Green Options

How many of us think about our skin as a living, breathing organism that’s constantly in motion, every second of the day? It’s incredibly easy to overlook the fact that our skin changes with the seasons and even easier to ignore that we need a different suite of skincare products for winter than we do in summer. Often those thoughts end up in the too hard basket - i.e. it’s hard enough finding skincare that works for our skin fullstop but to change it up twice a year… as if we don’t have enough to think about?! Elemental Herbology make it about as easy as it’s ever going to get with a skincare & body collection that’s focused on delivering exactly what skin needs depending on the time of year (and they do it sooooo stylishly). The Elemental Herbology philosophy is deceptively simple, “to acknowledge the transitions of life, the ebb & flow of the changing seasons and the different aspects of your environment.”

Life is dynamic and so is your skin. Most of us don’t think of our visage as a living, breathing, changing organism, but every second of the day our skin is responding to our environment and constantly monitoring and altering itself to regulate healthy skin function. Built on the same principle of living energy, Blissoma skincare is specifically formulated to enhance & compliment the science of skin, while respecting the unique biochemical reactions that make up your body. Their philosophy is based around encouraging and supporting the skins own daily rhythms of regeneration by using combinations of bioactive, live ingredients that are pressed on demand such as juices, herbs and seed oil extracts.

You thought wine was just for drinking right? Not so. Caudalie discovered in 1993 what the rest of the world has been catching up with ever since, that grapes & grapeseeds are a veritable goldmine of bioactive, high potency, antioxidant and anti-aging ingredients. The grapeseed molecule is 10,000 times more powerful than Vitamin E for combating free radicals; Reservatrol (the new ingredient creating major buzz in skincare that comes from grape stalks) has been shown to provide exceptional action for stimulating cell renewal; Viniferine is effective at regulating melatonin production and creating even skin tone; not to mention polyphenols, bioflavanoids and on it goes. Inspired by the greatest vintages from the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte,

As it finally warms up from two consecutive weeks in the single digits here in Colorado, my skin has already taken a beating this winter. In search of the perfect moisturizers and lotions, here are a list of some of my favorite choices this winter.

1. Alba’s Original Emollient Lotion $16.99 for 32 oz (available at Target) is ideal for the no fuss, no frills kinda gal who needs a moisturizer that

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It used to be that the powerful and heady scent of the rose was something only the extremely wealthy could afford, not surprising given that it takes anywhere between 1,500 to 10,000 pounds of rose petals to make only one ounce of oil. There are more than 300 compounds that can be found in a rose but the key flavor compounds that contribute to the distinctive scent of rose oil, are beta-damascenone, beta-damascone, beta-ionone, and rose oxide. Even though these compounds exist in less than 1% quantity of rose oil, they make up for slightly more than 90% of the odor content. Inspired while on a trip to India by founder Marla Steuer, The Duchess Marden skincare collection harnesses the calming & curative essence of the rose in a suite of products designed to engage all the senses in a state of well-being, while impacting the skin to soothe, restore and revitalize.

Life is full of guilty pleasures depending on your choice of vices and though I’ve never been a chocolate kinda gal, I do have a penchant for delicious, ridiculously luxurious organic bath + body products. Shamelessly self-indulgent when it comes to self-pampering rituals, I’m a major fan of anything that beautifies my day whether it’s spraying my sheets at night with a sleep inducing, instantly relaxing organic mist, or using an organic shower gel in the morning that kick starts my day with more stimulation than a double espresso! We all know that plants do more than just smell pretty and the new line of premier Body Care from Because Skincare is a fine example of a carefully conceived, beautifully formulated collection of body products - Because good skincare is not just for your face!

If you know anything at all about physics, you’ll know that every living thing is suffused with energy and each individual plant & animal resonates with its own unique vibrational pattern. These energy frequencies are said to contain healing elements that when harnessed in the right way and instilled in a carrier of some kind, can infuse their restorative effects into your skin. Much like the way Homeopathy works, this new skincare line from SKINAGAIN uses state-of-the-art computerized technology called Dermavibe, to capture over 300+ energy frequencies ranging from bach flowers to aloe vera to crystals, which are then transferred into a metallic conductor at the bottom of a healing serum.

Hardly as obssessive as the Japanese or Michael Jackson when it comes to lightening skin, I am definitely a sucker for anything that promises to ‘brighten’ and even the tone of my not bright, and definitely not even, skin tone.  It may sound like a genius marketing ploy but here’s where that old adage that ‘if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is’, actually doesn’t apply. Nature holds a vast treasure trove of spectacularly potent ingredients from plants & fruits that are being discovered and isolated every day. One of the newest to hit the market is the Amla Fruit in the form of a new Skin Brightening Lotion by Anokha.

There was a time when conversations surrounding elasticity, loss of collagen, sagging and lack of tone, were for me like hearing someone speak in a foreign language. Convinced I’d somehow and miraculously been blessed with ever youthful skin, I never paid much attention - until now that is. Whether you’re there already or you think this is something that doesn’t apply to you, it’s never too early or late to start using skincare that addresses these very issues. Now, let it be said I’m a total skeptic (and more than a little jaded) when it comes to product claims, having worked with and tried just about everything. My latest discovery however, more than lives up to its rep and having used it for the last six wks, I can verify that my skin feels noticeably smoother, firmer and more radiant.

Well known for gracing the trays of antipasto everywhere and a regular feature in a vodka martini, the olive has far more illustrious uses than that of sophisticated snack or simple garnish. Olive oil has been used for thousands of years for eating & cooking. And lest no part of this miracle plant go unnoticed, olive leaf extracts are one of nature’s most potent antioxidants - up to 100 times more powerful than echinacea for boosting immunity. You can freeze it, burn it or cut it down, and the Olive Tree always reappears. The leaves stay on olive trees for seven years and develop a waxy coating for protection against harsh climate conditions that when scraped back, after all that time, reveal a bright-green, young leaf underneath! Conceived and created by Laurent Baussan, son of L’Occitane (no introduction needed) founder Olivier Baussan, the Oliv laboratories have found the secret to skin longevity in the olive leaf, then combined it with the moisturizing properties of green tea, edelweiss & aloe vera to produce this new organic skincare collection called Oliv.

Kaia Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths are a brilliant, 3-in-1 quick cleansing solution that removes all traces of makeup, daily grime & buildup. Inspired by a sustainable clothing designer, not only is bamboo cashmere soft to touch making it perfect for sensitive skins & eye makeup removal, it is naturally antimicrobial and antifungal, requiring no pesticides to grow. Formulated to bring convenience to our lives with essentially three products in [...]