Balmy Days Ahead

I'm something of a lip balm fanatic — my lips tend to chap easily, especially in the windy New York winters. So I keep a tube (and it's always a tube; I hate the thought of digging a germy finger into a jar of something I'm going to smear on my lips!) in my pocket or purse at all times, and I'm always trying different brands.

My current favorite: Eco Lips Sport SPF 30 Lip Balm. There's a lot to love about this product: It's made of 81% certified organic ingredients, has a nice (but not overpowering) vanilla flavor, is petroleum-free, not tested on animals, and contains a high level of sunscreen. It's also gluten-free, in case that's an issue. It's made in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And it's cheap: I picked up my tube for just $2.49 at my local Whole Foods. Soft, sun-protected lips for less than two dollars and fifty cents? I'm sold.

Good (Natural) Stuff From the CEW Beauty Awards Product Demonstration

Earlier this week I attended the Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Beauty Awards Product Demonstration — an annual event that puts more than 600 new products on display for CEW members and the press to sniff, smear, and sample. Need I say that I love attending this event?

Usually, I wander the aisles and stop at every table that catches my eye (either because of the products on display or the free candy). But this year I focused on finding fabulous makeup and skin care products with natural ingredients. I wasn't disappointed.

Some of my favorites included:

• Jurlique's Purely Age-Defying Range. I'm a big fan of Jurlique. The company makes fantastic, high-quality (and pricey) products with ingredients that are hand-harvested from an organic farm in South Australia. This new four-item line includes a facial serum, eye cream, night lotion, and refining treatment. I tried the serum, and am looking forward to testing the full line.
• bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss. Pretty colors, nice shimmer, and a thick-but-not-too-gloopy formula made from natural oils, Brazilian Cupuacu butter, flower extracts and mineral colorants. This item launches in May... stay tuned for more details.
• Tarte Full Blossom Natural Swirl Cheek Stain. Tarte is another company I love, even more so now that it has revamped its product line to remove yucky ingredients like parabens and phthalates. I love my Cheek Stain in Blushing Bride, but this new version, with two shades swirled together, is too pretty to pass up.
• Pangea Organics Facial Scrub. This gentle scrub is made with Egyptian geranium, adzuki beans and cranberry, as well as organic shea butter, sweet almond oil, and organic evening primrose oil. It smells good, and it's scrubby enough without being too rough on the skin. As an added bonus, the box it comes in can be soaked in water and then planted. The result: A sweet basil plant. How cool is that?

Welcome to Pretty Natural

I've been a beauty junkie for about as long as I can remember. As a kid, I loved applying makeup to my Barbie Styling Head, playing with my mom's Mary Kay makeup kit, and dog-earring the pages of the Avon catalogs that a family friend would leave at our house. 

In 6th grade my mom finally allowed me to wear blush, and I've been experimenting (sometimes disastrously—blue eye shadow, I'm talking about you!) ever since. But my tastes have changed since the days of Love's Baby Soft, Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, and Maybelline Kissing Potion. Now, I'm interested in beauty products and services with an eco element—things that are both skin- and Earth-friendly.

I'm not alone: In December The NPD Group, Inc. released a report, Natural-Organic Trends in Beauty 2008, that showed two out of three beauty product users were interested in some form of eco-beauty products. And while interest is higher than actual usage, it certainly seems like beauty companies are paying attention to those results. From the cosmetics aisles at Target to the beauty counters at Macy's, there are more natural, organic and eco-friendly items to choose from than ever these days. 

Pretty Natural is all about those products. It's my attempt to find the newest and best (at least by my definition) in "green" beauty, and share those findings.