While I'm impressed with Aveda's green attitude, I have to say I'm disappointed in their product. When you visit their website, their products are taylored for model runway looks, not the average woman. I could not see myself wearing any of the "looks" they boast. I also think it's not green for the consumer to have to buy the product to try it. I'm glad they've created a refillable compact, but you have to refill the entire collection at once.

I personally use Mary Kay, whose compacts are also refillable but better because you can refill for each individual eye color, foundation, or cheek color! No more using one color and throwing away the whole compact! Plus, with Mary Kay you get to try ANY of their products before purchasing! In addition, I've found that Mary Kay has to best on-trend looks for everyday wear.

hmmm. my only problem with aveda cosmetics is the colors are too muted. as to mary kay, i like that everything is refillable, but what are the actual cosmetics made of? i kno aveda isnt perfect, but they do try to have their products be as eco friendly and gentle as possible. not to mention i associate mary kay with grandmothers, even my 60 year old mother wont touch the stuff.

to each their own i guess, i do rachel perry, beauty without cruelty, and burts bees for my every day stuff, but when i want some color i head to the urban decay counter at ulta, vivid colors, and they mark every product on their website with whether its vegan or not. same with hard candy, who are owned by the same company.

has anyone tried anything from lushbox? they advertise in "bust" and ive seen them on etsy, and the products are intruiging, supposedly safe perfumes in actual modern scents, and reasonably priced mineral powder makeup...but im apprehensive to order until i see what anyone else thinks.

Hillary, you should check out the compact, because your concerns are not real. First, you can walk into any Aveda store and try out the products. Second, you can replace the colors in the compacts pan by pan. Also, the women in Aveda ads obviously look like models, but that's no reason to think that their products aren't great for regular people. I've been using Aveda cosmetics for about a year now, and have found them to be wonderful. So no reason for concern.

Errr...Hillary's email address seems to be "hrothrock@marykay.com" -- guess we know why she commented as she did.

I actually work for an AVEDA concept salon & spa and crysteena is correct, the envirometal line is totally interchangeable piece by piece you can have your whole makeup collection (daytime and evening) in one little compact. As far as the concerns of muted colors, AVEDA comes out with seasonal makeup that sometimes has deepr or more vibrate tones. Last summer we had an almost flourescent orange and pink lip stick and eyeshadowing stick. This winter we introduced shimmery jewel tones that were very stunning. The trick with AVEDA's make up is that it is "Buildable" meaning it is meant to be layered to create anything from a light look to a deeper look. What's also great is they come up with items that are multi use such as the Uruku line which can be used as an eye shadow pigment, lip pigment or cheek pigment, which is more cost efficient and lets your really get your money's worth on your makeup. Also like mineral based makeups, AVEDA makeup is actually food for your skin. Since it is all organic and natural based, its full of vitamins and positive health properties for keeping a healthy face. If you ever pass an AVEDA store in a mall or AVEDA salon, please feel free to stop by and get some great freebies. Besides being offered comforting tea upon greeting, they give hand massages, aroma sensory journeys (which are mini aromatherapy sessions) and complimentary makeup touch-ups. And the complimentary treatments you get with actual salon and spa services are tremendous bonuses. Definately go in for an "experience" if you get the chance. At the very least it will be a nice pick me up for your day.

i use & sell Miessence Certified Organics skin care & cosmetics, so it shouldn't surprise you folks that i also highly recommend these products. like mary kay, they are are a mlm biz, but after that the resemblence stops there.

i think ANY company that wants to integrate sustainability and organics in their products ought to be applauded, and as consumers we have the power to vote with our dollar. i vote by switching to a truly pure, natural & organic skin regimen, and AVEDA who has long been committed towards this direction is definitely on the right track.

Have any of you women out there heard of ARBONNE? Talk about a certified VEGAN line and recycled packaging..... that MK rep. that has been posting comments about how great her products are is uninformed about what she is actually putting on her skin. Cosmetics on the US market today are made up of mineral oil (refined oil as one puts in their car) and this ingredient is in over 94% of the products on the market. Also, most cosmetics like MK have animal by-product in them, that means instead of putting on lipstick one is really applying cow fat....Most mascara is made up of rat poop.... and so forth. If you would like to hear more or are interested in trying something different, with amazing REsults let me know!

IN DEFENSE... THE MAKE UP IS GREAT... ITS LIGHT THOUGH. I PERSONALLY NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EVER USE IT, BUT I WAS TRANSFORMED. I THINK THE MAKE UP IS REALLY FOR ANYONE. NOT JUST A "RUNWAY MODEL" KEYWORD WAS RUNWAY MODEL... MAKE-UP ARTISTS USE MORE MAKEUP FOR MORE DRAMATIC LOOKS TO CREATE DRAMA. SO NO I BELIEVE THAT WHO EVER DISAGREES WITH ME LET ME PROVE YOU WRONG, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IF SOMEONE SHOWED YOU "CORRECTLY" THEN YOU WOULDNT BE DISSATISFIED. THE COLORS ARE MUTED YES.. SOME BUT THERE ARE WAYS FOR WORKING AROUND THAT AND MAKING THEM JUST AS VIBRANT AS MAC, CHANEL, AND LANCOME, "TRY USING A PALE EYESHADOW FIRST BEFORE APPLYING THE FINAL COLOR." THANKS

ARBONNE IS VEGAN CERTIFIED AND HAS THE FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT SEAL OF APPROVAL. ENOUGH SAID???

Me again. I am a MK consultant for personal use. Meaning I dont "sell" MK. I use my status to purchase my products for personal use at 50% off and I fill orders for family and friends. I really so love MK and have tried numerous products. Plus, you should NOT try makeup at the stores! It's filled with bacteria and yeast! All MK makeup is individually packaged and you can return anything for a full refund.

Wow, Liz. You should probably do some research yourself. I checked around, and Mary Kay is FDA approved, PETA approved (meaning zero animal testing), and the #1 best-selling brand of skin care and cosmetics in the U.S. Not only do they not use animal fat, they don't even use animal-derived glycerin. By contrast, Arbonne is actually listed in the top ten "Companies of Concern" by the Environmental Working Group. Before you post heresay online (or spread it in your classes), you should probably back it up with research.

FYI: Just so consumers know, "Vegan Certified" is not an all-inclusive label. According to PETA's website, Arbonne is not exclusively vegan (meaning at least some of the products are not). The person who answered the phone at 1-800-ARBONNE supported that assessment.

First off I will say that I am a long time Aveda user and work in an Aveda salon so you know which product I am defending.

Aveda's cosmetic line has always been put down because we have muted colors... and I will admit that is true. We don't have those intense purples and greens that cosmetic lines such as MAC have. The reason for that is that Aveda is 98% pure plant and flower essences... to get those pop colors that you love so much it would require ingrediants that not only aren't plant derived, they are just plain disgusting. (think fish scales for your metallics) But if you really desire those bright colors do a bit of layering and you can achieve those looks with Aveda as well.

Aveda Makeup is a natural mineral makeup, but unlike popular mineral makeup lines like bare essentials, Aveda also has flower emolliants in them so it won't dry your skin out like Bare Essentials tends to do.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day!