ALOE + ROSEWATER FACIAL SETTING SPRAY

The summer heat has really started to set in, which means my makeup is usually melting off my face.  A few weeks ago I talked to an esthetician who recommended a facial setting spray and listed a few brands she liked. She said it basically sets your makeup for the day and can really help those with oily skin. After reviewing some of her recommendations I wasn't loving some of the ingredients. But renewed my search when a day of heavy yard work left my fave looking like Gangie - See here for reference.  I then came upon a product that was not only ingredient friendly, but I thought I could make myself. If you aren't into making your own beauty products you can buy it here. 

Ingredients:
Witch Hazel
Green Tea
Rose Water
Aloe Vera (natural, in liquid form, not the gel)
Distilled Water
Essential Oil

Directions:
Pour 1/3 cup witch hazel into a 3 oz misting bottle (usually in the travel section of the drug store). Then  add 3 tablespoons of green tea, strained. Next combine 1 tablespoon of both aloe vera and rose water.
Add a few tablespoons of distilled water, and a few drops of essential oil if you prefer, it is for fragrance only.

After applying your make-up, Lightly spritz face and let dry, don't touch your face or move. (I made the mistake of looking down and got mascara on my under eye area)

ECO FRIENDLY MASCARA

About 85% of my medicine cabinet is organic, homemade, or all-natural beauty products. But when it came to mascaras, there always was a hole to fill, I have light colored lashes and  faking pretty-looking lashes with "green" products was harder than I thought. If it didn't clump everywhere, I looked like a raccoon by days end, and no one should be rocking raccoon eyes, sorry Taylor Momsen.  But I finally got tired of using a product on my face with petroleum-based ingredients - that's just crazy!

I have tried a few products, and here are some I think are worth recommending-  and one that I am in love with! There's even a bonus these are all great mascaras for sensitive eyes. Without further ado, here are my picks for a great mascara that won't break the bank or the planet.

I had only tried Origins skin care products before, but this Origins GinZing Brightening Mascara caught my eye, being all-natural and vegan. It is highly pigmented and has caffeine, ginseng & carnuba palm to help eyes appear brighter and livelier. It doesn't clump, or get spiky, but remains very soft- a huge selling point for me. One of the best options hands down!

I pretty much bathe in Josie Maran’s argan oil. So, of course when I saw the GOGO mascara, I knew it would be perfect. It lived up to all of its hype, volume and thick lashes is what you'll get. I noticed it tended to clump if I over applied, which is how I had to use my old mascara. You only need one coat with this product to get great coverage.

I don't expect to find green beauty products in the drugstore, so this was a surprise for me. Physicians Formula Organic Wear FakeOut Mascara didn't necessarily give me the kind of results from Origins, but I was impressed by the boost that it gave to my lashes. Also to note, 70% of the ingredients come from organic farming, and this is the first fiber formula mascara to use completely natural fibers.

HOMEMADE SPA RECIPES

I love to be pampered, who doesn't. And I have found that I can have a super relaxing and rejuvenating experience while pampering myself in my own home. On Sunday evenings I turn my bathroom into my sanctuary. We used to call it a "beauty symposium" when we were kids. We would get our hair curled and our nails painted, we loved it! Now as an "adult" I still enjoy my Sunday night spa time. After my shower I go to town scrubbing and exfoliating and here are some of my little secret recipes.

Bath Soaks:
Add a cup of strongly brewed peppermint tea to the water for an herbal soak, or Add some Epsom salts and a few drops of essential oils. I like to change the oils based on my mood.

Avocado Facial:
Mix 1 tbsp mashed avoado, 1 tsp honey, 3 drops apple cider vinegar and a little sesame oil.
Rub onto your face leave for 10 min. then rinse with water.

Foot Scrub:
Mix equal parts granulated sugar and olive oil and rub into feet. I also like to use a pumice stone on my heels and bottoms of my feet to get them super smooth.

To Exfoliate Elbows and Knees:
Cut an orange in half and rub onto knees and elbows, this sounds so bazaar but it actually works!

For Dry Skin:
For my all over skin I use coconut milk, not oil and rub it into my skin. On extra dry areas, cuticles and elbows I will rub in a few drops of olive oil.

For Puffy Eyes:
Use chamomile, green, or black tea bags, then steep them in boiling water and refrigerate them. Place them over the eyes for about 5-10 min.

Mascara Remover:
3 drops olive oil on a cotton ball, gently rub eyes and rinse with water.

Teeth Brightening:
Make a paste with Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda. Brush your teeth with it, then rinse. I like to rinse my whole mouth with hydrogen peroxide once a week as well, but I'm a anti-germ freak!

Acne Spot Treatment:
A few drops of organic honey and a pinch of cinnamon. mix together and dab on any blemishes. Leave on for about 10-15 min then rinse off. You will notice they have gotten smaller in the morning.

ECO OBSESSION: MAKEUP CADDY

Right now I am loving this great makeup brush holder from Lessandmore's Etsy Shop!And they have so many creative ways to use on old block of wood.

Such a great idea. I have almost no counter space in my powder room and all of my makeup brushes and bits and bobs are sitting inside of antique glass goblets. I hate tossing them into a drawer because they will only stay organized for about 3 seconds. The DIY possibilities are endless. I'd love something like this in my kitchen to hold my metal utensils. Check out this one to hold pens and scissors!

 This little bud vase is the perfect thing for spring. We have such a slow season here with the trees blossoming, but it is my favorite time of year. I love to see cherry blossoms mixed in with spring floral arrangements. Such a fun and clever idea. I could see a long one down the center of a dining table.

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Mother's Day is soon approaching, and I know I struggle with fun ideas for gifts for my mom. I mean what do you give the woman who gave you life- a toaster, umm no... The pinnacle of my Mother's Day gift giving success came in 2005- The Lord or the Rings Collector's Edition DVD boxed set. I will never come close to the success of that gift ever again, well until they release The Hobbit. Nudge, Nudge, Peter Jackson. But Style Me Green is here to save the day with a few eco-friendly and affordable gifts for the mom(s) in your life.

1. Rifle Paper Co's botanical journals are gorgeous and eco friendly. They are made in the USA from FSC certified paper.

2. I love watching Brent and Josh "The Fabulous Beekman Boys," but I love their home-made goat milk soap even more! My favorite is the wild poppy seed, but there are so many fantastic options you can't go wrong!

3. This gift never fails-potted plants. Whether you give her a gift card to select her favorite buds from her local nursery or pick them out yourself, it is definitely a gift that will keep on giving all summer long.

4. Etsy is full of great shops where you can personalize jewelry for mom. I love the idea of doing a monogram charm for each child.

5. You can never go wrong with a gift from the heart. Service is a great way to show you care. Wash her car, give her a foot rub, or help out in the yard. This is a gift for any age and any financial situation that is always a success.

6. Butter London has a great selection of eco friendly nail lacquer that comes in so many fun colors. My favorite is Tea with the Queen.

DIY BEET JUICE LIP BALM

Many of us spend lots of money on makeup every year. However, money isn't the only thing we're spending on makeup. Makeup production sucks up some of our precious resources on this planet. Remember this?

But making your own cosmetics is not impossible, and once you have a few key ingredients you can make a variety of different products. Lip gloss, for example, is a relatively simple cosmetics product to make yourself. Not only is it perfectly suited for your own lips, it makes for a wonderful gift as well.

Here's a basic recipe:

¼ cup of beeswax

¼ cup of castor oil

2 tbsp on sesame oil

2 tbsp of beet juice

Melt the beeswax. Remove it from the heat and add the oils. Then add however much beet juice you wish for coloring. Store this in a container in your refrigerator.

This makes a great lip gloss and the best part is...you know exactly what is in it!

SCOTCH NATURAL ECO NAIL POLISH

Scotch Naturals’ nail polish is an environmentally friendly way to treat yourself to a manicure or pedicure. The water-based line allows the nail to breathe and helps maintain the health of the nail, it is made without toxic chemicals like ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose, and, butyl acetate, that are found in conventional solvent-based nail polishes. You will start to see healthier stronger nails after each use, and they have 17 great colors to choose from, as well as soy polish remover!

SEPHORA NATURAL MAKEUP

Today my mascara gave up on me. Its really my fault for trying to drag it out this long- but fortunately it inspired me to share some eco-friendly beauty products. Whenever I get low on a beauty/makeup product I go online and do a bit of digging. When I discovered Sephora had a line of makeup that was natural I was pretty stoked- because I already use a lot of their products. I love Sephora because they have such great quality makeup and they aren’t unreasonably priced. Just look for the green “Naturally Sephora” label. Click the images to see prices and ingredients.

THINKING GREEN: BEAUTY

Finding truly natural, nontoxic makeup and personal care products can be difficult. It wasn’t until recently that I realized how bad the chemicals in makeup and beauty products can be. While it is unrealistic to throw out all of your old beauty products, it is good to note which ingredients can harm both the health of your body, and the health of the environment when you go to purchase new products.

6 Beauty Product Ingredients to Avoid

· Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Examples include petroleum jelly, isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol, methyl alcohol or methanol, butyl alcohol or butanol, ethyl alcohol or ethanol (often used in skin astringents and perfumes or colognes).

· Sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates and other sulfate-based detergents
Examples include sodium lauryl ether sulfate; sodium laureth sulphate; sodium lauryl ether sulphate (most commonly used in shampoos, shower gel, bubble bath) It is basically a cheap ingredient that makes things foam, but has been shown to cause irritation on animal and human test subjects

· Propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol, along with various ingredients formulated with PEGs and PGs. Examples include ethylene glycol (used in firming lotions) and propylene glycol (found in everything from deodorant, mascara, baby powder, after shave and more).

· Formaldehyde & paraben preservatives
Examples include butylparaben, ethylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben (found in sunscreen, shampoos, shaving gel, toothpaste and more) In June 2011, the US National Toxicology Program has described formaldehyde as "known to be a human carcinogen,"

· Synthetic dyes
Examples include anything with F&DC preceding it, usually followed by a color and a number. (F representing food, D&C representing drugs and cosmetics), other color additives, including caramel, lead acetate, manganese violet, and more.

· Artificial fragrances
Avoid most perfumes/colognes, which legally aren't required to list ingredients to protect their trade mark.