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For years, my skincare was dialed in and my makeup was an afterthought.

Actually, what I mean to say is ‘for a long time post-Beautycounter.’ When Beautycounter crumbled, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I truly loved the brand.

On my skin, I use Herbal Face Food. Only Herbal Face Food. The quality is so high that everything I put on over it started to feel like a downgrade.

So I went looking for a makeup line that could keep up.

I wanted clean makeup that WORKED. It had to stay on, blend with my fingers, look like skin, and be something I’d trust on top of a serum I love.

That search ended with withSimplicity.

Why does makeup matter if you care about gut health?

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Because your skin and your gut talk to each other. And some of what you put on your face ends up inside you.

That means reading labels is on you.

Here’s why I take it seriously:

1. The gut-skin axis is real. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University describe the gut microbiome as one of the main regulators of skin health, and note that GI disorders often come with skin symptoms.¹

2. Common cosmetic chemicals have changed gut bacteria in animal research. In a rat study, low doses of diethyl phthalate, methylparaben, and triclosan (all used in personal care products) at levels comparable to human exposure changed the overall makeup of gut bacteria in adolescent rats. The authors say more research is needed to know whether those changes lead to health effects.² That’s rats, not people. But it’s enough to make me pay attention.³

3. Swapping products lowers your levels fast. In a Berkeley study of 100 teen girls, 3 days of using personal care products labeled free of certain chemicals cut urinary levels of a common phthalate metabolite by 27.4%, triclosan by 35.7%, and BP-3 by 36.0%.⁴

Three days.

4. You eat your lipstick.

If it goes in your mouth, it goes to your gut. Simple as that.

I wrote more about the skin, hormones, and gut connection here.

What drew me to withSimplicity

withSimplicity was founded by Irina Dovganetskiy, a mother and Master Esthetician, and every product page lists the full ingredient list. No hunting.

Their clean standards, straight from the product pages.

For my gluten-free friends: withSimplicity describes its products as gluten-free. That matters most for lip products, since you swallow some of them.

You’ll also see the same botanical blend show up across the whole line: vanilla, oregano, thyme, rosemary, lavender, and goldenseal extracts. It’s in the Tri-Stick, foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick.

I found withSimplicity when I was heavy in the research to find a makeup line that was not only as good as Herbal Face Food, but that also WORKED. Too many times I’ve found a fantastic, non-toxic makeup line, but when I start using the products they simply don’t “work.”

I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and what I love most is that I was able to keep my ultra minimal look, but with a fresher vibe. I’m wearing most of my favorite products in this picture with my 9-pound dog Georgie.

For someone who wears barely ANY makeup, I love how this just helps clean it all up a little. Just a subtle, simple, fresh look.

The 7 withSimplicity products I started with

The following are the 7 products I started with.

1. Tri-Stick ($28): the product that hooked me instantly

One stick for cheeks, lips, and eyes. It’s a buildable cream you swipe on and tap in with your fingers

The base is organic castor seed oil, carnauba wax, and sunflower seed oil, plus that botanical blend. 7 shades, from Brighton (light peachy-pink shimmer) to Havana (a cool bronzer).

Busy morning? This is the whole routine.

I got mine in Brighton, and am just obsessed. I use it mostly on my cheek bones. Just the perfect, minimal glow.

Get the Tri-Stick HERE
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15%.

2. Botanical Mascara ($22)

Comes in black and brown. The formula starts with water, corn starch, organic chamomile extract, coffee seed oil, and carnauba wax, with vitamin E and rosemary and thyme extracts.

Make note: it’s good for 3 months after opening. That’s shorter than conventional mascara, which is normal for a formula without harsh preservatives. Write the open date on the tube.

Get the Botanical Mascara HERE
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15%.

3. 15-Free Nail Polish ($16)

I have On Pointe (ballerina pink) and To the Moon and Back (dark gray with a slight purple undertone).

“15-free” means the polish is made without formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, toluene, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, TPHP, parabens, bismuth, MIT, MEHQ, gluten, fragrance, and animal derivatives (withSimplicity).

TPHP is the one I care about most. Duke researchers found that painting nails with a polish containing TPHP raised a TPHP metabolite in women’s urine nearly 7-fold within 10 to 14 hours, and the main exposure route was through the skin.⁵

Bonus: each bottle you buy donates one meal through the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

I got 2 bottles of it because I personally love black, and my girls love pink. Nail polish is super important to me because my youngest always has her fingers in her mouth and I don’t need her sucking off toxic polish 24/7.

Get the 15-Free Nail Polish HERE
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15%.

4. Liquid Foundation ($42)

Aloe-based, oil-free, fragrance-free, with non-nano zinc oxide. It builds from a skin-like finish to fuller coverage.

There are 16 shades, and single-use samples are $2. Order samples first. The brand recommends it too, since more than one shade can work for the same skin tone.

Get the Liquid Foundation HERE
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15%.

5. Mix + Match Custom Eyeshadow Palette ($72)

A magnetic palette that holds any 4 of their pressed shadows. It includes the palette, 4 eyeshadows, and a mini magnet for swapping pans.

The shadows use organic rice powder as the base, with mica, grape seed oil, and jojoba. When a color runs out, you replace the pan instead of the whole palette.

Get the Mix + Match Palette HERE
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15%.

6. Liquid Concealer ($34)

Medium to full coverage with a matte finish and a doe-foot wand. The base is organic castor oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter, with jojoba and olive oil.

7 shades. The deepest, Hickory, doubles as a contour. Samples are available.

I’m using this one mostly for the places where hormonal acne has left minor scarring.

Get the Liquid Concealer HERE
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15%.

7. Lipstick ($28)

I have Mauve, a purply-pink with a slight shimmer.

The formula is organic castor oil, coconut oil, carnauba and candelilla waxes, cocoa butter, jojoba, mango butter, avocado, and cupuaçu butter.

Since this is the product you swallow, this is the ingredient list I read the closest.

It goes on smooth, and stays.

Get the Lipstick HERE
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15%.

What to know before you buy

Honest notes, because you deserve them.

The nail polish isn’t all-natural. withSimplicity says so itself: polish needs film-forming ingredients to dry fast and resist chips, so they removed the 15 worst offenders instead. The shade ingredient lists include color lakes like Red 7 Lake and Yellow 5 Lake. It’s still the cleanest polish option I’ve found.

Corn is in some products. Corn starch shows up in the Tri-Stick and the mascara. If corn is one of your triggers, check every label.

Coconut is in the concealer and lipstick. Same rule.

Botanicals can still irritate. Oregano, thyme, cinnamon, and goldenseal extracts appear across the line. If your skin reacts to plant extracts, patch test first.

Cream products can “sweat” in the heat. The brand notes that lipstick can release some oil in hot shipping. A few minutes in the fridge firms it back up.

Where I’d start

FAQ

The bottom of the makeup bag

My skin gets Herbal Face Food. My makeup gets withSimplicity. Both earned their spot the same way: ingredients I can read, results I can see.

You might also enjoy:

• Toxic Skincare and Gut Health: Why What Touches Your Skin Doesn’t Stay There
• Why I Use Herbal Face Food for Sensitive, Reactive Skin
• The Serums That Started Healing My Skin in Days (No Botox, No BS, Just Plants)

Xox,

SKH

Affiliate disclosure: The products and links in this post are affiliates. When you purchase anything from them, you will save a hefty amount and I make a small commission. This is part of my business that helps keep this website afloat for me to bring you the information for free. And I’m so grateful for you.

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30042740/ ↩︎
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27301250/ ↩︎
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27301250/ ↩︎
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26947464/ ↩︎
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26485058/ ↩︎