Zoya for my nails

I have a thing. I'm not a fan of feet. So much so, I simply squirm even at the thought of people having foot fetishes. It's not just other people's feet I don't like, I don't even like my own. Maybe its because I don't treat them with much love and do tend to work them pretty hard. Hey, backpacking and climbing Angkor Watt in havannas, no probs! I just love the easy laid backness of it all. However, being so closely exposed to dirt and grime and getting that grime caught benneth the toenails is just 100% yick. So that's why I like, no make it luv when my feet are given the pamper treatment. I avoid the feet by treating myself to spa pedicures on a regular basis. But how can I, being a green chick green a luxury I luv so much? BYO nail polish! Majority of manicure/pedicures businesses stock and thus use nail polishes that are damaging to the environment. Since I go for the service and not the actual product, I bring my own natural nail polish that is free of toluene, formalehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor.

Thank you Zoya, I no longer feel guilty from a simple pleasure.

Young Blood not True Blood

A beauty product review...

So at the start of the year I posted about the pressed mineral foundation I use which goes by the name Mineralogie. While I was happy with the product, I had run out and they had sold out, so it was time to find a backup.

Wondering through DJs I came across Australian brand Natio. Being so out of touch (as I tend to avoid big department stores), I was not aware they brought out a mineral pressed power. Scored. But on use, I realized it was just that, a power not a pressed mineral foundation, thus there was no coverage at all. So rather than waste a perfectly good product, I went on the search for something to complement this buy. Introducing Invisible Zinc Tinted Day wear, an Australian made tinted mineral moisturizer and sunscreen and winner of Cosmopolitan magazine 2010 Beauty Awards - Judges Choice. Now after having used the product, I now know why the brand have such stunning beauties as brand ambassadors, with the likes of Elle McPherson, and mother and daughter team Jerry Hall and Georgia Jagger. You see the product smells. Seriously, really smells to a point I was so conscious about it I tried to with much awkwardness avoid the obligatory kiss kiss. I am not overreacting as a comment was made. Aaaahhh embarrassment!! But yet not to waste both products I continued use. Whether a smart decision or not, its now at its end. During this time which felt like forever, I did google to find Young Blood, a mineral based cosmetic company offering what I was searching for, a mineral pressed foundation compact. Paraben free but unlike Mineralogie who uses sweet almond oil as a setting agent, Youngblood uses rice starch instead. Fortunately, this one's a winner and with over a hand full of stockist in Victoria, Ill never be without makeup again. Back to normality for this green chick!

No soap, No probs

It was my friend Lisa who first introduced me to Enjo but it was at my sister-in-law recent Enjo party that ignited the excitement again. While many will shun from the idea of party plan buying (admittedly, I included), Enjo is one party I will willingly attend but just not participate. Why would I want to clean someone elses house when I don't even want to clean my own??!

The whole concept of Enjo is to eliminate the use of chemicals during our cleaning process. It's good for us as we don't inhale any toxic chemicals and it's good for the environment as less residue is washed into drains and less plastic bottles are added to our landfill.

microfibre technology + water = clean

It's seriously as simple as that. And surprisingly it actually works.

So added to my growing Enjo collection is the face mitt. I actually use it on my body as I like that it's small, which makes it easy to travel with, unlike the enjo body glove I currently have hanging in my shower, which just never dries and traveling with it is just not an option.

* Cleans skin pores and exfoliates all skin types. Removes body oil, dead skin cells and makeup residue and stimulates blood circulation

Note: Although I accept the cleaning with water concept, I still use a little soap on my Enjo mitt, which is welcomed and won't destroy the mitt. So should I need a thorough clean, I just add a little of my Sukin foaming facial cleanser and the job is done. I like how I smell and I like how I feel!

I love my face

Actually more like I like my face but I do know I love Izakaya Den, a Japanese style pub hidden not just down below but to the left. Everything about Izakaya Den is chic. An informal meeting place dishing up plates that I salvatate just from the thought, matched with service that won’t go unnoticed. But it’s what I discover in the communal toilets is why I give them brownie points. 1 litre bottles of Sukin handwash, Australian made and Carbon Neutral certified. I am impressed. So impressed that I’m not ashamed to say I take note and google. Now I introduce to you the newest addition in my beauty regime, Sukin Facial Moisturizer. I like it but not love it for it does not contain SPF. As mentioned previously I am a minimalist, so I prefer having 1 bottle than 2 cluttering my beauty bench . While I continue my search for the “perfect” facial moisturizer that ticks all my boxes, I am more than fine with my Sukin loved face.

Carbon Neutral certified logo - established by the Carbon Reduction Institute, allows consumers to identify products that help protect the planet from global warming and assist them in making informed decisions about the environmental impact of their purchases.

Organic Hair Care...hair yeah!

Every time I visit the hair salon no matter if it´s for a cut, a color or a trim, I am always introduced to a new product that will make my hair healthy, shiny and oh not grimy. But reality is no matter what product I use my hair will always be unhealthy, so it's time to face facts, a shampoo is a shampoo. But with overly aggressive cleaning products dominating our supermarket shelves, which one do we choose? Should we buy into the celebrity status or should we buy because it's a good product and it does the job? So what went into my shopping basket?

Introducing Organic Hair Care Shampoo & Conditioner... the 'natural miracle'.


I'm not going to tell you what a shampoo and conditioner ought to do as I gather we all pretty much know, but I will give you the fast facts on why it's green.

Fast Facts

• Biodegradeable and compostable plant based packaging (PLA)*
  
• Grey water safe
• No Animal Testing or Ingredients - CCF Accredited
• No Parabens or Petrochemical cleansers
• No Sles, Sls, Ales, Als

*The Organic Care haircare bottle is plant derived from Biopolymer, a plant derived substitute for traditional plastics derived from oil and offers further disposable options compared to petroleum-based plastic. The bottle was actually selected and recognised at the recent Copenhagen Summit in front of world leaders and scientists as a positive solution and contributing partner for climate change around the world. High 5 Organic Haircare!


Now, don't think this product being green that it must be yick cause it ain't. Enriched with bitter orange extract and lathers up as it should, I'm refreshed after my shower!

But only you can be the judge, try it out yourself. Seriously.

Oh what's even great about it, the price. And that's just a bonus!

Mineralogie Makeup - paraben free

Surprisingly, I am frequently told I have lovely skin. Now yes people tend to be polite in amongst my circles but really?? I seriously do not have that greatest of skin. All I can conclude is that it must be Mineralogie's Pressed Mineral Foundation which I use that gives me such glowing comments!

When mineral makeup hit the markets early 2000s, we were inundated with mineral this and mineral that. But it soon hit a wall when companies such as Loreal were found to be marketing their products as mineral makeup when only a small amount of minerals were used. This was disappointing but at least I knew where not to put my money. So began the hunt for "real" mineral makeup. And yes it does exist. I first started out with Bare ID minerals but they as with most others only came in powder form. Now this green chick is not a fan of the powder as it just scatters everywhere and I mean everywhere. On my clothes, on my dresser, on the floor, on the bed... get the picture...everywhere. So the hunt continued until I came across Mineralogie Pressed Mineral Foundation - the benefits of loose mineral foundation but in a convenient pressed compact. High 5!

So how is this "green"?

Mineralogie uses pure minerals to create its makeup. Minerals that are pure are free of talc, starch, perfumes, and other unhealthy substances found in traditional cosmetics.

My pressed foundation in particular is made with natural ingredients and pressed with sweet almond oil rather than paraben. Being paraben free is crucial to me.