Natural Eye Makeup: Brands and Buying Tips

Even if eyes are the "window to the soul," anyone who's had an eyelash stuck in her eye knows how sensitive they can be. This skin around the eyes is sensitive, too, which is why it's especially important to choose safe, non-toxic eye shadow, eyeliners, mascara and other eye makeup.

We spoke with Jessa Blades, natural beauty expert, makeup artist and founder of Blades Natural Beauty. "It's important to make healthier choices with all of our cosmetic products," she said, "especially those we wear everyday and apply directly to our skin — like eye shadow and eyeliner."

For summer, Blades recommends a pink champagne color if you have fair skin, or gold if you have darker skin. She also points out that products work differently for your skin type and the season. For example, mineral makeup works better in the summer than winter. No matter the season, according to the Food and Drug Administration, keep eye makeup clean to avoid infection. When it comes to choosing natural and organic eye makeup, Blades recommends looking for Ecocert- and USDA Organic-certified products, but being wary of potentially hollow marketing claims like "natural" and "hypollergenic." Most importantly, she said, read the label and avoid the following ingredients, which lab or animal studies indicate may be harmful, even if the potential health risk from small exposures from eye makeup has never been studied.

> Parabens, which may appear on ingredient lists as methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben or butylparaben.
> BHA, (butylated hydroxyanisole)
> Talc, a form of magnesium silicate that is common in eye shadows
> Dimethicone a silicon-based polymer also called polymethylsiloxane
> Kohl, a color additive

The Jane Iredale Mystikol Eyeliner Pencil Box set includes five individual creamy powder eyeliners in colors ranging from a royal purple "Amethyst" to a classic black “Onyx.” Each easy applicator also comes with a highlighter, which can be used on the brow or cheek bone. ($90 for set of five at shop.janeiredale.com or beauty.com; $92.60 at amazon.com. Individual natural eyeliner pencils available for about $19 or $20 at amazon.com or beauty.com).

Jane Iredale also makes a natural mascara that makeup artist Jessa Blades recommends. ($16-$17 at amazon.com or beauty.com)

Available in five striking hues, from navy blue to charcoal, Gabriel eyeliners contain no animal byproducts or parabens. ($12 at amazon.com or gabrielcosmeticsinc.com)

Johnny Concert’s paraben-free eye liner pencils are made in the USA with no synthetic fillers or dyes. From black to fuschia pink, they come in a range of classic to scene-stealing shades. ($16.50 at johnny-concert.com)

Josie Maran’s fragrance- and paraben-free eyeliner is packed in sustainably-harvested wood, and comes in black, brown, and charcoal. ($18 at josiemarancosmetics.com.

Also from the model turned green cosmetic queen, is a smooth Argan Mascara that contains jojoba oil, argan oil and beeswax. ($22 at amazon.com)

> Related: Q&A with Josie Maran

Honeybee Gardens eyeliner is a beauty bag staple that comes in three classic shades — brown, black and black/brown. ($7.65 at amazon.com)

Honeybee Gardens also has jojoba-based eye liner pencils in a variety of shades. ($7.70 at amazon.com)

Pure Ultra Lengthening Fruit Pigmented Mascara has a low hazard rating and was recommended by green makeup artist Christy Coleman in Good Housekeeping. ($17 at amazon.com)

Makeup artist Jessa Blades also recommends Couleur Caramel Natural Mascara. ($22.50 at amazon.com)

Organic Wear Duo Eye Shadow takes the guesswork out of finding the perfect shade to suit your eye color (whether blue, green, brown or hazel). Plus, this natural eye makeup has a low hazard rating. ($8-11.50 at amazon.com)

From pale apricot to cocoa brown, Almay Pure Blend Eye Shadows comes in several colors. A good choice for daily use, these eye shadows have mainly low hazard ratings. ($2.15-$6.40 at amazon.com)

Highly concentrated, Coastal Classic Creations eye shadow come in a full range of shades, has a virtually unlimited shelf life and a low hazard rating, and can be used either as a dry shadow or dry eyeliner. ($18 for 2-oz or $27 for 3 oz. at coastalclassiccreations.com)

Zosimos Botanicals Mineral Eye Shadow Powders are made by hand in small batches, have a low hazard rating and are available in sample sizes ($3) so you can find your perfect shade. ($14 at zosimosbotanicals.com)

USDA Organic-certified cosmetic brand Zuii crafts its eye shadows with a base of organic flower petals. The result is a full range of luscious hues from "bronze" to "blossom." ($27.50 at bellafloria.com)