Two weeks ago the new seasonal fall/holiday line of safer products from Beautycounter arrived at my door. I’ve been working with the safer skincare company for 10 months now as an affiliate and consultant and I actually won the fall goods as a bonus so I thought I’d use it to give you a tour around it with what I would and wouldn’t buy.

(The links you’ll find below are affiliate links so I make a small commission when you buy, but you pay no extra. All opinions are my own – which when you hear what I think you should NOT buy, is pretty clear ha.) 

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The brief backstory: I landed on Beautycounter as my go to a year ago to make a few simple switches after getting 110% overwhelmed switching out my makeup bag from Target goods to something better. It’s not perfect ingredients, and not a perfect company but for me it was the perfect balance of all the things and values I wanted.

• A certified B Corp (so it has to benefit planet and people and seek to do no harm, as well as existing for profit)
• they were doing things I wanted like sourcing ingredients ethically,
• listing all ingredients,
• screening and testing for things like asbestos contamination and heavy metals,
• and showing up on the red carpet and with celebrity makeup artists over and over showing me they actually worked.

I needed a one stop, simple, shop which it became for me, and I love the things I use.  When I gift I like to give healthier gifts from companies doing good, even if the people receiving don’t mind as much – it can be hard to find things that ‘look’ normal but have better ingredients/values so I love Beautycounter for that. Then I joined as an affiliate/consultant because I join any affiliate program for anything I love in this online world – I just didn’t know how many people it would help and that it would develop into a little world! But I love it.

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My top picks for me! 

I’ve been digging into all 19 new and pretty boxed sets (13 of which are under $50, win) and while I love the values of every product they sell at Beautycounter but I’m still selective on what I buy as a more minimal ‘products’ person, and out of not wanting anything too unnecessary or extra packaging I don’t need. So here’s what I have personally chosen for me:

 

Counter+ Skincare Faves $89/$119  (peanut, soy, gluten free). I personally think this is the best set in the whole collection. It’s GREAT value with a full sized peel that usually costs $63, then a small mask, a small #1 oil but that one last a full month used daily, and the new lotus glow cleansing stick form of the cult fave, the cleansing balm. The packaging is mostly recyclable and largely glass, it’s free from gluten, AND it’s a combo I find myself recommending a lot and having people love – the peel WITH the #1 oil. The #1 oil is a vitamin C brightening oil and with the gentle acids in the peel, the combo is one I’ve really seen help people even skin tone, brighten dark spots and age spots and help post pregnancy skin tone unevenness. So I love seeing them packaged together with some extras too. 

Glow Getters Trio $89/$119 (peanut/gluten free) is my next top fave. Again, the peel is in there, I’ve used it for a full year now and I genuinely swear by it for brightening skin. 15 botanically derived acids, that peel and sooth skin but just wash away in the morning, there’s no actual ‘peeling’ so it’s easy and clean but brilliant. Then this comes with a new illuminating ceam that’s the fave Countermatch Moisturizer but with shimmer – not weird shimmer, just glow, in a glass bottle. And then my new number one favrourite product a Rose Glow Highlighter that I moved from the holiday box straight to my makeup bag – it rubs on and gives a nicely flushed, roses glow. What it says on the bottle really.  

Bright Eyes Treatment set $89–  I showed these peels on my eyes on instagram but they’re soft and you need to actually lie down when you do them (you know, rest?!) and close your eyes but you can reuse them if you’re careful which is great. They did give my under eye area a little tingling burn for the first two minutes but it went and I kept them on the full 15 minus suggested. Honestly I didn’t expect any massive results after one use but the lines under my eyes (my biggest aging insecurity) really were very massively reduced.  I’d say if you’re wanting the eye cream anyway buy it with these, and stock up for the year – the eye cream lasts 6 month for me so, I’ll stash away two for the year. $89/$119 cream is peanut, soy, gluten free but the mask is only peanut free sadly!)

Mini Glow and Go Oils $34/$46 (gluten, soy, vegan) I LOVE these mini facial oils. They’re great for travel if you don’t want to pack your whole regimen, and I put them on interchangeabley cos really they can all be used on any skin type, when I want a one step morning routine for a quick day. Each one lasts a month for me with daily use so it’s a three month supply then you can rebuy just your fave when you’re done! 

Eye shadow Palette $36/$48 (Peanut and gluten free) Looking at the palette online I wasn’t overly excited by the colours for myself but testing it out I LOVE them.  It’s a less overwhelming and simple place to start with eyeshadow and what you need for a simple swipe of color or a smokey eye or really bold eye in 5 shadows which easily fit in a makeup bag. Big fan over here. 

Also noteworthy: I love the ability to get all three types of lip color in one package – they’re small, but you get the range in a fave versatile-for-everyone color. Rosewood Lip Trio $49/$66 (peanut and gluten free)

Pout Perfector Lip Care Set $49/$66 (peanut, soy, gluten free) – I didn’t know lip scrubs existed and really, it’s a mega luxury item (anyone else used a dry toothbrush for that – yeah I do) but when I saw it on the list I was excited to try it. It’s a simple no color trio to just keep your lips looking simple and good through the dry season. Which I’ll admit, I like. It’s mega luxury but I like it. I think potential for the price I’d spend elsewhere but aside from the price I really liked this one. 

Lastly, if I didn’t swear by the full Countertime Regimen I would absolutely be grabbing the cleansing balm for me as an overnight mask that will last the year for $95. It lasts a year open, comes in glass, peanut, soy, gluten, free and is safe for contact lens wearers. 

My top items for gifting!

I’ll add here, the standards I hold for myself in terms of low waste living, I don’t always hold to when I buy for other people or recommend products to other people. Why not? This is a journey. For someone who is new to the cleaner living lifestyle – I’d way rather they got their hands on a clean product – than didn’t make the switch because lowering plastics and getting safer products is hard. Not everyone knows to buy safer, or greener. Some people want products that still looks ‘normal’ the way Beautycounter offers, to make the switch work for them. So I’ll show below the things I’d WOULD personally choose for me, and then the ones I think are really great and personally I WOULD choose to gift to the right people.

When I talk about gifting, I’m mostly thinking about new-to -clean-products-people safe gifts. The mother in law who doesn’t read ingredients but you can’t bring yourself to gift something without good ones?! The nieces who just want lipgloss but you can’t buy the ones with who knows what in. As in, you want to gift things to people who don’t care (or not much) what’s in their products, but you DO care about what you give them and what they use. 

Lip gloss vault to break up – This is hands down a winner. $8.90 for a clean makeup gift is a workable price for most gifts on your list, whether its the whole gift for where you need a smaller one or a stocking stuffer as part of a bigger gift, the vault is mix of light and dark, flat and glittery so you can choose gifts for each person. 

For introducing cleaner makeup:

I love that Beautycounter hit this group WELL this year.

The Jellies. YES. These are like mini juicy tubes style lipglosses that feel very ‘fun’ with little color and stevia sweetened flavors like ‘sorbet’ to not introduce makeup, but provide the fun and introduction to safer at $7.80 a gift. I’m not a big gloss person myself but I really believe in safer alternatives to what people are already choosing, and this is that.

Fresh faced trio – again very little color here, but a simple start to makeup with a sorbet Jelly, mascara, and brow gel without color to it. For a minimal makeup look, or introduction to makeup I love this one. Plus, the lenghentihing is my fave and can be used for a very minimal natural look that doens’t have to be bold. 

Mini Stardust Palette – coming soon, just 4 sparkly fun eye shadows in a mini palette that’s perfect for adding glitz to a full look, or starting out with shades that aren’t smokey and sultry but are light hearted and fun but still with ethical mica, colors tested for heavy metals and paper packaged. 

Teacher/Co worker/ less personalized but still healthy gifts:

Hand creams: there are also body butters again in a trio but the hand creams break down to a lower price ($11 each) and I love the look and feel of a matte tube and the practical and universal feel of giving someone something they can throw in their handbag, I’d tie it together with a bar of chocolate. Done.

And what would I leave behind…

I’m minimal. I also own three eye shadow palettes so sometimes I think I’m not minimal. But I wear makeup 3-4 days a week and I try to not buy things I don’t need. I love Beautycounter for the ingredients, ethics, sourcing etc but I still try not to buy things I don’t need. So honestly my one thing to leave behind? The Travel Essentials Set – a mini shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. I know it’s a MUCH requested item but I just think there are better, and still clean, ways to do travel sizes. Most of us have something lying around the house we can use as a refillable mini if we’re not checking a bag – even if it’s not pretty. I slightly feel the same about the Counterman Set except that I know typically (generalization but still generally true) men are harder to get on this journey so if a gifted mini set is what gets someone on board, I’m ok trading a bit of plastic for a lifetime of someone making safer choices. Personally the Lemongrass Scrub Set isn’t one I’d go in for either, and I’d say the same for body butters too and it’s probably cos I don’t get the driest skin so I don’t find huge value in them either but I’d spend my money elsewhere than those ones!

 Alright, I hope that helps! 

I’m here if you have any questions, shoot me an email kezianeusch@gmail.com or a DM on instagram if you need help choosing items or have any questions on ingredients or allergens or colours or anything, I’m here to help. And I’m MASSIVELY about saving people money and there are various ways to save so if you’re doing bigger order (anything over $100) shoot me a DM or email first if you want options for saving or getting extras with your order and I’m always happy to help.

Kezia xx

 

Other related posts:

2018 Holiday Gift Guide 

What Do You Use For _______? All Our Products in and put of the kitchen

Summer Anti Aging Skin Routine 

Beautycounter Consultant/Affiliate 101

A Makeup Detox: “Finally a Makeup Bag I’m proud to Share”

 

 

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