First company to partner with TerraCycle to easily recycle baked goods plastic packaging Bimbo Bakeries USA has announced that it is committing to 100 percent sustainable packaging for its entire product portfolio by 2025. Through this commitment, the plastic bags, individual wrappers and cardboard boxes for more than 21 brands of bread, buns, bagels, English muffins, sweet baked goods and snacks will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Bimbo Bakeries USA is the first commercial baking company in the U.S. to make this commitment.   “We take our responsibility to protect our planet very seriously,” said Fred Penny, president, Bimbo Bakeries USA. “For years, we have taken steps to reduce the plastic used in our packaging and we are now committing to ensuring that packaging we have in the market does not make it to landfill or our oceans.”   This sustainable packaging pledge is part of a greater global commitment by Grupo Bimbo, the company of which Bimbo Bakeries USA is a part. During last year’s RE100, Grupo Bimbo—the world’s largest baking company with operations in 32 countries—committed to sustainable packaging across its entire portfolio around the globe by 2025.   “To make immediate progress in this commitment, we are expanding our partnership with TerraCycle to make all bread, bun, bagel and English muffin packaging easily recyclable starting January 1, 2020,” said Penny. “We have already diverted more than 5 million Little Bites pouches from landfill through TerraCycle and look forward to including the rest of our portfolio in this important program.”   TerraCycle is an innovator that prides itself on recycling items not typically collected in municipal pickup of plastics, glass and paper – this includes most commercial bread packaging, which is currently recyclable as a “4.”   The recycling experts at TerraCycle are committed to their mission of eliminating waste and work with leading consumer product companies like Bimbo Bakeries USA, to recycle products and packaging and prevent it from being landfilled or incinerated. Through the TerraCycle program, individuals can save their Bimbo Bakeries USA product packaging, print out a free shipping label and send it to be recycled. For every shipment of packaging waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to the non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   Sustainability is built into Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Purpose – to build a sustainable, highly productive, and deeply humane company. Notable initiatives include:  

• Reducing company-wide plastic use by more than a million pounds since 2018
• Producing 100 percent renewable electrical energy for all U.S. operations as of July 2019, with energy created through a Wind Farm backed by a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Invenergy
• Named EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2018 and 2019 for superior leadership, innovation and commitment to environmental protection through energy efficiency
• 14 ENERGY STAR Certified facilities
• Manufacturing operations divert greater than 95 percent of waste from landfill
• 360 company-owned vehicles utilize alternative fuel – propane, compressed natural gas, and electric

  “For more than a decade, we have been executing a strategy internally and with suppliers to reduce our waste and resource consumption, recycle and find innovative ways to accelerate our sustainable practices,” said Penny. “Announcing our commitment to 100 percent sustainable packaging by 2025 on National Recycling Day is one more critical action.”

It is in a constant concern for respect for the environment that the Dental Center Deschênes now proceeds to the recycling of various dental products thus avoiding the burial of thousands of them.   "We have always been very sensitive to the environment," says Dr. Isabelle Deschênes, owner of the Dental Center. "We have been recycling paper, cardboard and ink cartridges for a long time now and we are no longer offering individual water bottles to our customers. It was important, however, to do more. "   It is now possible for Deschênes Dental Center clients to drop their used toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes and floss containers into a specially designed container directly at the Dental Center. It is the company Terracycle, specialized in the recovery of this type of waste, which will handle the recycling at the Dental Center.   In addition, customers and staff using the Center's coffee machine will also be able to collect coffee capsules. The same goes for all latex and nitrile gloves; which can represent more than 2,000 gloves per month.   Dental Center Deschênes 98 Amyot Street # 130, Rivière-du-Loup, QC G5R 3G3 (418) 860-3368 centredentairedeschenes.net

We want it personal, digital, flexible, and eco-friendly, and we’re starting to turn away from plastics, but none of this is easy.  

We’re Asking a Lot More of Packaging Than We Used To — and Suppliers Are Responding

As e-commerce continues its penetration into every corner of our commercial lives, the packages that land on our doorstep have a lot more work to do than ever. The massive amounts of packaging that have accompanied the digital revolution and a surge in single-use products such as Starbucks coffee cups are starting to draw critics’ attention.  

Out With Analog, In With Digital, and Not Just for Replacing Printing

Although digital technologies for producing labels and other printed messages on packaging containers have been around for some time, the last few years have seen an inflection point in producers’ preferences. Sales of conventional analog “flexo” printers have been declining, while sales of digital printers are enjoying double-digit growth. As it does in many other industries, digital is enabling entirely new kinds of connections with end users by making small print runs affordable. One outcome is a rise in the amount of personalization that organizations can offer and that consumers increasingly expect.  

Even more important, brands are beginning to leverage digital technologies that enhance and extend the reach of their packages well beyond the actual package. A great example of this is Coca-Cola’s successful Share a Coke campaign, launched initially in 2014. The campaign involved replacing the Coca–Cola logo on bottles of the beverage with popular American first names. Consumers were encouraged to find bottles with their own names or those of friends or family members, then post on social media about their experiences, using the hashtag #ShareACoke. The promotion took off to the point at which Coca–Cola not only expanded the numbers of names on bottle packaging, but today allows customers to order customized bottles with names on them from the Coca–Cola store. Customers reportedly shared over 500,000 personal stories with the hashtag in the first year alone. Beginning in 2018, stickers with the names were used on the packaging, expanding the reach of the name to, well, anything you could stick it to!

 

Coke is adding a new digital element to its packaging with a program called Sip and Scan™. Users either go to Coke.com or use the brand’s mobile app to capture a photo of an icon that allows them to access treats and enter competitions for prizes. Among these are concert, movie, amusement park, and baseball tickets and exclusive experiences like meeting members of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) after the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Of course, the company gets some goodies for itself as well — namely a direct connection to users’ phones, location, and purchase history — a data goldmine.

 

Not to be outdone, Coke’s arch-rival Pepsi has a few twists on packaging of its own. One was the launch of “Snackable Notes” — packaging for Frito Lay’s variety packs (Cheetos, Doritos, Lays, and a host of other brands). The packages left a blank space for parents or others to write notes right on the bags. Targeted for the anxious back-to-school months, the blank spaces on the bags are not only meant to encourage people to connect, but to post on social media as well, under the hashtag #snackablenotes of course. The company also launched a donation campaign as well — for every note posted, it contributed to Feed the Children.

 

Shapes Nature Never Designed — Flexible Packaging on the Rise

With advances in materials, it’s now become possible to use flexible packages — pouches, wraps, bags, envelopes, and many more form factors — instead of rigid boxes or cans. Flexible packages allow brands to indulge consumers’ desires for re-sealable, easy to carry and store, lightweight packaging to complement on-the-go consumption. Manufacturers are figuring out how to use flexible packaging to help with the reduction of food waste, carbon footprint, and shipping damages in a variety of formats that go beyond bottles and cans.  

And of course with headlines screaming that millennials don’t even own can-openers, some kind of alternative to the reliable can of tuna fish is going to be necessary.

 

Meanwhile, not all innovations in packaging are welcomed by those who want to get at the goods inside. I was startled to learn that the term “wrap rage” is actually a thing, if Wikipedia is to be believed. This stems from a fundamental disconnect — what works for the manufacturers of packaging can make it well-nigh impossible for ordinary people to get at the contents. Over the counter drugs have to show tamper-resistance. Some packages are deliberately designed to prevent access to limit shoplifting. And others are more about showing the potential customer what is in the contents than actually helping them to access the contents (hard plastic blister-packs, we’re looking at you!). The clamshell package is among the most dangerous, as it is designed to be unable to open with bare hands, resulting in some 6,000 emergency room visits in the US alone each year and thousands of more minor injuries.

 

An innovator in this space is Amazon, which launched its Amazon Frustration Free Packaging initiative in 2007. The idea is to create packages with less waste, that don’t require additional boxing, and which are easier for consumers to open. Vendors apply to be certified and are offered incentives to join the program, which Amazon claims to have used to save 244,000 tons of packing material in the 10 years since it launched.

 

Moving Toward the Circular Economy?

I’ve written before about Tom Szaky, the former Princeton student who founded Terracycle with the mission of eliminating waste. The company got going by using the university’s cafeteria waste to farm worms, then selling the…um…product as fertilizer. “Worm poop” was a memorable way to describe what the company did in its early days. Szaky has recently edited a book that takes the “no waste” manifesto directly to packaging. Called The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular, he seeks to replace the one-way take-make-waste process of packaging with a circular design, drawing the analogy to skins that protect fruit but which can be easily recycled.  

Manufacturers of edible packaging have taken a page out of Szaky’s book. In what I can only think of as a bid to introduce a mature brand to a whole ‘nother generation of consumers, Glenlivit has introduced whiskey pods to the market. Yup, think laundry detergent pods except with a whiskey cocktail inside. The capsules, Glenlivit has told a skeptical public, are made from edible seaweed — just pop them in your mouth — no glass, bottle, or stirrer required. The packaging is made by Notpla, a new entrant in the biodegradable packaging world. Unhappily for those of us who wanted to give the cocktail pods a spin, they were sold on a limited time-only basis.

 

Edible and biodegradable packaging, however, is making its way into more mainstream products. We have straws you can eat (Sorbos Ecostraws), spoons you can eat (Bakeys), decomposable cups to replace plastic ones (Loliware), and even Poppits toothpaste pouches, which are single-use “servings” of toothpaste designed to eliminate messy tubes. Still more important, major brands are beginning to get on the circular packaging um…bandwagon. Unilever, in a move that is sure to put pressure on its consumer packaged goods rivals, just recently made headlines with an announcement that it plans to halve its use of new plastic by 2025. The company plans to use so-called naked packaging (how exciting) for some of the reduction and replacing non-recyclable packaging with the recyclable kind for the rest.

 

Among the more interesting innovations emerging from the concern over packaging waste is the Loop ™ system being piloted by a consortium of brands, inspired by — you guessed it — Tom Szaky, who used the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos to talk leaders of major multinational brands into supporting the idea. Combining a digital platform with a completely different approach to packaging, the system echoes the return of the milkman, as an observer pointed out. The idea is that consumers place orders online for products from trusted brands, which are delivered to them in purposely-designed refillable containers. When the product is used up, the consumer returns it to the Loopstore, which it gets refilled and re-delivered. I have to say, the thought of getting brownie mix and Ranch dressing in re-usable containers has a certain appeal.

 

Who knew that the world of packaging had so much going on!

What about the purpose motive?

ESCANABA — Students in the Escanaba area are recycling candy wrappers after Halloween this year instead of throwing the wrappers in the trash, thanks to Escanaba High School’s Environmental Club. The new club decided the first activity it would take on would be the “Trick or Trash” campaign. Members of the club provided drop-off points for high school, Holy Name and Lemmer Elementary students to dispose of unwanted Halloween candy wrappers for recycling.   “We have gotten a lot of wrappers from kids here,” said Escanaba High School Special Education teacher and advisor to the Environmental Club Jessica Garber.   Club members have also picked up wrappers dropped off at Holy Name and Lemmer.   The company Rubion Global launched a “Trick or Trash” recycling awareness program. Garber received information from Rubion Global to educate students about keeping wrappers out of landfills and getting them into a recycling stream. More than 450 teachers signed up for the program. Escanaba High School is one of nine schools in Michigan working with the program to recycle.   The Environmental Club will close the “Trick or Trash” box when it is full and ship it free of charge to TerraCycle, a waste management company.   “We plan on packing the box as full as possible before sending it back,” said Garber.   Students wanted to have a club that did activities to help the environment after a visit to the Lake Superior Youth Symposium during the 2018-2019 school year. Seventh through 12th grade students from schools in the Upper Peninsula explored unique features of Lake Superior through workshops, field trips, and presentations. They met new friends and discussed how they could be good stewards of natural resources.   “This Environmental Club was thought up by a few students last year who went to the Lake Superior Youth Symposium because they saw the impacts of pollution on our Great Lakes,” said Garber. “We had a meeting to gauge interest at the end of last year, but our first meeting of this year was Oct. 15,” said Garber.   Garber decided there was enough interest to start a club for the 2019-2020 school year and is excited to see how it will grow. The club is so new they are in the stage of deciding the type of projects to engage in. “We have a small group of students who are working on the Environmental Club right now, but we are hoping the numbers will grow,” said Garber.   The first project the club tackled was the “Trick-or-Trash” campaign. The next project is to recycle plastic soda bottles to prevent them from going into the trash bins in the high school. The club now has a new bin to recycle bottles with the recycle number 1 or 2 at the bottom.   “All the bottles are going into the trash now,” Garber said.   Starting Nov. 15, the Environmental Club will start recycling plastic bags, bread bags, bubble wrap, dry cleaning bags, newspaper sleeves, ice bags, plastic shipping envelopes, “ziploc” bags, cereal bags, case over-wrap, salt bags, pellet wrap and stretch film, wood pellet bags and produce bags. With each bag they recycle the club members get closer to winning a bench from the TREX Company, Inc., a major manufacturer of wood alternative decking, railings and other outdoor items made from recycled materials. The plastic items will be weighed weekly and the weight will be entered monthly on the TREX website. According to Garber TREX is sending the club bins for the plastic film challenge.   “This is a small jumping off point for us and the students are very excited to be making these small changes for the better,” Garber said.

Boca Raton, FL – On Monday, November 18th, the fourth annual Unwrap the Waves recycling campaign announced that it collected a total of 272,595 candy wrappers, satisfying sustainability and Halloween’s sweet tooth all-in-one. Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) also announced H.L. Johnson Elementary School as the recycling champion during its live broadcast among participating schools from Martin to Miami-Dade County. Thanks to rallying support, LMC exceeded last year’s wrapper count by a landslide and cued greater awareness surrounding sustainable packaging and single-use holiday waste.   The Unwrap the Waves campaign kicked off on Saturday, October 19 and capped off on Monday, November 11, summoning a record number of 34 schools and more than seven community partners throughout four counties. LMC will recycle 100% of the collected candy wrappers through TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Program, which will be repurposed into school supplies, such as pencils and notebooks.   According to Stanford University, Americans discard 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than any other time of the year. Unfortunately, the extra waste is estimated to produce an additional 25 million tons of garbage. However, regional and international efforts can reduce this reality.   “Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s candy wrapper push around Halloween goes beyond friendly school competitions,” said Lindsay French, STEM Education Coordinator. “It gives students an up-close visual of the debris that’s generally thrown away after one holiday alone, and provides a narrative that we can enjoy all kinds of celebrations while being conservation-minded to protect Florida’s most treasured ecosystems.”   After announcing the winner, the LMC Education Department challenged students to the next school-wide undertaking called the Blue Holiday initiative. The competition will stir hands-on, STEM-centric lesson plans aligned in Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) for grades K-12. The lesson plan includes two holiday classroom challenges for a chance to win fun sea turtle prizes. One of the prizes for the winning classroom will be a unique opportunity to name a future sea turtle patient at LMC’s Sea Turtle Hospital. Both competitions will have a virtual submission, so any school can participate.   Take learning beyond the classroom! Visit LMC’s website and give the lifelong gift of marine education to a child.   Loggerhead Marinelife Center:   Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution that promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The Center features an on-site hospital, research laboratory, educational exhibits and aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, which hosts world-class angling and sightseeing. Situated on one of the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beaches, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts over 350,000 guests free-of-charge each year. The Center’s conservation team works with 90 local and international organizations across six continents to form partnerships and share conservation initiatives and best practices that are core to its mission of ocean conservation. The Center is expanding and has launched its Waves of Progress capital expansion campaign, designed to accelerate and amplify LMC’s conservation and education impact. When complete, the facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and unique experiences for guests and scientific partners. For more information, visit www.marinelife.org or call (561) 627-8280.    

A Escola Municipal de Educação Básica (EMEB) Alceu de Toledo Pontes recebeu a certificação, na manhã desta quinta-feira (21), do Instituto NOA pela participação no Programa Escola do Bem, que tem como premissa incentivar e difundir as boas práticas sustentáveis estabelecidas nos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODSs) da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU). A partir do próximo ano, várias atividades serão incorporadas ao programa pedagógico da unidade elaborado no conceito Escola Inovadora.

The FDA approved the MiSight 1 day contact lens (CooperVision) to slow myopia progression in those ages 8 to 12. The daily wear, single-use lens corrects refractive errorto improve distance vision. In addition, concentric peripheral rings in the lens focus part of the light in front of the retina. “ . . . We [CooperVision] are learning from other countries in which MiSight is already prescribed to enable the best possible outcomes for the [U.S.] ECP,” says Michelle Andrews, O.D., the company’s senior director, North America Professional and Academic Affairs. FDA approval was based onthe results of a prospective three-year randomized, controlled clinical trial at four sites and real-world evidence, the government agency says. To start, the results of the clinical trial, comprised of 135 children ages 8 to 12, showed patients whowore the MiSight lens vs. a conventional soft lens had less myopia progression and axial length change for the full three years. Also, no serious ocular adverse events were reported in either group.(See https://bit.ly/37mfdTM.)   In regard to real-world evidence, the FDA found the rate of corneal ulcers in contact lens-wearing children was comparable to those of adult wearers. The MiSight lens’ U.S. launch  is March 2020, as part of a CooperVision myopia management initiative, the company says. Visit https://bit.ly/2NYYb6G. Alliances  

• PECAA announced a new program, “90 Days to Dry Eye,”developed in conjunction with Dry Eye University. The program walks participants through the process of building a dry eye profit center in just 90 days. Participating practices can expect to receive clinical dry eye education, staff training, vendor selection coaching, equipment recommendations, facility layout consultations, marketing and referral outreach strategies and more. For information, visit https://www.pecaa.com/dry-eye-education/.
• Vision Source hosted 39,000 visits to its online member event, the Virtual Exchange, which launched in 2016. The seven-day event enables Vision Source optometrist members to purchase ophthalmic equipment and products from vendors at “significantly discounted prices,” Vision Source says. In other news, Vision Source’s senior vice president of vendor relations has been appointed to the University of Houston System Board of Regents, an independent governing body overseeing the administration of education at the university.

  Associations  

• The World Optometry Foundation announced the recipients of the World Optometry Foundation Student Travel Fellowships. They include: Alvin Munsamy, BOptom, MOptom, from South Africa; Isaura Ilorena Dos Santos, BOptom, from Mozambique; Memoonna Arshad, MPhil from Australia; Nabeela Hasrod, BOptom, MPhil, from South Africa; and Nnenne Onu, O.D., MSc, from Nigeria.

  Companies  

• Aerie Pharmaceuticals has agreed to acquire Avizorex Pharma (AVX), a Spanish ophthalmic pharmaceutical company that develops therapeutics for the treatment of dry eye disease. The terms outline an all-cash transaction; Aerie will make an up-front payment of $10 million and AVX Pharma shareholders will be eligible to receive additional payments, for example from clinical and regulatory performance milestones.
• Bausch + Lomb, in collaboration with TerraCycle, donated custom training modules to the Guide Dog Foundation, a national not-for-profit that trains guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. The training modules — including benches, tables, waste stations and an agility ramp — were made from used contact lens materials collected through the Bausch + Lomb One by One Recycling Program as well as other recycled material. The donation was funded through the Bausch Foundation.
• EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the appointment of George O. Elston as CFO and head of Corporate Development. Mr. Elston has previously been a consultant to the company and will now transition into this permanent role effective immediately.
•  Leo Lens Technology (LLT) announced that its drug delivery contact lens product was selected as a finalist in Connect w/ San Diego Venture Group’s (SDVG) Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Awards. Connect w/ SDVG is an innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales companies in the technology and life sciences sectors.According to LLT, it uses a patented platform technology to harness the power of high-tech digital printing to commercialize a drug-eluting, comfort-enhancing contact lens product. Its first product is a lens to treat glaucoma with contact lens-releasing FDA-approved bimatoprost.
•  MacuLogix Inc. has appointed Christine Silverberg, M.B.A., B.S.N., R.N., as director of national accounts, a role in which she will lead business development and partnerships across the industry.
• Marcolin Group has signed an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement for the design, production and distribution of sunglasses and eyeglass frames for BMW, BMW M and BMW M Motorsport labels. The agreement is effective for five years through December 2024.
•  NovaBay Pharmaceuticals announced the launch of NovaSight, an ocular nutritional supplement, on Amazon.com. The product is a companion to Avenova Direct, the company’s prescription-strength lid and lash spray.
• Thema Optical hosted Eastern Optical Research Group, a management organization of U.S. optical retailers, recently in Miami.
• Valley Contax recently held the Custom Stable Cup Challenge at Academy 2019 in Orlando. Current optometry students and alumni were encouraged to participate by visiting the Valley Contax booth where they partnered and fit the Custom Stable lens. First place was awarded to Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) at Ferris State University, which received two $500 scholarships and the Custom Stable Cup trophy. The second-place winner was SUNY College of Optometry, which was awarded a $500 scholarship. Five $100 gift cards were also awarded to Kaitlyn Arnold, MCO; Amalia Burrell, Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University; Makayla Porter, Southern College of Optometry; Elise Hoi, SUNY College of Optometry; and Inlanders Coulanges, École d'optométrie — Université de Montréal. Menicon, Contamac, Optovue, and TelScreen were also contributing sponsors, along with special support from the American Optometric Student Association.
• VSP Vision Care and the American Diabetes Association have launched a new collaboration regarding diabetic eye disease. The initiative will focus on the role annual comprehensive eye exams play in early detection, intervention and prevention of eye disease and vision loss caused by diabetes. It will launch in 2020 as part of the ADA’s Overcoming Therapeutic Inertia campaign.
• Warby Parker has launched its own brand of daily disposable contact lenses. Named Scout, the lenses are made of hioxifilcon A lens material, 57% water content and provide 25 Dk/t oxygen permeability.

  In Real Life  

• Daniel Brown, O.D., of Florida Eye Associates, details in a Q and A with Florida Todaythat his passion for optometry began in high school when an optometrist spoke to his class about the profession. “I knew then that it was the right field for me,” he says. Read more at https://www.floridatoday.com/story/life/wellness/2019/11/19/health-pro-visit-real-world-class-led-career-optometry/4205995002/.

  Nonprofit   

• Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) has signed a deal with Optometry Giving Sight USA (OGS) to continue as its preferred project implementation partner. CooperVision has also renewed its sponsorship of the global GOS organization.
• Dr. Ying-Zi Xiong has been selected as a post-doctoral research fellow to conduct studies at the Wichita-based  Gigi & Carl Allen Envision Research Institute. Her research focuses on challenges confronting individuals experiencing hearing and vision loss.

 

A few weeks ago, I decided to dish on my low-waste beauty products in a ‘get ready with me’ style IGTV video.   I was heading to UC Berkeley to guest lecture, and I always wear a bit more makeup when it comes to being on stage with lights. I thought it was the perfect time to go through my makeup capsule collection and I got a TON of questions and requests for a full blog post! As many of you know, I have struggled a lot with skin problems. I have tried numerous zero-waste skincare routines. A lot of the “zero waste” skincare products I was using were still low waste. Yes, they come in a glass bottle, but they almost always have different plastic parts.   After years of searching, I think I’ve finally found a few items that are really working for my skin thanks to the recommendation of my esthetician, but they do come in plastic.   I’ve decided to stop sweating it. I figure if I’m able to reduce 99% of packaging waste but finally found a few green products (that are working!) then that’s fine by me.   I send my makeup and skincare empties back to TerraCycle so I know that they’re in good hands. Many places like Credo and L’Occitane have programs where you can drop your beauty products off and they’ll send them back to TerraCycle for you.  

one-in; one-out rule:

  I don’t know how or why I used to accumulate so many beauty products. I’m not sure if they bred at night, but man, I wound up with so many different colors of eyeshadow that I never wore. Tons of different lip shades and eyeliner and I hardly wore any of them!   When I started going zero waste, I really started to pay attention to how I was accumulating items and what I actually used. I noticed that I wore the exact same products every single day.   I also noticed that when I was halfway through a product I would run out and buy a new one. When I was at the store, I would also pick up one or two other items just because they looked cool.   I would wear those “cool new products” once or twice and then they would languish in my makeup drawer constantly being passed up for my old faithful products.   So, I simply decided to cut all of that out. Now, I don’t go out and buy a new product unless I’m really, really close to being out of it and I buy one item to replace the one that is out not a handful of others.   What I find most fascinating about this, is even though clean beauty is more expensive, on the whole, I’m saving money because I’m not buying a BUNCH of products. I’m only buying a few.

buying in person:

  Another way I drastically reduce my waste in my beauty routine is to buy in person. I can see the colors, I can see what the product feels like.   Since I have sensitive acne-prone skin, I can often tell what’s going to work and what’s not. Almost anytime I’ve ordered something new online, I’ve been really disappointed in a color looking slightly off or the product not performing well.   Credo Beauty is one of my all-time favorite places to shop, but I know Sephora has expanded their clean beauty section quite a bit.  

creating a capsule:

  When it comes to creating a capsule makeup collection my best tip is to simply pack like you’re going on vacation.   You’ll typically bring your go-to day look and then one or two extra elements for a bit more of a dramatic evening look.   After whittling everything down, I’ve found that’s all I need.   Now, I’ve tried a bunch of different green mascaras and I’ve tried a lot of lip products. If you would like for me to review each kind I’ve tried, let me know in the comment section down below!    

my capsule:

 

primer:

I do really like to prime my face. For an every day look, I like to combine a little bit of primer and foundation together.   This gives the foundation thinner more natural coverage and it stays pretty much all day. I currently have the Juice Beauty Primer which has a nice glow to it. Since I have oily skin sometimes the glow can be a bit much. But, I certainly don’t have to worry about using any highlighter.   The Juice Beauty Primer comes in a glass bottle.  

concealer:

I have tried a few concealers. I’m currently still working my way through my RMS concealer which I think is good. I’ve enjoyed using it and I really like the packaging. It’s packaged with a metal top and glass bottom!   However, I really like the Ilia concealer more, but it is packaged in plastic.  

foundation:

I used to exclusively use the Marie Veronique Tinted Sunscreen as my foundation which I love! But, as I’ve started doing a lot more work on camera, I’ve needed something a bit more heavy-duty.   I saw that somewhere that Shailene Woodley used the Vapour Foundation when on set. So, I thought it MUST have a great matte finish for camera so I ordered some online and have been sooooo disappointed. It is so greasy and oily. Since I have oily skin my face is subject to non-stop shine all day no matter how much powder I put on.   I am going to try and finish using the product, but honestly, it’s so bad, I don’t know if I can. After I run out of vapor, I think I’m going to try the RMS foundation which just came out.  

powder:

Once again, having oily skin I typically finish up with a powder to prevent any excess shine. I’ve been using the AU Natural Skin Food Powder. I have really enjoyed using this and how well it travels. I got it because they offered refills which I think is super cool! But, currently, on the website, I’m not seeing where they sell the refills.   They might be sold out? But, I think the premise of the powder and how it’s refillable is really cool. The powder also has an SPF of 25 which is a great addition.  

blush:

I’ve been using the Ilia Multi-Stick in the color At Last for Blush and on my lips if I’m going for a very nude lip. I really like products that can pull double duty. It’s great to have something that works for both my lips and cheeks!   One of the things I love about Ilia is that they package their products in recycled aluminum.  

eyeshadow:

I have two eyeshadow palettes. I have one with more neutral summery colors and I was gifted the Aether Eyeshadow Palette in Amethyst Crystal which is really nice for winter and the holidays.   Even though I’m not a huge fan of the color purple a lot of the colors in the palette are very subtle and I really like wearing them! The palette is made completely from paper.   You will have to remove the small tins and elastic band from the palette before recycling, but it’s really cool how they took their packaging into consideration.  

eyelash curler:

This has to be one of my favorite tools in my makeup kit. I was so excited to find a really good eyelash curler that comes with pad refills.   I had my original eyelash curler since high school, but it broke this summer. I used the opportunity to try and find a really heavy-duty curler that should last me for the rest of my life.   Replacement pads used to be very common, but they can be difficult to find these days. When you buy the curler it comes with refills, but if you run out you can purchase them separately.  

eyeliner:

I have tried quite a few different types of eyeliners. I’ve tried a few of the pencil eyeliners, but they haven’t done very well staying on my face. I have tried the Juice Beauty Liquid Eyeliner which comes in plastic but works very well as well as the Ilia liquid eyeliner which is packaged in recycled aluminum.   I would say the Juice Beauty is a little more difficult to control because it’s kind of like using a small very flexible paintbrush whereas Ilia is a bit more difficult to get a smooth line because it’s like a rigid felt tip pen.   If the Juice had a bit more structure and the Ilia had a bit more flexibility they’d both be perfect! So, for now, I’m just accepting almost perfect and am pretty happy with that!  

mascara:

I have tried five different green, low-waste mascaras and I have to say Ilia has knocked it out of the park. Their mascara is packaged in recycled aluminum like the rest of their products. The mascara stays on all day, it doesn’t flake or run, and it washes off easily at night.   The best part is the brush! Half is a comb and half is a brush. It also has some really nourishing ingredients which strengthens your natural lashes.  

perfume:

I like to buy smaller fragrances so I can change them up pretty often. I haven’t found a clean signature scent just yet, but right now I’m really liking MCMC Maine Perfume. It comes in a cute roller bottle that I plan on upcycling once I’m done with it.  

lips:

I have tried countless lip products and I’m still looking for THE one that can stay on for a few hours. With so many of these green beauty products, I put it on and after I take one sip of water it’s gone.   If I ever find something that stays on longer than a 20 minutes, I’ll be sure to let you know. And, if you want me to compare and contrast the 10 lip products I’ve tried, let me know in the comment section down below!   Currently, I like the Ilia Multistick in a fine romance I keep this one in my purse which is why it wasn’t featured in the video. I have the tata harper in very popular which I wore for my wedding. It’s a great color, but as far as performance goes it’s just OK. The Ilia Multistick is about the same color and I think it lasts longer.   I also have the Kari Gran Lip Whip which is a good clear gloss like lip balm. It works pretty well and is a staple basic.   That is my 15 product capsule make-up beauty collection! I feel like it can pretty easily take me from day to night and through any situation.   I would really like to try some of the 100% Pure Products and maybe a few of the Besame products? And, I definitely am dying to find some lip products that can stay put. If you have any recommendations please let me know!