I’ve always been a huge fan of Badger Bodycare and was thrilled to be able to try their newest product – a line of wonderful lip tints. What makes them unique is that on one end you get the tint and on the other end of the tube, you get an opal shimmer. Be warned, they come up paler than the shades shown. I personally love the Garnet, which gives my lips a natural plum tint. Made from Fair-trade cocoa butter and organic ingredients, these tints are unscented.

Every girl needs a Netti Pot! I have had one for years, and cannot live without it. Despite the fact that I travel a lot, I rarely experience sinus congestion and love the invigorating, refreshing feeling I get from flushing out my sinus every morning. Based on an ancient yogic cleansing ritual, you simply insert the spout into one nostril, tilt your head to one side and the water runs out of the other nostril. You need to add a little Sea Salt, and essential oils or grapefruit seed extract (great for bacterial infections). My favorite find is the Betti Pot. The first and only Green pot, which is made from non-toxic and recyclable materials, and manufactured in the U.S.,  this is the pot for the Gorgeously Green girl. It’s also great for kids and has helped my daughter avoid sinus infections on many an occasion.

What I love most about this pot, is that it’s actually pretty. Available in 9 gorgeous colors, all of which are reminiscent of American vintage Bauer pottery, each pot is sold with a small bottle of finely milled 100% pure healing sea salt from Maine.

I also highly recommend buying a bottle of the Betti Breathe Oil, which is a blend of anti-bacterial essential oils.

Mega chain store H&M is about to unveil it’s new sustainable collection. “The Garden Collection” is in response to demand from their customers for organic clothes. The bright designs are made from organic cotton and linen, recycled polyester and Tencel and will feature floral prints. I love these designs and they are at a price point that we can all afford.

As the demand for organic cotton is much higher than the global supply, and because many retailers want to introduce organic lines, H&M are tying to broaden the range of sustainable materials that they’ll use. They plan to use recycled wool, polyester and textile waste.

The Garden Collection has a sort of 70’s flower girl look to it – very pretty and also wearable. The collection will hit their stores around March 25th  – I can’t wait!

Cork really is the new black. It’s the perfect solution to those of us who want to avoid leather, but who also tussle with the issue of the plastic/vinyl that is typically used in “vegan” shoes and purses. Cork is fantastic as the trees are not cut down. The cork (the bark) is harvested every nine to ten years and leaves the tree completely intact. Pelcor harvests and manufactures their cork products using completely eco-friendly methods and their company is Fair-trade. I’ve met the guys who own this company and was taken through every stage of production.

I love the Carta Necessaire purse (pictured). All the purses are gorgeous and the really cool thing about cork, is that it’s waterproof and washable. So this Spring – cork is the new must-have!

I just love the Ovetto recycling “egg”. What a cool way to help you sort your recyclables. It comes in a variety of color combos and being such an “eye-catching” object, will invite all your family members and frineds to fully participate. It’s made out of recycled plastic too!

I am very picky about what I wear for yoga and exercise. If I feel comfortable and sexy in my workout clothes, I’m a lot more likely to get myself to class or even roll out the mat at home. So my choice this week is Bhakti Wear yoga clothes. Here’s what I love about them:

1. They fit beautifully and  are extremely flattering. You don’t get that baggy bottom thing happening after a few hours of wear. If I want a snug streamlined fit, I often have to go for a nylon/spandex fabric and I hate the feel of it against my skin. Bhakti Wear is made from 100% organic cotton and a little lycra, and feels beautiful on your skin. The tops come with a hidden bra, which is fabulous.

2. Their designs are gorgeous. Beauty is so often in the detail and I appreciate the work that’s gone into making these pieces extra special.

3. I love the spiritual aspect of the company and their products. They even sell meditation beads (malas) in healing stones. You can learn how to use them on their website.

4. They manufacture in the U.S.

Here is the company’s  back story. I’m all about the back story of the small companies that I promote – it’s one of the first things I ask, as so many of the lovely green products that we can buy today, have been created by people with extraordinary stories.

Back Story of Bhakti Wear
I guess it all first started with the music of Krishna Das and Jai Uttal coupled with the teachings of Ram Dass – a deep resonance of Truth as if something lost had been found again. My husband, Kevin, and I were yoga instructors at the time and we found ourselves drawn to the traditions of yoga, especially bhakti yoga. The seeds for Bhakti Ware grew out of our first visit to India in 2004. We had done a lot of reading, but nothing really prepares you for the real thing. It’s a country of extremes; a mixture of magic and heart-breaking hardship. We were high up in the foothills of the Himalayas and were taken aback by how fearlessly open the average person on the street was. We began to see how daily puja acted as a reminder that everything is sacred. People would be attracted to those attributes of the Divine Personality that best suited their temperament; many forms, one Love.

When we returned to LA we made a couple of t-shirts with the image of Hanuman on them. Before we knew it we were making more for our friends. I remember we went to see Ammachi and Kevin was wearing his Hanuman shirt. A woman with a young boy came up and asked where she could get one. Long story short, we made one for her son and in the process of the exchange we recommended reading the Ramayana. A month or so later the boy’s mother wrote us to say how grateful she was and how the Ramayana, with its ageless wisdom and wealth of spiritual guidance, had been so meaningful for her and her son. It was then that we realized what a wonderful way to spread a positive message clothing could actually be.

From the onset, we began making our women’s yoga wear out of organic cotton mixed with lycra and setting a portion of every sale aside for seva. The Bhakti Ware website was set up so that people could learn about the various deities, the Ramayana, how to use mala beads for meditation,…  We focus on making the best clothing possible, constantly raising the bar for quality and art. The clothes have been more or less advertising themselves, word of mouth has spread and here we are. We feel very blessed.

Don’t you have a yearning for color? After the long wintery months, many of us are totally fed up with brown and black – so if you’re window shopping and dreaming of bursting out in bright Spring colors, you might want to take a peek at these wonderful suede shoes by Terraplana. While you’re at it, have a look at their excellent video on how they make their shoes. Let’s face it, being a green Imelda Marcos isn’t easy. Our choice is basically leather or pleather – each having a nasty eco-footprint. Either way, 50 different components are used in the manufacture of a typical shoe, so if you find a company like Terraplana that manages to create a gorgeous shoe in the best way possible, it’s easier to justify a little shopping spree! I really think that these shoes are worth every penny. They are so well made that if you take care of them, they’ll last for years.

I also love the quilted version of this shoe, which is made from recycled quilts from Pakistan.

What a great thing that you can now purchase the things that you love like super stylish sunglasses and jewelry, in a way that doesn’t harm the earth at all – actually, in a way that does some good. Living in sunny Los Angeles, I need sunglasses almost year round and so I’m always on the look out for an eco-friendly, yet affordable style. Here it it! Eco-Optics Eyewear is made from recycled plastic and metal, they plant a tree for every pair purchased and the kicker – the glasses will arrive in a recycled cardboard box in which is a pre-addressed envelope, so you can easily donate your old glasses. Eco Optics will send them to people who really need them across the globe or reycle them into new cool designs for next year!

I’ve always been a sparkling water girl. Recently I’ve been able to drink a cool glass of sparkling water with a slice of meyer lemon from the little tree in my yard which is heavenly. I used to buy cases of fizzy water in glass bottles from Trader Joes and felt horribly guilty about the packaging, never mind the cost. Then my life changed – I got myself a Soda Stream machine and could make my own sparkling water without all the environmental issues that come with the bottled stuff. Here’s the kicker (actually there’s a few), you can customize your water to the exact level of fizzyness that you like. If you want a gentle sparkle, you press the button just once or twice and for bubbles that’ll knock your head off, you give it the full 3-5 blasts. I’ve recently up-dated to the Penguin Read the rest of this entry »

I am so excited to have found Skin Perfection – line of  skin care products that a loaded with the most amazing ingredients. My two favorite products are the “Face Lift” and the “Coffeeberry Serum”. FYI, the coffee berry has the highest vitamin C content of any plant! 2 lucky winners will receive a Liquid Face Lift, The Coffee Berry Serum, and The Perfect Moisturizer.

Since I just loved all your comments about what you love and loathe most in getting ready for the morning – let’s build on this! Many of you love to get ready to music. Leave a comment here telling us what music you listen to morning or evening. What gets you going/lifts your spirits? Maybe we’ll all be able to refresh our itune playlists after reading the comments. Good luck.

COMMENT # 63 Maggie and Teresa  won the Eco-tools giveaway.