Happy Earth Day Red Apple Girls,

In this blog post, I’m going to share with you three ways you can help to reduce waste when it comes to cosmetics.

 1. Refills– Having a refillable palette means you can purchase the shadows you like and can continue to use the same palette while purchasing new shadows when you need to.

2. Repurpose– We’ve all purchased something that we ended up not liking or didn’t work for us. If you are not able to pass it along to someone else I’d like to encourage you to see if you can find another purpose for the item. Often I will end up mixing a lipstick I don’t like with one I love and it creates a beautiful, magical and unique blend. We do have a 6-month return policy though so please don’t ever hesitate to message us if something just does not work. You should be happy with your purchases.

3. Recycling Or Trade In Programs– Look for recycling and trade-in programs. While we don’t have a recycling program ourselves we do have a trade in program. If you send us your old makeup with the trade in form you can exchange them for a discounted price on our products. Click here to go to our trade in page and learn more.

I’m sure there are plenty of other ways to reduce waste with makeup and I’d love to hear your suggestions. Also, I’d like to know in what ways you think we can do better in regards to being more eco-friendly. There is always room for improvement and without feedback, we won’t know what you need or want 💙 💚

Ashley

As people, I believe we are naturally inquisitive. We desire to question things and for the most part, I think this is great! Always questioning things and people though can start to get overwhelming and may make you feel paranoid. This is how I started to feel anyway. My parents taught me at a young age to question everything but there just came a point where it was too much! I think as with most things in life there needs to be balance and faith. In this blog post, I’d like to discuss the idea of finding the good and finding the bad in things particularly when it comes to ingredients.

Being the person who answers customer service questions, I get asked about ingredients all the time. There is so much information out there that things start to get muddled and confusing so of course, people have questions. Most of the time the questions I get are in regards to whether a particular ingredient is “safe” or not. This can be difficult to answer because there are many factors involved so really all I can give is a perspective and generalized answer. I believe that the following are just a few things to consider: 

-where a particular ingredient is sourced from

-how an ingredient is sourced 

-how an ingredient is made 

-the chemistry of your own body

-the state of your current health 

-the chemical makeup of a particular ingredient 

-how the ingredient will be used and what it’s purpose is 

-what other ingredients are being used along with the ingredient in question 

-what percentage of an ingredient will be used 

-how often will you use the product containing the ingredient

-how easily can your body detox or flush out an ingredient 

-does the ingredient linger in the body for an extended period of time 

As you can see it’s complicated. There are of course the common knowledge things like Lead that have been studied over and over again to show it’s negative effects on the body. So how does a person decide what ingredients they’ll use and which ones they won’t? Really it comes down to the individual to do their own research. Don’t do research just to find what you want to hear but look for the good and look for the bad and make a well-rounded, well-researched decision for yourself. Also, listen to your gut instincts because you will often find that for every negative thing you’ll find a positive. For every person that says something is good for you, there will be another that says it’s not. That’s just life. Everyone has an opinion or different conclusion. So you need to decide for yourself what is best for you and your body in this particular time and place in your life. Along the way, you may change your mind, and that’s ok. 

As an example, one thing I get asked about is Titanium Dioxide. I’ve looked into it myself and from what I understand the potential concern comes when this particular ingredient is inhaled from products such as loose mineral makeup and aerosol spray on sunscreens. Now maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. For myself, I’m ok with it being in my makeup because I don’t wear it every day. I’m even ok with it in my loose powder foundation because I use a sponge to apply it vs a makeup brush. This may shock you but I also never wear sunscreen so the spray on sunscreen isn’t a concern for me either.  

Now you might be wondering why I don’t wear sunscreen when dermatologists and estheticians say you must do so to avoid skin cancer and aging. This wasn’t a decision I made from research. Honestly, it just never sat right with me to cover my entire body with sunscreen (even the more natural kinds) every day, all the time. To be clear I’m not saying don’t wear sunscreen. I think if you are going to be outside for a long time, there’s not another way to shade yourself or protect yourself from the sun and it’s just a once in awhile thing then yes, you should probably wear sunscreen. Generally, though, I believe that anything in excess can be toxic for you. This includes natural things. When something is used too much or too often I believe it can become toxic for you and your body may even start rejecting it. I’m assuming this is possibly part of the reason why products can stop working over time. 

Raise your hand if you’ve ever purchased something that someone else recommended and it didn’t work for you *BOTH HANDS RAISED* This is simply because they are not you. The chemical makeup of your body is unique and special so you have to find what products and ingredients work best for you. It’s a fun and exciting process of discovery. So in conclusion, I would like to encourage you to take the time to do your own research and make decisions for yourself. Don’t just take anyone’s word for it. You know your body better than anyone else so listen to it. Also, I’d like to encourage you to take it easy and not stress over ingredients too much because it really can become overwhelming and from my own experience it just does more harm than good. It’s not about being on a witch hunt to find the bad ingredients, condemning brands or people who use ingredients or products that you don’t like it’s more about the journey and discovery of finding what works best for you and your body. 

Ashley 

PS. One thing that I’ve found to be really helpful is making lists of ingredients I’m ok with and then also list ingredients I will absolutely not use. You might try doing this. I’ve found it to help give me some clarity. 

The topic of treating yourself definitely has sides and I’ve heard both. Some people think that treating yourself is selfish while others fully embrace the idea of treating themselves. I’ve been on both sides so I think that it gives me a different perspective. I used to think that if I were to ever think of myself that’d I’d be selfish and so I spent the majority of my time only concerning myself with the needs of other people. You could say I was a people pleaser and if I’m being honest to a certain degree I still am. However, I contribute the consistent concern with the needs of others to a portion of my declined health mentally, spiritually and physically. It can be utterly exhausting to take on everyone else’s needs or wants and neglect your own. Not to mention if those very people that you’ve spent so much time and attention on do not reciprocate and take advantage of you. This can leave you feeling depleted and resentful and you don’t want that. For myself personally, I have come to the conclusion that I need to treat myself once in awhile. It is wrong to fully neglect your own needs while focusing on the needs of others. There has to be balance. Balance is the key. I think treating yourself once in awhile and making sure your needs are met is 100% ok. I’ll share how I treat myself and then give you all some ideas on ways you can also treat yourself.

I decided last year that I would create room in my monthly budget to treating myself. This decision was one of the best things I have done for my overall wellbeing and health. I don’t count necessary purchases as treats so that means shampoo and toothpaste don’t count! It’s the extras. The things that bring me joy. The little luxuries. I have made my max budget for treats to be $100. Sometimes I go over and sometimes I’m way under. I don’t really sweat it too much but I do try to stay under the $100 treat yourself cap since I’m also saving for other life things at the moment. I also created a “Treat Yourself” board on Pinterest which helps me to collect ideas of things I want to do or little things I’d love to have. This plan has worked really well for me and since I’ve started to do this I don’t find myself feeling defeated anymore and I have more joy in helping others again. So I highly recommend to people to fit in a treat yourself fund into their budget. There are plenty of ways to treat yourself and there’s something for every budget. Even free things! Now I’m going to give you some examples of ways that you can treat yourself.

1. Rest– Treat yourself to a good nights rest or nap. This doesn’t cost you anything and it’ll feel so good! Most people are not getting enough rest so I’d say that there’s a good chance you could use it. Rub some lavender essential oil on the bottoms of your feet or diffuse it, turn off all lights, make sure your phone is turned off and nowhere near you, hop in bed and just close your eyes. Whatever it takes to get good quality rest do it. I’ve also used sleep meditation before and that works like a charm for me.

2. Spa Time– Make an appointment and schedule some time for yourself to get a massage or facial. You just can’t go wrong here. If you have any allergies make sure ahead of time that your esthetician knows. They should have you fill out paperwork beforehand listing any allergies but it might be a good idea to call ahead of time and make sure they are using good quality, non-toxic products that meet your specific needs.

3. Read A Book– Take 15-30 minutes to read a new book or an old favorite. There’s just something about curling up with a good book that brings so much satisfaction. I like to read books that challenge me or make me think. I also occasionally like to read my favorite childhood books like the BFG. It makes for a nice escape from stress.

4. Take A Mental Health Day- Occasionally I think it’s good to take a day off from work, if you can, to just check in with yourself, evaluate yourself and see how you’re doing mentally. Maybe just catch up on rest. Whatever it means to you to take time away to clear your mind, and come back into balance so you can go back to work refreshed, do it. You may find that you feel the need to make some changes in your life and you’ll be glad you took the time to check in. Weekends, of course, will work if you can’t take time off from work.

5. Purchase Something From Your Wishlist– Create a wishlist of things you’d like to have, (I keep mine on Pinterest) and then when it comes time to treat yourself buy one or a couple of the items from your wish list that fit into your treat yourself budget. I think this is one of the easiest ways to treat yourself. Maybe it’s a piece of artwork you’ve had your eye on, a new book, supplies to create a project you’ve been wanting to do, makeup, ingredients for a new recipe you’ve wanted to try, jewelry, clothing, shoes etc. The list really could go on and on.

I hope this gives you some ideas on ways to treat yourself. I’d also love to read your suggestions below so If you have any ways in which you like to treat yourself let us know in the comments 🙂

Ashley

*CLOSED* Day #7…that means today is the final day of our Blush + Bronzer Naming contest. All of our products are named by customers like YOU and we need your help in naming our new bronzer. This is a fun and interactive way for you to be involved with Red Apple Lipstick PLUS it’s a fabulous way to WIN a $100 dollar Red Apple Lipstick Gift Card. To join you’ll simply leave a comment suggesting as many names as you’d like on this post for the bronzer. We’ll choose the winning name at the end of the day, and the winner will receive a $100 dollar RAL Gift Certificate. It’s super fun! *CLOSED*

Help us give Bronzer B307 a name by leaving your suggestions in the comments below.

Reminder: These vegan, allergen friendly, non-toxic, mineral blush colors, bronzer, AND a new amazing brush launches on January 21st. Pre-Registration means you’ll receive the best deal. We’ll have a private sales page with special deals for those who register before January 19th. Registration is simple here -> https://www.redapplelipstick.com/blush

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for joining our naming contest for these new blushes and bronzer. Today was the last day which is always bittersweet. We’ve decided to go with the name Sundrop suggested by Heather B here on the blog. Again, I just want to thank you all for joining. I enjoyed going through the suggestions and getting little laughs here and there on the word play and puns (one of my favorite things!) These new blushes, bronzer and brush will be out on Jan. 21st. Registration for the sale is still open. Those that register will get a special, VIP only opening price from Jan 21 – Jan 27th by pre-registering at https://www.redapplelipstick.com/blush
I also wanted to mention that we’ll be having another one of our super fun twitter parties on the 22nd. More info on that coming Friday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone! <3

It’s Day #6 of our Blush + Bronzer Naming contest which means we’re super close to having all these new blushes named. For those who are maybe just joining, all of our products are named by customers like YOU. It’s a fun and interactive way for you to be involved with Red Apple Lipstick PLUS it’s a fabulous way to WIN a $100 dollar Red Apple Lipstick Gift Card. Here’s how you can join, each day we’re posting a photo of a new blush color (bronzer comes tomorrow). You’ll simply leave a comment suggesting as many names as you’d like for that particular product. We’ll choose the winning name at the end of each day, and the winner will receive a $100 dollar RAL Gift Certificate. It’s super fun!

Help us give Blush B301 a name by leaving your suggestions in the comments below.

Reminder: These vegan, allergen friendly, non-toxic, mineral blush colors, bronzer, AND a new amazing brush launches on January 21st. Pre-Registration means you’ll receive the best deal. We’ll have a private sales page with special deals for those who register before January 19th. Registration is simple here -> https://www.redapplelipstick.com/blush

Update: We will announce the name today.

UPDATE: I hadn’t announced the winner for this day’s blush yet. I was going to wait until we had the bronzer name picked out but I did see Andrea had sent the email with the name chosen so I figured I would go ahead and announce here as well. There were so many good ones to choose from. In fact it had come down to two and we decided to go with M’Lady suggested by Mindy Dukes. I really personally got a kick out of it cause’ now I can say I’m wearing M’Lady blush <3 Thank you all for participating in the naming contest and I hope you've had fun.

*CLOSED* Welcome to Day #5 of our Blush + Bronzer Naming contest. For those of you who don’t know or who are maybe just joining, all of our products are named by customers like YOU. It’s an exciting and interactive way for you to be involved with Red Apple Lipstick PLUS it’s a fabulous way to WIN a $100 dollar Red Apple Lipstick Gift Card. Each day we’ve been posting a photo of a new blush color. You’ll simply leave a comment suggesting as many names as you want for that particular product. We’ll choose the winning name at the end of each day, and the winner will receive a $100 dollar RAL Gift Certificate. It’s super fun and we’ve been enjoying going through the name suggestions. *CLOSED*

Day #5 let’s go! Help us give Blush B306 a name by leaving your suggestions in the comments below.

Reminder: These vegan, allergen friendly, non-toxic, mineral blush colors, bronzer, AND a new amazing brush launches on January 21st. Pre-Registration means you’ll receive the best deal. We’ll have a private sales page with special deals for those who register before January 19th. Registration is simple here -> https://www.redapplelipstick.com/blush

UPDATE: Day #5 has come to a close and the winning name is Good Vibes . Congrats to April D Johnson. Thank you all for participating 🙂 We have two more days to go. Woot Woot!