Living eco-consciously and other fun stuff!
Category : Beauty
My current favorite hand cream is the vegan Lavender Hand Cream from 100% Pure. The scent is amazing! Each time I apply it, the girl across from me at work comments on how lovely it smells. Its creamy but on the lighter side so its perfect for this time of year. It’s $8 for a 2 oz tube.
Category : Beauty
I’ve been using Josie Maran’s new Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation for a good week now and I’m loving it! It really is amazing how naturally it blends with your skin. When I worked for Estee Lauder we had a tinted moisturizer that did this but other than that I haven’t come across a product like this. I ordered the light medium and I’m curious how far into summer this will take me once I get some color. I LOVE how moisturizing this is! It definitely has a lot of argan in it which is fabulous during the dry winter, but again I’m curious if it’ll be too dewey/greasy in the summer. I shall see. Coverage wise, it’s perfect for me – smooth and light. You can add a powder over top to add a bit more coverage and to make a more matte finish if that’s what you prefer.
oh – and it also smells good – not that that matters at all, but I do like the smell 
Category : Beauty
I love Josie Maran Cosmetics so when I got this newsletter from Fab Fit Fun I figured I’d share it with you….
What new product are you in love with?
I really love my new Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation. It goes on white, but turns into your perfect shade as you blend it into your skin. It’s magic!
What is your favorite new beauty trend?
Winged eye liner. With my new Magic Marker Argan Liquid Liner you can achieve the glamorous look by applying a thin line along the inner lash line, and building the line thicker as you extend it outside the outer corner of the lash line. Instant drama!
What 2011 runway look got you excited?
Bold, bright lips! I loved seeing bright coral, plum, and red lips. My new shade, Tango, is a vibrant pink and will look great this spring.
If you could only take one product on a trip what would it be (and Brad Pitt is not considered a product)?
Argan Oil! I use it as my daily moisturizer, but it’s a great multi-tasker and can be used as a quick fix for split ends, dry cuticles, and even as a healing treatment for acne, eczema and psoriasis.
What celeb do you think always looks flawless and why?
Amy Adams always looks so fresh faced and natural. Her natural beauty shines through on and off the red carpet. Also, Adams used JM Cosmetics to create her glowing Oscar look 
StormSister Spatique had some great easy, home beauty tips in their newsletter – check them out!
Category : Animals, Beauty, Food & Beverages, Household, Recipes
Back in November I was fortunate enough to meet Milsser Elliott at Moo Shoes NYC! I purchased her new book (which she signed for me!) The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life and finally got around to reading it on our holiday in Puerto Rico. I loved it! There’s definitely a lot that I already know about veganism but there’s also always plenty to learn. I pick up a lot of new tidbits. Who would have ever thought that my husband’s favorite Doritos – Sweet & Spicy – are actually vegan?! This book would be PERFECT for a new vegan or someone considering going vegan. They’ll quickly realize how easy it really is to live without animal products. You’ll find everything from recipes to random packaged foods you’d surprisingly find to be vegan, to vegan tatoo ink.
Category : Beauty
I first mentioned Zoya here, and then again when I was wearing it the day I got engaged. I’m definitely a huge fan of their great polishes. They’re vegan and don’t contain the usual toxins that other polishes do. The reason I bring it up today is that I just realized I got a manicure Wednesday, January 26, meaning it’s been 12 days! It still looks pretty good, doesn’t it?! My nails have lost their luster but I’m sure I could have put another layer of the top coat on and that would have done the trick. I use Zoya’s Anchor (base), polish, Armor (top) and their fast dry oil. The combo makes for a very long lasting manicure – and this is after spending a lot of time in the ocean! You’d have thought by now it would have totally chipped off! If it wasn’t for them growing out and there being a gap between my polish and my finger, I could keep it on for even longer!
Category : Beauty
I have been using this thick, yummy smelling cream every night on my feet and hands and it has made a huge difference in my skin! Considering it’s winter, my feet are extremely soft – I think they’re softer right now than they are in the summer! And where do I even begin with my hands?! They get so extremely dry in the winter they turn red and crack. My right hand is always far worse and I know this sounds weird but the worst spots are where my hand rests on the mouse pad all day at work. I’ve been using the Desert Essence Pistachio Foot Repair Cream on my hands as well and each morning I see a significant difference – although by the end of the day when I’m crawling back into bed they’re rough again. I’ve been pairing the cream with Earth Therapeutics aloe infused moisturizing socks and gloves that my aunt gave me for a wedding shower gift. I think the combination of the two items really do the trick for severely dry skin. They’re also super soft, cushy, warm and cozy during these cold winter nights!
The new issue of Pure Green Magazine is out! This is a new favorite of mine. They do a fabulous job of covering everything green – clothing, cosmetics, food, architecture, decorating, and tons more. Be sure to check it out! I do love a printed magazine (I know – it’s a horrible eco-sin) but this is unbelievably easy to read online!
Category : Beauty
Last week we were desperate for shampoo. I shower at the gym on weekdays and when I noticed we were almost out, I quickly forgot once the work-week came. This led to Eric using Winston’s dog shampoo! When I discovered this I suggested he at least use the Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap until I made it to Whole Foods. Quite some time ago I read that Lucy Liu uses it to wash her hair and since he thinks she is oh so wonderful he was open to the idea. I on the other hand really am not crazy about it. It leaves my hair feeling a bit weird – heavy – I think the oils in it coat my hair. Whatever the scientific explanation is, my point is, I only use it when I have absolutely no other options. This continued on for a couple of weeks and with the holidays I was home more and at the gym less and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I headed across the street to CVS to find something we could use. Let me tell you, there are really not so many great options at the drug store if you’re trying to avoid animal products, parabens, sulfates, etc. The few ’natural’ lines still had a few bad ingredients here and there. Finally I settled on Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Shampoo. I rarely ever purchase anything by them anymore now that they’ve been bought out by Clorox but considering it was the best option I bit the bullet and supported the huge corporation which otherwise doesn’t really care about the environment. What a huge disappointment! Do not waste your time with this at all! Believe me, I’m not even super picky, I normally use the Whole Foods brand shampoo and conditioner – I’m very easy to please with this stuff but oh my, Burt’s Bees shampoo is horrible. I don’t really even know how to explain it. It does suds up but it feels like its just drying my hair out – leaving it feeling like straw. The final affect, once dried and styled is still better than Dr. Bronners soap but it takes a lot of stuff (lots of conditioner, argan oil and some random spray I have) to moisturize it! I’m sure Eric will survive and can use up the bottle but next time I’m at Whole Foods I’ll be picking up our good old bottle of peppermint 365 shampoo!
It’s that time of year for insanely dry skin – hands in particular at the moment. Like I said in an old post, my Weleda Pomegranate Hand Cream was great for summer but winter would require something more. Lucky me I came across this Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter at Sephora in the check out line. I was using a coupon for $15 off a purchase of $40 or more but since I printed and clipped the coupon (it printed on a full sheet of paper so I clipped around the coupon to recycle the rest of the page) I didn’t see the small print saying it was with a minimum purchase of $40 so I needed to spend just another $5. Anyway, I saw this 3oz tube of body butter for only $5, which is now working well as a hand cream. It smells absolutely fabulous and gives a good amount of protection without being greasy. I also loved the Tuscan Blood Orange – I think I’ll run back and get one of those too.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I love the smell of coconut and coconut oil is so good for you! I cook with it and slather it all over my body as a moisturizer.
This yummy body butter is vegan and Pacifica doesn’t test on animals
