If your vanity, drawers, or containers are overflowing with old makeup then it's probably a good time to do some Spring cleaning. Instead of replacing your old products with the exact same thing, why not do some Spring greening! Feel good about saving the environment and putting only the best on your skin with these eco-friendly products!
Tarte Spring Greening Reusable Straw Palette ($38.50 USD): Tarte knows that today's woman wants more than just makeup. Spring Greening, a sustainable straw palette, contains 6 new mineral eyeshadows, three new t5-infused lip glosses, and a bamboo-handled eyeshadow brush. The tray is removable so when the makeup has finished you can pull out the tray and reuse the straw bag!
The 6 mineral shadows come in the season's hottest shades: peachy-pink, seafoam green, copper-bronze, pale pink, chartreuse, soft lilac. The shadows are incredibly soft, shimmery, and highly pigmented. The three t5-infused glosses come in a shimmery clear, pink-peach, and true pink. You'll love the non-sticky texture and sheer colour (although I do prefer more colour from a gloss). If you're expecting a full-size palette don't because the shadows and glosses are cute and pint-size perfect for traveling!
Cargo PlantLove Baked Illuminator in Fire ($28 USD): This blush, bronzer, and highlighter all in one is made of natural terracotta ingredients and baked for eight hours providing a velvety soft texture. Fire is a beautiful combination of pink, bronze, and opal. The finish is extremely shimmery so use it sparingly. I apply it on my cheekbones toward my hairline for a pretty glow. Buff it onto the skin wherever you want a radiant finish. Fire's bronzy undertones gave some warmth to my winter pale skin but I have a feeling the colour won't show up on tan skin. If you have a darker skin tone try Earth or Wind. Save this shimmer for the body if your skin is normally oily on the face. The biodegradable packaging is a plus but a bit bulky for my liking and the plastic feels kind of cheap. If the environment and nourishing ingredients are your priority then you can probably live with the packaging.
Cargo PlantLove Lip Gloss in Dahlia ($20 USD): Women ingest so much lip gloss and most of the time we don't even realize it. With PlantLove Lip Gloss you won't have to give it a thought because it is made with all natural ingredients and comes packaged in earth-friendly packaging. The texture is smooth and feels like a lip balm on your lips. If you only like a hint of colour then you'll love the sheer finish. Dahlia is an opalescent pink. I have a bit of colour on my lips so it looked more like a clear shimmery gloss on me. I much prefer to use it as a highlight over top of a deeper shade of gloss or lipstick. 
Cargo PlantLove Eyeliner in Midnight Blue, Dark Brown, Bronze and Black ($16 USD): Your delicate eye area will appreciate the incredibly blendable texture and long-lasting performance. Like the entire PlantLove collection, these liners are free of parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, and sythetic dyes and fragrances. The rich smooth pigment is great for layering with a smokey eye. Worn on its own, I did notice it smudged a bit throughout the day but layered under a powder the result was long-lasting and smudge-free. Midnight Blue and Bronze are my favourites and have a gorgeous metallic finish.
Alima Pure April in Paris Collection ($25 USD): Inspired by the beauty of Paris and the legendary Coco Chanel, April in Paris is absolutely stunning! These mineral shadows contain no additives, fillers or fragrances that can irritate your skin or clog your pores. The pigments actually benefit your skin providing protection from the sun and contain anti-flammatory properties. Sensitive skins will be happy that these are free of parabens, bismuth oxychloride, talc, dyes, fragrances, phthalates, or perservatives. Wear dry for a lovely wash of colour or apply wet for rich colour and shimmer. The collection includes Sacre Courer, soft rose with golden sparkle, Rue Cambon, a delightful lavender, Versailles, a soft mint green laced with golden shimmer and silver sparkle, and Le Marais, a chocolate bronze to contrast the lovely pastels. A little goes a long way! Warning: if you're clumsy these may not be for you as it does not come in a sifted container. 
Mineralogie Shimmer Eyeshadow in Copper Shimmer, Espresso Shimmer and Opal Shimmer: Get gorgeous using all natural minerals free of harsh chemicals. You can buy these shadows pressed or loose. These highly pigmented powders have a beautiful shimmery finish and can be layered together for a multitude of looks. Copper Shimmer and Espresso Shimmer are great for a bronzed smokey eye and Opal Shimmer is perfect as a base or highlight. Be creative and mix these powders with a clear gloss for a custom colour or use with a moisturizer for a stunning body shimmer. You can find Mineralogie at select Bay department stores across Canada.
Mineralogie Extreme Shine Lip Gloss in Dulce: These sheer, moist glosses will give your lips a sexy shine. These glosses are never sticky. The minerals in the gloss also protect your lips from the sun, while Grape Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, and Vitamin E promote healing. Dulce is a soft lilac, but was a little too sheer for me. Again, it looked more clear than lilac but will probably show up on fair skinned beauties or if you don't have a lot of colour on your lips.
Mineralogie Blush in Fawn: This light reflective mineral blush softens your features and gives your skin a natural rosy glow. Fawn is a bronzed-rose, which gives fair to medium skin a bronzey glow and looks like a pretty neutral blush on medium-dark to dark skin. All Mineralogie pigments come cased with a sifter to cut down on the mess. Shake it a bit with the cap on so you can grab the pigment easily.
Have you tried these eco-friendly products? Love 'em? Hate 'em?
Spring 2009 Beauty Trend: Spring Greening
