Talk about organic, eatable beauty… Summer’s delights are coming.
(via trying-to-balance)
Scents in Time: the fine history and art behind the essences we wear.
Your first trip to the ocean. A dusty old book. Your mother’s silk scarf. An English rose garden. These are the fragrances you remember, have internalized and equate with a memory. Perfumes are nothing more than the scents that become a part of us, are at once an embodiment of these momentary memories.
Natural fragrances, those straight from nature like frankincense, orange blossom, jasmine and vanilla, reach deep into our core and storied biographies, conjuring to mind poignant memories that comfort us. Long before the Industrial Revolution such scents were all we knew.
“Up until the turn of the last century, perfumes, like Mille fragrances [worn by the ladies of Versailles], were blended in apothecaries for royalty from nothing but natural essences,” says renowned natural perfumer Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes.
“When synthetic chemicals were created in the 1880s, perfumes became a subconscious art,” says Aftel, referring to brands like Coty, Chanel (beginning with Chanel No° 5) and Guerlain. But, she says, their perfumes and all other synthetics lacked complexity, mystery and emotional depth.
“There is no romance in perfume without its close relationship to nature,” Aftel believes.
For the complete, scent-full piece, please visit my article on ecosalon. Enjoy…
(Photo compliments of Hal1969—Thank you!)
Soccer-style kicks. Little hops on sidewalks. The resounding sound of “Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.” For many of us, this is our experience with the broken fragments of glass that oft line our curbs, our parks and our natural homes. And for most of us, these pieces of green, brown, blue, amber and more, are castaways—swept up by a street cleaner or slowly buried under a pile of leaves.
Connecting the Past to the Future
Yet, it’s the little things that can go far—in sharing beauty, in being of use, in telling a story of something larger than itself. For Laura Bergman, a reclaim artist and Founder of Bottled Up Designs, these abandoned remnants are gems for the rescue. Earrings. Necklaces. Artifacts of beauty. As much of a historian as she is a designer, Bergman crafts her eco friendly jewelry with a deep love and appreciation for the story behind it. “It’s a truly unique way to preserve the past while helping the future,” says Bergman.
For the complete article, please visit my column on EcoPlum…
(Photos courtesy of Sybren A. Stüvel—thank you!)
a beauty maven gave to me…
the prettiest of lips, for holiday radiance all year long.
This Sante Lip Duo Contour & Gloss—in three versatile shades for every beauty girl on your list—will carry you from day to night and across all time zones. Classic, chic and simply compact, travel turns baggage free with this new friend. Afterall, there’s no better way to look fresh and glowing in a nanosecond than with a dash of brightness on your lips.
Termed “colors of nature”, this compact number boasts some beautiful ingredients, like nourishing jojoba oil, shea butter and protective beeswax. Like many natural color cosmetics, it gets its lasting and very natural crimson hue from carmine, also known as the cochineal beetle. Little did I know, the color from this little bug shows up as a food colorant in yogurt, drinks and other culinary delights. According to Sante, “The bugs live on Cacti. When they are older or no longer living, they turn red and can then be used for coloring.”
Vegan as I may be, I’d rather take this natural variety than the host of chemicals and lead we so often consume with every little lick of our lips. Natural beauty is true beauty—the greatest gift you can give. Inside and out.
Available via Amazon.com, $14.00 U.S.
My friend Marko heads up the German brands Logona and Sante in North America. He graciously gifted me this prized product, and I’ve been putting it to the test for you to truly say this is a MUST have and give! Did someone say “One for you, one for me”?
(Photos compliments of Sante. Thank you!)
A Fall day basking in Spring
Fall in New York City has been covered with plenty a bare leg, open toe and the breezeful ballet flat. It almost feels like (gasp) spring! Which is why it wasn’t so out of seasonal place this year when the Spring / Summer 2012 previews came along. Afterall, as we don our winter boots, what better time to dream of sun basking, well-pedicured days?
So on a crisp November evening, I walked into seasons unvisited with Coclico—the New York based house of shoes that is fittingly named after the French word for Poppy. The beauty with Coclico is, as Sandra Canselier the founder and creative director says, “It’s a timeless thing. We create things that are simple with beautiful lines.” Like pretty art for feet.
The other beautiful thing about Coclico is that it’s striving to do better as a fashion brand and global citizen. While far from perfect and admittedly so, the company produces its shoes in Majorca, Spain—a classic home of cobbler craftsmanship. At the brand’s main production house in Majorca, the owners produce olive oil so “the olive oil pits”, says Canselier, “are used as fuel.
And, the brand encourages the use of vegetable tanning, although not all of its factories are there yet and across the industry, Canselier explains, “Suede is always tanned with Chrome [also known as chromium salt, the most widely used and chemical-based tanning method], there’s just no other way right now.” As if to make up the difference, solid cork or SGS certified pinewood is used for many of the heels, and organic linen is showcased, as in my favorite look (above, top).
It’s refreshing to see brands like this one go further—from style to sustainably we can reinvent the norm. For this Organic Girly, consciousness is the first ingredient for a healthier and more glamorous future—fancy feet and all.
Coclico’s Spring / Summer collection will be available beginning February 2012. And since there’s no time like the present, you can shop their 2011 SALE now for boots that climb from high to low, with summery peep toes thrown in for good measure.
(All photos compliments of Organic Girly.)
Blush, Blush, Blush…
I recently sat down with Brandie, the fabulous, inspiring and all around beautiful founder of Organic Beauty Talk.
Here’s an excerpt from our all-about-organic-beauty (and organic living) chat. You can read the whole interview on her uber educational site.
OBT: How long have you been using organic and natural products?
Jennifer Barckley: My true, organic journey began seven years ago. Many famous philosophers say that we encounter a new life stage every seven years, so in my mind, it was no coincidence.
OBT: What made you decide to start using organic and natural products?
Jennifer Barckley: I’d been working at Jane Magazine in the beauty department—destined for a glossy career in fashion and beauty. Days were spent covered in every shade of magenta lipstick—my editorial research. It was at that time that I began to have a shift in consciousness. I began to seek out companies, brands and products that were doing something really meaningful and good. One day a cobalt blue bottle landed in my hands. It didn’t say natural; it didn’t say organic, but somehow I knew it was very special. One sniff and touch of that product (Weleda Wild Rose Body Lotion), and I fell in love. Three months later, I was working for that company—one of the world’s oldest and leading natural skin care and medicinal companies—heading up their PR and Communications. With that, I fell deep into the world of natural, organic and Biodynamics, and there was no going back. From beauty, to food, to cleaning products, to clothing I was an outright Organic Girly.
OBT: What are some of your favorite organic and natural products?
Jennifer Barckley: I’m partial to European brands because they generally follow more stringent ingredient and manufacturing guidelines. Naturally, I love Weleda products. Dr. Hauschka also makes beautiful products. I use their cosmetics. Two somewhat new (to the U.S.) brands, Sante and Logona are among my new favorites. Sante makes very nice, well-pigmented makeup. From the U.S., Dr. Bronner’s is great—especially their Peppermint Castille Soap—so fresh! Pangea is another nice, clean brand. I also love Primitive’s lipsticks and glosses. I’m starting to do some work with a brand called Puremedy. They make really efficacious herbal skin care products that are deeply healing. That’s the beauty of natural products—they work so well naturally with your skin and your body for true, lasting health.
OBT: What do you hope to accomplish through Organic Girly?
Jennifer Barckley: I’d like to help elevate our individual and collective consciousness and help others make simple, gratifying everyday shifts toward living the most vibrant life possible.
Read the complete interview here… thank you Brandie & Organic Beauty Talk!
