WoW: Loretta Fazzari, Conscious Cosmetics

Why hello, my loves. I want to introduce you to a new series here on Southern In-Law. You see, I have met many amazing women through the blog and my work - and many of them have a unique story to tell. 

In this new series, which I'm calling SIL's Women of Wonderment (or WoW for short - making better use of the World of Warcraft acronym), I'll introduce you to some of these beautiful women and let you know a little bit about their story.

All of these women have a different story - but they're all living their dreams - and that's what I want you to take away from this series. 

Side note: I got lots of emails/messages from you all yesterday when I mentioned I wasn't feeling well on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram. Don't worry! I am on the mend - I had an infection which was causing me an insane amount of pain and yesterday my kidney's felt like they were going to explode - but luckily the antibiotics have kicked in and I'm feeling much better. Thank you for your concerns though! xoxo

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WoW Name: Loretta Fazzari 

What does she do? Owner and Director of Conscious Cosmetics

You may already know of Conscious Cosmetics from my post "How to Choose the Best Makeup for Sensitive Skin" - I am in love with the makeup listed in that post and now don't use anything else as it's so good for my skin!

What inspired you to start Conscious Cosmetics?

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia following a bad car accident in 2008. My health became my focus and I started eliminating toxins from my lifestyle - especially through my food and cosmetics. I was spending a lot of time and energy researching each ingredient in my bathroom products to try and figure out if they were safe or not. I found it difficult to find truthful, accurate, reliable information. 

Labels and marketing can be very misleading - and there wasn't anyone in Australia offering customers cosmetics which had been screened for potential toxicity first and then selling only the safest ones on the market. As a consumer I identified the need and decided to do it myself! Years of research refined the safety screening process and being a consumer first and foremost, as opposed to an industry person, gave me an unbiased approach to our standards and testing. 

Why are there toxic ingredients in cosmetics anyway?

In short, this is due to the chemical revolution of the last century and lack of regulation of the cosmetics industry here in Australia. I explain this a bit further on my website - and there's also a short video you can watch called The Story of Cosmetics which was aimed at educating school children in America.

What was the first "conscious" product you bought and used yourself?
I had to think for a minute there! Going back to early 2009 - it was the A'kin Pure Creamy Cleanser and Toner in One. I love that it was vegan, natural, non-toxic and a creamy gentle cleanser. It made my skin feel so soft and nourished that after I finished the bottle - I went on to try more of their products. Now I proudly sell the entire A'kin range in our store - and I still love that cleanser. (KS: That cleanser sounds amazing and something I need to check out!)

What are your tips for someone who wants to make the switch to more natural products - where should they start?

It can be a little daunting trying to switch all of your bathroom products over at once. I recommend starting with the products you use the most like soap, body wash and toothpaste. You should also prioritise to change products that are applied to sensitive, thin skinned areas like the face, or skin that has a lot of hair follicles like your scalp as chemical absorption is increased in these areas. This means that products like shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, facial cleanser and moisturiser and make up that you wear regularly. 

What makes a product acceptable for Conscious Cosmetics?

There are a number of things that come into play when we're assessing a new product's suitability. Here are the main factors:

1. Products must pass our safety screening
   We go through the ingredients list with a fine tooth comb and products that pass our screening have been deemed "safe" by our standards. Our standards incorporate a number of things including guidelines imposed by other countries (such as Japan, the European Union and Canada) where cosmetic ingredient regulations are strict and enforced.
2. We look at the Brand's Manufacturing Processes and Company Ethics - No animal testing, sustainable packaging and preferably organic and Australian Made.
   All companies whose products we sell on Conscious Cosmetics must have a strict policy against animal testing and be certified accordingly. They must use recycled/recyclable packaging and have a sustainability policy. Preference is given to certified organic products or products containing organic ingredients and we prefer Australian Made and Owned products. We currently have over 350 products in our store and 96% of them are Australian made. 
3. The product must do what it claims to
   We trial all products to ensure they are actually effective for their intended purposes.

Can you give us a run through of your daily beauty routine and what you use? 

I practice what I preach - so all of the products I use can be found at Conscious Cosmetics. 

In my morning shower I use Pure Olive Oil Soap as it's gentle whilst still getting sweaty areas clean - or I use one of the A'kin Aromatherapy Body Washes if I feel like waking up with an invigorating fragrance. I cleanse with the A'kin Pure Creamy 2 in 1 Cleanser and Toner and then apply my daytime moisturiser, A'kin Vital Hydration Gel Creme. My combination skin is prone to breakouts so this moisturiser is ideal as it doesn't cause breakouts as it doesn't contain any oils. The rest of my skin is pretty dry this winter so I use Miessence Certified Organic Intensive Body Cream which leaves my skin feeling silky smooth. I brush my teeth with Grant's Extra Fresh Toothpaste.

I only wear makeup if I have a meeting or event to go to - but when I do, I use: INIKA Liquid Foundation (Creme), INIKA Concealer (Medium), Zuii Mascara (Granite), INIKA Eye Liner (Black Caviar) and Zuii Blush (Grapefruit). I apply Sukin Nourishing Lip Treatment 2-3 times a day, whether I'm wearing makeup or not. It gives a nice gloss and does what it claims so it keeps my lips nourished.

At night time I cleanse my skin again - but being winter I increase the moisturising before bed. I use A'kin Cellular Radiance Serum around my eye area and neck before moisturising with the same A'kin Moisturiser I use in the morning. After letting it soak in, I apply it again and use Miessence Purifying Blemish Gel directly on any pimples (a generous amount) as I find it really helps to reduce inflammation and the size of the pimple. 

I wash my hair every 4 days (the benefit of these products) with Al'chemy Ylang Ylang Colour Care Shampoo - and because as my hair is long and can get a bit dry on the ends I love the Al'chemy Protein Treatment Conditioner for extra nourishment. 

Since starting Conscious Cosmetics - have you heard any incredible stories from customers?

Absolutely! I recently had a customer who had severe and painful beer rot on her hands from working in a bar. The skin on her hands were covered in sores and was badly cracked, peeling and infected. She'd tried medicated creams and topical steroids which didn't help and only seemed to make it worse so she started taking antibiotics instead. I got her using Botani products topically and she said her skin immediately responded to the new products - and in just 2 weeks it's come a long way. She said her hands aren't so painful and the skin is showing huge signs of improvement.

A girlfriend of mine was a MAC Addict, even though it made the skin of her cheeks and around her eyes sting. When I first started selling INIKA Makeup, I told her to give the liquid foundation a try. After wearing it to work the next day, she called me up and excitedly told me "Guess what! It doesn't sting my face! I can't believe it - I'm normally so sensitive and just figured I had to put up with the stinging if I wanted to wear foundation". This poor girl put up with skin irritation for most of her adult life as she was unaware that the toxic ingredients were damaging her skin and there were better alternatives - she now swears by INIKA and is one of my most vocal supporters! 

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So tell me, lovelies, did you ever realise that there were so many harmful ingredients in cosmetics?

and do you wear makeup all the time - or only when you have things on?

I did know about the harmful ingredients, simply because I have sensitive skin and needed to find more natural alternatives. Since I started using mineral makeup my skin has improved so much! I have a beauty routine which varies depending on what I'm doing - like Loretta, I don't wear makeup unless I have meetings or are going out somewhere.

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