Green Options

If you’re in NYC this week (or all the time), head over to Henri Bendel today through Sunday for absolutely free mini-makeovers by Suki makeup artist Melanie Isett.  As one of my favorite skincare and cosmetic lines, each bottle and jar comes chocked full of bioactive organic ingredients created for even the most sensitive of skin types.  I completely agree with Sophie Uliano, author of Gorgeously Green when she wrote ”Suki has developed one of my favorite skin care lines.  The products are every bit as wonderful as high-end products, but they are free of synthetics, GMO ingredients, petrochemicals, fragrances and dyes and animal ingredients“.  To register for your free makeover:

Top celeb NY makeup artist, Rose-Marie Swift works in the fashion industry on photo shoots for VOGUE, W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and most recently at LaCoste RTW Spring ‘09 Fashion Show where she used her own, absolutely brand new line of organic cosmetics.  She knows beauty and the dangers of toxic beauty products and how they can greatly effect health.  After years of exposure to conventional products, her health began to drastically decline.  She started to lose her hair and memory and begun having panic attacks.  After having lab tests done she was asked “Do you work in the cosmetics industry?”  She had toxic levels of heavy metals, lead, cadmium, aluminum, barium and mercury; along with high levels of pesticides and other chemicals.  The lab technician said “I can’t believe you’re even walking around!”

Honestly, “natural” seems to be about a common a word as “green” these days and hands up who besides me is getting tired of the all the rhetoric? Being a natural brand should mean something and that’s exactly the position of Alima Pure. Not content with being ‘just another mineral makeup line, they went in search of the most rigorous and highly coveted natural certification they could find, and passed with flying colors. Being BDIH certified ensures that all the products contain only the safest natural ingredients, and are created and packaged in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

The girls over at Organic Beauty View have just previewed the official launch of the latest makeup collection from Aveda. Shown here are three hot new looks from the Uruku Makeup Collection. New formulas, new shades and all 100% color from the earth. Aveda has collaborated with the Yawanawa people in the Amazon to organically & sustainably grow urukum and annatto - two rich color pigments used by the tribes for faces, eyes and lips. With a product lineup that includes sheer moisturizing lipsticks, long-wearing crease resistant eye colors, cheek & lip glow, eye & lip liners there are no excuses for not rocking your inner organic glamazon! Get the look now.

Image credit: Aveda Website - Uruku Collection

Everyone has a different idea of what looks natural and as always what suits one doesn’t necessarily work for another. Here are three looks taken from the Fall ‘08 RTW collections showcasing various ways to interpret natural. The key to any natural makeup look is keeping it simple, real, light in texture and easy to apply. The perfect product to do all of that?  A genius multi-tasker that can be used for several different applications. A favorite organic & natural beauty product to help achieve these looks above is the brilliant and multi-tasking Suki Pure Cream Stain for Lips & Cheeks. Silky to apply, blends beautifully, loaded with pigment (use a lot or a little), melds with skin & full of organic goodness.

Suki Pure Cream Stain for cheeks & lips - Color picks :: 1. Dahlia 2. Clay 3. Sandstone

Look One: Image/Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse - Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall ‘08/Model: Hyoni Kang
Look Two: Image/Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse - Calvin Klein RTW Fall ‘08/Model: Natalia Schueroff
Look Three: Image/Matteo Volta - Hermes RTW Fall ‘08/Model: Taryn Davidson (VIVA)

Punk, graphic, dynamic, assured, bright and striking … definitely not mellow. A color usually reserved for the hot Summer months, yellow is the new breakout color for fall. We’re seeing everything from gorgeous, long satin charteuse evening dresses at Donna Karan, to vibrant, eclectic and feminine at Marni, to futuristic, modern and slick at Balenciaga.

Traditionally not an easy color to wear vis-a-vis a neutral brown for example, there are nonetheless some gorgeous organic and natural makeup shades to wear with what is sure to be your new favorite color come Fall:

It’s actually hard to find a natural, let alone organic foundation that does a beautiful job of covering where you need it, but doesn’t look like you have a mask on. This liquid foundation has a beautiful affinity with skin and it blends well to give you flawless cover, while still allowing your natural beauty to show through. Top it all off with loads of organic botanicals (like chamomile, cucumber & calendula), and you have a base that not only makes you look like you have great skin, but it’s working overtime to make you look radiant.

Great for all skin types but if you tend toward a little oily or combination, just use some natural mineral powder over the top (like Alima), to blot excess oil throughout the day. If you like it lighter, just mix with moisturizer for more sheer coverage. Mineral pigments provide the healthy colors and the entire line is certified organic. Love it.

It could be that I’ve just returned from a holiday in the tropics but I LOVE these organic & natural Spray Lotion Mists from Ola Hawaii. The sweet, zingy, fresh smell of pineapple + lime is super delish but there are all kinds of scents to choose from if citrus isn’t your thing.

Keep it stashed in your bag during Summer heat to spritz

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