Friday Face off - Concealers!

Another new feature for the blog. On Fridays I will try to compare two products from different natural brands and take a look at their ingredients and how they work. And of course I'll put my two cents in on which one I think works best.

First up - concealers. I love concealers, I could give up foundation, but not concealer. Tarte and Korres are two great natural brands. They both offer great concealers, with similar applicators. Korres has their Wild Rose Concealer and Tarte offers They Eraser Concealer. Since we hit Wild Rose in our Natural Know How last entry, let's start with the Korres Wild Rose Concealer.

Manufacturer's description:



A concealer that provides to intense coverage for skin imperfections and dark circles, as well as treating hyperpigmentation and the first signs of aging.What it does:Korres Wild Rose Concealer contains ultra-fine pigments that reflect light in multiple directions for a luminous effect. Wild Rose extract increases skin radiance and moisture while also offering antioxidant benefits and diminishing fine lines, wrinkles, and hyper-pigmentation. This brand favorite is clinically proven to brighten, firm, and hydrate skin while functioning as an eyeshadow base and preventing creasing. What it is formulated WITHOUT: Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Dye, Synthetic Fragrance, Petro-Chemicals, Phthalates, GMOs, Triclosan. What else you need to know: Skin that benefits from the Wild Rose Collection: Skin that has newly developed expression lines, is environmentally stressed, needs all-day hydration, or has post-acne problems. This product does not contain mineral oils, propylene glycols and ethanolomines.

Tarte's The Eraser Concealer:



This concealer contains Skinvigorating™ ingredients like safflower seed oil, a vegetable-derived oil that has moisturizing capabilities, and arnica flower extract, which is known to reduce the appearance of dark undereye circles. The concealer also contains cucumber extract, known for skin-soothing properties, vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps prevent premature signs of aging, and vitamin E, an antioxidant that acts as anti-inflammatory emollient. Dermatologist-tested. What it does: Unlike other concealers that just cover the problem, Tarte The Eraser Smooth Concealer contains Skinvigorating™ ingredients that help treat and soothe irritated skin and blemishes. What it is formulated WITHOUT: Sulfates, Synthetic Fragrances, Synthetic Dyes, Petro-Chemicals, and Phthalates

Each of these has a brush applicator. I hate brush applicators. I hate the twisting, and the bristles on the brushes feel very plastic and strange to me. Neither of the applicators on these concealers changed my opinion on brush applicators. I don't know about you, but I usually toss the brushes that come with blushes or powder foundations. But you can't toss the brushes on these because they are attached! Boo!

Overall, they both offer great brightening, and are especially effective under the eyes. For me, I think I'll stick with the Korres, their lightest shade is very well suited for someone pale such as myself. The concealer itself was incredibly smooth and gliding right over my skin. The Tarte color was slightly off, and the coverage didn't look as natural, and didn't layer as well as the Korres.

The Tarte Eraser Concealer is available for $22, at $20 the Korres Wild Rose Concealer is a slightly better buy. Sephora carries both lines, and they are also available online if you don't have a Sephora near you.

Cheers!

The Diving Loon

Natural Know How: Wild Rose

I am starting a new feature called, "Natural Know How." In each "Natural Know How" entry I will focus on a particular natural ingredient used in skincare or cosmetics, explain where it's derived from, it's purpose, and the pros and cons of the ingredient.

For my first entry, I chose wild rose. Wild rose is a super hip ingredient, and you see it in tons of natural products on the market today. "Wild rose" is usually referring to wild rose oil.

Rose contains high concentrations of Vitamin C and is often use as a brightening and moisturizing agent.

Korres Wild Rose Brightening Regimen is available at Sephora for $39.50, and you get a ton for the money.

The kit includes a 0.68 oz Wild Rose Cream, 0.68 oz Wild Rose Serum, 0.68 oz Wild Rose Mask, 0.68 oz White Tea Cleanser, and a 0.34 oz Evening Primrose Eye Cream in a signature gift box. I love kits, it's a great value and you get to try a lot of different products in smaller sizes. Plus, they are perfectly formulated to give you the desired results.

The best part is the Korres Wild Rose Regimen Kit is dermatologist tested, and free of mineral oil, silicone, propylene glycol, and ethanolamines.



Cheers!

The Diving Loon

Yes to Carrots - Hydrating Body Lotion with SPF 30

I am a huge sunscreen fan. I wear sunscreen when it snows, when it rains, and sometimes even when I go out at night. Now how could such a forgetful person remember to wear sunscreen all the time? Well, I rely on double duty products. I will not buy a foundation or a day time face lotion that doesn't have spf. It's one of my requirements. However, most of the time I forget to slather sunscreen on my arms, shoulders, or legs if they are exposed - because I don't have a double duty product! Yes to Carrots now has a body lotion that comes with an spf of 30!



Yes to Carrots Hydrating Body Lotion with SPF 30 is free of parabens, SLS, and petroleum. I was pretty pleased with my test run - no burns to report after a day in the sun. However, because the sun protection factor comes from zinc oxide, you do get a bit of a white cast on the skin, so make sure you rub it in completely. It's also pretty thick, so you'll definitely need to give it some time to absorb. Yes to Carrots Hydrating Body Lotion with SPF 30 also contains kaolin clay which gives it a nice matte finish (no greasy feel).

You can get Yes to Carrots Hydrating Body Lotion with SPF 30 at most drugstores for about $14.00.

Cheers!

The Diving Loon

Beets! Bears! Battlestar Gallatica!

Forget Chocolate Rain!


Chocolate Sun is an all-natural, organic, chemical-free, sunless tanning solution. Chocolate Sun uses Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which is a natural ingredient derived from - get this - beet sugar!! Dwight Schrute would be so proud. Not only that, Chocolate Sun also has an SPF of 30.

You can purchase Chocolate Sun at Spirit Beauty Lounge. Chocolate Sun is priced as affordable as other luxury tanners, the body lotion runs $40.00 and the facial gel is priced at $17.00.

They also have an entire line of other natural products to extend the life of your tan.



Cheers!

The Diving Loon

Eco-Style: My Picks

I have been known to waste a lot of time creating "looks" on Shopstyle. If you've never used shopstyle be sure to check it out (and follow me of course)! I preapologize for the drop in your productivity.

Anyway, what makes Shopstyle so great is that you can search for any keyword and it will bring you clothing, decor, makeup items, shoes, scarves... you name it... from all over the web that match your query.

As you can imagine, that makes it super perfect for searching the web for recycled content, sustainable, and/or organic fabric clothing. You can also search for specific clothing materials - like bamboo or hemp. Here's a few of my favorite "green" picks.

More The Battalion...

How amazing is that Leanne Marshall bamboo tunic!? It also comes in royal blue. Lust.

Cheers!

The Diving Loon

Toxics Reform in the House

Since I just posted about this topic yesterday I thought I would copy and paste an email that I received from the Environmental Working Group.

Dear Elizabeth,
We have huge news.
The toxics reform bill, H.R. 5820, the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act, has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Chairmen Waxman (CA-30) and Rush (IL-01). Toxics reform is now moving through both houses of Congress. It has never been more important for Congress to know that we want the strongest and most effective toxics bill possible -- we need companies to prove that chemicals are safe before they hit our supermarket shelves.
95,000 EWG Action Fund supporters like you have already called on Congress to enact change -- and we've got Washington's attention. Now, in this crucial moment of introduction, we need to reach 100,000 signatures to make sure our legislators make this bill strong and effective.
We're just 5,000 signatures away, and we need you to add your name right now.
Click here to sign our petition urging Congress to support this critical reform.
This reform is long overdue. In May, the President's Cancer Panel released a new report on exposure to chemicals and the risk of developing cancer. While their findings may be nothing new to you and me -- especially that children are more susceptible than adults to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors -- it is a clear call to Congress to take action now.
The nearly 300 chemicals that EWG found when testing the umbilical cord blood of 10 Americans -- chemicals like BPA, lead, mercury, fire retardants, perchlorate and PCBs -- are increasingly linked to serious long-term health effects, from childhood cancer and autism to ADHD, learning deficits, infertility and heart disease.
It's time for a policy that is prevention oriented instead of reactionary. We are so close to our goal of 100,000 petition signatures. Will you help put us over the edge so we can show the House there is strong public support for this reform?
Click here to sign our petition urging Congress to support toxic chemical reform.
Thank you for speaking up for a new national chemical policy that places human health front and center -- right where it should be.
Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, EWG Action Fund

Anyway if you are interested in signing the petition, click here.

Cheers!

The Diving Loon

Toxic Chemicals in Beauty and Household Products

The Huffington Post has a great article up about some of the crazy things in everyday products. The article goes through examples such as lead in lipstick, as well as BPA and Phthalates in cosmetics, frangrances, and packaging.

Now I mentioned phthalates in my first post about chemicals in cosmetics, but the lead in lipstick surprised me. The link they provide to the "I am not a Guinea Pig" website is easy to use and informative. For instance, over 62,000 chemicals were grandfathered in with the Toxic Substances Control Act and have never been tested for safety.

Unsafe Chemicals in Your Home... and in You - I am Not a Guinea Pig - Environmental Defense Fund

Patina Finishes

One jewelry trend that I'm loving right now is patina finishes. Patina as we know it usually occurs naturally over time to metal surfaces as they oxidize - think lady liberty.



Patina can be applied to metals using other chemicals to encourage the oxidation. The look of patina can be mimicked in jewelry making with different colors of acrylic paint. One of my favorite patina suppliers is PaintedMetals on Etsy.

Here you can find different brass filigree findings that have been hand painted and hand aged for a fun faux patina look perfect for earrings or jewelry.

Here are some of the things that I've created with pieces from PaintedMetals





I am also loving this piece by Cefische! Such and pretty blue and so natural looking.



Using faux patina pieces you can add some really great colors to jewelry - and teals, whites, pinks are super fun and summery!

Cheers!

The Diving Loon

Eco Jewelry - Recycled Glass Beads

I'm looking to incorporate more eco materials into my jewelry designs. I love using natural stones but lately I've been loving the look of recycled glass beads. Here are some of my favorites that I've been eyeing.

I just love these juicy ruby red beads from SusanClare on etsy.

These smokey grey beads from Happy Mango Beads would look so elegant against a black outfit.

This fan style from Beads and Pieces would look so neat as dangle earrings or a pendant.

And finally, Curious Designs sells well priced assortments.

Can't wait to get my hands on some of these!

Beauty Brains: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are commonly found in many soaps, shampoos, and even in most toothpastes. SLS and SLES are known as "surfactants." Surfactants are harsh detergents and are what cause these products to lather and foam. It's a feeling that we expect from our soap products, it's what we have come to associate with "clean." The truth is, soap doesn't naturally foam, and it doesn't have to foam or lather to be an effective cleanser.

SLS and SLES are the same ingredients found in engine degreasers. They are extremely harsh and in fact the Cosmetic Ingredient Review found strong evidence that SLS is an irritant to humans in amounts over 2% concentration. Many products on the market have 20% or even 30% concentrations of SLS. SLS and SLES breakdown and remove the natural oils on your skin, stripping it of moisture.

SLS is tricky because it is derived from coconuts, so that's about as natural as it gets. The question really is - is it harmful? And it may not be to you if you don't have sensitive skin! There are some people and organizations who believe SLS and its cousins are very dangerous, cancer causing dangerous. I'm not quite convinced of that. However, when you hear a rumor about an ingredient and its potential hazards, I urge you to do research at responsible websites and organizations (non-profits, universities, government resources) and look at articles from academic journals.


Resources
Cosmetic Ingredient Review - http://www.cir-safety.org/info.shtml
American College of Toxicology article on SLS - http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsalert.html

Natural Origin Makeup and Skincare

So I like to fancy myself an ecologist and this blog and my own personality tend to lean toward the natural side of things. However, pretty much anyone that knows me knows that I can be caught at Sephora, Ulta, or the makeup aisle of any random drugstore on any given day. Can't helps it. Pretty colors get to me.

However - lately I have begun to feel that my makeup obsession runs slightly counter intuitive to my personal thoughts on how we should treat our own bodies. We eat "organic" foods and do healthful things for our bodies but then at the end of the day we've slathered hundreds of chemicals on ourselves.

And after a (very) failed attempt at making my own shampoo, I decided to do simple swaps as I've ran out of items. Basically what I'm trying to avoid are parabens, petroleum by products, sodium laurel sulfate, and harsh synthetics (vague, I know).

One of the greatest resources that I've used during this process is the Environmental Working Group's "Skin Deep" Cosmetic Database. The Environmental Working Group is the same organization that puts out the "Dirty Dozen" of produce and the recent (and controversial) Sunscreen Guide 2010.

The Cosmetic Database is great because you can search by brandname or by ingredient. EWG has compiled scientific research on many of the ingredients commonly found in cosmetic products and ranked them on a scale of 1-10 based on those hazards. It's pretty eye opening to see what some of the ingredients in your favorite products have been linked to. I used to swear by Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer. I mean it has "healthy skin" right in the name - how bad could it be!? Well, it ranked at an 8 (with 10 being the most hazardous). But honestly, whether you believe in this stuff or not - is it really necessary? Do I need to put methylparaben on my face? No, I most certainly do not. And so the search for alternatives began.

Later on I will describe in more detail why I'm trying to avoid these ingredients, the reasons and the issues with each group of ingredients are pretty varied and warrant further explanation. But for now - on to the goodies!

I have special eyes just like the 1-800-contacts guy (read: super sensitive). I can't use regular contact solution and apparently any other contacts besides the ones I've had for the past 14 years without my eyes exploding. For real. As a result, I've had some bad mascara experiences. What kind of experiences, you might ask? Well, the eye hives experience, my friends. And it is not a pleasant one. So when I saw that Physicians Formula was coming out with a natural origin mascara - I rejoiced. I rejoiced for two reasons, one - I already dig Physicians Formula, and two - it's super cheapies, which I can definitely get behind.

The Physicians Formula EcoWear Line is 100% free of synthetic fragrances, synthetic preservatives, and parabens. They are also certified organic and cruelty free. According to their website, the Organic Wear line is pretty extensive and they have an offering in most product categories. However, I've only seen the mascara and foundations in store.

The mascara is interesting because the formula is actually orange water and beeswax based. I tried to look it up in the Cosmetic Database, but alas there was no assessment up yet. However, that's the great thing about the database, just because the product you want to look up isn't there yet, doesn't mean the ingredients aren't there. So I popped in each of the individual ingredients and was pleased to find that only one ingredient had a hazard over 2 (Magnesium aluminum silicate ranked at 4, which is still moderate).

As far as performance - I was not overwhelmed. However, to be fair, I like my mascara at Kardashian levels. When I normally shop for mascara, I look for words like "extreme" or "outrageous" or "insane." These are words that I covet when it comes to lashes. I didn't expect to get that from a natural mascara - and I didn't. It's not jaw dropping and it doesn't give me Tammy Faye lashes. It certainly amplifies and it certainly works on the same level as your average mascara like Great Lash. But it's no dragqueen DiorShow. Some reviews I've read have complained about the fragrance. Since the mascara is technically fragrance free, I suppose they are really complaining about the absence of a synthetically derived fragrance. Perspective my friends. The scent didn't bother me in the least. It's a natural mascara that costs about $10 which is pretty fairly priced for any mascara let alone certified organic.

In short, I probably wouldn't buy this if I was not on a mission to eliminate the parabens, petrochemicals, and synthetics from my routine. But it's a great natural alternative for everyday mascara. It's not high glam but I suppose that would run slightly counter to the idea of "natural." From inspecting the ingredients I really feel like Physicians Formula took their "organic" and "natural" labeling seriously. I'm definitely going to stick with this tube and see how I feel about my less pumped up lashes.

For more information check it out online at Organic Wear Natural Origin Mascara

Next up, the Yes to Tomatoes Shampoo and Conditioner.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to The Diving Loon Blog!

Hopefully The Diving Loon Blog will serve as a platform for jewelry making techniques and tutorials, green crafts, and ecology adventures... that is if I don't forget I even started this thing.

I started creating my own jewelry about year ago. I really love making fun and different pieces! I also love shopping for pretty beads and findings... well pretty much shopping in general. While I love the creative outlet of crafting, I've struggled a bit with the photography and promotion required to get my pieces seen (read: possibly lazy). Here is a look at some of the things currently featured in the shop.

Also here is Ruby because she's cute.