I seem to have found a new mask I love, and this one is from Acure, a line I’m loving more by the week. I still use their shampoo and conditioner (which you can get as a package deal over at our OpenSky shop for $22!!), and after our tireless search for the perfect boysturizer, the verdict from our man tester was that Acure’s Oil Control Day Cream was the big winner. (The product is unisex, obviously, but the smell and packaging are definitely gender-neutral.)
Anyway, this morning I woke up feeling less than lustrous, so I tried a new mask while I dried my hair. It was the Cell Stimulating Facial Mask from Acure, and I’m a convert. (And to give credit where credit is due, this is thanks to Spirit Demerson, who introduced me to it over drinks the other night!)
Like all Acure products, the price point is nice—it’s $15.99—and so are the certified-organic ingredients, which are listed below.
The heavy lifting here is done, of course, by the green clay, which is a natural detoxifier and skin refiner. We love clay, as we’ve said many many times before, and I still spot treat with powdered green tea clay mélanges from my new favorite clay, from Stark.
But sometimes you want a mask that’s already a mask—no powder, no mess, and not too drying.
I found that in this mask, which dried in about 15 minutes, and foams slightly when you splash it off with water. I found the suds surprising, but that’s probably the vegetable glycerin talking. And I’m happy to say that thanks to the oils in there—and I don’t count argan oil among them, since it’s the second last ingredient on the deck—my skin was left feeling soft and hydrated, and looking a little more radiant.
Ingredients: euterpe oleracea (acai) berry*, rubus fruticosus (blackberry)*, rosa canina (rosehips)*, punica granatum (pomegranate)*, fair trade rooibos*, aloe barbadensis vera leaf juice, french green clay, vegetable glycerin, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate (from coconut + amino acids), vegetable cellulose gum, sodium cocoyl isethionate (from coconut), chlorophyll, chlorella pyrenoidisa extract (chlorella growth factor)*, glucono delta lactone (sugar enzyme), fair trade theobroma cacoa (cocoa) butter*, carageenan (algae), hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) seed oil, ubiquinone (coq10), spinosa (argan) stem cell, potassium sorbate (food grade preservative), argania spinosa (argan) oil*, and sage & spearmint essential oil blend.
Have you found a new mask you love?
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
