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subscribe to beauty counter blog via RSSJosie Maran Brings Natural To New York
June 8, 2009 5:53 pm
You’re likely familiar with Josie Maran from our frequent praise of her organic argan oil—a pre-bedtime ritual that we actually look forward to—but if you’re not, here’s a refresher course. Northern California naturalist becomes model; model discovers makeup, graces magazine covers, becomes Guess girl and Maybelline spokesperson; model becomes mother, returns to Northern California naturalist roots, and launches an eco-friendly beauty range. For anyone looking for tips in the art of makeup bag greenifying, Maran is the inspirational coach you’ve been looking for. She’ll be in Manhattan this week, doling out tips on how to get gorgeous the all-natural way. Personal consultations are also available for interested parties who book in advance. See below for all the pertinent info:
Thursday, June 11
Sephora Times Square, 12 to 6 p.m.
(212) 944-6789
Friday, June 12
Sephora Union Square, 12 to 6 p.m.
(212) 995-8833
Saturday, Friday 13
Sephora Soho, 12 to 6 p.m.
(212) 625-1309
tags: Josie Maran, Makeup, Skincare
Happy Burt Day!
June 1, 2009 5:03 pm
Did you know that Burt’s Bees got its start as a hand-crafted beeswax candle business, or that by 2020 it intends to use 100 percent completely biodegradable packaging? These are just two of the 25 fun facts currently running on the company’s Web site in celebration of its 25th year making eco-friendly personal care products. Included in the “Burt Day” festivities is a chance to win one of 25,000 lip balms—arguably our favorite item in the line—which are being doled out daily by the thousand through June 20, as well as the opportunity to view videotaped toasts from celebrity fans now showing on the Burt’s Bees Facebook page. You could even become “friends” with the North Carolina-by-way-of-Vermont-based company and send a virtual love letter, or perhaps a “poke,” to get in on the well-wishing. Click here for more information.
tags: Burt's Bees, Makeup, Skincare
Philip Pelusi Makes Waves
May 13, 2009 6:12 pm
If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of forgoing a post-beach shower to preserve the perfect hair texture that only a hefty dose of natural saltwater and sun can provide, you can now wash away that lingering ocean smell without sacrificing those summer waves. Beachcomber, the latest USDA-certified organic product from stylist Philip Pelusi’s P2 line, uses organic cane juice granules, grapefruit, lemon oil, apricot, and milk thistle to increase volume at the root and create the kind of separated strands that keep Gisele in such high-demand (her perfect proportions don’t hurt, either). The styling paste also multitasks as a clarifier, removing environmental toxins, excess oil, and product buildup. It currently ranks at the top of our things-we-are-excited-about-for-summer list, next to the long-awaited opportunity to break out our collection of cutoffs and gladiator sandals, of course.
tags: Beachcomber, Hair, Philip Pelusi
Dr. Hauschka Gets An Oil Change
May 1, 2009 11:07 am
Body oil is our post-shower skin quencher of choice in the warmer months, as it often goes on lighter than heavy moisturizers and leaves a bit of a glow on bronzed skin. Since we’ve now had almost a full week of summerlike weather in New York (we’re trying to stay positive and are considering this gray, cold snap a fluke), we have decided to fully make the product transition and are currently experimenting with Dr. Hauschka’s repackaged and reformulated body oil range. A new pump dispenser has been added to the entire collection of wild-harvested, biodynamic oils, each of which has been designed to serve a specific function while hydrating with a blend of organic sunflower, jojoba, and sweet almond oils: Almond St. John’s Wort calms sensitive, irritated skin; Rose and Moor Lavender oils promote internal tranquility; Birch relieves muscle tension (perfect for after a workout); Blackthorn helps reduce the appearance of stretch marks; and Lemongrass firms and tones, making it our go-to right now (as you are probably aware, bikini season is dangerously close to being upon us).
tags: Dr. Hauschka, Skincare
Now Lathering: Canada’s Natural Bounty
April 28, 2009 11:25 am
Here are two truths about me: I love an eco-friendly body product and all things Canadian. Yup, I cant get enough of the natural beauty that our neighbors to the north have to offer and have even sought refuge there for some peace and quiet on a few different occasions (a month, alone, in British Columbia—highly recommended for some good internal meditation). That’s why I was very intrigued when I came across Consonant Body, a Toronto-based company guided by a “purify the body, dont punish it” mantra. Its collection of body washes, lotions and bar soaps are crafted in small batches using only fair trade organic oils and butters, organic herbs and grains, as well as artesian spring water. And while the packaging, which is made from “as much recycled material as possible,” is cheeky, boasting a similar copywriting style to brands like Philosophy, the products are no joke: I am currently obsessed with the Goat’s Milk and Hemp Soap, as it has grains of shredded hemp and organic oatmeal to help exfoliate and sooth skin all at once—and it comes with a loofah rather than a body pouf, which I kind of prefer as the pared-down, more effective alternative to its frilly successor. They ship to the U.S. too, although having to take that ten-hour drive across the border to get some from the source would be a welcomed excursion.
tags: Consonant Body, Philosophy, Skincare
Beauty That Gives Back All Year Round
April 22, 2009 1:53 pm
Happy Earth Day to you and yours! We’re assuming that you’re making an effort to do something eco-conscious today—whether that means using less electricity and hot water, planting a tree, or partaking in one of the many green beauty initiatives we’ve clued you in to over the past month. For our part, we’d like to introduce you to a new skincare brand that celebrates Earth Day, every day. Meet Giving Beauty, a simple organic skincare line created for people seeking products that work and that they can feel good about buying. The idea behind the brand is to source ingredients from women’s cooperatives around the world, creating collections based on key ingredients and donating a portion of all profits to the workers who provide the raw materials. The first range, which launched earlier this month, is called Kahina and is based on 100 percent organic argan oil (so hot right now) sourced from women’s cooperatives in Morocco. The four-piece line includes a facial cleanser boosted with organic willow bark extract and organic honey to cleanse without stripping skin of its natural oils, a serum fortified with organic coffee oil to rejuvenate skin, a facial lotion with organic shea butter for deep moisturization, and a pure argan face oil to condition and add radiance. The packaging is equally planet-friendly, made from recyclable violet glass housed in boxes produced from 100 percent post-consumer waste and made in a wind-powered facility. Go on, peruse the Web site: Just looking counts as an Earth Day contribution as far as we’re concerned. (We know; the idea of a cold shower is a tough pill to swallow.)
tags: Argan oil, Giving Beauty, Kahina, Skincare
Homeopathy, Not Always The Best Policy
April 15, 2009 3:10 pm
Maintaining a full disclosure policy with your doctors as to the things you’re putting into your body—both under the supervision of a physician and recreationally—is just good sense, but apparently there’s a burgeoning epidemic in the world of plastic surgery of patients not reporting their use of alternative medicines. According to a report in the March/April issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal, an alarming 70 percent of patients do not include alternative medications when they rattle off their respective lists of ingestibles, whether due to simple negligence or a common fear among consumers of naturopathic medicine that doctors may look down on them for believing in it at all. Your doctor doesn’t need to know everything you do, but there are certain supplements that can be detrimental to your system during or immediately after you go under the knife, causing harmful cardiovascular and sedative effects and increased bleeding. If you simply must heal that new chin with an herbal remedy, though, make sure to ask a trusted physician or herbalist about helpful supplements and nutrients to take post-op. Until then, avoid the following ingredients within two weeks of any procedure: Ginkgo biloba, echinacea, garlic, goldenseal, ginseng, licorice, fish oils (omega-3 fatty acids), kava, Valerian root, St. John’s wort, dong quai, and feverfew.
tags: Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Dong quai, Echinacea, Feverfew, Fish oils, Garlic, Ginkgo biloba, Ginseng, Goldenseal, Kava, Licorice, Skincare, St. John's wort, Valerian root
Jonathan Product Perpetuates Hippie Showering Myths
April 14, 2009 4:58 pm
Some good news for the oily-haired among you who have relegated yourselves to an exclusively eco-friendly beauty regimen. Jonathan Product’s popular Green Rootine collection has added new dry shampoos to its line of 100 percent vegan formulas free of chemicals, sulfates, and parabens. Available in two shades—Light for blond hair and Dark for brown, black, or red—and with ingredients like talc and aluminum hydroxide to absorb oil, dirt, and product build-up on the scalp while simultaneously creating volume at the root, you can refresh your blow-out or go longer in between showers, if you so choose. The product’s real point of difference, as far as I’m concerned, though, is its brush-on delivery system. As someone who has struggled with aerosol versions of similar products in the past (and who may or may not have some control issues), being able to dispense just the right amount of powder and spot-treat exactly where I want is a huge plus. All of that all-natural business is just an added bonus.
tags: Green Rootine, Hair, Jonathan Product
Terralina Cleans Up Your Skin, And The Streets Of India
April 7, 2009 2:23 pm
Yet another Earth Month initiative to satisfy all of your do-gooder intentions: Terralina has teamed up with Design & Source to create a totally green packaging system for its antioxidant-rich, paraben-free products made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled grocery bags collected from Delhi, India. The natural skincare company debuted the green and purple open square gift boxes around holiday time last year, although it’s hoping that a post-launch push this month will convince consumers that there’s never been a better time than now to do their part for the planet—or to benefit from the free-radical fighting power of products formulated with olive leaf and white tea. And truth be told, its cause is an admirable one. In addition to helping clean up the environment, the packaging initiative also gives jobs to local Indian women through a group dedicated to employing homebound mothers who otherwise would be unable to earn a living. As an additional gesture of goodwill, profits from the purchase of these recycled materials are used to fund projects in the poorest communities of India and already help to feed between 400 and 600 families daily. The Terralina Gift Box Set is available with the purchase of its Facial Regimen, which includes the Facial Cleanser, Toner, and Moisturizer, and the Full Line.
tags: Design & Source, Skincare, Terralina
EcoLiving Essentials Sticks It To The TSA
April 6, 2009 1:09 pm
I had the pleasure—make that displeasure—of flying this weekend for a quick, 36-hour jaunt to Chicago, where snow is (still!) in the forecast. After a series of delays and an eventual cancellation on Friday night, I had to take a 7 a.m. flight on Saturday morning, which meant a 5 a.m. wake-up call. Wearily, I mistakenly chose very heavy, hard-to-lace-up combat boots for the trip, an error that became clear when I remembered the “shoes off” policy at security. And so, I removed my shoes and watched everyone else do the same, becoming progressively more and more aware of the legions of socked—and in some cases bare—feet walking through the metal detector in front of me. Aside from the inconvenience of it all, I couldn’t help but fixate on the gross factor: Is it not bad enough that we’ve been relegated to see-through quart-sized bags so all the world can see our poorly packed toiletries, but we have to expose ourselves to the possibility of communal foot fungus too?! No more, says ecoLiving Essentials, a new company founded by two eco-conscious travelers who decided that the germs they were being exposed to and the traditional plastic travel booties offered at airports were both unacceptable. Launching last month with the Biodegradable Travel Booties and a Biodegradable Shower Cap, the company is positioning itself as something of a savior for health and beauty-conscious germaphobes who also happen to count themselves as members of the green movement—a small demographic that retailers are starting to pay more attention to. At the very least, said booties will make for some excellent cocktail party conversation.
tags: ecoLiving Essentials, Skincare, TSA
