Hiya Gorgeous,
Elizabeth Taylor once said, “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.”
There’s something empowering and totally sexy about a really great lipstick.
Although I don’t wear it everyday, I love to dress up my smoocher when I’m out on the town or on stage. And I know many of my readers are curious about which lipsticks are safest and perform the best, which is why it’s Crazy Sexy Review time!
Every product we put on our bodies matters, but lipstick is something I pay extra attention to.
After a day of noshing, green juice drinking, and gabbing, I’ve probably eaten a lot of it! There are lots of statistics on how much lipstick someone eats during their lifetime. Estimates range from 3.5 – 7 pounds.
Regardless, we all know that some of the ingredients end up in our bodies and that they can build up over time.
When the Environmental Working Group (EWG) studied body burden (the amount of chemicals stored in our bodies) they found the average person has nearly 300 different chemicals in their system, including PCBs and DDT, which were banned over 30 YEARS AGO in the US.
We just don’t know what the long term effects of the buildup of these chemicals are, and the things we do know are pretty alarming.
That’s why I did a ton of research with my team of beauty sleuths (aka my wonderful staff!) over the course of several months on the most popular natural lipstick brands out there.
The lipsticks chosen are based on your votes! And once again, I teamed up with the EWG to analyze the ingredients for each product so that you have the most up-to-date safety ratings. I picked my favorite colors, checked out whether they’ve been certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny and added the price for each—just to save you some extra time.
I’ve also added some notes on my experience with each product to help you pick the best one for your needs. Here are the results!
My Crazy Sexy Lipstick and Lip Sheer Review
Please Note: Although rms and Beauty Counter are not certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny, you can read about their practices here (both companies state that they do not test on animals): rms, Beautycounter
For those of you who are wellness detectives like I am and want to know more about how we vet the products I recommend, read this.
Bonus: Lipstick Application Tips
So now that you’re a savvier lipstick shopper, what about making the most of those gorgeous smackers? I talked to one of my go-to makeup artists/green beauty experts Rebecca Casciano for her ultimate lipstick tips.
Prepping Your Lips:
- Lipstick goes on and wears more evenly when lips are moisturized and smooth. Apply lip balm as part of your morning and evening skincare routine and lips will always be ready for your favorite non-toxic lipstick or gloss.
- To exfoliate dry lips, dip a washcloth or soft toothbrush in warm water and lightly buff your lips. You can also make a quick DIY scrub by mixing 1 teaspoon of olive oil or coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of raw sugar. Apply a small amount to lips and rub gently. Leave on for a couple of minutes, then rinse off.
Lipstick Application:
- To create a well-defined look without using liner, apply lipstick with a lip brush. Use the edge of the brush to trace the shape of your lips, then fill them in with lip color.
- For longer wearing lip color, apply a lip liner in the same shade as the lipstick to your entire lip area. Then apply your lipstick and blend to lip line. When it starts to wear away, there will be a layer of color underneath.
- To get more of a “lip stain” look, skip the brush and use the tip of your ring finger to apply lipstick. Start with the center of your lips and blend softly to the edges.
- Give lips a fuller look by applying a lighter lipstick or gloss to the center of the bottom lip. It should be in the same color family as the lipstick, or have a sheer, shimmery finish.
I want to hear from you, friend: What’s your favorite lipstick and why? Let’s share our collective wisdom in the comments section below.
Gentle request: If you work for a beauty company please be cool, we’re trying to keep these comments as unbiased and useful as possible. Sharing your product is awesome. Hundreds of comments about your product is not awesome. Thank you!
Peace & bisous,
Just wondering your thoughts on the makeup line Rejuva? They seem to score the highest on many kinds of makeup on ewpg.
ZuZu Luxe and Gabriel Cosmetics have awesome lipsticks, and an array of colors. I have used their raspberry matte color and a sheer one, as well as a nude one. Great company, USA, natural and non-toxic ingredients. I just order online, although Sprouts has Gabriel cosmetics, but not the ZuZu Luxe.
Thank you so much for providing these lists. This team makes it so easy for us consumers and I’m beyond grateful!
Thanks Kris for this great list.I love the color queen bee by honeybee gardens.It is so beautiful!
Hi,
Are colors toxic or harmful like Red 7 or any color followed by numbers? All the pretty colors have colors added that don’t seem “natural.” Even in these “natural” lines like Ava Anderson and Ilia, I see colors like Red 7, Red 28, etc.
please advise.
How are the drug store products rated such as Burt’s Bees lipsticks rated? Are there any lip products @ drugstores or @ that price point that are safer to use?
The mascaras you list such as Organic wear by Physicians formula mascara ( which I use & Love by the way)
Hi, im so pleased to have found you, thanks for doing what you do!
Unfortunately im not familiar with the brand names you are recommending
are these products available in CANADA? ?
Fitglow has lipglosses and lipstick, all non-toxic and AMAZING. They’re from Canada! I have to order them online! Lilly Lolo is from England but they ship everywhere.
I couldn’t find Zuzu lipstick rating listed for Truth or Dare on Skin deep ewg site. Maybe it’s there and I am not using the site correctly. Did you evaluate the Zuzu lipsticks ? Thanks in advance.
Would love to hear your thoughts on Arbonne products
I got in on this one too late, but would add the Pacifica line for sure. Very natural I believe, lots of coconut oil, beatiful colors, and awesome smells! Great eye, lip, cheek colors, as well as eye liner, mascara, lotions, and perfume!
Finally a true enviro~friendly product line!
Hi Kris! I am a huge fan of your blogs, videos and inspirations. I am just starting out on new journey as a health coach and mentioned you and your book on my website/blog as one of my favorites!
Can any one tell me where I can find these products?
I don’t often wear lippy, but am totally smitten with The Organic Skin Co lipstick – especially Flamingo and Ruby Red! They’re 100% natural, 70% certified organic, and though they’re not vegan, they are not tested on our furry friends. The rest of the make up range (except lipgloss) is certified vegan.
Red Apple Lipstick makes my absolute favorite natural lipstick. They have tons of great colors and their products are really great quality. They don’t put anything bad in any of their products.
I use Bare Minerals lipstick and they didn’t make your list. Did you look at them, and if so, what is in them that causes them to be off your list? Thanks 🙂
I am in LOVE with Beautycounter’s lip sheers!!!!
This is good, but not all of us can shell out $35 for lip balm. Burt’s Bee’s, which btw is available nearly everywhere, does rate very well on EWG. I think a tube is less than $5.
Love you for doing this and all the time and effort that went into this. Unfortunately for me, these products are out of my price range. (The same was true for the mascara challenge, too, especially with the frequency of mascara replenishment. ) I took the cruelty free pledge already and continue to do so but as great as these sound, especially with the low EWG ratings, these are not affordable. Maybe I the future if you ever do these challenges you could consider this factor? I’ve found cruelty free at drug stores, health stores and beauty supplies. xo
We will add some less expensive options–thanks Ellen. We choose the most popular brands from hundreds of submissions. But, next time we will include more. Appreciate your feedback. xo
I love all of Ava Anderson non toxic products and would love for you to check them out.