Saturday, May 22, 2010

Aurora Spa Rituals

New to Mecca Cosmetica stores (in Ponsonby, Auckland and at Kirkaldies & Stains, Wellington) is the Aurora Spa Rituals range, from Aurora Spa, Melbourne. The products contain botanical extracts, and are free from synthetic fragrances, colours, sulphates, and parabens. Check out the range at www.meccacosmetica.co.nz.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Fair Trade beauty

We are coming to the end of Fair Trade Fortnight. There are a number of brands which make natural beauty products using Fair Trade ingredients. Trade Aid has a range of Fair Trade soaps, made in the Palam Rural Centre in southern India using sustainably sourced palm oil. They cost $3, and are available in ten scents (Cinnamon, Clove, Coconut, Cucumber, Green Apple, Honey, Jasmine, Neem, Rose, and Sandalwood).

Lush uses Fair Trade cocoa butter from Northern Ghana and Fair Trade shea butter from the Ivory Coast. Dr Bronner’s products are certified Fair Trade by IMO, and use the following fair trade organic ingredients: olive oil from Palestine, coconut oil from Sri Lanka, sustainable palm oil from Ghana, and hemp oil from North America. The Body Shop uses a number of community trade ingredients: organic virgin coconut oil from Samoa, marula oil from Namibia, cocoa butter from Ghana, and aloe vera from Guatemala. They also use hand crafted accessories from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Note: I know that some of the ingredients used in products from Lush and The Body Shop are not all that natural. However, there are some of their products that do contain all or mostly all natural ingredients, such as Lush’s Les Cacas Henna Hair Dyes and Therapy Massage Bar, and The Body Shop’s Natures Minerals makeup range and Sugaring Hair Removal Wax, and it is products such as these that I mention on this blog.

Friday, May 7, 2010

The Mean Green Fashion Machine

Currently we are in the middle of Fair Trade Fortnight. This has led me to think more about where products come from, what they are made from, and who makes them. Particularly clothes, shoes, jewellery and other accessories. Ethical, sustainable fashion is not something I have really paid a lot of attention to in the past, but it's now becoming increasingly important for me to start making better choices when it comes to fashion.

I could start posting about fashion on this blog, but I really want this to be a blog about beauty products. So I have started a 'sister' blog, The Mean Green Fashion Machine, which will focus on ethical, sustainable fashion. And of course, I will continue blogging here about natural, eco-friendly beauty products.

Support a good cause for Mothers' Day


Mothers' Day is this Sunday. How about showing love for your mother while also supporting a great cause? Organic Beauty Now (an online organic beauty store) has teamed up with Epic Change (the brains behind Tweetsgiving), to create To Mama with Love. Check it out at http://www.tomamawithlove.org/. On this site, you can create a heartspace for your mother, personalise it and donate USD$20 or more in her honour, and send her an e-card with the link.

The money goes towards funding a home for 50 children in Arusha, Tanzania (the village of Tanzanian Epic Change Fellow Mama Lucy), and the goal is to raise USD$50,000.

Also, use this code: TMWL20 to get 20% off at http://www.organicbeautynow.com/.