What a fox! (photo courtesy of nylonmag.com)

Looking at pictures of Kristen Stewart with blonde hair has convinced me that I may also need blonde hair.  It’s one of those things that I’ll probably never do, but it’s fun to pretend. Now would be the perfect time to radically alter my physical appearance, too, since I’m moving and I won’t have to deal with all the surprised/disappointed faces.  I’m currently scouring the internet for ways to safely lighten my hair.  My conclusion: There aren’t many. Surprise, surprise.

I haven’t given up yet, though. I’m gonna talk to all the hairstylists/colorists that I know and see what they say. Any thoughts on the matter?

So, here’s a dress that I want:

I would feel like such a knockout in this dress!

Modcloth has some of the cutest dresses, and I kind of need this With Good Taste Dress.  I might feel compelled to wear it at least once a week.

Also, I’m going to convince Danielle to do a guest post about some henna that she’s been using…hopefully soon. She has beautiful hair, in case you didn’t know.  Get ready.

photo credit: tanakawho

Until a few days ago, perfume had always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  I successfully traded in most of my old health and beauty products for safer (and consequently, more expensive) alternatives…but perfume was kind of a hard habit to break. I’d spray just a little on top of my clothes instead of directly on my skin and hope for the best. I kept telling myself that I would make a change as soon as I finished my bottles of  Heavenly (from Victoria’s Secret) and Hot (by Ralph Lauren).  After reading the articles below, however, I can’t put it off any longer. I’ll be taking both bottles to the thrift store the next time I make a donation. In case you’re tired of me talking about articles and don’t feel like reading these, I’ll give you a short list of the high points:

• The basic formula for all perfumes is this: water+alcohol+fragrance oils+chemical compounds
• Fragrances are protected as trade secrets. For this reason, it’s nearly impossible to know how few or how many chemicals make up our favorite scents.
• Some of the most common chemicals found in perfumes are: benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, camphor, ethanol, ethyl acetate, linalool ,acetaldehyde,a-pinene, acetone, a-terpinene, methylene chloride, styrene oxide, dimenthyl sulphate, a-terpineol, limonene
• Side-effects from these chemicals can range from something as simple as eye irritation to much more serious things like cancer.
• “Fragrance Oils” or “Fragrant Oils” are not the same things as “Essential Oils”.
• The absence of an ingredient list should cause suspicion.

Still interested? Here are the sources:

The Toxic Effects of Perfume

Perfume Ingredients- What’s in a Scent?

Also, pay close attention to all the sweet ingredients you’re about to encounter.

The Answer’s PMS Clear Facial Mask- I’ve yet to find anything that completely gets rid of pre-period breakouts. I guess this stuff could be the ticket.

Ingredients- French green clay, Fullers Earth clay, green tea, and papaya extract.

Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Coconut Hair Creme- I actually just ordered this hair creme, and I can’t wait to try it. Needless to say, a review is on the way.

Ingredients-Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Organic Ethanol, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Lavender Oil, Organic Quillaja Saponaria Extract, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol.

Ennecence Clean Escape Shower Gel- This stuff looks fancier than bar soap. I’m intrigued.

Ingredients- Saponified oils of virgin coconut*, olive*, and jojoba*, glycerin, vegetable gum extract, aloe vera*, argan oil*, sweet orange*, grapefruit*, and patchouli* essential oils, and rosemary extract*. *Certified Organic

John Masters Organics Herbal Cider Hair Rinse and Clarifier- I’ve had thoroughly positive experiences with John Masters Organics shampoo and conditioner, so I’m eager to try something else of  from these guys.

Ingredients- Vinegar (apple cider),* aqua (water), chamomilla recutica (chamomile) flower extract,* calendula officinalis (calendula) flower extract,* camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract,* rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf/stem extract,* urtica dioica (nettle) root extract,* potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, citrus medica limonium (lemon) peel oil,* citrus aurantifolia (lime) peel oil*. *Certified Organic

Skin’s Cranberry Orange Salt Scrub- I use Skin’s Apricot Mango Eye Cream at night, and I like it.

Ingredients- Sea salt, cranberry powder*, jojoba oil*, olive oil*, mandarin essential oil*. *Certified Organic

I just read an article about foods that may slow the aging process, and I found it to be both interesting and helpful.  I tend to become so focused on health and beauty products that I forget how big a role the food we eat actually plays in our overall quality of life. I plan to buy kiwis, dark chocolate, and white tea tomorrow  when I go grocery shopping since those three have been completely absent from my diet  for a while now. At the risk of sounding braggy, however, I felt pretty satisfied with myself after seeing berries, spinach, and avocados on the list. It just so happens that I’ve been eating spinach salads topped with strawberries, raspberries, dried cranberries, and avocados for the past few days. I was pretty excited to see tomatoes on the list as well.  I regularly crave tomato and mustard sandwiches, and I’ve been known to drink salsa on more than one occasion.

Check it out:

9 Foods for Youthful Skin

This is ridiculous, right? Clementine is indifferent.

Moving sucks, but I think that it might suck a little less for me than it does for most people.  My possessions are pretty much limited to clothing, accessories, miscellaneous craft items,  and a lot of beauty products.  I realize what kind of person that must make me seem like, but I can’t muster the energy to care.  Our bedroom furniture is Kirby’s.  Our living room furniture is Kirby’s.  Even our dishes belong to Kirby.  I am using Kirby’s computer to type this post.  We did buy our television together, so I guess that’s something…but moving a television is a lot easier than moving a couch.  In the end, I guess it doesn’t matter much.  I’ll obviously be helping Kirby move the heavier things that belong to him, but the entire point of this post has nothing to do with couches or televisions.

The Point:

I have an insane amount of beauty products, and that picture doesn’t even begin to cover it. I use everything in the above picture on a daily basis. I own dozens of other sprays and masks and creams that I use rarely, if at all.  I think that I should cut back before it becomes a problem.  Hell, it probably already has. Why do I have four different body moisturizers that are all half full?  There is no reason for that to happen. Needless to say, I’m gonna work on it.

As cute as these little tins are, they're pretty hard to open sometimes. I scooped out the perfume and put it into a tiny jar with a twist off lid.

Danielle gave me two Pacifica Solid Perfumes around a year ago (Sandalwood and Mexican Cocoa), and I immediately fell in love with the Sandalwood-scented one. I used it for a couple of months until it started making my head hurt (which tends to happen to me with any scent when I expose myself to it for long enough).  I decided to give the other one a try, even though it didn’t really smell like my cup of tea while it was in the tin.  Surprisingly, after I applied it behind my ears and on my neck, I discovered that I found the Mexican Cocoa to be much more pleasant than the Sandalwood.  I’ve been wearing it daily for a little over a month, and the scent is still as pleasant as it was in the beginning.  We’ll see how long that lasts, but for now I’m a big, big fan.  On the bright side, there are 21 different scents which allows me a lot of room to switch each time a scent begins to nauseate me.  I’m pretty pumped about trying Malibu Lemon Blossom next.

Fun Fact: These little guys are free of parabens and made from organic oils.  How nifty!

Coastal Classic Creations Whispering Seas Mascara in black-

Product Description (provided by website)- “Our ‘Whispering Seas’ Mascara was created meticulously, ingredient by ingredient, eliminating any questionable toxic ingredient heretofore found in many mascara products. Made with the same high purity, filtered synthetic iron oxides we use in our shadows, our mascara is soft to the touch and is safe for contact lens wearers. Our mascara is not waterproof due to our omission of adhesives.  If you have oiliness in the eye area or live in a very humid climate, powder your lashes in between coats. The best application is to put on one coat, let dry, and then apply a second coat. You may need to apply a third coat after the mascara dries to achieve a thicker look.  There are no animal fibers in this product.”

Ingredients (as listed on website)-Purified water; high purity, synthetic, filtered iron oxide black; USDA Certified Organic avocado oil; candelilla wax; cetearyl alcohol; ozokerite; USDA Certified Organic sunflower oil; cetearyl oleate; sorbitan oleate; glycerin; honeysuckle flower extract; panthenol; USDA Certified Organic olive oil; olive fruit oil; vegetable fat (You can probably gather this from reading the ingredients, but Whispering Seas Mascara has a zero hazard rating in the Cosmetic Safety Database).

Price- $25.00

Performance- I never really feel like this stuff dries while I am wearing it, but I still don’t have a problem with it smudging. It pretty much stays in place.  The biggest perk of using this mascara is that it never clumps.  I actually put on several layers once just to see if it would, and I was still clump-free. Whispering Seas Mascara would be perfect for someone like my sister who occasionally picks off her mascara out of boredom/habit.  It comes right off without severing any eyelashes.

Here are my eyelashes coated in Whispering Seas Mascara.

Bare Escentuals Big Tease Mascara in blackest black-

Product Description (provided by website)- “Amplify your allure with arresting, eye-catching lashes. Our Big Tease Mascara adds oomph to your eyes, giving you fuller-looking lashes and an irresistibly mischievous glance.”

Ingredients (as listed on website)- Water, Stearic Acid, Beeswax (Cera Alba), PVP, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Acacia Senegal Gum, Phenylpropyldimethylsiloxysilicate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Triethanolamine, Dimethicone, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Diocide, Decyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, D&C Black #2 (CI 77266)

I could not find Big Tease Mascara in the Cosmetic Safety Database, so I had to search the individual ingredients to make an assessment of how safe I think the product is. The highest rated ingredient (Triethanolamine) was a six, and I guess I can live with that since most of the other ingredients were ones and zeroes.

Price- $15.00

Performance- I’ve read so many negative reviews about this mascara.  A lot of people think that the double-sided brush sucks, but that’s my favorite part.  I like to use the longer side (meant for separating and lengthening) for the first few strokes, and then finish off with the shorter side (its purpose is to build volume). This mascara makes me feel very glamorous, and I like it.  I get asked if I’m wearing fake eyelashes more often when I’m wearing Big Tease Mascara.  I guess whether that’s a good or a bad thing is pretty relative.

Here are my eyelashes coated in Big Tease Mascara

Verdict- Clearly, the Whispering Seas Mascara has fewer, better ingredients, but the performance (and price) of the Big Tease Mascara ultimately wins me over.  I’d wear the former to the grocery store and the latter to a party.

I have a feeling that this stuff smells lovely.

1) Demeter Naturals Mimosa Perfume- Demeter Naturals fragrances are made from pure essential oils and have no Phthalates (put simply, Phthalates are chemicals that are intended to make scent last longer that are easily absorbed by our skin).

LunaPanties are made especially for period times!

2) LunaPanties-Basically, they have organic cotton pads sewn into them.  The extra liner shown in the picture is for days with heavier flows.  I could easily make something like this at home, but I love that they’re made with organic cotton (One day, when I’m wealthy, all of my clothes will be made from organic cotton).  Of all of the nifty things on this list, these panties are the item that I’ll most likely buy.  You should really check out the entire site. They have lots of cool things- rawganique

This dress is made from organic cotton too. Oh, boy!

The back is too cute.

3. Sun Applique Dress- I need more casual dresses in my closet. An impressive amount of my dresses can only be worn to weddings.

How fancy would using a brand called Glam Nation make you feel?!

4. Glam Nation Organic and Wild-Crafted Eye and Makeup Remover Lotion- I typically use olive oil to remove my eye makeup, and it works just fine…but I read some great reviews on this product.  Also, it has a zero hazard score on the Cosmetic Safety Database, and I like that.

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.

5) Nothing Nasty Rose and Vanilla Lipbalm- Yeah, I know I’d be ordering it from the UK and shipping would be ridiculous…but this could be my new Minted Rose Lip Balm with better ingredients (another rating of zero, actually)!

I like this orangey shade of red A LOT.

6. Toms Red Newport Cordones- Everyone knows that Toms does good things for the world, and these shoes would do good things for my feet.

Painting my nails is a bad habit that I refuse to quit.

7. Zoya Matte Velvet Nail Polish in Veruschka-  This has to be better for me than Sally Hansen, right?

It's made for babies and kids, but adults get nappy hair too.

8. Babo Botanicals Berry Primrose Instantly Smooth Detangler-  Surprise surprise, it’s another zero.

Kiwi, pineapple, and passion fruit together at last.

9. Gold Machine Naked Juice- Putting juice on this list may seem silly since it is so cheap and easily attainable, but I can’t find this at any of the stores around these parts. If any of you guys have tried it, then let me know how awesome it was.

I have an obsession with animal necklaces. It hasn't become a problem yet.

10. Circle Fawn Necklace by Figs & Ginger-  These guys love the environment! See for yourself- Figs & Ginger’s Green Values

1) Alcohol makes you age faster (especially the sugar-filled drinks and beer that I tend to enjoy), and I have always wanted to be a hot middle-aged lady.

2) Hangovers are not fun.

3) I bet cirrhosis of the liver isn’t either.

4) I am just as pleasant  when I am sober, and people who disagree with that do not know me very well at all.

5) Drinking is expensive.

6) Who needs a weakened immune system with the swine flu on the loose?

7) Most importantly, alcoholism runs in my family, and I am not trying to be an alcoholic.