I want to take a minute to stress the importance of reading ingredients. From food to body care to makeup and everything in between. You have to be diligent about it. You must read every single ingredient!

The reason I bring this up is because not too long ago I gave an endorsement for an entire brand of products. I won’t mention the name here, but if you follow my blog, you might already know which brand I am talking about. Well, I knew they were creating some new products and they just launched them this week. So I went to check them out. Guess what I found? Lurking among all the great ingredients was the dreaded PHENOXYETHANOL. Granted there are a couple other ingredients that I would rather not use, but phenoxyethanol is one I completely avoid. It is used as a preservative in “natural” products when there is water present, like in a lotion. That’s one of the main reasons I like to use serums, oils or butters. Since there isn’t water present, a harsh preservative is not required. According to the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database it is “classified as an irritant” to skin, eyes, and lungs and is “classified as toxic or harmful” in the organ system toxicity section. It has a score of 3-4 (moderate hazard) and that is with limited data. Imagine how high the score would be if they had more information on it. According to the MSDS sheet I found online it is “Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. May cause reproductive defects. Severe eye and skin irritant.”

So, this is just a friendly reminder to do your research. Read all ingredients of every product you use. Even if you trust a company and all the products you have tried before have been great. Especially if the first ingredient is water. That is your clue that a preservative is needed to prevent mold and bacteria from growing, and I haven’t seen very many truly “natural” preservatives.

Besides, who wants to pay for water in their products, anyway? I know I pay enough for the stuff coming out of my faucets…

Hello, everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your holiday weekend. I know I am! September 3 is my and my hubby’s anniversary- we have been married a wonderful 5 years, so Labor Day weekend is always a time of celebration for us.

I just wanted to remind you that you have until tomorrow (Monday Sept. 5) to take advantage of the free gift with purchase from Celtic Complexion. Just type in “melissa” in the “notes to shipper” section when you check out with Paypal and you will receive a 1/2 oz jar of the celtic complexion cream, my favorite in this product line.

Also, there is a referral program going on with Celtic Complexion, so if you purchase you can all help me out! From now until December 31, if you decide to make a purchase, please send Jennifer an email and let her know I sent you. I would really appreciate it!

There is a Labor Day sale going on at Natural Joy Beauty. Use promo code: LABOR10 to save 10% off your purchase, it’s good until Monday 9/5.

There is a “Back in the Saddle” sale going on at Sweet Libertine Mineral Cosmetics. Save 30% off the entire store and don’t forget to check out the Back in the Saddle collection of new eye shadow colors and lip gloss!

If you like my site, want to spread the word and help me get some extra exposure, please take just a second of your time and vote for melissawhitman.com in Babble.com’s 2011 Top Beauty Blogs for Moms. If all my fans voted, I am sure I could make it all the way to #1 on the nominations list!

Thanks for reading, I appreciate each and every one of you. If you ever have any questions or comments for me I would love to hear from you!

Happy shopping and have a wonderful weekend!