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 »

Department stores aren’t the only place to find day after Christmas deals. There are tons of great sales for makeup and beauty items online.

So if you didn’t get enough beauty goodies as gifts, or to compensate for a pile of hideous sweaters under the tree, treat yourself to some high end beauty at deep discounts! Here’s a few of the best places to find amazing deals on makeup online.

Sephora.com

They are advertising 75% off certain items, and while obviously they are just trying to bait you (nothing worthwhile is that cheap) there are some very luxurious items almost half price. Check out gift sets from Vincent Longo – usually ranging from $40 – $60, they are now half price. Considering that these set were already a great value you can really get more for your money!

BathandBodyWorks.com

Get some classic body creams for only three dollars. Three dollars!! Plus, their website has the best tool for shopping bargains. Basically the whole webpage is set up to help you find which of your favorite items and brands are on sale.

TheBodyShop.com

Okay it’s time to stock up. The Body Shop has a bunch of beauty items – everything from concealer and brushes to eye shadows and lip glosses ranging from $12 – $24 on sale for 3 for $10. That’s right THREE items for TEN dollars. Basically you could get $75 worth of quality makeup for ten bucks. Read More »