Salut, salut! We’re reeeeeally excited about this Friday Deal because it’s so, well, simple. It’s from one of our all time favorite lines, and you get the pick of the litter here on what you want to stock up on—which is good, because summer’s over, and if there’s one thing we know (as we have been discussing lately) it’s that skin needs extra TLC when the seasons change. Also, and follow us here: When fall comes, and our outfits get more subdued, and we’re showing less skin (here’s hoping anyway), there is even more emphasis placed on our faces. Which means we want to be keeping them in tip-top shape, are we right?
Specifically, your skin needs barriers from the elements. And it needs sun-damage repair. And it needs hydration! All of which Kahina, and its all-star ingredient argan oil, provide in spades.
So here’s the deal: Buy anything on the Kahina Giving Beauty site between now and next Thursday the 15th at midnight, enter the code 15UNTIL15 at checkout, and you’ll get 15% off your order. Simple, clean, generous—just like the line itself!
Now! If you’re looking for suggestions, here’s what WE are thinking of doing: Stocking up on the stuff we know we’re going to be needing as the seasons change: the lotion, which helps protect against the elements, the oil, because it’s the best multitasker we’ve found, the eye cream, and the mask. Masks are a great way to ready your skin for seasonal changes—it sloughs off dead skin making it more radiant, but it’s also so nourishing and calming. Siobhan actually finds that when she uses it, the natural pinkyness of her skin—which she has learned to love, sure—is reduced visibly.
If you want more ideas, check out this 10-point list on how to use argan from head-to-toe written by the amazing Mairin Cipolla from KGB.
Also, a lot of you have been asking us lately about the difference between the different argan oils on the market, and why some cost more than others. Here is a great primer, written by the lovely Katharine (we call her Kahina behind her back).
Happy shopping!
Every so often, we get an email about a natural beauty line that sends our special authenticity detector off the charts.
You know when you can just tell that someone a) is the real deal, and b) would be really fun to have dinner with? Well, when Karen King from Chicago emailed us about her new organic skincare line La Bella Figura, that’s what happened. We wrote her back and asked what she thought her stand-out product was, which is when she told us about her Decouverte Eye Repair Serum.
Plagued with hereditary dark undereye circles—not to mention the occasional not-enough-sleep and too-many-cocktails nights—Karen says she was on a mission to find natural ingredients that would be great for her eyes. “In our research we discovered barbary fig seed oil. I was very interested in the composition of this oil with its very high linoleic acid content and because it contains Vitamin K, which helps stop leaky capillaries, one of the main reason for dark circles. However, I was very skeptical because it is very hard to get, time consuming to produce, and therefore very costly.”
Well, after experimenting on her own mug, she found barbary fig seed oil to be so great that she made an eye serum for the rest of us.
Now, to be honest, I’ve never had much of an undereye-circle issue but I totally have smile lines around my eyes (doesn’t bother me) and in the last few months I have thought the skin under my eyes might feel thinner and as a result, a little darker (bothers me a bit). Also, there are the puffy-eye days. We all have them thanks to things like salty food, booze and tears, and they suck.
I’m happy to report that La Bella Figura eye serum noticeably reduces inflammation on puffy-eye days, hydrates the lines around my eyes, and, yes, the skin under my eyes feels somehow thicker and looks less dark. It’s true! Even if I feel bad recommending a product that costs $115.
Now, am I sleeping better than I did last month? I don’t know, I think so? But the point is, it’s hard to know what’s what—but that’s always the case with beauty products.
There are no silver bullets, lifestyle accounts for a lot, so do our genes, and so does diet, but products certainly can and do work, in their way. I’m going to say this is one of those products.
Here are the ingredients:
100% Pure Organic Argan (Argania Spinosa) Kernel Oil, Organic Opuntia Ficus Indica (Barbary Fig) Seed Oil, Organic Rosa Rubiginosa (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Wild-crafted Lycopersicion Esculentum (Tomato) Seed Oil, Wild-crafted Coffea Arabica (Coffee Bean) Oil, Wild-crafted Rosa Damascena (Rose Otto) Flower Oil, Organic Tanacetum Annuum (Blue Tansy) Flower Oil, Organic Helichrysum Italicum Oil, Organic Cymbopogon Martinii Motia (Palmarosa) Oil, Organic Lavandulia Augustifolia (Lavender) Oil.
Also, check out her charming, candid blog here.
Found an eye treatment you think…works?
Image via La Bella Figura
We promised to get more of these to you guys, and our friend Vanessa Gualy from Nailing Hollywood was kind enough to send hers along. Vanessa, whose big brain handles the business side of things, and her amazing partner, green celebrity nail stylist Jenna Hipp, are a dynamic female duo. (We love those!) You can learn about their projects on their blog, including the launch of this HIPPxRGB foundation-inspired nail line. Isn’t it chic? Big -3-Free, of course.
These girls are longtime clean beauty enthusiasts and helped turn us onto Hope Gillerman. Vanessa is constantly trying new stuff, but here’s a current snapshot of her morning routine:
Name: Vanessa
Age: 33
Current weather: Sunny and bright- just like I like it!
Hair: Naturally wavy and tends to be dry. I heat style often.
Skin: Normal, no complaints
My morning skin and hair routine starts before I step foot in the shower. My approach is always beauty and health from the inside out first. As soon as I wake up, I drink a glass or two of water followed by a shot of my cleansing concoction- the juice of a lemon and a tbsp. of olive oil. This cleans my body- especially my liver- and hydrates me from the inside out.
In the shower…
I LOVE to shower. I mean, I really, really love it. Shower, bath, salt water, I’m game. In the morning, I like my shower to feel invigorating. I’ll often start with a dry skin brush to naturally exfoliate and get my circulation going. I’m currently using Stark’s exfoliating mitt. Before I get in the shower, I douse HGillerman’s Chest Remedy on – as you well guessed- my chest. I take hot showers (I know, very drying but it feels oh so good) because the steam feels like bliss to me. The steam coupled with HGO’s oil makes the shower feel and smell like my favorite spa. After the steam gets going, I turn off the shower water to conserve but also to lather up. Collective Wellbeing’s charcoal body wash, detox soap and buffing bar are my cleansing staples. I’m also a huge fan of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap (it’s saponified oils). The tingly peppermint one is in constant shower rotation and almond one for a bath or soak. My face gets the spa treatment with Suki’s exfoliating foaming cleanser. The lemongrass scent is perfection. I use a Clarisonic a few days a week on my face and an old toothbrush daily to scrub nails clean. I turn on the water for a rinse, turn off, apply natural oil to wet skin (apricot, coconut, etc.) to hydrate and pat skin dry.
Occasionally, I take epsom salt baths to detox and I add HGO oils to the mix.
Although I wash my body at least once daily, I seriously dislike washing my hair but love it if someone else does! I try to stretch hair washings – shampoo + conditioner- 3 days apart. My hair is dry so I rely on a light touch of natural oils- esp. argan oil – to add sheen and moisture. I’m still on the search for my favorite hair care line- I haven’t found a product I can’t live without yet.
Outside the shower…
Most of the action happens in the shower for me, so outside the shower is a breeze. A quick dab of a Kahina Giving Beauty Argan Oil is applied all over my face. It’s magic, try it! I use the leftover oil on my hands as a treatment focusing on applying it over my cuticles. Soapwalla Deodorant cream is my go-to natural deodorant. Lastly, I add Hope Gillerman oils. The daily mixture changes depending on what my body needs that day. Today, it needed serious muscle therapy.
The finishing touches…
My hair gets the heat treatment on most days. It’s summer so my makeup routine is super simple. Daily, I curl my lashes, style my brows and apply a generous coat of mascara (Tarte and Emani). I conceal the skin under my eyes and apply blush (Vapour). I don’t always wear lip color/gloss – I am constantly drinking something so I’d rather not get it all over my glass/mug- but lip balm is something I can’t do without. When the occasion or mood calls for it, I pull out all the stops and do the full schbang- eyeshadow, red lips, etc- but this is the exception these days.
Since going green, I tossed out my favorite and loved fragrances (yes, I wore fragrance daily) and I’m still on the lookout to replace them with nontoxic options. I haven’t found my new scent yet but I am searching….
Can anyone suggest a favorite clean fragrance line to Vanessa? We are both loving Honores Des Pres.
This one goes out to all my curly, frizzy, wavy, fro-y friends out there.
I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time now and, inspired by my buddy’s piece yesterday, I decided to get all listy on it. Obviously you guys know that what got us in trouble in the first place was a fated chem-filled Brazilian Blowout. And as such we like to encourage women to generally embrace what they were born with, rather than fight their looks at every turn—especially with toxins.
But let’s be real about things too. There will always be women with curly hair who try to make it straight. And just because we want you to love and accept yourself does not at all mean that we don’t strongly advocate mixing sh*t up sometimes. When I get a blowout it’s like a new lease on life! I don’t do it often but when I do, a whole other gal comes out to play: She’s a little more sophisticated than me, this blowout character, a little more polished. I’ll never be her year-round, but I like her style.
But here’s the big surprise, ladies: Going natural—and I mean really natural—is the best thing you can do for your blowout. Consider this a guide to the anti-Brazilian blowout.
1. Stop washing your hair. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: Not washing my hair is the best thing I ever did for this (now less) dry, curly mane of mine. It’s made it more manageable and actually much easier to style. Thanks to the natural oils in there I no longer look like someone who’s been electrocuted when I get my hair blown out. Sure, my ends are still a little ragged but overall my hair looks much healthier than it once did straightened. Also—and this is the clincher—when your scalp is used to not being washed you can keep a blowout for days (and days, and days) without it turning to a greasy mess. It’s like you’ve pre-trained it for the blowout. I kept my last one for over a week easy—and I could have gone longer.
2. Show up with a wet head. Critical if you’re doing it at a salon, otherwise the stylist will force you to wash your hair. Trust me on this one. And even if they don’t they will still use chemy products in there that you don’t want. Which takes me to…
3. Avoid leave-ins. I’m not talking about a little bit of argan oil on the ends here, but if you leave crap in your hair (even of the more natural variety like my new favorite curl cream) you run the risk of your hair getting weighed down and dull looking after a day or two. Even worse, your scalp could start itching. On the contrary, your natural oils will add shine and not weigh your hair down (except maybe at the root, but there’s a solution for that). So keep your hair dirty-clean, yeah?
4. Ask for a loose wave rather than the pin-straight look. I know us curly-haired girls dream of nothing more than shiny, stick-straight locks. But the truth is, no matter how healthy our hair is, most of us are still going to have broken ends that look rough when they’re super straight. It’s just the nature of the curly beast. As dumb luck would have it, the last blowout I had I asked for loose waves because I wanted to wear it in a pony for my friend’s wedding. I’ll never ask for anything else. Having the ends fall into big curls was the perfect camouflage (see picture above for inspiration) The waves also actually got better as the days passed.
5. Use dry shampoo to keep it alive. As mentioned, depending just how used to not washing your scalp is, the top can get a little greasy or flat after a few days. Meet your new best friend, dry shampoo. Siobhan has written about this stuff in the past but for some reason I’d never tried it. Probably because it’s called shampoo—but it’s really nothing like it. The added volume dry shampoo can give you at the root makes it feel more like a styling product to me than anything else. Yes it gets rid of the grease, but also, holy height! (Again, see above pic for inspiration because dry shampoo can do that depending how thick your hair is.) I’ve been using this All Nighter Styling Powder (couldn’t look less natural, but it’s made from rice tapioca and colored with mineral pigments) and I love it. I even use it here and there when my hair’s curly just to get that extra boost on top.
So, who here likes to get a blowout now and again? Got any tips to add?
Happy Friday, loves—and happy summer too! We’re sorry we had no deal for you last week (scheduling snafu!), but this one’s doubly good to make up for it. The beloved Kahina Giving Beauty is doing something we’ve yet to see: They’re offering a discount AND a giveaway with this week’s deal.
So here it is: Spend over $50 (before taxes) buying whatever you like on the Kahina site to receive a 15% discount AND a little prezzy from the Kahina crew: this yummy Argan Bar Soap (featured above). Delish. Just use the promo code NMDL624 at checkout. As per, the gift won’t show up in your cart, but it will arrive with your shipment.
And let’s have a little fun with this today. If you’re going to order something, let us know in the comments what you’re getting and why. Will it be the classic argan oil, or maybe the eye cream? How about Siobhan’s total obsession: the toning spray?
Now go have a wonderful summery weekend of sun, fun and repose.
You know when you meet a new person and you’re so wild about them that even their snoring is adorable? You think about them when they’re not around and find ways to work them into conversations no matter how much of a stretch it is? That’s basically how I feel about the Kahina Giving Beauty Toning Mist, which I’ve been using religiously for exactly a month now mainly because…
It’s not every day one of your favorite brands puts out a new product, and it’s not every day you find a product that is loaded with actives, feels and smells good, and—gasp—works.
A word about the word “works.” This is obviously to a certain extent subjective, but seeing is believing when it comes to skincare and based on what I see in the mirror (even in the super-unflattering lighting in my bathroom) and on the ingredient list (posted below), I’m a believer. I feel almost certain that my skin has been more hydrated, calmer/clearer, plumped and glowy since I started using it—which I credit to the sodium hyaluronate, argan leaf extract, willow bark and rose water. There are also a lot of antioxidants in there.
Here’s how I use it: After my morning shower, where I typically wipe my face with a muslin cloth from Pai (with no cleanser), I spray my face with Kahina’s Toning Mist, wait a couple of minutes, and then apply moisturizer and sunscreen. And at night before bed, after washing, I spray, wait a few, then apply my night oils and an eye cream. It’s also nice over makeup (it sets minerals very nicely) and as a refresher after a long flight. So far, so great.
Plus, 25 percent of the profits are set aside for the Berber women in Morocco who harvest and produce Kahina’s argan oil.
You can get it from their site, for $36. I’m not sure how long it will last but with a month of twice-daily use I have a long way to go before it runs out.
Ingredients: aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice*, aqua, rosa damascena (rose) flower water*, salix nigra (willow bark) extract, populus tremuloides (aspen bark) extract, medicago sativa (alfalfa) extract*, sodium hyaluronate, argania spinosa (argan) leaf extract, oryza sativa (rice) seed extract*, camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract*, sodium PCA, glycerin, sodium levulinate, sodium anisate, maltodextrin, sodium benzoate.
Have you tried this mist? Do you have a toner you like?
TGIF, are we right? Well here’s something: Another week has passed, and another deal is upon us. And this one is really pretty sweet.
So far these Fridays have been quite the adventure. There’s been a little controversy, and some Mercury-retrograde-style technical difficulties, but all in all we’re having a really good time and it seems like you guys are too. It’s been great to hear your feedback, and we’re especially happy to be facilitating an open and direct dialogue between companies and consumers. Transparency at its best.
This week’s amazingness is from Kahina Giving Beauty, a brand that is very close to our hearts. Not only did we swoon for Kahina’s ethically sourced organic argan oil from very early on (and later for the eye cream), we quickly became friends with the company’s founder Katharine L’Heureux, a kind, elegant and funny woman who even thew us a book party at her loft back in August (!). But that’s not why we say nice things about her or her line. We truly, authentically love it from the perspective of sustainability, ethics, packaging, and performance.
We adore so many of their products—full range pictured above—which is why this week’s deal is especially exciting: Kahina is offering a gobsmacking 25% off anything you order, and if your total (after discount) is more than $50, they’ll throw in a free cleanser automatically, too. They have NEVER done a deal like this—and who knows if they will again. All you have to do is enter promo code NMDL25 at checkout to get your discount.
If you’ve missed some of our past coverage of Kahina Giving Beauty you can read it here. We’re also planning a review of their new Toning Mist in the coming weeks. (Here’s the preview: It’s bananas. And Siobhan loves Alexandra so much that she left her mist in Los Angeles for her—but only because she had another at home. Ha!).
Enjoy your weekend and help us spread the word on this one! It will last until next Friday.
We asked you last week if you wear sunscreen every day and we’re pretty sure you broke our record on number and length of comments (if you haven’t yet weighed in, and haven’t yet seen the awesome still of Spicoli, please click here). Now we want to get started, but first a checklist that we are using to consider the performance of a screen:
- It can’t cause zits.
- It can’t cast us in a white glow.
- It can’t be make us look like we’ve been rolling around in vaseline.
- It can’t be overly matte either.
- It has to work well.
- It has to wear well under makeup.
- It can’t smell gross.
Obviously all product considerations produce a sort of mental check list in our minds, but sunscreen is especially tough because there’s a demand for form and function that you just can’t fake. With an antiager, you can’t tell right away if it works (probably because most don’t! Ha.). But if a sunscreen doesn’t work, you’re a sad, burned mess.
To get the ball rolling on our Five Face Sunscreens We Love series, I’ll start with a vegan one.
100% Pure’s Argan Oil Moisturizer SPF 30
I test drove this puppy in New York for a couple of weeks and liked it a lot, but let’s be real: a sunscreen that performs on a girl who spends all day inside in an overcast city isn’t exactly groundbreaking. But I just got back from five days with Alexandra in sunny Los Angeles, where we spent a lot of time outside (for me, anyway), and I am happy to report that it worked like a charm! No burns, no major freckling, nada.
The lotion feels very light. Though it’s technically a moisturizer, it’s definitely too light for me on its own for hydration. I have been using a plumping, hydrating hydrosol and another day cream under my 100% Pure and have been loving it. It’s very cosmetically appealing: it feels light on my face, makeup sits nicely on top of it, and it hasn’t caused any breakouts—all of which made me wonder how good it could possible be as a screen, which is where the ingredients come in:
Ingredients: Active Ingredients: 24.8 % Zinc Oxide
Inactive Ingredients: Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice1, Rgania Spinosa Kernel (Argan) Oil, Rosa Canina Seed (Rosehip Oil) Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Extracts of: Euphorbia Cerifera Cera (Candelilla Wax), Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf2, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf, Origanum Vulgar (Oregano), Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit Seed) Seed, Hydrastis Canadensis (Goldenseal), Lonicera Caprifolium (Japanese Honeysuckle) and Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark (Cinnamon)
Big high five on this one! Stay tuned for the next four. Have you tried one you love?
Last week Josie told us why we should use our fingers to apply makeup (just make sure they’re clean, y’all!), and this week she dishes on the sliding scale of “green,” her other favorite sustainable cosmetics brands and how traditional makeup used to wreak havoc on her skin.
When you were modeling all the time did you notice a difference in your skin and hair from all the product used? Did that have any part in you going clean?
With 17 years of modeling experience, I’ve spent a lot of time in the makeup chair. There were days I’d have makeup caked-on and I often got break outs. I never heard about healthier alternatives that were functional enough to be used by professional makeup artists. If I had, I would have asked that we use them. This is what inspired me to start my own line. It was also perfect that I was pregnant around the same time I was developing the line, because it definitely made me more aware of what I was putting inside my body and on my skin. I wanted to stay away from toxins as much as possible.
Where do you stand on the sliding scale of green? Totally clean without exceptions? Or do you bend the rules sometimes?
I was born into a family that cares about environmental and social issues, so being green and natural has always been an important part of my life. I try to reduce my carbon footprint whenever possible—one of my favorite things to do is compost in my backyard!
As for my brand, it has always been a luxurious, high-performance line that uses many natural and organic ingredients. As we’ve progressed, I have found that select synthetic ingredients are essential to high-performance cosmetics and since these will remain in some formulations, I am implementing ways to bring balance to this equation. Planting thousands of trees, donating profits to eco-organizations such as Global Green USA and the Natural Resources Defense Council, etc. Also, our packaging will remain compostable, biodegradable and/or recyclable. I am committed to being as authentic and transparent as possible as my line continues to grow.
Are there any exciting new discoveries you’ve made?
I’m really excited about my new mascara. We found a great way to introduce natural blacker-than-black mascara that really performs, while also giving back to a great cause. The formula features a breakthrough ingredient: double silica encapsulated carbon black. It offers unbeatable shine, the deepest carbon black available and water resistant, long wear benefits.
What’s your absolute favorite product from your own line?
My absolute favorite product is of course my 100% pure organic argan oil. It’s the ultimate multitasking product. I use it as a daily moisturizer, to heal rough cuticles and to fix split ends.
Other than your own, what are some other favorite clean brands?
I love Jo Wood Organics, Lulu Organics, and Duchess Marden.
Now there’s a face you can trust, are we right? Josie Maran, the foxy model and makeup maven behind Josie Maran cosmetics answered a few of our burning questions about beauty and products. We’re going to run it in two parts. Here’s the first chunk where she tells us about a—gasp—waterproof mascara, and some insider beauty tips. Next up? More modelly secrets, her favorite other natural lines and more.
What are some common booboos you see in makeup application—and how can we fix them?
One thing I see a lot of is eyeshadow mistakes. Blend, baby, blend! Apply your colors and then take a clean eyeshadow brush and go over what you’ve done until it blends together beautifully. Also, curl your lashes. This is such a small step that so many women skip but it makes a huge difference. Curling your lashes really opens up your eyes and pulls a whole look together. I’m actually totally addicted to curling my lashes.
Do lots of models use natural products?
As a model, it’s hard to use natural products because, unless you’re carrying your own kit around, you’re at the mercy of the makeup artist who is doing you for the job. On top of that, there haven’t really been [many] high performance natural makeup products that hold up for photo shoots or runway. However, I do think that models (like everyone else) are becoming more conscious about what they put on their bodies—especially in terms of skin care. In fact, the gorgeous supermodel Brooklyn Decker just gave a shout out to my argan oil saying she can’t live without it! Every day makeup artists have been asking me to help them clean out the toxins from their kits, and we send them healthy high-performing cosmetics from my line to use on their clients.
We bend on waterproof mascara and antiperspirant on occasion. You told us in the past that creating a good mascara was crucial to you—and yours is great—but could natural ever replace truly waterproof?
It is true that a good mascara is like the holy grail. And guess what? My new mascara is natural and water resistant! You can have both! Two ingredients—the organic cerifera wax and the organic beeswax—help keep the mascara on your lashes, while the argan oil conditions and volumizes at the same time. I’m also so proud of the GOGO mascara because of the cause behind it. GOGO stands for Get One, Give One. We’ve teamed up with City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment center, and for every GOGO we sell we are donating one to a patient or survivor of cancer.
If you could offer women one beautifying tip, what would it be?
Use your fingers when applying makeup. Don’t be afraid—the result is natural and clean. And, of course: Smile!
What is your number-one favorite natural ingredient to use in products—other than argan?
Argan Oil IS my favorite natural ingredient! I use Argan Oil in almost all of my products for it’s moisturizing, anti-aging, and nourishing properties.
Stay tuned for part two!
