Go Green: Go Eco Beauty

Hellooooooooooooooo bloggers!!

Long time no see! Sorry I've been SO out of touch lately!! But I have been doing a LOT OF RESEARCH and testing a lot of different kinds of beauty products. And would love to share a few thoughts.

I'm aiming to go organic with my skin care routine - I've already started off with investing Burt's Bees, Aesop (an australian high end beauty line but I recently discovered that they use Denatured alcohol in their produce, which is toxic, so it's going off my list now), Becca (my recent discovery of this great australian beauty line and I'm still loving it). I'm actively trying to clean out all the chemical products and samples that I constantly get from friends and family.

Here's my list of organic skincare products:

Burt's Bees
Becca
Jurlique (though it's a bit too mild for me)
The UN-petroleum Jelly
L'Occitane (and have fun with their "find your ballerina look" online tool!)

They're awesome. I will vouch for them.

Of course there are a lot more organic products - click here and here. I haven't had a chance to try any of those yet.

While we're on the topic of beauty products, I've discovered a NEW nail polish that is organic and vegan!! The product line is called SpaRitual and it doesn't have the horrid chemical smell, and it's so gentle that you can wear it if you're pregnant! They also come in amazin gorgeous colours! I just tried on the shade called "Dreams Become Reality". And I'm totally in love it! I've also tried an orange red at my beauty nail salon. It's just wonderful to pamper yourself with the best and finest - the organics!

As for skin care routines, I've been watching a lot of different youtube videos on best ways to do makeup on my own at home. And I fell in love with Kandee Johnson, a celebrity make-up artist in L.A. and her generous tips on how-tos. She's a mother of four children, and she looks AMAZING. So I really appreciate her insightful know-hows, down-to-earth practical tips, and adorable upbeat personality.

Honestly, I had no idea women worldwide spend so much time, money, thoughts, and efforts into taking care of their skin. It's a LOT of work, but truly - we are worth it. I'm following skincare routines according to the products available to me (and there are A LOT of products I'm just getting familiar to).

I am now on a rampage trying to update my skincare regime with PETROLEUM-FREE products.



For a few months now, everyday I wake up and I get into doing a quick "natural" makeup routine. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes (took me a while to get used to it, and I was wearing too much makeup at one point - almost stage-makeup look, so I had to tone down.) Now in 15 minutes, my makeup includes 1. primer, foundation/concealer, setting powder, 2. eyeshadow techniques with highlighting, and 3. lipgloss... Sometimes I wear eyeliners. I'm really enjoying looking my finest. And here in Hong Kong, I'm always on the run, and I hate it when my makeup just slide off by mid-day, and look terrible with melted makeup on. This routine really allows my makeup to stick to my face for over 12 hours. It's like wearing a beautiful mask to protect my face from the intense pollutants.

I really like Michelle Phan's tips on "Tightline" eye-lining. It's very natural to the point where it's no eye-liner look.

Now that's natural.



So another reason to be green, is not just for love of our earth, but love for ourselves.

xoxo
CK

Kiss me all over!

Hi everyone! Fancy here!

Kiss My Face is one of my very favorite organic eco-friendly lines. Kiss My Face offers body and facial products, with no animal testing, as many natural ingredients and as few chemicals as possible, all packaged in recyclable plastic. The products are available at health food stores, on their website (www.kissmyface.com) and drugstore.com. They are not low priced, but lower priced than, say, Burt’s Bee’s.

One of my staple KMF products is their Oil-Free Aloe Vanilla Moisturizer . This yummy lotion comes in a 4oz tube (3.99USD) or 16oz bottle (9.99USD).

The first thing I love about this is the smell. It is lovely. I love vanilla smells, and this lotion meets my expectations well, with it’s light and fresh cakey vanilla scent. It smells wonderful and I love to sniff myself when I use this lotion. The smell is not overwhelming and no one but you will notice it!

Next, the feel. A nice, thick white lotion. It absorbs easily and quickly, leaving my skin feeling very smooth. After it absorbs my skin feels soft and in good condition for at least a day.

Then, the effect. The lotion does a good job of moisturizing, and the Alpha Hydroxy Acids also exfoliate. A few years ago I noticed I was getting some of those dry bumps on the back of my arms after a summer without using much lotion, and after a few days with Kiss my Face they were gone. I cannot see exfoliating happening, but my skin feels so soft I am sure it is!

I have even tried this lotion on my face a few times. It absorbs quickly on my face and has not irritated my skin or caused breakouts at all, nor did it interfere with cosmetic application or leave my face greasy. I am not using it on my face now, as I have another face lotion I prefer, but if I ran out of face lotion and had some Kiss my Face left, I would not hesitate to use it. Give it a try!!

This is about YOUR BEAUTY

Do you know that in our lifetime, an average woman absorbs two kilograms of chemicals from conventional beauty products? That's a tub full of antifreeze and petroleum oil poured all over your face and body. And you wonder why you just look worse after you start using makeup? It's not just the aging.

Our skin is our largest organ - and once you pay attention to the ingredients in these skincare and cosmetic products that you use on your face - you'll realize the short term gratification doesn't justify ruining your health, your beauty, and spending all your hard earned money.

This post is not about being a tree-hugger. This post is about you, your beauty and the necessary steps we need to take in order to protect yourself. And it is only common sense that our nature has provided us the best for our skin all along.

Years ago, I finally found my perfect RED LIPS in an AVEDA store. I tried the lipstick and right away - bought the lipstick and lipgloss that creates the most gorgeous red pouts I've always dreamt of since I was a little girl. I wasn't thinking about the green message that Aveda was carrying. I was simply amazed at how natural and incredible the colours come about. It was perfect... and to me, it was icing on the cake that the packaging is environmentally sound. It was wonderful to learn the ingredients are natural and actually good for me, but the most important thing was, I got the beautiful red lips that I wanted for so long.

That got my attention on Aveda, and other organic and natural beauty products.

Gone is the old era where the words "organic skin care" is the home-made lumpy oatmeals and sticky honey on your face and mayonaisse in your hair (not that there's anything wrong with it! If you are a natural natural girl, bravo!)

But like most city girls, I'm hooked on luxury products that includes all the fancy ingredients that we're convinced are necessary. Besides, there's nothing like unwrapping the beautiful packagings and conveniently glossy face powders and lipsticks. When I see matching set of pretty bottles in my bathroom, it makes me wanna spend more time to treat my face.

Recently, more and more doctors, researchers, and women are questioning and testing the over the counter skincare and beauty products - for the efficiencies, the ingredients, and whether there had been any false marketing. Intelligent women from all the world are recognizing a lot of the skincare may not necessarily be good for us.

Sure, quite alot of these over-the-counter products smell great and feels nice... but how would you feel when you find out they were all just marketing schemes to get your cash? The chemicals in these products are actually hurting you and destroying your natural beauty!

To make sure we are all investing in the right products, I employ you to join me in your future visits to the cosmetics counter. Invest in yourself, and invest in your future - by investing a range of loving products that are good for you, and is beautiful inside and out.

With these products, we can't lose.

• Care by Stella McCartney - 100% organic active ingredients - it has taken YSL Beaute 3 years to develop an organic skincare range. This brand really knows about luxury.
• Green People - natural hair and skincare products for men, women, children, and babies
• Aveda - the largest brand (funded by Estee Lauder) for natural skin care, cosmetics, haircare - organic when possible.
• Origins - full line of plant-based skin care, makeup, and body care products. It is wellness based beauty brand. It now has a very first organic line of skin care products that carries 95% organic USDA certification seal.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, please feel free to leave a comment or email C.K. at find.curiosity@gmail.com.