Move over C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine! You've been blown out of the water (or, rather, off the shelves) by a new gal on the market: Green by Nature™ Lip Glazes.
Green by Nature™ Lip Glazes are 95% natural. They contain pure peppermint oil to freshen breath, fruit oils for a uniquely yummy taste, are petrolatum-free. Did I mention they cost about $3 less than Mentha Lip Shine?
Pretty factor: Like most women, I've tried countless lip glosses, but these are by far the best bang for your buck. They boast rosehip seed oil, which is rich in fatty acids and vitamin A. Shea butter, pistachio oil, avocado oil, and aloe leaf extract offer superb hydration.
Eco factor: No parabens, petroleum, mineral oil, propylene glycol, or synthetic color and fragrance. The company is a member of 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that give at least one percent of their annual sales to environmental organizations.
September 22, 2008
NEW Target-Sold Line: Green by Nature™ Lip Glazes
September 11, 2008
Kiss My Face Lemon Verbana Organic Shower Gel & Body Scrub
Most beauty editors have products that they'll easily plunk down big bucks for (usually shampoo and skincare) and those that they'll—shock—slip into the drugstore to get. Shower gels and body scrubs fall into this latter category for me. I won't spend two meals' worth of money on them when no one has ever said, "Wow, you have such smooth, beautiful kneecaps!"
Besides, I excitedly snatched up NUDE Skincare's Moisturising Body Polish ($52!) at a beauty sale at work last month only to discover that it had the cohesiveness of a dry muffin. When I tried to smooth it on my arms, chunks literally came flying off. I'm not a morning person to begin with and certainly don't care to bump into my shower walls, picking up chunks of "damn $52 body scrub" (that's now sitting in a corner of my shower, like a kid in timeout).
Last week, a co-worker who runs a blog called Beauty Maverick gave me Kiss My Face's Lemon Verbana Organic Shower Gel & Body Scrub. And it's perfect. Here's why:
Pretty factor: This two-in-one cleanser/scrub contains very mild surfactants to clean your skin without drying, jojoba beads to exfoliate without harshness, and aloe and chamomile to soothe. Lemon extract plus orange flower and lemongrass waters give a light, energizing aroma that's perfect for morning.
Eco factor: It contains organic botanicals and no parabens, synthetic colors or dyes. No animal testing either.
September 4, 2008
The Republican National Convention and "Drill, Baby, Drill!"
This post is 24 hours late, but I have a full-time job in addition to Eco*Pretty and can't keep quiet on this one topic. So, it'll have to be better late than never. I know this is a touchy discussion and risk offending some readers. But journalists aren't—and shouldn't be—meek people.
The Republican National Convention on Wednesday night made me want to drink gin out of the cat dish, as my favorite writer, Anne Lamott, would say. The pugnacious Giuliani-Palin combo and their crowds had me slumped on the couch, not knowing whether to pray or fetch a cold compress.
Republicans confound me. And I say this as a political moderate and practicing Christian. I have a hard time understanding a people with jolly, cherubic faces and frequent invocations of God—who can hurl insults with a ferocity that would make the devil blush.
Obviously, both political parties do their share of mug-slinging. But comparing the speeches at the two conventions, negativities from the Democrats seemed more like rational critiques instead of mean-spirited attacks. Palin's put-down of Obama's "community organizing" on Chicago's South Side was particularly low. She clearly knows nothing about the neighborhood—which is more tough, diverse and populous than Wasilla and Juneau combined.
But more than any other moment during the evening, I was appalled at all the signs and chanting of "Drill, baby, drill! Drill, baby, drill!" Maybe I'm reading the wrong articles, but every news report I've come across about drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has said that 1) it won't lower gas prices and 2) its oil would last us a pathetically short time. Not to mention, of course, that it would destroy wildlife. Remember 1989's Exxon Valdez oil spill? I was only a fifth-grader when it happened but remember the images of lifeless, oil-soaked birds and otters.
Drilling in the ANWR would be like pouring vinegar on a limb that needs to be amputated; a quick fix but not even that. We need to rapidly work to end not only foreign oil dependence but dependence on oil period. More time, energy, and money should be spent researching and developing cleaner, lasting sources of energy. This seems like common sense.
September 1, 2008
NEW Origins Organics Totally Pure Deodorant
For me, and maybe for many of you, finding a natural deodorant that works has ranked just below finding the fountain of youth. I had nice results with Kiss My Face's Liquid Rock, but its ho-hum scent left me desiring more.
Origins knew better. It packed its new Totally Pure Deodorant with odor-neutralizing, bacteria-killing essential oils. It left my underarms smelling blissfully like one of their boutiques for several hours during a hot, active trip to Boston this past weekend. My friend used it as well and was similarly impressed. Like every natural deo' I've used, I do have to re-apply once during the day. But this one's irresistible scent and spray form (no white streaks on shirts!) place it above the others.
Pretty factor: The woodsy, masculine smell of organic clove and ylang ylang, combined with the more feminine-scented lavender and palmorosa essential oils create an alluring, unisex scent that works for both men and women. White willow bark exfoliates underarms and keeps pores clean.
Eco factor: Organic ingredients; no aluminum, parabens, petrochemicals, or synthetic colors and fragrances
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