We are verrrrrry excited to announce this event next weekend in New York City. On November 20, I will be participating in a day of natural beauty at the raw and vegan heaven that is Organic Avenue. On hand will be nutritionists, holistic therapists, herbalists, detox experts, and natural beauty mavens such as myself, Tata Harper and Spirit from Spirit Beauty Lounge. It’s going to be an amazing day and we’d love for you to come.
The focus of the three-hour workshops is inside-out and outside-in beauty and we’re going to answer your questions and talk about food, supplements, juicing, beauty products, makeup, skincare regimens and more. Plus, you know, we’ll all get facials like the one Alie—that’s code for Alexandra—had a few weeks ago, and we’ll get our makeup done.
Seriously, it’s the kind of thing that, if I wasn’t going to be speaking at it, I’d definitely want to attend. I can’t wait to learn from the other amazing women on the schedule.
Here’s the rundown:
INSIDE BEAUTY
* Which foods to eat to enhance beauty from the insides. And which foods to avoid.
* You will learn easy to prepare recipes including different ways of juicing, and what you can do when you need something fast and on the go.
* Which supplements to take daily to support skin health, energy and vitality.
* Ways to detoxify your body for optimum well-being.
OUTSIDE BEAUTY
* Latest natural technologies for real skin care results. What skin care products to look for.
* Which harmful ingredients to avoid and ways to find them.
* Skin care regimens and what to for your skin daily, once a week and once a month.
* Different personal techniques you can do at home
* All-natural make up application
It does cost to attend, but it’s not for nothing. You’ll get a free facial, lots of freebies, amazing advice, and more. You can get your tickets now!
Award season is upon us! Fig & Sage, the eco style site, has announced their latest winners in the makeup category, and we’d love to share them. We may have a different take on some of these picks, but it’s nice to see some of our favorites on their list, too. For instance….
Best Product To Get The Glow: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
We don’t leave the house without this thing.
Best Mascara: Couleur Caramel
Our friend Jessa Blades calls this the Dior Show of naturals, and we agree.
Best Cream Blush: RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek ‘Promise’ and Revolution Organics Beauty Balm ‘Blushed’ and Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-Use Blush ‘Torch 203′
We love Torch! But we smear it on our lips. Is that weird? And you can’t really beat Lip2Cheek. Revolution Organics is a line neither of us has ever tried.
Anyway, the rest of the list is here. Let us know your favorites in the comments!
This is not the first time we talk about Tata Harper and her clean line by the same name, nor will it be the last. Last month Siobhan raved about her new favorite cleanser, and this past Friday I got a facial from the lady herself while she was visiting L.A. I’m feeling pretty lucky about it too.
Harper (who is seen above making lab glasses look chic) is the picture of an exciting entrepreneur. Sure, it helps that she’s jaw-drop beautiful and has luminescent skin—but it’s even cooler that before she was into beauty she was an industrial engineer, and that she spends half the week on her organic farm in Vermont where she grows many of her own ingredients.
During my facial she explained that it was her stepfather’s cancer diagnosis that set her down the clean path—when doctors at the Mayo Clinic recommended he stop using all of his products that contained synthetics and carcinogens (which was exactly all of them), a dumbstruck Harper had her a-ha moment. Since then she spent six years formulating her perfectly clean line, which launched a few months back.
Is it expensive? Yes, but it is also genuinely high-performance stuff. It won’t be for everyone but if you are in search of luxurious, clean products that deliver, do check them out. The line wasn’t out when we wrote the book but you can be sure that we will continue to review individual products as we try them… In fact, I left my facial with a few pretty bottles in hand, and I look forward to testing them all.
Right now you can find Tata Harper online at their site and at Spirit Beauty Lounge, at Evolue in Los Angeles and at Space NK in New York.
Image of Harper via her site
Get excited, people: We have some new pics for you to feast on. In case you missed it, last Monday, inspired by Rabbit Write’s no-makeup week, we threw down a gaunlet of our own: Just one day, leave the house and go do something (anything, really) without makeup on, then send us a pic! This was not meant as any kind of diss to makeup; we love the stuff. But when you apply it day-in, day-out, you might very well forget what you look like without it. And according to some recent studies, a whole lot of women are afraid of going bare-faced.
What we learned? Well, see for yourself: We think these women look gorgeous. With all the heavy foundation, spray tans and photoshopping we’re accustomed to, there’s something almost exciting about seeing so many unadulterated faces. Wouldn’t you agree?
And now a round of applause please for the brave beauties featured above:
1. Jenn, Los Angeles; 2. Aster, Ultrecht, Netherlands; 3. Kristina, Greeley, Colorado; 4. Lauren, Toronto; 5. Shannon, who also posted, from Bend, Oregon; 6. Kimmy, Plano, Texas; 7. Karen, Durham; 8. Brianna, Los Angeles; 9. Maria, Barranquilla, Colombia; 10. Tina, New York; 11. Katie, Toronto; 12. Anne and Octavia, Toronto; 13. Mia Davis from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Boston; 14. Katherine, who also posted; 15. Meaghan-Rose; 16. Nicola, Toronto; 17. Samantha, who also posted; 18. Laura; 19. Cat; 20. Carolina, Los Angeles; 21. Michelle, Montreal; 22. Sara, New York; 23. Marisa, New York; 24. Leeyanne, Charlottesville, Virginia; 25. Simone from Simoneleblanc.com, Los Angeles; 26. Kaity, New York; 27. Kim and Sukie, London; 28. Sarah, New York; 29. Emma, of Pastfashionfuture.com, New York; 30. Katy, Philadelphia; 31. Olivia, Rhode Island; 32. Kelly, Austin; 33. Erika, New York; 34. Jessa, from Bladesnaturalbeauty.com, New York; 35. Maeve, Montreal; 36. Tosha, from Essentially Basic, Midway, Utah; 37. Ione, Sechelt, British Columbia; 38. Christine, Los Angeles; 39. Trudi; 40. Kate, New York; 41. Cyrena Lee, New York; 42. Katherine, New York; 43. Virginia from Beautyschooledproject.com, New York; 44. Shine, from Ishineoutloud.com
When it comes to face cleansers, there are a few things I won’t budge on. If it foams, I’m not interested. I don’t care how gentle the company claims its surfactants are, bubbles mean I’m out. Also, even without the suds, it can’t rob me of the protective layer that sits on my skin’s surface. Alexandra and I both joke about how evil products are when they steal our precious oils. We love our oils! Finally, even though people say cleansers don’t really matter because the stuff goes down the drain in point-two seconds, I love a luxurious face wash. I live in a grimy city and usually wear at least a touch of makeup, so it’s an essential first step to skincare for me—one of the few things I don’t mind splurging on—but it’s gotta be great.
And so: Meet the new love of my life, Tata Harper’s Skin Regenerating Cleanser. This small bottle costs fifty bucks—a pretty penny indeed—and for me, it is worth every single one. Here’s why:
The line is made in small batches and is headed up by a self-taught woman named Tata who grows many of her own ingredients at an organic farm in Vermont. She spent years working with chemists and familiarizing herself with ingredients that work well with (not for or against) our skin. And she doesn’t use any synthetic fragrance or chemicals, of course.
I have tried the eye cream, the face moisturizer, the cleanser and the hydrating floral spray, and I like them all, but the cleanser is my favorite, with the fancy face spray a close second. (Confidential to Tata: You should seriously consider finding a way to bottle the smell of the face spray and make a perfume out of it, if that’s even possible, because it smells incredible.)
With the cleanser, every single ingredient in the bottle is skin-friendly. There are antioxidants in the pomegranate extract, soothing hydration from the aloe, very gentle exfoliation care of the apricot seed powder, skin-clearing goodness courtesy of a small amount of willowbark. Also, it smells bananas (but not, you know, actually like bananas).
Since I started using the cleanser in July, my skin has felt balanced and hydrated and it’s also stayed fairly clear. Best of all, after I use it, my skin feels…clean. Not squeaky—it’s not an oil thief—but fresh and ready for whatever I put on next, which, increasingly, is nothing at all.
Since Alexandra shared her new amazing face wash with us, I thought I’d throw something else in the mix. It’s the easiest body scrub in the entire world, and the best part is you probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen. Let’s call today DIY Wednesday or, um, Scrubby Wednesday, maybe. Though that’s a bit weird because actually, we’re both totally anti-scrub.
Those of you who have read the book may remember we have a pretty strong take on manual and chemical exfoliation on the face. You can check the face chapter for a refresher (we talked about it on NPR too) because as a general rule, we’re not fans, and we found some pretty compelling reasons why you shouldn’t be either—especially if you have rosacea, acne and other issues.
That being said, the honey wash is as gentle as can be, and mine? Well, sometimes you just want a good scrub. Instead of spending 30 bucks on some fancy one, or seven bucks on one loaded with plastic beads (seriously—they’re plastic), try this instead. As for the amounts, just eyeball it. Rocket science, this is not.
—Some oil you like (coconut, jojoba or my favorite, extra virgin organic olive oil)
—Some sea salt (leave this out if you have a sunburn or eczema)
—Some brown sugar (I prefer a coarse sugar to balance out the super-fine salt, but it’s basically up to you)
—Vanilla extract, the most amazing smell in the world (if for some weird reason you don’t like vanilla, use any other oil you like the smell of, or none at all)
—Combine it in measurements that seem right to you, stir and then hop in the tub
Couple things to know though: It makes the shower slippery, and I have a nasty bruise to show for it, so be careful and use a bath mat. I like to make enough it for a single use, but if you have some left over, seal it in an airtight container in the fridge, being sure not to get any water into the mixture (bacteria central). It’ll keep in the fridge for two weeks. Just take it out about 10 minutes before you want to use it, since some oils congeal with they’re cold.
That’s it!
I haven’t exactly hidden my love of honey—I pretty much mention its antibacterial wound-healing powers every chance I get. But, truth is, I only got turned onto its magic in earnest a few months ago…
See, back in May the lovely Simone invited me to join her at a natural beauty house party—yes, this is how we roll in Los Angeles—where guest speaker Dae Williams sat at the center of our cross-legged lady circle, expounded on the many benefits of natural ingredients, made us laugh, and made us blush. For real. Dae is what you’d call a character, and she takes her act on the road, peddling her lovely clean products and educating women about their bodies. A hippie after my own heart.
That’s where I first tried Dae’s honey face wash, which I immediately bought and fell in love with. Now that my bottle has run out though, I’ve been playing with my own version.
It sounds weird but you can essentially just wash with honey if you’re very sensitive and looking for a really gentle cleanse. Lately I’ve been adding a little baking soda to the mix for a subtle scrub—as in helps with circulation but doesn’t tear off your top layer of skin. This is what I do:
—One tablespoon raw organic honey
—Combine with one teaspoon baking soda in palm
—Rub together and then massage gently in circular motions on face
—Let sit for a minute (or don’t) then rinse thoroughly with warm or even cold water
If this is all sounding a little crunchy, consider this: Last week we were guests on Dr. Doris Day’s Sirius XM radio show, and even she—dermatologist to the stars (and Siobhan)—was going on about the benefits of using honey topically. It’s also popping up in some of our new favorite natural brands, but more on that another time…
This is an argan tree, native to Morocco and source of one of our favorite facial beauty routines. Oil on your face, you say!? Yeah, that’s how we felt too when we first started reading about the wonderful benefits of healthy plant oils—argan, olive, coconut and others—for our skin and hair.
Oil on our faces? We pictured breakouts and shine.
Of course, after years of fat fear, the nutrition world has finally come around to the importance of healthy oils in our food. Why would our skin be so different? Turns out it’s not. These oils lock in moisture, fight free radicals and impart a dewiness to skin that we never got from a bottle of cream. What’s more is that women around the world have been using them for centuries.
To hear more about why we love our oils so much take a look at this interview we did with our new favorite person Virginia Sole-Smith, over at Planet Green.
So, what do you say—would you dare to grease your mug?
We have a little secret. Maybe not something to bring up at a dinner party or in mixed company, but here among friends? Why not.
Alexandra and I both hate soap.
Aside from certain obvious body parts (the sexytime ones, and our pits), we don’t use the stuff. Basic hygiene, yes? Soaping up our…calves? And elbows? And the small of our backs? Why on earth!
Since we both stopped using soap, we find our skin much softer and naturally balanced, which obviates the need for body lotion. We like this, because it supports one of the central tenets in the book, which is that the fewer products you use, the fewer products you need. And when you’re buying less stuff, you can afford to get things you absolutely love when you do go shopping.
Back to faces for a second. We won’t use soap or anything foaming on our mugs. Our skin needs the natural oils that live on its surface and below. When we strip that with harsh, carcinogen-contaminated chemicals, our skin acts like a moody teenager.
Still, if you wear sunscreen and makeup, and who doesn’t, you obviously have to wash at the end of the day. I use a new Tata Harper cleanser some days, and an Evan Healy milk on others (reviews to come!). In the morning, I gently wipe my face with a clean wash cloth and water. That’s it.
Alexandra has lately been experimenting with honey. When she bothers to wash her face at all, she skews more DYI: a little honey as a cleanser here, coconut oil to remove makeup there. The point for both of us: Our bodies are marvellous! They do all kinds of magic tricks on their own. Let them be, and they work juuuust fine. And no, you won’t stink, we promise.
What about you? Do you use soap?
The short answer is yes, though Sephora’s natural and organic section can be a slightly spotty scene. Not all the products they stamp with their “Naturally Gorgeous” logo would get a clean bill from us (note to Sephora: we’d love to help!) but the mega beauty chain does carry some of our favorite brands—most notably our top pick for deodorant.
Generally we’re of the mind that any mainstreaming of clean products is a good thing. The glitch is that unless you know which lines to trust (and yes, that’s why we wrote the book), you’re stuck trying to read labels again. Total. Drag.
Last week our friend Simone LeBlanc asked us what the deal was with Edun’s new line for Sephora. If you’re not familiar with Edun, it’s a stlylish eco clothing line with a focus on encouraging trade in Africa. But are their lovely new eye-and-face palettes really clean? Not entirely—but they’re not terrible, either.
The first ingredient is mica, which is used in lots of powders and eye shadows. While it’s not unsafe, it can cause allergic reactions. There are no parabens, synthetic fragrances or talc, but there are some synthetic dyes. The one bad-boy that jumped out at us was aluminum powder, which was only used in one pallette, and was listed last on the label. That means there’s less of it than any other ingredient on the list. But still—it’s aluminum!
Aluminum powder gets a 7-9 on Skin Deep. It’s a neurotoxin with links to cancer, and from an environmental perspective, it ain’t pretty either. But since the rest of the ingredients are clean, is it kind of like freaking out because you found a single cockroach in an otherwise clean kitchen?
Maybe. But why spoil an otherwise nontoxic product with something as hot-button as aluminum? We personally favor products that steer entirely clear from things like this. Where do you make exceptions?
