good for you. Excessive sun exposure is not good and can lead to skin cancer (though chances are better that it will simply lead to more wrinkles. But getting a little sun exposure on a regular basis has actually been show to decrease your risk for sixteen different types of cancer, including breast, colon, pancreatic and prostate! All you have to do is get some sun but don’t get sun damage. In other words, don’t ever get burned. And don’t sit outside and sunbathe all day. Anyone can tell that’s not smart to do. But by all means play in the sun a while. Why? Because your body needs vitamin D…

What’s the big deal about vitamin D?

Your body needs vitamin D to run properly. When you are deficient in vitamin D your body will experience increased inflammation (which can lead to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune illnesses, etc.). Vitamin D fights colds and flu and regulates the genes that influence your immune system to destroy bacteria and viruses. A study by vitamin D expert Dr. William Grant, Ph.D. found that about 30% of cancer deaths could be prevented every year with higher levels of vitamin D because it reduces the spread and reproduction of cancer cells.

According to the Vitamin D Council, the amount of vitamin D recommended for supplementation by the U.S. government is not enough to receive the full health benefits of vitamin D. That’s why they say: “Sun exposure should be your method of choice for getting vitamin D.”

How much sun exposure do I need?

Twenty minutes will do it, but don’t get hung up on numbers. And no, lying out for two hours won’t get you “more of a good thing” because you’ll likely be subjecting your skin to sun damage. But also know that there is no risk of getting too much vitamin D from being in the sun. Vitamin D toxicity only happens but when using vitamin D supplements.

What’s all this talk about UVB-rays versus UVA-rays?

UVA rays are the main cause of sunburn. They penetrate the skin more deeply than UVB-rays and cause free radical damage. The reason tanning beds are not good for you is because the high-pressure sunlamps they use can emit doses of UVA-rays as much as 12 times that of the sun. This is why people who use tanning beds all the time are much more likely to develop skin cancer. Some tanning salons now have UVB-only beds, which are definitely an improvement.

So what am I supposed to do about sunscreen?

Put it on if you know you’ll be outside much of the day. But if you’re obsessive about putting it on every single day under your makeup you’ll never get the vitamin D you’ll need. So use common sense. Just don’t use anything except an all-natural sunscreen.

Conventional sunscreens are extremely hazardous to your health. Don’t use them on yourself and please don’t use them on your children. The main chemical in 90% of sunscreens is octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC). OMC kills cells in mice, even at very low doses. In addition, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, an ingredient found in most sunscreens, has also demonstrated to have toxic properties.

Studies have shown that the chemicals in sunscreens are absorbed through the skin and end up circulating in the blood stream. Other chemicals often found in sunscreens that you don’t want circulating through your bloodstream include:

• Octyl salicyclate
• Para amino benzoic acid
• Avobenzone
• Oxybenzone
• Cinoxate
• Padimate O
• Dioxybenzone
• Phenylbenzimidazole
• Homosalate
• Sulisobenzone
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Trolamine salicyclate
• Octocrylene

You would think they would use safe ingredients in sunscreens made for kids, but they don’t. For instance, here are the ingredients in Coppertone Kids Sunscreen Spray With Protective Vitamins:

Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 15%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, Oxybenzone 6%, Alcohol Denat. (63.5% V/V), Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Glycerin, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Fragrance, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

No amount of “protective vitamins” will help save kids from the dangerous chemicals used to make this sunscreen. And most other popular kids sunscreen brands have the same thing going on. Just check the label if you don’t believe me.

So what sunscreen should I use?

An all-natural one that uses zinc oxide to reflect and scatter both UVA and UVB rays. For instance, this great kids’ sunscreen from Belly Buttons & Babies would be completely safe for little ones because it contains these ingredients only:

Purified water, zinc oxide, grapeseed oil, grapeseed extract, tocopherol (vitamin E)

The bottom line about sun: Get some. Not too much. Don’t get burned. Never ever use anything except an all-natural sunscreen.

1. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan

This book gives a clear picture of how disturbing the Western diet really is and the effect it’s having on the health of our society.

2. The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite

This book explains how the food industry since the 1980s has set everyone up for a lifetime of food obsession with the ever-present availability of foods laden with salt, fat and sugar.

3. What to Eat by Marion Nestle

This will take you aisle by aisle through the supermarket to show you what the food industry is up to and how they are manipulating everyone through marketing.

4. Eat for Health: Lose Weight, Keep It Off, Look Younger, Live Longer (2 book set) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Dr. Joel Fuhrman is still my favorite guru when it comes to breaking down what your diet should consist of. He will let you know the benefits of feeding your body the nutrients it needs in an easy-to-understand way.

And since I have two kids, I think this book by Fuhrman is a must-read for parents as well.

5. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

This is an oldie but a goodie. But only read it if you’re prepared to cringe every time you drive past a fast food restaurant from on.

Finally, if you really want to understand nutrition, I highly recommend watching this video lecture entitled Sugar: The Bitter Truth by UCSF Professor Robert H. Lustig, MD. I know it’s an hour and a half long, but I promise you it will be time well spent.