If you feel strongly about minimizing harmful chemicals in your beauty routine, especially around sensitive areas like your eyes, you’ve got to give Eco Erase by NveyEco a try.

Eco Erase is a 100% certified organic concealer that protects the skin with Carrot Oil, Vitamin C and E.  Some of the primary ingredients include coconut oil, safflower oil, castor oil, wax palm, jojoba oil and other natural antioxidants to ensure a smooth and even coverage.

It’s great at covering dark circles without over-drying the fine lines around the eyes.  It’s also an excellent eye shadow primer.  Just use a little dab each time and the product can last you months!

Colors come in two natural shades: Neutral (light ivory beige) and Medium (medium neutral beige)
Price, a bit on the pricey side, but well worth it: $30

The fragrance market is saturated with various scents from luxury lines and mainstream companies, making perfumes highly accessible to everyone.  What is less accessible is information regarding how harmful these fragrance ingredients are to our bodies.  Considered to be a trade secret, many fragrance companies are not required to list all ingredients present in their scents…but what we don’t know may be increasing our health risk.

Harmful chemicals such as parabens, synthetic dyes, and petro-chemicals can be leading factors to headaches, nose and eye irritations, defects in the central nervous system and even cancer.  Do a simple search on Skin Deep for Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum, and you find that this highly coveted product has a moderate hazardous risk, with ingredients linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity and immunotoxicity.  Who knew that smelling good could come with such a cost?

Have no fear, as there is a growing market of organic fragrances that use certified organic materials free of harmful chemicals that can make you smell and feel great.  Most of the following vendors provide on their websites a list of all the ingredients present in their aromatic concoctions.  In addition, they list other holistic benefits from wearing these fragrances.

Caudalie’s Fleur de Vigne Fresh Energizing Fragrance uses natural scents from grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot, lemon, and orange extracts to create a soft and refreshing scent that also hydrates and revitalizes your skin.

Intelligent Nutrients has an entire line of fragrances that uses certified organic essential oils and flavors.  They have scents that range from such names as “Awaken,” “Nurture,” “Restore,” and “Focus.”  Their “Seductive” fragrance is a warm and sensuous blend of nutmeg, vanilla and other spices that will make any man melt.  You can use this on your hair to add more shine as well.

Stella McCartney’s Stella is based on ecological and organic cosmetology, using the best raw ingredients from organic architecture and using extraction methods that protect our planet.  This fragrance has a soft rose scent with a hint of amber and mandarin, a great scent to throw on before a night out with your date.

La Vanila Laboratories uses pure essential oils with natural botanicals to create scents that are fresh, clean and nurturing.  Most of their perfumes contain antioxidants from goji berries and plums along with about 30 essential vitamins and minerals that actually benefit your skin instead of harming it.  Their Vanilla Lavender scent offers both sweetness and calmness as you spray it on your body after you bathe.  There is nothing like lavender to send you into a state of tranquility.

Start looking into organic fragrances that invigorate both your body and scent.  It’s an investment and choice that can pay off in the future.

Every so often, we need to treat ourselves to something luxurious after all the anxiety and stress we get from work, family and just life.  All of these components add age to our skin.  Proper care is essential to retain youth without going under the knife or using botox.  Our skin is nothing to take lightly, and we need to take care of it now instead of trying to fix problems later. Having a strict skin care regimen is great, but we also should consider professional services to revitalize, nourish, and deep clean our skin to keep it at its healthiest.  Pay a visit to a day spa once a month to relax and to let a professional esthetician rejuvenate your lovely face.  Here is a quick list of the most popular facials to help you figure out what spa service works best for you.

BASIC CLEAN-UP FACIAL
If you’ve never had a facial before and this is your first time venturing into a spa, try a basic clean up facial first.  It cleanses, exfoliates and moisturizes your complexion without being too invasive or aggressive.  Your skin is gently steamed to help open up your pores, and then a gentle scrub follows immediately after to remove blackheads and dirt that have been sitting in your pores.  Typically, the scrub is rinsed off and followed by a facial mask to help moisturize your skin.  Depending on the spa, you might also be treated to a comforting massage while your mask is working its magic.  The basic facial is great for all skin types without major acne problems.  Doing this regularly will give your skin a great glow and will help prevent acne breakouts.

ACNE FACIAL
For those with very acne-prone skin, acne facials can provide major benefits.  These are usually a series of facials that are done about every 2 to 4 weeks until you notice significant changes in skin clarity.  First your skin is cleansed and then exfoliated to remove all the dead skin cells and blackheads.  The next step is an extraction process that may seem invasive to some, since the manual treatment goes into each pore to extract all the gunk.  Lovely image, we know.  This extensive treatment is then followed by soothing masks or creams to help calm your skin.  Some people’s skins can become inflamed during the first few treatments, but it usually steadily heals with major improvement with acne.

DEEP SEA FACIAL
Another great facial that’s not as gory to describe is the deep sea facial.  Deep sea minerals and enzymes have been found to help balance skin moisture levels, promote healing of skin, and relax and sooth your complexion.  After the cleansing, a deep sea mask is placed over your face and it cleanses, firms and improves the circulation of your skin to give you a warm glow from deep within.  It is a serene experience.

OXYGEN FACIAL
Madonna loves the oxygen facial.  The treatment involves a machine that sprays tiny molecules of essential oils and minerals onto the skin using a stream of pressurized oxygen.  Your skin is immediately hydrated, plumped up and smoothed of any fine lines.  The oxygen is sent immediately to your skin, increasing circulation and reproduction of skin cells.  Celebrities have praised how their skin is softer and their wrinkles are minimized from this spa treatment; however, there is little scientific evidence of long-term benefits, as the immediate blast of minerals create only a temporary fix to fine lines and tight skin.  People who love oxygen facials frequent their spas on a regular basis, especially before special events.

HYDRATING FACIAL
For the driest of dry skin, a hydrating facial is just the thing.  After gentle cleansing, a special hydrating facial mask is applied to your skin.  These masks vary with each spa, but they generally contain super moisturizing agents that replenish and relax your face.  Expect the treatment to contain a ton of antioxidants to help fight sun damage and prevent wrinkles.  The mask is then followed by a deep moisturizer that is massaged into your face, reinforcing your skin’s moisture barrier to better handle whatever climate you are in.

These are only a few, as each spa has their own special treatments that can be designed specifically for your skin needs.  After long weeks at work, stressing about the holidays, and dealing with changing weather, we definitely need to reinforce our skin with a refreshing facial.  Not only is this relaxing, it’s essential to lasting beauty. What facials do you do?

Snob Recommendations:

100% Pure - Purifying Seaweed Facial Mask

AHAVA Purifying Mud Mask for Oily Skin

ARCONA Tea Tree Mask, Purify AM/PM

ARCONA Wine Hydrating Mask, Replenish AM/PM

Great skin comes from your genetics, but it’s also a result of a good skin care regimen.  We deal with makeup, pollution, smoke, and tons of other environmental hazards that can leave our skin pretty disgusting by the end of the day.  Here are 5 steps you can take to have great skin.

1.  Cleanse. Use a cleanser that works for your skin.  Use exfoliating scrubs about once a week, any more can be too abrasive for your skin.  On a daily basis, stick to simple cleansers that get the job done.  Be gentle, and work in soft, circular motions throughout your face and neck.

2.  Tone. A toner helps remove any residual soap, dead skin cells, dirt or makeup from your skin.  Some toners also help minimize the pores on your skin and decrease the amount of oils produced by your skin.  The point of toner is to help balance your skin’s pH level and to prepare it for moisturizer.

3.  Moisturize. Your skin gets dehydrated, so a good moisturizer adds water and offers relief for your parched skin cells.  Look for one that suits your skin type.  This means you should avoid oily moisturizers if you already have a lot of shine.  Keep in mind that the winter season makes our skin more dry, so you may need to apply more moisturizer during those times.  When you’re moisturizing your face, avoid the eye area.  Skin around your eye is generally more sensitive towards the heavy ingredients in normal moisturizers.  Get a separate eye serum for the area around your eyes.  Be gentle when applying, and move upwards instead of tugging down at your skin.

4.  Protect. During the day, it’s important to apply sunscreen to your face, neck and chest.  Apply sunscreen after you moisturize, but remember to wait about 15 minutes after moisturizing so that your skin has time to absorb the moisturizer.  I prefer a sunscreen that has a high SPF so I don’t have to reapply throughout the day.  Sunscreen will protect your skin from the damaging ultraviolet rays that can speed up the aging process.

5.  Exfoliate. Removing dead skin cells so that your skin can breathe is very important.  You only need to do this once or twice a week.  Exfoliating too often can irritate your skin.  Consider this as a mini spa for your skin after a rough week.

These steps will bring you great skin, and while it may be a struggle to follow the routine initially, hopefully you’ll build a healthy habit of taking care of your face.  If you need motivation, just think how you will feel when you are the youngest looking grandmother in your group of friends!

The skin is our body’s biggest organ, that’s why it’s so important for us to take care of our skin.  Not only can proper skin care prevent early signs of aging, it also leaves us feeling fresh and revitalized.  Not sure how you can do your skin justice?  It’s easy, just follow these three essentials steps: cleansing, exfoliating and bathing on the sunscreen.

Cleansing your skin is vital, because it rids your skin of dirt, debris and oil, and provides the perfect canvas for makeup. I personally love the feeling of a clean, fresh face; it’s a great picker-upper in the mornings. When it comes to your face and your body, you want to make sure you’re using a cleanser that addresses your skin type needs. A young lady with dry skin should use a product that is emollient and moisturizing, a woman with oily skin should use a cleanser that strips the oil away without drying her skin out too much. If your skin is on either side of the spectrum, you want a product that will help to achieve balance. I have blemish-prone combination skin so I use a salicylic acid cleanser in the mornings and a creamy cleanser at night.

Exfoliation is another priority and one of my favorite tasks to do. It’s only necessary to exfoliate one to a few times a week depending on your needs. I love to exfoliate in the shower, once my skin is all soft and steamed up from the water. I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub on my face and body, and rub lightly in circles. I also love the amazing but pricey, Kiehl’s epidermal re-texturizing micro-dermabrasion scrub for my face.  I usually exfoliate first before shaving or cleansing, I like to pretend I’m scrubbing off the day’s dirt and grime. Scrubs come in all forms and types, from crushed walnut shells, to sea salt, to pin sized plastic beads.  You can pick and choose based on your comfort level. I like my scrubs to be rough and tough, but some gentler formulas I’ve enjoyed are Biore’s Pore Unclogging Scrub and Clinique’s 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula.

Sunscreen is last but surely not the least. I’ll be honest and admit I often skip this important step, unless it’s July, but the reality is sunscreen is important all year-round!  Let’s face it, the sun is probably the first thing to greet you every morning.  If you’re an avid sunscreen user, high five, keep up the good work. If you skip sunscreen, then here are some tips. Buy products with sunscreen in them so you won’t forget to put it on.  I usually forget to put sunscreen on my body, but because some of my beauty products have SPF 15, my face and hands are always covered. One last thing to know is that you want to make sure your sunscreen is photostable, which means that its components won’t break down after being in direct sunlight for awhile.  As far as recommendations go, ladies seem to love Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion for Face/Body SPF 55.
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This article was contributed by Michelle Reyes.  She lives in New York City and is a features writer for The Conscious Snob. In her free time, Michelle enjoys frequenting beauty shops, catching up with friends, and stealing a bit of the ever elusive nap.

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As the proud owner of attention grabbing ringlets for well, all my life, I happen to know a thing or two about curly hair. After years of tangled affairs with various shampoos, conditioners and styling products, I finally saw the light. For years I thought my hair was just bad, difficult, straw-like, and hard-to-manage — until I approached my strands differently.

Curly hair is naturally dry. The upside of this is that you don’t need to shampoo every day, but the downside of this is that curly hair without product becomes a frizzy nightmare. I like to restore the moisture in my hair by using sulfate-free shampoo, a conditioner that doesn’t make my hair feel heavy, and a styling cream that is free of alcohol. (Sulfates and alcohol are known to cause dry hair so that’s why I steer clear of them). One thing you have to figure out is the style you’re seeking. I like texture and definition with a loose hold, which means that my curls are never crunchy, just defined, smooth spirals.

So if you want to take control of  your curls, here’s what to do.

Fully soak your hair, put a glob of shampoo on your roots and rub it through your scalp. Some women put conditioner on their ends before shampooing but I always skip this step for reasons unbeknownst to me. I love DevaCurl’s No-Poo, but I’m also a fan of Healthy Sexy Hair’s Chocolate Soymilk Shampoo (both sulfate free!).

After you rinse the shampoo out, put another glob of conditioner on your hair, comb it through, and then pin it up while you finish your business. You want to let the conditioner penetrate a bit. I make sure to rinse out only about 80% of the conditioner. Once you’re out of the shower, squeeze your tendrils gently with a absorbent towel. After this step, shake out your hair. Then start with styling cream and run it evenly through you hair. I love Frederic Fekkai’s Luscious Curls Cream and Bumble & Bumble’s Grooming Crème.  As a cheaper alternative I also use Garnier Fructis Curl & Shine Leave in Conditioning Cream. If cream is not your thing, you can always substitute the hydration with a leave in conditioning spray, such as Infusium 23’s Moisturologie formula. After your hair is set, you want to go through it again with gel, paying special attention to the hair on your crown and your ends.

On days when I don’t have as much time, I give my freshly washed curls a little shake, finger-style a little bit, then I air dry or use a diffuser.  Once I’m all finished, I admire my curls from afar –because once these tendrils are dry, it’s hands off!

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This article was contributed by Michelle Reyes.  Michelle lives in New York City and is a features writer for The Conscious Snob.  In her free time, Michelle enjoys frequenting beauty shops, catching up with friends, and stealing a bit of the ever elusive nap.

We constantly blow dry, color, and yank at our hair, causing split ends and dull strands.  To maintain shine to your locks, remember to condition your hair. A conditioner will help you smooth out the surface of each hair strand to make it evenly coated and shiny.  When should you use a conditioner?  After you shampoo.  It’s best to use separate conditioners, as opposed to the shampoo-conditioner combinations.  Using a separate conditioner to treat your hair after you have cleansed it will give your hair a more thorough and softer coat.

Next, be sure to give your hair a deep conditioning treatment every two weeks.  Deep conditioning masks or hot oil treatments will do wonders for your hair, as long as you have the patience and time.  If you hair is very thin, then use something less heavy, such as a light leave-in conditioner.

Remember to have regular trims every 6-8 weeks to get rid of split ends and to maintain the upkeep of the hair, as well as touching up your hair color if you dye your hair.  Covering up grays also make your hair look healthy and shiny.  Check out our article on how to easily and beautifully blow dry your hair at home!

Let us know what products you love to use.  Remember to check out Beautorium.com and use code “conscioussnob” at checkout for an automatic 20% off your order of organic beauty products, an exclusive discount to our readers!

Happy shopping!

Marlena from Makeup Geek has grown into an online phenomenon among women who love makeup or want to give it a try.  Her youtube videos offer detailed tutorials on how to make any look work.  The Conscious Snob was able to ask Marlena a few questions about how she started this project and her favorite products.

How did your passion and skills with makeup start?

Since I was just a little girl, I loved putting makeup on my Barbie Head and doing it’s hair. And when I got bored with that, I would have my mom be my “model.”  I have always been a girly girl of some sort, but really got into makeup last year when my friend Lauren took me to my first MAC store in Chicago.  All the gorgeous colored lipsticks, the brushes, the rainbow of eyeshadows– I felt like I was in heaven! So, I purchased my first “high end” products, and practiced as much as I could.  My passion continued to grow, and I couldn’t wait until the next day when I could try a different look.  The end of that year, I quit my job as a music teacher and became a makeup artist.

How did you start your website and make it grow?

I started the site by first doing makeup tutorials on youtube.  Once my audience grew bigger, my husband and I realized that we needed a website to help the many women who wanted to make themselves look and feel better. So, we started the site makeupgeek.com to help those who wanted to learn everything they could about makeup.   By word of mouth and through youtube exposure, the site has been growing very fast!

What type of skin care regimen would you recommend to women who want healthy and beautiful skin? What about your favorite products?

To achieve that healthy skin, you really need to do 4 steps each day:  cleanse, exfoliate, tone, and moisturize.   It sounds pricey and a lot of hassle, but it takes next to no time to add 1 or 2 steps that make a big difference in the condition of your skin.  My favorite skincare products are by Mary Kay, and I love St. Ives Apricot Scrub to exfoliate.

What are your top 5 beauty/makeup products?

Makeup Forever Concealer Palette
Makeup Forever HD Powder
MAC Fix+ Spray
Bourjois Clubbing Mascara
MAC Dazzleglass Lipglosses

What advice do you have for women who are new to makeup and want to start experimenting?

Take baby steps.  Start by wearing mascara, then add concealer, foundation, eyeliner, etc.  Always remember that movie stars have professionals applying a full face of makeup, and even then have their pictures edited quite a bit.  So don’t expect miracles overnight- in time you will find “your” look!

The most impact you can have starting out will be to wear mascara, a little concealer, lipgloss, and a bit of eyeshadow smudged along the upper lashline to make the lashes look thicker.  If you feel confident in applying those items, you can move on to adding blush, eyeshadows, and foundation.

Marlena’s favorite look is Ashanti’s fierce eyes, and below is the video of that tutorial.  Be sure to check it out and also look at her other videos.  We hope this inspires you to experiment and have fun with makeup!

See youtube video here.

Whether you have lost sleep, have done nothing with your hair, or just haven’t been eating well, here are some great ways to quit looking so darn tired and start looking, and feeling, fabulous and beautiful.

Get great sleep. Having at least 7 hours of sleep each night is essential for your body.  You reduce undereye circles, swollen cheeks, and have a healthier glow.  Check out our previous article about getting enough sleep.

Drink a lot of water. Your body is made up mainly of water, and if you are downing mainly diet soda and coffee, your skin will start to show it.  Have at least 6-8 glasses of delicious and crisp water a day to start moisturizing your body again.

Have a skin routine. Taking care of your skin needs to be done every day, morning and night.  Make sure you cleanse, tone and moisturize.  Use SPF in the morning before you walk out the door and don’t forget your  neck and chest, areas that we tend to forget, but also show definite signs of aging by late 20s.  Be sure to exfoliate weekly to get rid of dry skin cells.  Check out more ways to prevent aging skin here.

Get a new haircut. We should update our haircut every 6-8 weeks to rid ourselves of split ends and add more defining layers to frame our face.  Even if it’s a simple cheap trim, it’ll do your hair and overall look good.

Visit a makeup counter. Sometimes we just need to update our current makeup look.  Sure, our basic eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss works, but try some new eyeshadows and blushes that can add color and sheen to your complexion.  Don’t think about piling gobs of makeup on, just subtle color to liven up your face.  I’m loving Benefit’s benetint lip balm SPF 15, because it makes my lips a rose color without drying it out.

Hopefully, with some of these beauty tips, your fall and winter can be rosier and more beautiful!

I only manage to find time to get a haircut about every six months, but I do work with stylists who manage to cut my hair in a way that I do not need to return too often. Whether you spend $10 or $100 on a great haircut, a key to great hair is the products you use. This is why I love Louise Galvin’s Sacred Locks Collection for Fine Hair. The reason I love this internationally renowned creator of hair and body products is that she focuses on pure, natural, and organic ingredients. It took three years to develop her products. She has no employees and runs her business alone, which means emailing people, organizing the website, and making the formulas with the chemists. Talk about multi-tasking! Her company is based in London, and all orders are shipped from there.

The shampoo for fine hair volumizes your hair without the build up. It contains natural citrus oils that are free from sulphates and other proteins that can lead to greasy roots. 250ml for $34.

The conditioner uses vegetable proteins that add moisture and shine. Although light, it provides an intensive treatment to the hair without weighing it down. It is an amazing product to use during the dry summer days ahead. 250ml for $37.

There is also another collection for curly hair and mothers to be, which offers, according to Galvin, the purest of the pure of ingredients.

Visit her website to get your sacred locks.