Gateway drug to natural beauty // RMS BEAUTY
About a month ago, on my millioneth "quick Sephora browse," I did something I had never done before in all my previous trips.
I read a label.
That's right. I momentarily removed my rose-colored glasses, put down the lip contour kit from the aisle of doom, and read the back of a product for the first time. Ever.
What I found, while not entirely shocking, was still disturbing. I didn't know a single ingredient that was in this product. In fact the only word I could even pronounce was something I remembered being in my acrylic paint set from high school. Gross.
This wasn't some bargain brand in the bottom of a random beauty trough. This was a brand I had used, loved, and trusted for years. And it wasn't cheap either. I left the store empty-handed, and thus began a week of serious googling. It quickly became clear to me that I was really late to this party. Ditching "dirty beauty products" and replacing them with a Clean Beauty regimen wasn't just a little bourgeoning thing. This was a whole new beauty sector, exploding with popularity. The equivalent of "farm to table," was now happening with makeup. The hoarder, the collector, and the shopper in me breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't going to have to just quit beauty altogether.
I have big plans to purge my makeup and skincare collection of all the products that don't fit the new 90% natural bill, but before doing that I decided it might be a good idea to try some of these new green products out and see if they actually work. Naturally, I gravitated towards the brand I thought was the prettiest. I know, not terribly scientific. But truthfully, when I use something every day, it's important to me that it look nice. That may seem superficial, but that's the designer in me.
So I bought 2 cult beauty products by RMS Beauty. If you haven't heard of RMS, that's about to change. Whether you're trying to greenify your makeup routine, or just enjoy nice makeup, it's a freakin' fabulous brand. That's in large part due to the candor and wisdom of its founder, Rose-Marie Swift. Rose-Marie, who has worked in the cosmetics industry for decades, started the brand after battling a series of health issues. Through blood tests, she found this was due to toxically high chemical levels in her body, all from her daily cosmetics routine. She didn't want to take this opportunity to just change her own life. She wanted to change what beauty could look like for all women. And thus, RMS Beauty was born.
Beyond her personal story of teaching women to know and understand what you put on your face and body, she's also a huge advocate of "low-key makeup". She doesn't support drawing giant orange stripes on your cheeks or pressing shards of glass glitter into your eyelids. No baking or pore photoshopping to be found here. Her products are for people that want their most natural, feminine, seductive self to shine through. It's all about the right amount of light reflection in the right places, and the perfect amount of color and coverage where you need it. Her products are best applied with fingers, and most of them fall into the cream category, making them almost impossible to over-do and super easy to use. You do your makeup by feel, which feels pretty damn good.
I decided to try out the Uncover Up (I'm shade 22), and the original Living Luminizer (a natural gorgeous cool highlight). I have been using both every day since I got them, and little else (save some mascara, a tiny bit of blush, and my mandatory eyebrow fill-in). I was hooked from the start.
It's so rewarding to open up her little pots, apply the tiniest amount of product, and within seconds you really do feel like your "most beautiful you." Perhaps it is in part lovely packaging (I have already openly admitted I am a sucker for it), but I think it's something else. RMS products are not about covering up, piling on, or masking. You might think as you get a little bit older with a few more lines and remaining scars from acne battles past (and occasionally present), you'd want more makeup to hide all that. But, what I have learned from watching Rose-Marie is that type of makeup application only highlights markings of age, and worsens those fine lines and scars. Less really is more here, and youth lies in building and maintaining your glow (aka, a little oil is really, really good for you).
So, if 100% clean beauty is an addiction, than RMS Beauty products are definitely your gateway drug. You can test the waters, realize how good it makes you feel, and then dive on in to the harder stuff (I am not an addict, I swear). I am so glad I started on this journey by falling in love with RMS & Rose-Marie, and you can bet that a few more product purchases from her are in my near future.
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Website // rmsbeauty.com (also carried by Anthropologie)
Price Point // $20-40
Best For // light makeup days, quick 5-min mornings, 4th dates, & summer heatwaves
Claims // organic, natural ingredients, gluten-free, soy-free, GMO-free, cruelty-free, recyclable glass & aluminum packaging
