Recession-Proof Beauty

budgetbeauty 300x241 Recession Proof BeautyNow that we’re all having to pull in our belts a little tighter, it makes sense to see where we can save as many pennies as possible with our beauty products. You may have found the perfect non-toxic products for your skin and therefore will be loathe to use anything else — if this is the case, try using a little less of each product. I tend to slather on much more shampoo, conditioner and body lotion that I  actually need…I could probably get by with half the amount and have my products last a good bit longer, which is better for the planet and my wallet!

Most of our facial skin care routines are very personal and if you’ve found what works, stick with it, however you can really cut corners with body care products and still use something that is non-toxic and nourishing.

Here are a few tips on how:

Make your own body scrub by filling an old wide-mouthed jar 3/4 full with sea salt. Now fill the jar up to the top with sweet almond oil and add about 10 drops of your favorite essential oil (I recommend lavender or geranium).

For a very inexpensive yet luxurious soak, purchase a large container of Epsom Salts from the drugstore and add 2 cups to a warm bath and then 5 drops of lavender essential oil. You’ll feel rejuvenated and relaxed — all for less than $2!

When you get out of the tub, one of the most inexpensive and nourishing moisturizers you can use is unrefined sesame oil. If you don’t like the smell, add a few drops your favorite essential oil (I add lavender and grapefruit to mine). You can purchase all these organic oils at a very good quality and very reasonable prices from Mountain Rose Herbs.

rhassoul 150x150 Recession Proof BeautyAs a cleanser/exfoliator, I love the cult favorite Rhassoul bar (pictured right) from Daybreak Lavender Farm. It’s made with clay from under the Atlas mountains in Morocco and is naturally rich in trace minerals and moisturizes while cleansing and exfoliating. Plus, it’s a great value because you’ll receive a massive bar, which looks like a chunk of chocolate. You cut it into six squares, which should easily last you for a year. Consider sharing an order with a friend too.

Share your tips with us about how you are becoming purse-friendly and earth-friendly with your beauty regimens!

About the Author

sophie mini1 Recession Proof BeautySophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously Recession Proof Beauty.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Is Your Bra Safe?

belabumbum Is Your Bra Safe?With all the hullabaloo last year over the lawsuit against Victoria’s Secret bras because they contain formaldehyde, it’s worth pondering whether or not we are really taking a risk when we get all hooked up!  Formaldehyde is an invisible, odorless gas which is in so many things in our environment — it’s almost impossible to avoid. We can be exposed from furniture, cosmetics, car seats, airplane seats, shower curtains — the list goes on and on.

However, we can minimize our exposure, especially when its as close to home as a bra. Fabrics and textiles are treated with formaldehyde to give them a permanent press or make them anti-static, stain resistant, sweat resistant, color-fast etc. The problem is that formaldehyde gasses off, even as you wear it and some people have developed extreme sensitivity to it through over exposure. Health effects from exposure to formaldehyde can include: fatigue, skin rashes, eye/nose/throat infection and coughing.

When you go shopping, keep in mind that synthetic fibers across the board are likely to have been treated with this invisible and toxic gas.

So what’s the answer for the Gorgeously Green girl? There are quite a few great options whereby you won’t have to forego the push-up/sexy/supportive factor. Here are my favorites: Belebumbum (pictured) has a beautiful bamboo line – I adore the underwired racerback bra shown. My favorite lingerie store in the world is Marks and Spencer in Britain, and now with the pound being a bit weaker against the dollar, it might behoove the bigger girls among you to check out their beautiful Per Una Organic Cotton bra.

Ecoland is a great online store for 100% organic bras that provide good structure and support and you can find wonderful daytime/sports bras in organic cotton from either Patagonia or Prana.

About the Author

sophie mini1 Is Your Bra Safe?Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously Is Your Bra Safe?.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

6 Beauty Aisle Rules

shoppingforbeauty 300x199 6 Beauty Aisle RulesI often get asked questions about how to shop smart and green for beauty products. Let’s face it — it’s tough with so many brands on the shelves, ads in magazines, pretty packaging, seductive scents and outrageous claims. Between buying deodorant (that actually works), hair care, bath products for the kids, toothpaste, and then brave the daunting eye, wrinkle, brightening, soothing, tightening face cremes… yikes. It can take hours to check the labels and read up on the ingredients before figuring out if it gets a green thumb up or down.

While this is not a detailed list by any means, these are the top 6 things I check before purchasing a product:

1. Get to know the Brand: I like to support companies that only sell products without toxic ingredients. There are some companies out there that have their “dirty” line and then their “clean” line. I feel very skeptical of a company that does not fully stand behind using ingredients that are safer for our bodies and the environment.  By supporting a company that does “good” all the time — from the quality of ingredients to their core mission and sustainable practices, you really are helping to support positive change for the planet.

2. Just Say NO To Synthetic Fragrances: As most of you know, I am a purist. When it comes to scents in a product, I am not comfortable with a synthetically made fragrance. A “fragrance” can be made up of hundreds of toxic ingredients, some even potentially carcinogenic. Usually a fragrance is found towards the bottom of the ingredient list. Look for products solely scented with pure essential oils, they are the safer choice.

3. Skip Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate: SLS and SLES can be drying and irritating. Instead, I choose products with Decyl Glucoside or castile for their lather and suds in shampoos, body wash, shaving cream and kid’s bath products. Decyl Glucoside does not create as much lather as Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate, but it has much less potential for irritation and allergic reactions. Besides, more lather does not make you cleaner!

4. Make sure ingredient list if provided: Does the product have the ingredient list available on the packaging or on the website (if you are online shopping)? If there is no ingredient list and they claim to be “natural” or “organic,” that’s a red flag. What do they have to hide?

5. Keep it Wholesome: If you read an ingredient list and it sounds more like a chemical reaction in a bottle…it probably is! Just like shopping for a hearty bread, you want the ingredients to be recognizable, plant-based and wholesome without all the fillers and artificial junk.

6. Skip Certain Preservatives: First let me start by saying that preserving cosmetics is absolutely necessary. Microbes can be damaging to products and to our health. Preservatives are used to kill cells — which means they also have the potential to kill living cells in our bodies, which is why preservatives are a tricky topic. There are many types of preservatives used and it’s very difficult to identify which are truly natural, safe and effective. I often look to the European Union which strictly regulates evaluates ingredients for their safety. While the verdict is still out according to the EU about the safety of Parabens, I still avoid them since they can be hormone disruptors, can cause many allergic reactions and rashes. I also avoid Urea, which is considered a formaldehyde and a cause of dermatitis. These ingredients are usually found near the bottom of the ingredient list.

I hope these tips are helpful when shopping for your greener personal care and beauty necessities. By putting the products through this “6 rule” checklist, you will probably find some new, fabulous products that are good for the body and the earth.

About the Author

sophie mini1 6 Beauty Aisle RulesSophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously 6 Beauty Aisle Rules.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Grilling 101: Gas, Electric or Charcoal?

grilling 200x300 Grilling 101: Gas, Electric or Charcoal?I love summer because even if there’s just a ray of sun poking through, we get grilling. I love to smother a bowl of fresh veggies with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs and grill them until lightly brown. I then serve them over a bed of nutty brown rice — yum!

What is the most eco-friendly choice for grilling: gas grills, electric or charcoal?

Natural gas is hands-down the best choice as it is the cleanest, most energy-efficient way to bar-be-que and it’s more eco-friendly than electricity. Charcoal and wood burn off tiny soot particles that cause horrible pollution.

A gas grill is also more energy-efficient than an indoor oven –- so anytime of year, if the rain and snow has stopped, head out and grill your meals! It’s healthier and better for the planet.

About the Author

sophie mini1 Grilling 101: Gas, Electric or Charcoal?Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously Grilling 101: Gas, Electric or Charcoal?.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Mindful Eating

mindfuleating 300x245 Mindful EatingOne of the most powerful ways in which you can change your diet, is to start eating mindfully. Many of us are subject to conditioning and habit — we reach for what we’re used to having and we eat it unconsciously. When you really begin to understand exactly what is in your food and how it was produced (where it came from, how far it traveled, how many sprayings of pesticide it received, how many hidden additives are packed into it, and finally how heavily processed it is) you start to make radically different choices.

Being green is really about being aware — and when we are truly aware, a plethora of choices begin to open up to us. Mindful eating also helps tremendously with weight-loss. Unconscious eating is one of the top reasons why people overeat. Just think about how much popcorn you can get through while watching a movie. A fascinating test was done on a group of people who were given really stale popcorn in enormous buckets to eat while watching a movie. Even though they thought the popcorn tasted bad, they all finished it!

Here’s a few tips for eating mindfully:

1. Examine the ingredients in everything your purchase. Look for fewer ingredients, which means fewer additives.

2. Chew slowly and enjoy experiencing the different tastes and textures of each mouthful.

3. Put down your fork between every mouthful (harder than it sounds, but makes a huge difference as many of us rush through our meals, which encourages us to overeat)

4. Before you eat, take a few minutes to look at the food on your plate and reflect on how it got to you, how it was produced and how fortunate you are to be able to eat healthy food.

About the Author

sophie mini1 Mindful EatingSophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously Mindful Eating.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Gloss Find: Ovetto Recycling Egg

ovettorecyclingegg Gloss Find: Ovetto Recycling EggHere’s a stylish and organized way to get rid of your recyclables — the Ovetto Recycling Egg.  Named after it’s shape, this egg is actually a beautifully designed trash can (made of eco-friendly and recycled plastic, of course) that has three separate compartments.

Making it easy for everyone in the family to remember what goes in which bin, each compartment is a different color — so paper, plastic and aluminum can ultimately end up where it’s supposed to go. As the designer Gianluca Soldi says, “To make certain that waste is correctly disposed of and recycled, waste must be kept separate according to the material class it belongs to.”

So, now you take your recycling efforts up a notch easily and stylishly.

Ovetto Recycling Egg – $212 at WhereDidYouBuyThat.com

Interdependence Day

interdependence 300x225 Interdependence DayI think we need a National “INTERDEPENDENCE DAY” — where we raise awareness about the interdependence of every living thing on this planet. I’m lucky enough to be sitting here watching the sun rise on the gorgeous Big Island of Hawaii –- an island that boasts 10 micro-climates and is in my opinion, as close to Paradise as you can get.

I’m on an eco-vacation — not in a sweat or eco-lodge (you know that’s not my thing!!) — but traveling as a girl who is not averse to a bit of pampering. HOWEVER, I travel with a conscience. I have a heightened awareness on an island like this that my footprint needs to be extremely light. I want this environment to stay pristine, and as so many beautiful spots in the world rely on tourism, it’s my responsibility as a visitor, to leave it exactly as I find it.

Snorkeling and scuba diving along the reef here brings this point home: Down in the quiet murky blue depths, with the only sound being one’s breath, I’ve learned that in the watery depths, where life on Earth began, everything is completely interdependent. It is incumbent upon me as a stranger swimming through, not to meddle in anyway with what I find. The tiniest amount of fiddling, like “ooh, I want to touch that turtle or take a bit of that coral” disturbs a delicate system.

A great example is sunscreen – I absolutely have to wear non-toxic/biodegradable sunscreen or it can affect the reef and the fish. So my diving etiquette is:

- Don’t: Wear toxic sunscreen
- Don’t: Touch anything whatsoever
- Don’t: Take anything or feed the sea life.

It’s their world and I happen to be swimming through it. The photograph above is of my husband scuba diving close to a gorgeous turtle. He is a passionate diver –  and he has taught me much about how the health of the coral reefs around the world reflect the health of our environment as a whole.

This respect holds true for everywhere I visit on land too. It’s odd that as humans we feel such an innate need to show our dominance over nature –- to leave our mark: we need to etch our names on Redwood Trees and ancient monuments, even on the sides of cliffs – we want to show that we’re in charge and we’ll somehow leave our legacy, however, when we’re long gone, these natural treasures will hopefully endure for hundreds of years.

A cab driver here told me that the islanders just take what they need from the Ocean and leave the rest. He was boiling with rage about the oil spill in the gulf. His family and friends are fisherman here and he feels the pain of the fisherman in the gulf. “It’s just greed,” he said, “they can’t stop taking from the Earth!” By “they,” I think he was referring to the Oil Industry, or perhaps just shooting at everyone who he considers to be greedy: oil men, fishermen who over-fish, even regular people like you and me who unwittingly over-consume.

Back home in Los Angeles we have a lot of spiders at this time of year. There’s always a massive one –  we call him “Mr. Jackson” — who weaves his web over the entrance to our garage. My daughter Lola used to be totally freaked out by Mr. Jackson and wanted him destroyed, until we explained how valuable dear Mr. Jackson is — he eats all the insects and mosquitoes, etc). Now ,she loves Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and their enormous family!

Mercifully, I’m in a resort that absolutely respects the biodiversity of life and interdependence of all things. They even use a water-based ionic cleaner, as they know the run-off from regular cleaners go straight into the bay.

I have been asked to release one of four baby turtles, which have been nurtured until old enough, into the ocean on July 4th. This is how I’ll be spending my Independence/Interdependence Day! By respecting the interdependence of life, the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel (who runs this program) will have given independence to this turtle.

I leave you with a powerful quote:

“Our future is dependent upon increasing cooperation and interdependence in a world tied ever more closely together by technologies of communications and travel. The emergence of a truly global civilization has been accompanied by the recognition of truly global challenges that require global responses that, as often as not, can only be led by the United States — and only if the United States restores and maintains its moral authority to lead.” – Al Gore.

About the Author

sophie mini1 Interdependence DaySophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously Interdependence Day.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com


Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re-use

recycling 300x225 Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re useYou may have heard that with the current downturn in the economy, there is a shrinking market for recyclables. Just when we were all getting the hang of which plastic numbers go where, we are now finding out that our virtuous efforts aren’t as effective as we had hoped. The problem is that much of our recyclable waste is shipped to China and with the economic downturn getting worse over there, the prices that the recycling industry is willing to pay for the more lucrative recyclables like mixed paper and aluminum, have dropped considerably. As a result, many of the warehouses and recycling depots are simply stockpiling cardboard in the hope that the prices will rise over the next few months.

So what should we be doing at home? Should we still be stuffing our Amazon.com Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re use cardboard boxes into our recycling bins or should we be stockpiling them in our garages or bedroom closets? We still should recycle whatever we can, however, now is the time to make a massive and concerted effort to reduce the amount of packaging that comes into your home.

If we take recycling out of the equation, we are left with only 2 of the 3 big R’s: Re-use and Reduce.

Re- use whatever you can. If you get a box or a package through the mail, always plan to re-use it. I have a drawer for old padded and manila envelopes and I stash all my old boxes in my garage, as I never know when I might need one.

Reduce the amount of packaging you buy. It’s an interesting experiment to go into a store and examine every which way in which you can go home with less packaging. That’s why I love bulk bins – they eliminate the outer cardboard box for cereals and grains. It’s also why I love my SodaStream Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re use machine (sodaclubusa.com Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re use) because by making my own sparkling water at home, I eliminate a couple of large cardboard boxes (and the glass) monthly.

How are you reducing your packaging?

About the Author

sophie mini1 Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re useSophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re use.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com