Beauty

We are in an age where eco-friendly is the it thing to do. So why aren’ you doing it? Or maybe you are. Eco-friendly fashion is stepping up to the plate, BIG time, and designers are doing so in a hundred thousand different ways. Right now it is the chic and the politically correct thing to carry around an eco-tote. You know, an all purpose bag that is NOT a purse, but a tote for you to carry all your stuff in. Use it on errand days, grocery runs, or, whatever you need it for. Don’t have yours yet? Check out these top 5 styles I have run across. I have to say….I am not sure which one I like better. They’re ALL kinda cute!

Here is the Dog Eared Karma Bag available at Moondance Jewelry for $25 bucks. I love the concept, Karma is a boomerang and is something I TRULY believe in. The bag says ‘Karma. What Goes Around Comes Around’ Meaning, be eco friendly and the Earth will reward you. This bag is a bit of sass, class, and a lot of good. Made from cotton, if you don’t like the Karma motif, check out the Peace Sign motif they have.

The streets of New York are ridden with these Baggu bags and they have become the It Bag for eco-friendly totes. The company tells us that using one Baggu a year will replace 300-700 disposable bags, and that one Baggu will hold up to 2-3 plastic grocery bags worth of stuff. I love the handles you can carry with your hand, or hang over your shoulder. The bags are made of superior nylon and will hold up to 25 lbs, yet at the same time the bags themselves weigh less than 2 oz. so they are compactible as well. They’ll fold into a 5×5 pouch you can slip in your purse so they are there when you need them. You will love the color ranges on these babies, so bright! And cheap too! $8 a piece or buy them in packages like 3 for $22.

This one reminds me of the one that I own. Mine is a canvas tote with a lithograph of New Orleans on it and this bag is the American Apparel Bull Denim Woven Cotton Cities Bag. The bag is 100% canvas with reinforced tacks at the double handle and has the print of major cities on both sides of the bag. Very chic and for $28 you will get your money’s worth as this bag will last you a good time.

For the funky boho chick, you may want to try out the Shopper Bag in Katbots, at $22. This one features a cute print of sort of an African motif in various colors. The bag is by Loop Design and also will fold into a pouch in your purse.

This one might be my favorite, it’s very clever. This is by Handmade Expressions, the ‘This is a Paper Bag’ Bag. The bag is made entirely from recycled newspaper and the newspaper is folded into several layers. The bag contains a cardboard base (also recycled) that will strengthen it to hold more weight. You can even customize this one, to have whatever you want printed on the side. Being made of paper, you are going to want to limit the weight contents, but if you don’t have much to lug, then this is a good choice. And cheap, wow, $ 0.75 cents a bag!! Hey, a bag made of entirely recycled goods? Doesn’t get any more eco-friendly than that!

Have you been wanting to stretch some creative muscles lately? How would you like to do that AND get $1000 in prizes at the same time?

ELLE Magazine and Eufora hair care are developing a new all-natural clarifying shampoo, and they need your help deciding what to call it!

Come up with the perfect name, and you’ll not only see your idea printed on thousands of bottles (launching in May), but Eufora will donate $500 to the environmental charity of your choice and give you a Eufora product gift basket worth $500.

Entries may be no longer than 18 characters, including spaces, and should make clear that this is a natural way to remove mineral build-up from hair. The formula contains an aloe vera base and will be enriched with antioxidants. Current Eufora products include Daily Balance Conditioner, Pure Cleanse Shampoo, and Illuminate Shine Mist. All entries are due by February 1st, 2008. One entry per day allowed.

Click HERE to ENTER!

Well, we saw a lot of do’s and don’ts like we do every year. But this year seemed to be a big one for major dramatic changes. Generally, the big dramatic changes don’t last, but oddly enough, I can see some of these sticking around for a while. And uh, some not. Let’s see what gets the thumbs up, and which ones, uh….don’t.

In no specific order, here are the top ten beauty trends coming out of 2007.

The Big Bang Theory – Thumbs UP. Bangs started off huge this year, we first saw them emerging as a real trend at the Oscars and then, as usual, they were everywhere. Funny what bangs can do for your face, I recently went back to bangs and WOW 10 years right off (so I am told). If you are considering a major change that isn’t TOO dramatic, go with bangs like Kate Moss, Reese Witherspoon, and Irina Lazareanu have. This is a comeback that is going to be a stay back, so go for it.

And Thumbs Up to Eco-Friendly Beauty OR Fashion as it is not going to go away any time soon, so BIG BIG thumbs up to this one. The trailblazer on this in the beauty world is our Stella McCartney. She took a stand long before it was cool to do so by leaving Gucci due to their work with animal products. And now, she has just introduced Care, an all-organic skin care range. These products include yogurt and honey to replace the standard salicylic acid. You can find this in all the big name department stores.

Big red lips — Thumbs Still were big this year, all over the red carpet and all over the runways. This one is not an easy to look off, we have done a few beauty tutorials on how you can do this though. The red lip has been hotter in 2007 than it ever has, so I am guessing you are going to get at least a few more seasons out of this one. Not one of my favorite looks, neither thumbs up OR down, but I am seeing this one last.

Off with the Hair – BIG Thumbs up! Cutting hair drastically has been THE thing to do this year, everyone has gone short short. And I know I’ve been blahing about it myself (hush now, this may be a resolution in the making for me). Katie Holmes wins as the most spoken about do, and I love this new look on her. A brand new kind of sophistication. Gone with the girl, and in with this elegant woman. Rihanna was another that made waves when she chopped hers off. Her label was NOT happy, but huh, the rest of us were so go figure. I can see more stars following suit, and many of us little people doing the same.

And the Award for the Most Expensive Product — Thumbs DOWNGoes to…….Gucci! They say money can’t buy happiness, but apparently it can buy some damn good product. Gucci Westman’s has reached an all new peak when it comes to being over the top. Here is their Goyard trunk for Lancome. Suggested retail value? A mere $18,000. I am all about spending a good dollar if you are getting a good product, but you know what? Nope, sorry Gucci (though I do love you) there are just FAR too many starving children in the world for me to justify a thumbs up here. Soooo unnecessary.

Big Brows – Thumbs not moving. Here is a look that you really need to have the face to make it work. Not just anyone can pull this off. But just about every rag and runway spoke accolades to the big brow. These really were everywhere, but I don’t seem them lasting. Collections like Chanel, Dior, and Balenciaga were the leaders here in trying to get this look off the ground. This one though for me, is too face specific to say it’s a trend that will keep up with the pace.

Mine Eyes, They Have Wings! Thumbs Down! Ah yes, Amy Winehouse has left the world with a rather untraditional look, that of the winged eye. Again, thumbs not moving here, though if they were, they would be leaning down. Her signature look with the cat-like eyes has been copied on the runways of Prada and Louis Vuitton and many celebs have taken it to the red carpet as well. Again, you completely need the facial structure for this one (and I’m not saying even Amy has it). But dramatic black eyeliner is definitely a look that was prominent this year. Don’t hold your breath though, I really think this one is going to fade with more than a little bit of makeup remover.

Thumbs WAY Up! The Fragrance of the Year Award Goes to…..L by L.A.M.B. for Gwen Stefani. Yep, this girl is not just a talented designer, performance artist, but also a smell queen in the making. This was the most sold out fragrance this year, and the biggest celebrity launch in fragrance in 2007. You will love the freesia, pear, orange blossom, and sweet pea scents you find here. Oooh, I haven’t smelled it yet but just writing about it makes me warm and fuzzy! Gwen is Gwen and has been around since No Doubt. Her products and her wonder are not going away any time soon. TWO big thumbs up for you baby!

Good ol’ fashioned Hollywood Glamour. Well, if I hadn’t just finished watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for the 3rd time this holiday season I would almost forget what this look was about. But Donna Reed certainly pulled off what is today still a stunning look. And here is Veronica Lake then and now re-emerging as a beauty icon with gorgeous full lips and even fuller pin curled soft waves. This Hollywood glamour look was rampant on the runways of Valentino, Gucci, and Missoni. And yes, thumbs up as this is a beauty you can not just let go of. I hope we see MORE of this.

Thumbs WAY WAY Up! Stick Figure is SO Out! Yes, many of you will be happy to know that the stick figure look is out, and hopefully out for good. Big names like Nicole Richie, Tyra Banks, and Jennifer Love Hewitt have spoken out and LOUDLY I might add, on how sick they are of the Hollywood stereotype. Being big IS beautiful, and these women are flaunting it. Ok, so Nicole has a baby bump to make her a biggie, but she has voiced her issues about her figure since then and does not want women to want to look like she used to. I hope more celebs jump on this bandwagon. The more that women and teenage girls (the age group most prone to eating disorders) can hear that being big is ok, the better off our world will be. So kudos to these ladies for inspiring girls everywhere, being big IS beautiful…or even, NOT being a stick figure is beautiful. And Big Thumbs Up!

Well it seems that Al Gore has made global warming not only a household name, but a household fear. With that the entire world has jumped on the green bandwagon making eco-friendly, enviro-friendly, and recycling goods the hip thing to do. Fashion, as usual, is no exception. Many designers are going organic and environmentally friendly to make you in with the hip crowd, even if you throw our soda cans in the trash (don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone). In the most recent waves are Barney’s and H & M retailers who are also going green. The entire holiday season at Barney’s is running around a green theme with “Give Good Green” being the holiday slogan. You will see green-themed windows designed by Simon Doonan, shopping bags that are recycled AND recyclable, and environmentally conscious clothing of all descriptions. Not ONLY that, but a portion of all of these eco-friendlyisms will go towards a host of environmentally conscious charities. Now giving green is really what the holiday is all about.

At the same time, you will find H & M jumping on the bandwagon as well. Here is not only your go-to spot for fashion that may be somewhat as disposable as the trends are, but the fashion is also recyclable. What?? That’s right. H & M has recently expanded their green choices with leggings, tees, jeans, and comfy clothes that are not only cute, but eco-friendly with their vegetable dyes and organic cotton. The trapeze hoody you see here runs for $34.90 at H & M, and the striped T-shirt for less than $10 bucks. And yup. Though it may not appear as much, these are some pretty green items made of all organic materials.

H & M is also offering these cute get comfy at home clothes. Perfect for lounging around on those Saturday afternoons when the temperature dips and you just don’t have the hootzpah to get up and get moving. I love this grey striped tank top and matching stripey boxers. Wanna feel a little pretty with this? Toss in this pretty striped bra with white lace detail and matching grey and white panties that also feature the lace detail. Take the season’s hottest color underneath your clothes. Noone needs to know, it’s just you and your Saturday. And guess what? This whole shebang runs for about $30 bucks total, you’re lookin’ at about $6 bucks a piece. Can’t beat THAT can you?

And if your Saturday does take you to the market or the post box, the dry cleaners or the *whatever*. Then toss on this men’s button-front cardigan and blue high waist denim jeans. The cardigan is running at $29.90 and the jeans for under $40. No reason you can’t wear menswear. With the cute tank on underneath, that is HOT. Men love it when you wear their stuff. Pick this up for your guy and then steal it. He’ll complain, but he secretly loves it.