Earth Day Beauty Guide

Happy Earth Day my loves! We all enjoy dolling ourselves up, but if you love the planet, what are the best Earth-friendly beauty fixes?

Ingredients and packaging are your first clue.  Does your product use organic, natural ingredients? Avoid ingredients like parabens, petroleum, SLS, and phthalates.  Brands like L'Occitaine and Tarte Cosmetics strive for organic and natural ingredients.

Is the packaging recycled?  Does your favorite brand offer refilling programs when you bring your old bottles back in?  (Kiehl's boutique does, as do many local, independent boutiques).   About half of Burt's Bees products are 100% natural and the company is committed to post-consumer packaging and fair working conditions.

Next step, how does your favorite beauty brand manufacture?  Do they follow fair trade practices?  The Body Shop is a big promoter of fair trade practices with cultures around the world.  Aveda and Origins cosmetics use wind power (as opposed to electricity) and certified organic ingredients in their production.  Beauty brand Korres uses a steam generator to power manufacturing instead of electric or gas.

Does your beauty brand give back to the community?  Tarte Cosmetics also donates a percentage of proceeds to Winetowater.org.  The Body Shop's own foundation funds smaller organizations against human trafficking and environmental protection.

If you're going to look your best, make sure the world is around long enough to appreciate it!

Read more >>

Winter Beauty Survival Kit

N
YC winter is HARSH! The last week kicked my butt with the snow and the wind.  My winter beauty essentials for cold weather are all about pampering and moisturizing your skin.  These are all products I am actively using this season:

My top products for winter beauty:

I start every day with AHAVA Serum under my moisturizer.  My Mom introduced me to this brand when she visited Israel.  She has been a convert ever since.  In the winter, I change up my moisturizer depending on temperature, wind, sunscreen, etc. but the serum goes under it all.  It gives a burst of hydration that I found I can't do without right now.

My hands get super-dry between handling clothes, and forgetting gloves, so Jurlique Hand Cream that I was given as a gift has turned out to be a life saver for my cuticles and digits.

My sister and I can't live without our Kiehl's lip balm.  I prefer the tube with sunscreen.  She likes the tub.  About ten years ago I bought her a super size one more as a joke until six years later, she was still using it and all of her friends and family were disgusted.  I have now committed to buying her a new one every year to ensure that she will discard the old one.

I love the scent of Bliss Body Butter when I apply it before bed; it reminds of their spa.  However, my Hubby likes it too, and the citrus scent is just confusing me when worn by a man.  At least his skin is super soft.

For makeup, I love using Smashbox shimmery cream shadow.  It touts 15-hour wear, and I can't dispute it.  I like using it as a highlight, but also as a moisturizing base to help other shadows stick.   For holiday, I can't help but add some glitter too.  Urban Decay has a lot of fun colors in their Stardust product.

My hair is a mess in winter.  Fekkai Glossing Cream is the multi-tasking product I like to have in my bag.  The thick consistency is great for smoothing out my frizzy flyaways.  A light sweep of it over my hair, in general, is good for shine.  It is moisturizing, also good for the dryness my hair gets after being blasted by wind and sitting next to the office heater.

Essie Good To Go is just great because I beat the crap out of my nails.  It keeps the mani in check (and also stops a run in my tights).  Also, I have little patience; so I am grateful that it speeds up the polish drying noticeably.

 For all the products above, I either recently purchased, received as a gift from family or the brand itself to try.

OK, I need to know YOUR secrets for winter beauty... SPILL!

Read more >>