I remember the day I put all my makeup in a box and threw it out.

Even the Clarins, the Clinique and the Mac.

Everyone thought I’d gone mad. You might be wondering that now! And some of my most heartbroken friends asked me to go around and donate it to them. 

But I couldn’t. I couldn't unlearn my motivation behind the cull. I couldn’t give it to anyone else now that I knew that this was another layer of the onion, that was keeping me ill. 

I had been learning about hormones and women’s health. All the things we do that we don’t know we are doing to mess up our bodies, which then affects hormones and our minds. 

Nicole Jardim, author of ‘Fix Your Period’, who later became one of my amazing mentors, dedicated a whole chapter to Toxins. And she wasn’t the only one. My bookshelf had become a shrine to the women’s menstrual cycle and every single one had mentioned toxins. 

As women, the number of chemicals we are exposed to, or as scientists call it, our chemical burden is great indeed. In fact it’s absolutely shocking. 

The average woman uses 12 such products daily, exposing us to 168 unique chemicals per day. According to the EWG, one of every 13 women are exposed to a known or suspected carcinogen, every day, while one out of every 23 men are. Taken together, that’s 12.2 million adults. What’s even more concerning is that manufacturers aren’t required by law to put all of their ingredients on the label.

Now having a skincare routine is really important but I needed to find companies that I could trust had my toxic load as a priority. 

Along my journey I found the app “Think dirty” where you can scan the barcode of the product you own and it will tell you how toxic it is. This is what instigated the big throw out. 

I was shocked by all of the ingredients that I had been using on my skin and absorbing. I’d never thought twice about it - surely if it’s expensive then it’s good for me? Oh no. Surely if they promote themselves as being “natural”, oh no again. Some brands definitely had some clever marketing tactics going on. 

Think Dirty was founded by Lily Tse, who following her mother's cancer diagnosis, won a start-up competition, and dedicated it to starting up this app. She didn’t want any other women to suffer in the way her mum had and no doubt she is saving women’s lives.  

There are many toxins which are endocrine (hormone) disruptors and do untold damage in the body. So I went on a mission to find a way to wear makeup, clean my house and live my life without having to spend hours looking at every individual label. 

And this is when I found Tropic. Tropic has been recognised as the fastest growing skincare brand in the UK, selling 3.3 million products per year for good reason.

I love the story of the founder Susie and her grandmother, who taught her how to make non toxic beauty products.  At the age of 15, Ma began making a body scrub using a blend of sea salts, macadamia oils and lemon myrtle essential oils packaged in jam jars. She created a body scrub in her own home and sold it at Greenwich Market in London to help her mother pay the bills. She then went on to take cosmetic formulation courses to extend her knowledge and Tropic’s product range.

After coming 3rd in the Apprentice and securing backing with Lord Sugar, she expanded the brand to include make up, hair and beauty products. 

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when they had a debate about expanding into shops, and Ma put her foot down, so that she could avoid the harmful chemicals that would be needed to keep them from going off. Like food, it even has a sell by date!

That was my mind blown - I changed the way I looked at all chemical products - that I shouldn’t put anything on my skin I wasn’t willing to absorb.

So I wanted to share the products I use daily because they smell great, feel great and I can use them worry free, knowing it’s the ultimate act of self care. 

Daily Skin Routine

I start every day and end the night with the cleanse, tone and skin feast moisturiser. My mum and my partner are hooked on these too - I remember the first time we used them and how beautiful our skin felt after. The elixir I have to buy double of because my partner always steals it! It gives such a radiant glow - I always get comments when I go live and it lasts for hours, even though I’m horrendous for touching my face during the day. 

SMOOTHING CLEANSER complexion purifier

JUICY GREENS exfoliating toning essence

SKIN FEAST nourishing moisturiser

ELIXIR radiance-boosting omega oil

Exfoliator

A couple of times a week I use the face smooth exfoliator - not only does it smell like a sweet shop but it does wonders for my skin. 

 FACE SMOOTH brightening polish

Weekly Treat

Once a week I use these masks (others are available if you are more prone to blemishes or want a brightening tightening mask.  COMFORT FOOD deep hydration mask

Make up Base

I always get the whole set because not only does it last ages, but it’s incredibly lightweight. You couldn’t use it to ‘bake’ your face, but if you’re going for a natural glow, it’s perfect. 

Flawless Collection

Colour Palette

I invested in a colour palette to apply after my foundation and never looked back. At the moment I have some contour cream, a bronzer, eyebrow powder and an eyeshadow. But you can mix and match and buy refills and this is soooo good for when I go out - just slips in my handbag. To be fair I shouldn’t bother taking it as I never need to or bother to reapply but if you are partial to powder one's nose then this is a great product. 

Flawless Collection

Silk Gel Liner

The absolute best eyeliner I have ever encountered. No smudging down my face panda look when I go out!

Silk Gel Liner

Obvious to say there are many more products but those are my staples and favourites and can help you live a more toxin, hormone friendly life.