In a previous post, I mentioned how our family has suffered from allergies and sensitive skin for the past few years. I don’t think of myself as a high-maintenance person, but I’ll admit I had a bit of a panic attack when at one point it seemed like it was a real possibility that I might never be able to wear makeup again. Since then, I’ve found a few trusted makeup and beauty products that have worked well for my fragrance sensitive skin and even some fun beauty products for my daughters. They are 3 and 6 right now, so mostly it’s just nail polish, but it’s still nice to know that they can still enjoy their girly sides without breaking out into hives!

Of course, it goes without saying that everyone’s skin and allergy sensitivities will be unique, but so many of my friends have seen me go through the frustration of having to toss out all my makeup and skincare products and start from scratch; they’ve occasionally suffered from their own breakouts or allergies, and have asked me what has worked in my experience. When I had to do my clean sweep, I started with recommendations from my dermatologist who gave me a 26 page list of allergy-friendly products from CARD (the Contact Allergen Replacement Database). It took a considerable amount of time to narrow down the list of products, but here are the top products that I would recommend. If you’re curious, I was diagnosed as being allergic to cobalt chloride, fragrance, cinnamic aldehyde, nickel, and benzyl salicylate, but I think that these products are sensitive enough that they would work for a wide variety of skin issues.


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Foundation, Powder, and Concealer:

For me, Laura Mercier has proved to be my saving grace. This mineral powder was the gentlest makeup product I started out with that still offered a decent amount of coverage. It is composed completely of natural elements, and as a bonus has a SPF of 15. This was important because it took me a very long time to find any kind of sunscreen that I could use that was light enough to wear under my makeup and still allergy-friendly for my skin.

This concealer has also worked well for me over the years, especially since I always seem to have dark circles under my eyes (another reason I really should have sleep-trained my kids earlier!!!).

After a couple years, I’m not sure if my skin calmed down or I was actually becoming less sensitive to products, but I was able to venture into wearing liquid foundation without completely breaking out. As a side note, I did get overconfident once and tried a slew of different BB creams and ended up with a horrible reaction. So, lesson learned, I quickly turned back to Laura Mercier to try out her oil-free foundation. It has served me fairly well over the past couple years, although I admittedly don’t wear it everyday. I just recently learned that this product is being discontinued and is being replaced with a product called Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide, which I fully intend to try out. If it’s anything like my past experience with Laura Mercier, I am pretty confident (and hopeful!) that I won’t have any issues!

Lipstick and Lipgloss

I have tried a good variety of lip colors over the years, from drugstore products at Target like Boots No. 7 to classics like Clinique, but my favorite so far has to be Josie Maran’s Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil and RMS Beauty Lip Shine. Both are free of paragons, sulfates, and phthalates, which is important if you have sensitive skin. I tended to forget that my lips were just as sensitive, so whenever I tried new lip products that weren’t allergy-friendly, I’d end up with perpetually chapped, peeling lips and that definitely wasn’t the look I was going for!

Nail Polish

I also have a weakness for nail polish of all kinds, so I was thrilled when I discovered RGB polish. I do wear other brands without any bad side effects, but I first stumbled on this brand when I was visiting the boutique TENOVERSIX on Melrose in Los Angeles. Since then, I’m happy to say that I’ve seen RGB polishes pop up everywhere, and you can shop directly from their website RGB Cosmetics as well. Their polish is free of carcinogens commonly found in nail polish including formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, and camphor. As an added plus, they are all cruelty free, vegan, and made in the U.S.

Nail polish for my daughters

Now I’m definitely not the type of mom to go all toddlers and tiaras on my girls, but I do have to confess that I gave my oldest her first manicure at the age of 2 and 1/2. So, I was of course on the hunt for natural and allergy-free polishes for my girls as well. I’ve found two that work well so far. The first is Piggy Paint, a non-toxic and odorless nail polish that is packaged adorably as a bonus. My girls love it.

I recently also discovered Ella and Mila nail polish while browsing at Anthropologie. They have the cutest “Mommy and me” polish set which I haven’t tried out yet, but am doing my best to hide this little stocking stuffer from my girls until Christmas. (Note: It looks like the “Mommy and me” polish set is sold out at Anthro, but you can shop directly on Ella and Mila’s site to find similar products). Their polish is also 100% vegan, made in the U.S., and free of toxins.

These are just a few of the beauty products that I wanted to share with all of you, but I know there are more and more sensitive skin and allergy-friendly products being introduced all the time. Plus, it’s nice to know that these options are out there even if you don’t have allergies or sensitive skin, and you just want to give yourself a break from all the chemicals and toxins you normally find in makeup and nail products. Please feel free to share any of your recommendations or suggestions below!