SICKA THAN AVERAGE

Green Room Thursdays -- Surya Brasil Lip Balms

 

When Clélia Angelon launched Surya Brasil in 1995, she had a clear goal in mind: incorporating minerals, fruit and nut oils, and plant extracts indigenous to the Amazon in her paraben-free, lead-free, ammonia-free, vegan, and certified organic hair and body care products. Almost a decade later, Surya Brasil has expanded from the ammonia- and peroxide-free henna-based hair colorings that served as its launching pad to a full range of shampoos and conditioners, facial moisturizers, body lotions and scrubs, massage oils, clay masks, and facial toners.

The latest addition to the brand's ever-expanding offerings: the Surya Brasil Lip Balms ($3.49 each at SuryaBrasil.com), which are made with candelilla wax as opposed to beeswax in order to retain a 100% vegan formula. These pocket-sized lip balms contain such familiar ingredients as: jojoba oil, a vitamin E-rich antioxidant and natural antibacterial that is structurally similar to the sebum and is hence easily absorbed by the skin; softening and moisturizing cocoa butter; and sunflower seed oil, which is packed with vitamin A, which promotes cellular regeneration and also helps fight acne, as well as vitamins C and E, which protect skin from free radical damage. But, in addition to these ingredients, the lip balms contain deeply nourishing oils extracted from nuts harvested in the Amazon: murumuru butter, which is rich in fatty acids like lauric and oleic acid, making it a powerful emollient; buriti nut oil, which boasts a higher beta-carotene content than carrot oil, thereby delivering stellar antioxidant benefits, and which boasts a high content of oleic and palmitic acids that keep skin supple and moisturized; and ucuuba nut oil, which is also rich in fatty acids that keep skin looking young and smooth.

The Surya Brasil Lip Balms are available in four flavors: Chocolate Mint, Strawberry & Buriti, Cinnamon & Cupuacu, and Açai Berry. These flavors were obtained using natural fruit oils and spices, making their scent all the more authentic. The Stawberry & Buriti Lip Balm (my personal favorite), for example, smells like a ripe strawberry but the buriti nut in the formula adds a woody earthiness. 

When you first glide the lip balm atop your pout, its surface might feel a bit tough, but don't let that turn you off. Candelilla wax is naturally harder than your standard beeswax, which is why, in its solid form, it feels so very rigid. Fortunately, it also seems to melt much easier than beeswax so that, after your second or third use, the lip balm's creaminess will coat your lips effortlessly. In fact, part of what swept me away about the Surya Lip Balms was precisely this melt-on-your-mouth quality. Better yet, once you apply, you'll instantly feel relief as any cracks are soothed, dry skin is infused with moisture, and your whole pout is softened.

 

Green Room Thursdays -- Envirosax "After Dark" Collection

 

 

By popular demand, we're bringing back our "Green Room Thursdays" column, where we feature some of the coolest eco-friendly goodies on the market. Today's selects: the new reusable totes in the Envirosax "After Dark" collection ($8.95 per bag with Envirosax.com), a collection consisting of five graphic floral prints in black, white, and gray. 

As with all Envirosax totes, each of the styles in this collection  measures 50cm x 42cm and can hold up to 20 kg, so you can hit the farmer's market and stash your fresh produce in the bag, pack your sneakers and towel in there before heading to the gym, or avoid using plastic bags at the supermarket when picking up milk and juice. Each bag can be rolled up and stashed inside a pouch that measures 10cm x 4.5cm, so that you can tuck it inside your purse and unfurl it as needed -- all without it taking up an unnecessary amount of space or weighing you down.

We're particularly smitten with the After Dark collection since all the bags feature hand-painted illustrations of blossoms like hydrangeas (pictured last, above) and Chinese hibiscuses (pictured at top) in shadowy, moonlit scenarios that conjure up a sense of intrigue. Some of the designs feel particularly arty thanks to the use of painterly brush strokes or watercolor-esque color diffusion, while others have daintier, more stencil-like silhouettes. Either way, they make us long for sunset.

Check out more of the bag designs after the jump!

 

Green Room Thursdays -- Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap in Parsley Scent

 

In a world where we're all striving to heighten our environmental consciousness, to lead greener lifestyles, Mrs. Meyer's has more juice than Mr. Clean. From household cleansers to laundry detergent, air fresheners, and hand soaps and lotions, Mrs. Meyer's specializes in cruelty-free products that are free of ammonia, chlorine, or phosphates, and which are enriched with essential oils that refresh the home and create an inviting atmosphere via scents with aromatherapy benefits like lavender, geranium, lemon verbena, basil, parsley, and rosemary. 

After gushing about the dirt-busting, grime-fighting powers of the Mrs. Meyer's All Purpose Cleanser, Liquid Dish Soap, and Counter Top Spray, we're now fixated on Mrs. Meyer's Liquid Hand Soaps — the perfect additions to any bathroom or kitchen sink. Our current obsession: the Mrs Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap in Parsley($3.99 at MrsMeyers.com), a new scent in the ever-expanding hand soap family.

This paraben-free soap contains natural ingredients like: soothing aloe vera gel; softening and hydrating olive oil; free radical-fighting, anti-inflammatory, vitamin C-rich grapefruit extract; peppermint oil, a natural astringent and antiseptic with cooling benefits and anti-irritant properties; and parsley seed oil, an antimicrobial agent with tonifying properties. Not only does this liquid hand soap effectively remove all dirt, oil, and dust from hands, but — miracle of all miracles! — it won't dry out the skin even with frequent use. 

As a mom, I probably wash my hands about ten times more than the average single woman: there are always spills to clean up, counter tops to wipe, toys to pick up, and sticky little hands to wipe clean. As a result, my hands tend to be chronically dry due to the sheer amount of liquid soap use. Whie using the Mrs. Meyer's Liquid Hand Soap, however, I noticed I could scrub my hands as often as necessary without suffering through any dry, peeling, or itchy skin. 

As for the Parsley scent, it admittedly did not sound particularly appetizing, and I imagined that my hands would smell like I'd been preparing a tabbouleh dish or manhandling the greens at the supermarket. Instead, I was surprised to find that the aroma was light and gentle, decidedly herbal and lush yet refreshing and slightly tart. 

 

Green Room Thursdays -- Envirosax Sesame Street Series

"Sunny day/Sweepin' the clouds away/ On my way to where the air is sweet/Can you tell me how to get/how to get to Sesame Street."

Who didn't grow up singing that tune? Watching Cookie Monster devour a plate of chocolate chip treats with reckless abandon? Hearing Ernie serenade his precious rubber ducky? For most of us, it really did seem like the air was sweetest out in Sesame Street. And now, we can marry that childlike enthusiasm with an adult understanding of the importance of eco-friendly living by investing in one of the cheerful reusable bags from the Envirosax Sesame Street Series.

Each bag features one of five beloved Sesame Street characters — Oscar the Grouch, Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, or Big Bird — and measures 19.5" x 16.5" when unrolled. The reusable bags can carry up to 44 lbs. worth of goods, and you can roll them up and tuck them into a compact pouch measuring 4" x 1.5" and weighing only 1.4 oz.

Meant to eradicate the need for landfill-destined plastic bags, the reusable Envirosax totes are waterproof, fully washable, sturdy, and affordable, making eco-friendly living as easy as ABC.

Just remember these words from Kermit the frog which, while used in a different context, are still rather applicable: "I am green and it'll do fine/It's beautiful!/And I think it's what I want to be." See how fun it is being green?

 

Envirosax Sesame Street Series bags, $9.95 each. Available at envirosax.com

Green Room Thursdays -- Melvita Capiforce Split Ends Serum

The notion that split ends can be mended is, unfortunately, nothing more than a hopeful myth. No matter how strongly you harbor the Power of Intention in your approach to repairing damaged tresses, how devoted your Florence Nightingale routine in terms of nursing those ends back to health, once the hair cuticle has been destroyed, there's no turning back. Think of it as dropping a ceramic dinner plate — one the dish has cracked, you can hold the pieces together and even hot glue them back in place, but the solution will be temporary at best, and there's no returning to the original state.

The name of the Melvita Capiforce Split Ends Serum, then, may prove misleading, since it suggests that the powerful, moisturizer-packed serum can miraculously reunite permanently split, frayed, dry ends. But, ladies, don't write this off as some gimmicky hair care product. Sure, it may not restore your hair to some virginal, untouched state, but it does boast a bounty of benefits.

Part of Melvita's Capiforce range of products, which is devoted to intensive hair repair, this lightweight serum features 100% certified organic ingredients, nearly half of which were derived from organic farming methods. The potent formula features antioxidant-rich botanicals like: argan oil, which boasts a high concentration of Omega 3 and Omega 9 fatty acids, which penetrate the hair follicle and deliver fortifying nutrients, and which help to seal moisture into the hair shaft, minimizing frizz and smoothing hair;  jojoba oil, which  smooths frizzy hair while boosting shine; olive oil, which softens and naturally detangles hair, making it easy to manipulate; and smoothing hemp and camellia oils. Apricot extract and sea beet round out the all-natural formula.

One of my favorite aspects of this product is that it can be applied to damp or dry hair — the latter being of particular note since sometimes you don't have the time to wash your hair, but you still need to give it a bit of a boost without winding up with dandruff-like flakes or gummy residue. The serum softens hair almost immediately and if you focus on the ends for a bit, you'll notice it's much easier to run your fingers through your mane. The serum won't bind split ends, of course, but it will reduce minimize the frizziness and static that accompanies hair breakage, cleverly camouflaging split ends and making your mane appear healthier and more voluptuous. Thanks to the antioxidants in the formula, the Split Ends Serum will also protect healthier strands from any potential damage.

So, while the Split Ends Serum may not fully restore hair cuticles to their original state, it does the next best thing: stop the bleeding (metaphorically speaking), dress the wounds, and contain the problem.

Melvita Capiforce Split Ends Serum, $24. Available at USA.Melvita.com

Green Room Thursdays: Sustainable Apparel In The Here And "Nau"

 

 

Though environmental judiciousness is far from a novel concept at this point, green fashion is still in its infancy, with most brands focusing on organic cotton and jersey T-shirts. As the risks of human-induced climate change become increasingly apparent (uhm, tornadoes in NYC? What is that?!), eco-friendly apparel is evolving accordingly, with more ready-to-wear separates, basics, loungewear, lingerie, evening gowns, and even activewear options surfacing. Enter Portland, Oregon-based clothing brand Nau, which specializes in urban-friendly outerwear and activewear. Functional, sturdy, and modern, Nau's eco-friendly pieces cater to the frenetic pace of over caffeinated, time-means-money, constantly-on-the-run city dwellers.

Pictured above are two versatile pieces that any woman can appreciate: the Stylus Camy, a sleeveless, organic cotton jersey knit tank with slim spaghetti straps, a handy built-in bra, and two tiny buttons along the neckline; and the Dis-Dress, a safari-flavored shirt dress made of 63% organic linen and 27% organic cotton and featuring rolled-up sleeves with button accents, an adjustable tie belt, and a tunic collar with intricate stitching details.

Now, of course, these aren't statement-making pieces but, rather, building blocks for any urbanite's wardrobe. The Dis-Dress, of course, can be toughened up with funky motorcycle boots, taken further into safari territory with leopard print pumps, or made playful with strappy sandals (not to mention how much you can do through your jacket, handbag, and jewelry choices). The Stylus Cam, meanwhile, is ideal for yoga and pilates classes as it hugs the female body, provides enough support for the busom, and features enough stretch to allow you to move without any restriction.

Nau Stylus Camy, $35, and Nau Dis-Dress, $68. Available at Nau.com