Go natural with eco-friendly beauty trends

Allison Beale is among those whose green lifestyle is extending to her make-up. She said she tries to use natural mineral and plant products whenever she can.

"Anything around the face and lips, I like to go as natural as possible,” Beale said.

Beale shops at Luxe Apothecary at 4209 Lassiter Mill Road in Raleigh. Owner Fiquet Bailey says she started stocking natural products when she opened the shop seven years ago.

"Back then, nobody really cared or knew what they were looking at,” Bailey said. Today, though, a lot of people are going organic with their beauty products, she said.

Angie Ciosek, an esthetician at Premier MedSpa of Raleigh, cautioned that natural isn't always best.

"Not all chemicals are bad,” she said.

Ciosek said many eco-friendly products are not necessarily any better for your skin than synthetics.

"We have to understand that sometimes organic products are not as they claim to be,” Ciosek said.

As with many products, claims about natural ingredients are largely unregulated.

Also, the composition of your make-up isn't the only factor to consider: When trying to be environmentally friendly, it is important to think beyond the project itself.

"You also have to look at the way it's packaged, the way it's shipped, where it's coming from,” Bailey said.

Beale says organic beauty products are pricier but worth the extra cost.

"There's such an emphasis in going organic and going natural in other aspects of your life. And to me, this seems to be the first place to start,” Beale said.

Ciosek also recommended a couple of all-natural home beauty treatments. She said you can brighten and smooth the skin on your hands with a mix of lemon juice, sugar and coconut oil. Ciosek recommended using oatmeal facial masks and cucumbers for puffy eyes.