And isn’t it a shame when you think of all the joy we miss out on as a result.

I look back on my almost 31 years and wonder when it was that I stopped being so trusting, and learned to approach life with a greater sense of skepticism.  I can remember back when I moved to Manhattan in my early twenties, there were so many people around me who were thriving, so many people making their dreams come true there.  But my story there was not such a successful one.

For me life felt too hard.  I was still young, and silly, and Southern.  I had starry eyes and trusted first, thought later.  Of course this led to some heartbreak, some disappointment and a lot of learning lessons the hard way.

I changed a lot during my time there.  I forgot who I was and what I stood for.  But when I left the Big Apple for California, I had plenty of time to reflect, rethink, and recharge my spiritual self.  I surrounded myself with a few of the greatest people I will ever know, but still years later, I am trying to relearn how to trust first and risk the consequences.

What is a shame, however, is that as a consumer there is still a need for, if not skepticism, then extreme caution.  In a day and age of greenwashing (using words like natural, eco-friendly and green to imply a product is better for the planet than it actually is) and inaccurate allergen statements (like calling something gluten-free when measures have not been taken to avoid contamination during processing).

Perhaps that’s the core reason why I created Gluten Free Beauty.  I was tired of even some of the most well-reputed natural makeup and skin care companies including ingredients that are not very healthy.  After all, isn’t half the purpose of saving up for high quality makeup that it is good for your skin, so that you don’t always have to wear makeup?