Makeup Review: Beautycounter Dew Skin

I have become more aware not only of what I have been putting inside my body but also what I have been putting on it.  It all started when Erik and I were trying to conceive.  For some reason, I Googled, “Retin-A” and “pregnancy.”  I don’t know why I had thought to research it.  Maybe it was because I had a sneaking suspicion that the news wasn’t going to be good, but whatever the reason was, I was right!  Retin-A is a category C drug and too much vitamin A (which is Retin-A is a form of) has been known to cause liver toxicity and birth defects.  Yikes!  But it turns out that Retin-A was only the tip of the dangerous skincare iceberg.  In actuality, the list of cosmetic ingredients you should avoid while either pregnant and/or nursing is scary long!

Here are just a few of those ingredients:

• Retinoids (prescription Retin-A, Accutane, and retinol- hello, most anti-aging products!)
• hydroquinone (found in many skin lightening creams)
• Salicylic acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA- often found in acne products and chemical exfoliators)
• Benzoyl peroxide (another acne medication- often found in spot treatments)

And the list goes on and on.  So once we began trying to conceive, I stopped using everything that could possibly affect our future baby. Formaldehyde and ammonia are also ingredients on the “Avoid List,” and so I soon taught myself to embrace undyed hair and polish-less nails.  It was relatively easy.  After all, I was working to bring a new life into the world!  And once I actually was pregnant?  Well, I was busy rocking that expectant mama glow!

But all of that changed once J was born.  I wanted to feel pretty again!  Or at least groomed and polished.  Maybe that’s just what spending all day in your pajamas and finally taking a shower at 3:00 in the afternoon does to a person.  I don’t know.  But, I was really wanting to look nice.  The problem was, however, that all of those cosmetic ingredients that were banned during pregnancy were still banned during breastfeeding.  And since I didn’t know how long I was going to end up nursing for (and I still don’t), I decided that instead of foregoing all of my usual skincare and makeup for the next however many months, it would probably be a better idea to replace them with products that were safe.

Enter Beautycounter.  I had heard of the brand before, having read briefly about it on the Internet. But I really knew very little other than it was an MLM (or multi-level marketing company), meaning that all of the products had to be purchased through a consultant.  This is just like Avon, Mary Kay, or Arbonne.

Now, normally I would NOT be interested in products like this, and for a couple of reasons:

1.)  I don’t like pushy salespeople… ever.  I had been to those MLM parties where they sell things before, and I had always felt like I was unable to leave until I bought something.  And that hadn’t just been at makeup parties but at any MLM event.  Jewelry, cookware, you name it.

2.)  I really believe that makeup should be tried on.  It is very difficult to know if you are going to like the way something wears or if a certain shade is going to look right unless you can play with it first.  This is the same reason why I don’t buy makeup from the drugstore.

But then my long-time friend, Bethany, started using the products and asked me if I wanted to try them.  So I began to read up on Beautycounter, and I became impressed with what they stood for as a company and how transparent they were about the ingredients in their products.  So I decided to give them a try.

One of the products I tried and bought was their Dew Skin.  I have used it daily for at least three months now, and I have to say that I am impressed!

Dew Skin is a tinted moisturizer.  It features an SPF of 20 and comes in a tube with a pump attached to the end.  It turns out that I have been really appreciating this pump feature. It makes it super easy to control the amount that comes out and keep from wasting the product.

What’s in it?

If you visit Beautycounter’s website, they discuss their mission as a company and why they avoid so many ingredients in their formulations.  To summarize, the European Union has banned over 1,300 chemicals in personal care products.  The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has only banned 11.  That’s it.  Eleven. So Beautycounter decided to develop their own list of over 1,500 chemicals that they avoid.  They call this their “Never List.”

All that being said, the ingredients in Dew Skin are as follows: Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Octyldodecyl Oleate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Dimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Beeswax, Gluconolactone, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Isostearic Acid, Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Propanediol, Sodium Benzoate, Isoeicosane, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Oil, Octyldodecanol, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Alcohol, Paeonia Suffruticosa (Peony) Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Solidago Virgaurea (Goldenrod) Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Calcium Gluconate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Mica.

How does it perform?

I have dry skin.  I’ve had dry skin since I was a teenager.  Yes, I know that’s weird, but that simply means that I’ve used more than my fair share of tinted moisturizers:) Some of the brands in the past I have used include Laura Mercier, Clinique, It Cosmetics, Stila, and Bobbi Brown.  Over the years, I have liked some more than others, but in general, my major complaint with tinted moisturizer has always been that if it is too creamy then it doesn’t last long.  I am really pleased to say that this hasn’t been an issue with Dew Skin.  Actually, it has managed to last the good part of the day (when set with powder).  And the product has an excellent balance. It is creamy enough not to emphasize dry skin cells on my face but not so creamy that it turns me into a greaseball.  I am impressed that Beautycounter has somehow figured out how to do this.

Other important details

Dew Skin costs $45 for 1.35 fl. oz.  It is possible to get it cheaper if you become a Beautycounter Band of Beauty member (their Frequent Buyer program) or sign up to be a consultant.  I have used Dew Skin every single day and have only gone through half the tube.  So it seems like this will last a long time.

Dew Skin comes in five shades.  Just a word of warning here:  I am fair skinned, but I am certainly not the fairest in all the land.  I have plenty of friends who are fairer than me, but in Dew Skin, I wear the lightest shade, No. 1.  This means that people who wear a really light foundation shade like Bobbi Brown’s Porcelain might be out of luck.

Again, there are some drawbacks to Dew Skin, like the limited shade range, but the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives.  For more information about Beautycounter, or to try out Dew Skin, visit www.beautycounter.com.

How about you?  What makeup and skincare changes did you make when you found out you were pregnant?  What tinted moisturizer are you loving right now?