Spring has finally sprung in Chicago. Since moving here five months ago—where it has since hovered around 28° degrees—I've been awaiting spring like a prisoner awaits his release day. So, in light of the sunshine and warmer weather, blooming daffodils and budding trees, I thought it timely to feature two beautiful products by Talulah Skincare, an ultra clean, nearly 100% organic line that I recently learned of.
Pretty factor: Talulah's Verbena Calming Hydrosol is a perfect spritz to use after cleansing or throughout the day to purify and uplift. It has one of the loveliest ingredients lists I've come across: organic chamomile, immortelle flower, rose, cucumber, an infusion of several herbs, fermented grape sugars, rose petal extract, and vitamin C. I'd like to bathe in it.
At night, follow the hydrosol with Talulah's Vervain Flower Healing Complex, a cellular rejuvenator thanks to a density of bio-active botanicals like echinacea, immortelle flower, calendula and pumpkin seed oil. It's ideal for wrinkled, weakened, tired-looking and scarred skin—in other words, everyone!
Eco factor: Talulah is one of the purest of the pure lines. Their handcrafted products contain only 100% fresh, organic flower and plant extracts and come in elegant glass, not plastic, bottles.
To buy: $28 for the Verbana Calming Hydrosol and $32 for the Vervain Flower Healing Complex at talulahskincare.com
April 20, 2009
Flower-Power Products by Talulah Skincare
July 1, 2008
The Body Deli Skincare: Raw, Fresh and Food-Based
Many natural beauty companies boast that their products are "so pure you can eat them." I recently discovered a line in which that is almost the case.
The Body Deli, based in Palm Springs, uses so many fresh food ingredients that some of their goods actually ship with an ice pack and require fridge storage. Equally cool: The brand's fans include Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson and Alicia Silverstone.
I’ve been using the best-selling Cucumber Juice Elixir daily for the past month. Kept in the frig, it's perfect for summer—an anti-inflammatory cocktail of organic aloe vera, cucumber juice and chamomile soothe the skin while barley grass and spirulina feed it a wealth of nutrients.
Another delectable top seller: the Blueberry Fusion Scrub, which
Eco factor: Body Deli products contain fresh, organic plant, fruit and veggie extracts. No sulfates, parabens, silicones, petrochemicals, or synthetic colors and fragrances
April 7, 2008
Suki Concentrated Balancing Toner with White Willow Salicins
I recently gushed about Suki's Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, which has quickly become my favorite face wash. I'd like to now wax enthusiastic about its Concentrated Balancing Toner, which I've also been using the past month. These two products have transformed my skin from acneic-oily to combo-normal. Here's why the toner is amazing:
Pretty factor: First, Suki products are ultra pure and free of all these irritating and potentially pore-clogging ingredients. This toner's star ingredient is white willow bark—a natural form of salicylic acid—which exfoliates and cleans out pores without irritation or dryness. It additionally contains organic chamomile and aloe vera to reduce inflammation and redness, and vitamin C to repair via boosting new collagen production.
Eco factor: Suki products contain organic ingredients and are packaged in eco-friendly materials like recycled stock, vegetable ink and glass (never plastic). The company supports fair trade, organic and biodynamic processing and local suppliers. It's an active member of numerous organizations including the Organic Consumer's Association, Breast Cancer Action and the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics for Responsible Medicine. Absolutely no animal testing.
To buy: $24 at Whole Foods, sukipure.com and futurenatural.com
Ingredients
February 25, 2008
Perianne Skin care: Fall/Winter line
I'm giddy about this new line—it combines two of my favorite things: beauty products and seasonal food! Perianne Skin care, the brainchild of a Brooklyn-based woman named Cora Michael, is inspired by the changing seasons and their effects on the skin.
There are two lines: Fall/Winter, composed of a milky cleanser, gentle toner and a rich face cream, and Spring/Summer, composed of a foaming cleanser, more purifying toner and a light facial lotion. Women with dry or mature skin can use the Fall/Winter line year-round and those with exceptionally oily or acneic skin can use the Spring/Summer line year-round. Or, of course, you can combine items. Creamy cleansers aren't cleansing enough for my oily skin, but I've been using the Fall/Winter toner and rich face cream with MyChelle's White Cranberry Cleanser and have had impressively softer, more supple skin.
Pretty factor: Perianne Skin Care products are loaded with herbs, essential oils, botanical extracts, including amazing-smelling seasonal ingredients. For example, the Fall/Winter line contains pumpkin seed oil (rich in skin-plumping omega-3 and -6 fatty acids), cranberry seed oil (high in vitamin A, which promotes cellular turnover), and fennel essential oil (reduces inflammation and detoxifies).
Eco factor: Organic ingredients and no parabens, petrochemicals, harsh surfactants (sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate), or synthetic colors and fragrances.
December 10, 2007
Mineral Fusion Hydration Mist
Ah, winter. It's the season of both delights—time with family and friends at the holidays, crystal-clear January sunsets—as well as annoyances: cranked up heat that zaps hair and blistery wind that punishes the face. Though I'm addicted to them year-round, I'm especially endowed to hydrating sprays from December through February.
Hydrating sprays are facial spritzes that contain myriad soothing and moisturizing ingredients plus antioxidants. They can be used to:
- tone the skin after cleansing
- set makeup
- freshen and moisturize the face throughout the day
My favorite (and I've tried many) is Mineral Fusion's Hydration Mist
Pretty factor: A large amount of allantoin soothes and hydrates the face, while chamomile calms redness. Green tea lends free radical protection, and myrrh kills surface bacteria and regenerates skin tissue.
Eco factor: No parabens or chemical dyes and fragrance
To buy: $17.50 at Whole Foods and mineralfusioncosmetics.com.
Full Ingredient list
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