Hey guys, it's Mi-Anne, and this is Beauty With Mi.
I've always considered myself a pretty environmentally-minded person.
When I was in high school, I founded a couple of sustainability clubs, but
something changed when I moved to New York.
I got distracted, I got lazy.
Basically, I stopped trying to be sustainable.
This past year, though, something clicked.
You guys may have seen the federal reports that detailed the impact of climate change...
With the Trump administration rolling back a lot of environmental legislation, and corporations
just continuing to pollute the Earth, I felt really, really dejected, and I decided to
start learning and educating myself about low-impact living.
Living a Zero Waste lifestyle basically means you're not sending anything to landfill.
So, you're recycling, you're composting, you're reusing, you're upcycling,
you're repairing what's broken.
I'll be the first one to admit that my job, and the beauty industry as a whole really,
is just not set up for living a sustainable lifestyle.
But, I knew that I at least had to try to make sustainable choices
in a way that's attainable for my lifestyle.
But, going Low Waste, let alone Zero Waste,
is an extremely daunting and overwhelming task.
So I decided to reach out to an expert to learn more.
I sat down with Lauren Singer, she's a founder of Package Free
and an expert in Zero Waste living.
Let's talk about you and how you kind of got in to this journey of having this Zero Waste,
very Low Waste, lifestyle.
It started in...
2012.
I was in college at NYU, and was studying environmental science,
obsessed with sustainability, was like,
constantly talking at people, to people about all the changes that they needed to make.
I went home one day after class, and looked in my fridge to make dinner, and realized
that I was the biggest hypocrite on planet Earth because every single thing in my fridge
was packaged in plastic.
And then I looked around my whole apartment, and all of my cleaning products were packaged
in plastic, all of my beauty products were packaged in plastic.
And it was actually beauty that helped me realize that Zero Waste
was the step that I needed to take.
The Zero Waste conversation can be very overwhelming for people.
What would you say is the best way to start?
I suggest to people that they start looking in their garbage cans and
seeing what they're throwing away.
The thing that I was throwing away the most was actually food.
So, I started shopping at the Farmer's Market and then I started making my own beauty products.
And before I knew it, just through making those little, simple changes,
I had reduced almost all of my waste.
Why is recycling not the best option?
Every kind of plastic is technically recyclable, but that doesn't mean it will be recycled.
The reason that certain plastics aren't recycled is just because it's too expensive to do so
and there's no value for the recycled product because it's probably cheaper to make it virgin.
There are things like metals are a lot more recyclable.
Still, it takes a lot of energy.
So, my solution is always, invest in reusable, refillable options.
So, we are in my bathroom now.
My skincare routine has become two/three things as opposed to like,
the 45 that I used to use.
My journey in sustainable makeup has been a very explorative one.
People are doing things that actually aren't sustainable that they're marketing as sustainable
because nobody really knows.
The best thing is like, "Okay, I don't wear any makeup," but that's also not realistic.
I wanna do this experiment justice, but I love makeup like, it's my job.
But you also want to participate in what makes you happy!
Yeah!
And so, I want to do it the best way possible.
And that's fair.
And so we shouldn't like, shun makeup.
We should learn how to make it better.
Lauren and I had a really enlightening conversation.
We got to go to her store, Package Free and kind of look at a different way to do retail,
which is really exciting.
It was really nice to hear from her that going Low Waste, going Zero Waste,
is not a one-day thing.
It is a series of lifestyle choices that you can make over days, weeks, months, even years.
So, armed with that knowledge I decided to design my own low-waste beauty routine from
shampoo to lipstick, most of which I picked up locally to avoid having anything
packaged or shipped.
Before I show you the routine, though, let's start with the basics.
Which beauty products are recyclable and which ones are not?
Paper and cardboard boxes are a pretty safe bet.
Paper and cardboard's actually one of the most highly recyclable materials.
When it comes to plastic, though, that is a completely different story.
You can check on the bottom of your beauty products to see if your products have
a triangle of arrows– it's called the mobius loop.
If the arrows have a number inside it, though, make sure you check with your
local community rules.
Every city has it's own rules in terms of what is recyclable.
So definitely check your local government website to make sure your know what
the rules and restrictions are.
So here is some surprising beauty product packaging that is not recyclable.
Pumps, pipettes, squeezable tubes, things like, that contain toothpaste, all those things
are normally not recycled.
They're usually destined for landfill.
In terms of things that usually are recyclable...
Caps, screw tops, aluminum, hairspray cans, those sort of things, shampoo bottles that
don't have pumps usually can be recycled in your blue bin.
So for all the products that I can't recycle, I actually signed up for a Terracycle Brigade.
Terracycle is a really awesome recycling organization.
They recycle all the hard-to-recycle items.
So, brigades are free recycling programs that are sponsored by different beauty brands to
give consumers an option to recycle hard-to-recycle items for free.
I signed up for the Garnier one and the TOMS of Maine one.
So, the Garnier one deals with most like, cosmetics, personal care,
kind of hygiene products.
You can recycle mascaras, you can recycle pipettes– all those sort of things.
I have been filling boxes with the empties that I've been collecting
over the past few months.
I even opened it up to some of my coworkers for them to bring in their empties to me too.
So that was really great.
It's a really good option in terms of recycling items that normally can't be recycled.
Alright, so now that we know the basics, let's get into the routine, starting with hair.
This is the Unwrapped Hydrating Shampoo and Hydrating Conditioner.
They are both considered naked products, as in they do not contain their own packaging.
They are sent in recyclable or compostable paper.
I'm a really big fan of this shampoo in particular.
I thought that I would have to get used to using a product like this,
but it actually is really easy.
Cleans hair really, really well, is hydrating, doesn't strip my hair.
These are also great for travel because they're solid.
You can just stick it in a tupperware, and you're kind of good to go!
Next up is the brand's conditioner, which I'm not gonna lie,
is definitely more difficult to use.
Because it's full of oils, shea butter, cocoa butter, you have to warm it up in your hands
to get enough product to distribute through your mid-lengths and ends,
and it just takes longer.
It definitely hydrates the hair, but it will not make your hair feel super slick like some
like, traditional conditioners will.
You do kind of have to get used to it.
Another great way to reduce your waste is to invest in refillable items.
So, Follain is this cute little store in the West Village.
They have locations all over, but they just opened up a refillable soap bar.
So, the initial buy, so when you buy it with the packaging, for this big size, which is
the 24 ounce, costs $16.
There is also an 8 ounce, and that costs $8.
But then every time you go to refill it, this one only costs $8 to refill, the little one
costs $4 to refill, and they have a punch card, so every fifth refill is free.
This is a very nice, gentle soap.
I like the peppermint one the most.
So, to clean my face and remove makeup, I use this solid cleansing bar from LUSH.
It melts with the warmth of your fingers.
It's really easy to take off waterproof mascara.
And then you just wash it off in the sink with water.
Really nice, it's very hydrating because it has a lot of oils in it.
I will say, though, this thing melts fast.
It can get messy.
If you're holding it too long, it will slip out of your hands.
So, definitely have a soap dish or some kind of container to keep it in.
On to toner.
Now, when I went to Package Free, I spotted these reusable, washable face wipes.
And I thought, "This is the perfect alternative to using disposable cotton rounds."
So, I use this to apply my toner.
So, I didn't actually go out and get a low waste toner option for this video because
I already have so many, and it felt a little bit counterintuitive
to go out and buy even more.
This is the Meow Meow Tweet Juniper and Carrot Seed Facial Oil.
I've used this before.
I like this facial oil.
It's very lightweight, it absorbs quickly.
It doesn't make your skin look too greasy.
You can actually refill this at Package Free and save a couple dollars.
Alright, so I have another Meow Meow Tweet product here, and this is the
Cedar and Spruce baking soda-free deodorant stick.
I like this deodorant.
It's great because the packaging is cardboard, which I normally would just throw this
in the compost bin and compost it at the end of life.
It's a really good deodorant.
So, I really wanted to find an SPF sunscreen product that didn't come in plastic packaging,
so I found this one from this brand called All Good, which is really dedicated to
creating mineral, coral-safe sunscreen.
It comes in an aluminum tin, so you can recycle this at the end of life.
What is upsetting, though, is that it came with a ring of plastic around it
to protect the product.
In New York, there's actually an act called the Film Plastic Reduction Act where any store
that gives out plastic bags that's above 10,000 square feet
is required to also recycle them.
So you can recycle plastic bags, bubble wrap, this kind of like, film packaging.
So that's what I did with the packaging that came around the All Good.
The sunscreen butter is daunting to look at.
It is stark white, thick.
I think the base is something like a shea butter, so I was thinking it would be a good
sunscreen/moisturizer, and it actually really is!
At first, you're like, "Oooh, it's so white!" and you definitely have to rub it in a lot.
But once you rub it in, it creates a nice canvas for makeup.
So, I actually love the way it looked underneath my foundation and concealer.
Finding a foundation that was zero waste is pretty hard.
I eventually landed on the RMS Uncover Up foundation, which has a glass bottom and an
aluminum top, both of which are recyclable, although, I did realize it has a foam insert
at the top, and that you do have to throw away unfortunately.
If you guys have any other recommendations in terms of great zero waste foundations,
please let me know in the comments.
But, this one is what I used.
It is a beautiful foundation/concealer.
If you like the Glossier concealer, I think you'll really like this.
It's very dewy, it's very fresh.
Definitely not a full-coverage foundation, though.
I would say it's probably sheer to medium, but it leaves a beautiful finish on the skin.
So, let's talk about blush.
This is the cream blush that I use.
It is a beautiful product.
Not only is the packaging absolutely gorgeous...
You can buy refills for the product inside.
This is not a cheap product.
If you're looking for refillable blushes that are much cheaper, Makeup Geek has some single
pans that are beautiful powders.
But, if you are interested in this blush, it is super creamy, pigmented, blendable.
So, this is another brand that I've been wanting to try.
It's called Elate Cosmetics.
They create refillable bamboo compacts.
Bamboo is considered a very sustainable crop.
And then you can get bronzers, highlighters like I did here.
The packaging that it comes in is actually Seed Paper, so you can compost that
or you can plant the paper in your garden and grow something new.
The bronzer is much more pigmented than I thought it would be.
When I first used it, I kind of went in too heavy and it got a little patchy,
but with some blending, it was totally fine.
The highlighter is gorgeous.
It's not too shimmery, it's not glittery.
It just gives this really nice glow.
Most eye products – apart from like, panned eyeshadows – are not normally recyclable.
Mascaras in particular are usually destined for landfill, unless you send them to
recycling organizations like Terracycle.
So, I decided to go mascara-free during this challenge and just do eyeliner because I cannot
live without liquid eyeliner.
I did a lot of research to find a product that was as low waste as possible in terms
of eyeliner, and I think I found one.
This is the Surrat Auto-Graphique eyeliner.
I have the blue shade.
It is a very, very, very nice eyeliner.
It has a really cool like, brush tip that helps you get super crisp lines.
Once your eyeliner is spent, you can buy refill cartridges for the ink, which is really awesome.
So, you can keep the like, full apparatus of your eyeliner and just refill
with whatever color you want.
You do have to shake it quite a lot before the ink starts flowing,
but once it is, it's great.
What's awesome about it too, is usually you can take these cartridges and recycle them
wherever you recycle printer cartridges.
Last but not least, lipstick, and I got this one from Axiology.
It is in the shade "Worth."
It is kind of a brick-y, orange-y shade.
I was really surprised by the quality of this lipstick.
Usually, kind of eco-chic lipsticks tend to be kind of waxy like, sheer color payoff.
This stuff is pigmented, comfortable, creamy, so nice.
And it comes in a cool little like, spring out package that's made of aluminum
and can be recycled at the end of its life.
That is it, guys, that is everything that I've used this week.
And really I made this video to educate myself about ways that I can make my life
a little bit more sustainable.
With my job and my lifestyle, I don't think I can go completely zero waste.
It's just not something that's for me, and I understand that, and I accept that.
But, I know that I can make more sustainable choices.
Throughout this entire experience, I thought a lot about whether having a zero waste lifestyle
is something that you can only do if you're wealthy.
And I discussed this with Lauren.
I think we buy too much stuff.
I think using less, investing a little bit more is better.
But, making your own products is exponentially cheaper than buying products.
Zero waste saves you money.
Living low waste is something you don't necessarily need a lot of money to do.
This is the way that our parents, our grandparents, everyone like, pre-50s when the plastic boom
happened, have always been living.
They repaired the things that were broken, they didn't buy what they didn't need,
there wasn't this culture of single-use disposables.
I know it sounds hypocritical given that my job is all about consuming beauty,
but there's gotta be a middle ground.
I'm not telling you to throw away all of your makeup right now.
I'm certainly not going to do that.
But, I wanted to show you guys that there are options available that can help you
transition your routine.
Collin and I have, I would say, a pretty good recycling system.
We take advantage of New York's pretty decent waste disposal processes, but I also know
that not everyone has a farmer's market near them where they can bring their compost
and dispose of that.
So, I think that this entire thing is about just figuring out
how you can make more sustainable choices in your everyday life.
I'm not saying that there's a mold that you need to fit to...
But, anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this video, and let me know what you think
in the comments!
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