Organic Beauty

Color de natural for Spring twenty ten with neutral eyes, flushed pink cheeks and Chapstick lips. Well, not totally, but achieving your most natural look starts from the inside out. So it’s back to the basics: sleep, drink, wash. Making sure you are adequately rested and your skin has had time to form shiny new cells. Staying hydrated truly makes you glow. Washing off your make-up at night, so you don’t wake up with blackheads and wrinkles. Pretty simple stuff, but basics we sometimes forget when we are rushing around.

Then on your clean, glowing facial palette, moisturize. Clogged pores tend to result from dry, dead skin cells clogging the poor, so choose a skin type-appropriate moisturizer and be liberal. Around the eyes, never pull from the inner eye out. When removing make-up or applying eye cream, always dab gently from the corners inward. Even out skin tone with foundaiton or concealer and use a little rosy blush. We aren’t seeing much bronzer on the runways or red carpet as the look is softer and more effervescent. A few coats of mascara and you could be ready to go. If you feel too nude, then line your eyes with a soft brown or blue rather than a harsh black and paint your pout with something sassy. Because the face has less color, choose something pinky for your lips. A totally bare lip can wash out your face and looks best with a dark, smokey eye.

Your done and have an extra ten or fifteen minutes to read the paper, enjoy your coffee or walk to work.

Emma Dinzebach

A majority of the last decade was doused in popping bottles, months of reservations and overpriced jumpsuits. If the 90’s were the dawn of decadence, the turn of the century ignited man’s ability to visually underachieve. Visually, I said. Defying decadence? You ask, wondering what that might mean. Allow me to clarify: this decade began with American Psycho-style bankers blowing the concept of “valuation” out of the proverbial waters. It was a nasty combination of overpriced track suits and Chinatown  handbags. The last ten years were want, want, want. While we love the SATC wardrobe, the media saturated our minds with what we needed to look like Carrie & Co. Real Housewives, Entourage, even my beloved Gossip Girl make our lives mediocre compared to what we could have. In the end, we stood drenched in materialistic messages.

So we took a step back.

Next year, decade, season, we aim to root ourselves in…well, in ourselves, and live less focused on things and more focused on And in terms of making your face the prettiest in town, think from the inside out. Sure there are great spa deals; and we understand wanting a little lift here or a teeny tuck here. How we treat our bodies, however, is the true reflection of beauty. A more organic approach – water, stretching, balanced eating habits – will make weekly spa treatments unnecessary and allow you to use your spa visits and dinners out as more special, rewarding occasions. Oh, wee will still report the best restaurants, spa deals, sales and trends. (I mean, hello, that’s our job!) However, making our purchases reflect the person we aim to become will allow the next ten years to glow more genuine.

From TVC to you, Happy New Year.

Emma Dinzebach

Gone are the days where we paid top dollar for buttery beautiful leather. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past four seasons, here’s an update: Green is a the new black. And that buttery leather is O-U-T. This fall, designers like Stella McCartney and Miu Miu opted for animal-friendly pieces made from polyurethane, a safe alternative to previously popular PVC (AKA polyvinyl chloride AKA vinyl AKA the bad, poisonous plastic).

Eco-bags, jackets and shoes flooded fall’s ready-to-wear, and like all good fakes, they feel so real. This season’s soft faux leather has the weight and texture of real leather, is lined with silky taffeta, adorned with zippers and studs to rock it out, and available in a variety of colors.

The good news: Meat haters can still rock out. The bad news: It won’t come cheap. Veggie-friendly jackets can run you a pretty penny. Stella McCartney has a vegan faux leather jacket for upwards of $500, but you can find a good alternative from f1 (left) for a bit less than $200. Less expensive versions are priced below $100, but lack the weight and polished look of the designer versions.

Emma Dinzebach

Sea moss is a form of red algae that grows along the rocky part of the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America as well as the Carribean. Sea moss is mainly comprised of carrageenan – 55% – which is commonly used as a thickener and stabilizer. Why, you ask, do you need to know so much about sea moss? Because little missy, sea moss has anti-aging qualities and is a known aphrodisiac and fertility enhancer. Sea moss also contains high concentrate of calcium, iodine, sulfur, potassium, and Vitamins A, D, E, F and K. (Yeah, I didn’t know there was a Vitamin F either – it is fatty acids.) And there’s more – healing properties of sea moss have been known to cure even the nastiest medical issues like halitosis, intestinal disorders, ulcers, bladder disorders and glandular problems. But for our purposes, we just want to look youthful.

Sea moss is an antioxidant that speeds up cellular repair and diminishes signs of aging, leaving you fresh and smelling like the sea. The secret is out and sea moss is popping up everywhere from Bora’s laundry soap to  Alba Botanica’s Sea Moss Moisturizer with SP. Molton Brown drown drank the Irish moss kool-aid – likely spiked with Bailey’s – and made a Energising Sea Moss Bath and Shower Gel. For a more direct effect, buy dry sea moss (it looks like pasta) and put it through a food processor. You can then sprinkle sea moss on food, mix with egg whites to make a natural skin-saving face mask. When soaked in water, sea moss retains it’s gelatinous form and can be blended into smoothies, shakes or for a super aphrodisiac, cocktails. Raw sea moss or Irish moss, can be purchased at most health stores.