Recycle your cell at Fred Segal Santa Monica

Do you go through phones like you do purses? If so, then you probably have a few in a box collecting dust in your coat closet, or wherever else you keep random things you can't throw away because you might need them later. Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare and the Environmental Media Association (EMA) have teamed up to put on a cell phone drive at Studio Beautymix Fred Segal in Santa Monica.

This is all part of EMA's new national campaign to encourage consumers to recycle cell phones. If you didn't know, old cell phones can't be thrown away because they have parts that are toxic. Now you can recycle them, save the environment, and lets not forget you'll be rewarded courtesy of Liz Earle.

Takes place Saturday, April 25 10 am - 7 pm.
Beautymix Fred Segal Santa Monica 500 Broadway Santa Monica

Bee aware for Earth Day

The mysterious disappearance of honey bees, called Colony Collapse Disorder, has the potential to put $15 billion worth of U.S. crops at risk, not to mention put a damper on all of our diets. In 2006, seemingly healthy bees were simply abandoning their hives, never to return. Scientists don't completely know why, but believe it may be due to pesticide exposure, inadequate food supply, invasive parasitic mites, among other factors.

Since Earth Day is next week, many of our fave companies are doing their part to help the bees. Venice-based Strange Invisible perfumes is donating 10% of every sale to the study of Colony Collapse Disorder. Their facebook page also is brimming with interesting facts about honey bees to remind us about how integral they are to our food supply.

Also, anthropologie has teamed up with Bono and Ali Hewson's company Edun to make super cute Bee Tees. Made in Peru from 100% organic cotton, shirts are made to draw attention to the current plight of honey bees and the organizations dedicated to saving them. You'll also notice that all anthropologie stores will display bee-themed window installations that reflect in direct and abstract ways upon bees' role in our world. The Bee Tees are only available in stores, so get yours now.

Plus on Earth Day (April 22!) there'll be an in-store book signing at the anthropologie at The Grove with JoAnn Cianciulli, author of L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook: Meet me at 3rd and Fairfax. A well-known food writer, Cianciulli's comprehensive cookbook celebrates the food, people and history of this LA landmark. I can't wait to get myself a copy and try out all the yummy recipes!



Strange Invisible Perfumes; 1138 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice; (310) 314-1508
anthropologie at The Grove, 6301 West 3rd St, Los Angeles. Signing will be from 6-8 pm.

Give back with Kiehl's

One of our fave skin care lines is doing some serious giving back for Earth Day. Their new environmental fund raising celebrity partnership involves a limited collection of Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion that will raise funds for Waterkeeper Alliance. 100% of net Kiehl's proceeds from the series will go towards the organization. This project hits stores and the Kiehls.com on Earth Day, April 22. Waterkeeper Alliance aims to keep our water clean from pollutants - sounds excellent to us!

Kiehl's recently partnered with Adrien Grenier, Erykah Badu, Kelly Slater, and a team of students from Parsons The New School for Design to create the unique and collectible labels for their project. That means there are four unique labels for you to purchase up so you can lather up with that soothing body lotion.

Kiehl's online or visit 1516 Montana Ave Santa Monica

Surfers, Smashbox and Santa Monica

What do surfers, Smashbox, and Santa Monica all have in common you ask? Besides looking sexy, they are all about keeping the beaches Pretty! Since Smashbox cosmetics is an LA native they're partnering with Malibu based non-profit, the Surfrider Foundation to clean up Santa Monica. They're hosting a beach cleanup Earth Day (April 22) from 9-11 am. Two hours isn't very long, so hopefully a lot of people show up or the beach isn't as dirty as presumed.

If you'd like to join the action you're welcome to show up and lend a helping hand. It really is all about the community and keeping the environment Pretty.

For more information visit the Surfrider Foundation's website.

image source.

Filthy and gorgeous for Earth Day

After TerraCycle helped us get Eco-Pretty we have been all about being green, especially since Earth Day is right around the corner on April 22. So we're excited about their new TV show, Garbage Moguls airing on the National Geographic channel that will take everyday trash and turn it into something spectacular.
The show follows the ups and downs of the TerraCycle team on the edge of billion-dollar success - and bankruptcy - all while trying to make the earth a better place. Garbage Moguls tracks the theam's work on two prototypes: a messenger bag for OfficeMax - made from old billboard materials and seat belts - and a kite made entirely of Oreo wrappers for Wal-Mart. Viewers witness the zany brainstorming ideas (a Slip 'N Slide made of wrappers?), the uphill battles and the real-life dramedy in the vein of The Office.
Also, if you can't get enough of this cutting edge company the founder, Tom Szaky just published Revolution in a Bottle. It's about how he dropped out of Princeton to create TerraCycle and the tribulations he faced along the way. Szaky argues for a new approach to business, an "ecocapitalism" based on a "triple bottom line." Every business, he says, should aspire to be good for people, good for the environment, and (last but definitely not least) good for profits. He shows how the first two goals can help the third.

The next airing of Garbage Moguls is of course on Earth Day and Szaky's book is available now.

Pants off for Earth Day!

With Earth Day coming up this month we are all about things that will help make us Eco-Pretty and save some cash. Our friends at lucy are offering $10 off new workout pants when you bring in your old ratty ones. You know which ones I'm talking about too - the pair that's faded, stretched out, and you tend to wear when its laundry day. Time to retire those and get something cute and sporty.

lucy will give the old bottoms a new life by donating them to a local charity. Good for the wallet and good for the planet. So sweet!

visit lucy online for locations (there's lots in LA)

Lush to bomb our city with Pretty flowers

Not only is Lush one of my fave places to get some pampering products, this busy cosmetics company that's busy buffing up some backsides while advocating against cruel seal hunts is also planning a campaign to make your neighborhood more lovely in honor of Earth Day with their handmade Seed Bombs.

Yes, Lush is all about the bombs (my fave is the Sex Bomb) but these Seed Bombs aren't for you, but instead they're for Mother Earth. She could use some pampering too! It's a combination of soil, seeds, water and clay rolled into a small ball which can - and should! - be tossed anywhere that needs to be beautified with flowers native to North America. Hmm...there's a certain alleyway I always pass through that I believe could use a little "seed bombing!"

Stop by any Lush nationwide between April 13-26 and make a complementary Seed Bomb to Pretty up your city. Think of it as "taking back the pavement." And if you want to also nab yourself a Squeaky Green Shampoo Bar, that would be a little eco-Pretty of you too! Each Lush shampoo bar is equivalent to three 250 ml plastic bottles of shampoo. This means last year alone, Lush shoppers saves 3 million plastic bottles from landfills by using solid shampoo bottles (and their hair looked good too!).

So stop by Lush and get your hands dirty!

Lush Cosmetics, 312 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills.

Thibiant offers up Complex Organics

Switching over to Organic products is far from complex. Luckily, Thibiant Beverly Hills is offering up a new line of Complex Organic products. These high end products are made from the finest organic ingredients, eco-friendly glass bottle packaging, and provide top notch results. The products are safe for all skin types and are free of obnoxious fragrances and unnecessary dyes or colors.
I can't stress how much I heart Thibiant. Seriously, the moisturizer and eye cream will absorb quickly into the skin. My skin feels so awakened and fresh, after all natural ingredients are very Eco-Pretty. I've also been using the face wash and find that incredibly gentle, yet effective when removing dirt and makeup from my face. Also, don't mess with the almond honey face scrub either, because it means serious business! The earthy scrub will attack icky dead skin and dirt leaving nothing but pure radiance behind. It's also one of their best sellers!

These products can be considered a bit costly. On the contrary, let's remember sometimes you can skimp on the spa and splurge on the products. After all, Thibiant is the oldest and most famous European style spa in LA. Nothing but the best for us Pretties.

Thibiant Beverly Hills 449 North Cannon Drive Beverly Hills, 90210
(310) - 278 - 7565

Lush helping to Save Our Seals

Sorry to manipulate your emotions with the dangerously cute picture above, but we had to talk about Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt, the largest mass slaughter of marine animals in the world. More than 275, 000 seals will be killed this year, most of which are only a couple of weeks old and with no means to defend themselves or escape. Although 69% of Canadians and 80% of Americans disapprove, the "hunt" continues, and Lush is doing what it can to stop it with their Save Our Seals Campaign.

Their new bubble bar in the shape of a baby seal, created especially for the campaign, was named "First Swim" because many of the seals that are killed are so young that they have yet to go into the water. A full 100% of the proceeds from the bar are going to Sea Shepherd, an organization that directly intervenes on the high seas to stop sealers from killing baby harp seals. Furthermore, you can stop into any Lush and sign a postcard declaring that you're against the seal hunt - Lush will be sending them directly to Canadian Prime Minster Stephen Harper. You can even add your name to the online petition here.

Lush Cosmetics, 312 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills.

Aveda celebrates Earth Month with fundraising candle

Pretty headquarters is all abuzz what with coverage of LA Fashion Week(end) and The Makeup Show - stay tune for more Pretty stories on those events! - but luckily we are staying calm because of the soothing aroma of organic French lavender, lavandin, and clary sage that's filling the office. We have Aveda to thank for that as their Light the Way, 2009 Earth Month candle is truly intoxicating!

Available in April (that's Earth Month for all your eco-Pretties!), 100% of the profits Aveda earns from their Light the Way candles will be donated to Global Greengrants Fund, a provider of community-based water projects around the world.

And did you know that Aveda is turning 30 this year? (I swear, they don't look a day over 25!) Instead of spending the day at the spa (which is what I'm planning on doing on my bday) Aveva is celebrating their big 3-0 by trying to raise $3 million on 30 days for global and local organizations working to support and preserve clean water. This would bring Aveda's total Earth Month dollars raised to day to over $14 million since 1999!

Available for $10 beginning April 1, get yours at Aveda in Century City or at The Beverly Center.

Get your Green on at Vert

Springtime is all about getting green and that's why we're so into telling you about how there's a treasure trove of eco-Pretty products all in one cute boutique in Venice called Vert. We've mentioned Vert before in our previous post about Josie Maran's eco-friendly makeup line. In addition to Josie's cosmetics, Vert offers a whole slew of natural and organic fragrance, skin care, and makeup products - there's even a whole section for babies, both of the human and canine variety.

Founded by makeup artist Renata Helfman, Vert is designed to be a one-stop eco-shopping destination for Angelenos trying to live a greener life. In addition to Josie's line, brands like Arcona, L'Artisan Parfumer, Naturopathica, Nuxe, and Red Flower are just some examples of the high-end, high-quality natural beauty products that populate Vert's shelves.

Or should I say, green shelves since even the interior of this sun-drenched store is eco-friendly. Plus there's all sorts of experts (including, of course Renata herself) who are on hand to give you advice on how to green up your life. I personally want to meet the gorgeous Carissa and find out where she got that awesome hat! Renata even gives makeup seminars and teaches workshops. Check out some more pics of Vert from local blog Yo Venice. Or even better, stop by and have yourself a looksie!

BTW, eyebrow guru/markup artist Marco Ochoa, who threads the brows of celebs like Kate Beckinsale, has just joined the Vert team! New clients get their first visit for $20!!

Vert, 1211 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice; (310) 581-6126.

March Makeup Madness!

Maran makes makeup Pretty

LA Prettty Josie Maran (former Maybelline model) has her own line of earth friendly makeup for all of us Eco-Pretties. In the spirit of March Makeup Madness and Earth Day Maran created The Earth Day Kit. The kit is designed to green your beauty routine. What's awesome about this kit is that it actually includes full sized samples, as opposed to just teeny tiny trial sizes.
Included are:

The Plumping Lip Gloss in Darling
Daring provides a deep pop of color and leaves lips lush and full.
Cream Blush in Sunrise
The weightless cream blush gives cheeks a sheer wash of color with a velvety, airbrushed finished.
Mascara in Black
This organic mix leaves lashes lush and full, no icky smears or flakes.
Eye Liner in Black
The classic black hue is goes on super smooth and will give you that smokey look in the blink of an eye.
Argan Oil (sample 3-5 uses)
Okay, I lied there is one sample in the kit. But, Argan Oil isn't the kind of product most of us would typically purchase, so it is the exception. Being native to Morroco the oil is used as a treatment for skin conditions. You can use it heal everything from cuticles to split ends. Not too shabby!

Josie Maran products are amazing because they are eco-chic and luxurious. Only the best in natural, non-toxic, and organic ingredients are used. The gentle formulas are safe for all skin types, while the products themselves look similar to rival luxe brands.

The Earth Day Kit is available at Sephora for $48.

Also, Josie Maran Cosmetics can be purchased at Vert, 1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice 90291 (They carry a hodge podge of other natural beauty brands and items as well!)

Book Signing at Stella McCartney

LA fashion week wouldn't be complete without a book signing from a hot environmentalist model. Summer Rayne Oakes (wow, what a name) has written a book on how to make eco-conscious decisions when shopping. If only some of our decisions were more environmentally friendly, what difference that would make! Animal activist/designer Stella McCartney will lend her boutique on Beverly to the event, so come along and have Oakes sign her new book Style Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Shopping and Beauty for you. Cocktails and snacks will be served.

The evite also states that it's a "fur-free event." PLEASE someone wear their grandma's stole to this thing -- you know, the kind with the head still attached? Oh, the drama that would ensue would be so entertaining!

March 12 from 7-9 pm at Stella McCartney (8823 Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood). RSVP to Stylenaturally@groupsjr.com.

Source

Pretty up Spring makeup with these eye shimmers

Pastel yourself Pretty with these wonderful new Spring eye shimmers from Organic Glam. I love how come in a long thin bottle with a top that has a built-in sponge applicator. A spring in the cap lets you put on or shake off the powder more easily before applying (though the super fine powder can easily make a mess, so be careful!).

Their shades for Spring are amazingly flattering. We took our own pic as we were surprised at how light they were in person compared to how they're pictured online. Below (l to r) are Ice Blue, Pale Lavender and Ice Mint.

On second thought, it doesn't really come through how light these colors are in our phone pic, but the post-rainy day clear LA sky sure is beautiful!!

Like everything else in the Organic Glam line, these shimmers contain NO artificial preservatives or fragrances. Organic Glam is just one of the great "green" products offered at the new Organic Pharmacy in Beverly Hills. So if you're trying to switch to natural beauty products, this is the best place to start!

Organic Pharmacy (453 N. Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills)

March Makeup Madness!

Get Pretty the RAW way

After hearing supermodel Carol Alt on The Howard Stern Show talking about how going raw changed her life, I was definitely intrigued, but not enough to give up my juicy burgers from the great Hamburger Marys. Luckily I can pursue her healthy raw regimen with her new line of healthy skin care products she's helped developed called Raw Essentials.

Based on the idea that our bodies were never designed to assimilate synthetic chemicals, by "feeding" skin raw ingredients, it becomes more nourished, naturally healthy and balanced. As your body absorbs up to 60% of what is placed on its skin, Raw Essentials claims that many traditional skin care products may provide short-term results, but will also encourage long-term damage and premature aging. Instead, these raw products - made with ingredients as close to their unadulterated, "alive" state as possible - allow your skin to absorb antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

I've heard all this stuff was good to eat but, with the exception of anti-oxidants which we've covered many times before, I didn't know how good a lot of these ingredients were for my skin. For example, a mineral like sulfur is an essential component of connective tissue that provides soft, elastic skin. Plus I've been hearing that omega 6 fatty acids that are found in nuts, whole grain breads and acai berries and should be part of my diet. But I didn't know that these fatty acids were also nature's perfect moisturizer and shown to improve common skin conditions such as eczema.

If you have a history of sensitive skin with redness and itchiness, it doesn't get any better than Raw Essentials. Raw-Covery Facial Revive Wash is even made up of 40% pure aloe so that your skin can be gently moisturized and softened. Raw-activate Daily Revitalizing Facial Moisturizer is also 40% pure aloe along with including anti-oxidant rich coconut oil.

My fave of the line has to be the Raw-lief Bath Booster bath salts. I really do feel as if I'm getting a spa treatment at home as the salts work to soothe my muscles and moisturize my skin. There's no fancy schmancy bells and whistles with this product, just a good clean way to relax and have fabulous skin after your bath.

Get Raw Essentials here.

PETA gives top awards to Aveda

When they're not busy forcing a naked Khloe Kardashian on us, PETA also searches for the most cruelty-free companies for their annual Proggy Awards. Aveda scored a big win this year by winning "best cruelty free spa products."They already won a Proggy in 2004 for their animal-friendly line of hair products and cleansers, and now PETA is applauding their collection of spa products and procedures including facials, wraps and scrubs.

E.L.F. also won for "best cruelty-free cosmetics." I'm sure their Fur Free Tweezers that give half of its profits to PETA had something to do with it.

Other personal care product winners were Jack Black for "best men's products," Ocean Potion for "best sunscreen," and Eco-Tools for "best makeup brushes."

The rainforest will save my hair

Since my hair just had all sorts of nasty chemicals in it to turn it Zoey Dechanel brown (Fekkai Salon Color 4W Lara to be exact), my hair needed some delicate TLC. Luckily I just learned about Rahua, an organic and natural hair product line made with ingredients from the Amazon Rainforest and I'm loving their shampoo and conditioner which both work to strengthen delicate and color-treated hair.

For hundreds of years, women from the Quechua-Shuar tribe have been foraging the Rahua nut for their long, healthy and strong hair. Both gentle formulas are free of of chemical preservatives, not to mention nasty sulfates that I especially need to avoid to sustain my lovely new, shiny color. Key ingredients of both products include Rahua Elixer which instantly repairs damages hair and speeds hair growth - long, flowing locks, here I come! - and Palo Santo, a centuries old calming ingredient from aged "holy wood" traditionally used in Shaman ceremonies. It is this ingredient that gives the products their amazing aroma that is so calming I feel as if I'm in a spa simply when washing my hair.

The line was created by Anna Ayers and her Ecuadorian husband Fabian Lliguin who puts his knwledge of indigenious ingredients from the Amazon to good use in their NYC salon Cocoon. Luckily I don't have to leave my beloved LA to have Rahua - it's available online at AmazonBeautySecret.com.

Watch the inauguration while getting an eco-friendly mani pedi

Planning to watch tomorrow's inauguration of our new hot stuff president? You can multi-task and also get some pampering done at our fave eco-Pretty nail spa Recess. They'll have every moment of the big day up live on their flat-screen (and energy efficient) TVs, plus you'll be entered into a drawing to win a gift basket worth $200!

But if you are busy tomorrow, no worries. Call to schedule an appointment anytime between tomorrow and Sunday, mention the promotion code Inauguration09, and get 20% off!

Recess is the first completely green nail spa in LA, everything from the products used to the construction of the spa space itself is environmentally conscious. The new President(!!!) Obama would be so proud of you!

Recess; 8408-B Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. Call (323) 782-9919 for an appointment.

What's Tappening with water bottles?

Did you know that bottled water is no safer than your tap water? Did you know it's a total waste to to use new bottles each day because most are never recycled? As you can see the facts about bottle water are staggering and scary:

• 96% of bottled water is sold in single-size polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles, which end up in city trash cans rather than recycling bins. The national recycling rate for all PET bottles, including soda bottles, is 23.1 percent.
• Americans buy 28 billion water bottles a year, all that plastic and the energy used for manufacturing and transportation is very hard on the environment.
• Bottled water often contains more bacteria and impurities than tap water, because the EPA regulates municipal water systems more stringently than the FDA regulates bottled water.
• City tap water can have no confirmed E.coli or fecal coliform bacteria. FDA bottled water rules include no such prohibition (a certain amount of any type of coliform bacteria is allowed in bottled water)

Also, many water bottles contain Bisphenol A (BPA), a scary chemical which has been linked to a number of diseases some being carcinogenic. That means cancer and that's Not Pretty!

Save yourself from this madness and purchase a reusable BPA-free stainless steel bottle! Our favorite is from Tappening, whos slogan is to "Think Global, Drink Local." Tappening is happening and wants to green the way we consume beverages.


Recently, I picked up a stainless steel Tappening and haven't been able to put it down. It goes everywhere with this Pretty and is always there to quench my thirst. I can fill it with any beverage (except hot ones), rinse it out and reuse with a new drink. The bottle will last forever and is virtually indestructible with the cap staying on tight and easily unscrewing when I need a sip.

So, what are you waiting for? Time to start saving your green on bottled beverages and pick up a Tappening to keep the world green.


bottle trash image courtesy Suzanne Dunn/The Post-Standard

Message Tees that are Guilt-Free

Tees for Change has me thinking about how a simple t-shirt company can do so much.

First off, all of their tees are not only fair trade, but also made under sweatshop-free conditions. They use 100% organic cotton in the US, or 70% bamboo/30% organic cotton in Turkey. (As an FYI: Naturally sustainable bamboo is fast-growing and requires no pesticides as they have natural antibacterial properties. Those Pandas were onto something!)
And talk about good results. Not only are their tees super comfy, flattering (something that can't be underappreciated as we all like to look Pretty, even in our weekend wear) but they also have a message. And not the "I'm With Stupid" kind of message, but the kind of messages that you'd be happy to remind everyone, including yourself, like "Today Matters," "Laugh Often," "Choose Happiness," and "Chase Dreams." I have a raglan (a wonderfully flattering fit for a busty gal body-type) that says "Practice Yoga" that I wear pretty much all the time.


They've even partnered with Trees for the Future so that for every shirt or onsie they sell, a tree gets planted. So yeah, a lot goes into making these great tees that you'll be proud to wear.

Get your own online or at Bikram Yoga (700 W 1st Street, Downtown).

And check out what other good stuff the folks at Tees for Change are up to on their blog.