Originally from Medellin, Colombia, Manu Rosa (Manuela Torres) migrated to the United States in 2003. She currently resides in Miami but has been living in New York seasonally since 2018 to hone in on her acting career. Manu Rosa has worked on shows such as: Law And Order, SVU, The Deuce, The Good Fight, Madam Secretary and landed her first speaking role in a series called La Suerte De Loli on Telemundo. While in Miami, she works as a massage therapist, aesthetician, makeup artist, and plans on attending acupuncture school. She is Permaculture Pinup's Mz. May 2021.

Beauty guide written by Manu Rosa:

Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit environmental group that works to help consumers make the most educated decisions about the products they use or are thinking of consuming. EWG has a campaign and tool on their webiste called "Skin Deep", which is fabulous. You can check if the makeup and skincare products you are using are good for you, with a scale from EWG verified (0) to 10. You can look at anything from Neutrogena to Eminence Organic Skincare.

"Clean At Sephora" is "clean products" that they categorize for people who would like products with less harmful chemicals. However, it may be a really good, "clean" product but then the packaging is not recyclable or reusable. It’s very hard to find a company that covers all its bases in terms of sustainability, the efficacy of a product, clean ingredients, and affordability.

EG. Tatcha is a very popular Japanese skincare line with some fabulous clean products (that I love) but their packaging, is not recyclable.

There are companies making efforts to become more sustainable as they see the demand we, as the consumers, have. Recycled plastics are a temporary solution that eventually goes to waste regardless, and just because something is recyclable or refillable doesn't mean it actually gets recycled or refilled. There's a long way to go to making this system truly circular and accessible, but at least some companies are trying. Your money is like a little vote toward what you want in the world. I’m not saying I’m always perfect in the choices I make but I like to learn from from my mistakes and try to do the best I can. We can all do this.

As someone who has struggled a lot with their skin type and condition, I have explored many products and solutions to try to resolve my battle with adult acne and oily skin. I have a problem with texture and my oil production makes it very hard for my makeup to stay on.

I have found that nutrition is, of course, a HUGE factor but as an esthetician, topical remedies also provide fabulous results and I have learned to use tools like makeup primers, setting powders, and sprays to help makeup stay.

Also keep in mind that if you want makeup with less texture and want it to look as natural as possible, it all starts with skincare and nutrition!

EMINENCE ORGANIC SKINCARE

One of my favorite skincare lines is Eminence Organic Skincare, they’re based out of Hungary, they have their own organic farm where they source the ingredients for their formulas. I first began working with the products when I was in esthetics school and they are very effective. I have seen them make a difference on my own skin. Definitely check them out!

LIVE ULTIMATE

I have been working together with a company called Live Ultimate, they’re Miami-based. They’re organic, non-GMO, EWG verified. Their top selling products are their amazing supplements the “Shrooms” and the “Elixir” but they also have a skincare line. They have a refreshing citrus facial cleanser, a Camu-complex serum, a moisturizer, a night cream and an eye cream.

Many of the people that have tried the products for themselves have seen amazing results, beautifying from the inside out!!

You can use my ambassador link https://liveultimate.com/manu/ to try them for yourself!

I absolutely love their supplements and I have used the skincare products, they’re really nice but I have more complex skin than most.

TARTE

You mentioned Tarte, they have some great products that have low EWG rating. They are efficient products that provide that result of coverage and lasting (love them) but their packaging is not recyclable. Despite their whole platform being based on having naturally-derived ingredients. The good thing about Tarte is that they seem to actively be trying to do something about it!

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS

I love Anastasia Beverly Hills, they are cruelty-free and vegan. Their price tag is high but so is the efficacy of their products. They have products with low EWG ratings. I love their eyeshadows, they’re very pigmented. I also love their powder contour and highlight palette. I noticed that their shadows and powder contour palettes are made of a sort of cardboard material? And I haven’t gotten the chance to try their foundations but I want to, they seem to be in glass bottles which if cleaned well, should be able to be recycled.

HOURGLASS

And lastly, I really like Hourglass, they are cruelty-free and vegan, they also have products with low EWG ratings. As far as their sustainability, the packaging of the foundation I like to use is made of glass, they have refillable lipsticks (I looked at the refills and they seem to have plastic around them anyway but I guess it’s an effort to reduce packaging?) I think they have some products you can easily recycle and some not so much. It's about making your most educated decision as the consumer. I personally like them because of the efficacy of their products, the foundation actually stays on my skin all day! As a South Florida resident, I deal with my makeup melting off regularly and so far, this has been working very very well. The price tag is high but I have been satisfied so far and think it's worth it.

The social media algorithms must know I’ve been looking into solutions for my waste problem because about a year ago I first heard about his organization called Wands for Wildlife ®. They were inspiring people around the world to help wild animals and the environment through the re-purposing of discarded mascara wands (spoolies). These are usually made of plastic and will end up in a landfill. However they’ve stopped their collection of wands due to the events of 2020. I’m hoping they will continue their efforts to help wildlife while repurposing used makeup tools. This is the only organization I know of this sort, I would also love to see other efforts like this emerge (hint hint anyone looking for a purpose-driven hobby)!

Wands for Wildlife began as a program at Appalachian Wildlife Refuge and had grown into an organization with a global reach. It started in March of 2017, when a social media post went viral asking for used mascara wands to help remove fly eggs and larva from the fur and feathers of wild animals. Appalachian Wild’s Executive Director, Savannah Trantham created that original post and shares, “Appalachian Wild is thrilled that this program has grown to the extent that it has and will continue to bring awareness for wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation on a much larger scale." Thank you Savannah!

Well that was the short list so... if you have questions, reach out!

You can follow me on Instagram @manuchromatik

And check out my interview on Permaculture Pinup HERE!

Photographer: Robin Walker