makeup
Flickr photo by Art Pets PhotographyWhile in a restaurant having lunch with my husband, I overheard the whispers of two women and one man at the table next to us. They were deciding on what to order when our food arrived, so they eyed my sandwich and made some comments on how good it looked. Then the man lowered his voice and said, "I can't understand why women eat with lipstick on -- I mean, they're eating the lipstick and it's toxic!"

I was wearing lipstick, yes. So I glared at him. One of those evil-eyed you're an ass glares. The women, who didn't see me, continued on about how gross makeup is and I tuned them out at that point and focused on eating my sandwich ... and my makeup.

They were rude, yes. But they were right.

Since I kiss my twins way too much, I stopped wearing lipstick unless I'm going out. I didn't want burgundy marks on their faces. And, when I do wear lipstick, it's an herbal tint -- nothing toxic in it. But I've worn a ton of toxic cosmetics in my time and still have some that I need to throw out.

A recent study revealed that the chemicals in many beauty products are linked to hormone irregularities girls, which can affect puberty along with increasing the chance of breast cancer later in life.

The three main chemical culprits were phenols, phthalates, and phytoestrogens, found in nail polish, perfume, makeup, shampoo, and lotion.

Doctors cautioned that there are certainly other factors, but this study has some findings that can't be ignored.

Currently, in the US, the FDA doesn't regulate what goes into cosmetics.

I can say I'm never letting Penelope wear makeup, but that's not realistic, especially if she's anything like me. But I can make sure that when the time comes, the only cosmetics she uses are natural and free of toxins. And I'm also hoping that the FDA starts regulating the beauty industry. Not only would that be better for everyone's health, but it would make a lot more organic and all-natural beauty products affordable.

Are you concerned about chemicals in your beauty products for yourself or your daughter? Or do you just try not to think about it and go on using items with toxins?