Local Love: Ivy Wild Beauty
During this time of so many unknowns surrounding COVID19, I know many people are interested in being able to support local businesses. While the list is long of places and people that I want to support within the DC community, my March Local Love is dedicated to Ivy Wild Beauty, a clean beauty store that opened in the Logan Circle neighborhood in Spring of 2008.
The store was founded by Rachel Mulcahy, who previously worked in marketing for many years, before she decided to take the entrepreneurial leap into the clean beauty scene.
As someone who is personally starting to become more aware about the clean beauty movement, I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with some of the local beauty stores to learn more about various brands and products committed to the clean movement. I met with Rachel one Sunday morning to chat about the brands carried in the store, as well as best selling products. While the boutique space is beautifully designed with tons of natural light and an industrial vibe, they’re currently shifting their schedule to accommodate for the COVID 19 situation. They have a great website that you can shop products from and orders of $50+ will ship free OR if your local, you can pick up the order between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays.
The list of brands carried in the store for beauty and skin care products has been thoughtfully curated. When Rachel chooses brands/products, she considers choosing ones that have a more accessible price point without sacrificing quality. These products are in general more expensive than shopping at your local drugstore, but are more reasonable than some other designer brands. Her mission is to help people discover new favorite products without trying to push the idea that everything in your medicine cabinet has to be 100% clean – which I fully support since there are non-clean products I use and love. Rachel is also conscious of choosing brands that are not considered the most extreme of the clean beauty market (i.e. 100% organic-only, plant-based end). The brands and products fall along a spectrum while avoiding the toxins that are definitely known to be toxic.
The brands carried in the store (which may not be exhaustive of all the brands):
Act+Acre, Alima Pure, Bawdy, Boy Smells (love these candles), Context, DedCool, EcoBrow, Grown Alchemist, Indie Lee, Jane Scrivner, Joanna Vargas, Kosas Cosmetics, Little Barn Apothecary, LXMI, Maude, Nucifera, Odacite, Olio E Esso, Orgaid, PYT Beauty, Ritual de Fille, Saint Cosmetics, Saint Jane, SALT by Hendrix, Sans Ceuticals, Soak Society, Soleil Toujours, Suntegrity, The Good Patch, TMF, Ursa Major, Vapour Beauty, Zitsticka
I came home with a few products to try – which I have been LOVING. First, is the SAINT cosmetics concealer. Saint is more aligned with traditional brands’ foundation performance of full coverage, long wear, and velvet finish rather than the minimal or dewy coverage seen with many clean beauty brands. Compared to traditional brands that have silicones, which help create a more even surface, but ultimately cause clogged pores, there are no silicones in the SAINT foundations or concealers, yet they are still able to maintain a creamy finish. Their concealers also infuse skincare products like sunflower seed oil (for hydration and locking in moisture to avoid looking cakey), vitamin E ( an antioxidant with soothing properties), and rosemary (antimicrobial to help with preservation).
I have also been loving the KOSAS cosmetics cream blush and highlighter, as well as the lipstick. The lipstick is super creamy and feels like a hydrating, buttery balm (thanks to avocado oil/coconut oil). As I wear it through the day, it essentially wears down to a stain throughout the day. I’m currently obsessed with the rosewater shade (tagged above) It is not considered matte long wear, but will leave some color. The cream blush and highlight duos are great for multipurpose for cheeks, eyes, lips. The blush gives me the perfect amount of color and the highlighter picks up a glowy pigment that I love. I have been wearing the shade Velvet Melon and it is perfection. I did not try the KOSAS concealer, but I love that it is formulated to be skincare forward. It has hydralaunic acid which is great for using in the underage area where you might have dryness and fine lines. And if you’re using to cover a pesky pimple, it serves as a spot treatment with arnica and niacinamide to bring down inflammation and redness.
The final product I purchased to try was EcoBrow – as a fan of big, bushy, bold brows, I wanted to make sure whatever I got was going to achieve that look. I have loved using the brow wax that is like a cream to powder finish. The shades are nicely calibrated across the board for a range of tones within each color. The brow gel that I finish it off with (also within the EcoBrow line) has a great wand brush that has longer bristles on one sides to really accentuate the brushing of the brows to achieve boldness.
Besides the products I am currently using at home, the products at the top of my “to try list” include the Jane Scrivner nourishing cleanser that goes from a balm to oily liquid (want to start double cleansing with this product!), the Joanna Vargas vitamin C serum, and PYT Beauty mascara. I honestly could probably add so many other choices (and likely will as time goes on) because the list of options is long and I’m always on the hunt for things that make my skin look good and ultimately make me feel my best.
During this time of restricting movements and social distancing, reach out to the Ivy Wild ladies on their instagram, they’re more than happy to connect and help you find anything you might need to fill a gap in your makeup or skincare routine. The current hours may change depending on COVID19, so check with their IG account for the most up to date information.
As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!
XOXO, Kel
