The Clean Beauty Edit founder on how to achieve the skin of dreams

Do you long to glow and be forever youthful?

Us too. However, it's no easy feat finding beauty products that can deliver. Do they even exist? What does exist are people and businesses on a mission to supply natural, eco-friendly products that work. One of these is Dawn Mayne, founder of The Clean Beauty Edit — a green queen's go-to natural beauty emporium, where you'll find results-driven and responsible beauty products. Dawn, who's a mum of two, had been struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, osteopenia and hormonal imbalances for a number of years. She eventually grew tired of feeling out of balance and being on heavy medication, which she felt was doing "more harm than good". So, she cut out sugar, alcohol, gluten, dairy and processed foods and swapped in organic foods, meditation and yoga. Dawn says:

"My arthritis went into remission, my bone loss slowed and my hormones balanced. It was a complete revelation and one which I really want to share with the world."

"A natural part of my own personal journey has also been making more conscious and ethical choices as a consumer, so it was very important to me that The Clean Beauty Edit was a sustainable business and one that took ethics seriously."

And so, taking inspiration and motivation from such a pivotal, testing time, and then overcoming it all, Dawn launched The Clean Beauty Edit in January 2019. Being true to its eco-friendly promise, even the brands packaging is something to rave about. It's 100 percent compostable, and it ships with DHL which offers a carbon-neutral shipping programme that includes having a 70 percent clean delivery service within the next five years. So what about its beautiful non-toxic, cruelty-free and many vegan products? Firm favourites include The Organic Pharmacy (I can confirm, it's majestic stuff), Evolve Beauty, Innersense (the organic haircare that is incredibly popular with The Clean Beauty edit customers all over Europe) and others like Beauty Kubes (they're as sustainable as haircare gets), deodorant from US brand Agent Nateur and vibrant nail polish from Ella+Mila.

"We look for brands that have an excellent reputation in terms of effective formulations, that are difficult for our customers to source here in Ireland and that share the same values in terms of ethics and sustainability that we do."

Whether you believe in new year's resolutions or not, there's no time like the present to start taking care of your skin, so we asked Dawn where might be a good place to start.

"I would usually advise swapping out deodorant and skincare first. Agent Nateur deodorants are so sleekly packaged, very natural and completely effective! "Pick the products that you use every day or products that cover large areas of your body and start swapping them for clean versions as they run out. You don't need to swap everything all at once unless you're suffering from a health issue that you want to tackle ASAP.

"If you have never used facial oils before, they offer visible results very quickly and are usually suitable for all skin types, including oily ones!"

She also recommends buying organic beauty products where possible, as they're much better for both your health and the planet.

"The best advice I can give is to do your own research on ingredients, use resources like the Think Dirty app and ewg.org's SkinDeep database to find out more about the ingredients that you should be avoiding. It takes a little research and commitment on your part in the beginning but it won't be long until you are able to make an informed decision on every product you buy and it will be so beneficial to your health and the condition of your skin and hair in the long run."

With all this talk of beautifying ourselves with natural products, we were curious as to how Dawn herself is finding the green life.

"All these things make me feel good about who I am and the direction that I'm going because I'm proud of my choices. Switching to all-clean beauty products has given me the glowiest, healthiest skin of my life which is nice as the wrinkles begin to creep in around my eyes! As a result, I use far less makeup than I did in my twenties and I just feel more comfortable being makeup-free when I look in the mirror."

Who knows, we might just save on the cost of beauty by going green after all.

Dawn's fix-me-up-ASAP products:

For body

Dawn credits using a dry brush to put life back into skin and help the body eliminate toxins, but if you need an extra boost of overall glow, The Organic Pharmacy's Detox Body Oil (€47) nourishes and invigorates, and you can use it with the dry brush too if you so wish.

For your pretty face

Allow your skin to glow with Nunaïa's Nourishing Radiance Serum (€79). It's Irish and it's an "ultra-pure, 99.5 percent organic facial oil that contains an array of superfood ingredients to deeply hydrate, calm and revive dull skin". "It feels so indulgent to use, it's from a highly ethical and sustainable brand, it's beautifully packaged and it gives such a beautiful healthy glow."

For glossy locks

Dawn recommends banishing traditional shampoo and conditioners for the plastic-free and all-natural Beauty Kubes and I myself can confirm these work a charm, plus, they're SO affordable at €12. "They're such a simple and affordable product, they're easy to use and so much better for the environment without sacrificing your glossy locks."

Her's picks:

Speaking from my own experience, products that might be helpful include the Lily Lolo BB Cream which is superb for simply achieving a healthy colour on the skin and having that no-makeup feel on the skin. Plus, it's silicone-free and contains anti-ageing properties for just €18. Thirteen years on the market and a firm favourite is the Natural Almond Mascara by Ere Perez (€27). It contains almond oil to lengthen and strengthen, it's water-resistant and it's smudge-proof.  It's also perfect for sensitive eyes.