After our second miscarriage, I really began digging into what lifestyle and health habits that I could potentially clean up and remove harmful factors from in easy ways. It wasn’t a fast transition but I would say it’s definitely paid off since I feel better knowing I’m using less chemicals on my skin, in my home, and around my family. It’s funny though, because as I swapped out my cleaning and skincare products to natural, non-toxic ones that have pronounceable, clean ingredients, it took me a lot longer time to even consider moving to cleaner makeup.

In fact, switching from regular big-brand makeup carriers to natural ones was actually the last thing I implemented, and if I’m honest, it’s because I just wasn’t sure if there was anything out there that would work as well as my favorite (albeit chemical filled) makeup go-tos! Maybe you’re in the same boat? It’s like, sure, the thought of plant-based makeup sounds good and holistic and all, but will it actually provide full coverage, high-quality end results that don’t smear off in a couple hours?

I mean, I’m no makeup artist and so many days I can hardly fit in a shower and hair wash, let alone a full face of makeup, that’s for sure. I really don’t even put makeup on unless I’m leaving the house and basically my only makeup standard is that it has to be fast and easy for me to do, but if I’m going to be spending a significant amount of money on products, I’d like for them to be quality, lasting, beautiful palettes and potions for this ol’ noggin.

I wrote a few months ago about the natural makeup products I did end up finding and adding to my routine, and how I’ve been able to pretty much replace everything I used to use AND get my daily makeup routine down to an easy 5 minutes. For all my recs for natural foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, brows, lip balms, and beyond, check out my natural beauty round-up here.

But today I’m sharing the three things switching to natural makeup has taught me, and maybe it’ll give you a little boost of encouragement to make the jump, too!

01. It showed me that mainstream marketing isn’t always right.

As with so much in our world today, traditional marketing isn’t always right. You might think you NEED that certain brand name lipstick that boasts the longest coverage (even with drinks, kissing, and a full day of meetings, oh my!) in every commercial on TV. You might want to try every mascara you see from Instagram influencers or in magazines that dangle the potential for the longest, lushest lashes in front of you. And if you really like those products and they make you feel good to use, then great!

But for me, the status quo was no longer working for me. What everyone else was doing and talking about was actually taking away from my health. When it comes to something that we use as much as makeup on something as sensitive as our skin, our largest organ that literally soaks up EVERYTHING we put on it… It just didn’t make sense to me to listen to the advertising and noise.

And guess what? My skin doesn’t feel as heavy as it used to. It looks and feels lighter, fresher, healthier, and more vibrant than ever. I definitely doubted that natural makeup could work as well as regular makeup, and it actually works better in my opinion. The most amazing part? So much more natural makeup is becoming readily available at mainstream stores, so next time you’re running to pick up a new concealer, consider leaving the overpromising commercials behind and trying something that’s chemical free and easier on your skin!

02. It didn’t make my life more complicated, at all!

I was a little nervous to move to natural makeup and that’s probably why it took me so long to make the jump! I figured it would be more expensive than what I’d been using, or I’d need to use 100 products to get the same coverage and quality as my old makeup. And I just didn’t know if it would be worth it, going through the trouble of finding brands I liked and transitioning to a whole new roster of beauty staples.

But like everything when it comes to healthy choices, it usually IS worth it, and it’s usually not as bad or complicated as we make it out to be in our heads. Because I transitioned slowly as I ran out of the old stuff, it made the swap more gradual and not like I was wasting and tossing all my old makeup just to make way for new shiny stuff that I didn’t even know worked yet. The first switch I made was my face makeup and it had the biggest impact because that’s what was sitting on top of my skin on that first layer.

Once I slowly moved everything else over to natural products, it didn’t change my routine much other than just feeling better about what I’m putting on my skin (a big time plus). Conley always watches me and I’ve noticed she is so curious about what’s going on around her, what Drew and I are doing, and I know her little mind is learning by taking it all in. I love that I can feel GOOD about my products I use in front of her… and I won’t feel freaked out one day if she gets into my makeup bag.

03. It’s okay to play with what works for you.

This whole transition can be slow moving and gradual; switching to new makeup means you’ll have to take some time to find what you like and what works for you. That’s why switching one product at a time as they ran out made it so much more feasible for me, because if I didn’t like something I didn’t feel awful trying one or two other things.

But to be totally honest, the only product I haven’t found a natural dupe for that I LOVE is mascara. A lot of the natural ones smudge and so I’ve been testing and experimenting, but ultimately I feel better if 99% of my makeup is clean rather than putting pressure on trying to get all the way there. I’ll keep using what I like for now and testing natural ones over time, and hopefully I’ll get there.

That’s the beauty of becoming more aware, doing research for healthy lifestyle alternatives, and taking steps to be better. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, you can go slowly and still improve your life. And you’re more than welcome (and capable!) to figure it out as you go.

That pressure’s-off mentality as you work toward becoming a healthier, happier version of you is everything in this journey. Because if we’re overextending ourselves and forcing ourselves to make all these changes we’re not ready for and don’t like, then that’s not healthy either! So I say: take your time. Don’t just go along to get along and just do what everyone else is doing because you feel like you should. And find the products that feel good for YOU and make you proud to wear. That’s what I’ve done, and I’ve never looked back.

Clean up your skincare products with ease, too!

Find out about my favorite natural skincare line here! (It’s like a spa for your face.)