Emmily Banks is Australia’s leading natural and organic makeup artist and the inspiring founder of Depths of Beauty.

Emmily is passionate about ditching toxic brands in favour of natural beauty using the highest quality products. We sat down with this organic makeup maven to find out the best brands in the biz and how we can make the switch with eyes wide open.

WHY THE SWITCH TO NATURAL BEAUTY?

Health and wellbeing has always been a priority in my life. When I decided to study Makeup Artistry as a nineteen year old, I was also tossing up studying a Naturopathy course, so it’s not much of a surprise to me that I’m now practicing and teaching the importance of using natural beauty. I reached a point as a Makeup Artist of six years, when I realised I had the potential to influence others to make healthier choices when it comes to what they use on their skin. I became uncomfortable with representing products and brands that I knew were “getting the job done” but weren’t necessarily beneficial or nourishing for the skin. When I started looking into natural beauty, I realised there were products that were just as effective as the toxic mainstream brands. It was then that I made the full transition and started using only natural, organic, eco-friendly and cruelty free brands.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 SUMMER MAKE-UP ESSENTIALS?

1. Organic oils to nourish, protect and moisturise my face and body are essential. I love a mix of oils, especially jojoba, rose hip, avocado, coconut and argan.

2. Toxin-free sunscreen is a must. I currently use Wotnot and Soleo.

3. BB cream or a tinted moisturiser for the face. I love Lamav BB Cream as a daily foundation and sunscreen in one.

4. Bronzer to give that extra bit of glow – Ere Perez Duo Bronzers are my favourite.

5. Tinted lip balm is a must for me. I have used Hurraw Organic Cherry tinted lip balm for years now. This one doubles as cream blush too.

WHAT’S YOUR ‘SECRET WEAPON’ – THE PRODUCT THAT YOU USE ON ALMOST EVERY CLIENT?

The one makeup artist secret weapon is always a highlighter. I without a doubt use it on every single client and photo shoot to add that extra touch of radiance and natural glow. My favourites are from Ere Perez, W3ll People and RMS Beauty.

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR READERS TRYING TO ‘COME CLEAN’?

1. Wear less, more often. Start loving the skin you are in. Wear less makeup and wash your face clean the second you get home.

2. Swap the products that cover the largest surface area of your body, for example body wash, moisturisers, fake tan, sunscreen and deodorant.

3. Focus on switching the easier beauty products that don’t require colour matching, for example mascara, face moisturiser, eye shadow, and eyeliner.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PRODUCTS TO SWITCH OUT WITH NATURALS?

With all of the amazing natural and organic brands and products on the market, the most challenging part is for people to know what is best for them and where to find it. The most difficult product to match is foundation. It just depends if you have dry or oily skin and like light coverage or full etc. Without having tested them all, it would be rather tricky to work out what is best. I have a full foundation review on my site though – so that is a helpful start.

WHAT INGREDIENTS SHOULD CONSUMERS AVOID?

Some of the main and most common offenders are synthetic fragrance which contains phthalates, a known carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. Also synthetic preservatives, like parabens, though there’s also many more that have all sorts of long and confusing names, like phenoxethanol and formaldehyde, hence why I think its easier to just start using and supporting certified organic and natural products. You can see the full list of main offenders here.

WHERE DO YOU SHOP FOR ORGANIC AND NATURAL PRODUCTS?

You can find some products in health food stores and online stores. My go-tos are between Beautiful Because and Nourished Life.

There are only two Organic brands I trust that you can find in large mainstream shopping centres and they are RMS Beauty and Ilia. Both of these brands were released into Mecca earlier this year – halellujah! Natural Beauty is going mainstream – finally.

WHAT BEAUTY ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

Stop covering your body with the mainstream toxic products. You are far more beautiful without two inches of makeup and fake tan.

Stay up to date with Emmily’s latest finds and eco beauty tips on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Liked this? Try reading “TOM Organic named Australian organic business of the year.”