Safe hypoallergenic nickel and chrome free make up

Like many people, I struggle with allergies. Especially nickel and chrome are not doing me any pleasures.
A few years ago I learnt that nickel doesn't only appear in metal objects, but also in foods and cosmetics! Tomatoes, pears, all dried fruit, soy and everything out of a can are a big no no if your allergies are really severe. Chrome is used in the shoe industry to prepare the leather. Maybe those plastic flip flops aren't such a bad idea after all.

Cosmetics that have metal packaging take over particles of nickel, and in metallic eye shades and lipsticks, nickel or chrome is often present.
What I didn't know until very recently is that especially green make up always contains chrome. Since I have green eyes, I always use green eye pencils and shadows. No wonder my eyes were irritated all the time.

It is difficult for allergy sufferers to find affordable and beautiful make up that is hypoallergenic. Most "safe" make up is so expensive, as if suffering from an allergy on its own isn't bad enough. But is all hypoallergenic make up safe? Not every allergy proof make up is healthy. Reading about parabens and other poisonous chemicals in cosmetics, made me more aware of what we put on our skin. We do our skin more harm than good by using body lotions and cremes without knowing what they actually do. So now I try to research my cosmetics before I buy them. Online you can find some great database websites that show you the ingredients of your product and how safe they are.

I found an affordable make up range of a UK manufacturer, Eye Care Cosmetics. They make make up for allergy sufferers and contact lense wearers, are not secretive about their ingredients, and state that their products are perfume-, paraben-, nickel- and chrome free. They even have a nickel and chrome free green eye make up range. They don't use animal ingredients, and don't test their products on animals. We like it that way!

I tested their mascara, lipstick, eye pencil (green!), blush, nail polish and make up remover, and I must say: I'm a fan! No more watery eyes. The lipstick and eye pencil have very good lasting power, the mascara is great, and the make up remover is gentle, yet it removes all make up perfectly.

The nail polish is my least favorite of the products I tested. The bottle is small, which isn't a problem to itself, because it gives you the chance to buy more colors and finish them before they dry out. But the opening of the bottle is smaller than a regular bottle, and the brush is regular size. So it takes some aiming to put the brush back into the bottle without creasing the hairs. When the polish is on the nails, it scratches quicker than other brands that I've used. This won't stop me from using it though, because the Eye Care nail polish does not contain the poisonous toluene, formol and colophane, as most other brands do.

This might sound strange, and is probably due to my allergy for nickel, but when I put on nail polish of another brand, my nails seemed to feel heavy or blocked from air. I don't experience this with the Eye Care nail polish.

 It's a shame Eye Care doesn't have a selling point nearby. Choosing the right color of foundation cream is difficult in a webshop, on a screen. But maybe, if the brand gets more popular, more dealers will appear.

Do you have any allergies? Do you research your cosmetics before you buy them? What hypoallergenic brand do you use?