Welcome to My Chemical-Free Romance!

Okay, so I'm not a "My Chemical Romance" fan, I just thought it would be a cute name for this blog. What does it mean, you ask? Well, recently I've become committed to ridding my life of any unnecessary chemicals - this includes yucky things like sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens and petrolatum, products that are commonly found in most of the stuff we put on our skin on a regular, if not daily basis! Don't worry, if you're not sure what those are, you will know soon enough...

About two years ago (yes, this is actually relevant, so stay with me), I was approached by a customer who frequented the bead store I worked in at the time. Yes, bead store. She was apparently a fan of my (almost) ghostly white complexion and complimented it, which I appreciated, but then came her next observation...

"You should try wearing mineral makeup. It will look so pretty on you and won't make you look like you're wearing a mask."

Ouch.

Well, okay, so maybe what she said wasn't meant to be harsh, but needless to say I took her somewhat backhanded compliment to heart. My previous makeup selection process involved scanning drugstore aisles for the lowest possible prices. I never even so much as scanned an ingredients list, though I wouldn't hesitate to do so for a box of cereal, or even a TV dinner. So a few days later, my search for this new thing called "mineral makeup" began. A veritable Pandora's Box if you will.

A simple Google search was all it took for the onslaught to begin, and I was quickly bombarded by a wave of advertisements and endorsements for different brands. Of course, Bare Escentuals was the only one I'd heard of prior to my little online adventure (thanks to my penchant for late night infomercials), but their prices and lack of color selection quickly diverted me.

Luckily, just a few Google searches later, I was directed to a site called Everyday Minerals. Lo and behold, free samples! Little did I know what an addition these little jars of pulverized minerals would stir in me. I started reading, scanning blogs, photos, testimonials, anything I could get my hands on. What I eventually realized was that organic and natural products were no longer rare commodities, nor were they necessarily expensive luxuries reserved only for society's upper crust. Yet, this still seems to be the general consensus: if you don't have a lot of money, you're confined to a life of putting products in and on your body that are generally unhealthy for you, that contain God knows what in them (and may even make you ill) all for the sake of saving a dollar or two.

And so, several months later, I'm actually dedicating this blog to not only mineral makeup (even I would find that a little too selectively obsessive), but to all products within the realm of "natural" beauty, body and health care that also happen to be affordable, cruelty-free (let us not forget our four-legged friends) and of a much higher quality than traditional drugstore brands.

To tell the truth, I find that the more I study these products and their ingredients, the more necessity I find in spreading this information to others and helping them to make conscientious consumer choices. Some products I will advocate, others I will emphatically warn my readers against. Ultimately, though, I want everyone to make the best possible choices based on what they know, not what they don't. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to share their thoughts, concerns, questions, observations, anything that you think will be a positive contribution. Oh, and please become a "Follower" (even if I do find that title a bit creepy) if you enjoy it as well - thank you!