Ep 60 - The Glow Down: Your Ultimate Guide To Zero Waste Beauty!

Carlene and Jill with Julianne Robicheau of Eco + Amour and “Waste Wizard” Stephanie Hicks

With all the news about climate change, what woman doesn’t want to reduce her eco footprint, no matter how shimmery it may be? The most logical place to start might just be in the bathroom, given that 120 billion units of packaging are produced in the global cosmetics industry annually. We’re chatting it all out in this episode, alongside Julianne Robicheau, co-owner of Eco + Amour, a sustainable living boutique specializing in self-care and beauty products. We’ve also got Jill’s good friend Stephanie Hicks in the house, who’s sharing tips based on her year of living zero waste (even her upcoming wedding will be completely up cycled!).

Eco + Amour Zero Waste Re-Fill Store in Toronto

Jill and Carlene share their favourite makeup brands leading the charge in recycling, re-filling and zero waste packaging. They also hat tip the big beauty brands committing to zero waste manufacturing and next level recycling programs in the year to come, like TerraCycle and its new re-fill delivery pilot project, Loop. It’s all part of winning over a growing generation who bases their beauty buying on their values as much as product performance.

Aether Beauty’s New Summer Solstice Palette, On Sale April 22 (Earth Day)

Find out our top zero waste beauty tips for substituting out all-too convenient face wipes from your routine, what to do with all of your old nail polish, how to dispose of hair, what to do with mascara wands… and we review Aether Beauty’s new zero waste eyeshadow palettes, developed by a former exec in Sephora’s sustainability program. All this, and you don’t even have to worry about any brow beating. We believe baby steps are all steps in the right direction!

Carlene’s New Fave: Lilah B. Divine Duo Lip & Cheek Colours

Products mentioned in this episode: Face Halo; Makeup Eraser; Croon Fibers; Kaia Naturals Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleansing Wipes; Consonant Skincare Come Clean 100% Natural Cleansing Cloths; Lush Naked Skincare; Aether Beauty Gemstone Palettes; Lilah B. Divine Duo Lip & Cheek in B. Stunning; Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo Bar With Aloe Vera; Crush and Brush Toothpaste Tablets; Bite Toothpaste Bits; Tampax Menstrual Cup; Diva Cup; Kjaer Weis Lip Tints; RMS Uncover Up Concealer; Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Stick; Meow Meow Tweet Juniper Carrot Seed Facial Oil; Lines of Elan Fortify Balance Natural + Organic Renew Shampoo and Review Conditioner; Graydon Matcha Mint Shampoo and Hair Smoothie; Daily Concepts Your Konjac Sponge Tumeric; Gondola Natural Bamboo Toothbrushes; Wands for Wildlife; Matter of Trust

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Ep 27- Green Beauty Rebel & RMS Beauty Founder Rose-Marie Swift

Listen Here. Get ready for our most unfiltered founder yet! Rose-Marie Swift took the beauty world by the balls, screamed in its face, and caused a frenzy with one of the first "green" makeup lines back in 2009. Her website, beautytruth.com, set out to educate the masses about toxic ingredients in makeup and skincare, putting her career as a celebrity makeup artist on the line. Is it any wonder given the Vancouver-born celebrity makeup artist started out as a punk singer?? 

Her iconic best-seller, Living Luminzer, was born out of her experience giving the original Victoria's Secret angels—Miranda Kerr and Gisele Bundchen—their heavenly glow. Standing the test of time among the gazillions of highlighting products that have launched since, Living Luminizer is what Meghan Markle chose to get her radiance on for her royal wedding! We walk you through the best-seller's first two shade extensions.

Listen in as Rose-Marie recalls her raucous roots (and we're not just talking about the list of rockstars she's slept with, though you'll find that in this episode too.) The makeup artist also reveals why her brand of coconut oil-based makeup products manage to perform when so many other organic cosmetics falter. Plus, find out which dream product she's determined to create next, her personal skincare-free nighttime routine and the genetic talent you need to hear about to believe.

Products mentioned in this episode: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer; RMS Beauty "Un"-Cover-up; RMS Beauty "Un"-Powder;

Every product is independently selected by Breaking Beauty Podcast hosts and/or guests. Products you purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

How to Make Your Eyelashes and Brows Grow Faster? Ask Lauren Bilon, Founder of All-Natural Plume Science

It’s been raining for days but when I meet Lauren Bilon, founder of Plume Science, the clouds have finally lifted, and lift is what this beauty founder is all about. In 2014, the Alberta-based Bilon launched the first, 100% natural eyelash and eyebrow enhancing serum on the market, a healthy alternative to prescription glaucoma treatments commonly used off-label to thicken sparse hairs. “I literally just started making my own little prototypes in my kitchen,” she tells me, describing her DIY space as Breaking Bad-esque. After childbirth, Bilon’s fluctuating hormones caused her eyelashes to fall out en mass. The new mom turned to Latisse, and found herself suffering from discoloured eyelids and blurred vision, commonly reported adverse reactions to the drug.

Taking matters into her own hands, Bilon began tinkering with her own recipes until the fateful day she met Canadian chemist Irene Schnell, and that’s when her dream formula came to be. “I started having my own little under-the-table home job and I still hadn’t told my husband, because I didn’t want him to know how much money I was spending on botanicals and my little pipettes and scales and beakers,” she recalls with a laugh. Fast-forward to a refinanced mortgage, countless attempts at fulfilling regulatory cosmetic standards, one mishap including said hubby nearly mistaking the serum stocked in her fridge for a smoothie, and Plume finally became a legit hit (the user testimonies, backed by a 100% happiness guarantee, don’t lie.)

“Speaking with people who have used the product and can’t say enough good things about it, those are the moments that really hit home,” she says. Funny thing though, Bilon doubted the efficacy of natural products until the day she created her own. Today, she regularly consults Think Dirty, the Canadian product comparison app that’s often found in the hands of green beauty shoppers to ensure that products labelled ‘natural” truly are. “I scanned a shampoo that I used on my kids and I thought it was actually quite clean, but it was awful – it was the worst rating, a 10. For me, that was a huge eye opener,” she says. (For the record, Plume’s growth serum and the soon-to-be released eyebrow pomade boast a squeaky-clean rating of 0.)

As we wrap up our conversation and Bilon prepares for the upcoming in-store appearance she’s in Toronto for at The Detox Market, I ask her what advice she would give to others considering a beauty start-up of their own. “There are definitely roadblocks along the way, but if you keep plugging away and if you’re passionate, you can make anything a success,” she tells me. With several green beauty awards already in hand, it’s obvious that Bilon is no accidental entrepreneur, she’s a natural.—Emily Wraith.

Look out for Plume Nourish & Define Brow Pomade, available in 5 shades, at The Detox Market Summer 2017.