Shout Out: Rosie Jane Cheek Gloss

I've just been diving into this week's beauty blogs, and natural beauty expert Christy Coleman has a post about runway trends from this summer to try. Usually, I would never even bother imitating model looks; I have my ways I like my makeup, and I don't really change them much. But fancy that two of the new looks—rosy cheeks and hot pink lips—are totally easy to replicate with one of my favorite products, Rosie Jane Cheek Gloss in Rose. Now, I can't speak to this product's green-ness, I'll say that first off (and Coleman recommends a great natural option), but I just love Rosie Jane's makeup. The cheek gloss is in a tiny compact with a mirror, so it fits in a purse bag with your lip balm or nail file or whatever, and is a perfect dewy pink me up for skin any time. Rosy cheeks add freshness and glow—the makeup artist who invented the line was mimicking those glow-y cheeks of 30s actresses. And amazingly, the color lasts a long time, both on your skin and in the package. A little really does go a long way. I rub my finger lightly in the compact, then pat each cheek and massage in to blend. That's it. And if you're liner challenged, try her Eye Defines. These pencils are rectangular and don't have to be sharpened; the formula smoothly applies in a neat line and doesn't look harsh.

Eco Hero: Ralph Bronner and his Magic Soap

An email this week from my friend Paul reminded me that I have yet to blog about the silly, sweet, and inspiring documentary Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox. I saw it a few weeks ago at Paul's place; he is the founder of an amazing online shop of all kinds of beautiful and sustainable things (go there directly after you finish reading this and check it out: branchhome.com), and has been hosting a docu movie night at his apartment for years. It used to be just pizza and beer, now his lovely wife Janeen makes cobbler. Yum.

But before tasty summer desserts get me off track, I want to tell you about this film.



First, for those of you who don't know this soap, for me, the smell of Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap in Peppermint always reminds me of backpacking trips with my family. It was our go-to soap when camping because its all-natural composition made it less damaging to lakes and streams (of course, now they say don't use any soap at all when you're in the wilderness, but this was the '80s). My husband and I now use Magic Soap for a number of its 18-in-1 uses: for washing dishes, to clean floors, etc. Hubs even showers with the almond version.

Now if you don't camp and aren't a crunchy type (the documentary was, after all, an official selection at the Mill Valley and Seattle film festivals, not Cannes), you may only know the soap by its crazy label, which is large and literally covered with quotes and advice from Dr. Bronner himself (check out their website for a humorous mad scientist photo of him). He used his business to promote his ideas of unity—look for "All-One" anywhere on the package—and something he called the Moral ABCs, a belief system based loosely on the writings of Thomas Paine and... a bunch of other stuff.

OK, he was a bit of a nut (there is a priceless scene in which he rattles on about his philosophies, while another women is being interviewed in the foreground), but he made some darn good soap. And the sweetest part is that his family is still running the company, making the soap, and all along has done some truly heroic things for the natural personal care industry, namely inventing the first plastic bottle that is 100% post consumer recycled, and using all organic and fair-trade ingredients. All-one, indeed.

Handmade Mondays: Dry Brushing for Smoother Skin

I recently promised you I would write a few tips for this month's Handmade Mondays based on two great new books. I'll start with green goddess Sophie Uliano's latest tome, Do It Gorgeously, which is chock-full of skin care recipes as well as DIY tips for everything from fitness to clothing. What I like most about her recipes is that they're for pretty simple stuff that you'd use every day, and she has preparation tips to make sure you're creating the safest at-home cosmetics (since we don't use preservatives in our own cosmetic kitchens; read my short version for staying safe here).

However, I want to use Sophie's book to talk about a skin care tip that's only sort-of DIY: dry brushing. I say sort-of because it requires you to purchase a brush! But otherwise, it's totally an at-home treatment. Dry brushing is common in Europe; I learned about it when I got my spa technician certificate, since it's a prelude to many spa treatments. 

Dry brushing removes dead skin cells and thus helps eliminate ingrown hairs from waxing, but it also stimulates your whole system. You feel a tingle all over afterward, and often a bit energized, too. My classmates reported that it helped them keep their systems regular and even alleviated cellulite (Sophie agrees on that last one, though she combines dry brushing with application of homemade cellulite oil). 

Sophie dedicates a page and a half to her how-to, but I'll give you the short version: using a natural fiber brush like your typical back scrubber (I removed the long handle from mine for ease), brush your skin from foot to shoulders, mostly in long, sweeping strokes and always toward the heart (on your belly, go in a clockwise circle, following the natural path of your digestive system). I tend to do sets of three, stroking first with the brush in one hand, and then following with the my other clean hand, which soothes and helps you keep a rhythm. You can see how I do it on my arm in this super short video.

For me the biggest benefit to dry brushing is that it's dry; when I travel, instead of bringing along an exfoliating cloth which I have to either dry out or pack wet (yuck!), I always a dry brush. Exfoliation is essential to keeping my ingrown-prone skin in a manageable state, and it really makes a difference when I can keep it up on vacation. You can see my trusty dry brush on my overnight kit, above.

If you're interested in more about Sophie, I encourage you to check out her website, gorgeouslygreen.com or follow her on Twitter @gorgeouslygreen.