I have been obsessed with skin care since I had my first facial 15 years ago here in Charlotte. Needless to say, too much sun and this and that has caused a bit of aging. The winter season always makes me dry and wreaks havoc on my skin. With two kiddos and a single income, facials and microdermabrasion no longer fit into the budget. (Unless, it is a special occasion and that is a rarity :)). So, I am always on the hunt for affordable skin care and of course, natural/organic products.
I find I am always reading labels and driving all over town to find items that I have read or heard about. Well, today I feel like I hit the jackpot!! I just read about Vert, a eco chic beauty boutique in Venice,
California. The owner Renata Helfman, is a former make up artist and in 2005 decided to go all natural. She felt like she was driving all over town as well and decided to set up shop herself.
I can’t tell you how excited I am that she has the best products and you can order online. She lists the eco fabulous products that she has hand selected as her favorites for each season. Yahooooooo!! She has my favorite Jurlique and many more I have wanted to try out. The other brand I used a lot in the past was Epicuren. I was surprised to see that they now have a baby line. It is definitely more expensive than your drugstore brands but I find that it usually lasts quite some time.
You will find candles, hair products, make up, skin care, baby care and linens, and even goodies for your canine friends. She carries Jane Iredale, Tracie Martyn and Pratima to name a few more. This is going to save a lot of time and driving for me since she has done all the work for us! Please comment on any natural skin care tips you would like to share.
4 comments
I think Mineral Powder is a great Eco-Friendly product. I have used Bare Minerals, but right now I have settled on the Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation. It is great!
i was reading in the weekly Earth Fare email that products like petroleum jelly(made from minerals) are not that good for you. Does that include other mineral products? I know that is all the rage now in makeup.What about Aveda products? Are they considered organic or all natural? I did find an organic shampoo at Wal-mart last week that i am trying out. It’s much cheaper than the aveda shampoos. I’m willing to splurge on face care but not shampoo!
Yes, you are right about the EarthFare email. Petroleum jelly and mineral oil (made from petroleum) are bad for your skin. They create a barrier and do not let toxins out nor do they let anything in. There is evidence that they also contain hydrocarbons which are thought to be carcinogenic. So not a good choice. I used to use Aveda products a long time ago and then realized they had Parabens in them so I quit. I was really surprised by this and if you google Skin Deep (cosmetic safety database) you will find that Aveda doesn’t score very well. This site is a great resource! Unfortunately, the cosmetics industry is basically self regulated and they can put just about anything they want into their products. Petroluem products are used so much because they are CHEAP. You can go to the Skin Deep site and enter the product you got from Walmart as well tas the mineral makeup brand and see how it scores. It will tell you how safe it is for use. You can also check out. http://www.shareguide.com/cosmetics.htmlAs for mineral makeup, I have heard that several contain parabens which are no good. I hope that helps. Just remember to check your labels and compare the ingredients to the sites above. Good luck!
I just discovered this really cool 3rd party website – http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1 – that allows you to see whether you’re using any hazardous ingredients on your skin…all you do is go the website, plug in your brand or product in the “search” and then viola you’ll see the hazardous listings, then click on the company/brand name to see if they conduct animal testing and if they have signed the “compact for safe cosmetics”. If you’re looking for safe, all natural paraben free skin care, make-up, or even personal care items, I think I’ve discovered “the best” – http://www.shaklee.net/healthandwellness/prodHB_Home