By Megan Willett
From freezing cold to tropically humid, our makeup is hard-pressed to keep up with the complicated Twin Cities climate and, what’s more, our skin also has to hold its own against all the parabens and other chemicals lurking in ingredients labels these days.
Luckily, The Nature of Beauty opened its Mendota Heights doors in 2010 with the continued promise to carry nothing but natural, organic, and non-toxic beauty products, and has remained at the forefront of offering lines and brands you truly can’t find anywhere else in Minnesota. We caught up with owner Terri Bly to get the scoop on what beauty items we should stockpile for the fast approaching summer months.
Megan Willett: What sun protection line would you recommend for Twin Citians this summer?
Terri Bly: Soleil Organique is the first line I know of that is anti-aging, luxurious, and safe. The face sunscreens were just listed this year in the Environmental Working Group‘s list of top sunscreens. It has all of these great ingredients such as red algae, vitamin C, green tea extract, and CoQ10 that you’d expect in an anti-aging cream from the spa, but Soleil Organique also offers sun protection. They even have an eye cream with SPF 15 protection!
(Left: 100% Mineral Sunscreen for Face SPF 45 ($55), Soleil Organique; Right: Environmental Defense Eye Therapy SPF 15 ($70), Soleil Organique)
MW: What are your warm weather makeup tips?
TB: Our Couleur Caramel baked bronzing powders are amazing. I like the ones with a little bit of sheen. They’re baked so they last forever, and they give you a glow without the glitter. I would also point to an entire line I love for the summer which is Vapour Organic Beauty. It’s a line of makeup that is offered in a stick-form—foundation, blush, concealer, and bronzer. In the summer it can give you a soft, dewy look very quickly and blends right into the skin so it looks fresh and natural.
(Left: Terre Caramel Bronzer ($33.50), Couleur Caramel; Right: Aura Multi Use Radiant Blush ($28), Vapour Organic Beauty)
MW: What’s your personal summer beauty-must?
TB: Chocolate Sun. It’s a sunless tanner that uses the same tanning ingredient all of the self-tanning lines use (which is actually a sugar beet derivative), but then all of the other ingredients are all-natural and quite a high percentage are also organic. It’s the best I’ve found in terms of scent and streaking—I’ve used everything from Clarins to Jergens and I’ve had the best results with Chocolate Sun. I also use Rare El’ements hair serum if I’ve been swimming a lot. Simply comb in and leave on hair for 15 minutes or overnight, and you’ll get stunningly beautiful results.
(Left: Cocoa Glow Sunless Tanning Cream ($40), Chocolate Sun; Right: Pre-Shampoo El Serum ($44), Rare El’ements)
Check out these beauty lines and more at The Nature of Beauty store at The Village of Mendota Heights or online at natureofbeauty.com.
