Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Skin Deep Moisture: Yamerra Shea Butter

Sun and swim leaves skin parched on these uber hot days. Recently a friend turned me onto an organic line of shea butters that leaves skin smooth and hydrated. Using organic raw shea butter, essential oils, vitamin E, and organic nutritive botanicals, Yamerra has created a homemade line of body products that provide moisture and lightly fragranced skin.

In flavours such as honey vanilla, tangerine grape, mango, and jasmine sage, these unique body butters are unlike any naturally scented creams or butters I’ve tried in the past. The honey vanilla is my favorite. There is nothing reminiscent of synthetic vanilla in this mildly woodsy blend of honey, vanilla, and jojoba.

I love to support local, small-batch production that avoids preservatives, parabens, phthalates, and artifical fragrances. Yamerra manages to avoid all the bad stuff, and you come out smelling like a jasmine sage or vanilla honey dream. Yamerra is super yum.

Summer Skin: Smooth and Gorgeous, Naturally

Don’t let summer get you melted and messy; try some natural skin care to enhance what you’ve got and keep it simple. Nature’s Basin is a new online store for natural and organic skin care products and makeup; here’s what Kendra Smith of the site recommends for the steamy months.

Wear sunscreen: It’s the number one skin care tip all year round, but especially in summer. Even with all the recent hubbub about people being deficient in Vitamin D (which the body synthesizes with sun exposure) sunscreen is essential protection. Since there are concerns about many synthetic sunscreen ingredients as well as mineral ingredients that have been broken down into nano particles, go for a mineral brand that doesn’t contain nano-ized ingredients, like SPF 30 Sunscreen from Soleo Organics.

Fake it, don’t bake it with bronzer. A mineral powder tinted to color skin like the sun instantly wakes up the face and makes you look “done” with little effort. Apply it in double C shapes on each side of the face, from the forehead around the eye to the cheekbone, and then down and around again to the jawline. You can follow up with a bit applied to the nose, if you like, since this replicates how sun falls naturally on the face. Add blush to the apples of the cheeks to complete the look. We like Christopher Drummond Natural Makeup Bronzing Powder.

Switch to lighter daily moisturizers and makeup. Increased sweat in the summer heat can make for skin that’s more supple and moist than in winter, but sometimes more clogged and dirty as well. Lighter makeup and daily moisturizer can help skin keep its natural balance. Trade foundation for a tinted moisturizer, like Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer, and be sure to keep up with your cleansing regimen.

On the other hand, continue to use the super-emollient hand and foot creams you employed to keep your skin soft in winter. Because your hands and feet are more exposed now that summer’s here, extra-moisturizing creams will keep them looking pretty. Exfoliate hands and feet first to get them ready to receive the moisture (extra dead skin can get in the way). Products to try: Weleda Birch Body Scrub or Suzanne Aux Bains Gentle Body Scrub, Weleda Organic Foot Balm, and Suzanne Aux Bains Nourishing Hand Cream.

Eco Fashion Designer Samantha Pleet: A Newspaper Dress from Sketch to Reality

Designer Samantha Pleet, who we’ve featured on Eco Chick several times (see her Greenshows runway collection here, and her Fall, 2009 collection here) is one of the creators behind the Yesterday’s News Do-Gooder Design Challenge, wherein they are to create an original design using recycled newsprint.

According to the site:

The key here is that they are not being compensated – they’re doing it all for charity. Before being auctioned off for charity, their one-of-a-kind designs will be unveiled at a Green Catwalk Event in New York City this fall.

More to come as the design challenge heats up!

Tres Belle Petite Medi Spa: Brooklyn’s Best (All Natural) Facial

I spoke with Allison Tray, co-owner of Tres Belle about what makes her spa green and how she got her start.

At Tres Belle Spa they promise no ’snobbitude’ and they deliver! Voted “Best Spa in Brooklyn” by Citysearch last year, I recently trekked to the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn to experience Tres Belle’s all-natural facial. It was incredibly relaxing and aromatheraputic, featuring the rosy-delicious Duchess Marden line of skin care products, which use as their basis rose demascena, The products are petrochemical, paraben, and preservative-free, vegan, never tested on animals, and all natural (which means you can pronounce all the ingredients). The line’s shea butter is bought directly from a matriarchal community in Uganda, supplying income for women in the community.

My experience was amazing; the facial lasted for an hour and included a lymph-draining facial massage, a deep cleansing, toning, masques, a neck massage, and exfoliation. Frankly, I’m not sure what all went on because I was so relaxed and everything smelled so amazing (never fake or preservative-laden, which I can’t stand) I was in a state of halfway-out-of-it the bulk of the session.

A thriving Brooklyn business for just over 6 years, Tres Belle is the brainchild of former Soho “fashionista” Allison Tray and her Father, Dr. Steven Tray, and besides the Duchess Marden facial, they do laser hair removal and plenty of other types of facials and skin care treatments; click here for details.

Eco Chick readers get a $20 discount on a Duchess Marden facial for mentioning this site when an appointment is made.

Tres Belle
105 Bond Street
Boerum Hill Brooklyn 11217
718.797.0033

Ethical, DIY and Just Plain Fun Bags and Purses

Guest post by Donna on behalf of TestFreaks website

Something that always makes my palms sweat, my heart beat faster and my gets me breathing heavy is…. accessories! Now if you thought I was going somewhere else – shame on you.

Which got me to thinking: Why do we gals love shoes and handbags so much? At one time it was a statement of a lady’s status in society. For example, one might conclude the character of a woman from the type of purse or handbag she carries.

There may still be some truth to this today. But maybe it’s about more than that. Today’s environmentally-minded woman thinks about the planet and those she loves more than she does her image. Now, don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot to be said for presenting a positive image. But when it comes to accessories, a lady can look sharp and be eco-friendly.

To help with making some great ethical handbag choices, we have rounded up some of our favorites. Some of these you can go out and buy, and some you can make yourself.

Candy Wrapper Handbags

Nahui Ollin offers a very stylish line of handbags that are made from candy wrappers. A Mayan technique of paper folding (not unlike those gum wrapper chains we made as a child) gives a strong and colorful end result. The bags offered vary from the shoulder bags and totes to our favorite, the handbag. The style is sure to get some attention, and the brightly decorated accessory will accent any outfit you decide to pair it with. The lighthearted video below shows the process of making a very nice looking handbag.

And if you are feeling brave with a do it yourself desire, Mylinda shows us how to make a candy wrapper purse with step by step directions. While many websites state that making a candy bar bag is not a complicated process, I would suggest that you at least look over the process that Mylinda has provided carefully before committing. You may find it easy if you have the skills, and daunting otherwise. But whether you buy it or make it, the candy bar wrapper purse is a great way to accent your looks while being eco minded.

Duct Tape Purse

Duct Tape – real do-it-yourselfers absolutely love the stuff, and you can find it used in any number of situations. However, did you know that duct tape can make a great handbag? MonkeySee.com has a great tutorial on making just such a purse, shown in the video below.

The end result is a fun accessory item that could fit anywhere. But the best news is that the end design is limited only by your imagination and the color of duct tape, which has apparently expanded well past the old standard of gray.

Recycled Leather Jacket Bag

If you like leather, then there is no better feeling that a well worn leather jacket that has gotten soft and comfortable. Taking this concept to heart, Remade USA offers a wonderful selection of bags (as the example above shows) made from recycled leather jackets. By doing this they end up with a quality soft leather accessory item that feels great and is earth friendly by upcycling the leather.
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