SAFETY FIRST
Eye makeup, especially mascara, can irritate eyes or skin if it contains ingredients that you’re allergic or sensitive to, or if it flakes or migrates off of your lashes and into eyes. And if you wear contact lenses, the situation can worsen if mascara gets trapped between your lens and eye .
Did you know that the European Union has banned more than 1,300 chemicals in personal care products, the US has made fewer than thirty changes since 1938. Every day, we use products with chemicals that can lead to serious health issues for both ourselves and our environment.
Many contact lens wearers with allergies seem to encounter discomfort during certain times of the year.1 This discomfort is due largely to allergens in the air that become adhered to contact lenses. The allergens seem to cause miserable symptoms such as itchy, watery, and swollen eyes. Here are five tips to help you through the periods of discomfort.
Basic Preventative Steps to Combat Allergies
Take preventative measures against your allergies.
- Wash your hands very often with soap and water, and wash your face while you’re at it (but keep the soap away from your eyes).
- Washcloth items regularly, especially those that spend a lot of time close to your face—pillowcases, washcloths, etc., with a hypo-allergenic detergent. Be sure to dry these items in an electric dryer if possible, rather than hanging them up to dry outside where they can collect pollen, dust mites and other allergens that float through the air.
- During pollen season, keep windows and doors shut and vacuum frequently with a HEPA filter vacuum. Also, consider installing HEPA filters in air conditioning and heating units. When traveling, keep your car windows rolled up. Vacuuming your vehicle’s interior can cut down on allergens, as can changing the car’s cabin air filters regularly.
Whether your allergies are seasonal or year-round, try to avoid whatever it is you’re allergic to whenever possible. This may seem like simple advice, but sometimes the solution to your allergy symptoms is as basic as saying no to adopting a cat, postponing cleaning out your dusty attic, or not taking a hike through the pollen-filled forest in springtime. Avoiding the cause can save you the trouble of trying to treat the symptoms of your allergies. Sometimes avoiding the cause completely isn’t a realistic goal. However, you can still try to minimize the amount of contact you have with allergens.
Also, Allergies are no picnic for anyone, but they can be especially hard on contact lens wearers. About 75 percent of allergy symptoms directly affect the eyes. Symptoms of allergies can include dry eyes, itchy eyes, puffy eyes and red eyes, and sometimes it seems like contact lenses make the problem worse.
1. W3LL PEOPLE Expressionist Mascara
Natural & Organic | Toxin-free, natural ingredients
Ethical | Cruelty-free
What We Love | Nourishing & volumizing
Price | $20
W3II People cosmetics line was created by a makeup artist, cosmetic dermatologist, and eco-conscious entrepreneur. The three have crafted a beautiful brand that recognizes that our skin is our largest organ and absorbs about 80 percent of what we put on it. Created without the harmful artificial chemicals found in most conventional makeup, and cruelty-free. W3ll People’s Expressionist Mascara is 100 percent cruelty- and clump-free, and it doesn’t make use of petroleum, parabens, gluten, coal tar, aluminum, or fibers either.
2. Beautycounter Lengthening Mascara
Natural & Organic | Organic oils & shea butter
Ethical | Safe, clean, cruelty-free
What We Love | Easy-control precision brush for clean application
Price | $29
We love Beautycounter’s Lengthening Mascara because it defines, lengthens, builds, and conditions lashes with impressive performance. With this product, you’ll never have to worry about smudging, clumping, or flaking. We also appreciate Beautycounter’s dedication to beauty education. The brand aims to provide safe, clean, and cruelty-free products while informing consumers about the value of natural, toxin-free makeup.
3. Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Mascara
Natural & Organic | Plant-derived phyto-pigments
Ethical | Vegan, cruelty-free
What We Love | Smooth and buildable coats
Price | $24
If you’re looking for a feathery-soft mascara that won’t result in clumps, smudges, or flakes, Juice Beauty’s Phyto-Pigments Ultra Natural Mascara might be your new best friend. The nondrying nutrient-rich formula emphasizes natural lash definition while adding dramatic length and volume. It’s made from aloe leaf juice, plant wax, argan powder, rose powder, and purple carrot phyto-pigment. The slender brush allows for perfect application.
4. 100% PURE Ultra Lengthening Mascara
Ethical | Cruelty-free, vegetarian
What We Love | Water, smudge, and flake-resistant
Price | $26
The Ultra Lengthening Mascara coats lashes with healthy conditioners, never stripping them of their natural protective agents. A mixture of black tea, berry, and cocoa pigments creates the perfect shade for darkening lashes, while also lengthening and separating them.
5. Lily Lolo Black Vegan Mascara
Natural & Organic | Natural and organic ingredients
Ethical | Cruelty-free, vegan, gluten-free
What We Love | Quick-drying and suitable for all eye colors
Price | $19.50
Made it with fruit, sunflower seed, and carnauba waxes, the Black Vegan Mascara from Lily Lolo is soft, creamy, and won’t smudge. The natural ingredients make the mascara suitable for sensitive eyes, too, as it’s free from fragrance, alcohol, lead, parabens, and other harsh chemicals and artificial ingredients.