Taking care of our habitat shouldn't be something we consider once a year, when April 22nd rolls around and posters bearing illustrations of lush trees and perky flowers cover every store window. So, at Sicka Than Average, we've pledged to cover eco-friendly fashion and beauty all year long. And, rather than limit Earth Day to a single 24-hour celebration, we've transformed it into a weekend-long extravaganza. Yesterday, we kicked off the festivities with our first Earth Day story and, today, we're offering you more coveted finds sure to induce a sense of eco euphoria.
Seltzer Seven-Year Pens, $7.50 each. Available at UncommonGoods.com
Think about all the pens you discard on a yearly basis, all those plastic cylinders en route to waste-ridden landfills. Sure, some pen brands have taken strides to green their manufacturing by turning to recycled plastic but few have really pondered how they can reduce waste by making each pen last more than a few months. Enter Seltzer's Seven-Year Pens. By increasing the barrel size inside the pen by up to six times the traditional amount, each pen is able to hold way more ink — enough to write up to 2 meters a day for 7 years straight.
NP Set Wake Me Up Day Cream and Say Goodnight Night Cream, $29 each. Available at Target.com
Though they're not 100% organic, the new NP Set day and night moisturizers rely on botanical ingredients to leave skin replenished, hydrated, and glowing. The NP Set Wake Me Up Day Cream features ingredients like: rice extract, which aids in short- and long-term hydration; rose extract, which helps to brighten skin tone by reducing the appearance of sun spots and other hyperpigmented areas; hydrating sodium hyaluronate; argan oil, which is loaded with essential fatty acids (80% of its makeup) that boast anti-aging properties and help to soften skin, reduce the appearance of scars, marks, and blemishes; moringa seeds, which have an oleic acid content of 72%, helping to make skin look younger; and vitamin A, which helps to fight and treat acne. The NP Set Say Goodnight Night Cream, meanwhile, focuses on moisturizing and renewing the skin while you sleep, relying on ingredients like shea butter, ProVitamin B5, squalane, vitamin E, and moringa seeds.
Vapour Organic Beauty Mesmerize Shimmer Eye Treatment in Dream, Lyric, and Sugar, $18 each. Available at VapourBeauty.com
The three new shades added to the range of creamy Mesmerize Shimmer Eye Treatments from Vapour Organic Beauty for Spring 2011 will make you rethink the way you view pastels. These 100% natural, retractable cream color sticks contain 70% organic ingredients, among them chrysanthemum, which boasts anti-inflammatory properties, brightening and soothing eyebright, and circulation-boosting horsetail extract. The angled tips of the Mesmerize Eye Shimmer sticks allow you to simply glide them across lids, thereby depositing a layer of sheer but buildable color with microscopic mineral particles that add an ethereal, stardust-style finish. The three new hues are: Dream, a minty sage green with golden highlights; Lyric, a soft lilac with iridescent blue specks; and Sugar, a baby pink with rose gold glimmer. Check out swatches of the three new Mesmerize Shimmer Eye Color Treatment shades here, and see how dreamy and romantic they look!
Frais Towelettes, $10 for Box of 7 Individual Towelettes. Available at Frais.com.au
What beauty hound doesn't keep a stash of makeup removing towelettes in her bathroom cabinet? Still, many of the facial wipes in the marketplace contain cosmeceutical ingredients that dehydrate, irritate, and aggitate skin so that, while they're handy for removing makeup, they present major drawbacks. Australian brand Frais, then, offers a solution to this conundrum with their All-Natural Towelettes, which are formulated with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, moisturizing shea butter, soothing chamomile and brightening gingko balboa and alpha bisabolol. Each towelette is so saturated with moisture that it feels as gentle as a hypoallergenic baby wipe (minus the alcohol content). Thanks to a mix of eight essential oils (ginger, tangerine, lemon myrtle, niaouli, orange, basil, grapefruit and cardamom), each wipe boasts aromatherapy benefits, energizing you and lifting your spirits. Frais also gets extra points for individually packaging each towelette rather than stacking all the wipes atop one another and tucking them inside a plastic pouch with a peel-off sticker opening that will inevitably lose its adhesiveness and lead to the towelettes drying out way before they're ever used.
Ellington Handbags Bella Wallets, $69 each. Available at EllingtonHandbags.com
You don't need to limit yourself to hemp and organic cotton handbags in the name of eco-friendly accessorizing. Plenty of companies now offer goods in sophisticated-looking faux leather — or, at the very least, they produce leather goods using environmentally friendly manufacturing processes that minimize waste and carbon emissions. These leather Bella Wallets from Ellington Handbags, for example, are trimmed in the brand's signature ECO leather, which is made in an environmentally responsible tannery that insists on reduced water and energy consumption and minimizes CO2 emissions. Each zip-around wallet measures 4.5" in height, 3.5" in width, and 0.75" in depth. The inside of each wallet includes three card slots, to small slip pockets, a slip pocket for cash, and a coin pouch with a snap-on flap closure. You can pick between Seafoam Green, Tan, Lavender, and Blue.
Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser, $21. Available at Sephora.com
When I first tried the Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser, I felt like I was stepping out on my beloved Korres White Tea Facial Fluid Gel Cleanser, to which I'd pledged my undying love (and loyalty). My guilt notwithstanding, my experimentation paid off. The Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser smells like a cup of steamed milk sweetened with a touch of vanilla, and it lathers nicely on the skin without being overly sudsy. The paraben- and soap-free cleanser thoroughly removes impurities while hydrating the skin, without leaving it feeling greasy or balmy. The formula relies on lactose-rich milk proteins and amino acids that strengthen the skin's lipid barrier, improving moisture retention, as well as botanicals like: honeysuckle extract, which can increase circulation and has historically been used to treat topical outbreaks ranging from rashes to abscesses; hydrolyzed rice protein, a conditioning agent; hydrogenated castor oil, which can treat acne and other pesky skin conditions, as well as restore the skin's moisture balance; willow bark extract, which boasts astringent properties and aids in cellular renewal; glycerin, a popular humectant; and the anti-inflammatory whey protein.
Hammocks & High Tea Namad Table Runner, $120. Available at HammocksAndHighTea.com
Add some Southwestern flavor to your dinner table with this 90"-long table runner from Hammocks & High Tea, fashioned to resemble the patterns commonly found on kilim rugs but infused with vivacious, '80s-style splashes of color. Made of a linen and cotton blend, the Namad table runner's tribal design was printed using only water-based inks, making it an eco-friendly alternative.
Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment, $8.99; Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner, $8.99 each; and Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil, $8.99. Available at most mass food and drug retailers.
The solution to dry, damaged, or dull tresses can be found in southwestern Morocco, in the kernels of the argan trees growing in the semi-desert soil. Not only is argan oil rich in antioxidant-rich vitamin E, carotenoids and ferulic acid, which protect strands from free radical damage (particularly harmful UV rays), but it consists mainly of essential fatty acids — in fact, Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9 amount to 80% of its composition. These essential fatty acids successfully penetrate the hair shaft, helping to repair hair follicles by locking in moisture, thereby making strands look shinier, feel softer, and have greater movement and bounce. The Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil collection makes the most of this wonder oil by using a cold-pressed method to extract the substance, thus ensuring that the oil doesn't degrade and lose some of its nutrients due to excessive heat exposure. Both the shampoo and conditioner help to revitalize dry hair, reducing the appearance of frizz and fly-aways. We're particularly fond of the conditioner since it detangles strands and boosts luster without weighing hair down.
Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens, $10. Available at Sephora.com
When it comes to blotting papers, I instantly look to preservative-free skincare brand Boscia since its linens are woven with abaca tree leaf fibers that manage to absorb any oil, hence preventing your face from looking shiny or greasy — all without ruining (or even smearing) your makeup. Though Boscia's Blotting Linens are available in formulations like Lavender, Rose, Vanilla, California Orange Blossom, and Fresh, I've always been particularly fond of the Green Tea Blotting Linens, which are infused with antioxidant-rich green tea extract, helping to soothe skin. In February, Boscia launched its new limited-edition Japanese Green Tea Blotting Linens, which have the same formulation as the regular Green Tea Blotting Linens but come in a lively pack with an illustration of cherry blossoms and other flowers commonly found in Japan like azaleas, dahlias, lotus, hibiscus, poppies, and magnolias. Ten blotting papers come in each pack.
Ecotools Bamboo Kabuki Finishing Brush, $6.99, and Ecotools Bamboo Smudge Eyeliner Brush with Sharpener, $3.99. Available at drugstores nationwide.
The leader in green makeup tools and grooming devices, Ecotools continues to expand its range of offerings, all crafted out of renewable natural materials like bamboo, hemp, and cork and finished with recycled aluminum. Our favorite addition to the line: the Bamboo Finishing Kabuki, which improves upon the design of their original retractable kabuki brush, replacing the recycled aluminum handle with a sturdier, easy-to-grip bamboo handle. The brush itself, meanwhile, features bristles of two alternating lengths so that the shape fans out, making this an ideal tool for applying illuminating powder, loose finishing powder, or a light bronzer.
Paul Mitchell Bamboo Express Ion Smooth, $160. Available at professional salon locations. Visit PaulMitchell.com for salon locations.
Paul Mitchell's Limited Edition Nature Inspired collection consists of a blow drier and flat iron that dry and smooth hair in 60% less time than the average styling tools, thereby reducing the amount of energy used during the hair styling process. Both the Express Ion Dry Turbolight Dryer and the Bamboo Express Ion Smooth are designed to look like they were constructed out of wood. The Express Ion Smooth relies on the 1.25-inch cushioned ceramic plates infused with Mitchell's Express Ion Complex, a mixture of volcanic minerals that delivers negative ions, which break down hydrogen bonds so that water molecules are diffused throughout hair strands, and infrared heat, which dries hair from the inside out without damaging the outer cuticle. Since the flat iron heats up to 400°F in 60 seconds, you'll be able to straighten hair in no time! Plus you'll love the rustic feel of the tool's bamboo exterior and the earthy feel of the brown color chosen for the temperature dial, power switch, and 9-foot swivel cord.
