We are kicking off a new segment on Feelgood Style, Natural Beauties :: Interviews with Top Natural Beauty Experts.
Today we bring you an interview with the fabulous, gorgeous, and highly in-the-know natural make up artist and creator of RMS Beauty, Rose-Marie Swift. I am so very thankful to Rose-Marie for lending us her time and knowledge on the subject of healthy beauty. A true natural beauty.
Could you please share your story, how you became aware of harmful ingredients in cosmetics?
I have been doing makeup in the fashion industry for over 25 years and was working pretty well every day with various cosmetics and hair care products. I started to feel very sick and could not get any answers from doctors on what was happening in my system. I was determined to figure out why my system was weakening. I had very advanced blood tests and a hair analysis done, and the results showed extremely high levels of heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides. I was shocked when a lab technician asked if I worked in the cosmetics industry!
I became determined to educate women about the connection between chemicals in our bodies and chemicals in cosmetics. In 2004, I created the website Beauty Truth.com to expose some of the nasties in today’s beauty products. When the press got a hold of it, so did the public. People started writing and asking me what products they should use so I started studying the ingredients in so-called NATURAL brands and I was not impressed….at all. Research became an obsession. I even started studying the actual growing and processing techniques of raw ingredients and the manufacturing practices of labs.
After all these years in the fashion and beauty industry, I’ve learned a lot about the impact of daily exposure to chemicals in beauty care products. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t live up to its promises. I see the results of taking a quick-fix approach to looking good. I know first-hand the price our health can pay in the pursuit of beauty. I realized that what women need is a cosmetics line that is as pure as possible, one that creates a solid foundation for anti-aging and long-term beauty. This was the beginning of RMS Beauty.
How did you choose the ingredients you wanted to use in your products?
During my healing I became a raw foodist for a while and got very interested in why products that were raw had so many more healing properties and antioxidants than their cooked counterparts. I wanted to incorporate those superior qualities and properties of oils, butter, etc into a cosmetic line, rather than using the typical refined, bleached, deodorized and fractionated oils that the cosmetic industry uses for their brands. I also realized that ‘organic’ was a guarantee of safety and NOT quality. That hit me hard. I wanted quality, too. Every ingredient was chosen according a strict set of criteria including how it was grown, processed, its shelf life, its healing properties, its antioxidant potential etc. Then, I chose my favorite oil and used it as the base to all of my products: organic, raw coconut oil. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which is also in human breast milk and is antifungal, antibacterial and antimicrobial. The processing of the oil I use is superior to cold pressed and more expensive. We use a technique that does not destroy its high levels of lauric acid.
What does your beauty routine look like?
I have the simplest beauty routine ever. I am an organic, raw, green juice junkie and a firm believer that healthy eating/drinking habits are the key to a beauty routine…period. I use my raw RMS Beauty Coconut Cream for everything: taking off makeup, moisturizing, eating (I do a tablespoon a day) and even cooking. It also works as a deodorant and makes a fabulous pre-shampoo deep conditioner for hair.
Does diet play a role in keeping your skin healthy and youthful?
100% yes. The skin is a mirror to your gut, so whatever bad habits you indulge in will eventually, if not immediately, show on the skin. Raw, nutrient rich foods, clean water, probiotics, digestive enzymes, exercise and sleep all contribute to keeping the skin healthy and youthful.
What is one beauty tip all woman should know?
Less is more; heavy, over-the-top makeup does not make one look beautiful. Sorry to tell you this but it actually ages you.
You are one of my beauty role models, who is yours?
Thank you so much. That is so nice to hear. I have to say mine is Audrey Hepburn. Talk about classic beauty and elegance, the way she dressed and the way she wore her makeup and hair. My favorite forever.
Follow RMS Beauty on Twitter ( @rmsbeauty ) and Facebook.