After you become pregnant, your loyalties tend to shift to everything green, healthy, earthy, non-toxic, natural and organic. Is that really necessary, you wonder, as you’re tempted by the new skin technology wonders you read about in glossy magazines? You bet! According to the Environmental Working Group, 455 chemicals are found in the body on a daily basis that should not be there. Just in their personal care, people are exposed to 126 chemicals a day and one in every 24 women is exposed every day to personal care ingredients that are known reproductive and developmental toxins. The skin is like a sponge that absorbs everything you put on it and it all ends up in the blood stream. Your baby is not spared from contamination as in your own womb it is already ingesting toxins stemming from what you eat and put on your skin. If you enjoy pampering yourself but don’t want all the synthetic chemicals of commercial products, try these botanically based natural brands for a sounder,“au naturel” fix. Plants were used for thousand of years to treat skin problems effectively and have properties well worth revisiting in our time of environmental disasters and synthetic addictions.
We all suffer from free radical damage and need a good skin lotion as a result. Aubrey Organics, one of the pioneers of the natural and herbal skin care movement, has a Sea Buckthorn Moisturizing Lotion with topical ester, ingredients essential to protect from free radical damage. It also contains organic aloe and evening primrose oil to soothe dry, itchy skin. For stretched marks after pregnancy and for skin that needs to improve texture, The Unscented Ultimate Moisturizing Lotion has organic sunflower, macadamia nut oils and white camelia oil to nourish and condition tired skin. For a face’s surface that feels taut, dry and uneven during or after pregnancy, The Rosa Mosqueta Rose Hip Moisturizing Cream is rich in LINOLENIC and LINOLEIC acids essential for hydrated healthy skin and horsetail and coltsfoot to improve elasticity. It works well to relax the face, fight little lines and keep it moisturized and soothed. For an oilier complexion, The Oil Balancing Moisturizer will condition and heal the skin with a coconut fatty acid cream base, calendula oil for cell renewal and a blend of herbs such as yarrow horsetail, mistletoe and nettle. For a new mom, nothing may be more relaxing than a bit of pampering during Baby’s nap. Aubrey Organics Green Tea and Green Clay Rejuvenating Mask cleans pores, cleanses and smoothes the skin with natural fruity acids. Green tea is twenty times more powerful than vitamin E to minimize the effect of sun and pollution on the skin’s aging process. Enjoy your rest and make it a routine to relieve the stress of your new mama life. Available in all health stores nationwide and at http://www.Aubreyorganics.com.
Meadowlake Farms Beehive Skin Therapies consistently aim for the purest non-toxic products with organic honey and botanicals harvested on their own farm. For the little lines around your eyes from sleepless nights (not carousing around town so much anymore as keeping up with Baby) try the About Eyes eye cream that gently moisturizes the fragile eye area with emolients extracted from pure raw honey, essential oils of grapefruit, sweet almond and carrot seed extract. Raw honey has extremely beneficial effects on the skin and is used in hospitals to heal skin burns. None of Meadowlake Farms products contain any petroleum derivatives, cosmeceuticals, bioceuticals, synthetic isolates and have no suspected human potential risks. Check this highly ethical company at http://www.beehiveskintherapies.com
Are you of the kind that cannot deal with a three step routine and demands a product that cleanses, tones, exfoliates and moisturizes, healing and balancing skin at the same time? Made of chlorey nahre (an organic micro-algae) and heilmoor clay, The Wonderbar does just that. It purges the skin of toxins and brings it to a new balance it never knew before. You may experience temporary dryness and even breakouts as your skin adjusts to the new regimen but once your skin has adjusted to its optimal 5.65 you will be surprised by the results. Dry skin gets less dry, oily skin gets less oily. The longer you use Wonderbar, the more balanced, healthy and glowing your skin will get. A true wonder of nature! For more information visit http://www.wonderbarusa.com
If your daughter is restless at home this summer, here are some new items to keep her engaged and a plethora of new books for her to discover. Use all of these lazy summer days to experiment and expand her mind.
Make Your Own Gummies Kit With Seaweed by Food For Thought is a fun activity, and all you need is a stove or microwave. The ingredients come in little packets that you simply mix following easy instructions. The ingredients include sour mix, colored and flavored sugar, seaweed, molding starch. They taste really yummy and the girls will be proud of their creation. Gummies Kit is part of an inventive series that uses the raw materials of different parts of the world to teach children about other cultures. Check out the whole line of Glee Kits like Chewing Gum Kit and Chocolate Kit at http://www.Gleegum.com.
Kimochis are small pillows with a feeling such as happy, hurt, sorry, uncomfortable written on it. In Japanese, Kimochis mean “feelings”. Each character in The Kimochi Doll Collection comes with a pocket where kids can store their “kimochis” or feelings. Using the characters and their “Kimochis”, your child will find it easier to express her emotions through play and puppetry without shame or embarrassment. The collection of Kimochis also includes a make-your-own feeling face with a washable pen. There are also bandages to soothe the wounds of the Kimoshi Doll when it gets bossy and needs to calm its hurt feelings. Apart from being an adorable collection, the Kimochi dolls are an ingenious way to teach children not to hide how they feel from their parents and to boost confidence through healthy communication. When kids can communicate their feelings they develop better character. The Kimochis is the first step to teach children the real integrity of being able to express feelings peacefully and honestly, and avoid the denial and pretense that may make children, and later on adults, so unhappy. Check them all at http://www.Kimochis.com.
Little girls love to make up their faces, but you probably don’t want them rummaging through your purse to use your expensive lipsticks and glosses. Why not get them a collection of All Natural Make Up Sticks by Whoops Bunny that can be used just like real glosses. Made out of beeswax, castor oil, coconut oil, grape juice and red raspberry extract, the make up sticks are produced by using the energy of wind power, a fact your planet hugging daughter will love.
Check it out at http://www.whoopsbunny.com.
To accompany her pretty face, why not add a delightful Tween Bling, made for girls and designed by girls. Tween Bling Jewelry was designed by Alice and Julia, two creative tween girls who only use materials that are safe for children to put in their mouth or chew on. The silicone of the pendant is chemical free, devoid of latex, lead, BPAs, PVCs or phthalates. Check the whole line for an assortment of colors and designs. Let your girl be inspired by Alice and Julia and start her own line of creations too. Go girl! http://www.smartmomjewelry.com
There’s a new toy in town, and it’s big, round, plush and irresistibly huggable: the Squishable. Part pillow, part stuffed animal, and part comfort blanket, these adorable plush animals are something your child will tote around as if it’s attached to his or her chest.
Parents will appreciate the Squishable dual function as both decorative pillow and toy, and they’re great for all ages, spanning from children who can barely walk to ten year olds. Choose from an array of plump animals in various colors at Squishable.com, though you’ll undoubtedly want them all.
For me, summertime in New York means street festivals, green leafy parks, free film screenings and concerts and the opportunity to hang out on a blanket with good friends, food and wine. (For a complete listing of free film screenings and concerts in all boroughs, take a look at NYC Pulse).
It all starts with the blanket: A nice, spacious blanket is the difference between leaving cranky, with grass-stained, damp capris or having a perfectly lovely time. The Waffle Weave Throw by Gilden Tree is a 100% natural cotton blanket that comes in a variety of colors (the darker the color, the less noticeable the potential grass stains). Soft, yet sturdy, it works as an excellent beach or picnic blanket.
“Reduce Your Forkprint” – is the slogan of To-Go Ware’s Bamboo Utensil set. Made from bamboo (which neither stains nor retains smells), To-Go Ware’s fork, knife, spoon and chopstick set works well for either picnics or brown bag lunches. Each family member can have his or her own set in different colored holders which are made from recycled plastic water bottles.
Pass the hors d’oeuvres and preserve the earth – with products made from Preserve Plastics. Their square food containers are perfect for carrying humus or spinach dip to that film screening in Bryant Park. What makes Preserve unique is their “Gimme 5” program, where they approach companies and individuals for their used #5 plastic products (not usually taken by recycling centers) and remake them into everything from food containers and cutting boards to toothbrushes and razors.
Old-Fashioned Milk Paint and Safe Paint
I love decorating my house, and giving a new coat to my walls every two years is de rigueur to keep it fresh and attractive, but in this Green Age when the truth about the toxicity of household products is changing the world, the chemical fumes are getting harder and harder to tolerate. As a Green Mama, latex paint has been banned from my house forever. Recently I discovered Old-Fashioned Milk Paint used for centuries before the introduction of latex paints. Made from milk protein, lime, earth pigments and clay fillers, it’s biodegradable, without lingering odor, and is non-toxic. The paint creates a chalky, matte look that is velvety to the eye and elegant. It recreates an old world streaky or mottled look reminiscent of Colonial or Shaker interiors. You feel your walls are not merely glossy, dead surfaces but that they have presence and depth. If you don’t care so much for the antique look, the Safe Paint Collection provides a water resistant, self-priming finish that is more even and modern looking.
It comes in packages of powder to which you simply add water and that you can mix in your own kitchen using a portable blender. Just be careful to add the powder gradually as if adding flour to a cake batter. The consistency should be somewhat like that of a sponge cake before you put it into the oven. But the fun doesn’t stop there, since you can create your own beautiful hues by mixing the basic Snow White color with the different pigments. Make sure you read the Safe Paint directions carefully in order not to get lime into your eyes as this is the only health precaution you need to take.
I am so pleased with the results that I’m repainting my whole interior with Safe Paint to create a romantic, pre-industrial look that conjures the beauty of the natural elements within my home. Check the collection at http://www.milkpaint.com
Little girls are fascinated with the glamorous world of beauty that grown ups enjoy. They watch you with googie eyes as you apply make up, creams and gels as if it was some cultish ritual of femininity. Then you catch them rummaging through your make up cases and painting themselves up into awkward and clownish figures. Little do they know that all that stuff on your bathroom shelves are just Mommy’s tricks to recreate the blush and bloom of youth, that treasure these little girls have in natural abundance without knowing it. But the mystique of femininity as it emanates from the skillful use of shades, blushes, powder and eyeliners has a hold on their young imagination and is here to stay. At a certain point, face paint won’t do anymore and an initiation into the real art of beauty is called for. The end of the school year marks the season of many events, talent shows, dances, graduation parties and the first chance for girls to express a sense of their growing femininity. Why not give your Tween on that day a first dolling up adventure all on her own?
Any fashionista on the make would love to possess an item from the Not Soap, Radio collection (and will seriously have to keep it away from her mom) such as Bronzed Goddess, an oversized mirrored compact with four pink, coral and beige lip gloss shades, fou- shell like, earth toned eye shadows and a fabulous bronzer created with four warm tones of pressed powder. The products have a rich texture that can be applied easily by a novice hand to create shimmering effects. For a whole pampering treat on her graduation day, let her indulge in the Walking the Red Carpet Body Polish with cranberry seed that will bring out her radiant skin, then rub in the Body Soufflé that will keep her skin smelling fresh and before stepping into that fabulous graduation dress spray a whiff of Just Glow, the dry oil perfume by Walking the Red Carpet that will keep her dry with silky skin on a humid day.
For your sophisticated young gal ready to take over the town on her first ball or school party, may we suggest a bit of Parisian chic to assist her? As we all know there is nothing that evokes the mystique of glamour like Paris. Bourjois is a line of make up with close ties to fashion and a palette of 90 colours specially designed for younger women. Its new Rendez-Vous A Paris collection is a limited edition of eye shadows that will mix perfectly with any girly look this summer. The collection of shades includes a Beige Rosé that adds a satin finish, Violet Absolu, an essential Fashion color that electrifies the eyes when applied at the base of the lashes and Argent an iridiscent hue that enhances eyes blissfully. For that first evening folly, Bourjois‘s “effet smoky” eye pencil that defines the eye in one streak is the great basic tool to use with five smokin’ shades such as deep green and dark purple for a smooth and even blending. Add to this Bourjois’ mascara to create that difficult-to-achieve dewy effect that is so heart breaking on a fresh teen face – and a delightful assortment of light pink blushes to add a pretty and subtle tint of translucent color to cheeks. Check the entire line at http://www.bourjois.com
