Supermodel Josie Maran founded her eponymous line in 2007. She was pregnant at the time, and frustrated by the lack of natural products available. After spending hundreds of hours having her makeup done for everything from runway shows to print campaigns, she used what she learned to develop products that are good for your skin and the environment -- and work just as well as conventional makeup lines.
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Her medicine cabinet
Maran is now pregnant with her second child, and she uses many of her own all-natural products. Above all others, she's dedicated to Josie Maran Argan Oil, $48. "This is my miracle product," she says. "I always keep an extra just in case I run out, and I use it every morning and evening all over my face and body." Other essentials from her line are Argan Balm, Argan Hair Mist, Argan Oil Hair Serum, and the Whipped Argan Oil. (Clearly, Maran is the unofficial spokesperson for Argan oil.) She wears minimal makeup -- generally just the Josie Maran Color Stick in Rosey on her cheeks and lips. And her other beauty essentials come from Tom's of Maine: deodorant and toothpaste. As a mom, Maran always has bandages on hand: "I like the fabric ones because they are gentler on skin and more breathable. Plus, they're latex-free."
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Yael Alkalay, founder of Red Flower
Yael Alkalay was an eco beauty pioneer, founding Red Flower in 1999. She was interested in natural ingredients from a very young age and after working at a big beauty brand for a number of years, she set off on her own to launch Red Flower, an environmentally friendly line that's all about botanicals.
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Her makeup bag
One of Alkalay's favorite spots for green beauty shopping is ABC Carpet & Home in New York City. That's where she picked up her Kahina Giving Beauty makeup bag, as well as her favorite highlighter and lipstick: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer (which Harper also uses) and Ilia Beauty Lipstick in Wild Child. As an advocate of holistic beauty, Alkalay is a champion of green tea -- she likes Harney and Sons organic version -- and Gaia Herbs Vitex Elixir for Women, an herbal supplement she buys at Whole Foods. Of course, she never leaves home without her favorite products from her own line: Red Flower Berries, Geranium and Mint Lip Balm, Red Flower Arctic Berry Cloud Milk Cream, $24, Red Flower Guaiac Roll-on Perfume, $48, and two minis from the Radiant Skin set, $42: Red Flower Essential Omega Fresh Berry-oil Serum and Red Flower Ionizing Vita Toning Flower Mist.
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Shel Pink, founder of SpaRitual
After a few years working for a major nail polish brand, Shel Pink noticed a gap in the market: She couldn't find natural, vegan nail care products and polishes that actually work. So she founded SpaRitual in 2004 to do just that. Today, the company's focus is "slow beauty" -- which emphasizes taking time to care for yourself in an environmentally friendly way. Pink lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, where she's involved with numerous non-profit organizations.
Whenever I use the bathroom at someone else's house, I can't help but look inside their medicine cabinet and take stock of the beauty products they use. It says so much about someone, doesn�t it? I realize it may not be the most polite behavior, but I have my beauty editor job as an excuse -- it's research!
So when I set out to ask five of the top natural experts in the beauty business for pictures of their makeup bags and medicine cabinets, I was thrilled to be indulging my (admittedly rude) voyeuristic tendencies. And thankfully, they were more than happy to oblige. They each sent a photograph -- which they took themselves -- giving us a glimpse inside their personal beauty stashes.
While I'm curious about the products just about anyone uses, these experts are particularly fascinating. Each one is the founder of her own natural beauty line, and they all have a holistic, ecologically-friendly approach to beauty.
If you've ever wondered which natural products to try, who better to look to than the creators of natural lines? Of course they all use their own products first and foremost, but there are plenty of other brands highlighted here as well -- and that's the part that's really interesting. It's like finding out which toothpaste a dentist uses at home -- rather than the freebie products he or she stocks in the office. It's personal and honest -- and I didn't even have to sneak inside their bathrooms to get the information.
