The Organic Beauty Expert

The Organic Beauty Expert blog added to Alltop! Yay!

As an undercover geek, I can't tell you how stoked I was to get an email from Guy Kawasaki telling me this blog was added to Alltop. Granted, it wasn't from him. Like he actually wrote it personally, just the copy/paste deal, I'm sure, but still stoke-worthy nonetheless! And to whomever submitted or recommend the blog, again, many thanks!

And thanks to you readers who appreciate my dry humor, high quality video reviews (right), snarky comments and the real deal reviews on green and eco beauty and lifestyle.

A belated Valentine

Last year or the year before, I shared a poem my hubby wrote to me for heart day. Thankfully, he still loves me and I wanted to share with you the poem he wrote to me while he was on the ground in Iraq in 2007/2008. He's due to leave again here in a few weeks, so I though it appropriate. And for the military wives who read the blog, (for only you will understand) he's been home for a year, so while I hate to see him go, he's long overdue!

"In the embrace of my love"

When I go back to where waves lick my feet And gulls fall in slow motion Next to the sea

I will not kneel to kiss the silk sand Or weep as the sun drowns Again and again.

I'll not wallow in tears, though they may beckon And threaten to wash over All that I am...

Buoyed by a wind that lifts me up and above And brings me again face to face With my love...

I'll go, at last, into the mirage that appears To be an ocean on land And stop...

In the embrace of my love.

Pain is not the purpose, but a distraction to my goal And only serves to bring to light my unrepentant soul.

Trial by fire Is what this has been This distance, this parting, this absence in time.

So I'll reflect quietly In moments when we sit With hands clasped together against the night

And request from you understanding, acceptance and trust... To be a man in a world where men do what men must

And you'll see The deep inner fight I endure To step even one step beyond our front door,

Only to return With honor and pride Even stronger in love than when last by your side...

And I'll wrap you up In the embrace of my love And I'll hold you, Dear In the embrace of my love

All furies of war and massacres of men Dissipate to nothing when I'm with you again.

Welcome OBE's new green review diva, Tracey P.

I have only one body and with all the new green products, I need another body! Thankfully, long-time OBE reader Tracey stepped up to the plate and offered her body for green reviews. So please, send some love her way and keep an eye out for here reviews. ( And doesn't she look fab in that dress!)

Tracey Patillo is a self-proclaimed product junkie and consummate cosmetics consumer.  Diverging from her department store beauty route, she has taken a greener path to skin care and makeup.  Unfortunately the health and eco-conscious road to cosmetics isn’t always as accessible.  Tracey is on a quest to find some of the best natural and organic skin products out there…no parabens, not phlthalates, no SLS, no glycol and no nonsense.  She believes that beauty can not only look good, but be good for you and the planet.  When she isn’t searching for great products, Tracey is working as a Financial Director for a Foundation and teaching Jazzercise.

Defining natural beauty: A green lexicon review

Okay readers, before I launch an avalanche of reviews on you for 2009, we need to make sure we'll all on the same page (and before I open the wine and get totally confusing!) There are so many words thrown around now in beauty it's hard to keep track of what's whats. So for the purposes of reviews, I've come up with my own definitions of green beauty that will hopefully better help you make our beauty choices. Feel free to add your comments below on your understanding of this market.

Natural: this one is the catch-all. The ingredients may be "natural", but it does not mean the entire list is nature-based. Product can contain fragrance, botanicals, chemicals, et al.
Organic: most of the ingredients are certified organic; be aware, that many products now contain a percentage and if I know it, I'll use that as clarification points. Again, it may also contain some chemicals and other ingredients you don't like, unless it states 100% organic.
Eco/Eco-Friendly: this means nothing as far as what's in the product. It's more how the product was made; either from sustainable material or practices.
Green: covers the eco/organic scheme and usually has some tie to protecting the environment. I like to use it as a catch-all for products that don't quite fit nicely under one or other heading.
Handmade: indie businesses who usually make most of the products by hand with little or no synthetic materials.

Clear and concise? So when you read a review, it will have one of the above titles attached to it, which should help you lean either way in the beauty decision process. And again, your own points of clarification are greatly appreciated and welcome.

OBE makes the cut of 100 Must-Read Blogs... Yay!

What a nice surprise this notice was! As I lay in bed with cramps watching "Lie to Me" on Hulu.com (which I love!) my husband was Facebooking all his friends about his wife being #43 on this list. How surprised was I when my friend from Italy sends here congrats!  Yay!

Nice to see fellow greenie, Amanda from Fashion, Evolved made the cut as well.

Also, this week I was interviewed for Green Right Now, which appears on more than 100 ABC affiliate websites across the nation. Most proud of this interview because I think it presents a nice balance of the ups and downs of green beauty right now, but not in a guilt-ridden way, just "hey, if you're interested..." Great mention of OBE & OBV writer and Futurenatural owner, Emma Pezzack, as well as reader Spirit, of Spirit Beauty Lounge.

So readers, the green revolution is alive and kicking in 2009 and I'm super stoked to be a part of it with you!

Organic beauty not yet mainstream -- The green, the eco and the utterly confusing

This article from CosmeticDesign, hit a nerve for me. For the (almost) three years I've been writing this blog, the issue of the efficacy of natural products has been a point of contention. How do you justify the cost of a product when we, as the consumer, aren't quite sure whether it's going to work. Yes it may be natural, yes, the ingredients may be organic, but when it comes time to go in my purse and pay my hard-earned dough, I need results. Right? So this may be more of a rant, but it's been on my mind and I didn't want to move forward until I made this point.

Additionally, here's your choices for natural products: choose from eco, green, natural, handmade, organic, eco-friendly, biodynamic, fair trade and carbon-friendly. Really? While I don't agree with legislating the verbiage of beauty, it is quite understandable that "organic skin care products had a purchase rate of 5 percent and organic hair care purchase rates were even lower at 4 percent." How is the regular consumer to understand the difference among those choices? How do they know what they're getting in the product? More to the point, why should they bother?

So you might say, well, Andrea, why the hell do you write the blog if that's the way you feel? I'll tell you. It is precisely these reasons that I write the blog. To offer some understanding, a different view point. When I read a lot of the green blogs, there's this cloud of guilt and shame attached. Has anyone else noticed this? Or statement like, "while they made improvements, it's still not fully organic." Christ! You can never catch a break! Better, I read, during the inauguration on the CNN/Facebook  interface, "Michelle's dress is stunning." "Too bad it's not eco!" Really? It's this kind of annoying attitude that even turns me away.

No bailout for indie beauty companies, just hard work and dedication: FDA Globalization Bill of 2009

For the last three weeks I've been trying to formulate my 2009 introduction post; I'm on my last day! And here in my inbox was an email from Essential Wholesale with this wonderful news about the FDA Globalization Act. As I watch the world turn lately, with the socialist we now have in office, Exxon's record profit year and Wall Street using my tax dollars to give million dollar bonuses to lackeys, it is immensely refereshing to see true dedication to the spirit of what this country was founded on.

While I still beleive the bill itself is BS as big government need not be involved in this area, it at least does not rape small business and prevent entrepreneurs from making a living. True democracy at work and if you wrote a letter or called your Congress person, then good on you.

Feel free to leave your comments, thoughts and opinions and pass this on to anyone you know who loves handmade beauty products!

Welcome new voices to OBE

In the past, I've attempted to add additional writers/reviewers to the blog. Lame attempts because I had no focus and no goal. Finally, I've got a clue and would like to introduce you to the newest contributors to OBE.

Emma Pezzack, weekly post, Organic Beauty View:
With a background that spans around 20yrs working directly in the beauty and fashion industries, and a burning passion for organic and natural beauty in particular, I'm a self-confessed Organic Glamazon and Responsible Hedonist. A love of killer aesthetic combined with substance informs everything I do having worked on both sides of the beauty business; on one hand in sales, marketing and upper level management for major beauty firms; on the other, I'm a trained makeup artist and Fashion Stylist/Creative Director. My proudest achievement though is as CEO & Founder of Futurenatural, an online beauty store, hailed as the new ‘Sephora’ for the savvy organic & natural set. Representing everything from cult classics to boutique lines, the product selection is perfectly edited, beautifully curated and most are thoughtfully designed to consider the environment. I'm also Editor-In-Chief for Organic Beauty View, a beauty forum dedicated to delivering the latest trends, cool product reviews, hottest brands and savvy intel from the modern side of organic & natural beauty; and Beauty Director for the newly launched Coco Eco Magazine.

Gina Rafkind, Hair product review diva:
Gina Rafkind is the owner and founder of VedaSun; a company whose mission is to be your Aromatherapy Luminary and inspire you to Break Out and unleash your vibrant inner being by enhancing your awareness practice of using your senses as a pathway to presence.
Gina is a Licensed Cosmetologist, Aromatherapy Consultant, Certified Reflexologist, Acutonics Provider and a member of the Advisory Board of The Natural Ingredient Resource Center.

I am still looking for reviewers, especially a man for all the new products for guys. If you have an interest, can commit and have a sassy writing side, email me.

Support The Organic Beauty Expert in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

Readers, I've entered this contest and I'd love your vote. Yes, OBE is one of my businesses and in fact, I think it's my most pleasurable. OBE has been with me the last few years which have been extremely turbulent and has guided me in the right direction in other parts of my life. Since I've started thinking about this blog as business, treating it like a business and speaking about it in business terms, the results have been superb! Not winning the lottery, but my spiritual bank is overflowing and the espresso till may even get me dinner and drinks!

Additionally, this is  great contest for any momma in business, so please vote for me then create a submission for yourself! Your desreve it!

Support The Organic Beauty Expert in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

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Want to know more about mineral makeup? Natural Solutions Mag has a great article and OBE got a quote!

Yes, yes it's blatant promotion but what the hell! Natural Solutions Magazine, which is actually a really good magazine, did a great article about mineral makeup and offers answers to practically every mineral makeup question you might have... and I got to offer a bit of advice, as well. Check out the issue on stands now!