Have you ever stopped to read the ingredients on your favorite lip gloss or mascara? If so, was the listing easy to find, and did you recognize the names of most of the ingredients? We at EAF are so happy to bring you this review of Dalish Cosmetics, a natural beauty line born in Toronto that's cruelty-free, transparent about its ingredients, and allergy-friendly. Aside from their promise of quality we're in love with the colours and textures of their products.

For many years I consistently used the same brand of cosmetics (which I won't name here) that claimed to be allergy tested and non-irritating. It was my trusted, go-to brand. That is until one day I had a very unfortunate experience. 

I was given a sample of the line's new face cream and was so eager to try it out. I asked the woman working at the makeup counter if it contained any ingredients derived from dairy, nuts, peanuts, or legumes; the foods I'm allergic to. She assured me that it did not and that since everything from this company was allergy tested it should not be irritating to my skin. I happily went home and slathered it on before heading to class. Almost immediately my skin started to feel tight and itchy. I looked in the mirror and there were puffy hives forming all over my face. I ran into the washroom and scrubbed it off, then took a Benadryl to help my skin calm down and relieve the itching. Then I hid my blotchy face in my hoodie while I walked to class. 

Later I tried looking up the ingredients online but couldn't find anything - the product was only just released, afterall. So I went back to the cosmetics counter and asked a different consultant what the cream was made of and if it contained any dairy. She brightly responded that oh yes, the cream was milk-based! *Face palm*

It was at that moment that I began to realize how important it was to know what went into the products I was putting on my skin, lips, and lashes. I've shifted to natural makeup and Dalish is the perfect brand for me. Their website has easy to find ingredients lists that are in a legible sized font, and proudly displays the percentage of ingredients that are derived from natural ingredients.

The palettes above and below show two very different looks that can be created with many of the same products. Just by switching up a lip colour or enhancing the cheekbones this makeup can take you from day to night, and summer to fall. 

Jo and I are modelling the quintessential Dalish look - fresh faced and dewy. Our looks were applied by Tracy of Mint Makeup, who specializes in no-makeup makeup and only uses natural makeup products (how many times can you say that fast?). On each of us she used the Silk to Matte Foundation, mine in shade 2 and Jo's in shade 3. Then she added some of the versatile lip and cheek balm in bronze to highlight our cheekbones, and some Highlighter to give us a glow. We each got a coat of mascara and Tracy used some of the product on an angle brush as liner which I thought was a neat trick. I'm wearing a Matte Finish Lipstick in Nude and Jo is wearing one in Barbie Pink.

Anyone who knows me knows that I can't go more than 15 minutes without a good laugh. All hail crease-proof makeup!

We wanted to test out a night look as well so Tracy added a second coat of mascara, a bit more liner, and some Cream Shadow in Charcoal to elevate the look. 

It was just a quick touch-up and we were good to go!

How much did you love this review? We'll be doing more reviews and playing around with looks using Dalish Cosmetics so make sure you check back! 

Photos by Cailen McQuattie

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