Eco-Chic Beauty Obsession: Weleda Skin Food

I'm rarely without hand cream and during the winter, I stash a tube in every pocket, drawer and handbag so I'm never without it. I've had many favorites but this winter my hands have thanked me for my new eco-chic beauty obsession, Weleda Skin Food ($17). A product I usually use for rough elbows and knees in the summer, this organic cream has become my hands' best friend this winter.

The cream contains essential fatty acids, vitamin E,  and organic pansy to calm dry irritation (my cuticles will crack and bleed, people. If I tell you that a hand cream soothes dry skin, please listen to me.) It also contains the antiseptic properties of rosemary leaf extract and the anti-inflammatory and nourishing organic calendula flower. The cream nourishes, keeps my hands from itching and cracking, and gives them a young and supple appeal...which is a tall order after exposure to gas heat and sub-zero temperatures.

My trick is to slather my hands in it before I put on my mittens, then apply more at my destination. Organic and soothing? Score. I have one in every bag and considering we're not even halfway through this bitter cold winter, I might suggest you do the same.

Eco-Chic Beauty Must-Haves: Vapour Beauty

When you do what I do, you get invitations to see the newest product that claims eco-friendly properties, skincare benefits and the best packaging on the planet. But seeing and experiencing is believing with eco-friendly prestige cosmetics line, Vapour Beauty: it's the real deal.

There are two things that make this company a very different story for those of us who cover beauty. The first is that the products use Certified Organic and safe food grade ingredients as well as botanicals and blends of anti-oxidants found naturally in plant oils and butters, which makes it truly organic. The other is the creative force they have behind the brand, the amazing Eric Sakas, who was the original co-founder of Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, one of the gold standards in the beauty industry for their cutting-edge products and high-grade formulations. The result is a truly organic beauty line that can back up their claims and delivers high-quality beauty products that really work and look amazing.

Best of all, people: everything in the line (and I do mean everything) is either in tube or stick form. As in, wipe or swipe and go! Not only is it organic, it's FAST. Swipe, blend, repeat if necessary and leave the house. Those of us who attended the demo were amazed. This new prestige beauty line is quick, easy-to-use and good for you. This makes it an official FSB must-have.


I love everything in the line (and wear it often) but I would strongly suggest that you pick up their Stratus Instant Skin Perfector ($44, shown at top), which is basically a moisturizer and luminizer in a stick. Most of us who don't wear foundation wear this alone but under their foundation, your skin looks truly even and luminous. Speaking of foundation, I don't normally wear any but I love their Atmosphere Luminous Foundation ($38) for when I do decide to glam out - the formulation is beautiful and it's one of the first formulas I don't immediately want to scratch off minutes after I apply it. The list of the products go on and I recommend them all, including their Mesmerize Eye Color ($16) which goes on like a watercolor stick and gives amazing pigment for you to build on from day to night. Blush, lip gloss, lip stick - whatever you need, they've got it except mascara, which is coming later.


Because they know FSB subscribers love good cosmetics, they're hooking you up: you will get a free Lux Organic Lip Conditioner (a $16 value), which I use religiously to condition and soften my lips all day! Just enter "freelip-fashion" on their site before you check out as the coupon code. You'd better hurry, though: this fabulous code expires on August 24th!

If you're looking for amazing eco-friendly beauty, this organic cosmetics line is the real deal. Good for your body and quick as the flick of a stick, Vapour Beauty will have you looking gorgeous and the only footprint you have to worry about leaving on the Earth is heel marks from your fabulous stilettos.

Beauty Shopping: Sabon NYC Gift With Purchase

Remember I was telling you of my love for Sabon NYC's amazing bath products. Well, for those of you summer travelers who want to take your bath luxuries with you (who doesn't?), Sabon has a little gift for you: once your order totals $50, you get this FREE deluxe travel set (a Loofah Soap Lychee and an Exfoliating Towel). Don't delay! Shop now! After all, life is too short. Travel well.

Eco-Chic Mom Beauty: Weleda Throws A Hollywood Bash at The Little Seed

*All event images courtesy of Charley Gallay (WireImage)

I just got some scoop on one of my favorite brands, Weleda, and their sponsorship of Thursday night’s launch of The Little Seed boutique’s Private Label collection in Los Angeles. The event was evidently totally star-studded, with store owners Soleil Moon Frye and Paige Tolmach on hand to fete with celeb friends like Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Melissa John Hart, Julie Bowen, Busy Phillips, and many others.



I'm writing about this because this cause is near and dear to my heart. Although I'm not a new mom, I have some dear friends who are and they're constantly looking for the best organic ingredients with which to clothe, bathe and feed their children at a price that won't leave them throwing a tantrum. These brands can back that up: The Weleda Baby Calendula Care line is a 100% certified natural collection formulated with organic calendula to care for a baby’s ultra-sensitive skin and The Little Seeds’ Private Label collection is 100% organic cotton including onesies, tunics, shirts, pants and accessories.



You gotta love the goodie bag as well: all guests received a bag filled with organic goodies including Weleda Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash, Calendula Baby Cream, Skin Food (my personal beauty staple), and other organic booty.


You can get Weleda products for yourself and your family at Target, Whole Foods and other health food stores and if you're in Los Angeles, stop into The Little Seed for organic baby needs. After all, the best mark you can leave on the earth is the healthy baby kind, not the carbon variety.

Fabulous Organic Beauty: Sabon NYC

I was recently invited to Sabon NYC's shop in Soho to experience their amazing beauty products. I have to say, if I were surrounded by these hand creams, soaps, bath and beauty products all day, I cannot imagine how I would ever want to leave. These products are just to die for: body scrubs and creams that penetrate deeply without having to slather on handfuls of products, soaps that clean without stripping - all made with the best, most natural ingredients.

You hear a lot about organic products - it's a big buzzword in the beauty industry. Let's be honest for a moment about why these products are good for you. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Whatever you put on your skin gets absorbed or otherwise ingested into the body in one way or another. The less harsh chemicals you use, the less you have to worry about apologizing for "eating" things you shouldn't. Make sense? Moving on...


As a bath product enthusiast, I highly recommend the Organic Body Scrub ($30) for gentle exfoliation that leaves a hydrated glow, followed immediately by Organic Butter Cream ($39). A little goes a long way and the scent is pleasant without overpowering. As a desk or handbag staple, their Organic Hand Cream ($18) is a hand-softening, cuticle smoothing miracle.


If you're in NYC, I recommend stopping by the Soho boutique for a truly luxurious experience. Otherwise, get thee to the website and get to shopping. You deserve gorgeous, glowing skin this summer and Sabon is a fabulous way to get it.