Me & My Glass Straw - Glass Dharma

My Glass Straw

I know my friends think I go a little overboard with my love of all things clean and green.  I love recycling, using all-natural skincare/makeup products, eating organic and making sure kids aren't sanitizing with triclosan.  It's what I'm into and it makes me happy, so they all go along with it, but I know they secretly make the cuckoo motion when I'm not looking.  So, with this in mind, I knew my glass straw was going to have to be introduced very carefully so they wouldn't be scheduling a straight-jacket fitting for me after they saw it.  

The day came.  I was out to lunch with my cousin and I was given a straw by the waitress.  I quickly said,  "No thanks, I have my own."  My cousin looked up from her salad confused as I fished around the bottom of my bag and found my glass straw (in it's box) at the bottom of my bag.  "Uhm...what is that?" she asked, nostrils flaring.  "Oh, it's my glass straw.  Now I don't need a plastic straw each time I go out and order a drink.  Isn't it great?" I asked, nervously. She looked at it, tilted her head to the side and said, "Yeah, it really is."  Score!

After staying at her house in Long Island for a few days, we had lots of lunches and dinners out and made many trips to the store for green tea iced tea.  In the few days I was there, I can't tell you how many time I used my straw, but most importantly, how many straws I didn't use! These are brilliant.

You can get them plain or with beautiful little colored dots on them!

The company is called Glass Dharma and I suggest you look into purchasing one of these. They also have straws with dots on them and they come in all different sizes.  How does one clean a glass straw?  Easily, with the cleaning brush they sell.  So easy & so smart!

*I happily purchased my Glass Dharma glass straw myself.  All opinions are my own.

Vapour Organic Beauty: Spectacular Natural Makeup!

My makeup drawer sometimes just looks like a sea of blue tubes...the color of Vapour Organic Beauty's packaging for most of its products.   I'm constantly fishing through them and flipping them over to see what color I'm using for the day...pinks, peaches, rubies or natural.

If you've never tried Vapour, I'm not quite sure what you're waiting for.  Here's some of my favorites:

THE BLUSH:   I have tons of Vapour's stick blushes which are just so pretty and leave such a gorgeous glow behind.  My favorite is Aura Multi-Use Blush in Crush - a perfect pink.  The blush is so easy to apply and you can't possibly mess it up because everything just blends so well.  They are smooth, can be sheer if applied softly and are hydrating.  The finish is clean, glowing and fresh.  Oh, and the scent of Vapour's products is beautiful - I'm always taking a sniff.  The blush contains 70%  Certified Organic ingredients and 30% minerals and vitamins...good stuff.  $28

THE PRIMER:  I know from experience that much of the natural makeup out there has to be re-applied over the course of the day, which is something I never mind doing if I can avoid chemicals, so I was more than a little hesitant to use certain natural makeup products during my performances on stage.  Between all the running around and perspiring, I didn't want to risk having my makeup running down my face mid-show.
I was wearing Vapour's Status Soft Focus Skin Perfector off-stage for quite a while and decided to give it some time in the spotlight during one of my shows.  It was perfect.  My makeup stayed put, my skin looked smooth...the works.  So I was, yet again, able to ditch another "non-natural" item from my makeup bag.  I highly recommend this or the Stratus Instant Skin Perfector which is in a stick form.  Both are wonderful and leave you with smooth, glowing skin. $54

LIP CONDITIONER:   I absolutely love the Lux Organic Lip Conditioner.  This is super, super smooth and smells wonderful just like all of the Vapour products - fresh and clean.  I love the packaging and carry it with me always.  It's perfect for before bed and for wearing underneath a lipstick or gloss that you find isn't hydrating enough.  This is one of those lip products that you'll get addicted to applying and with 100% organic ingredients, you can do that without the stress of ingesting harmful chemicals.  $16

FOUNDATION:  I use Vapour's Atmosphere Luminous Foundation (I love their sticks).  It's smooth, blends so well and the colors are excellent.  I also love the smell (yet again) and how light they are.  Because they are hydrating, they don't leave you cakey-looking...a big plus as I like to have coverage that keeps my skin looking natural.  I give a swipe across my forehead, down the center of my nose and down the chin and then brush outwards and it's enough.   My past review on their foundation is here.   $34


*Some of these products I purchased and some were sent to me for review.  I only review products that I use and absolutely love.

I'm A Lip Gloss Girl: Zuzu & UltraPure Cosmetics

I'm always on the search for a gorgeous, natural lip gloss.  If I find a company that's making a pink one, I'm on it like a cockroach on a banana peel at midnight.  Here's a few lip glosses that I find myself reaching for all of the time:

ZuZu Luxe  I really love this gloss.  I wear the color Cosmpolitan, which is a pretty pink.  This gloss is formulated with conditioning plant ingredients and it has an SPF 8.  There's no strange smell and the consistency is perfect - not sticky or gummy. It goes on smooth and comes in 12 colors.  The ingredients are listed on their site.   $18.15

UltraPure Cosmetics Omega-Brilliance Lip Gloss This lip gloss is vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and dye-free!  I have this gloss in Malibu Pink and I love it.  The consistency is excellent - smooth, great coverage, non-drying and it isn't sticky.  It comes in 10 colors and I highly recommend it. $18.95  From their website: 

Omega-Brilliance Lip Gloss:  chock full of Omega-3's! These essential fatty acids assist the skin with water retention and tissue regeneration, while increasing elasticity and diminishing fine lines!  It offers incredible glossiness and super saturated color!    A more healthful approach to beauty than petroleum-based glosses, and exponentially better than exposing oneself to dyes or lakes, which have been shown in some studies to be neurotoxic.

Organic/natural makeup is so good now, there's very few products that can't be replaced.  I say give these ones a try.  I love 'em!


*I purchased these products myself & all opinions are my own.  Take that!

Get Yer Mask On! Amal Oils Moroccan Rhassoul Clay Mask...cleans and brightens.

THE AMAL OILS MASK

For me, there's nothing like putting a mask on, scrubbing my feet in the tub (with my skinnyskinny Foot Scrub, natch) and then sitting down to read my iPad while it works its magic.  I then wash it off, apply one of my favorite toners, Kahina Giving Beauty Toning Mist, pick a face oil, put on some eye cream and call it a night.

I've tried so many masks and a lot of them are just okay.  On the other hand, there are some real winners out there like then ones I have already blogged about - Pangea and Naturopathica.  The latest mask I have to tell you about is the Amal Oils Moroccan Rhassoul Clay Mask with Plant Extracts.

I was first introduced to this mask when Pure Citizen hosted them.  What's great about this mask is that it clears your skin like a clay mask should, but DOES NOT dry out your skin like you'd expect it to.  In fact, I find it hydrating and when I rinse it off, my skin feels soft, clean and moist...it's the first clay mask I've found that does that.  This mask can also be used on the hair. From their site:   

Quarry mined deep beneath the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and sundried, this clay naturally contains high levels of silica, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium and sodium. Renowned for its remarkable ability to absorb impurities and cleanse, Moroccan Rhassoul Clay with Plant Extracts eliminates oils and toxins from skin and hair, improves skin elasticity, minimizes pores, improves skin clarity, extracts blackheads and gives body and shine to hair.

It's $35, but will last you forever as it's a big container - 8.5 oz.

Ingredients:  Ingredients: Moroccan Lava Clay (Hectorite), Extracts of Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender), Myrtus Communis (Myrtle), Urtica Dioica (Stinging Nettle), Rosa Centifolia (Rose), and Homolathecium Aureum x Hypnum Crupessiform (Rock Moss), Eugenia Caryophyllata (Clove), Essential Oil of Lavandula Angustifolia x Latifolia (Lavendin), Linalol

PS: A friend of mine was going through a difficult time and her skin broke out big time.  I gave her several masks-worth and when I saw her the week following, her skin was clean and clear. She's a big fan now.  Let me know how you like it. 

RMS Beauty's Sublime Lip Shine - My Holy Grail Found!

Rose-Marie Swift, can we be best friends?

Oh.  My.  Word.  I love RMS Beauty!  

Last night as I was heading out to dinner, my husband came in from work saying, "You have a package."  With my fingers crossed, I ran over hoping it was my brand spankin' new Sublime Lip Shine...and it was!

Well, I tore that thing open so fast and ran that gorgeous pink over my hand (I already had Bloom on my lips) and let me tell you, for a girl that loves a pink lip, it is now my Holy Grail.  It's, in a word, SUBLIME! With its great pigment, cool blue undertones, amazing RMS Lip Shine consistency, it's just so pretty and perfect for Spring/Summer!

Lipsticks and lip glosses have always been my favorite makeup item and pink is always my go-to color.  But for some reason, I find that many natural/organic makeup lines put a lot of focus on browns, reds and dusty nudes/naturals.  If they do a pink, it's usually a frosty Valley of the Dolls tacky pink and I politely decline.  But this shade is perfect - modern and fun.

So, if you're looking for a gorgeous, pink with a little kick, I say get your Sublime on.  I own all of the RMS Lip Shines and wear them all the time.  Moment has a brownish tint, Bloom is an earthy pink and Sublime goes fuschia.  

Have fun and let me know if you love it!

*I purchased this product myself and all opinions are my own!

Preserve Products Rock

Can you imagine the amount of toothbrushes and disposable razors that end up in landfills?  

There's a few companies that are just doing everything right from start to finish.  Preserve is one of them.  In fact, I will never again use another brand's toothbrush, razor or tongue cleaner ever again.  How's that for brand loyalty?

Here's why this company is just so awesome and definitely one to check out if a landfill filled with tons of old plastic makes you cringe:

Preserve makes modern, cool, eco-friendly products that are made from 100% recycled plastics and 100% post-consumer paper.  All of their products are recyclable and what's really brilliant is that their products are made from recycled yogurt cups...yogurt cups that you can recycle using their Gimme 5 program (my local Whole Foods has a display).  

Here's their products that I have and love:

THE PRESERVE TOOTHBRUSH

Why I love this toothbrush:  The handle is made entirely from recycled yogurt cups and I can purchase it either in a recycled plastic travel case OR in their Mail Back Package.

The lightweight package doubles as a return envelope. Just pop your used Preserve toothbrush inside and send it back to us for recycling (our dentist friends recommend replacing your brush every three months!). You can also recycle it via our Gimme 5 program.

So, whenever I need a new toothbrush, I purchase one in the Mail Back package, take out my new one, and send back my old one - postage paid!  Doesn't this make sense?  I think it's wonderful and I love it.  They come in gorgeous colors AND they're wonderful toothbrushes. Oh, by the way, they also have a Toothbrush Subscription service where they'll send you a new one every three months!

THE TRIPLE RAZOR 

Why I love it: The  Triple Razor  is simply fantastic, made from recycled yogurt cups and lasts forever.  In fact, I've had mine for years...I just buy new blades.  It comes sold in a recycled plastic container that makes it super easy for travel.  

THE TONGUE CLEANER

Why I love it:  I have several of these in my different handbags.  Brushing your teeth is one thing, but there's nothing like cleaning your tongue which holds plaque-causing bacteria.  If you need to freshen up during the day, just brush your tongue.  

So, please give this company a look if you haven't yet.  They're definitely one of my favorites.

*I purchased all of these products myself.  All opinions are my own.