We caught up with Sjaniel Turrel a holistic makeup artist, who works with likes of Jasmine Hemsley and Deliciously Ella’s Ella Mills.
ADVERTISEMENTWe caught up with Sjaniel Turrel, a holistic makeup artist, who works with likes of Jasmine Hemsley and Deliciously Ella’s Ella Mills. Sjaniel is all about clean skincare and make-up and only ever uses ethical, cruelty free, natural or organic products in both her life and her work. So, who better to quiz about what’s hot, and not, in the world of green beauty.
Cutting out nasties and chemicals are a hot topic, which ones do you think we should avoid?
“Hopefully most people have heard about parabens and the harmful effects that they can have on your body, so definitely swerve them. However, there are lots of lesser well known chemicals that I personally wouldn’t use in my routine such as:
WPEGs
Which often appear on products that are touted as natural. However you should be aware that these are synthetics and truly natural and organic brands don't use them.
SLS (Sodium Laurel Sulfate) or SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate)
Found in many beauty products to make them foam, this can be anything from face wash to shampoo, and even toothpaste. It is a stripping agent that can cause irritation.
Phtalates
These can be found in just about every commercial beauty and household products you use, including plastic packaging for food. They are hormone disrupting synthetic chemicals that can cause havoc with our bodies over time. In beauty they are mostly found under the guise of 'fragrance' since most synthetic perfumes are full of these phthalates and anytime a product (beauty or household) smells overtly scented, you are dealing with phthalates.
Hard to find on an ingredients list if it just says 'perfume' or 'fragrance' - look for labels that have an * next to the work 'fragrance' and reiterates that they use only natural derivatives of essential oils or no fragrance at all.”
What about an ingredient that sounds devilish but actually isn't bad?
“There are so many technical names for ingredients that sound like they should be bad but they're not. One of the main ones that is everywhere right now is sodium hyaluronate or hyaluronic acid - this is not an acidic substance that harms the skin in any way, but rather the natural moisture compound found within skin cells. It helps to keep skin hydrated, moisturised and plump.”
Favourite clean beauty skincare item?
“I would say my first and ultimate go to for my skin is the Twelve Beauty Purifying Cleansing Beauty Cream, £25, skin wellbeing and hydration starts with your cleanser and this is amazingly gentle but effective and it leaves you skin feeling soft, moisturised and gives you incredible glow within only a few days of use - I could never use anything else.”
What are your favourite eco-friendly make-up brands?
“There are really some incredible makeup brands available now, difficult to choose only a few but some of my long-time favourites are RMS Beauty for all cream based and multi-use products, Absolution Cosmetics for lipsticks and concealers, Ere Perez for foundations and eyeshadows, Green People and INIKA for tinted moisturisers and mascara, and ILIA for lipsticks and foundations, oh and and Kjaer Weis for eyeshadows. Those are just a small sector of brands that I've been using for a while now.”
Rms Beauty Lip2Cheek, £34
Absolution Cosmetics Le Multicorrecteur, €28
Ere Perez Oat Milk Foundation, €46
What is the most volumizing eco-friendly mascara?
“This is always a tough one to answer as there are varying degrees but currently my everyday favourite is either Green People Volumising Mascara, £16.50, or Inika Long Lash Mascara, £23 - they are both buildable and give both great volume and length.”
What is your favourite new beauty find?
“The yet to be launched foundation by probiotic skincare brand Esse - their new range launches internationally on 25 May 2019, and it has amazing coverage and a silky texture without the use of any silicones or polymers, plus it has the added benefit of probiotics which balance your skin microbiome.”
Sjaniel Turrell is hosting a ‘clean beauty’ workshop as part of the Your Ideal Fit Conscious Living Retreat, a Pilates and ethical retreat running in Norfolk this June. For information and booking head to youridealfit.com
Words: Lydia House
