Feelgood Style

A fresh new take on the military look is having a very strong moment, as seen on the runways of Paris, Milan, and New York this season. However, Burning Torch has been doing gorgeous recycled military surplus for years now. The white jacket above is made from surplus “snow camo.” It’s from their Spring 2010 collection in stores soon. I think it would look fabulous with the Killspencer bags we featured last month.

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The Culprit:

Frigidaire Ultra-Quiet (but louder than my old Bosch) III

The Contenders:

A selection of readily-available eco dishwasher detergents

Having just moved into a lovely apartment with a brand new high-efficiency, low-water use dishwasher built in, I was really looking forward to just loading it up and letting it sit for 3 days until full, like I always do. This dishwasher is being compared against three others. One is a very cheap baseline model, another is over 10 years old, and the third is a brand new Bosch I used for a few years before moving.

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Ecogear apparels are made from 100% recycled material. The company was founded early 2008 by Robert Hii, who is a 25-year fashion veteran with a passion to create clothing with only slight impacts on our planet.

Robert says it took more than a year to complete their ecowear collections as the most eco-friendly clothing in existence. His team went through lots of different materials and processes to conclude one without a cesspool of chemicals to produce and dispose. Besides the usual organic cotton and hemp, they investigated bamboo. Read the rest of this entry »

I always keep my eyes open for an incredible face wash. About a year ago, I started using the face wash by Organoderm and simply fell in love with it. A week ago, the kind “Product Cupid” shot me again. On the other end of that arrow? Keys Island Rx Healing Foam Wash: one incredible face wash. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Elizabeth reminded you how much fun you can have reacquainting yourself with eye shadow. Eye shadow is the first area of makeup application that captured my interest (well, that and the teal mascara I wore when I was 11 - it was, like, totally rad), because I truly felt like an artist, working with various colors to create wildly different looks with the same face. Call it experimenting with optical illusion.

When I first got my grubby little hands on a handful of Couleur Caramel eye shadows, I knew I had found a new playground, one the likes of which I hadn’t seen since my MAC-lovin’ days. The more shades I added to my collection, the giddier I got. Rich pigments, a variety of finishes (matte, pearly, and downright glittery), and a ridiculously extensive selection of colors (eighty, to be exact) give you free reign to create any look you can imagine. These long-lasting, 100% natural shadows run the gamut from natural taupes, greys, and beiges, to bright pinks, blues, and purples.

Some tips for making the most out of your shadow play: Read the rest of this entry »

We know that what we eat (or don’t eat), whether or not we are getting an adequate amount of sleep, how much water we are drinking and stress all contribute to the health and good looks of our skin. 

But what about temperament?  Each of us has a personality that has grown and developed over the course of our lives, but temperament is something we are born with.  It just goes to figure that it would have a pretty big influence on our lives.

Which temperament are you? Read the rest of this entry »

Aging is a controversial topic.  On the one hand, we hate the thought of wrinkles and age spots, not to mention disease and decline.  But, let’s face it, we all want to get older because the alternative stinks.

Since hitting 40 I have tried to embrace aging.  In general, I have always been of the “You are as old as you think you are” adage, but have noticed a few, albeit subtle, changes.  My once normal skin is getting drier (as is my hair) and there is a little more sagging and a few extra fine lines. 

But really, do we want to look 25 (or 30) when we are 40 and up, or do we want to look healthy for our own age? Read the rest of this entry »

How many of us think about our skin as a living, breathing organism that’s constantly in motion, every second of the day? It’s incredibly easy to overlook the fact that our skin changes with the seasons and even easier to ignore that we need a different suite of skincare products for winter than we do in summer. Often those thoughts end up in the too hard basket - i.e. it’s hard enough finding skincare that works for our skin fullstop but to change it up twice a year… as if we don’t have enough to think about?! Elemental Herbology make it about as easy as it’s ever going to get with a skincare & body collection that’s focused on delivering exactly what skin needs depending on the time of year (and they do it sooooo stylishly). The Elemental Herbology philosophy is deceptively simple, “to acknowledge the transitions of life, the ebb & flow of the changing seasons and the different aspects of your environment.” Read the rest of this entry »

Shown above and below is a little inspiration from the following features in the new February issue of Coco Eco:

1. On page 16 there’s a spread on Libertine recycled clothing. It’s fierce, and concludes with a fantastic interview with the designer Johnson Hartig through page 29.

2. Check out Coco Eco’s Guide to Sydney, Australia on page 79 too.

3. Turn to page 105 and learn more about how the latest Opportunity Green event went. Read the rest of this entry »

Desert Essence is one of my favorite organic brands, mainly because I love their coconut and vanilla chai scented products.

Now in addition to their body lotions and other wonderful bath and body products they now have something simple for your sink - organic hand wash that comes in Coconut, Vanilla Chair, Lavender, and Grapefruit scents. Read the rest of this entry »