EARTH DAYS: Tips, Tricks and a Green Giveaway

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao-tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)

Today is the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day. A day to respect and celebrate this great, big planet of ours. Fortunately eco-awareness has come a long way in the last forty years and for many the respect isn’t relegated to just one day out of 365. Yet there is still much change that needs to come for the health of this planet. And that starts with us. I know that change is hard. But I challenge you to use this day to take a step towards greening your beauty routine by eliminating one product that uses petrochemicals, hormone disrupters and synthetics that aren’t good for you or the earth. Doing so sends a message to the companies that they need to get green and promote those that already have. To take that first step, here are a few of my top picks to get you started. I encourage you to start reading the ingredients in the products you use and look out for the worst offenders. The Environmental Working Group has a great cheat sheet to print up and keep in your bag (click on the “Shopper's Guide to Safe Cosmetics”).


LIPS
lipstick: Jane Iredale PureMoist LipColour ($19) in Julia

lipgloss: KORRES LOVE YOUR LIPS Lip Value Set ($29) - includes three cherry oil glosses in Light Pink, Nude and Beige Pink and a Pomegranatae Body Butter. A $57.00 value.

lipbalm: eos Lip Balm Sphere Honeysuckle Honeydew ($4)

FACE
primer: KORRES SILICONE FREE 99% Natural Face Primer ($28 full sized; $10 travel sized)

tinted moisturizer: tarte smooth operator oil-free tinted moisturizer with SPF 20 ($36)

concealer: Physician's Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Concealer Stick ($6)

blush: tarte cheek stain ($30)– for spring I’m loving TIPSY, a coral pinky hue

EYES
shadow : tarte individual shadows begin at $10 but I love Tina Turnbow’s Flower Child Natural Eyeshadow Palette ($44 an $182 Value) The refillable palette includes 10 shadows and a double-sided eyeliner, mini eye primer and double-sided eyeshadow brush.

mascara: tarte Lash Hugger Natural Mascara ($18)

NAILS
butter London in Fash Pack ($14) a great gray neutral for hands and on toes, Zoya's springy coral Elodie ($7).

SUNSCREEN
face: California Baby SPF 30 + Sunblock Stick - No Fragrance, .5 oz ($12.31)

body: Burt's Bees Sun Screen SPF 30 ($12.99)

If you're looking to go green but don't know where to start, Sephora carries a variety of natural and organic gift sets, the perfect way to try out new products without making a big investment.


In other Earth Day news, Kiehl’s has created a Limited Edition Label Art series for their 100% natural and ECOCERT-certified organic, Açaí Damage-Protecting Toning Mist ($26). Artwork by Julianne Moore, Jeff Koons, Pharrell Williams and Malia Jones graces the bottles with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Rainforest Alliance. With the goal of raising $200,000 Kiehl’s teamed with the brilliant photographer David LaChapelle to capture the celebs and their creations. Locate a Kiehl’s store near you click here or go to www.kiehls.com to order online.



GREEN GIVEAWAY: In honor of Earth Day tarte is offering Beauty Banter readers the chance to win a fabulous giveaway. tarte lash hugger mascara ($18) is eco-friendly inside and out. Made with natural carnauba wax, mineral pigment for a great black tint, olive esters to nourish and rice bran wax to help lengthen lashes, it is also packaged in recycled aluminum tubes that may be re-recycled after use.

THREE lucky Beauty Banter readers will receive a tube by signing up for our newsletter (if you haven’t already it’s on the left hand side of the screen below) and leaving a comment along with your email. Contest is open to US residents and ends April 29th at 9PM Pacific.

AND DID YOU KNOW tarte also has a customer
recycling program with great perks?

Wishing you a fabulous Earth Day and look forward to learning about the products you discover while going green! xo a.

Eco-Trends 2010

The trend reports are in predicting what will be hot in twenty ten. And we at Beauty Banter don’t see any reason why you can’t have your cake and eat it too, as eco-beauty trend setters. Here are my picks for following the trends while keeping it green.

The Spring 2010 shows were filled with vibrant lip colors. From lipsticks to glosses, you can find fabulous eco-gorgeous shades worthy of any runway. Check out Vinyasa from tarte, Jane Iredale’s Nicole and Coral from KORRES.

For eyes, we’ll be seeing pastel shades with black mascara for a bit of contrast (making me think of the film Umbrellas of Cherbourgh). KORRES Abyssinia mascara in black would be a perfect match for tarte’s lock and roll creaseless shadow in lavender or Josie Maran’s perfect pink Parfait.

While lips are bold, nail polish is all about muted tones from gray to blush pink. Lately I’ve been wearing Pasha by Zoya. I’m also loving eco-laquers like Acquarella’s Bikini and Butter London’s perfect putty Fash Pack.

Pierce Mattie PR’s annual trend report says this year fragrance is all about stopping to smell the violets and carnation (which can be found in single note sprays at Sarah Horwitz Parfums). But since fragrance is such a personal choice, and rarely something I follow by trend, I recommend 2010 as the year you green your fragrance. Check out lines like Pacifica Perfume, Strange Invisible Perfumes and Red Flower. Or, visit someone who can custom blend oils to create the perfect fragrance for you (locally, I like Pure Sense by Paula).

TIP: Describing scent is best done through the senses rather than with words. Whether it be a perfume, a candle or even dryer sheets, bring the scents you love with you to help explain what it is you’re after.

While it may seem like a trend at the moment, green beauty boutiques will soon become a classic. Here in Los Angeles check out Vert, Green Line Beauty and The Organic Pharmacy. And let Beauty Banter know about the great eco-shops in your part of the world. We’d love to share your finds!

While online shopping is fabulous, shopping locally reduces packaging and fuel used in shipping, and most importantly you’re supporting local businesses.

Lastly, pick up some great reusable bags for the New Year! I adore BAGGU bags (and the new baby Baggu is perfect for smaller items), though I am loving the look of these metallic bags my friend Erin just told me about. From Anya Hindmarch to FEED bags, find a tote that you love and give up the shopping bag habit once and for all!

Have a happy, healthy, GREEN new year! xo alex.

BCA Think Pink - Pt. 4

October is not quite halfway over but the opportunities to shop in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month keep coming. There are so many ways to shop pink (I’ve even stocked up on my favorite pink Sharpies for the cause) and I am thrilled to find that with each year there are more and more eco-friendly beauty brands on store shelves and joining the crusade.

The green beauty mavens over at tarte have created the Think Pink natural collection to benefit the Young Survival Coalition working “to increase the quality and quantity of life for women diagnosed with breast cancer ages 40 and under.”

The 18-item collection includes such favorites as emphasEYES brow pencil, natural cheekstains in dollface and blissful, and 24/7 natural lip sheer with SPF 15 in summer fling. 20% of proceeds will be donated to the YSC. As a bonus, spend $40 or more and you will get an adorable baby pink clutch purse (retailing for $22), perfect for makeup or going out. Use promo code PinkOct09 when checking out.

Through October AND November, suki® advanced. organic. science™ is donating 100% of proceeds from the purchase of Sukiface exfoliate foaming cleanser ($29.95) and Sukibody sensitive cleansing bar ($10.95) to Think Before You Pink. Both products are vegan and adhere to the Suki© standards of organic beauty made without cruelty or synthetics and a minimal carbon footprint. Think Before You Pink is a campaign of Breast Cancer Action, seeking “transparency and accountability by companies that take part in breast cancer fundraising, and encourages consumers to ask critical questions about pink ribbon promotions.” In the sea of items sporting that pink ribbon, it’s important to know who is truly benefiting.

Mineral makeup revolutionary jane iredale has created a new lipstick shade, Christina ($19), in honor of actress and breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate. Part of the PureMoist Lipcolour collection, the SPF 18 lipstick is antioxidant rich and paraben free. For every tube sold, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics will donate $2 to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Another $2 will be donated to LBBC for the purchase of each tube of In The Pink PureGloss for Lips ($19). The paraben free gloss is made with mineral-based pigments and no petrochemicals, keeping lips hydrated and protected. jane iredale has committed to donating a minimum of $25,000 from this event to LBBC, an organization working to help breast cancer patients and their families.


CONTEST: This month jane iredale launched it’s first ever UGC contest, Makeover Your Makeup Bag. Share photos, videos and/or blogs to express why you deserve the grand prize: a trip for two to New York City, an in-person Makeup Bag Makeover, session with a jane iredale artist and $1,000 in product. Other chances to win include six weekly scavenger hunts as well as a prize for the most viral entry. The contest runs October 5th through November 16th. Click here to find out more. Good luck!