Feelgood Style

While the debate rages on as to whether or not you can get the same “performance” from organic and natural makeup as you can from synthetics, the jury has rendered their verdict when it comes to hair care: Long gone are the days when natural shampoos left hair feeling stringy, and their conditioning counterparts produced dry, heavy locks. Top brands are using organic ingredients that nourish and heal the hair, rather than relying on silicones to coat strands and create false shine. In other words, when using the best natural and organic hair care products, your hair not only looks healthier, it actually is healthier.

Our panelists received a long list of natural serums, shampoos, and conditioners to choose from. Most are composed primarily of organic ingredients, and all are absent of harsh detergenets, synthetic fragrance, parabens, silicones, and petrochemicals. Although it was clear many hair care brands have won the hearts of our green beauty experts, a few managed to rise to the top.

Behold, the Emerald Awards for best natural hair treatment, shampoo, and conditioner: Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome back to The Emerald Awards! I’m your host, Terri Bly, presenting you with the top truly natural beauty products as voted on by our panel of green beauty experts. Today’s category: Best Natural Foundation. 

Foundation. Just the word speaks volumes. Before we enhance our skin’s natural glow with bronzer or brighten it up with some blush, most of us choose to even out our skin tone with a base, be it liquid, cream, or powder. Unless your foundation looks good, and by that I mean whatever you choose to do or not do to your skin, everything else you put on it won’t look great, either. When it comes to natural and organic formulas, there are numerous high-performing and long-lasting options to choose from. For that reason, I divided the category of Best Natural Foundation into three subcategories: Liquid/Cream, Tinted Moisturizer, and Loose/Pressed.

And the Emerald Award for Best Natural Liquid Foundation goes to: Read the rest of this entry »

I have a bit of an obsession with lip balms. Lip glosses are too sticky {unless going out at night; then it’s appropriate}, lipsticks reminds me of my mother, but lip balms are not only moisturizing but has the added perk of giving you just a bit of a sheen for that elusive perfect pout. It’s an effortless beauty product that doesn’t look like you are trying too hard. With the perfect moisturizer and a lip balm, you are ready to start the day.

One of my absolute favorites is the Weleda Everon Lip Balm. As the lip balm queen who has tried every jar, tube, and stick imaginable, this is the creme de la creme of lip moisturizers without the hefty price tag. Weleda Everon is ultra nourishing with ingredients like Jojoba oil, Shea Butter, and precious Rose wax. Should I mention that it’s also 100% natural and all Organic?

• It’s also Petroleum-free. Did you know most lip creams still use a petroleum base.
• Contain no artificial preservatives, colors or fragrances
• Cruelty-free

Read the rest of this entry »

I love “best of beauty” awards. For years, I saved every issue of InStyle’s Best Beauty Buys, relying on their picks to guide me through the overwhelming selection of pretty shiny things at Sephora. Now that the big mags have added green beauty awards, I scoop those up without hesitation, but am always disappointed at the choices. While each winner is certainly more natural than its mainstream counterpart, it often contains far more synthetics than I’m comfortable with. So what is an eco-girl to do when she wants to find the best chem-free cosmetics?

She contacts a bunch of natural beauty experts and creates Feelgood Style’s first annual Emerald Awards. Read the rest of this entry »

I was fortunate enough to have professional make up artists as friends. They told me the industry secrets as well as tips of looking beautiful or  at least well put together. Almost all of the make up artists I have come across stressed the importance of a good foundation. A good foundation provided the “canvas” in which the make up become the paint that either contoured or highlighted a face. And since foundations usually covers the entire face; it is essential that this foundation is not only a good primer, but good for your skin as well.

Miessence Translucent Foundation heeds this call in a very good way. It’s a pure and natural make-up that is made with certified Organic ingredients. Best of all; Miessence foundation provides a light yet flawless coverage that’s perfect during the daytime; but worthy of night time consideration with a finishing powder.  Other reasons why you might want to consider Miessence foundation:

• Made with the pure ingredients that are SO good for your skin. I love the herbal like smell that is void of toxic chemicals. You would be surprised what’s REALLY in traditional cosmetics. FDA doesn’t regulate make-ups, so it’s a free for all within that industry.
• Protects against pollution, UV rays and free radicals.
• Looks natural in any light; it is a sheer light coverage that looks NATURAL. Evens out skin tone which is what you want a foundation to do. Caked on, and it starts to look like a mask.
• Keeps skin hydrated and protected throughout the day. Contains the added benefits of organic, nourishing seed and fruit oils. Read the rest of this entry »

Laura Bergman is a Reclaim Artist. She finds old pieces of glass and turns them into beautiful, wearable art. She takes found glass and transforms it into jewelry… and the results truly are works of art.

Who would have thought that pieces of broken glass could be turned into eco-elegant jewelry.

I love unique finds and when I came across Bottled Up Designs I was fascinated. Read the rest of this entry »

We all get a little run-down from time to time. And we all need to take care of ourselves.  Here in Hollywood there are truly devoted experts who have fine-tuned natural techniques to keep our engines humming. 

Timothy Martin, founder of the Izo Cleanze an all-natural juice cleanse, walked me through a 5-day juice cleanse or “fast” and offered some coaching along the way, which is documented here in our Moveable Juice Feast conversation.  Another option is Charisma Cuisine whose Victoria Wieszkowiak offers a 3-day juice fast which includes daily doses of fresh coconut juice, full of electrolytes.  Anyone who loves organic fruits and vegetables needs to stay up on two bills floating through Congress right now: H.R. 875 and especially H.R. 759.  Read up on them HERE.

For Springtime Regeneration and Renewal, nothing tops Raw Juice! Read the rest of this entry »

I’m simply smitten with the current issue of Coco Eco Magazine which features:

• the first yearly International Eco Couture issue.
• ways to stay safe in the sun, from eco-sunscreens to special skin treats!
• a sexy Leila Hafzi outdoor eco-fashion shoot by the shore.
• the hottest green fashion stars in London.
• awesome highlights from fashion designers in the Philippines that design clothing with their traditional pineapple fiber.
• the head of the Humane Society up close.
• a worldwide fair-trade section.
• a complementary guide to San Francisco.
• unique eco-retreat highlights.

Read the rest of this entry »

BeautyScoop is the edible beauty product many are raving about. I tried a few samples and they weren’t bad. The concept is believable. You eat the essential nutrients for maximum health and beauty benefits.

I mixed a packet of BeautyScoop into my smoothies for a couple days and it was wonderful. I had more energy and I felt better. I think I would have to try more than two days worth for an overall determination if it really works as well as it claims. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a time when conversations surrounding elasticity, loss of collagen, sagging and lack of tone, were for me like hearing someone speak in a foreign language. Convinced I’d somehow and miraculously been blessed with ever youthful skin, I never paid much attention - until now that is. Whether you’re there already or you think this is something that doesn’t apply to you, it’s never too early or late to start using skincare that addresses these very issues. Now, let it be said I’m a total skeptic (and more than a little jaded) when it comes to product claims, having worked with and tried just about everything. My latest discovery however, more than lives up to its rep and having used it for the last six wks, I can verify that my skin feels noticeably smoother, firmer and more radiant. Read the rest of this entry »