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

Fun Stocking Stuffer! DermaQuest Vegan Makeup Brushes

Want to apply your makeup using expert tools – minus the fur of some poor mistreated animal? Decent quality vegan makeup brushes can be hard to find, let alone really good ones that are soft and non-shedding. As a girl who uses an angled eye brush every day to apply liquid eyeliner, I can tell you that most of them don’t stand the test of time.

Just when I got fed up with the way the bristles on my old brush started splaying out at the ends, making precision application pretty much impossible, I found DermaQuest’s line of vegan brushes. Designed by a makeup artist, these brushes are as soft as animal fur but 100% free of animal products.

My new Precision Angle Eye Brush #330 has a perfectly tapered shape that makes my morning routine a whole lot faster (with 80% less cursing).

I haven’t been using it long enough to testify whether it will stay that way for any length of time, but I can already tell that the quality is much higher than typical synthetic brushes, and I’m content with the knowledge that no furry friends were involved in its making.

They’d definitely make a great addition to holiday stockings! Prices range from $16-$42 – find them at DermaMinerals.com.

Beautiful Things: Eco Chick’s Holiday Green Gift Guide, 2009

I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that buying stuff doesn’t have to be bad. Should we buy less? Yes. Should we carefully consider what we buy, where it comes from, and who makes it? Definitely, for sure, and yeah! BUT the thing that’s missing in all the anti-consumer screeds (and I’ve written a few) is the fact that many people on this planet make a living by selling something to someone else. It’s how they feed their families and pay their bills.

So my aim in buying new products (when I need to) is to make sure that whatever I’m purchasing is made responsibly and is made by people who benefit from it’s production. And that goes doubly for gifts because when I hand that hand-wrapped prezzie over, I want to be able to tell a story about what it’s made from, who made it, and where I got it. This is an easy way to influence the receiver of the gift in responsible consumerism (without the lecture).

This year’s gift selections from myself (Starre Vartan), Alicia Lubowski-Jahn and Stephanie Rogers all uphold the idea that stuff can be beautiful, stuff can be unique, stuff can be useful.

Starre’s Picks:

Sustainable Designer Jewelry: Kyler by Joy O

If my style aesthetic could be made into a pair of earrings, these would be them. Never a fan of diamonds or other gems that have been ripped from the Earth’s belly, I prefer graphic pieces that show artistry and restraint, while at the same time exuding energy. These intaglio pendants are made from recycled steel coated in black zinc and are inspired by the moth’s wing.

As the designer writes, “Moths are a positive entity of truth and curiosity, always seeking the brightest light.” Be sure to check out all the other glorious designs made from recycled metals; necklaces, bracelets and cuffs. The twine collar necklace is another standout.

The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone

Along with her great blog, The Kind Life, actress, activist, vegan and now author Alicia Silverstone shares her info and recipes in her new book, The Kind Diet. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy the plethora of Alicia-designed dishes (seriously, this actress REALLY cooks!); this book would actually be a fab gift for someone who does still eat meat or other animal products as it could help them see the wonderful variety that’s available from veggie meals.

MUCH more after the jump!
More »

Eco Chick’s Best of the Best Green Holiday Gifts

Merry Eco Chicky Christmas! The editors of Eco-Chick.com have chosen some of our favorite eco-friendly gifts for your shopping pleasure, and get ready to drool, because this stuff is awesome. Here are 10 gifts including reusable bags, luxurious sustainable jewelry, organic cotton pillows, beauty products, tea sets and more to buy for friends and family or add to your wish list.

Green-eyed Monster Bag – Get yourself a super-cute and unique reusable bag by Green Eyed Monster. Each GreenEyedMonster tote is made of 100% post-consumer recycled cotton fabric and recycled plastic bottles by a hip woman-owned company in New Hampshire.

Saaf Hair Oil and John Masters Shine On – Starre can’t stop singing the praises of Saaf Hair Oil, which restores strength, shine and moisture to even the driest of hair (only available at Beautorium in the U.S.!). We’re also big fans of John Masters Shine On, a pomade that adds volume and shine.

Woolly Mammoth Ivory Bracelet by Monique Pean – Monique Pean’s line of luxurious sustainable jewelry is inspired by Alaskan culture and created from conflict-free diamonds, 100% recycled gold and genuine (and extremely rare) ancient ivory. 10% of profits are donated to the Alaska Native Arts Foundation. They’re pieces to lust after, indeed.

Alabama Chanin Large Boudoir Pillow – This 100% organic pillow pairs the sexiness of a corset with the sweet innocence of white cotton. 12” x 20”, stuffed with 50% white goose down and 50% white goose feathers.

Solio Magnesium Edition Charger – Power up your small gadgets like cell phones and mp3 players with this hybrid solar-electric charger. It’s made with recycled materials and Solio has a takeback program so you can ensure that it gets reused when you’re done with it.

Fleece Mini Dress/Tunic by Gaia Conceptions – How could anyone resist the coziness of this beautiful organic hemp and cotton fleece dress? It’s perfect for layering, comes in a wide range of gorgeous colors and can be custom made to fit your body perfectly.

NVEY Eco Every Occasion Gift Set – A gift set of natural, organic cosmetics that perform better than most conventional brands. This full-sized starter set contains face powder, blush, lip gloss and eye colors, all in your choice of shades.

Lucina Berry Cluster Hoop Earrings – Fair trade, brilliant red choclo seeds from Colombia are strung on silver Bali hoops for an effect that’s organic, but far from granola.

Offhand Designs Zhivago Weekender in Punch Bloom – Handmade in the San Francisco Bay Area from reclaimed fabrics and accessories, this weekend bag is chic, unique and can be used for travel or as a handbag. Pink chenille flowers on dark brown with a hot pink lining.

Rishi Organic Black Tea Set – Two varieties of black tea (Organic fair trade breakfast & organic fair trade earl grey) come in a pretty bamboo gift box along with a glass teapot and a stainless steel coil filter. Available at Whole Foods or directly from Rishi.

Gorgeous Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Wrap for the Style Conscious

Holiday gift wrap can be a bit of a waste. Don’t get me wrong, I think the presentation aspect is important – nothing’s more enticing than a beautifully wrapped gift. But, all too often, that gift wrap is made of bleached brand-new paper printed with inks that are far from green, and it just ends up in the trash afterward.  Luckily, there are lots of options out there for the environmentally conscious.

If the kraft paper and raffia look isn’t your thing, check out these three amazing collections of eco-friendly holiday gift wrap: Amy Butler, Erin Ruth and my personal fave, Whimsy. It’s chic, it’s modern, it’s bound to make a huge impression – and it’s just begging for reuse. Save the scraps for handmade cards, decoupage projects, scrapbooking and other creative undertakings.

Here are a few other quick tips for holiday gift wrap that’s kind to the earth:

• Avoid wrapping paper with foil accents. Metallic and foil papers usually can’t be recycled, and in some recycling facilities, if they end up in the mix with other paper, they can ruin a whole batch, making it totally unusable.
• Put gifts in reusable bags, baskets or boxes. It’s classy, and it’s a whole other gift in itself. No worries about this sort of packaging ending up in the trash!
• Instead of bows, use ornaments, hair barrettes, brooches, key chains or other small decorative items that’ll get reused.
• Turn to nature for inspiration. Pinecones, branches, acorns and feathers can provide an unexpected decorative touch.
• While some people might think it’s an etiquette faux pas, I think asking friends and family for the unwanted used gift wrap after a gift-opening extravaganza is perfectly acceptable, unless of course they’re planning on reusing it themselves!

Delight.com: Eco-Fabulous Gifts Galore!

Ever since I discovered Delight.com one day last year, I’ve been hooked.  Aside from handmade goods market Etsy.com, it’s my absolute favorite place on the web to shop for gifts for all occasions.  Need an eco-friendly housewarming gift, hostess gift, birthday gift, wedding gift or just something cool for yourself? Delight.com has more chic, stylish, and extremely practical earth-friendly gift ideas than you can shake a stick at.

Delight.com is essentially a carefully edited, ever-changing showcase of fabulous products.  Every day at noon, Delight.com staff debut a new product with an extra ‘gift’, be it free shipping, discounted price or some kind of extra.  It’s a blend of social shopping, product reviews, special offers and hand-selected merchandise.

I stumbled across Delight.com while searching for reusable bags, and ended up purchasing the Envirosax Delightfully Pretty Reusable Grocery Bags (which I’m totally thrilled with, by the way – I bring them nearly everywhere I go!).  And, speaking of reusable bags, check out these beauties: the RueMe Fall in New York set.  The patterns are lovely, modern and perfect for the season.

Among the other gorgeous, high quality earth-friendly gifts you’ll find on Delight.com are handmade recycled hurricane glass vases, recycled and reclaimed jewelry, non-toxic cleaning product kits and lots of recycled paper goodies.  The Delight.com editors really have an eye for great looking stuff that make perfect gifts.
You can also sign up to receive email alerts daily that notify you of the new product of the day and give you the inside info on the special deals available.