Happy Blogiversary

Because of my allergies and spending the last couple of days in a CLE, I flat-out missed my own blogiversary on April 11. Happy One-Year (and two days) Anniversary to my blog!! Thank you to those of you out there who read me despite the lack of graphics and pictures. I know that the cutting-edge blogs are very picture heavy, but there’s no way I could keep up my blogging — I barely keep up as is because of my day job.

As you know, one of the many reasons I started this blog was to really push myself to look at ingredients and go low on parabens and other chemicals in my products. So far I can report that I have successfully gone paraben-free in the following categories: body wash and soap, body scrubs (except when I slip and order a Coconut Hut scrub which does have parabens), body butters and lotions, face wash and soaps, toner and even eye cream.

Also — while I have gone paraben-free on a micro level, the world of cosmetics seems to be having it’s own paraben-free evolution – whether it’s on the major retail level or the micro etailer level. The Origins Organics line had just started a year ago, and now already added products since its launch, while several etailers (including Mad City Sue and Skindecent) have gone paraben-free in the interim. And totally new etailer CocoaPink opened as paraben-free.

In fact, the hardest items to go paraben-free and near-all-natural on are facial moisturizers and foundations. I am realizing that the moisturizers I used before what I have now named Project Low-Paraben were all moisturizers with a lot of silicones — especially dimethicones. Those give the illusion of sinking right in and making your skin velvety. The upside of cutting out the ‘cones is that my skin is much less red, but all-natural moisturizers don’t have the same sinking in feel, and don’t give a great canvas for foundation.

As for foundation — that’s very hard to find paraben free unless you go the minerals way, but those just don’t work for me because it’s all powder. I need to try the Jane Iredale liquid mineral foundation. So here if you have it – a quick State of Project Low-Paraben!