Getting ready for Fashion Week

As August comes to an end we have other exciting things to get excited for... like NYC Fashion Week. To help me get in the mood I thought I would post some of the images from my recent Fashion Me Green photo shoot. We did an eco-fashion makeover on Teen Vogue and Style.com’s PR Director Eleanor Banco. Pink lips and bronze cheeks and just the right amount drama around the eye featuring some of my favorite products:
Organic Glam Lipstick in Fuchsia, Couleur Caramel Terre Caramel Bronzer, Soapwalla Restorative Face Serum,  Zosimos Botanicals Eyeliner

Photo credit From Me To You and Colleen Duggan

The Changing Face of Beauty

An interesting look at how our idea of what beauty is has changed over the last 100 years.
Newsweek just released an entire report about beauty- be sure to check it out

Time to stop using Cetaphil

Lately there has been some talk about why Cetaphil face cleanser should be avoided. I constantly hear people say that they have been washing their faces with it for years and are shocked when I tell them that they should consider trying something else. I used it for about twelve years, it was recommended to me by Dermatologists and countless doctors. So I'm speaking from very personal experience. It may seem hard to let go, but it will truly benefit your skin to use something else, I promise.

Check out the recent post (with LOTS of comments) from WellandGood.com...
"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser contains just eight ingredients: water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben. All but the water are chemically manufactured (let’s hope), and propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, and the three parabens have a seat on the dirty dozen, a list of cosmetic ingredients to avoid as potentially toxic." 

See folks- this "gentle" cleanser is not so gentle. You don't have to understand what these ingredients are or what they do- just understand enough to know that you should stop using it.
 
Here is my follow-up comment about my experience with Cetaphil-
"As a Cetaphil user for years I understand why people tend to freak out when they learn that it’s filled with some not-so-helpful ingredients. How can it be so bad if your dermatologist told you that it will help your skin? That it is so gentle, you don’t even need to use water to take it off! I used to think that there was something really wrong with my skin, I went to countless dermatologists looking for help. They claimed to understand my dry, sensitive skin and told me to use Cetaphil and Aquaphor. I believed that they were on my team, that these products would really help heal my skin. Well, let’s just say that the products didn’t help at all. I now know that my skin is totally normal BUT what it was sensitive to- were the irritants in those very products that the doctor was telling me to use.
So to all of those ladies (and men) who are skeptical about what folks are saying about Cetaphil- let me invite you to experiment- to stop using it- try one of the products that are recommended on the site- or even just try using raw/organic coconut oil to clean and moisturize your face…. I promise you, your skin will improve. My skin has changed 100% for the better since I stopped using Cetaphil and the other products that the dermatologist suggested."

Behind the Scenes from Papermag.com- Blades Natural Beauty and Au Revoir Simone

See the full story here-

Prime Time: 6 Tips for Beating Summer Shine

My tips from WellandGood.com -
Everyone’s obsessed with ‘getting the glow,’ says Jessa Blades, a makeup artist who stocks her kit with all-natural products. But in summer it comes pretty naturally. “Skin’s more hydrated this time of year,” she says. “And even if you use sunscreen, heat naturally boosts color in your skin.” In some cases, so much so that attention turns from keeping your natural summer flush from turning into an wanted summer flash flood.
How to defeat the melty, drippy feeling of unwanted shine?
“Use less cream-based moisture for one,” says Blades, who recommends stashing your face and eye creams in the fridge, along with a hydrosol mist. “Sometimes in summer your face almost feels swollen. Applying cool creams in the morning and spraying your face with a chilled hydrosol feels amazing.” It can help rein in the puffy feeling and help makeup sit, not slide, down your skin.
Blades gives us six recommendations and tips for getting unwanted summer shine to submit:
Sunscreen
Keys Soap Solar Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
“I love this product because it works as a light moisturizer too, which is great for summer,” says Blades. It’s one of the safest, most effective sunscreens on the market, according to the Environmental Working Group, and Consumer Reports calls it one of the most effective broad-spectrum sunblocks.

Mattifying powder
Jane Iredale Beyond Matte
“This new long-lasting powder has medium coverage and really absorbs oil,” says Blades. It comes in four colors including translucent, which Blades especially suggests for summer. “When you do mid-day touch ups, you don’t get too much color layered on. Apply it all over with a powder brush or just touch up your T-zone and forehead to prevent shine.”
Blotting paper
Tatcha Blotting Papers
This biodegradable blotting paper from Japan is Blades’ favorite. “Gently pat your face with a single sheet wherever there’s oil,” she explains. “And you can use both sides of the sheet.” The packaging is origami gorgeous, too. Through Friday, get $2 off any Tatcha purchase by entering the discount code WELLANDGOOD.

 Eyelid primer

Jane Iredale’s Eye Gloss
Eyelids can get slippery in the summer. For this, Blades recommends priming the lid with your regular concealer or the mattifying powder before applying color. “Another option is Eye Gloss that dries into a perfect eyelid base. It comes in several colors, so also makes a light eye-shadow substitute,” says Blades.


No-drip mascara
Couleur Caramel black mascara
For a summer mascara, Blades like the black wand from Couleur Caramel. “It creates a nice, full lash and is long-wearing,” she says.

Subtle cheek color
Revolution Organics Glow Beauty Balm
“The two colors—a pink one and an orange-y one—look good on the majority of people and give you a really nice natural flush of cheek color, if you need it. They’re foolproof to apply and you can use it the on the lips, too.”
Jessa Blades, Blades Natural Beauty, 424-225-2337, www.bladesnaturalbeauty.com