Is Lip Plumper Bad?

I recently tried a sample of "Perfect Pout" lip plumper and tingly "Kiss and Tell" lip gloss by Pure Romances. I absolutely loved the effect of both products. The Kiss and Tell gloss had the perfect amount of color and smelled great and I really liked the tingly feeling, while "Perfect Pout" definitely gave my lips a temporary swollen feeling and look.

However, this got me curious, what exactly lip plumper, and is it safe to use on a regular basis? I had to check it out. First off, the Pure Romances beauty line isn't yet listed on the EWG's Skin Deep Database, so I decided to see if similar products were safe. Lip plumping products ranged from 0 - 8 (on a 1-10 scale from no hazard to known hazards). So it really depends on the varying ingredients of the specific brand of plumper you are using. Plumpers aren't all bad...or all good, which means that shoppers need to be especially aware when they are picking up a new product. It might be a good idea to check the Skin Deep Database before going to the store. Luckily the plumping ingredients in Perfect Pout are essential oils, which, in general, are pretty safe to use. In fact, when looking up various essential oils on the Skin Deep Database, almost all of them came up with a rating of 0, or No Hazard. Whew!

Latest Articles

on MeridaHome:
Blog Spotlight: Re-Nest by Apartment Therapy
Efficient & Ergonomic Dishwasher Design
Sustainable Business Spotlight: Taza Chocolate
Summer Reading List for Stylish Green Women
PeopleTree: The Most Sustainable Clothing on Earth

on Examiner:
Natural Lavender Body Lotion Review
The New England Blog Network
Boston Green Drinks July Meetup


Other:
Green Celebrities that Represent Sustainability with Style
How Green are You? Be Practically Green
In the Pits: The Great Deodorant Debate

Green Drinks Tonight!

The July meeting of Green Drinks Boston is taking place TONIGHT at Kingston Station at 6pm.

Hope to see you there!

If You Must Sanitize...

I generally don't like the idea of hand sanitizer. There are supposed to be SOME germs on your skin, so killing all of them on a regular basis doesn't seem like a very good idea. Plus, using sanitizer too often can make your body grow resistant - and the thought that antibacterial products/sanitizer might not be effective for me or my hypothetical future children someday is a bit frightening. I don't know much about this issue, but in general, I prefer to use regular soap and water whenever possible. However, in those rare instances when you've been in a dirty place (like on the T) and you don't have access to soap and water, there is a compromise: Burt's Bees Aloe & Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer. The product uses corn-based alcohol to kill germs and also infused with all natural skin-soothing ingredients. It also smells much less harsh than traditional sanitizing products. Plus, the spray bottle is super-convenient and less messy than gels.

And... I'm Featured Again!

My work is getting lots of publicity this week, which is very exciting! My article about the harmful chemicals in deodorants, In the Pits: The Great Deodorant Debate, is being featured on Scott Gray's Weblog: Thoughts from the Nintendo Generation.

Scott Gray's blog is an interesting site of personal thoughts that define our generation - specifically focusing on social media, branding, SEO, and the power of the online world.

image courtesy of inhealthycare.com

Featured on Natural Papa

I recently wrote an article about Practically Green (online tool that personalizes a green living action plan for you) and the article is featured on Natural Papa! Natural Papa is a green living resource for fathers. There are so many green mom blogs - it is refreshing to see one that encourages fathers to live green and teach their children how to as well.

See my article on Natural Papa

Featured on Ethical Ocean

An article I wrote, Green Celebrities Represent Sustainability with Style, is featured on Ethical Ocean! Ethical Ocean is a blog that promotes fair trade, sustainability, and ethical consumerism. Their e-commerce site allows people to purchase items that are fair trade, vegan, organic, humanitarian, and supportive of social change. The website includes everything - clothing, electronics, cosmetics, books, food, shoes, and toys. Check it out next time you shop!

Frozen Yogurt is Better than Air Conditioning

I won't lie, living without AC has been a struggle over the past couple of weeks. If it weren't for the Mirabella Pool and access to my roof, I'd probably have melted to death by now. Another key reason for my survival through this heatwave is frozen yogurt. I love frozen yogurt. I go through about a pint a week, and yes, Ben and Jerry's is an expensive habbit, but not nearly as expensive as air conditioning! However, I've eaten so much half-baked  over the past two weeks, that my brain has become half-baked. It is time for a switch.

Luckily there is another local, all-natural frozen yogurt option: Sweet Scoops! Sweet Scoops is based in Portsmouth, NH and uses rBST-free milk to make their 10 delicious flavors of fro yo. My favorite so far is Coffee Cookies & Cream. Sweet Scoops brand is available at Golden Goose Market and Whole Foods.

Singing Beach - Boston's Best Staycation

Just 30 miles north of Boston (and easily accessible via commuter rail off the Newburyport/Rockport Line) is Singing Beach. Singing Beach is located in the gorgeous little town of Manchester-by-the-Sea. The beach is beautiful, refreshing, and walking distance from downtown, so its easy to grab a post-beach bite to eat.

RRR: Saving Trees in the Office

Do people in your office print documents one-sided? Do they sometimes mess up and throw these print jobs into the recycling? Is your office recycling completely full by the end of the day? Make it stop! Recycling is good, yes, but don't skip the "reuse" part of the cycle. There are many ways to use this scrap paper in the office before tossing it into the recycling.

-Staple it together to make notepads
-For use instead of post-it notes
-Emergency coasters
-Printing drafts

Here is my pile of scrap paper - I actually use it quite a bit!

Art Inspired Barbie Dolls

So this doesn't have much to do with green living - in fact - Barbies are pretty un-green. Nonetheless, I always enjoy when fine art crosses into pop culture, so I decided to share pictures of the recently released art-inspired Barbies. Matel debued a Gustav Klimt doll, a Van Gogh doll, and a Da Vinci doll.

and while I was blog surfing for these photos, (thisnext.com), I also found this fun barbie of the Girl with the Pearl Earring!

albertis-window.blogspot.com

and a Venus de Milo Barbie!

Lazy Chef: Healthy Chips?

During a marathon shop at Whole Foods in Beacon Hill, I came accross a very intriguing snack: Rhythm Superfoods Kale Chips in Kool Ranch flavor (doritos anyone?!). This whole bag of chips had only 200 calories and contained like a bajillion percent vitamin A as well as substantial doses of vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron. The price was pretty hefty at about $6, but I decided to give them a shot. Plus they are vegan and gluten free.

They weren't so much chips as crunchy clusters. They were delicious, but the clusters were a bit tricky to eat without making a crumbly mess, and I was disappointed to see that the whole bottom of the bag was filled with crumbs. All in all, kale chips were a great, simple, feel-good late night snack, but at $6 for a tiny bag filled a quarter of the way with crumbs... I probably will not buy them again. I'll probably just stick with my Annie's Cheddar Bunnies.

Emma Watson at the London Premieres

Emma Watson is one of my favorite eco-fashionistas. She has a very hands on approach - not only does she wear and model for eco-conscious brands, she also helps design for them. She has pretty much put PeopleTree on the map. And with the upcoming release of the FINAL Harry Potter film, all eyes are on her.

Here are photos of Emma on the red carpet at the London Premieres of all of the Harry Potter Movies;

Sorcerer's Stone

Chamber of Secrets

Prisoner of Azkaban

Goblet of Fire

Order of the Phoenix

(my fav)

Half Blood Prince

Deathly Hallows 1

Dealthy Hallows 2

Bad Beauty Habbits

1. Flossers. Unnecessary plastic waste.

2. Traditional Deodorant. Parabens and carcinogens galore.

3. Heat styling hair everyday. Once in a while yes, but every day is a waste of electricity and bad for your hair!

4. Tanning.

5. Fast fashion.

6. Chemical hair treatments.

7. Disposible face clothes. Many make-up removers come in one-time use cleansing pads. Try a reusable organic cotton face cloth instead.

8. Petroleum based beauty products.

9. Artificial scents - they are used in many products but they are chemically based and irritating to the skin.

10. Q-tips, wasting materials and pushing wax deeper into your ears at the same time? yikes! Ask your doc about alternatives if you are having trouble giving up your Q tip habbit.

Eco-Friendly Harbor Cruises for $14!

From now until July 10th you can purchase a 60-minute Boston Harbor Boat tour for just $14 via groupon. The company, Boston Green Cruises, specializes in environmentally responsible boat trips. The boats are part of Boston's first "eco-fleet" and  are EPA approved and super-quiet.

Movies in the Park

A great way to beat the heat if you are aren't installing air conditioning this summer is to spend your evenings outdoors. As soon as the sun goes down and the temps dip a little, the city is gorgeous and there are lots of great activities going on. One example is outdoor movie night every Sunday at Christopher Columbus Park next to the Long Wharf Marriot.

This year's schedule is as follows:

Sunday Night Movies in the Park

The movie begins at dusk (around 8:00 pm) on the following evenings.

June 26th: Miracle PG (2:15)
July 10th: Mrs. Doubtfire PG-13 (2:06)
July 17th: ET PG ((1:54)
July 24th: Princess Bride PG (1:38)
July 31st: UP PG (1:54)
August 7th: The Blind Side PG-13 (2:09)
August 14th: Fever Pitch PG-13 (1:38)
We hope you enjoy these fun and inspirational movies!
This movie series is sponsored through the generous support of Al Dente Restaurant, Benevento's Brick Oven Kitchen & Bar and Boston Pushcart Concessions. Thank you Joe Bono!

See you at Mrs. Doubtfire this weekend! And to find out about more activities in the park, click here.

Lazy Chef: Easy Edamame

Edamame is a great snack because it only takes a few minutes to make and is very satisfying. It is also easy to make using only organic ingredients.
Whole Foods sells organic frozen edamame. It cooks just like pasta - throw it in boiling water for 5 minutes, and strain. Sprinkle with Simply Organic garlic salt and...voila.... a quick, delicious and organic appetizer!

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Photos courtesy of RecipeTips.com and SimplyOrganic.com

 

Green Tip: Compost the edamame shells!

#EcoMonday

#EcoMonday is a weekly hashtag on twitter in which people list their favorite environmentally themed twitter feeds. If you are new to twitter or are simply looking for more green accounts to follow, I highly suggest searching #ecomonday for some great ideas on who to follow. It is also a great way to discover local companies, green blogs, and find out about events. Get more involved in the green community every #EcoMonday!!!

Image courtesy of GreenUpgrader