To wrap-up eco-beauty week, here’s a wonderful post by Stancie Wilson of Fig+Sage on her personal favorite beauty products (I’m totally trying all of them…)
Stancie Wilson is an avid researcher who’s passionate about organics and the personal care industry and is eagle-eyed when it comes to ingredients. She’s not a hippie or treehugger (though nothing wrong with that), she’s a working woman with a full-time career in the communications industry who loves spreading the word about truly pure and stylish products, helping educate others about the dangers of toxic ingredients and hopes to help others dicifer products that are greenwashed and those that are truly green.
She’s Co-Founder and Editor of the popular blog, Fig+Sage™ [www.figandsage.com] which won the 2009 Top Blog Award named one of the “Best Blogs By Women” by Blogtrepreneur, is featured in Alltop and was recently awarded Blog Pick Of The Day by RedOrbit. Gaining rapid popularity since its inception in March ‘08 is no surprise given its honest and refreshing voice in a sea of “crunchy” green blogs. It is the go-to online resource for discovering hip organic and fresh eco finds with a heavy emphasis on organic beauty.
Stancie is also Beauty and Fashion Editor for Feelgood Style [www.feelgoodstyle.com] and was the first to be awarded the ‘Eco-Friendly Expert Maven’ title by ThisNext.com last year where her recommendations are followed by millions of shoppers.
If you’re like most consumers its likely you’re overwhelmed at the sheer number of brands claiming this and that when it comes to natural and organic beauty. At times you may even feel like a deer in headlights with so many options and claims being hurled your direction by savvy marketers. Its important to remember there are brands who have a genuine passion for creating products with both performance and purity in mind and as one who has tried, tested, slathered, smoothed and used countless natural and organic beauty products, I’m going to share with you some of my favorites, those shining stars that are now amongst my absolute must-haves, most of which are in my makeup bag right now.
Intelligent Nutrients Anti-Aging Serum:
Its not often that I’m absolutely blown away by an entire skin care range, but this one does just that and its my #1 favorite (of the hundreds I’ve tried) at the moment. Its no surprise really, considering Horst Rechelbacher is the brain behind this brilliant brand. He founded Aveda back in 1978, sold it to Estee Lauder in 2005 and is now the founder/formulator/visionary behind these USDA and Soil Association certified products, that prove “organic luxury” is not an oxymoron. I use just 1-2 drops for my entire face (including under eyes and eyelids), neck and décolleté. If you have really dry skin, you’ll benefit from applying this before your moisturizer, but I just use the I.N. Serum at night and the I.N. Moisture in the morning. Looking in a mirror in the morning can be scary, but I actually really look forward to it after I’ve used this serum. Pores appears smaller, redness is gone and if there were any blemishes they have either vanished completed or on their way to recovery. And I love the smell of this – fresh and herbal. First glance at the price tag may raise eyebrows but considering how long this will last (approx. 6-8 months) and how your skin will adore it, its a total bargain. In last months issue, Lucky Mag’s Beauty Editor raved about this serum, writing “there’s nothing better”. In case you want to try it out before dropping a good amount of cash, the only places I know that offer samples sizes of Intelligent Nutrients are Spirit Beauty Lounge and The Nature Of Beauty.
When it comes to natural mascara, its not easy finding one without synthetics and petroleum, but its even more difficult to find one that stays put. After trying numerous brands, I became discouraged and went back to using a conventional brand because I just couldn’t live with the (mascara-induced) dark circles that natural/organic mascaras were leaving under my eyes. So when I stumbled into the cosmetics aisle at my local drugstore and saw the Physician’s Formula Organic Wear display, I instantly reached for the mascara to put it to the test. I was so surprised to discover that it didn’t smudge at all and provided good volume. And I’m not the only one, this past June I was on a panel of natural beauty experts and we voted that this is one of the best natural mascaras out there. If you’re concerned about spending money, not sure about whether you’ll like it, I found this rebate form where you can try for free until the end of this year!
Once you’ve used this organic “skin food” there’s really no questioning why its a celebrity fave (this past Spring Gisele Bündchen revealed his eye cream was one of her must-haves). When I interviewed Dr. Saul Alkaitis last year he indicated that celebs endorse other lines because there’s money in it but they use his products because they work. Dr. Alkaitis blends his extensive scientific knowledge of plants with a holistic way of healing the skin to create powerful products that are as pure as they are potent. All products are created in small batches in-house, including the extracts, and all are formulated and manufactured by Dr. Alkaitis (not outsourced like many brands do). They’re biologically active, made from raw, organic ingredients with a base of organic aloe vera, not water (like most lines). And products are no more than two weeks old when shipped. This kit will give you a good sense of most of the products and many will last 2-3 weeks.
After celebrity makeup artist, Rose-Marie Swift’s health began to decline she started to began to discover that many of the beauty products she was using daily – both on herself and the models she was beautifying, were contributing to her illness. She launched Beauty Truth to bring awareness to these dangers and educate others about toxins that can lurk in conventional beauty products and last year she launched her own organic cosmetics line, RMS Beauty. The Living Luminizer is the stand-out product and one you’ll not be able to resist once you try it. It lightens, brightens and provides a gorgeous, luminous glow wherever applied. During my interview with Dr. Alkaitis, I discovered this is the only cosmetic line that he endorses. And when I interviewed Jessa Blades (Founder of Blades Natural Beauty) who was featured in Glamour Magazine’s March issue as one of 70 eco-minded women who are making a difference (and last month on the TODAY show), she shared this is one of her must-haves as well. One of her secrets to making models who have partied to hard or didn’t get enough sleep the night before a photo shoot is to mix Living Luminizer with concealer and apply under the eyes for an instant pick-me-up.
NVEY ECO Moisturizing Foundation:
Providing a flawless finish and lovely glow, this gorgeous organic foundation hydrates while it heals. It may also be added to moisturizer if your goal is more of a sheer look. Calendula and chamomile mix with soothing cucumber and Rose Absolute to address dry and sensitive skin and natural pigments provide ample coverage. NVEY ECO makeup is Organic Food Chain Certified Organic and Australian Government Certified. Olivia Wilde, model, actress and star of the hit TV show ‘House’ and Victoria’s Secret Angel, Miranda Kerr are said to be big fans of this foundation. Arriving in the U.S. just a few years ago, NVEY ECO is the eco child of its parent company, NVEY Le Maquillage, with nearly 50 years as a cosmetics leader in Australia.
This brand offers beautiful mineral makeup that doesn’t contain skin irritants or suspect ingredients that can lurk in many products claiming to be ‘natural’. The luxurious mineral pigments they use can be beneficial to the skin providing subtle reflective properties, sun protection and anti-inflammatory benefits. Alima Pure went a step further than most brands and had their products certified natural by BDIH. The silky smooth colors blend beautiful on skin and currently I’m loving the Zen Garden Collection. I also admire their efforts to reduce waste which is why I love their Jar Return Program where you can send them your empty jars and they will recycle (not reuse) them and reward you with a free eyeshadow of your choice on your next order.
Right now all Alima eyeshadows are 20% off for a limited time at www.alimapure.com. This year Alima Pure cosmetics have been featured in NYLON, Natural Solutions, Real Simple and Natural Health magazines.
With a desire for businesses to become more conscious of their decisions and aware of their impact on the earth, after being prompted by a friend, founder Joshua Onysko decided to fund his dream of a learning center (Pangea Institute) with soap sale profits. With an “Always Beneficial, Never Artificial” mantra, today he is doing just that; laying the financial foundation for a non-profit that will teach entrepreneurs and small businesses all aspects of sustainable living and business practices. As a lip balm addict and self-professed lip balm connoisseur, Pangea’s Egyptian Fennel with Grapefruit & Sweet Orange lip balm tops my faves list since its ultra-hydrating, tastes fresh and isn’t thin or greasy (one of my lip balm pet peeves). The size of this tube is larger than average so it will last a lot longer. Click here for a coupon to get $4 off (expires 3/2010).
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