Green Beauty Products

Article by BR Natalie

From green toners to green makeup we're looking at how green products can work for us.

Green Lipstick.

Lime Crime are known for their 'out there' lip colours and they have quite the following.  The average girl about town is probably never going to have to consider how to wear a colour like Serpentina.  Or are they?
The more mainstream (if a little pricy) Dolce and Gabanna have produced the Sicilian Jewels Lipstick collection.   Containing classic tones based on amethysts, rubies and erm, emeralds.  So, how on earth do you wear green lipstick?

Dolce & Gabbana Make Up creative advisor Pat McGrath says, "The emerald look, I feel, is more of a daytime look - perfect for a day out with your girlfriends.  This lip look is incredible, so feminine but striking at the same time.".

McGrath suggests gold-toned make-up to enhance the jewel-like tone of the lipstick,, with subtle metallic gold eyes.

And a couple of BR tips for you - green lipstick will not whiten your teeth like the perfect red shade.  If anything your teeth will reflect the green - so you might want to start using a whitening and brightening toothpaste if green lips are going to become your thing!

You'll need to layer the lipstick to achieve an opaque sheen - if you can use a moisturising foundation or concealer to add a neutral base to your lips.

Green Tinted Skin Correctors.

You may read about foundation, concealer or primer being tinted or toned.  But what does it mean?

Depending on your skin tone you'll want to choose a tint to suit the look you are after - this is where you'll want to know your colour wheel and colour opposites.

Products with a green tint counteract red tones and so are great for rosacea sufferers.  If your finished makeup look is looking a little red you can tone it down with green powder.

Green Eyeshadow.

A pop of green around the eye can be a striking look - you can frame your lower lash line, try a hint of green eyeliner on your upper lash line or blend in your favourite shade in a smokey look. 

There is a green eyeshadow for you, but knowing what shades to go together will narrow down the search.  Pale greens such as celery will work on the fair skinned, whilst dark emeralds and forest greens work on medium to dark skin tones.

Green eyeshadows best compliment brown and very dark eyes, but here's a quick guide to selecting the right green for your eyes.

Green Eyes - To avoid hiding your gorgeous green eyes go for shades of olive and sage.
Brown Eyes - Bluey greens and greens with blue undertones will accentuate the orange tones in all brown eyes.
Blue Eyes - Dark blue eyes will be best served by dark forest shades (think your husband's camo gear).  Lighter blue eyes will pop with mossy greens.

Green Face Masks.

Whenever a face mask is shown on TV or the movies it's always green - but is this for comedy reasons or is there some truth behind it?

The most common ingredient in a green face mask is the humble Avocado.  Whether mixed with other ingredients (lemon is a common pairing) or simply mushed up and applied to your face, the avocado will moisturise and restore dry skin.  Avocados are full of vitamins E and C and beta-carotene, a provitamin that helps produce vitamin A.  Avocado oil is especially used for its ability to soften and brighten the skin tone

Green Hair toner.

Similar to skin correctors you might not know that you can get green hair toners.  Hair toners are used to counteract unwanted tones in your hair, by using a colours direct opposite on the colour wheel.   "Purple conditioner" is well known to promote blonde tones and remove the 'brassy' look from blonde hair. 

Green hair toner is used to counteract red/orange tones in brown hair.  You might have noticed it yourself that brown colouring fades to reddish or unwanted ginger tones.

You can even do a spot of DIY and create your own toner using your regular shampoo and conditioner and...food colouring.

And lastly, not a green product, but a green problem...

"Swimming has turned my blonde hair green"

Eeep!  So many have been there. 

And the easiest DIY answer is - wash you hair as normal and then slap some tomato paste on to your hair.  Comb it through and let it sit for 30 minutes before rinsing thoroughly and conditioning as usual.

So how many green products do you regularly use?  Or maybe there's a green product you think belongs on our list?