By BR Kellie
One of the things I really love about the First Lady of BR, Nat, is that she’s got a good heart. She cares. A lot. She’s all for equality. Social injustice sees her getting her growl on. The animals are truly her friend – she’d have enough to fill a zoo if she could, I’m sure of it. She’s the kind of person who rages against the machine, and does so in an effectual and eloquent way. And she’s pretty good at reminding me of the things I ought to care about too.
Recently she sent me this article from www.lennyletter.com. It was all about shopping ethically, and she put it to me that perhaps we ought to think about buying beauty ethically. I read the article. Finished it. Shut my laptop and looked down at my cheap as chips chain store dress and felt bad about buying it, then I thought about what makeup I had on my face and then opened my laptop and asked Google if my $3 Jordana lippy was cruelty-free. It is. Phew. Still, good old Catholic guilt made a little nest in my stomach, and I got to wondering if the rules of being a socially responsible shopper in the Lenny article could be applied to buying beauty products.
Rule #1 - Shop Vintage & Second Hand Stores. I had a wee hum and ha about this. You see, as you know BR is all about supporting the New Zealand beauty industry, which means buying from local distributors. So buying from a second hand store doesn’t necessarily support the local beauty industry, even though if it’s a charity store you’re supporting a good cause… and you’re also ensuring things aren’t being chucked into a landfill. But then, if it’s second hand, well, you don’t know whom it’s come from and whether they’ve ever had a nail fungus or conjunctivitis or something equally as unwantable. Or whether it’s been given a squirt with isopropyl to have clear it of any goobs. Quandary!? I think I’ll stick to the BR policy of buying fresh from local distributors.
Rule #2 - Upcycle. Hmmm, I feel this can be done with makeup. Lippies you don’t enjoy as lipsticks could make for a good blusher. Candle jars can be repurposed as brush holders. Eyeshadows you don’t use on your eyes can be mixed with clear nail polish to create your own custom polish. Yep. Doable.
Rule #3 - Look Out For Fair-Trade Labels. Usually my mind immediately goes to my favourite blocks of Whittaker’s chocolate when I think about fair trade products… but buying fair trade beauty products is also possible. Perhaps even easy! Off the top of my head I can think of four brands who use fair trade ingredients wherever possible - Lush, Trilogy, Welda, and The Body Shop. Trade Aid also stocks a natural fair trade skincare range called BioNatyr.
Rule #4 - Go Local. Ah, this one’s not hard – heck for us Kiwis this one is almost too easy as New Zealand has many producers of skincare and beauty products. Living Nature, Rovie, Bee Sensual, True, Doll Face, Antipodes, The Aromatherapy Company… really, the list could go on and on and on. We’re spoilt for choice.
Rule #5 - Buy Less, Buy Responsibly, and Wear Longer. Ah, this can be done, because really it’s just a good old pan challenge, where you only use what you have until it’s gone before replacing it. I don’t know about you, but if I were to try it with my eyeshadow collection I’d still be using them when I was 97. (Except I wouldn’t because expiry dates and hygiene…) But it does give a wakeup call though, how much do we actually need? How much will we realistically use? Was the purchase of my 40+ lipsticks/glosses actually necessary? (There goes that pang of guilt again!)
Rule #6 -Make Yourself Heard. In the article this refers to letting companies know that you’re not happy with their ethical practices. Something that can be translated into the beauty industry, especially if you’re big on cruelty-free products, or ensuring those that create beauty ingredients are paid fairly for their work and products. Whether your write an email, start a petition or sign a petition, we can all be agents for change.
Thanks, Nat, for sending that link my way. While I’ll still be a dirty old meat-loving, leather-wearing, head-in-the-sand-on-some-issues Pixie, it’s good to remember there are ways we can be better, and do better.
So do tell… are you a sustainable lover of beauty? What do you do? How do you manage it? Or, like me, will you be making more of an effort to improve what you buy and how you buy in the name of looking after the world and those who live in it? Chat away…
The thing about sustainability is that if something isn't then it will one day just cease, for one reason or another. I do like the points you've made here Pixie there are always ways we can do better.