The Best Natural Cosmetics Brands According To Makeup Artist Chanel Cross
Because LA-based makeup artist Chanel Cross has become the go-to girl for painting the pretty of faces in campaigns for the coolest local and sustainable labels (Botanica Workshop, RE/DONE, and Pari Desai to name a few), it makes sense that she'd also be a fan of mindful makeup brands. Even in her work with celebrities including Mayim Bialik and Debby Ryan, Cross' favorite look is one that naturally enhances features and involves skin-benefitting ingredients to get a glow that starts with a healthy complexion. That said, we knew she would be the perfect person to let us know some of the best natural brands (and products) on the market.
Chanel tested a load of products on herself and her clients to determine what works—and why—for getting looks that can easily take you from day to night. Additionally, she's telling us just how she used them (thankfully—we're clueless!) so that you, too, can achieve the fresh, dewy, glowy look that's made the makeup artist so in demand with emerging and established designers alike. She selected exclusively brands that are naturally-derived (many of which are actually organic), non-toxic, not tested on animals, and full of skin-boosting ingredients. Find all her picks and tips below, and keep up with all her beauty adventures (plus cute pics of her kitten, Merv) on her Instagram account here.
Face
"I started off using Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum and a ReFa Carat facial massager: super-hydrated skin is so important for makeup application and building a natural glow and the massage enhances circulation and increases absorption of the products. This step is vital regardless of day or night. Don't skip skincare! If you would like to do a light application of a luminous primer, it will help keep your makeup long lasting for your night time shenanigans! Use the 14e Aloe Nourish Sheer Tint as an allover base and adding Kjaer Weis foundation in areas that need more coverage. Because the 14e is packed with aloe vera, can be applied like a moisturizer: it absorbs and blurs out redness and imperfections. Then, selectively applying the higher coverage will insure that your skin will not have a mask of foundation, which can make the face look flat. For skin that needs a good amount of coverage, 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Foundation is incredible and has such amazing ingredients, my acne-prone sensitive skin loves it!"
Cheeks and Lips
"For a sheer wash of color, I love Noto Botanics Mutli-Benne Tint on the cheeks and lips: it's easily blended, packed with amazing ingredients like organic coconut and jojoba oil for moisture and peppermint to increase circulation, and the shade (a buildable orange-y red) is surprisingly flattering on every skin tone. For a more dramatic, pigmented look, I mix Rituel de Fille Inner Glow Creme Pigments. Combining the bronzy/nutty Spellbound and blood-red Envious shades creates the most natural flush from within. And the formula is creamy but not too glossy, so it can also be used on the eyes—and I'm a huge fan of product that have multiple uses. Rituel also has creamy Enchanted Lip Sheers (Whitethorn is the perfect nude) which are great for daytime, and semi-matte Forbidden Lipsticks for night (Written In Blood is a classic but vampy red)."
Bronzer/Contour
"If you're looking for a very light, shimmery bronze during the day (that post-beach day glow), Kjaer Weis's Dazzling Bronzer gives you a wash of coppery color: put it anywhere the sun would hit first. This can also be used in combination with the aforementioned Rituel de Fille Spellbound if you want a subtle contour for a nighttime look."
Highlight
"The Noto Botanics Hydra Highlight is perfect for a not-too-shimmery daytime glow: place a little on your brow and cheek bones. But if you're looking for a high-impact, irridescant hightlight for nighttime the Rituel de Fille Rare Light Luminizer in Lunaris blends beautifully into skin, but delivers an opalescent effect. I also love using a bit of this in the inner corners of my eyes during the day."
Eyes
"I'm in love with these Ash & Ember Eye Soots by Rituel de Fille which have an intensely pigmented effect not normally associated with natural cosmetics. For an easy everyday technique, simply apply a wash of the eye soot (my favorite is the metallic copper Love Spell) using your finger and blend outwards. For a cool daytime alternative, I simply line the eye with the product. You can make it more smokey for night combining with the brown Spellbound creme pigment compact and layering up with Kjaer Weis organic mascara, which has an extremely natural but defining effect. To make it a bit more dramatic, apply a second coat just to the tips and be sure to grab the bottom lashes as well."
Brows
"I love building up a brow! The Ecobrow Defining Brush is so perfect at painting in individual hairs and brushing out any obvious strokes, and the brand's powdery brow wax is to natural and comes in a great selection of colors. Daytime brows can have a lighter hand at filling in any sparse areas only. A nighttime brow is more forgiving for filling in more than just the sparse areas, exaggerate the shape of the brow and build the intensity."
