Natural Blitz: January 2009

Monday, January 12, 2009

Concealer Pens

I find myself in limbo, one mid-winter morning. I’ve spent last night studying and working, and my head hit my pillow (and coincidentally, my side table... that’s how tired I was) at around 2 in the morning. I’m in limbo because my skin doesn’t really look bad enough, nor can I muster enough strength, to wage a full-out beauty war on it, by using foundation, powder, and any other myriad of products. However, it definitely needs a quick pick me up in the form of concealer. I’ve always had problems with concealer because of my ridiculously light skin. “It’s a sign of aristocracy!” My I’m-a-perpetual-fan-of-my-daughter father proclaims. But in reality its quite a nuisance. I can’t tan, I only burn and concealer has always been difficult to find. The shades are always too yellow, or pink, or just plain wrong. Luckily I found these two concealer pens, each with the handy feature of requiring no make-up brush, because both of them have a twistable wand. Ah hooray for modern convenience. Trish McEvoy is praised right and left for her precise “this just works” make-up and Dr. Hauschka a perennial favorite among eco-lovers has just launched his liquid concealer.

	Dr.Hauschka Liquid Concealer	Trish McEvoy Flawless Concealer Pen

Price	$21.95	$32
Weight		.13 oz
Packaging	In fits-in-the-tiniest-evening-clutch tube, this concealer pen is ultra-practical.	In keeping with all of Trish McEvoy’s sleek make-up, this concealer pen presents itself in cool metallic casing
Scent	Among the list of organic ingredients Hauschka’s concealer boasts almond, avocado, and carrot root extract, plus shea butter for extra moisturizing Not only will this wonder concealer hide those blemishes that we’d rather not display for the world to see, it will actually improve our tired, irritated skin by using its soothing therapeutic botanicals.	Just as the name suggests, this concealer pen gives you a “flawless” face. The pen comes in five shades, and promises creaseless, quick-drying coverage. Sign me up!
Ingredients
Claim
Feel Good Factor	It uses all organic and natural ingredients that won’t clog pores.

Hydrating Cleanser

It should be stated that I have a scrub and mask obsession, but like all addictions mine comes at a price: dry skin. Yes, a good scrub can clear up your blemishes, give you skin that radiates like the sun, and if you share my weakness--make you feel just plain good. However, much as I try to keep my infatuation with the rare Dead Sea mud, at bay, inevitably I will commit the ultimate skincare crime of over-scrubbing. A typical over-scrubber will: have red, raw skin; flaky, cakey foundation (the worst!), and will be applying moisturizer in public with no regard for social norms whatsoever. Now try finding a cleanser that doesn’t do more damage to your fragile skin because even an perennial mask-applier needs to wash her face daily. These milk-cleansers work only to facilitate my addiction, but I don’t know what I’d do without them.

	John Masters Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray	Bumble and bumble Surf Spray

Price	$37	$24
Weight	6.7 fl oz	200 ml
Packaging	Fairly sparse packaging makes this ultra-hydrating cleanser discrete. Don’t be surprised if you find your significant other borrowing it when you aren’t looking	Housed in a sleek, lavender bottle--signature Clinique style, this creamy cleanser is easy to pack and fits nicely in your already overstuffed medicine cabinet.
Scent		Fragrance Free
Ingredients	As L’uvalla’s website suggests, they have “nothing to hide!” Ingredients include: natural spring water, sunflower seed oil, lotus flower extract, ginseng root extract, and hazel seed oil
Claim	Of course, this cleanser removes dirt, oil, and makeup from your face, but it won’t strip your face of necessary moisture. This is very, very good news.	This gentle, milky makeup dissolver removes, well, all traces of the day: the grime, dirt, oil, and make-up, are all swept off in this silky cleanser
Feel Good Factor	In addition to boasting natural, organic products, the founders of L’uvalla have their own nonprofit foundation: Yuvalla, a social wellness community “dedicated to personal and global health.”	Come on blitzers, you know this one! Clinique keeps all of their products allergen and fragrance-free.

Lavender Hand Soap

A close friend once told me that she judges all hostesses by the kind of hand soap they have in their bathroom. At first, I was horrified. I have a cake of Ivory in mine! But the more I though about it, the more sense it made. I've been forced to suds up with patchouli-infused foam at dinner parties and nearly sneezed each time I reached a fork to my lips. As it turns out (and my picky friend agrees), lavender is one of the most universally liked scents. Make your guests happy -- ditch the bar stuff and splurge on a delicious lavender hand soap.

	Kiss My Face Lavender Chamomile Soap	L’Occitane Lavender Hand Wash

Price	$6.99	$21.00
Weight	8.75 oz	16.9 oz
Packaging	A little generic, but a completely respectable option for your guest bathroom.	Tres French. This confection is packaged beautifully in a sophisticated but streamlined pump.
Scent	Lavender of course.	Ditto!
Ingredients	Certified Organic Aloe Vera to soothe, Organic Floral Water of Orange to keep the formula light, Chamomile, Rosemary, and Essential Oil of Lavender.	Aloe Vera and Shea Butter are the key ingredients , which gives it a double dosage of moisturizing power.
Claim	Self-foaming hand soap leaves skin feeling clean and smelling slightly of France.	Shea Butter liquid soap is completely detergent-free so it’s gentle for even the most sensitive skin.
Feel Good Factor	Certified organic products and a tagline that reads “Obsessively Natural” lend to Kiss My Face’s eco-credibility.	I was surprised by how committed L’Occitane en Provence is to traditional production methods, environmental awareness, and other charitable causes, including a program of action to help the visually impaired. Check out their inspiring initiatives at http://usa.loccitane.com.
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Luxe Nail Polish

There is something super glam about dark nail lacquers. They add a tough edge to a simple outfit and make your baubles look all the more sparkley by contrast. So when I decided to go the natural way, it was almost impossible to find a nail polish that met my au naturelle standards. Most polishes have tons of chemicals that prevent bacteria, help set the formula, prevent chipping and so on: Formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP are the most egregious and therefore the ones that this Natural Blitzer tries hardest to avoid. Thank goodness I found Butter London, a company that has been free of The Big Three—Formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP from their start. When I discovered that one of their many beautiful shades, Mariner, was a close match to Chanel’s sought-after Blue Satin, I had to pit these two varnishes against each other.

	Butter London	Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color

Price	$12.00	$34.00
Weight	0.3 oz	13 oz
Packaging	Butter London seems a little like Chanel’s cute pudgy baby brother. It’s a little stouter, but it has the same general sleek appearance.	Chanel’s nail polish is a classic and the branding is discreet, but I would recognize that shiny black top and thick shiny glass anywhere!
Scent	Nail polish...the fumes are unavoidable, ladies.	Nail polish, you guessed it.
Ingredients	It's free of all the "bad" stuff (formaldehyde, dibutyl phalate, and toluene).	Most of the ingredients on these bottles are things I can’t pronounce. But hey, it look good!
Claim	Here’s a company that doesn’t believe that beauty has to come at a high price. Avoid carcinogens like Formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP. Their slogan is “colour not carcinogens.” Cheers to that!	Long-lasting, chip-resistant nail colour. Fashion-forward and basic go-with-everything shades from the runways of Paris.State-of-the-art formula strengthens and moisturizes nails. Unique patented non-spill bottle with wiping action for easy application.
Feel Good Factor	Even before the “eco” craze began, founders Sasha Muir and Nonie Crème recognized the need for a non-toxic nail polish. The two decided to create a line of nail polishes that were totally hip, but also safe.	No social movement benefiting from the proceeds, but if it was good enough for Coco, it's good enough for us.
	Buy Now	Buy Now

Mascara

I have to say, I was afraid to write this post. Mascara is a serious business; I mean there is no joking around when it comes to mascara. New mascaras pop up on a daily basis, and each one promises bigger-badder-more fabulous lashes. And really, mascara can be so much trouble! If you’re running late in the morning, and your hand slips, that’s a five-minute delay. Oh, and if you are a patron of waterproof mascara and you’re exhausted at night and just want to fall into bed, you can’t, you have to painstakingly remove each and every drop of mascara for fear of getting a dreaded (gasp!) sty. There are so many qualities that a good mascara has to have: no clumping, no flaking, serious volume power, the ability to lengthen puny eyelashes, not too thick, not to thin.

So how to select, from the hundreds of mascaras to review just two? While not exactly alike, these keepers make my peepers gorgeous in one-minute flat.

	Tom’s of Maine Mint Toothpaste	Crest Extra White Plus Scope Mint Splash Toothpaste

Price	$31.50	$23.50

Packaging	Inky black tube, slick, and non-descript in a "Men In Black" sort of way, this is the kind of mascara that I imagine a Bond girl would have in her purse.	Also, inky, also slick, but with a slightly boxier frame than Suki’s. I do love the gold touches, and it’s actually pretty elegant for something as standard as a mascara tube!
Scent	Hopefully none, although I’ve heard about a cinnamon scented mascara, so who knows?	None. None. None. Whew! They even advertise as fragrance-free.
Ingredients	Rose wax helps the formula adhere to lashes in the chemical free way, and primrose and rose hip gently moisturize each and every lash	Water, Paraffin, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Acacia, Beeswax, Carnauba Wax, Simethicone, Sodium Polymethacrylate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-10, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. May contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Carmine/CI 75470, Iron Oxides/ CI 77490, CI 77491, CI 77499, Chromium Hydroxide Green/CI 77289, Chromium Oxide Greens/CI 77288, Ultramarines/CI 77007, B4177/1
Claim	A mascara that enhances with “Superior fullness” this non-clumping, non-smearing formulation will give you that doe-eyed Mischa Barton look every single time. Available in two shades.	“For lavishly long, perfectly defined lashes,” says the Lancome website. This legendary (it’s true, it’s won every magazine's beauty award) provides lashes with the ultimate coating, from base to tip.
Feel Good Factor	Totally hypo-allergenic. Plus, free of synthetics, dyes, GMOs or petrochemicals. Each color found in their makeup is a color that naturally appears in minerals.	Ophthalmologist-tested and deemed safe for contact lens wearers this mascara is likely to irritate less than other mainstream mascaras. Lancome also supports many important causes, such as The Skin Cancer Foundation, Children & the Arts, Look Good…Feel Better, and the environment! Lancome backs carbonfund.org, a non-profit that makes it easy (and affordable) to reduce your carbon footprint.
	Buy Now	Buy Now

Minty Toothpaste

Okay, full disclosure. I've always had a major problem with eco toothpaste. I know that I’m imbibing chemicals morning and night, but the very idea of a mouth that doesn’t smell perfectly and artificially minty fresh completely grosses me out. I’m not a habitual gum-chewers, but I keep mints in my purse. It's been a challenge to bite the bullet and trade in my drugstore gel for some quality carcinogen-free toothpaste. However, I finally found toothpaste that might be able to compete with the big dogs in the mint-flavor category. Check it out!

	Tom’s of Maine Mint Toothpaste	Crest Extra White Plus Scope Mint Splash Toothpaste

Price	$4.79	$5.99
Weight	5.2 oz	7.8 oz
Packaging	Way more beautiful than your average toothpaste carton, the upper half of Tom’s on Maine boxes display the image of the prominent flavor in your toothpaste (even if you opt against mint)	All whites, blues, and greens: the packaging on Crest toothpastes gives you the perfect image of what Crest toothpastes feel like; cool, minty, and fresh
Scent	Like fresh mint sprigs	Like artificial mint, just the way I (guiltily) prefer it.
Ingredients	Flouride, Calcium Carbonate, Glycerin, Water, Xylitol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Carrageenan (Chondrus crispus), Sodium Bicarbonate, Spearmint, Peppermint Oils (Mentha spicata & piperita)	Fluoride and lots of other mysterious ingredients: Sorbitol, Water, Hydrated Silica, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Flavor, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Alcohol (0.7%), Xanthan Gum, Sodium Saccharin, Glycerin, Carbomer 956, Carnuba Wax, Poloxamer 407, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Benzoate, Cetylpyridinium Chloride, Benzoic Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Blue 1, Yellow 5
Claim	Instead of using harsh foaming agents, Tom’s uses a sudsing derivative of purified licorice root.	Using the added power of Scope Mouthwash, this Crest Toothpaste does more than ever before to fight odor-causing bacteria
Feel Good Factor	Tom’s on Maine is all-natural of course, but it does more than that. It donates 10% of its pre-tax profits to nonprofit organizations that support the environment, human need, arts, and education.	Crest does produce all of its products right in the U.S. and meets the FDA’s “good manufacturing” standards.
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Pomegranate Body Lotion

I’ve tried to drink Pom Pomegranate Juice. I know it’s packed with antioxidants, it leaves a lovely red stain on my lips and it tastes great in a cocktail. Lately, though, I've been getting my dose of pomegranates in so many other ways—specifically body lotion.

	Pomega5 Healing Cream	Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Body Lotion

Price	$62.00	$60.00
Weight	50 ml	250 ml
Packaging	When it comes to body lotion dispensers, I am a big fan pump-tops. I'm not so into dipping my fingers into a pot of cream and contaminating the brew. Brownie points!	Minimal and elegant, Jo Malone’s effortless ly chic packaging is part of the brand’s message—that clean, clear fragrances are better than cloying, overly sweet ones. This is the trophy you want on your boudoir.
Scent	Pomegranate couples with carrot seed oil give this product an earthy yet light scent.	Pomegranate and raspberry give this body lotion a sweet base, but pink pepper and spicy woods quickly offset it. The combination is so fantastic, that if I’m in a rush. dab a bit on my wrists and neck for a light scent.
Ingredients	Pure pomegranate seed oil, arnica and calendula seed oil, known for their ultra-moisturizing properties, and active plant ingredients to help restore skin.	Pomegranate Noir is an enigmatic scent. Ancient pomegranate, raspberry and plum are topped with notes of frankincense and patchouli.
Claim	Naturally preservative-free, and without parabens, Pomega5 is totally eco. Though it’s a body lotion, its careful formulation means that it can even be used on delicate skin on your face.	A silk red dress, and the complex yet fascinating nature of the pomegranate fruit inspired this seriously sophisticated scent. Moisturizers within the formula will keep you silky smooth all day.
Feel Good Factor	Pomega5 is the first and only line of holistic skin care that uses certified organic, Omega-5 pomegranate seed oil. The company was started in a kitchen and the high quality ingredients that go into each batch of Pomega5 product and never compromised (which probably contributes to its steep price-tag). This award-winning line was also featured at Sundance 2007.	The environment may not be high on Jo Malone’s priority list, but customer service and luxury are. Jo Malone never skimps when it comes to shipping their beloved beauty products. Each product is shipped in a cream box with chic black wrapping paper and tied with a grosgrain ribbon, at no additional cost.
	Buy Now	Buy Now

Battle of the Rose Balms

We’ve spotted it sitting in impulse-buy bins at the checkout Sephora, or in a similar location in Urban Outfitters. We all know someone who has it. And many of us keep it on hand. I've had a several-year relationship with my Rosebud Salve. It's outlasted a few romances and never lets me down. Plus, it comforts me during times of chapped lips, sunburned smiles and even ragged cuticles. In the search for all-natural counterparts to my biggest beauty addictions, I sought out a rose-scented balm without a petroleum base. Somewhere out there in the great wide world of salves, there indeed was a natural twin. And I found it!

	Balm Balm Rose and Geranium Lip Balm	Rosebud Perfume Co. Rosebud Salve

Price	$6.00	$6.00
Weight	.23 fl oz	.8 oz
Packaging	Plain and lacking pizzaz—but very practical. The simple white container has a top that spins right on, so it’ll stay secure in your make-up bag	The vintage-inspired tin is decorated with roses and feels very apothecary and feminine. After rolling around the inside of my bag for a few weeks, my Prad abag got a dose of balm, too. So look out for loose lids.
Scent	ROSE BUDS!	ROSE BUDS!
Ingredients	Shea butter, sunflower oil, and rose oil, are standouts in the moisturizing department. Plus Calendula and jojoba are extra soothing.	Petrolatum base, which is the same thing as Vaseline, but is also an unhealthful derivative of petroleum.
Claim	Use this balm for any and everything. Apply to “winter skin” and even use it to condition eye lashes!	Relieve chapped and dry skin, blemishes, diaper rash, and of course use it as a lip moisturizer and lip gloss
Feel Good Factor	All of the fragrance in Balm Balm’s products are 100% organic single note perfumes. Plus Balm Balm won the “best Organic Beauty” product award, and as you know, there are A LOT of Organic Beauty Products out there.	This is one seriously family-oriented business. The founder of the company’s great-granddaughter maintains the website and helps run the company.
	Buy Now	Buy Now

Friday, January 9, 2009

Surf Sexy Hair

I secretly wish that I could move to Hawaii for a year and become a surfer girl. Okay, so I’m not very athletic,, I don’t have the best balance, and have a fear of wet suits. So instead of actually riding the waves, I’ll settle for looking like I have. There is no hairstyle that reads "waves" better than the beachy ocean ‘do popularized by Kate Hudson. Lucky for me, it seems as though John Masters and the geniuses behind Bumble and Bumble realized this. Both companies are famous for their revolutionary approach to haircare, John Masters for his chemical-free approach, and Bb for their rock and roll vibe.

	John Masters Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray	Bumble and bumble Surf Spray

Price	$16.50	$25.54
Weight	9 fl oz	4 oz
Packaging	John Masters Organics keeps everything simple. Somehow John Masters manages to make dark brown packaging look fresh and light…and strangely appealing.	Surf Spray mimics the wind-swept look of days spent at the beach so I like the minimalism of the small sun and surf details.
Scent	The spray is lightly infused with lavender but not overly scented, so you can still wear perfume without smelling like a cheesy floral shop	Fresh, clean and a bit beachy.
Ingredients	Just three: Aqua, Sea Salt, and Lavender extract.	Besides seaweed extract, which helps retain moisture, Surf Spray has actual algae and kelp. It’s practically an marine sample in a bottle.
Claim	Though sea salt adds texture, volume, and curl it can also be a little damaging to the hair shaft after excessive exposure. (Ever get that dry, damaged crispiness to you hair after a long swim in the sea?) John Masters added lavender oil to coat and seal the protective hair cuticle.	You’re stuck in a concrete jungle but you long for some ocean spray. You’re in luck; with Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray you can achieve that sexy, salty, wind-styled texture with flexible hold and an even matte finish.
Feel Good Factor	John Masters believes in “all natural beauty.” All of his products are chemical free. Besides that, John Masters Salon is New York’s only “clean air salon" without any perms, bleaches or harsh chemicals.	None that I can find. But they are doing a good job of de-frizzing people’s hair!
	Buy Now	Buy Now

Sunscreen

My skin does not take to the sun well. My skin is chalk-white. And when I was little, my mom used to make we wear a shirt over my bathing suit in the pool. That pale.

The year that I turned 13, I got my first bikini, and in an act of sheer rebellion, that I donned my new suit without a cover up or sunscreen of any kind. Fast forward. Three poolside hours later, I was lobster red. Even my sunburn was angry.

Well, lesson learned. Mother knows best. And even if you have a killer bod and hot new bikini, you still need to go under cover with SPF. Thankfully, beautyblitz combed the beauty industry for the latest formulas that are easy to apply and don't leave a chalky residue.

Spill it, Beauty Blitzers!

What's your favorite sunscreen?

	Lavera Neutral Sun Spray SPF 15	Aveeno Sunblock Spray Continuous Protection SPF 45

Price	$26.50	$10
Weight	6.6 oz	5 oz
Packaging	A spray nozzle helps you squirt on this liquid formula, but you still need to rub it in. The label design is a bit campy, but communicates sunshine with a bold sunflower. Rainbow lettering, some random fish and duckies feel a little childish. And I kind of love it	Using new technology, the nozzle mists on a clear formula (don't we love that?) at 360 degrees. With this kind of delivery system, you can get every hard-to-area, and no need to rub in! The simple beige-and-yellow color scheme hint towards sun without banging you over the head with it.
Scent	Fragrance-free. So it won’t compete with your favorite beach scent.	Smells like your typical sunscreen, without overkill on the coconut note.
Ingredients	Organic mineral sunscreen ingredients like titanium dioxide that act like mirrors rebounding rays away from skin. Also packed with evening primrose oil (to nourishes), vitamin C (an antioxidant) and liquorice extract (to strengthen and soothe).	Chemical SPF ingredients that interact with the surface of your skin to absorb harmful rays, rather than reflecting them away. (Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Oxybenzone, and CyclopentaSiloxane).
Claim	Gentle enough for sensitive skin.Quick application and the powerful formulation protects against UVA, UVB, and even UVC rays.	This lightweight sun block combines Active Photobarrier complex, which helps maintain protection against the sun, and natural soy proteins.
Pro	Think about it: moisturizer, coverage, SPF. It’s basically impossible to find a totally green sunscreen but Lavera comes as close as any I’ve ever seen, for an even purer formulation try UV Naturals.	Non-greasy, waterproof, vitamin-rich.

Feel Good Factor	Lavera follows the guidelines set forth by the Controlled Natural Cosmetics for BDIH, and an independant institute, INAC, certifies all of their organic ingredients. Lavera also received the much-coveted Innovation Prize of the Year award at Biofach, the biggest natural product expo in the world.	Aveeno’s focus has always been on Active Naturals, which are basically gentle, effective ingredients derived from nature. Aveeno utilizes the moisturizing and calming powers of soy, oats, natural shiitake, and lavender to heal and protect skin from environmental damage.
	Buy Now	Buy Now

Tinted Moisturizer

A few weeks ago, I was watching a TLC mini-marathon of "What Not to

Wear." It's without a doubt the best makeover show on television. Stacey’s biting remarks? Clinton’s antics? They never get old. Anyway, celebrity makeup artist Carmindy, author of the book The 5-Minute Face, introduced the show's fashion victims to beauty staples like eyelash curlers and lip gloss.But the product that she touts as MVP in her makeup kit? A little tube of tinted moisturizer.

Tinted moisturizer is the happy medium makeup product. If offers jsut enough coverage to mask blemishes, but not so much that you look like you;re wearing a mask. A multi-purpose lightweight foundation also hydrates? What's not to like?