Welcome to my "In the Spotlight" interview series. There are so many people who I admire in the world of food, health, fitness, and beauty. To introduce them to you I decided to start an interview series with some of my favorite people who help make the world more clean, pure and simple. Who better to kick it off than the wonderful Spirit Demerson, founder of Spirit Beauty Lounge? Spirit is my go to for all things green beauty. Her site is always stocked with the best and latest makeup, skincare, fragrances and more. I know I can shop with confidence as Spirit has personally vetted all of the products she sells to make sure they meet her high standards of green beauty that is both good for you, and the environment. Without Spirit my life would be quite a bit less glam!
How did you first get involved in the world of green beauty and what led you to open Spirit Beauty Lounge?
I spent my whole life trying to reconcile my love of luxury beauty products with my commitment to a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. I longed for a place to shop where all of the products were as clean & green as they were effective & beautiful and that place didn’t exist so I created it!
Why is it so important to make sure our makeup and personal care products are clean?
Just like what we eat, what we put on our skin goes directly into the bloodstream (think nicotine patch), except unlike what we eat, it doesn’t get filtered by the liver. We should consider everything we use topically as carefully as we do our food with regard for our health and the planet.
For someone who is new to green beauty and may find it a bit overwhelming to change ALL of their products where would you suggest they start?
-We designed a Spirit Beauty Lounge Eco-Beauty Essentials Green Makeover Boxto meet the needs of “girls gone green” in a fun starter box!
-Think about the types of products that sit on your skin, that you apply every day, like deodorant, lotions and moisturizers first. Because they aren’t rinsed off, they are more likely to penetrate the skin and accumulate in your system. It’s ok if you work your way down to something like mascara last.
-If you’re using prescription skin care and have decided to go off of it, give your system at least a full cycle (28 days) to detox before starting up a natural line.
-If you’re (like most human beings) too busy to memorize an encyclopedia of ingredients to avoid, find a trusted source to buy from who is committed to purity.
-If you buy natural beauty products at Whole Foods, make sure they’re marked with the “Premium Body Care” standard – everything else is questionable.
What are the main offenders one should look out for when shopping for makeup and beauty items?
Some of the yuckiest ingredients I still see being used in a lot of beauty products are:
-Eythyl, Methyl, Propyl & Butyl Parabens
-Phenoxyethenol -Propylene glycol -Synthetic fragrance -PEGs (Polyethylene Glycol)* -Petroleum or petrolatum -DEA (Diethanolamine) -TEA (Triethanolamine) -Methylchloroisothiazolinone & -Methylisothiazolinone
What are your current favorite items available at Spirit Beauty Lounge?
Our site is truly a collection of my personal favorite beauty products in the world – For my daily routine, I’m a Tata Harper devotee and for body, I swear by Vered Organic Botanicals Signature Scent Body Oil I think every woman should consider switching to Soapwalla Kitchen Deodorant Cream it’s pure and it works!
Do you follow makeup trends? If so what is one look you are loving right now?
Absolutely – the best thing that’s happened this season is the Return of Lipstick! Nail Polish was the “new lipstick” for so long but bold, bright lips are back and I love it! Dewy skin is another look I love. I think gorgeous glowing skin is a backlash to the near theatrical make up look of reality show starlets last year.
Finally, if you could go on any fantasy summer vacation this year where would it be to and what five essential items would you pack?
I love the Cote D'Azur, Corsica & Provence…the food, the hotels, the yachts. It’s not exactly ecotourism but being a natural girl doesn’t have to mean roughing it! I do always like to pack light and leave plenty of room for shopping so I pare down my travel kit to my:
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Shu Uemura 24k Gold Eyelash Curler
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Ilia Beauty Lip Conditioner in Arabian Nights (goes from day to night)
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Konjac Sponge Company Charcoal Sponge
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Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence
(works as a cleanser, toner & moisturizer!) -
(can skip the serum & moisturizer) -
Vered Organic Botanicals Signature Scent Body Oi
l (I can’t go without it) -
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Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Toothbrush
(my weakness is dental care – I’m a freak about it)
