+
Sustainability

The best eco-friendly beauty products to glow any day of the week

The best eco-friendly beauty products to glow any day of the week
Woman Putting Makeup on Face · Free Stock Photo

The holiday season is our favorite time of year. Although 2020 has been strenuous for all of us—you can still celebrate with presents, games, food and booze—but the best part? Glamming it up for the festivities. We're talking mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, shadows, glimmer, highlighters and that extra sparkle and festive cheer. There is no reason that you can't shine with all the fun holiday makeup and save the world while doing it.

Using truly natural, vegan, organic and cruelty-free makeup is a great way to treat your skin and go green—feel good that you are reducing pollution and waste and look flawless in the process. No more toxic chemicals that clog your pores, cause breakouts and make you feel discouraged. From makeup to skincare, here are our favorite eco-friendly products that will put a smile on your glowing face.



Thrive Cosmetics

Amazon

Thrive Cosmetics is our favorite vegan products for this holiday season. It matches with everything and leaves your eyes looking bright and shiny. Although on the pricier side, it's well worth it. The Brilliant Eye Brightener is a cream-to-powder highlighter that brightens the eyes and makes them pop. It uses your skin's natural oils to provide long-lasting, skin-balancing hydration using omega-6 + omega-9 fatty acids. For every purchase, the company also donates to help a woman thrive. There are seven colors to chose from and they won't disappoint. You should also try the Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara. It's won countless awards at Glamour and Allure. Not to mention, all the products are vegan and cruelty-free!

Prices begin at $32.00 on Amazon

Dose of Colors- Strawberry Pop

Amazon

This beautiful, festive liquid lipstick is cruelty, vegan and paraben-free. It applies like a cream, but it dries quickly for a brilliant matte finish. It's the perfect shade of red that will flatter all skin tones—making your lips feel full and luscious. It's also made from synthetic beeswax, which uses mineral waxes to make it completely vegan. We can't think of a better color to ring in the New Year.

$15 on Amazon


E.l.f. Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow

Amazon

This glittery eye coverage, which comes in eight different shades, is the perfect way to celebrate in style. It's $5.00, plus it's cruelty-free, vegan and 100% free from phthalates, parabens and other dangerous chemicals and bleaching methods. It even won Allure's Best of Beauty Award. It's an easy application, lasts all day and easy to take off at night. You can't go wrong.

$4.99 on Amazon


Reusable Makeup Remover Pads



Amazon

These 100% organic bamboo cotton pads can be used to remove daily wear makeup. All you have to do is add your favorite cleanser or face wash to the pad. Then you gently message your skin in small circular motions to get off all the makeup for the day. It works like a charm and the perfect makeup remover. The packaging ships in cardboard, so you can reuse the box or recycle it. The cotton pads are washable and come with a tiny laundry bag, so there's no more throwing away product and causing waste. It's a wonderful alternative to using store-bought pads, which can be costly. You will save money and reduce waste in the process. It's a win-win.

$12.99 on Amazon


Dr. Hauschka Quince Day Cream

Amazon

Although this day cream is expensive, it gives your face a glow and has a lovely scent and provides smoothness—making your skin feel healthy and radiant. We honestly fell in love with this moisturizer! It uses 100% natural and organic ingredients and improves texture and tone. The light, nourishing day cream works great to put on after facial toner and before any makeup. It never feels greasy or heavy and you'll always know that your putting clean products on your skin. It's a must-have.

$45 on Amazon


Ciate Fierce Flicks Precision Tip Vegan Liquid Eye Liner




Amazon

This is the go-to eyeliner. It glides on smoothly and boldly, leaving your eyes with the perfect black pigment. It never smudges and doesn't ware off easily. It's honestly one of the best eyeliners you've ever tried. And it's vegan.

$23.99 on Amazon


Mineral Fusion Liquid Foundation


Amazon

You may recognize this product from Whole Foods, but it's also now sold on Amazon too. It's one of the safest cosmetic brands out there and is EWG Verified with over 100 licensed products. It leaves the skin feeling smooth, silky and natural looking—not to mention it's age defying, hypoallergenic and cruelty and vegan free. Once you apply it, it has a light finish and stays in place all day. It never settles into fine lines and doesn't leave your skin feeling oily. It offers great coverage that's formulated with antioxidant-rich blend of Vitamin C, green tea, pomegranate, and skin-firming peptides. Your skin will be happy and healthy.

$20.49 on Amazon


Yubi Miracle Brush

Amazon

This patented makeup brush is designed with wings that grip your fingers and allow you to control your perfect makeup look. It's soft and gentle on all skin types and give you flawless makeup results. The vegan bristles are made of plush synthetics that provide zero shedding and work on even the most sensitive skin. It's also cruelty-free and hypoallergenic and has rave reviews from InStyle,Self and other beauty magazines. It's honesty the perfect brush for applying your favorite foundation or bronzers.

$23.40 on Amazon


Naked Cosmetics

Amazon

Sparkle is always a must for any make-up set. It's also perfect for the holidays. Use it on the face and body to get the most radiant shimmer and glow. This product is100% oxidized Mica, and does not contain talc, oil, wax or other fillers that can be harmful to your skin. It's also vegan and cruelty-free. The bonus? It also lasts a really long time. We've had ours for over ten years. You only need a little bit and it goes a long way. You can celebrate your New Year sparkling the night away.

Starting at $14.99 on Amazon

Upworthy may earn a portion of proceeds from these purchases as part of our affiliate program. We don't recommend anything we don't love though and your support helps support the work we do here!

Sponsored

Three women, three MS journeys: How multiple sclerosis looks different for everyone

Gina, Nathalie and Helga share their reactions to being diagnosed with MS and how they stay informed and positive in the face of ever-changing symptoms.

Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga, Nathalie and Gina all have MS, and their experiences show how differently the disease can manifest.

True

It’s been 155 years since neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot gave the first lecture on a mysterious progressive illness he called “multiple sclerosis.” Since then, we’ve learned a lot. We know MS causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue, including damaging the brain and spinal cord. Resulting symptoms can be debilitating and include fatigue, blurred vision, memory problems and weakness. Huge advancements in our understanding of MS and its underlying causes, as well as treatment advances, have been made in the past few decades, but MS remains a complex and unpredictable reality for the 2.8 million+ people diagnosed around the world.

Ironically, the only real constant for people living with MS is change. There’s no set pattern or standard progression of the disease, so each person’s experience is unique. Some people with MS have mild symptoms that worsen slowly but sometimes improve, while others can have severe symptoms that drastically alter their daily lives.

All people with MS share some things in common, however, such as the need to stay informed on the ever-evolving research, find various lines of support and try to remain hopeful as they continue living with the disease.

To better understand what navigating life with MS really looks like, three women shared their MS stories with us. Their journeys demonstrate how MS can look different for different people and interestingly, how the language used to talk about the disease can greatly impact how people understand their realities.

woman with horse, woman riding horseGina loves riding her horse, Benita.Courtesy of Sanofi

Gina—Hamburg, Germany (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2017)

When her youngest son was 4 months old, Gina started having problems with her eye. She’d soon learn she was experiencing optic neuritis—her first symptom of MS.

“Immediately after the diagnosis, I looked up facts on MS because I didn’t know anything about it,” Gina says. “And as soon as I knew what could really happen with this disease, I actually got scared.”

As her family’s primary income provider, she worried about how MS would impact her ability to work as a writer and editor. Her family was afraid she was going to end up in a wheelchair. However, for now, Gina’s MS is managed well enough that she still works full-time and is able to be active.

“When I tell somebody that I have MS, they often don't believe me the first time because I don't fulfill any stereotypes,” she says.

Overwhelmed by negative perspectives on living with MS, Gina sought support in the online MS community, which she found to be much more positive.

“I think it’s important to use as many positive words as you can when talking about MS.” It’s important to be realistic while also conveying hope, she says. “MS is an insidious disease that can cause many bad symptoms…that can be frightening, and you can't gloss over it, either.”

To give back to the online community that helped her so much, Gina started a blog to share her story and help others trying to learn about their diagnosis.

Though she deals with fatigue and cognitive dysfunction sometimes, Gina stays active swimming, biking, riding horses and playing with her sons, who are now 11 and 6.

Cognitive dysfunction is common in MS, with over half of people affected. It can impact memory, attention, planning, and word-finding. As with many aspects of MS, some people experience mild changes, while others face more challenges.

Gina says that while there’s still a lot of education about MS needed, she feels positive about the future of MS because there’s so much research being done.

woman in wheelchair holding medal, woman rowingNathalie is an award-winning rower with multiple international titles.Courtesy of Sanofi

Nathalie — Pennes Mirabeau, France (diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2002)

Nathalie was a teenager and a competitive athlete when she noticed her first symptoms of MS, but it would take four years of “limbo” before she was diagnosed.

“Ultimately, the diagnosis was more of a relief, than a shock,” she says. “Because when you have signs and you don’t know why, it’s worse than knowing, in the end, what you have.”

However, learning more about the disease—and the realities of disease progression—scared her.

“That glimpse of the future was direct and traumatic,” she says. Her neurologist explained that the disease evolves differently for everyone, and her situation might end up being serious or very mild. So, she decided to stop comparing herself to others with MS.

She said to herself, “We’ll see what happens, and you’ll manage it bit by bit.”

By 2005, Nathalie’s MS had progressed to the point of needing a wheelchair. However, that has not dampened her competitive spirit.

Nathalie began her international rowing career in 2009 and has won multiple world titles, including two Paralympic medals—silver in London and bronze in Tokyo. Now, at 42, she still trains 11 times a week. Fatigue can be a problem, and sometimes hard workouts leave her with muscle stiffness and shaking, but she credits her ongoing sports career for helping her feel in tune with her body’s signals.

“Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my body, letting my body guide when I need to stop and take breaks,” she says.

Nathalie explains that she used to only look backwards because of the initial shock of her diagnosis. In time, she stopped thinking about what she couldn’t do anymore and focused on her future. She now lives in the following mindset: “Even when doors close, don’t miss out on those that open.” Instead of focusing on what she can’t do, she focuses on the opportunities she still has. Right now, this includes her training for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she will compete for another rowing medal.

“I only go forward,” she says. “Well, I try, anyway…It’s easy to say, it’s not always easy to do. But that’s what I try to do.”

woman exiting water after swimming, woman with great daneHelga's Great Dane has become a helpful and beloved companion.Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga—Johannesburg, South Africa (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2010)

When Helga first started having balance issues and numbness in her feet, she chalked it up to her training as a runner. But when the numbness moved to her face, she knew something was wrong. She never guessed it was MS.

“When I was diagnosed, I felt completely overwhelmed and clueless,” Helga says. “I felt that I had nowhere near enough information. I did not know anything about the disease…I had no idea that it was going to be a process of continually monitoring and adjusting your lifestyle.”

In the beginning, Helga’s symptoms developed slowly, and she didn’t appear ill to others. She was even able to run for a few years after her diagnosis, but she couldn’t do marathons anymore, and she began to fall frequently due to balance issues and right-foot dragging. Then her cognition issues became more problematic, especially in her job as a trainer in a printing company.

“My executive function, decision-making and short-term memory were affected to the point that I was eventually medically unfit for work,” she says. She stopped working in 2017.

However, she didn’t stop living life. Even though she could no longer run, she continued to swim competitively. She got a Great Dane puppy and trained him as a service dog to help her walk. She also serves as vice chair of the patient support organization Multiple Sclerosis South Africa, and she advises others who have been diagnosed to join a patient advocacy group as soon as possible to get reliable information and meet others with MS.

Helga says she is “hopeful” about the future of MS. “I must say that I am so grateful that we have all the new medications available, because my life would not be the same if it wasn't for that,” she adds.

Part of how she manages her MS is by looking at the positives.

“If I could tell the world one thing about MS, it would be that MS is an incurable disease of the nervous system, but it's also the greatest teacher of valuing your health, family, friends, and managing change in your life,” she says. “My life is diversified in a way that I never, ever thought it would, and MS has been honestly the greatest teacher.”

Each MS journey is unique – with each person impacted experiencing different struggles, successes, and feelings as they manage this unpredictable disease. But the common thread is clear – there is a critical need for information, support, and hope. We are proud to participate in World MS Day and share these incredible stories of living life while living with MS. To learn more about MS, go to https://www.sanofi.com/why-words-really-matter-when-it-comes-to-multiple-sclerosis.

MAT-GLB-2301642-v1.0-05/2023

This article was sponsored by Sanofi. Participants were compensated when applicable.

Ring doorbell video captures what it's like to be the default parent.

Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

Back when we were children, this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark, but for Marchese's kids, who are 3 and 6 years old, it's as good as a phone call.

Keep ReadingShow less

Little girl shocks her mom by pulling out a pocket full of worms

Kids will absolutely test all parts of your personality. Not out of malicious intent, but simply because kids are innocent and don't don't understand unspoken social rules, especially when they're very little. One of those seemingly common sense unspoken social rules is that you don't go to the nail salon with worms in your pockets.

Scratch that, you don't walk around with worms in your pocket, period. That is unless you're on a fishing boat and you're in charge of bait and you run out of room in the canister filled with worms. I mean, there are a lot of things that would have to come into play to make having worms in your pocket socially acceptable. But kids don't know that, and one little girl, Kylee Grace, gave her mom a shock after they left the nail salon one day.

In the video posted to TikTok, which has now gone mega-viral with over 11.5 million views, Kylee and her mom are walking down the sidewalk after getting their nails done. Jenae, the little girl's mom, asks her daughter if she has a worm in her pocket. Then things quickly get hilariously weird.

Keep ReadingShow less

A Golden Retriever taking a break on the floor.

If you’re having trouble meeting a romantic partner, research shows you could improve your chances by getting a dog. A 2020 YouGov study found that 50% of Americans would be more willing to date someone if they had a dog, while only 9% would be less willing to do so.

Women are more interested in meeting someone with a dog (54%) compared to 46% of men.

People are more attracted to dog lovers for a pretty simple reason. They assume that those who have dogs are better at having long-term relationships. “People might infer that a dog-walking man knows how to form lasting attachments, has the resources to care for someone else (dog ownership is expensive!), and is reliable enough to do the daily work involved with dog ownership,” Theresa E. DiDonato Ph.D. writes in Psychology Today.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Mom calls out 'weaponized incompetence' by flipping the script on parental expectations

Hearing a woman say these things is ridiculous, and that's the whole point.

@clarabellecwb/TikTok

Too real. Tooooo Real.

While marriages are by far much more egalitarian than they have been in decades past, many women will tell you that when it comes to emotional and domestic labor, they still take on the lion’s share of responsibility.

Many women are using TikTok to call out this imbalance, even going so far as to share how it led to them filing for divorce. As for Clare Brown, she’s opting to illuminate the issue in a more satirical way.

Brown has amassed over 400,000 followers on her TikTok account, where a major part of her schtick includes what she calls “flipping the script” on social issues. And as of late, it’s her focus on parenting expectations that has people—particularly fed up moms—nodding in agreement.

In a series titled “flipping the script on weaponized incompetence,” Brown pokes fun at fathers who remain willfully ignorant by asking their partners for help on even the most basic tasks, thus escaping the responsibility of pulling their weight.

Keep ReadingShow less

Redefining comfort: Your guide to seamless athletic leggings for women

Experience the perfect balance of comfort and style with women's seamless athletic leggings.

Editor's Note: Upworthy earns a percentage of revenue from the sale of items mentioned in this article.


In athletic wear, a good pair of leggings can make or break your workout experience. Comfort, flexibility, and style are key factors contributing to the perfect pair, and finding ones that marry these elements seamlessly can be challenging. Whether you're a yoga enthusiast, a gym-goer, or someone who values comfort in their everyday attire, these seamless leggings offer something for everyone. Dive in to discover the perfect pair that will elevate your athletic wardrobe and enhance your workout routine.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Fitness coach and child with cerebral palsy inspire each other through long-distance mentorship

"I want Colbie to know that she can pick up the phone and call me for whatever reason."

Fitness coach and child with cerebral palsy inspire each other.

Everybody needs someone who can relate to them; it's one of the things that connects the human experience. For a 5-year-old New Jersey girl named Colbie Durborow, that connection came just in time. Colbie has been noticing people staring at her lately as she gets around using leg braces, a walker and sometimes a wheelchair, and she told her mom that she doesn't like it when people stare.

"She said, 'Mommy I don't like when people stare at me. Mommy, I don't like it, I want them to stop,'" Colbie's mom, Amanda Durborow, told CBS Mornings.

Colbie was born 17 weeks early and has cerebral palsy (CP), a group of disorders that affect balance, mobility and posture, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her mom connected with former CrossFit trainer Steph Roach on Instagram, and the two became friends.

Keep ReadingShow less