Need a reason to kiss your old lipstick goodbye and get a new, natural lipstick? If lead in lipstick isn’t enough to get you moving, here’s an appeal to the bargain shopper in you: Lavera, a natural cosmetics company based in Germany (with a North American office in Washington state), is offering a $10 coupon to customers who send in their old (and probably unnatural) lipstick to the company. 

Here’s how it works: Send your half-used, barely touched or most-hated lipstick to Lavera, along with all your contact information (including your email address). Lavera’s color specialists will find their closest match to your old lipstick and send you an email that says, “You’ve Been Matched!” Inside the email, you’ll find a $10 promo code to order your new natural lipstick online—that’s more than 50 percent off the usual $19 price tag. 

Send your info to:

Lavera Skin Care North America
12015 115th Ave NE, Suite E110
Kirkland, WA 98034 

The promotion ends August 29, 2009.

Lavera is a leader in the crusade for safe cosmetics. On the Lavera website, the company has a tab devoted to “education” that details the importance of strictly regulating ingredients in cosmetics. Lavera points out, as I have before, that cosmetics manufacturers in the United States are not required to list all product ingredients. Lavera follows European Union (EU) standards and lists all ingredients—you can find out what’s in your natural lipstick before you buy! 

This  Lavera natural lipstick  is loaded with organic shea butter, jojoba and almond oil—I'm always drawn toward this beautiful berry color! Photo Courtesy Lavera. 

“A lot of lipsticks contain lead or other ingredients that are not good for you, along with animal byproducts and petroleum,” says Annette Abraham, Customer Support Manager at Lavera. “We are creating an awareness with this promotion and stand by our mission to create pure, beautiful products for our health and safety.” 

Raise your standards. Demand that all personal-care products disclose all ingredients, and support companies that use high-quality, natural and organic ingredients. Call or write to your favorite conventional beauty companies and tell them that lead-free products with natural and organic ingredients are important to you!

If you own these lipsticks, hang on to them—in 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics deemed them suitable; each lipstick contains less than 0.02 parts per million (ppm) of lead: 

Lipsticks with non-detectable levels of lead (less  than  0.02  parts  per  million)  
Avon: Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee
Body Shop: Lip Colour Garnet    
Body Shop: Lip Colour Garnet    
Clinique: Long  Last  Lipstick  Merlot    
Dior: Replenishing  Lipcolor  Red  Premiere  
Estee Lauder: Maraschino     
MAC: Matte Lipstick Viva  Glam  1   
Revlon: Superlustrous Love That  Red   
Revlon: Superlustrous Bed of Roses   
Revlon: Colorstay Lipcolor Red Velvet   
Tarte: Inside Out Vitamin Lipstick   
Wet N Wild: Mega Colors Cherry Blossom     
Wet N Wild: Mega Colors Cherry Blossom   

These lipsticks had higher detectable levels of lead—from 0.03 ppm to 0.65 ppm. If you own any of these, consider swapping them for a $10 Lavera coupon so you can get a new, natural lipstick:

Lipsticks  with  detectable  levels  of  lead  but  less  than  0.1  ppm  lead  (the FDA-recommended  limit  for  candy)
MAC Matte Lipstick Viva Glam
Revlon Love That Red   
Cover Girl Queen Collection Ruby Remix   
Clinique Long Last Paprika
Dior Replenishing Lipcolor Red Premiere  
Body Shop Garnet
Wet N Wild Cherry Frost  
Clinique Angel Red   
Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer Merlot

Lipsticks with lead levels higher than 0.1  ppm    
Maybelline Moisture Extreme Scarlet Simmer  
Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red  
Peacekeeper Paint Me Compassionate   
Maybelline Moisture Extreme Midnight Red   
Maybelline Moisture Extreme Cocoa Plum   
Dior Addict Positive Red
Cover Girl Continuous Color Cherry Brandy  
L’Oreal Colour Riche True Red  
Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red
L’Oreal Colour Riche Classic Wine
L’Oreal Colour Riche True Red  

I think it’s time for me to go through my lipstick stash! What will you be swapping?

I've come to terms with my oily skin. For years, I swore by oil-free face washes and drying, alcohol-ridden toners. These products initially left my skin tight and dry, only to cause my oil glands to overwork themselves later to produce even more facial oil.

I guess stripping my skin of its natural facial oils was a bad idea.

When I first saw John Masters Organics Pomegranate Facial Nourishing Oil, I immediately dismissed it. Why would I put more facial oil on my face? That seemed like a open invitation for breakouts. But after reading more about natural oil cleansing, I was intrigued. Treating oily skin with oil seems to balance out your skin's oil production (and softens your skin).

John Masters Organics facial oil is loaded with 13 essential oils and is certified USDA organic. Photo Courtesy John Masters Organics.

After giving the John Masters Organics facial oil a try, I was impressed. It's a USDA certified-organic blend of olive oil; evening primrose oil; pomegranate seed oil; sweet almond oil; carrot oil; lavender oil; ylang ylang oil; geranium oil; rosewood oil; petitgrain oil; sage oil; tangerine peel oil; and rosemary leaf oil. I applied it at night before bed—a few drops went a long way. After massaging it onto my face, I let it sit for five minutes while I inhaled its aroma. Then, I took a damp, warm wash cloth and massaged my face a little more to stimulate my pores and take off a little excess oil.

In the morning, my skin felt soft and smooth. Every other night, I use this facial oil to give my oily skin a relaxing treat. I haven't tested the facial oil in the morning because I wear sunscreen daily (and I'm still a little scared to use oil during the day), but the evening facial oil cleansing is fantastic for my oily skin.

John Masters Organics Pomegranate Facial Nourishing Oil costs $30 for 2 ounces. If you purchase it online before July 31, 2009, you can get 20 percent off! Enter discount code "usda" at checkout. You can also get 20 percent off the Organic Sea Salt Spray, too. John Masters Organics always offers free ground shipping. Don't forget to check out Shine On, Rose and Aloe Hydrating Toning Mist and Eucalyptus and Tea Tree DogPoo dog shampoo for your green dog. Time to stock up!

Have you ever tried facial oils? What was your experience? Tell me about it in the comments section!