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6.9.14

In our community of wellness-minded beauty babes, few ladies have their fingers on the pulse of natural beauty like the team over at No More Dirty Looks. They wrote the book on non-toxic beauty – no really, it’s called No More Dirty Looks: The Truth about Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics by founders Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt. We love to trek alongside this team of mindful, ahead-of-the-curve women in the quest to find better and better natural beauty products for ourselves, our beauty-loving readers, and our own families.

We asked No More Dirty Looks editors, Nicolle Mackinnon and Susannah Compton – who see all the non-toxic beauty happenings first hand each day – to fill us in on what’s in their bags, on their lips, and crowding out the cotton balls on their bathroom vanities. Here’s what they had to say–we’re delighted to find a few of our favorites in the mix!

Be sure to read our feature on No More Dirty Looks today and enter our TCM x NMDL Giveaway below!

Can’t travel without…

Nicolle: My Branche Beauty Sleep Belle De Nuit Eye Masque (I’m a light sleeper and this keeps me from waking up at the crack of dawn) and Osmia Organics’ Spot Treatment (traveling always upsets my skin in some way, and this spot treatment is the best I’ve ever used).
Susannah:  H.Gillerman Organics Travel Remedy & Stress Remedy, and R.L. Linden & Co. Thousand Petal Beautifying Mist, a hydrating floral toner that’s so uplifting it’s a spring meadow in a bottle.

In a pinch I…

Nicolle: Use my La Bella Figura Travel Therapy. Even if it doesn’t solve the pinch, it makes me feel better about life, which makes it easier to cope with whatever’s gone awry.
Susannah: Google it or scribble mindlessly in a notebook until the answer comes to me.

Always in my evening clutch:

Nicolle: Meow Meow Tweet’s Vegan Lip Balm. Even when I rock a colored pout, I need a balm within reach in case I change my mind, and the tangerine-lime flavor is my favorite.
Susannah: Tata Harper Be Adored Lip Treatment for perfectly conditioned rosy lips and a petite roll-on bottle of natural perfume oil – my latest find is No.19 by Province Apothecary.

Obsession of the moment:

Nicolle: Finding luxe vegan and gluten-free makeup. I recently discovered I have an allergy to beeswax, which was devastating because so many amazing brands that I used daily contain it! Plus, my celiac disease manifests itself in skin issues, so I’ve been obsessively stalking brands like HAUT Cosmetics, INIKA Cosmetics, 100% Pure and Beautycounter because they make cream makeup without ingredients that irritate my skin.
Susannah: W3ll People makeup. Recently my mom and I visited the W3ll People studio in Austin, and their makeup artist Christine gave us impromptu makeovers. We were so in love with the results that we booked appointments with her the next day for a full-blown tutorial and then bought half of their stock. It’s so good!

Beautifying snack/meal:

Nicolle: Put an avocado on it! And by “it,” I mean everything. Mashed with a banana is a nice treat, since I’m currently off of most sugars.
Susannah: Banana slices with coconut butter and raw cacao nibs. I recently made coconut butter for the first time. Easy, delicious and healthy.

Beautifying drink:

Nicolle: Bija Body’s Daily Beauty Tea. Founder Melissa is an esthetician and she’s created this earthy, spicy blend that wakes me up in the morning and helps hydrate my skin.
Susannah: Ginger kombucha. When I’m craving a cocktail or beer but want a healthier option, kombucha is a fantastic stand-in. Gotta love anything that starts from a SCOBY.

For ultra-glamorous effect:

Nicolle: I do a mini cat-eye (kitten-eye?) and a bold lip. And loads and loads of mascara on my long lashes.
Susannah: I paint my nails bright red. RGB Cosmetics Too Red is my favorite polish in this category. It’s a glam pop of candy apple red, plus the formula is 5-free, glossy and long lasting.

Perfect pout:

Nicolle: On my quest for vegan (and gluten-free!) lip care, I’ve come to love Red Apple Lipstick in New York. It’s my perfect nude, great for everyday wear and for pairing with a more dramatic eye. Ilia Beauty Lip Crayons in Call Me is another go-to – I love me a bright pink!
Susannah: Ilia Beauty Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang or RMS Beauty Lip Shine in Sacred. Both are bright and bold, and look especially cute paired with a chambray top.

Beauty tool:

Nicolle: A curling wand. Styling my hair relaxes me and the good hair days a curling wand helps me achieve always make me feel confident.
Susannah: My essential oil diffuser and my Aquis microfiber hair towel. The former is a makeover for my nervous system, and the latter speeds up hair drying time significantly.

Weirdest beauty habit:

Nicolle: I have a slightly misshapen nostril that gets really dry and cracked, so I put a little bit of balm up my nose every night to quell it. Overshare?
Susannah: Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on my face. The enzymes and minerals brighten, tone, and fight acne. It also whitens teeth!

In the shower I keep…

Nicolle: Rahua Beauty Shampoo and Conditioner and Rare E’lements’ Shampoo and Lite Conditioner. Rahua brings my hair back from near extinction when it’s too dry, and Rare E’lements provides more volume than any leave-in I’ve tried.
Susannah: Rahua Shampoo, Osmia Organics Cedargrass Soap, Salux exfoliating bath towel (produces the softest skin ever), One Love Organics Brand New Day Microderma Scrub (gently preps my face for moisture and makeup), and my Harry’s razor.

On my bedside table…

Nicolle: I keep way too many things, but the most important are my bkr water bottle and my Meow Meow Tweet Lip Balm (see? I love it so much, I have multiple tubs stored in at least three places).
Susannah: Pai Skincare Hand Cream, Essence of Vali Sleep drops, a handful of natural perfume oils, Kari Gran Lip Whip, and cookbooks I’m reading.

Once a month I…

Nicolle: Meet with a small group of ladies for spiritual direction. It’s a resetting time that I’ve come to cherish, as it always makes me feel refreshed, heard and loved.
Susannah: Visit the one of the Smithsonian Museums. I never grow tired of the Natural History Museum’s gem and mineral collection, or the National Gallery of Art and Sculpture Garden.

After a long night or rough weekend…

Nicolle: I drink some Natural Calm and take a shot of California Poppy, to make sure my body’s on track, to soothe any anxiety and to help me grab some good shut-eye the next night. Swiping on Tata Harper’s Anti-Irritability Aromatherapy Treatment doesn’t hurt either.
Susannah: I curl up with Louie and Cotton, my speckled English Setters, drink loads of holy basil and peppermint tea, and eat toast with ghee and sea salt. Then I take a hot salt bath, which is strangely energizing in the morning if I’m feeling roughed up.

On little sleep I rely on…

Nicolle: White eyeliner on the inner rims of my eyes and coffee with coconut milk. And a mid-afternoon power nap, sometimes in a weird place like my car, depending on the day’s schedule.
Susannah: Black coffee from a French press, beat-heavy music and a brisk walk with Louie and Cotton through Congressional Cemetery – a gorgeous 35-acre historic cemetery in D.C. Walking cures everything, even exhaustion!

The product that changed my skin…

Nicolle: ARCONA’s The Gentle Solution. I can’t speak highly enough of this serum – it’s an anti-ager, a blemish killer and a skin hydrator. I don’t know how they pack so much amazingness into that bottle.
Susannah: Botanical oils. My foray into natural skincare began in earnest when I started swapping out my cream-based conventional moisturizers for botanical oils. Then I started oil cleansing my face rather than using a regular cleanser or soap. My complexion has never been so balanced or soft.

For glowing skin…

Nicolle: Elizabeth Dehn for One Love Organics Vitamin D Active Moisture Time-Release Moisture Mist. I spritz it on over my mineral makeup to avoid looking too matte. Plus, Elizabeth is one of the first people who encouraged me to figure out a way to turn my beauty obsession into a career. Minnesotans unite!
Susannah: Exercise! My skin looks dull if I don’t exercise routinely. I love vinyasa yoga and jumping on my mini trampoline. Bonus: Jumping stimulates your lymphatic system, which helps detoxify every inch of your body.

My go-to DIY:

Nicolle: Homemade dry shampoo, with arrowroot powder, bentonite clay, lavender essential oil and a little bit of cocoa powder to tint it to match my roots.
Susannah: For clear skin, I make a thyme toner by steeping dried thyme in witch hazel. Thyme has been proven more effective at treating breakouts than the very toxic benzoyl peroxide. For a glowing, hydrated body, I use my DIY sea buckthorn berry oil scrub.

Most treasured beauty tip…

Nicolle: From my 53-year-old mom who is often mistaken for my sister, after I complain that I still look like a college student: “You’ll be happy when you’re 40 and people think you’re in your 20s or 30s!” She should know – she gets it all the time!
Susannah: Mind your posture. How we hold ourselves sends the world a message, but it also affects our state of mind. Slumping over midday is tempting, but posture affects our mood, energy and thoughts.


Win TCM x NMDL goodies!

The Chalkboard is featured on NMDL today as well! Sign up for our Newsletter here & head on over to NMDL to read our feature and sign-up for No More Dirty Looks newsletter (hint: it’s on the right)! We’ll select one new Subscriber to both newsletters to win a few Pressed Juicery summer juices and a copy of the book No More Dirty Looks – major summer swag! Leave us your comment below so we know to look for you – and good luck!

Open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway closes Thursday, June 12th at 5 P.M. PST

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Comments


  1. Thank you so much for sharing Susannah and my faves! If you want more beauty goodness, follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@susannahcompton and @nicollebmack). Can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts!

    Nicolle Mackinnon | 06.09.2014 | Reply
  2. I signed up for both newsletters! Red Apple is the best when you have sensitivities.

    Robin | 06.09.2014 | Reply
  3. I want to know what Nicolle’s rendition of a “kitten eye” looks like! This is a super glam post with plenty of great tips that I’m writing down in my beauty book.

    Victoria | 06.09.2014 | Reply
  4. Signed up! Nicolle’s most treasured beauty tip rang so true to me-everyone thinks I look younger than I am and tells me the same thing, that I’ll appreciate it later 🙂

    Maria | 06.09.2014 | Reply
  5. Finally after following in facebook signed up for the newsletter 😉 I am also curious about the “kitten eye”! 😀

    Sophie | 06.10.2014 | Reply
  6. Great giveaway! And love all the tips!

    Catherine | 06.10.2014 | Reply
  7. Signed up for both! Could use the book. Really need some help. Thanks.

  8. I’m a guy. I was forced to sign up but really want the book.

    Robert | 06.10.2014 | Reply
  9. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS, AND CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER…MARIA!

    The Chalkboard | 06.17.2014 | Reply
  10. I’ve signed up for both newsletters!

    Lizzie | 10.09.2014 | Reply

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