NEW FAVOURITES. BEAUTY and WORDS_ Nicola Brittin, PHOTOS_ Julia Kennedy, STYLE_ Graham Cruz

TALENT_ Nayara @ Established with thanks to Lauren. Yuliya @ Models 1 with thanks to Ezzie. xx

Necklace_ PK BIJOUX bling with a heart. Eyeliner: Inika Organic Eye Pencil

The first time I started writing this eyeliner article I was talking about Parabens, eye skin absorption and chemicals found in your wee after using these products.

I then fell down a massive cosmetic science shaped hole and to be honest, I’m still flailing around in there. So to counter act my original argument:

The subject of parabens (or preservatives) is not black and white. The science world believes in parabens because they are used to preserve our cosmetics and keep us safe.
Your skin is a barrier, not a sponge, so very little of what you put on your face (skincare and all) actually make it to your blood stream.
Your pee has these chemicals in them because thats what your pee does, gets rid of what your body doesn’t need.

These are facts I’m still researching and I don’t want to put anymore misinformation out there. So instead I’m going to write about why I love these eyeliners/brands and I promise it wouldn’t include an inch of scare mongering.

Broach_ PK BIJOUX bling with a heart , Eyeliner: Inika Organic eye pencil

Well made and certified natural make up is complicated, time consuming and expensive to create. After interviewing many natural brands (coming out soon!) I’ve learnt a lot of bigger high street brands (and cosmetic labs) can not wrap their heads around why anyone would do that. Their thinking is that it’s a waste of time and money, so they take a formula that already exists and stick their label on it.

Inika Organic is a big exception to this rule. They were one of the first fully vegan, cruelty free, Halal and certified organic beauty brand on the high street. They are now world wide and have a cult like status with conscious consumers and make up artists alike.

Their eyeliners have an especially strong following which I can instantly see why. There are 9 choices of pencil eyeliner colour which is very impressive. Especially after looking at most of their competition, who at best had three sad looking pencils in black, brown and grey or muted blue. I’ve yet to figure out if this is because it’s hard to make vibrant coloured eyeliners while staying in the natural/vegan box? Or is it because the brighter colours don’t sell as much so they don’t bother.

This pencil also stays. on. your. face. I don’t know what wizardry they have created to make this happen but they are fabulously long lasting. It dumb founded me even more when I found out they were made from coconut oil because that ingredient is a right slippery fella to deal with.

Inika Organics packaging is created using a variety of sustainable processes. Sugarcane tubes are used across their range - A renewable raw material sourced by up cycling waste from the sugar industry. It has a lower carbon offset than traditional plastic production from fossil fuels, as well as recyclable packaging such as glass bottles and jars: an infinitely recyclable material. Recyclable plastic lids: They don’t use any single use plastics at all across the range. They always recommend separating lids from containers when recycling, as they look to move to airtight aluminium lids in the near future. FSC paper boxes are recyclable and made with trees from sustainable forestry.

My only question is ‘Why is Australia the leading country making these natural products’!?! Inika Organic is not the only Australian brand I’ve tried since starting this journey and it kills me a little to think these products have been flown or shipped over from the other side of the world. This isn’t a criticism of these brands who are trying to do better in the cosmetic industry. More a criticism of the UK for not doing this themselves.

Necklace_ PK BIJOUX bling with a heart. Eyeliner: Hourglass mechanical gel eyeliner in Ocean Floor and Meteorite, Inika Organic liquid eyeliner

Hourglass Scattered light glitter eyeshadow in Foil, Inika Organic liquid eyeliner, MUA Tropical Oceana palette

I also love what Hourglass Cosmetics are doing. I may be entering the world of ‘green beauty’ but I still love a luxury brand with sleek aesthetics. I also promised you that I would not budge on quality, no matter how much prickly pear oil or shea butter it has in it. If it’s not the best out there, I’m not interested.

Hourglass products look beautiful and use beautifully. Their products already have a huge following and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of their fans didn’t know about their Animal Cruelty ethos. They’re fans because the make up is awesome.

As an animal cruelty free brand that pledges to be Vegan by the end of this year (2020). They donate 1% of their online profits to the Non-human rights projects too.

The company already openly said no brand is perfect when it comes to environmental issues and their next challenge is sustainable packaging. I respect them for this because I’ve quickly found out that brands who aren’t doing enough, tend to avert the questions. (Though a look on a brands website will tell you if they’re tackling these issues. If they’re not shouting about it, they’re not doing it)

Both these brands are now firmly in my kit bag. They photograph beautifully, stay put, feel luxurious, come in fantastic colours and last but not least….they care.

My new favourites.