You may be wondering what chocolate has to do with beauty and fashion. It’s simple: Even the most gorgeous makeover and hottest fashion-forward ensemble won’t look right if you’re all frowny. You’ll also get those pesky little lines between your eyebrows. So what better to turn that frown upside down than an adorable little tin jam packed with adorable, dark chocolate-covered cacao niblets?!

Read more of this story »

Sometimes I find myself in quite a rut- focusing on the negative aspects of my life rather than the positive. The past year of my life however, has been quite incredible (and I need to remind myself that.) Jobs have fallen in my lap and people have been placed in my path for a reason. And at times, when I get muddled down by negative thoughts I have to remind myself of the opportunities I’ve been so gracefully handed. Which quite a few, wouldn’t have happened without my main source of income.

My full time job (amongst many small ones) has been working at the eco-friendly fashion boutique, Eco-Tique, in St. Paul, MN. During the past year working here, I have had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Terri Bly, owner of The Nature of Beauty, and being able to work not only for Eco-Tique but her company as well. So today, I give a shout out to Eco-Tique’s top fall must haves which can be found at The Nature of Beauty.

Read more of this story »

This year’s edition of US Hair, published by US Weekly Magazine, included a one-page feature on natural hair care, based on an interview with one cosmetic chemist. My initial optimism was quickly snuffed out when I read that apparently my hair was dirty, because I needed synthetic cleansers - specifically, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - to effectively cleanse the mop. Say what now?

To be sure, these misconceptions aren’t limited to one magazine, making it that much more important to dispell these urban legends whenever possible. So after running my fingers through my hair to make sure I hadn’t been sporting dirty tresses for the last year (my head felt quite clean, I’m pleased to report), I called Wil Baker, co-founder of the award-winning Max Green Alchemy line of natural hair care, to see if perhaps he could help set the record straight.

Read more of this story »

Business Travel. Nothing about it implies fashionable or fun. For me, it has always meant carting around either a drab grey laptop backpack for long trips or my utilitarian, generic black laptop-friendly briefcase for shorter stints. Sexy.

So when these new Laptop bags from Minneapolis-based Urban Junket arrived at our Ecotique/Nature of Beauty shop yesterday, my heart did a little dance of joy. Dost mine eyes deceive me? Could someone have actually designed a laptop bag that is sturdy, stylish and eco-friendly?! I rubbed my eyes to make sure the sleek black bag wasn’t just a sleep-deprived hallucination, and when I opened them again, Emily was pulling out the same bag but in a gorgeous ruby red. I quickly shoved her aside and grabbed the red bag like I was at one of those designer wedding dress sample sales you hear about, and took off, shouting “Mine! Mine!”

Read more of this story »

Read more of this story »

In the early 1990’s, film and television product Jane Iredale was increasingly disturbed by the damage chemical-based makeup was doing to her actresses, most of whom had little choice but to wear massive amounts of it on a daily basis. Despite having no background in cosmetics, Iredale set out to create a professional-quality base to replace the pore-suffocating foundations that were de rigueur in Hollywood. Her solution? A little known concept called mineral foundation.

Read more of this story »

I had my first child in August of 2003. Although that was a mere 6 years ago, no one was talking about the safety of baby products, synthetic fragrances, petroleum-based oils or parabens. How fortunate for new mothers and moms-to-be that so much has changed in just a few years! I can now say I’ve tried almost a dozen natural and organic baby products, and many of them are simply amazing. My current favorite in the pack is Erbaorganics, a 100% natural, nearly 100% organic affordable line of skin care for mother and baby.

Read more of this story »

I like to think I’m not the only woman who kept an eye and ear on constant alert for the various Bonus Time events at the cosmetic department of Macy’s (and Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdale’s, you get the idea). Like a July mosquito to the bug zapper, I was drawn in each and every time to the big sign displaying the funky little cosmetic bag next to little tubes of lipstick and other novelties. It didn’t matter that I already had 42 bags containing half-used eye makeup remover from previous Bonus Time affairs; if it was happening, I immediately felt compelled to participate.

So it’s really no surprise that I created one for The Nature of Beauty. As they say, once an addict….But I wanted to make this one a bit more meaningful, to give me and you a legitimate excuse to get excited about this particular Bonus Time.

Read more of this story »

Welcome to the third installment of Feelgood Style’s own best of green beauty awards. As always, I’m your host, Terri Bly, and today we will be presenting the awards for Best Natural Lipstick and Best Natural Lipgloss. A quick reminder for those of you just tuning in: The products considered for these awards are the the safest and most natural on the market. Unlike many other green beauty awards, every product you’ll find here is completely free of petroleum-based chemicals, parabens, and other potentially harmful chemicals, are are at least 98% (and often 99-100%) natural. Our panelists are beauty experts who use mostly or only natural beauty products.

And now, on with the show.

As you get ready for a summer weekend filled with fun, I want to leave you with our expert panel’s picks for Best Natural Lipstick and Best Natural Lipgloss. If you are hesitant to go green with your makeup, or don’t know where to start, taking the chemicals out of your lip products is a great first step; not only because you eat your lipstick (over 4 lbs in a lifetime), but because lipstick and lipgloss contain some of the worst chemicals on the market. Why risk eating lead and plastic when there are literally hundreds of amazing choices that are safe, natural, moisturizing AND beautiful?

Our beauty experts had no difficulty whatsoever sending in their votes, but no single brand floated to the top. Which is great news for you, because each category will consequently have several winners, giving you a number of brilliant lippies to choose from when you’re out (or online) shopping!

Read more of this story »

I love “best of beauty” awards. For years, I saved every issue of InStyle’s Best Beauty Buys, relying on their picks to guide me through the overwhelming selection of pretty shiny things at Sephora. Now that the big mags have added green beauty awards, I scoop those up without hesitation, but am always disappointed at the choices. While each winner is certainly more natural than its mainstream counterpart, it often contains far more synthetics than I’m comfortable with. So what is an eco-girl to do when she wants to find the best chem-free cosmetics?

She contacts a bunch of natural beauty experts and creates Feelgood Style’s first annual Emerald Awards.

Read more of this story »

It’s time to leave your creative mark on the grocery bag collection of LOHAS everywhere by entering Ecotique’s eco-Design contest! Located in the heart of a popular shopping destination, Grand Avenue in St. Paul, Ecotique is the Midwestern epicenter of eco-friendly and fashion forward clothing and accessories. And now they would like you to contribute your artistry to their next project: customizing 45 bags that will be sold exclusively in their shop and at natureofbeauty.com. Interested? Here are the details:

• The bag is approximately 15” x 15” and is 55% hemp/ 45% organic cotton
• Contest ends July 1st. Send a digital copy of design to eco-tique@live.com or bring one to Eco-Tique at 1045 Grand Avenue in St. Paul, MN with your phone number/email address.
• Winner gets a $100 gift certificate to Eco-Tique/Nature of Beauty (in-store or online), and their design will be printed on 45 bags to be sold at Eco-Tique and online at www.natureofbeauty.com/ecotique. The bag will also be featured in the store window and on The Nature of Beauty’s home page. If applicable, Eco-Tique will host the winner’s art show and sell the winner’s wares.

So get sketching, all you closet artistes (and yes, out-of-the-closet creative types are also welcome to enter); opportunities like these don’t come along every day!

You’ve been working on creating the perfect cache of hair products, makeup, body lotions, and perfumes since you were 12, right? Now you are hearing about the potential hazards lurking in your beloved collection, and wondering if you should be tossing your phthalate-packed but highly praised lipstick (and shampoo, night cream, mascara, the list goes on and on) and replacing it with some brand you’ve never heard of.  It can be overwhelming, enough to make you want to throw in the towel and forget you ever read anything about parabens or petrochemicals. But don’t lose heart; going green can be fun, exciting, and even affordable. I thought I might draw on my former life as a clinical psychologist (true story) and offer up 6 tips for making the transition to natural and organic beauty products without sacrificing your sanity!  

1. Stay informed. The more you know about why you are switching over to eco-friendly products, the easier it will be to stay motivated when you lose some of that initial enthusiasm. Feelgood Style is a great place to start, and there are several fantastic books to check out as well, including Not Just a Pretty Face by Stacey Malkan, one of the creators of the Skin Deep database, or The Green Beauty Guide, by Julie Gabriel. When you are feeling discouraged, go back and read through the articles or chapters that motivated you to make the switch in the first place.

Read more of this story »

Moments after sitting down in Rose Marie Swift’s very hip Manhattan loft, she surveyed my face, declared my blush was in need of an update, deftly pulled out one of her new lip2cheek stains, and within seconds I was sporting a healthy, rosy glow that looked natural and, if I do say so myself, quite lovely. By the time I left 60 delightful minutes later, Ms. Swift had given my eyes and lips similar transformations, and I strutted through Union Square looking and feeling like I had just received a makeover by one of America’s top makeup artists.

When the products arrived at my shop in St. Paul, however, I stared at them a bit helplessly and wondered just how I, a mere clinical-pschologist-turned-business-owner, could possibly recreate that same look with these cream-based blushes and shadows that were so different from the pressed powder variety I had used my whole life.

So I called Jessa Blades, a Manhattan-based makeup artist who worked alongside Rose Marie during Fashion Week and uses only natural cosmetics on her clientele (you can read all about Jessa here). She graciously offered some invaluable tips for getting the most out of rms beauty’s truly stunning color collection.

Read more of this story »

I’m a big believer in the power of collaboration. After all, most of us are pretty talented in certain areas yet equally lame (or more so) in others. My most visible skill deficit rears its ugly head whenever it’s time to dress myself. I just don’t have an eye for fashion. However, Stephanie Green, owner of eco-friendly St. Paul shop Ecotique, most certainly does. So it made all the sense in the world for The Nature of Beauty to pair up with Ecotique in order to offer the ecoconscious consumer a one-stop, head-to-toe, fashion forward shopping experience. It’s like the Mall of America but without, well, everything in the Mall of America. But you get the idea.

Read more of this story »

For years, I’ve wondered why, no matter what top conditioner or “best of” shine enhancer I used, my thick, wavy hair never had the vibrant, supernatural glow I saw on the women walking the red carpet. Turns out, the plastic, silicon and reflective particles I believed held the key to gorgeous hair were part of the problem. By sealing off my hair from nutrients, I was effectively suffocating it. After embarking on my journey down the natural & organic path, I stumbled upon organic treatment oils. Just like that, I discovered the secret to healthy-looking celebrity hair: Truly healthy hair. Go figure.

Read more of this story »

Intelligent Nutrients Organic Anti-Aging Facial Care, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Thy scent reminds me of a summer’s day, of freshly cut grass, lilac, and strawberr…ays.

My skin loveth thy powerful antioxidant complex, thine ability to renew and regenerate,

Erasing the lines caused by old griefs and sorrows, prolonged recessions, and no tax rebate.

Ok, so clearly I’m no poet, but I’ve found it difficult to describe just how much I’m loving Intelligent Nutrients’ new USDA organic skin care line without sounding like a Sunday morning informercial, so the poem seemed like the lesser of two evils.

About a month ago, I received my preview kit of all four products in the IN anti-aging skin care line that will be available as of next week.

Read more of this story »

When it comes to eco-friendly fashion, there are two things that ring my bell: Affordability and outside-the-box thinking. Few companies have managed to impress me the way HT Naturals has on both of these counts.

Take their polyester for starters. Often, customers walk into Eco-tique in St. Paul (where Nature of Beauty is housed), look at the HT Naturals long-sleeve t-shirts, see that they’re 50% polyester, and ask skeptically, “How on earth that can be eco-friendly?” The answer:

Read more of this story »

I have a confession to make: For the last 6 months, I was wearing mascara that I didn’t actually sell on my website or in my store. Although I had used all of them, and really liked several, I came across a natural mascara from France a while back that simply blew the others out of the water. I couldn’t go back; thus, when people would ask me which mascara I recommended, I had to a) give them my #2 and #3 choices whilst pretending I knew of nothing better (because the odds of there being a spa carrying the brand in your area were exceedingly slim, so why torture you); b) mumble something about wearing a natural mascara that I would be selling some day, or c) quickly change the subject.

No longer must I select from 3 unhappy options when asked about the best natural mascara. I bring you Couleur Caramel’s natural, eco-cert certified, how-long-oh-lord-how-long-have-I-waited-for-this mascara.

Read more of this story »

A few weeks ago, Feelgoodstyle.com writer Stancie Wilson told you about Organic Beauty Magazine, the latest and greatest newsstand magazine featuring organic and natural beauty products, fashion finds, and advice on everything from choosing the best products to eco-friendly travel to creating your own at-home spa experience. I caught wind of the plans for this new magazine in the fall and, as you might imagine, I was thrilled beyond measure. About a month later, I had the extreme good fortune of meeting up with editor-in-chief Rona Berg to learn more about the magazine and her plans for its future (and what a smart, inspirational woman she is). The more I heard, the more excited I became, to say the very least. When my copy arrived right before the holidays, I tossed aside whatever I was working on at the time, giddily scanning every page and admiring every photograph, including Christy Coleman’s masterful artisty on the cover (featuring House actress Olivia Wildes).

Read more of this story »