BeautyCounter Product Review

I’ve wanted to get on the clean skincare train for quite a while now. When you start doing your research about what the FDA allows in beauty products in the USA, it’s pretty shocking. And eyeopening. And depressing. So I’ve tried all kinds of cleaner skincare and makeup products to help me take a step in the right direction…and I’ve been mostly bummed along the way. They either don’t look as good, don’t go on as well, OR they make me breakout. And then I’m left feeling frustrated and go right back to my normal products.

When I first learned about safer skincare, I wanted to go all in like I had with paleo years ago. But when I tried to do that, my skin wasn’t as happy and it didn’t look as good. So I decided that using a handful of safer products would be better than not using any at all. And BeautyCounter was a great place to start for that. I’ve shared a couple BeautyCounter products on instagram stories that I either liked or I was trying out, but I thought I would share a full review here of what I like and what I don’t like, and why. I think BeautyCounter is a really awesome company that is making strides in the safer skincare world along with a few other brands. I can’t get behind everything they sell quite yet, but I definitely have some makeup staples that I use every day! So let’s get into it!

BeautyCounter has some pretty decent choices when it comes to makeup remover products –

• When they first came out with their One-Step Makeup Remover Wipes, I loved them. I would buy 3-4 packages at a time to load up. But I found that something changed (maybe the formula) because at some point the wipes simply moved my eye makeup around instead of removing it off my face. I would just have these raccoon eyes when I was trying to remove my makeup. So then I would find myself just going back to the OG Neutrogena makeup remover wipes.
• But that’s where the Instant Eye Makeup Remover comes in handy. I use a q-tip, put just a tiny bit of this product on it, and I’m able to remove all the excess eye makeup. I really like this stuff and I find that it lasts forever.
• The Cleansing Balm will remove EVERYTHING, I just don’t always know what to remove the balm with. You can get a cleansing cloth with it, but you’ll obviously need more than one. My friend Cassy says she just bought a ton of cheap wash cloths on Amazon and uses those to remove the makeup with the balm. I need to get on that train since that will be much less waste than the makeup remover wipes.

Now let’s get into some of the skincare products –

• Something that I think BeautyCounter is known for the most is their Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Mist and I’ve wanted to love this sunscreen so much since all my friends talk about it CONSTANTLY on instagram. But I find that it goes on pretty white, no matter how much you rub it in. It leaves me feeling like I’m a little toddler at the pool where they mom has rubbed the child down in sunscreen and they immediately jumped in the pool so it’s just running off their body. This was so confusing to me because all my friends rave about this stuff and say it goes on clear, but I didn’t find that the case whatsoever.
  • They do offer a Countersun Tinted Mineral Sunscreen but from what I’ve been told, it rubs off on your clothes. I even went into the Denver BeautyCounter store and the staff talked me out of purchasing the tinted sunscreen because they said it comes off on everything.
• I also tried the Glow Shimmer Oil as a bronzer at the beginning of the summer hoping that it could be used as my new weekly bronzer, but it ended up staining my clothes and I could never get the color out, even after multiple washes. This was another product that I was so confused by because my friends said it didn’t stain or rub off on clothes. That was definitely not the case in my experience.
• Since Denver is so incredibly dry and I use body lotion at least once a day, I wanted a safer lotion to choose from. I tried both the Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer and the Hydrating Body Lotion in Citrus Mimosa, but I found that both didn’t leave my skin feeling hydrated for very long. Within an hour, my skin was feeling back to dry. I still love Borage Therapy Lotion the most!
• Counter+ Charcoal Facial Mask – I haven’t loved many of their skincare products, but I do find myself using the charcoal mask on a regular basis! The charcoal pulls away excess oil and the salicylic and lactic acids help with exfoliation so your skin looks smooth afterwards.
• Overnight Resurfacing Peel -This is the only aging BeautyCounter skincare product that I’ve truly loved. The formula clears away dull surface cells revealing a brighter complexion by morning! And I’ve found that this really does what it’s suppose to do. It also doesn’t make my skin break out.
  • I recently tried the new Countertime Regimen Set which is suppose to visibly firm, brighten, and plump the skin, but it sadly just made mine immediately break out. I love that BeautyCounter came out with their own age-defying line but it sadly didn’t work for my skin type. And it took me about 2 weeks to get my skin back to normal.

Now when it comes to BeautyCounter, I’m all about some of their makeup –

• They have some great options for the lips:
  • Their Sheer Lipstick gives you a hint of color with hydration. My favorite colors include the Pearl which is sheer with only a hint of shimmer so it’s great for little to no makeup days, and the Twig for a rosy beige color.
  • Their Color Intense Lipstick comes in a bunch of beautiful colors, but my favorite that I way almost anytime I wear full makeup is the Brunch color! I’m definitely hoping they come out with some lip liners soon to go along with their lipsticks!
  • And their Lip Gloss is great for every day use! I love the Bare Shimmer color the most!
• Now let’s talk about the eyes:
  • They have a ton of different eyeshadow palettes to choose from, but my favorites include the Romantic and the Classic. I still find myself using my Urban Decay Naked3 Palette the most, but these BeautyCounter palettes are a great safer option!
  • I LOVE their Precision Liquid Eyeliner. It has a precise application so you can create thin lines easily. This is one of my favorite BeautyCounter products that I feel is a great swap for normal brands on the market.
    • I tried all of BeautyCounter’s mascaras, but I HATED all of them. If I’m wearing mascara, I want my lashes to be big as possible and I haven’t found any that do that yet. I’ve tried a bunch that readers have recommended including the Honest Brand Mascara, but nothing has come close to what I’m looking for. I find that the lashes just look stringy. So I just wear glue-on lashes instead. Then I don’t even have to wash off mascara at the end of the day.
• And last but not least, let’s talk about the face:
  • The Touchup Skin Concealer Pen is a pretty great option! I find that it gives really nice coverage for red spots, blemishes, and dark circles under the eyes. The only thing I don’t love is that it tends to crease under the eyes.
    • When I was trying to make the switch over the safer beauty products, I tried both the Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer and the Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation, but I didn’t really love either. I found that the tinted moisturizer didn’t give much coverage and the foundation left my skin looking slightly dull. But I found the W3ll People Tinted Moisturizer as a safer option and fell in LOVE with it. It gives such amazing coverage and makes your skin look brighter and younger!
  • I absolutely love their Radiant All Over Bronzer. I use the Dune color for all over color on top of my W3ll People Tinted Moisturizer then I use the Surf color for contouring.
  • I’ve also loved their Luminous Powder Highlighter! I use the Halo color and it gives just a light brightness to the skin when the light hits it.
  • And I’ve really loved their Essential Brush Set and Powder Brush!

Sorry for the super long post, but I wanted to give my honest feedback on the products I’ve tried. As much as I would love to be completely on the safer skincare train, I still haven’t found swaps for everything, especially the skincare products. But I’m glad I’ve taken a step in the right direction and I have a better understanding of what ingredients I should be staying away from and why. If you want to know more about the ingredients that may be in some of your products and why they suck ass, BeautyCounter has a Never List that includes ingredients, what those ingredients have been linked to, and what products usually use them. Hopefully all this information is helpful and you can find a few swaps you like! And I would love to hear from you guys – what you’re loving, what non-toxic products you’ve been testing out, and what products just didn’t work for you! Can’t wait to try some of the products you recommend!

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