Get Real Beauty | February 2016 | Post -ROOTS the Beauty Underground
Over Valentine’s weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Roots The Beauty Underground boutique in beautiful Laguna Beach, California. While green beauty is becoming more mainstream, green beauty boutiques are still few and far between. So I jumped at the chance to try and shop my favorite brands in person and get a little green beauty makeover (a girl’s gotta live a little, right?). I invited my girlfriend, Lisa, who has been curious about natural beauty products for a while and didn’t quite know where to start. Roots, of course!
Roots The Beauty Underground is Orange County’s first non-toxic cosmetic shop and organic color salon. It’s right off the beach, adding to the natural beauty of the bright and airy boutique. On the beauty side, there are lots of familiar brands—Tata Harper, Osmia Organics, Laurel, Alima Pure, Ilia—and some new to me, like Eye of Horus, I Love My Muff (use your imagination), and Kahina Giving Beauty. On the hair side are brands like Peter Lamas, Sophie La Girafe (baby products), and Briogeo. In addition to the hair care products, Roots The Beauty Underground also provides personal & customized salon experiences. They only book one client at a time to keep in line with the calm, relaxing, “rootsy” vibe of the shop, using the Organic Color Systems hair color products.
Owner Laura is so friendly and knowledgeable, and is happy to answer any and all of your questions. Like all of us green-beauty junkies, she believes there’s no reason to sacrifice health for beauty! She takes great care in selecting clean brands that align with her green-beauty standards (she even showed us some of the brand samples that came in that day, and how she vets them to determine if they’ll grace her shelves). When you shop at Roots, you know that whether an item is a staple or brand new to her collection, it must be up to snuff. She’s also deliberately stocked a range of brands from everyday wear to luxe indulgences, so that shoppers never feel excluded from healthy cosmetics and skincare based on cost.
Roots The Beauty Underground Makeovers
On our visit, Roots’ resident traveling makeup artist Tamara Taylor (@tamarataylorartistry) was providing green-beauty makeovers and, being that it was Valentine’s weekend, it was the perfect time to get a little glam.
My Haul
After the makeovers, I couldn’t help but buy a couple things to add to my collection. I walked away with the Antonym foundation in medium-dark (used as a bronzer), the RMS “un” cover-up in 11, and the RMS eye polish in Magnetic (an absolutely gorgeous purple color—seriously, the picture below doesn’t do it justice).
The certified-organic Antonym foundation is a creamy powder and goes on smooth and flawless without feeling heavy or dense. The color is stunning, with just the slightest hint of shimmer to make you glow. It’s lovely as a bronzer, and I can only imagine what my skin would look like using this as my foundation (I’d have to go lighter, obviously, with their medium-beige color).
The RMS “un” cover-up uses simple certified organic and/or non-GMO ingredients to create a blendable, smooth concealer. It provides great, natural-looking coverage that doesn’t crease or wear off. Because of my rosacea, I blend this primarily under my eyes and across my nose to even out my skin tone, then just spot cover any blemishes or dark spots.
My favorite purchase of the day was the RMS eye polish in Magnetic. This color is so hard to explain, but the best I can do is describe it as a smoky purple—RMS describes it as a taupe/silver with a hint of mauve. While it looks like a shimmer pigment, it’s not. It reflects light without looking glittery, and the finish is almost glossy, making it subtle enough for every day but glam enough to layer for a night out.
Lisa purchased the Ilia Vivid Sheer tinted moisturizer in T2—perfect for daily wear, and buildable for more full coverage—an Antonym face brush to apply it with, and the RMS eye polish in Lunar (which can be used as both a highlight and an eye color).
Overall, our makeovers were fabulous, Laura and her team are amazing, and Roots The Beauty Underground is definitely a must-visit for green beauty die-hards and newbies alike. Check them out here and stop by the shop in Laguna Beach!
VIa (http://www.getrealbeautytips.com/roots-the-beauty-underground/)