Spa with a conscience

All that week of planning, setting up, cooking, hosting then now the cleaning, whilst emotionally rewarding can really leave you all worn out with unsightly physical traits like dark circles and sallow skin to show for it.

Well the rich and famous have a remedy for that. They would simply just drop by a luxurious spa to claim their self reward of a relaxing, rejuvenating and invigorating treatment for that job well done. But since the lot of us doesn’t exactly cash in paychecks with as many zeros, that sort of luscious spa treatment after each event might not exactly be something we can lay out hands on without risking the need for a second mortgage…

Earth Friendly Cosmetics Can Make You Look Good!

Where to buy Eco Friendly Makeup

Makeup has become not just an application to women but instead a deeply embedded way of life. So if we’re all going green, obviously we want our cosmetics to be green too.

Now it’s worth nothing at this point that there is a difference between ‘all natural’ and ‘all organic’ makeup. Going with all natural isn’t quite what you want to achieve in green living because while they boast to not contain chemical additives and preservatives they might be made from raw materials that have not been grown without the involvement of chemicals or genetic modification.

The ingredient labels may read names of familiar natural products and not those fancy scientific chemical ones but it doesn’t mean that they have been produced organically. If they have, they would be labelled as “natural organic cosmetic” and not just “all natural cosmetic”. See the difference?

Get green locks with Henna

Mother Nature gave us natural hair colorants in the form of Henna (Lawsonia inermis) and Indigo. Gifts have been used in India for thousands of years.

Making your own hair dye with henna and indigo is fun (it’s like a little chemistry project), safe (for the environment and for you because it’s all natural) and effective (your hair colour WILL change) but as with anything to do with dyes…it gets a tad messy so be prepared for it.

Dig on: Stript

A Jillion Uses for Honey

Aww, honey, honey… doo do do do do dooo!

Honey has an incredible number of uses and properties; it’s an antimicrobial, a mild laxative, helps the body retain calcium, a moisturizer, aids weight loss, and never ever goes bad. Woo, and that list isn’t even close to comprehensive. Best of all, though, honey has been a beauty secret to famous women throughout history.

Here are some uses I’ve gathered from my own experience and the experiences of friends and acquaintances that were generous to share them with me. They don’t quite add up to a jillion, but if enough be people share their own secret uses for honey, we could get close! Well, kind of close.

Sustainable Product Roundup!

Time for your weekly Sustainable Product Roundup! I see tons of new eco-friendly goodies that we’re getting in stock at the store for the holidays (it’s almost 2009… this year has absolutely flown by!) and I’m so excited to give ‘em a try.

Sexy Hair Organics
I’m a big fan of Sexy Hair products; their root lifter allows for the most outrageous, Amy Winehouse-esque volume that haunts your dreams (I know all about it!). Their Chocolate Soy Milk shampoo isn’t safe around me though, just because it smells exactly like hot cocoa! Despite my knowing that it’s a cleansing product, I would probably try to drink it anyway. Their

Back to Basics: A Lesson in Vocabulary

Photo by cdw9

I work in the cosmetics industry, and at least once a day, someone will come into the store asking for “organic makeup.” But here’s the thing: there are very few brands that are 100% organic, and there’s a reason: binders, pigments, preservatives are not all necessarily naturally-occurring and that’s OK; these additives keep our cosmetics fresh, microbe-less and vibrantly colored. One unfortunate side effect of eco-awareness is chemphobia—everyone seems to be afraid of chemicals! But there’s nothing to be afraid of; the FDA heavily monitors what can go into cosmetics. So when someone asks me to show them the organic stuff, I point them in the direction of products that have naturally-derived ingredients, are specially formulated for sensitive skin, or have a high mineral content.

Sustainable Product Roundup at the GS Corral!

It’s so exciting when mainstream makeup brands come out with new product that is eco-friendly, made from sustainable materials, or use fair trade ingredients. It gives us the opportunity to try, love and popularize these products and incite them to take further steps toward environmentally and socially responsible products. Here are a few of my favorites this week:

Physicians Formula has had their OrganicWear line out for a while, and to be honest, I’m really not a big fan (you really get what you pay for with this stuff… but I digress). One of the products I do like, however, are their Lip Veils. Granted, it’s pretty hard for any brand to screw up lip gunk, but this has nice, sheer pigmentation in pretty colors, a non-sticky consistency and is super moisturizing. And it has USDA Certified organic ingredients. $7.95 at drugstores.

The Plight of the Honey Bees

Photo by Jenske

We’ve all heard about the honey bee crisis: since 2006, millions of colonies have died out due to the mysterious colony collapse disorder (CCD), a condition where worker bees suddenly abandon their hives. While there are many possible causes for the incredible decline in the population, no one has quite nailed down why these bees are disappearing in extraordinary numbers.

So who cares, right? You can’t pet a bee, or put it in a sweater, and if you try to cuddle with one you’ll probably get stung. But it is a big deal! Bees are an integral part of our agricultural system; they pollinate about a third of crops grown in the United States, including strawberries, almonds, peaches, watermelons, oranges, and tomatoes. Not to mention the countless uses greenies have for honey and beeswax. No bees equals no deliciousness.