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?!

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The cold and flu season is upon us, and when it hits home, it’s hard to imagine anything that makes a girl feel less attractive than puffy eyes and…ok, I’ll just say it…snot dripping down her face. So when I was attacked by a particularly kleenex-intensive virus, I was desperate for a little luxury, something to soothe the sinuses and provide a bit of pampering. In the midst of my misery, I reached for my Kaeline Hammam Savon Noir exfoliating paste while in the shower. It contains only a few ingredients, of which Eucalyptus Globulus is a big one. I figured if Eucalyptus was good enough for the vapour rub my mom rubbed on my chest when I was a kid, this 100% natural body soap may do more than exfoliate, soothe, and refresh my skin.   

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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.

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Let’s say you’re new to the whole eco-friendlier beauty thing. You finished reading Not Just A Pretty Face, and are motivated to chuck your leaded lipstick, plasticized foundation and petroleum-packed moisture cream with plans to replace them all with gorgeously green glamour.

And then you start shopping, and quickly get overwhelmed. Where to start? What to buy? How to prioritize? How to make it happen while still having enough money to eat?

As with pretty much everything I do, my approach to greening my beauty kit was fairly melodramatic; in short, I spent outrageous amounts of money replacing everything all at once. I do not necessarily endorse this strategy, and neither does my credit card statement, so if you are saner than I am and want to pace yourself as you green your makeup bag, here are a few tips to help you prioritize your purchases:

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It began with a leading cosmetic formulation company; one of those behind-the-scenes groups we never hear about, but who are responsible for realizing the dreams of makeup artists, models, and aspiring beauty moguls. Having spent the last 30 years pioneering natural and organic cosmetic technology, they decided it was time to come out from behind the curtain and create their own brand. What they needed was a beauty expert to partner with them, assist in the brand’s development, and represent it to the public.

Enter Eric Sakas, veteran makeup artist and long-time friend and colleague of Kevin Aucoin. He, too, had dreamed of creating a makeup line that successfully combined both glamour and health. Fate let him to Vapour Organic Beauty, where both a partnership and a complete line of 100% natural color cosmetics were born.

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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!”

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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.

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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.

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As consumer demand grows for safe beauty products, marketing departments get better at making their products sound less synthetic without actually delivering the green goods. As a result, rather than increased transparency, we get layer after layer of…er…let’s called it mud. The typical advice is to read labels. I don’t know about you, but for me that can feel like a full time job. In chemistry. Without a degree. I’ve found other ways to detect the washing of the green, and thought I’d pass along what I have learned.

1) Are the ingredients clearly displayed on the label?

If the answer to this first question is a no, you’ve almost certainly happened upon a company engaged in greenwashing. When ingredients are hidden, it almost always means there is something in that list they want to hide. A great example is Victoria’s Secret’s Pink body care line, the contents of which are hidden beneath a white sticker with a nondescript black arrow, discretely placed underneath the bottle. The ingredients are not anywhere on the website, another bad sign (see Tip #4). A brand promoting a natural line that is indeed organic and/or natural will proudly display their ingredients where a consumer can easily find them.

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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.

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While the debate rages on as to whether or not you can get the same “performance” from organic and natural makeup as you can from synthetics, the jury has rendered their verdict when it comes to hair care: Long gone are the days when natural shampoos left hair feeling stringy, and their conditioning counterparts produced dry, heavy locks. Top brands are using organic ingredients that nourish and heal the hair, rather than relying on silicones to coat strands and create false shine. In other words, when using the best natural and organic hair care products, your hair not only looks healthier, it actually is healthier.

Our panelists received a long list of natural serums, shampoos, and conditioners to choose from. Most are composed primarily of organic ingredients, and all are absent of harsh detergenets, synthetic fragrance, parabens, silicones, and petrochemicals. Although it was clear many hair care brands have won the hearts of our green beauty experts, a few managed to rise to the top.

Behold, the Emerald Awards for best natural hair treatment, shampoo, and conditioner:

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Each year it seems more creative entrepreneurial types are coming up with new, irresistable ways to create gorgeous, durable bags with minimal impact on the environment. My latest discovery is OLovesM, a no-waste company that uses materials otherwise destined to take up landfill space.

Their material of choice? Yoga mats.

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Sandy Skinner, creator of ecoSkin, did not have that problem.

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One of my all time favorite home beauty routines incorporates freshly brewed green tea, as a refreshing and antioxidant packed facial toner. Not only is it soothing to the skin because it is kept nice and cool in the fridge, it is rich in powerful antioxidants that are incredible for helping to reduce redness and inflammation, preventing sun damage, killing bacteria, toning, refreshing and tightening pores. Using an iced tea pitcher, I brew fresh green tea leaves weekly, and use the full pitcher throughout the week. I love the one that I have made by Lupica Fresh Tea.

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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.

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One year ago, after watching her father lose his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease and her 35-year-old friend receive a diagnosis of breast cancer for the third time, Christy decided it was time to make a change. Since early on in her career, she suspected the chemicals in the high-end makeup she used on her clients were potentially harmful; she had stopped wearing the stuff years ago. So she emptied her makeup kit and started over, this time filling it with nothing but natural cosmetics. If she was going to remain in the only career she had ever known or wanted, she could no longer use products containing the chemicals she suspected may have killed her father, or possibly contributed to the cancer haunting her friend.

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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:

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