I love being green.

But I loathe the possible side effect of smelling like a blend of hemp and granola from all my green efforts. And I hate when other people smell that way, too. Thus, I have put together a list of the best enviro-friendly bath product companies for ladies.  No hemp or granola; only cute, yummy-smelling products that also happen to be good for the environment.

So go ahead – splurge a little in these stores.   Your skin and your “mother” (nature, that is) will thank you.

100% Pure – This company boasts no animal products, fragrances, thickeners, emulsifiers, or preservatives.  Just pure, smelly, fruity goodness.  They feature a full line of bath, skin, and hair care products.  My personal fave is their body washes that actually make you smell like what it says on the bottle (genius, I know!).  They have several scents to choose from, ranging from mint eucalyptus to dark chocolate mocha. (Editor’s Note: If it’s all natural, can we eat it!?) My personal fave, however, is the Honey Almond Milk Shower Gel.  It’s seriously like taking a bath in a creamy almond smoothie, but without all of the clean up.

Lush Cosmetics – This company has stores in 35 countries across the world.  Lush hasn’t just conquered the far reaches of the globe, they’ve also become one of the green powerhouses of the bath product industry.  Their products are all natural and they have practically eliminated any unnecessary packaging from their products. Most items can be purchased by the pound and are wrapped with parchment paper upon purchase.  For their catalogs, and when packaging cannot be avoided, they make sure to use post-consumer materials to save them trees.   Lush also makes all of their products by hand (I’m talkin’ smashing coconuts with hammers kinda work), which saves energy and provides jobs.  If you’re going to give Lush a try, I strongly recommend trying their skin care line.  I personally love Ultrabland, a peanut oil based cleanser that can seriously take off ANY makeup you may put on your eyes without the painful sting of alcohol-based makeup removers. Read More »

If you just got back from spring break and resemble a lobster, don’t  worry, while I was bitter about your tropical vacation I will not mock you.

I actually feel quite sorry for you; sunburns are the worst! They hurt, they peel, and as if the pain isn?t enough, well you also look like someone put you in a frying pan for 5 hours.  (I bet you wish you had listened to your mother and put on some SPF!)

But since that sunscreen will not help you now, here are some tips to take care of your toasted skin and cover it up (as much as possible, anyway!).

Basic Care Tips:

-Take cool showers and apply cool face cloths to your burned areas. This won’t help the healing much, but it will make you feel so. much. better.

-Don’t wear perfumes, or oily makeup/products. These will only irritate your skin more, making you even more uncomfortable.

-Keep yourself covered – loose clothing is best.

-If your burn is more serious or your skin is bubbling, you need to see a doctor to treat the burn!

The best thing for your skin now is aloe vera, a plant with sunburn healing powers.  You can find aloe in gels, toners and lotion.  Here are some aloe products that can help soothe, repair and reduce the redness of your burn. Read More »

By mid-February, the winter weather will have taken its toll on millions of hands across the country. Whether you suffer from brittle nails that are constantly breaking or hands that feel like sandpaper (and may even crack and bleed, they’re so dry- gross!), there’s no reason you should let Jack Frost win. Winter storms may be harsh, but with a little extra effort, you can keep your soft, delicate hands year round!

1. Drink enough water.

You’re giving the weather a head start if you don’t properly hydrate yourself. Just because you’re not sweating from the summer heat doesn’t mean you can cut down on your h20 intake. Continue to drink plenty of water, and limit your fizzy soft drinks and alcohol, which will dehydrate you faster than you can say “blizzard.”

2. Invite skin care into the shower.

One thing’s inevitable: you have to shower, right? So purchase soaps and body wash that won’t dry you out. According to About.com, bar soaps are more likely to dry out your skin, whereas emollient-rich cleansers will actually battle the effects of dry skin. Try Dove Delicate Cream Body Wash, or look for the word “butter,” as in “Shea Butter,” “Cocoa Butter,” or just plain “Body Butter” when you’re selecting your next lather. Your hands feel the cleansers you use the most, since they are slathering the stuff all over your bod. Read More »

[Welcome to my Weekly Love List. A list on all things I love, because if I love them - well then obviously you may (and should) love them too. As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) “My Love is All I Have To Give.” So with that throwback, here are this week’s list-worthy things…]

1. The Poo Calendar. There is no better way to start off the day than with a laugh. And there is no better laugh than the one that comes from discussing poo. Thankfully, now you can start off your day with a factoid about all things poo. A poo’toid if you will… With the “What’s Your Poo Telling You? Daily Calendar” They are not kidding when they write, “Who knew you could learn so much from poo?”

2. Crabtree and Evelyn Body Butter. It’s all natural, it smells heavenly and it makes your skin less like a dinosaur and more like a baby’s butt. What’s not to love about that? Not a thing. Not a thing at all.

3. Core Fusion Body Sculpt DVD. I have been going to Core Fusion classes at Exhale Spa in Chicago for almost a year. Their classes kick your ass. Hard. I am sore just thinking about it. But the results are more worth it than that large cheese pizza you housed when you got home from the bar last weekend (although that was worth it, too). And now, for those of you who don’t live where Core Fusion is offered, there is a DVD to give you the same kick-ass class (and results) in your own apartment. So push that Pizza box aside and start moving! Read More »

As soon as summer announces itself with its warm winds and bright, shiny mornings, I want to lay out and bake in the sun. Nothing feels quite like floating in a pool – book in one hand, ice cold beverage in the other – absorbing those delicious rays. And nothing looks quite as good with almost every article of summer clothing than some nice, tan legs.

I am fully aware that skin cancer is scary business and not worth the fake-baking/laying out for hours on end. I also have a pretty healthy fear of getting wrinkley in the future, so, to protect myself, I wear my sunscreen. But I recently realized that maybe sunscreen wasn’t enough, and getting my glow a different way may be a better option.

I started investigating.

My former roommate loved sprays, but I personally don’t trust myself with them. I am mildly OCD and need a lotion to ensure I’m not missing anything. I went on a quest to find the perfect lotion and came across a new product: Jergens Natural Glow Express. It looked just like the rest, except that it claimedto show results in 3 days. Conveniently, I was heading on vacation in 3 days, so I grabbed it. Read More »

Confession: I’m a beauty product junkie. So much so that two dresser drawers and a large makeup table can’t hold all the hair products, makeup, and countless lotions I own—I keep the extras in “storage,” two large plastic bins hidden in my closet.

And despite the fact that my collection is so massive that I actually hide half the stuff when my new boyfriend comes over (seriously, it makes me look disturbed)—I couldn’t help but check out the new Botanical collections from the healing garden.

I decided to cover all my bases: CALM: Tender Lavender whipped body lotion on my desk at work to soothe deadline stress, INSPIRE: Uplifting Jasmine rainwater body mist by my laptop at home to cure writer’s block, and DESIRE: Wild Ginger whipped body lotion and rainwater body mist at my boyfriend’s apartment. Alleviating work stress and writer’s block is nice and all, but I won’t lie—I was most looking forward to trying out the DESIRE lotion and body mist. Read More »

A beauty regimen? Who needs one? Surely not my ‘messy bunned, bare faced, sweat-pant clad’ self who rolls out of bed, grabs a cup of Joe and is out to class in less than five minutes. Which- might I add-used to be sooo not me. Believe it or not pre-college and even during the summer months in between, I -gasp!- actually enjoy the getting ready process. I like the makeup, the lotions– the whole shebang. But post welcome week all my grooming habits are thrown out the window and the ‘me’ my mother would frown upon (ie- not very conducive to meeting the future Mr. ‘me’) comes out to play-er-study.

But alas- I have compiled a list of top ten products from body lotion to mascara that are the best of the best, will make you look/feel great, and best of all only requires that you hit the snooze button one less time.

Bliss Body Butter: this lotion is great because it comes in three different scents (I like the Naked because I wear perfume) and leaves your body so smooth no one will be able to tell if you shaved your legs or not.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer: this is great because you can rub it on with your fingers- it has SPF (an essential for our young skin) and is sheer enough for day but still gives great coverage. And did I mention it comes in oil free? Read More »

Maybe she’s born with it, but for me, it’s definitely Maybelline. Like most women, I don’t even think about how many beauty products, from face wash to perfume, I layer on every day. Something I’ve given even less thought to is what’s in my products—until I found Kaia House.

Jumping on the organic bandwagon a little late, I just discovered Kaia House, the foremost source for organic skin and beauty care. Kaia House focuses on banishing the use over of harmful petrochemicals, parabens and other skin offenders, and offers 20 lines of premium organic and natural products including celeb-trendy Osea, Perfect Organics, Red Flower, and Biotique.

But when it comes to beauty products, is going out of your way to buy organic really worth it? Absolutely, according to Kaia House. And after reading their extensive list of un-safe (and common) chemicals that should be avoided when purchasing beauty products, I think I’m a convert.

Read up on the dangers lurking in your makeup bag and then head to KaiaHouse.com for a more comprehensive list. Your skin will thank you! Read More »

With spring in the air, (aka Jamie puts a bikini on for the first time since last July) naturally, all I want to do is eat everything and anything I can get my hands on.

But THIS year my friend, I’ve found the solution to curb my sweet-tooth cravings. Jaqua Mint Chocolate Luscious Lotion ($16, ulta.com) is seriously the solution to my current habit of staying up too late, drinking beer and eating mint chocolate chip ice cream at 3AM.

I also get a major kick out of how the packaging says “good enough to eat, but please don’t.” People are so stupid. But anyway, I’m telling you…just rub on some of this and it’s like you don’t even need a boyfriend.

Ok, so maybe it’s not that good but it’s a start….and didn’t grandma always say that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?

Bottom line: it can’t hurt to smell like dessert. Hey, that kinda rhymes…