Earth Month is here, and it's the ideal time to give your beauty routine an environment-friendly makeover. Take note from these famous women who live the green life to the fullest, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, and Natalie Portman. Discover which organic brands and products these stars are using to save their skin (and the planet).
Does gifting to your more earth-minded friends come with a long list of dos and don'ts? Well, we have 10 gifts ideas that even the toughest eco-friendly critics will adore, especially if they have a soft spot for all things beauty. The following options are as do-good as they are feel-good for your mother to the holiday hostess.
Green beauty guru Shiva Rose shares her top product picks in this tip-filled post from Allure.
If you’re into holistic living, actress Shiva Rose might just be your ultimate girl crush. Covetable cool-girl style? Yep. Homegrown produce? Check. All-natural perfume blending parties with perfumer Mandy Aftel? Of course. I asked the mother of two (with ex-husband Dylan McDermott), who blogs at thelocalrose.com, to share her favorite green beauty products in the hopes that her green thumb (and beauty regimen) might rub off on me. Get Shiva's tips when you read more.
Lauren Conrad is an author, fashion designer, and lifestyle blogger, and now she can add eco-friendly bag designer to her ever-growing résumé. The former reality star has partnered with BlueAvocado XO(eco) to create a line of 20 travel accessories.
Each of the pieces, ranging from garment bags to lunch boxes, is stitched out of a fabric made from recycled water bottles. Our favorites, naturally, are the cosmetic pieces, all of which come in two different patterns: tuxedo stripes and little baby birds. Click through to get a sneak peek at the adorable new collection, available on preorder now.
Source: Getty
In honor of Earth Month, Josie Maran (pictured left) is rereleasing her eponymous brand's cult favorite argan oil with an added charitable element. The beauty entrepreneur even recruited some of her model pals, Petra Nemcova (pictured right) and Angela Lindvall, to design the limited-edition bottles ($52 each) for the line's Model Citizen campaign. Available at Sephora, through QVC, or on Josie's site from now to mid-Summer, 10 percent of the profits from the sale of the oils will benefit the Happy Hearts Fund (through Petra's design), Healthy Child Healthy World (through Angela), and Women For Women International (through Josie).
Additionally, Josie and Petra are sharing their tips for going "chicological" (that's chic, high-performing, and ecological) with us. For starters, "I think using kinder, gentler, healthier ingredients overall — especially if you're wearing makeup every day — makes a huge impact on the beauty of your skin," explains Josie. See more of what the duo had to say about greening your beauty routine, when you read more.
If you've been disappointed by eco-friendly beauty products in the past, it might be time to give them another chance. Formulas have improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and there's something to appeal to everyone. Celebrity makeup artist Lina Hanson, who counts Naomi Watts and Natalie Portman among her clients, goes green whenever she's doing makeup. Here, she shares her essentials for a pretty, natural face.
If you've been disappointed by eco-friendly beauty products in the past, it might be time to give them another chance. Formulas have improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and there's something to appeal to everyone. Celebrity makeup artist Lina Hanson, who counts Naomi Watts and Natalie Portman among her clients, goes green whenever she's doing makeup. Here, she shares her essentials for a pretty, natural face.
It's been a while since we've been lip-sessed. You know the phenomenon: you try a new lip product and like it so much you find yourself applying it constantly, cuddling with it at night, etc. But it turns out that sometimes even jaded beauty editors get a second chance at true love, and the new object of our affection is Ilia lip conditioner ($24). This stuff is great for a whole slew of reasons. The marquee differentiator is that Ilia doesn't contain a single ingredient you haven't heard of before or wouldn't eat. Vegans, people with allergies, and those who're leery of ingesting lead and petrolatum should be happy about this one.
What we really love, though, is that there are nine organic oils in the formulation, everything from jojoba and sesame to orange and jasmine, so our lips get super hydrated and taste great. Our personal favorite shade is Shell Shock (it's the coral color on the far left), but we've also met people who swear by Arabian Knights (dark berry) and Nobody's Baby (soft neutral). Ilia's not a cheap treat, but if we have to choose between buying the latest fancy lipstick and this lip conditioner, we know which one we're choosing.
Ever been confused as to how some of your multimaterial beauty products, such as lipstick and mirrored compacts, should be recycled? Fret no more. With TerraCycle, a company that specializes in recycling harder-to-recycle goods, the guesswork is taken out for you. With its Personal Care and Beauty Brigade program, which runs in conjunction with Garnier, you can feel good knowing that just about any product you're uncertain of will be accepted (except hair spray cans, polish remover, and nail polish bottles). Products are then upcycled to build eco-friendly playgrounds throughout the US. To find out more, just keep reading.
Eco-conscious beauty at its best: Luxury hair care brand Davines and The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation have teamed up to create the first ever Sustainable Beauty Day. This Monday, June 20, you can visit select salons and receive most cut and styling services for a minimum donation of $15. 100% of the donations will go to planting fruit trees in impoverished communities in Africa, helping to alleviate hunger, create oxygen, and improve the air, soil, and water quality in the Sofala Province of Mozambique. It's a really great deal if you're in need of a new look.
Davines' fruit tree planting initiative, aptly titled Sustainabilitree, aims to raise money to fund a project that will plant up to 4,000 native trees in these areas. If you're interested in getting a new hairstyle and donating to the Sustainabilitree project, check out a list of the participating salons in your area.
