Nothing can pull me out of blogger hiding like an award show with hideous dresses. I mean. Last night was atrocious.
Let's talk about what was good, because that's kind of boring. We'll start with my personal fav. Diane.
Oh Diane. You are so wonderful. You don't go for the boring strapless numbers we see over and over and OVERRRR. This dress is so beautiful and unique and you should win some sort of fashion medal. Also you and your boyfriend are the cutest and please don't break up.
Next up. Emma.
This outfit is super cool. I don't know about weird appropriateness fashion rules when it comes to the varying degrees of formality at these shows, but I loved this.
Channing Tatum's Wife
Do you know her name? Come on, you don't. Anyway, her hair is so pretty and the silhouette of this is a little weird but she looks like a beautiful spring flower and I thought it was pretty nice on her.
Helen Mirren
This dress really isn't all that great but you guys. Helen is such a babe. I love that she is 69 years old and takes care of herself. She looks amazing. She's super inspiring to me.
Felicity Jones
I love anything with a different neckline, and the shape of this dress is lovely. She looks so perfect.
Taylor Schilling
I'm the only person in North America that hasn't yet watched this girl's show (there's just too much good tv!) but this dress is so good. So good. Well done, girl.
Tiny Fey
This dress is really weird but I loved it. Edgy and cool and black and white. Yes.
And now. The bad.
Claire Danes
Hi, my name is Claire Danes. I have all of the money in the world and this is the very best dress I could find for this event. Ok Claire. Ok.
Lupita Nyong'o
Dressing for spring doesn't have to be this literal. Actual petals? It's silly.
JLo
Dear JLo, the 90's JLo called and said it's ok to not wear skin toned lipstick and plunging necklines. We get it. You are bronzed. WE GET IT.
Keira Nightly
What. The. F. I've never wanted to use the "I can't even." more than now. But I literally can't even.
My beloved Jennifer Aniston
Jen. We need to talk. Let me preface this by saying that I am your biggest fan. For real. I will NEVER FORGIVE BRAD. And I am so so happy to see you nominated. But honestly, when did you stop being good at award show fashion? If you were always bad, this would make sense. And this isn't your worst. The dreaded John Mayer/braided band fiasco outshines this. And this isn't terrible. But you could do SO MUCH BETTER. And you were nominated this year. So this was your year. I'm crying on the inside for you. But, you know what? You found a guy that's cooler than Brad, and so, things aren't so bad for you Jen. Just please fire your stylist. Or hiring one if this is your own doing.
How badly do I want this polish?
So so perfect for the holidays. LOVE.
Image via Nordstrom
Finding good, well-priced, clean makeup is tough, and this is probably going to be an ongoing search. Most days I don't wear any makeup, but I like to have a few basics for when we have plans and I like to actually put five or so minutes into my face. This is what I'm starting with, and if anyone has any other great suggestions please let me know!
Physician's Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara - EWG Rating 1 - This was my first makeup purchase, because mascara is kind of my top priority when it comes to makeup. This one is amazing! Now, this is a plus for me, but to some it might be a negative - it washes off SO easily, it basically melts as soon as water touches it. I love this feature, because I hate scrubbing my eyes or using eye makeup remover, so this made me fall in love. But, if you usually prefer a more waterproof mascara, you might not love this one as much.
Sappho Cosmetics Foundation - EWG Rating 2 - I ordered a sample of this (discovered this brand through David Suzucki's website) and its incredible foundation. I rarely wear foundation, so this sample will last me a while, probably at least 5 applications, and then I think I will splurge for the full size. It's undetectable on the skin, which I've never been able to find. And the colours are lovely.
100% Pure Cheek Tint in Pink Grapefruit - (Not listed on EWG, but gets a 10 on Good Guide - the best score - and is recommended by Adria Vasil, Ecoholic author. That along with the ingredient list made me think it was ok.) - Cutest little blush ever. I was pretty addicted to my Mac Pink Swoon, but I actually love this more! This is my first time ever using a blush stick and it's so much more natural looking. Hooked.
Physicians Formula 100% Organic Bronzer - EWG Rating 2 - I don't wear bronzer that often but it's nice to have for the summer months since I do my best not to get a tan. This one is very light and natural.
Juice Beauty Alicia Silverstone Lipstick - Not listed on EWG, but I went through the ingredients and feel ok with them. For years now my go to lipstick was Mac Cream Cup. It was the perfect nude. Like, perfect. So finding a similar shade that was natural and chemical free was really important, and really tough. But, this shade is so perfect it's crazy. And the packaging couldn't be any prettier.
Beauty Without Cruelty Concealor - EWG Rating 1 - Concealer is pretty crucial for me thanks to my paper thin pale skin and lack of sleep most nights. I've never found the perfect concealor, and this one is good, not perfect, but I'm ok with it.
Physician's Formula Organic Wear Eyeliner - EWG Rating 0 - A simple, black liner, nothing fancy. And nothing gross in the ingredient list.
A note on powder - I had a tough time finding one that I could easily get that wasn't too pricey and that was a 0, but I kept seeing Coastal Classics listed, and I took a look at their ingredients. I also stumbled upon a TON of DIYs for powder on Pinterest, something I NEVER would have thought of trying to make. Just seems kind of gross. BUT. I tried it. And honestly, it's just as good as my old trusty BareMinerals (which gets a whopping 7 on EWG, yikes!) So, I've been using it for weeks and I think I'm set! I'm still going to try to perfect it a bit, and I'll share it if/when it's just right!
That's about all I've looked into as far as makeup goes. I'll leave you with this great photo breaking down some of the scary things found in our beauty products. CRAZY, right?
Image via Delicious Wife
Next up in this series, the last post, will be about cleaning products and other little around the house changes we've made.
Once I got Ben figured out, I started looking at my lotions and bath products. Vaseline, Olay, Body Shop. Good grief. Not pretty EWG scores or ingredients. Like, really a scary amount of toxins that could lead to serious serious stuff. So I kept on with my living clean mission.
One of the best places to start is with body lotions because your body absorbs SO much of it. I use body lotion head to toe daily, so it was my first priority, and I had to find some better options. SO. First stop, Badger again!
I know, I know, this is starting to look like a Badger commercial. (Promise that other products will be mentioned, many others!) I wanted to see a lot of zeros on EWG, and I had to find things that I could get easily that weren't going to cost me a million dollars, and that didn't smell like hippies. Again, sorry hippies, I'm one of you now! But, after comparing many products out there against Badger, they just couldn't be beat. And now that I've been using it, I LOOOOOVE their whole product line.
Here are some amazing options from them:
Badger Rose Geranium Soap - EWG Rating 0 - Doesn't dry your skin at all. I think people shy away from bar soaps but they are the BEST as long as you get a good one, and I love this one so much. My face soap was Dove Unscented for YEARS and I never thought I would find one I liked as much, until this one. I actually am not usually into anything that's rose-smelling, but this smells like heaven.
Badger Damascus Rose Antioxidant Oil - EWG Rating 0 - Use this at night like a moisturizer. If you're not used to oils it probably seems weird, but it's much better for your skin than any lotion (which is just loaded with water that evaporates, making you feel the need to reapply). If you're nervous, try using it at night only and see what you think. If you do a bit of research you'll see that many people love the switch, including people with oily, acne prone skin. I use one little squirt of this then apply lightly to my face and neck, and my skin drinks it right up.
Badger SPF 16 Rose Face Oil - EWG Rating 1 - This is your new day lotion, which is much more lotion-y than the antioxidant oil and is so great on the skin. Daily SPFs (and all sunscreens, actually) have this sort of gross chemical smell that has always bothered me (even long before I knew about the dangers of those chemicals), but not this one. It's a safe, nutrient packed oil that is AMAZING for your skin!
Badger Damascus Rose Beauty Balm - EWG Rating 2 - Perfect as an eye cream or for a deep moisterizing treatment now and then.
Badger Vanilla Orchid Antioxident Body Oil - EWG Rating 1 - So heavenly. Absorbs very quickly, and makes skin feel so soft. LOVE this. Next time I order some Badger stuff I'm going to go with the rose option for the essential oils that fragrance this body oil. I went with this one to give me some variety (and just in case I wasn't into the rose smell that was already in so much of the other products) but it turns out that the rose scent is much nicer than I thought it would be, and I'm hooked. But this one is lovely too.
Badger Vanilla Coconut Everyday Moisturizer - EWG Rating 0 - perfect to keep in your bag for your hands. Such a cute little tin too!
Badger Lip Balm - EWG rating 0 - I loved this little four pack, because I need to have lip balms everywhere. I used to keep Lipsmackers all over the place. EWG Rates them between 4 and 7. YIKES! Never again!!! These balms are perfect and they really soften your lips.
One of the first all natural things that I picked up that has now become a daily staple is Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil. I'm about four years late to the Coconut Oil party but luckily I discovered it now. This stuff is incredible! I've used it as a full body lotion, a face lotion, a defrizzer, for little dry patches on Ben...the list goes on. I'll never be without it again!
I'm still very into homemade beauty products...I've been using a homemade toner that I'm still perfecting, which I'll be sure to share here once it's ready! I'm also planning on making a really great foot balm and more spa type treatments. Fun!!
Ok, let's move on to hair. It's easy to think that hair doesn't really matter because it's 'dead' and doesn't really absorb shampoo, so why does it matter? Well, your scalp is very porous, so that shampoo is soaking right into it. And in the broader, greener sense of things, chemical-filled shampoo is being washed down the drain and ends up in our drinking water and oceans. So ya. It matters.
I remember buying organic shampoo years ago on the suggestion of someone and I HATED IT. It smelled like oregano and it didn't lather and I cried tears of joy when I washed the smell out with my trusted Herbal Essences Coconuty smelling shampoo.
Well, times have really changed and the options are so much better!!!
Hugo Naturals Smoothing and Defining Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner - EWG Rating 0 - YUM. This smells awesome. And it's sudsy and wonderful. I'll never go back.
The whole Hugo line is great so take a look and see which one is best for your hair type.
As far as stylers go, I'm still on the hunt for a natural hairspray. This is proving to be the most tough search. If anyone knows of any, please let me know!
Deodorant was a tough one. A lot of them are awful. Tom's makes a nice smelling one (Long Lasting Beautiful Earth), but after a couple of weeks it started to irritate my skin, and I didn't find it to be all that long lasting. I'm going to try Soapwalla, which might seem strange to some as it's a lotion, but to me it seems quite decadent and feminine compared to the usual sticks. Not to mention it gets a 0 on EWG and people RAVE about this, it has a total cult following. I also love Hugo Natural's Vanilla and Sweet Orange Essential Mist (EWG Rating 0) as a very light fragrance for everyday.
Ok, what's left? Oh. TEETH. We use Tom's Whole Care Flouride Toothpaste. I'm nervous to go flouride-free, though there seems to be many reason's to do just that. I'm still at the beginning of this whole journey, so I'll have to do more research on that topic for sure.
SO. I think that takes care of everything shower/bath/body/ related as far as my changes have gone. These product ideas are just what I am trying out and they are only scratching the surface of what's available. If you would like some more ideas, I really recommend grabbing a copy of this book:
I brought this copy home from the library the other day and devoured it. Next on my reading list are Ecoholic Home and the original Ecoholic.
Next up in this series...makeup!
P.S. Happy Earth Day! :)
Ben. This is where it all began. My quest to detox our home all started with baby sunscreen, and next thing you know I was tossing every product from our bathroom (into the recycling bin of course!)
I want to make sure I squeeze this in somewhere. A lot of people (myself included) have said to themselves "We grew up using this old stuff and we're fine, it's probably all ok!". Not true. In the chemical world, thousands and thousands of new chemicals are created every year. So the Johnson's and Johnson's shampoo of our childhood is nothing like the the one shelves today. And, look around, we're not that fine. A lot of people aren't well at all. But, I digress...
I searched through many baby products, and there are lots of great choices out there if you look for them. I really, really recommend that you look up each and every product on EWG's Skin Deep and don't settle for anything higher than a 2. Not just the brand, but the actual product itself.
After a lot of research, I decided to go with Badger for Ben's bath and body products. Do you know this company? They make some seriously wonderful products for the whole family (more on stuff for us grownups coming soon). Fun fact - Badger allows new Moms to bring their babies to work for the first six months after they are born, allowing for hours of baby care time each day, in order to facilitate the bond between Mom and baby. AMAZING. Apart from being such a cool company, their ingredients are perfect. This is what we are using now for Ben:
(Yay! Fun lists of products! This is more like it...)
Badger Chamomile and Calendula Soap - EWG Rating 0 - Lovely delicate soap that can also be used on baby's hair.
Badger Baby Oil - EWG Rating 0 - This stuff absorbs SO quickly (you can slip pjs on within minutes) and it's so gentle. There is a very delicate smell that comes from the essential oils used (which is the ONLY place any sort of fragrance should ever come from). Love this stuff.
Badger Baby Balm - EWG Rating 0 - Great for little extra dry patches of ezcema or on diaper rash.
Badger SPF 30 Sunscreen - EWG Rating 1 - A completely safe sunscreen for baby. I'm actually going to use this too.
Desert Essence Organic Diaper Cream - EWG Rating 1 - A great little tube to carry around with out (I much prefer this to the Penaten tin) and it's free of all the scary stuff.
Note: I love using Badger soap for Ben's hair, but another great product out there is Baby Hugo's Chamomile and Vanilla Shampoo and Bodywash - EWG Rating 1
I had a tough time finding a good place to order this stuff online where I could get delivery to Canada at a good rate, and I ended up going with Uncommon Scents. If you're in the US you'll have a much easier time, and can order from Badger directly.
Next up in this series...bath and body stuff for us grownups!
A while back I shared this DIY Exfoliating Baking Soda Face Mask Recipe, and I thought I would come up with a little follow up. I'm hoping to do a few more of these as well!
This foot scrub is SO easy to whip up before a bath or shower, and you probably have everything you need in your pantry already. Perfect!
Mix together 1 tablespoon each of brown sugar, baking soda and olive oil. Use the scrub on your feet, knees, elbows, or any other rough areas, and rinse off well. For even better results, use an acrylic foot file on your heels before you step in to the shower (on dry feet). This one is the BEST. After your feet are nice and dry, finish off with a really thick foot lotion (I love this one) and that's it!
Some days when Ben refuses to nap I give up and we hit the road, and he can sleep or he can not sleep, whatever. You know that feeling, right?
Anyway, yesterday was this kind of day, and I thought to myself that all that rocking and whispery singing at least deserved a latte and maybe a new magazine, so off we went to the mall.
The stores are flooded with spring stuff, which is only a little depressing since I was wrapped in ten layers of winter stuff, but I did pick up these goodies.
Black and white espadrilles
Geometric studs
Cute, right? American Eagle has a sale right now too, but one item get the second 50% off. Yay!
I'm a bit of a mascara junkie. I guess most girls are, but I have kind of a problem. Generally speaking I stick with the cheap stuff because of this (apparently I've never heard of the quantity versus quality thing).
Anyway, over the holidays I got a few gift cards to Sephora and decided to splurge and buy this mascara. Game changer. You can do like seventeen layers of this and it will just keep looking more and more awesome. Also, it washes off with your cleanser, no additional eye makeup remover needed. YES.
If you're feeling a little spendy (it retails for $31 at Sephora), splurge and try it! I'm still on the hunt for the perfect cheap one since my fav was discontinued, so I'll report back if I ever find it!
So the Grammy's were kind of boring. Poor Billy is so ready for award season to be over. But this dress. Um, I would like to get famous and wear this somewhere please. Jennifer Aniston should wear this but in white to her wedding. Wait, I should have worn this in white to my wedding. Ok. I guess I basically just love it. I'm not a fan of Rihanna at all, but she nailed it. Now if only she would toss her nutcase bf. Whole different story.
Other things of note about the Grammy's. LL Cool J is a terrible host. The Bob Marley tribute was weird. The Lumineer's were perfect. I still don't know who Frank Ocean is. JT's comeback could have used a little more Jay-Z and a little less JT.
Via Just Jared
It's been a looong time since I did an award show post, and since I consider watching award shows to be one of my best skills, I thought the least I could do was bring back my review posts. I was going to after the Globes, but honestly I was bored to tears looking at those dresses. Last night, however, different story.
Apart from the fact that Global messed up the start of the show and we had to sit through 40 minutes of Debbie Travis's horrible design competition, the SAG Awards were pretty good. Ok so maybe they we boring, but the ladies were pretty decked out. I had some major favs. And some of them made me want to turn back on Debbie Travis.
Jessica came out of the woodwork and suddenly everyone is in love with her, myself included. She's SO good in everything I've seen her in, and she killed it with this red dress. I'm officially deeming her the new Kate Winslet. In that she will always look perfect and will only take awesome rolls. Well played Jessica Chastian, well played.
Truth - I can't stand this girl. I know she's America's sweetheart, and I will probably get hatemail for saying that, but I hate her big phoney smile and how she acts like she was the good one at that Oscars that she hosted. (You know she was terrible too). That said, her dress was gorgeous. Seriously, I don't know if Rachel Zoe is still her stylist (or did she go with Brad??) but whoever it is, they did well.
So, there is green in this dress, and I'm not a fan of green. But something about this dress speaks to me...specifically it's saying "Adriane, you need to get yourself a job one day that will let you buy Dior". The waist, the drape of the skirt, her perfect little French bob. She's a Parisian dream and I love it.
Yes. This dress. So it's a bit strange, but in another life I would like to be tall and rail thin and I will buy this dress and wear it to the grocery store.
I don't know how I feel about Amanda. She's gorgeous. She's a very good actress. But she had this sort of dead-eyes thing going on that kind of gives me chills. I still like her though, and this dress is the best thing I've ever seen her in. It totally takes away from her eerie vacant stare.
Now, there were a few dresses that will probably result in a few fired stylists and a good Joan Rivers flogging. Lets dive in.
Maybe it's just the hair? Ok, so its just the hair. The dress actually beautiful but I'm punishing her for looking so bad from the neck up. I think January Jones is one of the most beautiful ladies in Hollywood, and maybe she just wanted to be cheeky, but come on. These pictures are going to last forever. Do better next time please. You're super rich after all and that dress deserved good hair.
Dear god. Ok, I get that Sofia has curves and wants to embrace them. High five for that. But this dress is horrrrrible. Almost as horrible as her obnoxious personality. (Sorry SV fans!)
Julianne is stunning, and is almost always perfect at these things. Not this time. The neckline was not flattering at all, the dress didn't fit properly, and the floral was just not good. First fail ever I think, but a fail nonetheless.
What did you guys think of the show? Watching award shows in dreary January is the best escapism. You can totally ignore the fact that it's gross outside and focus on such important matters like how deep side parts are very in. Overall, this year at the SAGs there were some very cool dresses, and some not so cool ones. But really, all I want to know is WHERE IS JENNIFER ANISTON??? Ugh. Please come back to award shows. You are pretty. The world has almost forgotten the John Meyer thing, and Brangelina are almost never there, I promise.
All images via Us Weekly
Today I stopped in H&M to look for a little black cardigan and ended up also picking up this cute little top. Ok, so maybe I can't really wear it for months u less its under a sweater, but still. Spring, I'm ready for you!
Via H&M
Today Ben and I had a shopping date and I was pretty excited to see all the fun spring stuff out in the shops. I actually LOVE winter, but this time of year as we all know can be sooo depressing. Seeing all the colour helped. So did the latte and cookie(s).
I also noticed this new makeup tutorial on Lisa Eldridge's website and the timing could not be more perfect. Had to share.
As it happens, the concealor she uses in this video is one I recently bought and it really is amazing. Still on my shopping list is the red lipstick she uses here, it looks perfect!
I know Christmas isn't even here yet, but I've already been thinking about New Year's Eve. This year for the first time in a loooong time we're planning a night out, and to celebrate I treated myself to the Miss Glittery dress by IWearSin. LOVE. I apologize in advance if I also wear this for my birthday, and, well, every other event.
P.S. If it doesn't arrive before NY I will cry.
Image via Kind of Lovely
Speaking of holiday makeup, holiday hair is also on my mind. I have to say, my recent affliction for fishtails isn't going anywhere. I love having super long hair (it's bordering too long now, not sure how much longer I can pull it off) but I like it to be out of my face.
I posted this pic of my hair on Instagram a while ago and I wanted to share the tutorial video that I found that inspired it. I looked up tons of different videos but this one is the best. The little trick of pinning it first makes ALL the difference!
Via Leaf
The holiday parties are starting (ours is getting close!) and so of course my priorities are cute party dresses and makeup. Meh, the food will work itself out, right?
Anyway, this year I'm loving the look of perfect red lips with thick lashes and hints of gold. Here's a little list of some of my favs.
- Class Ruby Woo by MAC. This is the perfect lipstick. You can blot most of it off for just a touch of colour, or load it on. Either way, it works on just about everyone.
- Nars Night Series shadow in Night Sun. I actually bought a less expensive one (Annabelle eye shadow in Golden Shine) because I probably won't wear this again, ever. But if I was going to splurge, this is the one I would have bought.
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Golden. Yes, there is a way cooler OPI or Essie version I'm sure, but again, this is a once a year thing, so I went cheap.
- Volum' Express One-by-one Washable Mascara. I love mascara, of course, but I need to be able to get it off using just my face wash. Call me lazy. A lot of them say they do that, but this one actually does. (I've tried them ALL and most of them do not wash off well).
- Quo false lashes. Just call me Tammy Fay this year, I'm going to blow people away with my ridiculously overdone eyelashes. Just you wait.
