Neal's Yard Remedies Makeup

by Paige Donner
Neal's Yard Remedies, the UK-based natural remedies, skincare, bodycare and now makeup line, feels that the Tree is a perfect symbol of beauty: The roots represent our health/inner beauty, and the outer blossomings of gorgeous leaves, fruits and flowers are symbols of our outward beauty. That's the logic behind their logo.

So when they moved into developing their makeup line, after several years of careful thought and reflection, they knew that mineral makeup was the direction to go in.  However, based as they are on holistic and organic remedies masquerading as personal care products and skincare, they wanted nothing to do with the common additives found in many of the mineral-based makeups on store shelves today. One good example is talc and talcum powder. Believe it or not, many "mineral" makeup lines today use these as fillers to round out their color-based mineral makeup lines. But never NYR!
White Tea (Powder)
So what NYR did before ever launching their makeup line in any of their 42 U.K. stores (70 boutiques worldwide) was to do a fair bit of research focused around white tea and white tea powder.

"Color That Cares"

Neal's Yard Remedies Makeup

Vintage Shopping 101

by Samantha Gray

[This guest post is by Samantha]

We all know that green fashion can sometimes be a little pricey. For ladies still feeling the brunt of the recession or the college student who hasn’t made it into a full-time job yet, vintage clothingboutiques offer unique items at lower prices.

Purchasing vintage and resale fashion is another form of recycling, and it doesn’t take any manpower or chemicals to recycle a fabulous retro garment. All it takes is a little bit of time and creativity. Oh yeah, and a little bit of money.

If you’ve never shopped vintage before, you may be reluctant to try it. My first experience with vintage shopping was when I tagged along with my college roommate to the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores so she could find quirky vintage tees.

I’m not generally patient enough to treasure hunt through thrift stores, so I hop right on over to vintage boutiques or resale clothing shops. These stores generally have a specific set of buying guidelines and can sometimes offer alterations.

Vintage shopping presents a few challenges to those who are accustomed to shopping in a more organized store. Because there are no visual cues to help you build your outfits (mannequins, advertisements, and displays are sparse), the best plan is to do a little research before you dive in. Not only will this give you a direction, but it will help you appreciate the different styles.

Research fashion trends across decades so you will be familiar with styles beyond the millennium. You may already be interested in an iconic celebrity or two who will point you in the right direction. Edie Sedgwick, Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy are my go-to gals for inspiration in vintage looks.

Zooey Deschanel is a perfect example for the modern girl who can pull together looks from different
decades.

Vintage Shopping 101

Your Good(-smelling) Deed For Earth Day

Want to get a jump on Earth Day this year? Here's your chance to do something good for the children of Bolivia and Ghana - and smell good doing so!

For the second year in a row, Armani's Acqua di Gio will give 100 liters of potable water to needy children in Bolivia and Ghana for any perfume sold between March 19 and 25th in the Acqua di Gio line by Alberto Morillas. Here's your chance to try the line's newest fragrance: Essenza.

All set for perfume at present? Not to worry. Simply by going to the line's FB page, and clicking on "Like," they will sponsor 50liters of potable water for needy children.

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Your Good(-smelling) Deed For Earth Day

NU Green – Organic, Co-ed And Just Right For Spring

Green mint leaves; tarragon; white cedar; East Indian white musk… These are the fresh scents in Honore’ des Pres newest scent and it’s just perfect for Spring.

 

Designed to be worn by both men and women who each adore organic scents, the Verrine NU Green is shaped like a globe and made out of glass to better preserve the perfume’s scents and its aromatic powers of seduction.

A great little treat to celebrate Springing the clocks Forward this weekend! (In the U.S. anyway… Europe will have to wait just a couple more weeks for its Spring time!)

Available at EcoCentric, 50 ml. 56Euros. Musky, Woody, Fresh Herbal, Green, Spicy.

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NU Green – Organic, Co-ed And Just Right For Spring

Academy Awards Red Carpet Inspires Eco-Fashion For Designers And Movie Stars

by Jemima Lopez

[This guest post is by Jemima Lopez. You can read more about her on the website: Zen College Life]

The carpet may have been red at the 84th Academy Awards, but if fashion designers have anything to do with it, future star-stilted award ceremonies will soon be filled with a lot more green in the coming months— Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent are just some of the few designers who are rumored to have been inspired by the stunning eco-friendly dresses seen at last Sunday's award ceremony.

Hundreds of professional and aspiring fashion designers submitted gowns made of sustainable products earlier this year to compete in the third annual Red Carpet Green Dress Contest. This contest, which was initiated in 2009 by environmental advocate and wife of Director James Cameron, Suzy Amis Cameron, was created in the hopes of significantly reducing the environmental footprint fashion can have on the planet. Contest winners had the opportunity of seeing their gowns worn by some of the hottest Hollywood stars at the Oscars, including Best Actress winner Meryl Steep, on Feb 26. That said, below are some of the winners as well as the Hollywood stars who rocked the dresses.

 

Designer: Valentino
Star: Livia Firth
Italian movie producer and environmental advocate Livia Firth wore this lavish, bright red custom-made couture Valentino gown, which according to the "fashion police" was beautiful enough to dub her as one of the best dressed. What many didn't know however was that the fabric was a hybrid of polyester derived from recycled plastic bottles and Valentino's house silk. She also wore diamond earrings from Celleija, a sustainable jeweler. Hubby Colin Firth did his part to sustain the planet too—he recycled the Tom Ford suit he wore to the Academy Awards the year before.

Designer: Valentina Delfino
Star: Missi Pyle
Latina fashion design student Valentina Delfino created this gown for Missi Pyle, star of the silent film and Best Picture winner The Artist. The carillion, off-the-shoulder gown is made of silk "peace" chiffon, a cruelty-free fabric that does not kill worms when retrieving the silk. The silk chiffon was also dyed with a natural mineral dye, which is OSHA approved. Delfino also chose to line the gown with recycled polyester and used a sustainable zipper.

 
Designer: Jeanne Lanvin
Star: Meryl Streep
Who would've known that Streep's lovely full-length gold gown would foreshadow the Oscar she'd win only a few short hours later? The statuesque gown was actually comprised of Eco Certified Fabric sourced with help from the GCC. It marked the first eco custom-made gown created from Lanvin's team.

Designer: Ermenegildo Zegna
Stars: Kenneth Branagh and Demian Bichir

Women weren't the only ones who were gung-ho about sustaining the environment. Italian fashion designer Ermenegildo Zegna designed two custom-made tuxedos—one for Best Actor nominee Demian

Bichir (A Better Life) and one for Best Supporting Actor nominee Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn ). Both suits were made of eco-friendly, non-mulesed merino wool.

Jemima Lopez is a freelance blogger and writer who writes for Zen College Life, the directory of higher education, distance learning, and best online colleges. 

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Academy Awards Red Carpet Inspires Eco-Fashion For Designers And Movie Stars

Leymah Roberta Gbowee Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Nobel Prize Winner 2011! Leymah Roberta Gbowee

<p><a href="http://vimeo.com/30118633">

Leymah Roberta Gbowee</a> from ALOUDla on Vimeo.

In a personal account of the communal power of women to change history, the founder of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace chronicles the unthinkable violence she’s confronted living through civil war and the peace she helped to broker by empowering her countrywomen and others around the world to take action.

Monday, October 03, 2011

Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood,
Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War 
In conversation with Reverend Dr. Gwynne Guibord

In a personal account of the communal power of women to change history, the founder of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace chronicles the unthinkable violence she’s confronted living through civil war and the peace she helped to broker by empowering her countrywomen and others around the world to take action.

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Leymah Roberta Gbowee Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Native Shoes All Weather And Eco-Friendly

Made from foam-injection molded EVA, Native Shoes have been a huge hit since their debut in the spring of 2010 thanks to their extremely lightweight, airy, and washable material.  The easy-to-slip-on Miller, Jefferson, Howard, Jericho, and Corrado silhouettes, as well as the sturdy Fitzsimmons hiking boot, keep feet happy in sun, rain, sleet, and snow.  And to top it all off, Natives are eco-friendly, as they are manufactured through a low energy emission process which produces zero waste and does not use any animal bi-products.

This fall, Native’s sleek and stylish kicks will be available in these brand new shades:  Scuba Green, Cardigan Pink, Jellybean Purple, Crayon Yellow, Peanut Brown.  Fans of the shoes can also pick up their favorite classic colors Jiffy Black, Shell White, Pigeon Grey, Regatta Blue, Torch Red, and Hollywood Pink.

The kids line rolled out its new fall styles last week, so the whole family can look stylish and wear Eco-friendly fashions throughout the seasons.

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Native Shoes All Weather And Eco-Friendly

Eco Basket by Lost Property of London

Elwin is their upcycled luxury eco basket bag made from fair trade coffee sack and natural hide handles. Think Sunday strolls through the market or chilling out on the beach. 

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Eco Basket by Lost Property of London

Introducing...The Spermacycle!

For all Eco-Moms and Eco-Mom Wannabes Everywhere...

Nordisk Cryobank (European Sperm Bank)is one of Europe's leading sperm banks and the company was looking at environmentally-friendly alternatives to how they could transport their sperm samples to the fertility clinics around Greater Copenhagen.

The company's CEO, Peter Bower, says, "The first idea was how we could deliver to the fertility clinics in a C02-friendly way. Shortly afterwards followed the idea of a custom-designed bike with a cooling system. Now, six months later, we can cycle around the city on our sperm cell bike."

[Courtesy http://www.copenhagenize.com/2011/04/sperm-bike-in-copenhagen.html]

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Introducing...The Spermacycle!

Asiane Spa In Alsace

Asiane Spa in Alsace at Le Parc Hotel (****) - Greening Beauty

By Paige Donner [All photos by Paige Donner c. 2011]

Alsace is quickly becoming a spa destination. Long known for its excellence in hospitality and gastronomy, the Alsace region, nestled up against Germany and Switzerland on the Eastern border of France, is again distinguishing itself in the royal tradition of Black Forest cures and wellness retreats in the form of high-end and innovative spa resorts.

The Asiane Spa at l’hotel Le Parc (4 Stars) in Obernai is one of Alace’s premier spas. In 2010 at the 2nd National Conference of Spas held in Paris, it was awarded 2nd prize overall making it the top spa in Alsace.

Asiane Spa Pool and Buddha Door, Le Parc Hotel, Obernai, Alsace - Greening Beauty

It’s a slice of peaceful heaven nestled just above the delightful Alsacian village of Obernai, once formerly a royal city of kings, and just at the foot of the majestic Mt. St. Odile, patron saint of the picturesque village.

Current hotel director Maxime Wucher used his professionally formative years spent in the Orient as inspiration for the spa’s design and its thematic menu. The 500M2  spa flourishes four monumental doors from Rajasthan and a floor-to-ceiling carved wooden Buddha.

Each of the three treatment rooms transports you to a different continent – Morocco, Bali and India. The treatment menu is just as innovative, offering signature treatments from Hawaii, Asia, a Thai foot massage and the Royal Alsacien.

Spa director Brigitte Dutter regularly travels to Asia – Sri Lanka or Bali – where she reinvigorates her extensive massage and wellness training with deeper knowledge of the cultural rituals and traditions of the native massage techniques.

Asiane Spa at Hotel Le Parc (****) Obernai, Alsace - Greening Beauty

Asiane Spa and Fitness, Le Parc Hotel (****), Obernai, Alsace - Greening Beauty

Massage Menu

The Royal Alsacien lasts 60 minutes and commences with a body scrub of fine gravel. The gravel soil is native to Alsace and is the natural terroir of the Riesling and Gewürztraminer grapes grown in the region. A relaxing full-body massage follows the scrub, using the custom-made Le Parc treatment creams, in this case the shea butter based and all natural crème Royale Alsacienne made with the aromatic and healing plants of the Vosges valley.

Book your spa day now… l’hotel Le Parc’s indoor and outdoor pools, combined with their infrared treatment cabin, sauna, steam rooms and essential oil jet baths, make it a full-day wellness treatment guaranteed to rid you of toxic stress. Couples massage by request. http://www.hotel-du-parc.com/

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Asiane Spa In Alsace

China's Booming Eco Beauty Market

hina

Gaining a Perspective of Possibility for Health and Sustainability in the world’s second largest market - brought to you by Greening Beauty

[press release] August 2011 – Join LOHAS Asia in Shanghai from September 9-14 to unravel some crucial insights for the health and sustainability market in China.

Helping suppliers and attendees to the Eco Lifestyles Fair 2011 to fully understand their new consumer before the fair, The Wellness Works, Asia Pacific LOHAS, Greenovate, Hotpoint Consulting and LOHAS Online have designed a program of tours, workshops and strategic meetings over four days so that attendees can meet like-minded multi-national executives cross category who will learn with you and listen to showcases of small LOHAS companies currently in the market.


Co-hosted by LOHAS China Country Manager Amena Lee Schlaikjer and Adam Horler, President of Asia Pacific LOHAS Pte. Ltd., attendees will be well prepared for the Eco Lifestyles Fair having gained valuable key insights into new behaviours and touch points:

·      Who is the new LOHAS consumer and what are their values and concerns?
·      What can you do as a company to take advantage of this new market?
·      Is it more challenging to develop sustainable practices here in China?

• And finally, most importantly, how to make a difference!
  

THE LOHAS Asia and NMI research on China from January 2010 questioned 1,000 consumers across the five cities of Beijing, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Results showed that 88% agreed that it is important for companies to be mindful of their impact on society. With China having overtaken Japan as the world’s second-biggest economy, the LOHAS consumer demand is on the rise month by month and there is an urgency for the market to respond.

For more information see http://www.the-wellness-works.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/LOHAS-in-China-INSIGHT-TOUR2.pdf

Amena Lee Schlaikjer
Wellness Innovator
Amena went full circle after living in Shanghai as a baby having moved to different cities in Asia and Europe every 2-3 years since birth. She decided to combine her studies in Asian Economics and Fashion Merchandising from Columbia and F.I.T to work on marketing and operations projects for small boutiques in New York and Shanghai, building an expertise in the Health/Beauty/Lifestyle sectors.  She worked on the launches of Vogue, M.A.C and Zagat Survey in Shanghai before being lured by the innovation world to help open ?Whatif! ‘s first China office and growing the team to 20 people.
She has since moved on to start her own initiative called THE WELLNESS WORKS, crafting ideas and events that inspire others towards living healthier.  She is the acting Shanghai manager of Asia-Pacific LOHAS where she gets her much of research and support and works with several creative teams on ad hoc projects that colour the world of wellness.
Frequent traveler, known ‘hustler’ on occasion, and fond of diving, archery and yoga, she lives in Shanghai with her husband and two cats, Sheba and Spirit.

Adam Horler
President, LOHAS Asia
Having charted a highly successful career path through the likes of P&G, L’Oreal, red earth (Esprit), AS Watson and Molton Brown (Kao), Adam decided to leave the “comfy armchair” of corporate life in Nov 2008.
More than half his business life has been spent working in Asia, moving to Hong Kong from England in April 1998 and then to Singapore in Sep 2006. His corporate travels have taken him all over Asia; from the capital cities to the countryside; from mega malls to the smallest regional wholesale markets; from Japan to New Zealand to India; all in search of the Asian consumer and what makes them tick.
Asia-Pacific LOHAS is the result of his journey, a regional social enterprise seeking to educate millions of consumers that consumption can be done in a better way and helping facilitate the growth of the LOHAS business community to serve these consumers.

About ECO LIFESTYLES 2011
Already described as the 'largest and most comprehensive eco exhibition in China', the event will be held at the Shanghai World Expo Theme Pavilion from 15 to 17 September 2011 and will bring together eco-friendly companies and green brands. It also aims to grow China's LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) market, by educating consumers on the benefits of eco-friendly and green products, as well as encouraging green and eco-friendly lifestyles.
To do so, concurrent activities and special pavilions for the consumers and the public include the LOHAS One-stop Eco Home, the Green Transportation Hub, the Green Kitchen, and the One Million Signature LOHAS Day Event.
Click on www.ecolifestyles.cn/en <http://www.ecolifestyles.cn/en>  to see more details of the event.

ECO LIFESTYLES 2011 is supported by the Shanghai municipal government and organized by Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Shanghai Municipal Agricultural Commission and China Trade Promotion Committee.

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China's Booming Eco Beauty Market

Odacité And Absolution - Bespoke Skincare

By Paige Donner

Bespoke is the new black.  Or, rather, bespoke skincare is the newest wisdom in product formulation for skincare products, especially in natural and organic based lines. We've come across two stellar lines this past year who are both formulating skincare product lines specific to personal and individual needs.

Odacité
The first, Odacité, is created by founder Romain Gaillard, a French native who makes his home currently in Southern California. For a novel approach and because it's important to remember that our menfolk need TLC too, we tried out his line of products that were formulated specifically for an adult male whose lifestyle includes some sun exposure and late nights.
Before the products were formulated, senior Skincoach Nairi Khatchadourian sent along a detailed questionnaire to find out what sorts of skincare concerns our tester had. This is the response, along with the product types and explanations, that were received:
Dark Circles Under Eyes: The Odacité skincare includes a "great concentration of Tocopherols (natural Vitamin E) that is known to help with dark circles. It also includes bioavailable Vitamin C of rosehip oil that helps strengthen blood vessel walls, and tea extracts that work wonders at reducing dark circles."
Dark circles can appear as a result of several factors: lifestyle, genetic, lack of sleep, aging.

Suntegrity sunscreen is their product to deflect the harmful effects of overexposure to the sun.  It's an effective product which is saying a lot for something that is so respectful of natural ingredients use. Sunscreens still are something of the Holy Grail for natural-based skincare products.
Cleanser. The cleanser includes Tamanu oil from the rain-forest of Madagascar which is a super healing oil. They get the wild-crafted oil from Madagascar 
because wild plants retain the highest potency. Tamanu oil is proven to aid in the elimination of waste material and toxins from the capillaries. The cleanser also comes with two sponges that encourage lymph circulation when used on the face.
Immortelle Toner.Toning  helps shrink pores and restores healthy skin Ph balance. They suggest using the Toner as an after shave. Its base is Aloe Vera so it hydrates the skin and reduces puffiness.
The moisturizer is formulated with pure virgin coconut oil and organic aloe. These boost 
skin hydration by locking in moisture. The fresh organic aloe also heals. It is also, "Formulated with DMAE a natural skin firming agent. Long term use of DMAE  has been clinically proven to greatly decrease the appearance of loose and sagging skin. DMAE also helps prevent and reduce age spots."
Our Greening Beauty test subject felt a significant improvement in his skincare quality after using only these products for three weeks. Not any kind of a Metrosexual, it was difficult to convince him to use any kind of skincare. But after using Odacité Bespoke Skincare, we now have a firm believer in natural, crafted to order, skincare.

Absolution
The founder of this organic skincare line from France, Isabelle Carron, describes it as "the first unisex bespoke certified organic cosmetics brand." She has created it from minerals, vitamins and wild plant extracts. The line is formulated with simplicity in mind. It is the founder's goal to offer a few products that can answer a variety of your skin's needs.
This she does with a truly original approach to "bespoke."  Basics of the line such as La Crème du Jour and La Solution + Energie are packaged by themselves but formulated to be sold together so that the client, themselves, can mix the ingredients according to their skin's needs at that moment.
This approach earned Carron a Beyond Beauty Jury Award and a Wallpaper Magazine Design Award in 2010. The product line is also Eco Cert-ified.  The Day Cream (recyclable)-plastic jar/pump is beveled inward at the top so that when you pump a bit of the cream out onto the little "bowl" it allows you to spritz a drop of the Energy Solution onto it so that you can mix it all up right there with your fingertips, just before applying. Other "La Solution" varieties are: Eclat (Clarifying/brightening), Anti-Age, and Controle.
The product philosophy emphasizes Listening. "Listen to Yourself..." it says, "Listen to your skin! Intimate connection, echo of your soul and body, your skin's needs are like yours: constantly changing.

The ingredients are potent: Olive tree flavonoids, Aloe Vera, Borage oil whose anti-aging actions is combined with a mineral sunscreen (Mica) - all of this in the day cream. And in the booster you have Echinacea, Edelweiss and Extract of Thermus Thermophillus to name a few. [That last-named ingredient is particularly effective in protecting your skin from air pollution, UV ad electromagnetic radiations.]
You can read more on the new Absolution.me Blog. 

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Odacité And Absolution - Bespoke Skincare