We recently chatted to Natalia, founder and CEO of No Nasties, the Australian company playing a fun part in the natural cosmetic movement, creating beautiful and colourful, non-toxic items for kids.
Can you tell us about No Nasties Makeup?
No Nasties Makeup is an Australian owned company creating all natural kids play makeup, face paint and hair chalk.
There are also 9 “peeps” in our range, all starting with the letter “n” for No Nasties, with cute little faces and stories to read on our website www.nonastiesmakeup.com.au
All of our products are made by our team of mums in Sydney, Australia from 100% natural ingredients. We deliver beautiful, recycled brown paper packages of fun from our family to yours.
What inspired you to start the company?
I actually have 43 allergies and made the shift to all things natural approximately 4 years ago now in a last ditch effort to get well. When I began to investigate what I was using on my skin, making the switch to all natural cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries was a no brainer!
I am a proud mum of two beautiful girls and I started switching to all natural products for them and my home too (including Wotnot!)
My eldest daughter was gifted a play makeup set and I was shocked to read the ingredients list which included toxic chemicals and metal! There was no way I was going to allow her to put it on her skin so it was swiftly thrown away and I had to bribe her with my natural makeup (which isn’t cheap!).
After that little incident I decided to make her some play makeup myself and it really just snow balled from there!
Why is it so important to avoid “nasty” ingredients, especially on children?
I think it is really important to educate ourselves on the type of nasty ingredients that can be found in the most seemingly mundane products. For example, some face paint sets that can be purchased for a few dollars over Halloween include umpteen chemicals, which when ingested, can cause nausea, vomiting, hyperactivity, migraines, digestive issues or blurred vision… Our skin is our largest organ and what we put onto our skin is absorbed into our blood stream.
Children’s skin is especially sensitive, even if they are lucky enough not to have some skin sensitivity such as eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis. We often hear that children who have broken out in rashes using standard toxic play makeup or face paint have no reaction to our all natural products which means that they are able to play and have fun without worrying side effects!
Do you have a favourite product/s? Why?
I love our play makeup sets, mainly because I have two princesses myself. The eyeshadows are so shimmery and smooth and the balms smell, taste and feel great!
I actually use our blush for myself… It is a really nice neutral colour and is all natural.
Overall I love that our colours are age appropriate, light shimmery pastel shades and the balms are really natural and light… think more Cinderella and less three ugly sisters!
Can you share any tips for mums on natural parenting (or healthy living etc)?
Education is the key. I have learnt that some products labeled as “organic” or “natural” can actually be the opposite, so knowing the difference is important.
As a parent, we are always trying to do the best we can for our kids, so my main tip is to learn as much as you can so that you can easily make the best decision for your family.
What philosophy do you live by?
I really try to live every day to the fullest. Life can whiz by so fast (normally earmarked by the baby who is suddenly 7) and counting blessings every day is important to me.
I don’t often wait for tomorrow to do something…
