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WHAT WE’RE LOVING THIS MONTH

Let’s talk about non-toxic bronzers, shall we?

I’m always down for a little bronzer on my face but some of the brands out there make me look like I’m a clown. I’m sure many of you can relate. I’ve spent a while searching for a bronzer that doesn’t make me look fake or pathetic, haha, and these are the few brands that I came up with.

They’re great for travel, for everyday use or for special occasions when you feel like you need to add a bit of a sun-kissed glow to that marvelous face of yours.

HOW WE USE THEM

The bronzers I use are not powder form- I find that the powder bronzers make me look really wrinkly and older and they seem blotchy to me. Can you relate?

I do use the cream bronzers because they’re easier to apply, stay on longer and they look more subtle, which is key for having a natural sun-kissed look.

I use bronzers very sparingly. I put a dab on my forehead, on each cheek and on my chin. I don’t know if a makeup artist would agree with this (probably not) but I’m an Aquarius and like to do things my own way- so this is how I do it. I pair it with a little mascara and I’m good to go.

WHY WE TRUST THESE BRANDS

These brands are all non-toxic and made without chemicals and all that other junk that you don’t want on your face (and getting into your body because your skin is your biggest organ). All of this is laid out in full in my best-selling book, Eating Clean, where I break down for you all the chemicals to avoid in your beauty products and personal care products. It’s more of a guidebook so you know what to use and what to stay away from.

I’ve tried each of these brands below and they work really well, especially in the summer heat. They don’t get streak-y or slime-y or blotchy or anything of that sort. They keep well and I’ve been using them interchangeably for a few months now.

These are my favorites so far:

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WHAT WE’RE LOVING THIS MONTH

Let’s talk about body lotion.

I was never too much of a fan of it.

Why?

Well, because so many brands I tried were gooey and sticky and smelled funny or they’d make my skin feel sticky when I was sweating.

Hence, why I gave up on body lotion for many years.

Until I discovered a few brands that I really loved.

And that’s exactly what I’m sharing with you today.

HOW WE USE THEM

I really love using facial oils on my face. However, when it comes to my body, lotion seems to do the trick. I use them from my chest down to my toes and I apply it right after I get out of the shower when I’m applying my makeup, putting on my deodorant and putting facial oil on my neck and face. I try to get all of this done within 5 minutes right when I hop out of the shower and dry off so it’s not daunting and exhausting.

I’m not the kind of gal that takes hours to get ready.

I’m quick.

In and out.

These brands last awhile so you won’t need to buy a new bottle every month. They’re great even when you’re sweating and they last all day, which is what I really loved about all of them. You can use them however you’d like and wherever you’d like but I find the quickest and easiest way to apply these lotions is when your skin is still a bit moist (but not wet) right after towel drying from your shower or bath.

WHY WE TRUST THESE BRANDS

I’ve tried a heck of a lot of lotions. Let’s just start by saying that.

But these brands are different. They also happen to be a few of my favorite brands that I use for other beauty products, as well. They’re all non-toxic so they’re made with really great ingredients that are high-quality and that you can trust. They’re also ideal for anyone with sensitive skin, like myself, because they’re not the kind of lotions that will cause you to break out or anything of that sort. They’re made from simple ingredients that are clean.

I also included my favorite baby lotion in this roundup because I know many of you have asked me what is safe to use on your baby. The Erbaviva brand below is fabulous and I love using the baby lotion even on my sensitive skin.

Take a look below to see if any of these brands float your boat and click on the product for more information.

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WHAT WE’RE LOVING THIS MONTH

Let’s talk about exfoliating for a minute, shall we?

Like many of you, I’m all about minimal products in my bathroom. I can easily turn into a product junkie but then I don’t end up using half of the products and they end up expiring. So, I’m doing something a bit different this year.

I threw away ALL of my beauty products (and I get sent a LOT of products from brands) because it was overwhelming and so many products – even though they claimed to be ‘clean’ – were still filled with junk that were affecting my skin and my hormones (hello PMS!). It’s amazing what a chemical in a beauty product can do to the chemical reactions in your body, isn’t it?

Anyway, that said, I’m on the lookout for a VERY FEW key products this year and when I find them I’m going to share them with you.

First up are non-toxic exfoliants, because a girl’s gotta exfoliate that skin of hers to get that soft baby touch we all crave. I’ve never been a weekly exfoliator but I do like to do it once every two weeks to keep my skin soft and silky.

HOW WE USE THEM

I’m going to start by talking about the glove in the top row. That’s all I really need to address here. Everything else is up to you and will depend on your personal preference because we’re all different. But this GLOVE! Where do I begin?

My skin would feel like sandpaper without it. Let’s just put it that way. I think that should give you a good understanding of how powerful this baby is. You can use this glove with regular soap or with an exfoliator on your body and WOW, you will notice results within a few minutes. I kid you not. Try it for yourself.

The other products are all brands that I trust and admire because they’re clean and their ingredients are pure. I’ve used each of these products throughout the last few years and I must say these are my favorite non-toxic exfoliants to use because they’re not too harsh and they’re not BS – they’re just right, like Goldilocks. You’ll see.

WHY WE TRUST THESE BRANDS

I’ve been through my fair share of brands and these are the ones that I’m relying on right now when it comes to exfoliating. I highly suggest clicking on each one to see what works for you. Some of you exfoliate in the shower, others do it in the sink before bed and some of you in the AM before work.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach so do as you wish and have FUN with this. Beauty is supposed to be F-U-N so go enjoy yourself and treat yourself to a little scrub to polish that beautiful body of yours.

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WHAT WE’RE LOVING THIS MONTH

Sunscreen. Let’s talk about it.

There are so many sunscreens on the market that are full of ‘junk’ as I like to call it (chemicals, parabens, toxins and other gross crap that companies toss into their products).

Now, if you’ve read my best-selling book, Eating Clean, you know that our skin is our biggest organ, which means anything that we put onto our skin gets absorbed into our bodies and then has to be filtered through our liver. I’ve talked a lot about the body burden of toxins we encounter on a daily basis and how it’s contributing to health issues all over the world but what many people don’t realize is that the more toxicity you encounter (sunscreen, shampoo, deodorant, plastics surrounding your food, conventional/non-organic food), the harder your liver has to work and a lot of that ‘junk’ gets stuck in your liver because it’s synthetic.

This is where many of the symptoms you experience start. And the majority of us don’t realize this.

That said, today I want to help you lessen your toxic load by sharing my favorite non-toxic sunscreen brands.

HOW WE USE THEM

I use these brands on my entire body, including my face. The Badger (stick sunscreen) in the middle of the bottom row below is what I keep in my bag all day long even when I’m walking in between meetings in Manhattan because I enjoy walking in the sun and I often need a touch of sunscreen without the white zinc look!

The Supergoop in the middle of the second row is another favorite of mine because it’s compact and easy to travel with. It’s the sunscreen that I use weekly when I’m at the beach or the pool.

If you have a baby, I love the Badger sunscreen on the bottom left in the last row because it goes on really well. It can be thick but it works wonders so you don’t have to worry about baby burns!

All of the below work well and I’ve used them all numerous times so I wanted to share them with you and let you decide which you like best.

WHY WE TRUST THESE BRANDS

I’ve tried so many brands of sunscreen by now. I feel like I receive dozens of brands every year in the mail and half of them are awful or too pasty or too slimy or they don’t work. Period.

These are brands I’ve used myself and that I trust to work their magic on your body!

I also happen to love these brands because they actually care about their consumers, which makes all the difference in the world. Enjoy and happy sun-tanning!

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It’s a New Year, which means it’s time to dump out your old makeup and replace it with clean, non-toxic makeup because it builds up with bacteria that you don’t want in your body. Trust us.

We go through our makeup bags once a year to detox what’s old, especially mascara, which should be discarded every three months. Don’t let that stress you out. We know the feeling of finding a good mascara that you can’t live without and the thought of tossing it is heartbreaking. But, have no fear, we’re making your beauty routine easier than ever with our top non-toxic mascara brands.

Chemicals in Beauty Products

Before we share our favorites with you, let’s talk chemicals. First of all, your skin is your biggest organ so anything that you’re putting on your skin such as perfume, shampoo, conditioner, nail polish, mascara, body lotion, etc will get into your bloodstream. Don’t believe us? Check out our feature How to Detox Your Personal Care Products.

Amie’s best-selling book, Eating Clean: the 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation and Reset Your Body is filled with an entire chapter dedicated to chemicals that are lurking in your everyday products. This book includes charts of the chemicals to avoid and what brands she loves to use.

Our 5 Minute Makeup Routine

We like to keep our makeup simple whether it’s getting ready for weekend night out or a day at the office, all you need is a fabulous mascara (and an eyelash curler) as well as a little touch of blush on your cheekbones and a touch of the same color on your lips (or just add lip gloss). That’s our formula when we’re out and about. Easy, simple and super fresh, which is just what you need to make your life easier and cut down on your ‘getting ready’ time.

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