
New season, new look, right? With the start of fall, you might want to take a second look at what’s inside your makeup bag — you know, those compacts that are worn down to their last nugget of powder and those bitty stubs stuck in your lipstick tube — stat. While you’re at it, it’s probably a good idea to toss the stuff with bad-for-you ingredients (like phthalates) that aren’t doing your face or the planet any favors. To that end, we’ve gathered the latest in green makeup (no chemicals here) that will not only get your face selfie-ready, but also give you a small sigh of relief that you’re doing good by using them. Scroll down for your new makeup besties, perfect for achieving a fresh fall face.
1. Jersey Shore Cosmetics All Natural Radiant Gold Leaf Highlighter ($22): The days are already getting shorter, and that golden glow you’ve been cultivating all summer long is starting to fade. This shimmery highlighter, which is 100% vegan, touts edible gold leaf as one of its ingredients, and will give you that luminous look you’ve grown to love long after the sun sets.
2. Jane Iredale Smooth Affair for Eyes ($32): Finding a creamy eye shadow that stays put is a lot like finding a great relationship — you want one that won’t budge and is in it for the long haul. This one can make the commitment: Pure coco glycerides and mineral powders make for a buttery-smooth finish without creases or smudges.
3. Pacifica Dream Big Mascara ($16): What makes this mascara unique isn’t the unicorn packaging (though that is pretty cool); it’s the two-in-one brush system that flicks from long to short with a twist. Natural plant fibers help build lashes up, while the long brush lengthens and the shorter brush fills in for more volume.
4. Klorane BB Eye Cream With Soothing Cornflower ($26): Like a double shot from Starbucks, this concealer will give your look the jolt it needs in the morning. Caffeine and cornflower water depuff (the cooling metal tip feels oh-so-good), while tinted, light-reflecting mineral pigments downplay dark shadows.
5. 100% Pure 2nd Skin Foundation Olive Squalane + Fruit Pigments ($45): Need a foundation that’s also good for your skin? Found: This one has extracts of peach, cherry, cocoa and pomegranate that deliver antioxidant vitamins to protect your complexion. And while most natural foundation formulas read sheer, this one doesn’t: The serum consistency builds for adjustable coverage.
6. Bare Minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor ($18): This cream-to-matte formula glides on super slick and doesn’t feel sticky or tacky going on; it lasts through kisses and cocktails. And no worries about finding that perfect nude shade for fall: This collection features a range of shades that complement any skin tone.
7. Zuzu Luxe Mosaic Illuminator ($30): Complexion looking a little dull from sun withdrawal? Give it a lift with the rich minerals and jojoba extracts in this bronzing palette. The honeycomb design picks up all of the highlighting shades and lights up your face for a luminous and pretty finish.
8. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush ($28): The main ingredient in this blush is natural clay from the Amazon that’s harvested and baked by the sun, making this powder totally nutrient-rich. Once you brush it on, it gives you a fade-free finish that lasts from morning to night.
Looking for more natural beauty beyond makeup? Visit our Pinterest for more must-haves.
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures