Hiya Gorgeous,
Elizabeth Taylor once said, “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.”
Thereβs something empowering and totally sexy about a really great lipstick.
Although I donβt wear it everyday, I love to dress up my smoocher when Iβm 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 itβs 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, Iβve 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 donβt know what the long term effects of the buildup of these chemicals are, and the things we do know are pretty alarming.
Thatβs 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 theyβve been certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny and added the price for eachβjust to save you some extra time.
Iβve 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 youβre 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: Whatβs 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, weβre 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,
I been waiting for this article for so long, thank you so much for doing this!
You’re so welcome! xo
I love Arbonne’s lipstick (fav color – Earth) because it has no petroleum products in it (I’m allergic). I’d love to see where it ranks on the list though! I just bought the 100% Pure eye cream and will have to try the lipstick sometime soon.
Great post, but you missed the BEST natural pure lip produce ever..Living libations Maidenfern blushing balm..so gorgeous. Works on all skin colour and gives a beautiful glossy finish that stays put. Everything these people make is spectacular and inspiring and takes “natural” to a whole new level
LOVE Living Libations! π
I love 100% pure lip glaze– it’s my go-to. So creamy and moisturizing!
HI Kris,
Why you would put a company on your list that tests on animals is mind-blowing to me. At least that’s what I’m understanding the N/A means with the two companies of Beauty Counter Lip Sheer and RMS Beauty Lip2cheek. If they don’t have the bunny logo or any other that states that they do not test on animals then it evidently is not important to them and they are definitely not important to me!!!!!
Also I don’t understand why you never have Gabriel make-up in your reviews, they have The Gabriel brand and the ZuZu Luxe brand (which is vegan)
Please check them out http://gabrielcosmeticsinc.com/brand/zuzu-luxe/
Thanks so much and continues health and success to you!!!!!!
Love,
Barb
Hi Barb,
The list was based on the community’s votes for their favorite brands. So what you’re seeing in the Roundup are the most popular natural brands out there. My goal is to empower readers with helpful info about each brand so that they can make educated purchases.
Although rms and Beautycounter are not certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny, they do talk about NOT testing on animals at their websites. You can read more here:
rms: http://www.rmsbeauty.com/shop/Ingredients.php
Beautycounter: http://www.beautycounter.com/faqs
xo, kc
Hi Barb,
I panicked when I read your reply… I use rms beauty and love it! I could have sworn that they do not test on animals. I had a quick check of their website and was happy to see that they DO NOT test on animals. So pleased! So not sure what n/a means for that category in this case.
But thanks for your reply, it got me questioning my own practices which is always a good thing!
Regards, Kate
Hi Barb!
As I understand it, because Beautycounter doesn’t have it’s own manufacturing plant they cannot get those certifications. If you go to their FAQ page however, they affirm that their products are not tested on animals. (Direct quote below)
“DO YOU TEST PRODUCTS ON ANIMALS?
No. Beautycounter does not test any of our products on animals, nor do we ask others to do so. We do not have our own manufacturing facility; we contract with several independent formulators. These DO YOU TEST PRODUCTS ON ANIMALS?
No. Beautycounter does not test any of our products on animals, nor do we ask others to do so. We do not have our own manufacturing facility; we contract with several independent formulators. These formulators also do not conduct animal testing.”
Beautycounter strives to be an ecofriendly company by offsetting their carbon footprint and opting for better, more sustainable packaging (among many other things).
(My apologies for the issue with the website quote. My tablet seems to have developed a stutter during the posting process.) The exact quote says:
“DO YOU TEST PRODUCTS ON ANIMALS?
No. Beautycounter does not test any of our products on animals, nor do we ask others to do so. We do not have our own manufacturing facility; we contract with several independent formulators. These formulators also do not conduct animal testing.”
Love these types of post! The one thing that confuses me is the coloring for the products. What are “Lake” colorings and where do they come from? Also, I wish companie would list non-nanoparticles on the ingredient list.
I believe Ava Anderson Non Toxic lists non nanonanoparticles on their ingredients lists! π
Well…I use Bodycology berry fiesty pink lip balm, passion berry reddish pinkish lip balm, sassy white sugar lip balm, a white lip balm skinny tube called perfectly fine. And I like fruit flavored lip balms too.
As a lip balm conoissuer and well, addict, my very favorite brand is Crazy Rumors http://www.crazyrumors.com.
All vegan, fun flavors, nice ingredients, and the perfect consistency; not too oily and not too sticky, just right! They have lip color too.
I keep tubes of it everywhere (purse, desk, bathroom, nightstand, car, jacket pocket) to prevent the moment of panic that comes if I can’t find one. π
Does anyone else have a quirk like that about lip balm?
Thanks Allison! I’ll have to check out your quirk. π
I do! I have tubes of lip balm everywhere π My favourite is Weleda not sure you have in the US!
We have Weleda in the US, and their Everon Lip Balm is the.best.ever.
Response to crazy rumors lip balms. these cannot be all natural if they are using lip flavoring(banana , velevet cake,etc) Unless they are essential oils or extracts the flavoring they neglect to describe in detail on their website would be synthetic as well as whatever preservative used in the flavorings base. Look for Organic balm bases with essential oil for the scent/flavor (vaniila, peppermint, cinnamon, clove, lemongrass)
They DO describe the flavorings in detail on their website:
Natural & Organic Flavors/ Essential Oils
A variety of flavors obtained from a common distillation process. Flavor sources are derived from one or more of the following depending on the specific flavor: spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants. (Source: http://crazyrumors.com/ingredients)
Thanks for these great suggestions Kris! It’s so wonderful to see more and more safer options available to women. Kiss approved!
Thank you for your time and research. I was wondering where Burts Bees fell on the chart? I love their lip shimmer and gloss.
You’re welcome gabby! Go to http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to see how Burt’s rates. xo
rms colors modest and demure are my faves for lips and cheeks. Then I just add a little gloss or tan matte to tone down the pinkyness of demure
Did you evaluate Lush lip products? Just curious if they did okay or not. Thanks!
We didn’t try Lush but you can go to http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to see how it rates.
Thanks Kris for this great list. Does the EWG rating change based on the colour or can we look to the lipstick line and feel confident about changing colours to what works for us knowing that the rating is the same.
Thanks for always thinking about our health.
Jo-Ann Blondin
The ratings do change sometimes for color, so double check Skin Deep. xo! kc
I LOVE 100% Pure! So happy to see it made it to the top of your list… and “Coquette” is my color π I tried many, many, many π natural brands before finding and falling in love with this one. The look, feel and smell is perfect. If you haven’t switched to natural lipstick yet… try this!
I love Pacifica, they have lipstick, gloss and tints. Devocean is their newest and pretty long lasting. All vegan, gluten free and cruelty free.
I love Pacifica as well. Fire Bird is a gorgeous red.
Hi!
TY for this..Did you find that any of them stayed on the Best..I use lip stain and would love to change!
THX
K
The color queen bee by honeybee gardens is fantastic! It’s their signature red.
Hi there!
Thank you very much for this article!!! Do you happen to know if “Red Apple Lipstick” is safe to use??? I recently bought 1 that I loved, so I am curious…
Thanks in advance π
Look at Beautycounter’s Scarlet Lipstick!! Bright Red just came out yesterday! As Kris shows above their lip shears are #1 on EWG!!! http://www.beautyfreeofchemicals.com
Red Apple Lipstick is super safe! It is gluten free, cruelty free, soy free, paraben free awesomeness!
Any tips for lipsticks not bleeding into lips lines?
A lip liner helps quite a bit. I use benecos which is from a natural cosmetic company.
Hi Debbie,
To keep lip color from traveling into fine lines, using a lipliner would be helpful. Also, choose a lipstick that has a more matte finish, rather than creamy or glossy. It will stay put longer. If you still want a little shine, add gloss or balm only to the center of the lips.
Hope that’s helpful!
XO, Rebecca
Afterglow cosmetics is my fave. They use organic ingredients and are certified gluten free which is a big deal for me since I have to be gluten free. Their lipsticks are soft and moisturizing which I LOVE!
I also love Afterglow Cosmetics. My skin changed so much when I switched to their product line- no more breaks outs and allergic reactions. π The lipsticks are so soft! I also love that they fully disclose what ingredients are being used. Nothing to hide. π