Maybe back in the stone ages (or the 1950s) it was okay for a man to just pick up a bar of generic-brand soap and use it from head to toe. Well things have changed. With a new generation of men publicly confessing to waxing, facials and pedicures, it's suddenly acceptable for a man to be well groomed. Well, sort of. Perhaps he's a product junkie on the inside, but your man may steal your products out of the bathroom cabinet so stealthily that you'd think it was a covert CIA mission. So if you're tired of going for your favorite moisturizer only to find the jar empty, it's time to get your man his own stash. And by all means, the products don't necessarily have to boldly read 'for men!' for your guy to crave them. Continued...
I already knew that regular lipsticks weren't the healthiest choice. Since it's a product that you actually ingest, the chemicals used to create traditional lipsticks can potentially pose very damaging effects to your body. But now a study has emerged from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that even worsens my fears. The consumer rights group tested 33 brands of lipstick, ranging from the cheap stuff to the tubes that cost more than a meal and found that more than half contained lead. Even worse, the tests showed that one third actually had more lead than allowed by the US Food and Drug Administration! Continued...
I luckily stumbled upon Suzanne aux bains. over a year ago. Since then it's been my mission to bring the French line to Saffron Rouge. Suzanne aux bains. is a gorgeously packaged, completely organic line that carries the Ecocert 'Cosmebio' label as an organic product. (So you can trust that, unlike some other brands that you'll never see on Saffron Rouge, when they say organic, they mean it) When I first received samples, I immediately went for the facial moisturizer. You can usually tell the success of a line from the moisturizers. And yes, their Moisturizing Organic Day Treatment and Regenerating Organic Night Treatment are truly amazing. But then I happened to find something that completely surprised and amazed me-the Relaxing Organic Massage Oil. Now I like a body oil as much as the next woman, but they don't cause complete bliss and total jubilation. until now. Continued...
Since it's essentially my job to test out new and existing products (how else am I know what's good enough to sell on Saffron Rouge?), I have the advantage of separating the so-so products with the really amazing ones. So everyone always wants to know what I use on a daily basis. Sometimes they simply ask me. Other times they'll wander into my bathroom to get a peek for themselves. They usually come out slightly shocked and maybe a bit overwhelmed. The truth is, with all of the products I get to (sometimes with joy, sometimes, well, not so joyously) test out hanging out in my bathroom, it can be an intimidating place to walk into. What I use changes regularly, but I also have some much-loved products that are always part of my family's daily routine. Here is the list of what's in my bathroom now… Continued...
A friend of mine recently went all-out eco conscious. She started researching organic clothes, chastised coworkers for wasting plastic when they used water bottles and trashed all of her old toiletries and makeup for organic stuff. (Her reaction was “Organic is much more expensive but my face feels and looks so much better”. Her favorite new product: Dr. Hauschka's Translucent Makeup). She even taped a piece of paper to her 'blue' recyclable trashcan that reads "Please recycle!! 100% paper. All staples removed" because she was afraid the cleaning staff just chucked all of the stuff in the blue bin into the normal trash. But when it came to her running shoes, she was perplexed. She found a green running shoe, Should she get it? She came to me for advice. Continued...
Whether it's a steaming cup of green or earl grey in the winter or a iced glass with lemon during the dog days of summer, there's nothing quite like tea. Sure I love the taste, but I also love the antioxidants and other body-benefiting ingredients that are packed into every little bag. But if you thought those ingredients only had advantages when consumed internally, you're about to discover a whole new way to benefit from what's inside a bag of tea. Continued...
Finding the ideal balm is like finding true love. You buy them everywhere you go, in pots and sticks, flavored and unflavored, hoping for the miracle balm that will finally quench your parched, dry lips. But the only thing you've ended up with is a pile of balms, and not one that you'd purchase again. Continued...
"So we find ourselves on the brink. It’s clear humans have had a devastating impact on our planet’s ecological web of life." -Leonard DiCaprio, The 11th Hour Continued...
Buying recycled paper may always be on your mind. The same may go for fabrics and plastics too. But have you ever given a thought to your jewelry? Anyone who's seen the recent film Blood Diamond knows that a lot of devious stuff goes on in the jewelry industry. But besides using and harming people (as seen in the film), mining precious metals and gems also uses and harms the environment, contaminates the water supply and endangers the health of humans and animals in the area. Ecosystems are constantly being destroyed to help us fill up our jewelry boxes. But that doesn't mean you have to start shunning your addition to sparkly baubles. There's a better way. buying jewelry made from recycled gold and gemstones. Continued...
