Mrs. Meyer’s is an eco-friendly line of super-cute cleaning, hand, and body products that you’ve likely seen if you’re a Target shopper (they differently stand-out in the household aisle!). You might not know, though, that Mrs. Meyer is actually a real person and she’s even got a book filled with useful tips, like how to get hairspray off of your mirrors and how to remove mascara from your clothes, to go along with the products. If you’re in the Boston or San Fransisco area this spring, you can learn all this and much more firsthand through June because in light of Mrs. Meyer’s eco-minded philosophy, the brand is hitting the road and setting up booths and hand wash stations in both cities. They’re also sponsoring local garden clubs, green workshops, park and recreation groups, eco-friendly volunteer events and be on hand to teach locals about ways to easily embrace green living in everyday life, as well as to give out samples, coupons, and free seed packets. Check-out all the events here.

For non-Bostonians and non-San Franciscans, Mrs. Meyer’s will be sending out free seed packets with online orders throughout the spring. Check-out all the products here and if you’re curious as to Mrs. Meyer’s hairspray and mascara tips, see below (along with a few others)!

To get hairspray off of mirrors: Pour rubbing alcohol on a cloth and clean in small circles. You can also use a baby wipe if you have them handy. Then grab club-soda that you’ve put in a spray bottle and give the mirror a spritz, wiping it clean with bunched-up newspaper.

Cleaning up broken glass: If your makeup mirror falls on the floor, you’ll want to remove all those little pieces from the floor. Dab a piece of bread on top of them, vacuum, then wipe down the floor with a water-dampened cloth.

Removing Mascara from clothing: Mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with two cups cold water, apply the solution to the stain, and then blot until it’s gone.

Makeup Expiration Dates: If you have trouble keeping track of how old things are, start writing the dates on them with a permanent marker when they’re new. Mascara lasts only three months, and it’s important that you remember when you opened it, because that wand gets a buildup of bacteria that you don’t want in your eyes. Sunscreen lasts one year and lipstick up to three.

Keeping the Bathroom Smelling Fresh: Fill a spray bottle with water, three drops of lemon oil, and two drops of eucalyptus oil. Shake this really well before using.

Image: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day

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I love that eco-chic fashion is now being spoken about and considered. In this Sunday’s “New York Times,” there was an article called Fashion Tries on Zero Waste Design. This article discusses how some designers are taking eco-design one step further than using organic and recycled materials to make clothes.

Apparently, designers are trying to create clothing patterns that use all of the available cloth, leaving nothing to waste. One shocking figure from the article was that “about 15 to 20 percent of the fabric used to produce clothing winds up in the nation’s landfills because it’s cheaper to dump the scraps than to recycle them.” I had no idea we were wasting this much fabric and not recycling it!

In addition to looking for these new no-scrap designs, you can also try to purchase clothing made out of the following fabric, which is made sustainably:

• Organic Cotton: This fabric is derived from cotton that is grown organically. Which means that the production of this cotton does not pollute the earth because the production does not involve pesticides.
• Bamboo: Bamboo grows almost wildly in some places, making it one of the most sustainable and best materials available for cloth. One of the best parts of bamboo is also that it is super soft!
• Multiple Others: Hemp, Eco-Spun (fabric made from recycled plastics), Wool, and SeaCell (a fabric made by combining seaweed and wood fiber together).

Though it may at first seem easy to make your wardrobe eco friendly, it can be difficult. Currently there are many more sustainable products available, but they may be harder to find in your area and they also often cost more than most clothes. But it is possible! Here are some tips on how to get into sustainable fashion:

1. Try starting with buying your everyday essentials in an eco-friendly way. Look for eco-chic t-shirts, jeans, and any other staple piece of clothing make it eco-chic.
2. Look for vegan shoes. Nowadays, these are readily produced and incredibly cool and comfortable. Wear vegan shoes if you donÂ’t know where to begin.
3. Save your money to buy the more expensive eco-chic clothes. Items of clothing made out of recycled fabric and recycled items of clothing (such as an old suit revamped and turned into a womanÂ’s dress) are often the most expensive. Stay eco-friendly and save up for the big ticket, but beautiful, items.

Do you wear eco-friendly fashion?

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/ulikleafar/2875709614

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The World Fair Trade Association promotes fair trade modules of consumerism and production: larger companies promise to enrich and support life in poorer areas of the world from buying their goods from the area and offering fair prices and comparable salaries for work and trade. Organizations like People Tree are founded on the principle of promoting fair trade in fashion.

So while the designs are contemporary and come from the freshest designers in the United States and Japan, the wools and dyeing processes happen in less-developed areas of the world, but these areas are given a generous and fair compensation for their work efforts.

People Tree is a United Kingdom organization dedicated to healthy, sustainable modules of fashion and clothing production. You can check out their website here and a list of ways to get involved here.

Celebrities are quickly catching on to the Fair Trade changes in the fashion industry – People Tree is currently supported by Emma Watson, who has just promoted her own line through the company. Awesome!

Image courtesy of peopletree.uk

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“Fashion is all about looking good. But in these eco-conscious times, consumers are also looking to feel good about the clothing they wear.” – Mission Savvy and GG2G Partner with Farm Sanctuary

What does it mean to be eco-friendly? We usually think about turning off all the lights when we go to bed at night and only eating locally-grown produce. But what about what you wear? What do you need to know to dress eco-consciously?

Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading animal-welfare protection agency, is partnering with many fashion retailers and designers to work towards sustainable, animal-free fashion. Companies like GG2G and Mission Savvy have already signed up, and their styles have really heated up thanks to this partnership. The companies are pledging not only to change to safer chemicals for their manufacturing, but also donating a cut of their profits to animal protection organization. The Mission Savvy Voice collection has pledged to donate directly to Farm Sanctuary’s advocacy work for animals. GG2G will also be using recycled materials for their new line of handbags. Looking at the styles, I’m convinced: this is a movement to be a part of.

So what should you keep in mind for your eco-friendly fashion? Look for companies that pledge to use recycled or partially-recycled materials, donate a cut of their profits to animal or environmental advocacy organizations, or pledge to use non-toxic materials. Also, don’t be afraid to buy vintage. Reuse clothing: stuff still looks great if it’s been warn a couple of times. Your vintage shoes, scarves, shirts, etc. will feel like new.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/volantra/3531586044

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Lavanila Laboratories The Heathy Deodorant in Vanilla Lavender $18

Apparently this stick is 100% natural, but uses a beta-glucan technology. Don’t ask me what this is. The good news is it does not contain aluminum or mineral oils. These ingredients can clog the sweat glands. It’s also paraben, sulfate free and all that other good stuff–Sephora is slapping their natural seal on it. Lavanila comes in a few different scents that sound better than the tired old baby powder scent I’ve been using for years: Vanilla, Vanilla Coconut, Vanilla Lavender, and Vanilla Grapefruit. It’s no mystery why the company is called Lavanila. But $18 bucks? Really? I’m sure it will last long and there will be no irritation under the arms, so it’s probably worth it. Besides I would rather smell like yummy vanilla and know that my underarms are safe from harmful chemicals, trying this would be a fun experiment.

Shop though a variety of deodorant at Smarter.com.

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Never fear! Instead of thinking “organic” clothing, think about reusable and recyclable clothing instead. Donate to your local Salvation Army with all of your old (but still functional) pieces so you can start the chain of recycling for the less fortunate. Now that you’re such a good person that gives back to the community, you can reward yourself with a few new clothing purchases. You don’t have to go shopping at the local Salvation Army to find recyclable fashions: there are plenty of online sites that specialize in reusable clothing, vintage pieces, and handmade goods, like Etsy.com or even some independent stores on Ebay.com.

Here are some of my top picks from Etsy.com:

Austin Leeds Tailored Vintage Blazer: $30.00


Vintage 80s 90s BLACK Velvet with GOLD Trim and STUD Accents STRAPLESS Dress XXS XS: $32.00


Handmade clasp clutch purse with butterflies on taupe: $60.00

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I used shaving cream for many years, and then made the switch to an eco-friendly shaving cream.  The eco-friendly one, made by Kiss My Face, smelled great but was actually worse on my skin that traditional shaving creams I had used in the past.  I was complaining about my shaving cuts one day when my girlfriend suggested using hair conditioner, I had heard of this trick before but never tried it.  I happened to have an old bottle of Charles Worthington London Moisturizing Conditioner in my shower.  A light formula, it was perfect for shaving and I’ve used it since, with no more cuts to complain of.

How is this eco-friendly?  Well, you aren’t having to buy so many different products, first of all.  You can buy one conditioner and make it last for use on your hair and legs.  This is economical.  Fewer bottles means less waste of course.  Not convinced?  Okay, if you really want to get crazy, go buy a bottle of eco-friendly, natural conditioner and use that for conditioning and shaving.  Whatever you end up using, your legs will be smooth, and I think the shave lasts longer. I  couldn’t find the exact Charles Worthington Conditioner that I’ve been using, I know it’s from Walgreens but it wasn’t on their website.  I did dig up a couple of different ones that can be used just the same…you’ll have to report results now!

Organix Hydrating Tea Tree Mint Conditioner: $6.99

Yes To Carrots Pampering Hair Mud Conditioner, Paraben Free: $7.99

Vitamin Conditioner, Blueberry Avocado: $6.99

These are just a few moderately priced eco-friendly conditioners for normal to dry hair.  You can, of course, go cheaper or more expensive based on what you like to treat your hair with.  $1.99 Suave would probably work great on your legs, but I also know this doesn’t quite do it for every woman’s hair.  As far as razors go, I don’t spend a lot of money on the fancy ones anymore.  Perhaps this is why my legs suffered?  Who knows…but they are happy now!

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The spa offers manicures, pedicures, facials, massages and waxings using only organic products and non-toxic polishes.  In 2005, D’Amato launched Priti Polish, a line of nail polishes that are formulated without DBP and formaldehyde.  The polishes are $12.50 and come in fun colors like Magic Man Iris, White Ballet Dahlia, plus the bottle is completely recyclable.

Along with the polishes, Priti makes a soy-based nail polish remover that is 100% biodegradable, derived from farm crops and does not contain any petroleum ingredients.

4 oz. Soy Polish Remover: $11.25

All products available at PritiNYC.3DCartStores.com

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The Strawberry Hand and Foot Exfoliant:

• First you will need 8-10 ripe strawberries, two tablespoons of olive oil, and one teaspoon of course salt such as sea salt.  You could probably even substitute this with some of the Epsom salts.  I highly recommend Walgreens Apothecary Natural Mineral Epsom Salt.

Buy 2 for $3!

• Mash up the strawberries, and mix with olive oil and salt.  Apply over hands and feet, rinse, and pat dry.

For those of you who like taking indulgent baths, you know…the kind that you see offered at fancy spas with rose petals and stuff like that?  Well now is your chance to create your own!  Creating your own rose water bath is easy.  You will need one cup of rose petals, OR one half cup of rose water which should be fairly inexpensive, and one half cup of coconut milk.

Home Health Rose Water is basic and should do the trick, it usually retails for about $4.69 (Lowest price on Smarter.com).

Add all ingredients to a warm bath and sink in!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more Epsom salt.
Discounts on Home Health products.

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I have tried several of Pacifica’s products including their solid fragrance, soap, candles and body butter.  The Mediterranean Fig and Tibetan Mountain Temple fragrances are among my favorites.  This past winter while shopping for Christmas gifts, I picked up a jar of the Winter Solstice Body Butter that smelled of lavender, bergamot, and cardamom.  I loved this stuff!  It was smooth and incredibly moisturizing, not greasy like many body butters out there.  I wore it all winter long and always received compliments on how great I smelled which leads me to the conclusion that when a company can perfect a body butter, you know their doing something right.

I’m planning on picking up a few of these Pacifica travel sets soon…they will make for perfect Mother’s Day gifts ringing in a great price, $14 sephora.com. I like the Tuscan Blood Orange, but it’s the Lotus Garden that is the newest scent addition to the family, smelling of lotus blossom, cassis, green violet leaf and pink pepper.  Packaged neatly in a beautiful box, the set comes with a soy candle, body butter, a solid fragrance  and some matches.  Mom will love it!

Pacifica Lotus Garden Travel Set: $14

Tuscan Blood Orange Travel Set: $14

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more body butter.
Discounts on fragrances.

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