Feelgood Style

Greening Hollywood: Guild by Guild panelists: L-R Nikoletta Skarlatos, Make Up Artist, Pirates of The Caribbean; Robert Hallowell, Hair Stylist, Dancing With The Stars; Christina Marcaccini, founder, Raw Natural Beauty; Rachelle Carson Begley, Co-Star, Living With Ed; Lisa Archer, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics; Paige Donner, Founder, Greening Hollywood.

There’s more to bringing the beauty industry and green scientists together, all at one table, then might first meet the eye. By the time I presented our panel of beauty experts, moderated by Rachelle Carson Begley, last weekend in my Greening Hollywood: Guild by Guild seminar and workshop, I had learned a lot. I had learned more than just that Tarte has come out with a game-changing mascara called Lights, Camera, Lashes! and that O.P.I. had removed all three of the most harmful chemicals in their nail polish, and that Suki Pure has re-defined how to be profitable and committed to pure ingredients in the cosmetic industry. Read the rest of this entry »

I have fallen in love with a couple products from Brittanie’s Thyme.

The organic oatmeal facial scrub, the French green clay facial mask with white tea and the organic acne treatment oil are all amazing spa quality products with that nostalgic touch that gives them a handmade feel. Like you just walked into a little shop where a lady is mixing the formulas right there behind the counter.

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The Sea Spa at Santa Monica’s Casa Del Mar encourages a regimen of wellness for the everyday traveler.

These hoteliers have given it some considerable thought and arrived at their  modern philosophy that, even though you’re a traveler, even though you’re away from home, you needn’t sacrifice your sense of well being nor suffer a disruption in your wellness regime.

“The owners of the hotel have me here as a liaison to help people remember how to take care of themselves,” Amber McMahon, Casa Del Mar’s Wellness Director, informs me.  She adds that the Sea Spa fully integrates the mind, body, spirit approach to wellness and services catering to all of these wellness needs are offered in their spa menu. Read the rest of this entry »

With Memorial Day signalling the official start to Summer, it’s time to start thinking SPF. If you’re still housing old tubes from last year or god forbid, the year before, now’s the time to throw it out and get yourself a fresh batch. Before you hit the stores for a new stash though, know this… Out of more than a thousand sunscreens analyzed by EWG (Environmental Working Group) for safety & effectiveness, stability in sunlight, broad-spectrum protection against UVB + UVA radiation, and containing few if any ingredients with significant or known health hazards – only a measly 15% measured up. Further, many sunscreen ingredients break down in the sun, in a matter of minutes or hours, then let UV radiation through to the skin. Read the rest of this entry »

Vive Sana sunscreens offer natural, organic safe protection in the sun- no phthalates, no parabens, no BPA, no nanotechnology, no synthetics just natural sunscreen created for healthy protection from the sun.

Vive Sana (which means live healthy in Italian) has created wonderful sunscreens that not protect but nourish the skin and they are made with US grown organic ingredients, packaged in US made packaging and they thrive on being a sustainable company.

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I have always loved the idea of aromatherapy and at times (headache, extreme stress…) have tried it.  But the idea of having to 1) research which essential oils are appropriate for which need, and 2) buy and combine said oils without coming up with something obnoxious, sounded like more than I wanted to take on.  And even though essential oils can be very beneficial they are also very potent and care needs to be taken when using them.

Not long ago Stancie Wilson reported on Nuworld Botanicals Aromatherapy Personals on her blog Fig+Sage, and I just had to try them.  They are little rollerball vials that combine aromatherapy and acupressure, along with health benefits of antioxidants, vitamins and 100% certified organic essential oils.  Nuworld Botanicals uses a base of 100% certified organic Jojoba oil to dilute the essential oils for safe use. Read the rest of this entry »

“The simple truth is that many beauty products are advertised as natural or organic when their ingredients are far from it. Many companies produce these “so-called” natural or organic  products by adding a few herbal extracts to a synthetic soup of polymers (plastics), silicones, petroleum (and its derivatives), artificial fragrances and colors, and other potentially harmful substances. They then market the product by focusing on the few clean ingredients, while disregarding the rest, hoping the consumer will do the same. The public is becoming more aware of this unethical marketing strategy (often called “greenwashing”), but unfortunately the practice is still widespread.” - Kirsten Binder, Saffronrouge.com

Last week, while in New York City, I purchased Josie Maran’s Earth Day Essentials kit. I had heard so much about her line from various friends and makeup artists - not to mention numerous beauty magazine and blogs - that I wanted to experience what everyone was raving about.

While sitting in the subway train, I glanced over the ingredients of the lip gloss, intending to give that one a whirl right away. But what to my wondering eyes should appear, but POLYBUTENE as the first ingredient on the list. I’m certainly no chemist; I don’t even make my own skin care products at home (yet). Nonetheless, I had read enough to be nearly certain that polybutene was a member of the petrochemical family. I put the gloss back in my bag until I could do a little more research. To put it mildly, what I found was much worse than I anticipated.  Read the rest of this entry »

As Liz pointed out earlier today, you don’t need to go to the spa to pamper your face. In case her post has you inspired to try some do-it-yourself facials, here is Christy Coleman’s recipe for reviving tired skin and puffy eyes:

One of my all time favorite home beauty routines incorporates freshly brewed green tea, as a refreshing and antioxidant packed facial toner. Not only is it soothing to the skin because it is kept nice and cool in the fridge, it is rich in powerful antioxidants that are incredible for helping to reduce redness and inflammation, preventing sun damage, killing bacteria, toning, refreshing and tightening pores. Using an iced tea pitcher, I brew fresh green tea leaves weekly, and use the full pitcher throughout the week. I love the one that I have made by Lupica Fresh Tea. Read the rest of this entry »

Little more than a year ago, Wicked Footwear in New Hampshire created a new adult collection of shoes and boots fittingly named Wicked Hemp. Co-owner Matt Mahmet described the venture as his “future-past vision” derived from his eight years in the footwear industry, and his personal interest in an outdoor lifestyle. Matt combined his work and passion with the hemp revolution, which was not so popular during his American history studies in college.

Matt converted a small farm of mountains, trails and streams into the Wicked Footwear headquarters where new designs are developed and tested. The Wicked Hemp division turned global August 2008. And a new wood pulp and hemp collection was created with projected deliveries soon, ‒ mid 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

There are three advantages to making your own cosmetics:

1. the cost is often a fraction of the shop price,
2. the ingredients tend to be simpler and you know exactly what they are,
3. you can tailor the product to meet the needs of your own skin.

Making your own body products

At this time of year, most women are starting to think bikini. If you want soft, supple skin with a glow, why not make your own body scrub? A basic scrub is really simple to make and you can give it a fragrance that you design yourself, to harmonise with your lifestyle and preferences. Read the rest of this entry »