Link Love Friday: Alicia!

This week I’ve added a few new products to my covet list. Remember a few weeks ago when I interviewed Karen Behnke of Juice Beauty? At the end of the interview, she mentioned that Juice Beauty would be launching a new celebrity collaboration on Earth Day. Well, the collection is here, and the celebrity is Alicia Silverstone. (And I have my eye on the Irresistible Glow Facial Highlighter…)

Here’s what else I’m reading+enjoying this week:

Happy Friday!

—Aleigh

(Image via Juice Beauty)

This post was shared April 27, 2012 under Hair, Makeup, Skin, tagged , , , and has 2 comments

Beauty Obsession: SkinnySkinny Dry Shampoo

I have a love/hate relationship with dry shampoo. I love it for its practicality (it helps me follow Julie’s rule to wash my hair only twice or three times a week), and because it’s awesome for travel. But I’ve had a hard time finding a dry shampoo that doesn’t smell too floral or like baby powder (blech!).

Until, that is, I found the organic dry shampoos from SkinnySkinny. When I discovered that the packaging is entirely eco-friendly (the labels are biodegradable, the paper tubes are recyclable, and SkinnySkinny is a 100% carbon-neutral company), I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

What I tried: Black Pepper & Rose Organic Dry Shampoo by SkinnySkinny, $32*

First impressions: It smells delicious, in a unisex way. Slightly peppery (in a great way), only a little bit rose-y. SkinnySkinny also has Grapefruit & Cardamom, Lavender & Rosemary, and Jasmine versions—all scents I think I’d enjoy. And the ingredients list makes me happy:

Cornstarch*, brown rice powder*, white clay, horsetail powder*, baking soda, orris root powder*, essential oils *certified organic 100% Vegan

What caught me by surprise: Before I switched to natural shampoo and conditioner, I had a big problem with oily hair. I had to wash my hair every day to avoid a mess of greasy strands on my head. What I discovered when I switched was that my scalp had been over-producing oil to compensate for being stripped of moisture by my harsh synthetic shampoos. Now that my scalp has settled into a natural routine, I can go a lot longer in between shampoos—but I still have a tendency to greasy hair on my non-washing days. Just a tiny bit of this dry shampoo at my roots gives me a bit of volume and keeps my hair fresh—it really doesn’t take much.

Bonus: Without fail, people tell me I smell good when I use it. That’s never happened with any other dry shampoo I’ve tried.

What do you look for in a dry shampoo? Do you have a favorite?

—Aleigh

*Disclosure: This sample was sent to me for review, but I only write about the products that I think are truly worthy of being shared with you. View my full disclosure here.

(Image via SkinnySkinny)

This post was shared April 25, 2012 under Hair, Men, tagged , , , , and has no comments

4 Tips for a Beautiful (and Healthy) Earth Day

It only comes around once a year, but there’s no reason you can’t celebrate Earth Day all year long—even when it comes to your cosmetics. Here are four things you can do today—and every day—to show some love to Mother Nature.

Choose organic when you can. Organic ingredients are grown by farmers who care about supporting the earth’s health through sustainable agriculture.

Choose your cosmetics carefully. Support companies that have policies that benefit the planet. Here’s a list of six sustainable beauty companies I put together for Breathe magazine.

Recycle. Many natural and organic cosmetics companies use recycled—and recyclable—packaging. Make sure you clean them out and drop them in your recycling bin when you’re finished with them.

Drink lots of water (it’s great for your skin!). But make sure you’re drinking from a re-usable water bottle. Those plastic water bottles are often made with BPA—but even if they’re BPA-free, they’re bad for the environment (and bottled H2O is no better for you than tap water).

Are you celebrating Earth Day? What do you have planned?

—Aleigh

 

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This post was shared April 22, 2012 under Baby, Skin, tagged , , , , , , and has no comments

Spot This • Sport That

SPOT this Pineapple Pleat scarf by Echo ($38)…

…SPORT that Ilia Shell Shock Lip Tint in Coral ($24).

—Aleigh

(Images via Piperlime and NuboNau)

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This post was shared April 19, 2012 under Makeup, tagged , and has no comments

Do you subscribe to Birchbox?

This month's Birchbox.

Monthly beauty samples subscriptions are all the rage right now, and luckily for me, a good friend got be a Birchbox subscription for my birthday back in March. (I have the best friends!) I was super excited to see that Birchbox has a natural and organic cosmetics selection, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating my monthly samples ever since.

So far, it’s been an interesting experience.

My first box was a disappointment—a bottle of perfume arrived shattered (and a tweet to Birchbox received no response). The other products were mostly faux natural, containing some natural ingredients but also some icky ones that I try to avoid. My second box arrived on Friday, and was a bigger success: a yummy tea sample, a mini lipstick from Vapour Organic Beauty (one of my favorite brands!), and a salt scrub from dirt (a new-to-me brand).

The other samples included ingredients I try to stay away from: the infamous “parfum” ingredient, plus phenoxyethanol, which I will sometimes compromise on, but not if the ingredients list also include things like PEG-150 and methylchloroisothiazolinone.  (There are plenty of great, natural products on the market that don’t include these ingredients.)

On the whole, however, I’m mostly pleased with the natural brands Birchbox partners with—and I hope to see more truly natural products in my box next month! I’m always sure to fill out the feedback surveys to help prove there’s a market for natural products.

But, I’m curious: Do you have a Birchbox description? What has your experience been like?

Please share! I’d love to know what my other natural beauty junkies think of their boxes! —Aleigh

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This post was shared April 16, 2012 under Body, Makeup, Skin, tagged , and has 3 comments