Feelgood Style

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The issue of lead in lipsticks hit the headlines last year after the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics (CSC) published research claiming that many popular lipsticks contain unacceptably high levels of the poisonous metal. Responding to these concerns, Democratic politician Carole Migden introducted a bill requiring lipstick producers in California to prove that their products had been tested and only naturally occuring, unavoidable traces had been found.

The bill has been shot down by Attorney General, Edmund Brown, who concluded that concentrations would have to reach 5ppm (parts per million) to be considered dangerous, and the maximum traces found in the CSC testing were 0.65ppm. The bill that Senator Migden brought forward suggested the minimum allowable should be 0.002ppm (which is far below the traces found in all the lipsticks tested by CSC). So where does that leave us? Nowhere.

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I often think about how ‘feel good’ a one-stop shop online would be if it could really answer my call for style. Just imagine…..eco-friendly cosmetics, jewelery, clothing, all the things every girl looks for, under a single cyber roof. Folks I have good news: Eco Zen Boutique, a socially conscious, Arizona based green fashion boutique owned and operated by eco-preneur Tandy Stepp, has recently opened a new online store at ecozenboutique.com.

This eco-friendly shopping site offers eco chic clothing, organic cosmetics, recycled handbags, earth friendly jewelry and green gifts and goodies at competitive prices. What’s more, in light of a new environmentally conscious business trend, Eco Zen Boutique has aligned itself with two different environmental organizations: it is offsetting its carbon footprint through Carbonfund.org, one of the country’s leading carbon offset organizations and through its alliance with 1% For The Planet, Eco Zen boutique contributes 1% of company sales to environmental organizations. Read the rest of this entry »

“Beauty With a Cause” Sets a New Standard

An online oasis for natural face and body products, B-cause (or beautywithacause.com) provides healthy and affordable cosmetics for a woman’s beauty regimen while doing its part for beauty in society as well, with 10% of all proceeds going towards breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and scleroderma research. You’ll find mineral makeup, facial cleansers, toners, and moisturizers, as well as hair care, fluoride-free toothpaste, and a few products for men, too. Every product offered on the site meets the self-imposed standards of Beauty With a Cause for safe, natural ingredients, affordability, operating ethics, and animal kindness.

In her own search for truly natural beauty products, owner Julie Ann Price found a way to not just effect change in the world of cosmetics, but to do it with style. “Beauty is a measure of how much women love themselves,” says Price. “B-cause wants to be a trusted resource for women where they can shop for effective skin care and vibrant cosmetics knowing that the owner is as concerned as they are that the products are both beautiful and safe. I use what I sell and I believe in my products.”

Currently the FDA lacks stringent guidelines for natural beauty products. If only 1% of the ingredients used in a product are organic, the product can have an “organic” label. B-cause has an “Ingredients to Avoid” list and it’s a little frightening to see how many of these ingredients appear in products that are probably on most bathroom shelves.

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Finally, A One-Stop Shop That “Gets It”

You eat organically and locally and sustainably. You clean your home with vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda. So why are you still using makeup, moisturizer, and shampoo that contains known carcinogenic chemicals?

Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and its critical jobs include keeping moisture in, excreting waste, regulating body temperature, compensating for the harsh UV sun rays, and creating vitamin D. And think of its powerful connection with the mind and body — you blush when shy, perspire when nervous, and inexplicably, those little hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up when you realize you’re not alone in a dark room.

Especially during these harsh summer months, you owe it to your skin to read every label and understand every ingredient of every product you use on it. And now, going organic and natural has never been easier — or more luxurious.

Futurenatural.com is the place for “responsible hedonism.” A new Sephora for the savvy organic and natural consumer, Futurenatural offers the best organic skin and hair care, makeup, fragrances, and body-loving basics. Owner/”natural beauty junkie”/writer (and former Australian farmer girl) Emma Pezzack has searched the world for organic/natural cosmetics and goodies that are as effective as they are lush. They are also fair-trade and environmentally conscious.

“You can get something that works as well as Estee Lauder, for example, but is 100% organic,” states Pezzack. “All the products we sell are sustainably harvested, consider the environment, and contribute not only to the health of the consumer but the health of the planet.” What’s not to love?!

Futurenatural.com has chosen the brands they sell very carefully, and will soon include some exciting new brand additions such as L’Occitane, ThisWorks, Alaska Glacial Mud Co., Bamford, Stella McCartney, Patyka, Shobha, Jurlique and more. They list full ingredients for each of the products they sell. Don’t recognize what a certain ingredient is?

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When a talented friend and associate, Marcia Yerman, who happens to be an advocate for women’s issues insisted we consider featuring Jody Weiss, founder of PeaceKeepers Cause-Metics in Relevant Times last year, I paid attention. There are so many reasons to be amazed by Ms. Weiss and the wonderful ’cause-metics’ she has produced - great, natural AND benefiting women and the world in many ways . . .

Then, when we got some samples to play with, and I was really impressed!  Read the rest of this entry »

Smart, safe, stylish and in sassy Summer shades!

We all want gorgeous, polished looking nails but at what cost? The average nail polish is basically nothing more than a refined version of automobile paint. Yes they make your nails look gorgeous, but they contain a hefty amount of known, dangerous toxins (dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde) that can stay in your system and generate internal toxicity. Not entirely free of chemicals, at least using nail polish alternatives such as Zoya if you must have gorgeous, well-groomed nails, ensures that you’re not absorbing the worst offending ingredients. Zoya Nail Polish is available in around 60 different fashion forward shades to suit even the most discerning eco-glamazon - plus it’s just as hard wearing as conventional nail polish.

Featured in many different fashion magazines and most recently in Instyle as the smart new polish to wear, now you can make a step toward being more natural, without giving up your glam! Amen to that.

I often wonder why our beauty products do not come with warning labels; most of them are filled with toxins harmful to our bodies and our environment. Ingredients such as parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, germall, coal tar derivatives, urea, phthalates, toluene, formaldehyde, mineral oil, propylene glycol, triclosan, DEA, TEA, MEA, synthetic fragrances, PEG, BHA, and petroleum. Many of these ingredients have been confirmed to cause a wide range of cancers, reproductive concerns, allergies, and a sizeable list of health problems. Furthermore the ingredients which pollute our bodies also pollute the environment.To see the health effects of your current cosmetics check out the Environment Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. In the search field of the website, type your brand of cosmetics, or simply type one of its ingredients. Information will appear using a 1–10 ratio scale; 10 being the most harmful brand or ingredient.Your skin is your largest organ. It is porous; everything you apply on your body seeps into your pores. Therefore, what you put on your body is as important as what you put in it. Why not use beauty products kind to animals, kind to the planet, and kind to you?

What’s the solution?After much research concerning cosmetics which are safe, yet provide the desired results, I’ve found a great website to share: Holistic Beauty. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s actually hard to find a natural, let alone organic foundation that does a beautiful job of covering where you need it, but doesn’t look like you have a mask on. This liquid foundation has a beautiful affinity with skin and it blends well to give you flawless cover, while still allowing your natural beauty to show through. Top it all off with loads of organic botanicals (like chamomile, cucumber & calendula), and you have a base that not only makes you look like you have great skin, but it’s working overtime to make you look radiant.

Great for all skin types but if you tend toward a little oily or combination, just use some natural mineral powder over the top (like Alima), to blot excess oil throughout the day. If you like it lighter, just mix with moisturizer for more sheer coverage. Mineral pigments provide the healthy colors and the entire line is certified organic. Love it.
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I tend to worry more about what I put into my body than what goes on the outside. When in fact the chemicals found in lotions, makeup and hair dyes are something I need to consider when using these products on my body.   Recently I have been using the eyelash extensions from “Xtreme Lashes” and I began to wonder how safe this new affection with eyelash extensions really was and was it worth any risks involved?  After researching, I was able to find one of the ingredient’s in the adhesive, “formaldehyde” linked to cancer. Read the rest of this entry »

Beauty in all forms has been a lifelong passion for me. With an appreciation for killer aesthetic combined with substance, it doesn’t matter to me if I’m looking at something vast and humbling as the ocean; the way someone’s face lights up when they smile; the solid, magnificent way in which a great tree anchors itself to the ground and stoically provides enough oxygen for two humans for a lifetime; or it could be the incredible lines of wear and character on the face of an old Tibetan woman, totally ravaged and laid bare as a proud road map of her lifetime and how she’s lived in it.

There isn’t an ideal or perfect beauty. We are all so completely and utterly different. You can have someone drop dead gorgeous who is shallow and mean and she’ll seem like the most unattractive person on the planet. Conversely, you might meet someone not so physically attractive but with a beautiful personality and radiance that can take your breath away. Beauty can’t be separated from the personality no matter how much spritzing, spraying, waxing and killing yourself on the treadmill you think will make you beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »