Episode #121 Special Edition: Ecofriendly Cosmetics
Oct 7th, 2008 by Kerry Anne
Kerry Anne’s Reviews:
Kerry Anne and Airdrie give a full review of the Care by Stella McCartney line. For more information on Care, check out our earlier post. Care is available at sephora.com.
Cargo Plant Love
Cargo Cosmetics, came out with the very successful botanical-formula PlantLove lipstick, have now released an entire line of eco-cosmetics.
The PlantLove™ Natural Origin Cosmetics Collection is indeed, 100% natural, and includes:
For the face: 100% Natural Origin Loose Powder Foundation, Pressed Powder, Baked Illuminator, Bronzer and Blush.
For lips: 100% Natural Origin Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Balm and Lipliner. The PlantLove lipstick is available in 20 sheer shades, 11 of which have been designed by celebrities, and 9 that have been inspired by places of ecological beauty. I like Muir Woods, a “sheer spiced mauve”.
For eyes: 100% Natural Origin Eye Shadow and Eye Liner. I’ve tested the Midnight Blue Eye Liner, which is really more midnight than blue. It’s a soft pencil that goes on with no tugging, and stays put.
PlantLove™ has been given the highest eco-distinction of ECOCERT™, a global designation ensuring that all product, process and packaging meet the strictest standards for natural, organic and environmentally friendly content.
PureOlogy PureVolume ThickeningMist
This stuff is amazing for my fine hair. I’ve tried lots of different thickening products, but they always make my hair crunchy, or stiff or dull. This gives my hair great volume from the root, doesn’t weigh my hair down halfway through the day. Best of all, it adds shine and texture to my hair. I love it. Smells nice too, without taking over. It’s also vegan, never tested on animals, contains some organic ingredients, and offers UVA/UVB protection.
Airdrie Reviews:
L’Occitane 5 Essential Oils Repairing Shampoo and Conditioner
Experience Aromachologie’s Authenticity & Effectiveness. Discover it’s natural origin foaming bases. Rest easy with its tested and proven benefits. Free from synthetic colorants & parabens and limited use of silicones.
Aromachologie products make washing hair pleasurable and relaxing.
Hair
This product makes my hair smell AMAZING! I love it!!
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Concerned about the amount of packaging in the cosmetic industry?
You are not alone.
Recently, Linda Wells, Editor in Chief of Allure magazine, criticized the
beauty industry’s excessive product packaging in her October editor’s
letter. In her letter, she calls for beauty companies to reduce their
packaging in an effort to become more ‘green’ and environmentally friendly.
Linda’s editor letters are different from other major magazines because she
takes the time to write them herself and she chooses important social topics
that will reach a wide audience. Here is a copy of October letter:
More Is Less
Every spring, I turn over my bathroom and my pores to Allure’s Best of Beauty testing.
I expect no pity: I get to try $200 firming creams, scrubs of every flavor on each limb,
and more perfumes than you’d find in an entire Moroccan souk. It’s work; it’s fun. Even the tedium of washing my face (a.k.a. cleansing) becomes an adventure. This year, though, as I opened box after box of anti-aging creams, I became uneasy. Off came the cellophane wrapping, the outer sleeve, and the thick, embossed top. Into the garbage went the cardboard base, the flocked pedestal, the golden spatula, and the little plastic lid that covers the cream like a skin. (If I throw that away, I wonder, will it immediately become contaminated?) By the time I’d unwrapped three products, my wastebasket was filled. All that cardboard and plastic, all that vulgar excess—it made me feel guilty.
The packaging of expensive beauty products has gotten out of control. Some cosmetics companies
seem to believe that all these layers create a sense of luxury, that they make the product look precious,
like a Valentine’s present from Harry Winston. But that idea is passé. Diana Vreeland, the fashion editor, once said, “Elegance is refusal.” Mies Van der Rohe applied the words “less is more” to architecture. As much as everyone rattles off these mottoes, it seems that few of us really live by them. Magazines are clogged with articles about stylish women who catalog their shoes in vast mirrored closets and buy a new dress for every party. Whatever happened to the ideal of the French woman who wore the same Yves Saint Laurent jacket for 20 years? Recycled materials and understated packaging occupy an important place in the market. But the prevailing trend still seems to be the cosmetic equivalent of a pimped-out Hummer. The beauty industry has to move away from the Kimora Lee Simmons approach to luxury. “All that shiny cellophane and metal is not sophisticated,” says Frank Mueller, creative director of Wolff Olins, which specializes in corporate branding. “Luxury can be the absence of this and a focus instead on the ingredients. That’s a more primal idea of luxury.” Imagine what Mies would have done with one of those $200 moisturizers. I doubt it would have involved flocked plastic. My recent experience testing products has given me a new appreciation for the laboratory sample. Cosmetics companies often send these to beauty editors before the final packaging is completed. The fragrances and creams come in tiny bottles with plain typed labels. They’re beautiful objects, simple and pared down to their essence. To my mind, they’re pure luxury.
Linda Wells, Editor in Chief
Links
Dusk Candles
Sarah Palin Lipstick at Pitbull Mom
America’s Next Top Model video game
Palin Wig
Does Palin have a tattoo lip liner?
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate FREE Toothpaste helps prevent Canker Sores, so says one listener:
Biotene
Dentist.net
Song of the Week
Buena Vista Social Club
“De Camino a la Vereda” (mp3)
from “Buena Vista Social Club At Carnegie Hall”
(World Circuit)
More On This Album
Kerry Anne, you should have told me you were talking about eco-friendly cosmetics! I would’ve loved to ask a few questions :)
Hello ladies!
Since this week’s podcast is all about natural, eco-friendly cosmetics, I’d like to write a little review on a set of products I just bought from Origins. I’m not sure how organic they are when they prepare their products, but they do say on their website of their “natural” outlook on how they make them. http://www.origins.com/about/index.tmpl
Nordstrom is selling a special gift set now called “Ginger Fest” which includes a body cream, bubble bath and body scrub, all scented with lovely ginger, packaged in a festive red tube.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3002514/0~2377897~2377899~2383521?P=1
The greatest thing is that the set is only $35.00 US for all three! I’m not sure if this particular set is available in Canada, (since I can only find it on the Nordstrom website) but I think it’s a great value for the money.
I liked the Ginger Float Cream Bubble Bath (8 oz.). the best out of the three. The ginger scent is not cloying, and produced a ton of bubbles! The Ginger Souffle Whipped Body Cream (4 oz.) looked like a dessert when I first opened it, whipped like icing. It was very moisturizing, perhaps a tad too thick for my taste, but still lovely for those parched areas. Finally, the Incredible Spreadable Scrub Ginger Body Smoother (4 oz.) reminded me a bit of something I would spread on my toast, sort of like marmalade. It has little bits of what I assume is ginger and some exfoliating bits (either sugar or salt, I’m not sure) that did a great job scrubbing but not scratching. It does contain a fair amount of oils, so be sure to wash it off thoroughly, and be careful not to slip in your tub as it makes it a little slippery. All in all, a great set for the money if you love the scent of spicy ginger.
I just wanted to send another good review of the Biotene toothpaste. It was recommended by my doctor because of dry mouth problems, but I found that after using it, my gums were a lot better. My gums used to bleed when I flossed or went to the dentist, and I had mildly receeding gums. After using Biotene, my gums feel a lot “flatter” against my teeth, they aren’t receeding as much, and I get NO bleeding when I floss, and much less at the dentist!
Also, I love the flavour. They have a great no-alcohol mouthwash too.
I was also sent Stella McCartney’s CARE line from Matchstick and reviewed it through a series of posts on my blog. It’s interesting to hear other peoples’ opinions of it because I, too, was very excited to receive such an eco-friendly, organic product line.
You both make a very excellent point about making sure we are aware of what we put on our skin – it’s just as important as what we put in our bodies. When all these ingredients are being absorbed into our epidermis day after day after day, it’s no different than actual consumption!
In the end and after using CARE for nearly two weeks, I switched back to Clinique exclusively. While the natrual ingredients and aromatic elixirs of CARE were delightful to my nose, my skin gradually started to feel less and less clean while feeling more and more clogged. None of the products seemed right for my skin and while there was some variety, I was unhappy with how limited I felt it was. I think the only product I really loved and could see myself buying is the Toning Floral Water.
This was a great and thorough review, though, and I really enjoyed listening to it!