Top 11 Best (and Affordable) Natural Beauty Items of 2018

It’s time for Brit’s annual best of green beauty list! That sounds like I’ve done this for more than one year, but the truth is I’m pathetic and doing ANYTHING regularly, or even annually. But, alas, this is my second best of green beauty post and it’s a belated Christmas miracle if I ever saw one.

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Of course, every brand on this list meets my clean living standards of no nasties that will kill you. These are the things I tried throughout the year that continued to impress me. Unfortunately, if you follow my Instagram stories, you know that the hunt for natural mascara is MY EVEREST. So, I don’t have one of those yet.

BEST NATURAL FOUNDATION.

TIP: I find this is best applied with a flat kabuki brush a few dots at a time and stipple into the skin QUICKLY as it is a thicker formula and dries quickly.! (clean every few days as this builds up easily) Also…order the samples first from the website to get your perfect color match!

Also, I must say I think this is a little better than Crunchi in preventing acne. When I wore it a few days in a row, it really seemed like my pores were clogging. Crunchi does contain dimethicone - a pore clogging ingredient I usually stay far away from. That being said, I still wear both! You can find my entire review of 14e Aloe Nourish foundation here.

Price point: $44 and one bottle has literally lasted me almost a year!

BEST NATURAL CREAM BLUSH.

  • RMS lip2cheek really impressed me this year. You can make them as pigmented or sheer as you want and they have shimmer and non-shimmer shades. I have Demure (non-shimmer) and it is just the perfect way to add a natural pop of color. It is NOT GREASY. You can find my more thorough review of RMS lip2cheek here.

Price point: $36 I get this on Dermstore or Sephora. I haven’t even barely touched this pot and I’ve had it since last winter!

These are both Demure — one is sheered out and the other is a thicker layer.

These are both Demure — one is sheered out and the other is a thicker layer.

BEST NATURAL BRONZER:

  • Jouer Sunswept Bronzer Duo in sun-kissed and sunset is something I just recently discovered on my quest for a non-shimmer bronzer. Upon receiving it, there IS a tiny bit of shimmer, but it’s not detectable. I really love the pigmentation and both the shades are just gorgeous! The blend-ability is fantastic — melts right into the skin!

Price point: $30 — I get this on Dermstore

BEST NATURAL POWDER BLUSH.

For powder, I really loved these two options:

  • Honeybee Gardens and Gabriel Cosmetics blushes. They are both available on Vitacost, where you can stack promo codes and always get good sales. Amazing pigment and color payoff!

Price point: Gabriel blush $19 and Honeybee Gardens $13

Honeybee Gardens blush in Breathless and Gabriel in Petal

Honeybee Gardens blush in Breathless and Gabriel in Petal

BEST NATURAL BROW PENCIL.

  • Eye of Horus — an Australian green beauty brand that has captured my heart. They have a TINY twist up brow pencil called Brow Define (I use color Dynasty), so it’s not super soft like a pencil and precise enough to make small strokes. I liken this to the Anastasia pencil. Good staying power and has a brush on the other end.

Price point: $25 — be sure to sign up for the newsletter to get a discount!

BEST NATURAL LIPSTICK.

  • Nu Evolution lipsticks really stood out to me this year, and I found myself wearing them more than any others. They have GREAT pigmentation and staying power. The thing I love the most is that they don’t dry my lips out like almost every other lipstick, natural or conventional. I describe them as semi-matte.

Price point: $30

BEST LIPGLOSS.

  • Nu Evolution wins again—these smell amazing, they feel so hydrating on the lips. I find that a lot of lip glosses (even the Fitglow serums) dry out my lips. I don’t find that with these at all!

Price point: $28

BEST LIQUID LIPSTICK

  • Au Naturale su/Stain Matte Lip Stain is the best ever! They are so pigmented, taste and smell amazing and do NOT dry my lips out. This color in On Pointe is one of their best sellers, so I gave it a try and I would probably opt for a shade a bit lighter next time, but nonetheless I LOVE IT!

Price point: $25


BEST NATURAL EYESHADOW PALETTE

  • Honeybee Gardens Nude Renaissance palette! Not only are the colors right in my wheelhouse (I love a copper/rose gold/merlot vibe) but the pigmentation and wear are so impressive! I love the even mix of matte and shimmer shadows. This has for sure been my go-to!

Price point: $40

It’s also super affordable—especially as far as natural makeup is concerned! I always pair all my shadows with the Erin’s Faces eye primer and it keeps everything in place ALL DAY.

BEST NATURAL PRESSED EYESHADOWS

  • I absolutely am obsessed with the Crunchi single eyeshadows — pigment and intensity are amazing. This color Fearless is like a copper shade that has replaced many other toxic ones I was using. Looks great as a crease or all over color!

Price point: $24

Again, I pair this with the Erin’s Faces eye primer for all day wear!

BEST NATURAL HIGHLIGHTER

  • Cover FX Custom Enhancer drops come in several shades (I have moonlight) and are unlike any highlighter I’ve ever used. You need the tiniest amount and you can put them anywhere, or mix with your foundation to give an overall glow.

Price point: $42 (however, Sephora has a Glam + Glow mini set for $12 with this exact color in it!)

Note: Cover FX is not the GREENEST brand out there but it is vegan and free of fragrance, paragons, gluten, mineral oil, and talc. Since this is merely used as a highlighter on top of foundation, I don’t worry about it being super crunchy.

Tell me what products stood out to you this year??? I’m always looking for new things to try!!

-Brit

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