Build Bath & Shower

When I stayed at a fancy-pants hotel in Vancouver last year, I remember thinking that I loved their refillable shampoo, conditioner and body wash pumps . I hate throwing away all those tiny, half-used bottles – it seems like such a waste. We throw away SO MUCH garbage in this country, and only 5-10% of the plastic ever makes it to a recycling center. And even if it gets recycled, it usually ends up in a landfill or in our lakes and oceans at some point. Plus, when you recycle a plastic bottle only 10-20% of it can actually be successfully recycled and what is recovered is often downgraded into another form of single use plastic. According to National Geographic, if we don’t change our ways by 2050 there will be 12 BILLION metric tons of plastic in landfills and waterways. There will be more plastic than fish in the ocean! Say what? That’s a staggering amount of destruction to our planet. Above is a pic of Maui, Hawaii, from my birthday trip in April. Can we PLEASE keep our oceans look...

When making choices to support a healthier lifestyle, many individuals overlook the safety of their beauty and/or personal care products . But they shouldn’t: Not only is skin your largest organ, but what is applied to the skin is absorbed by the body (if you’re suspect, just think about the efficacy of transdermal birth control or nicotine patches). As a professional with 15 years of experience as a makeup artist and 10 years of experience in naturals specifically, I have developed an expertise in which products, ingredients, and methods are best. So if you’re taking the time—and spending the money—to buy healthier, organic food, it’s about time you understand what you’re putting on your skin. An introduction to clean and natural beauty. In order to understand the context, here’s some clean beauty 101 : The personal care industry (meaning things like lipstick, shampoo, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste) is completely unregulated in the United States. In layman’s terms, this means ther...

I know that there’s no sane person in the world who’ll turn down a gift, but I’m always particularly happy whenever I receive a package from Crabtree & Evelyn. In fact, I’m always secretly hoping for a heavy package – why? Because then it means that there’s a shower gel inside . I’m quite a fan of their shower gels, so much that the last time I received the Crabtree & Evelyn Conditioning Hand Wash , I actually asked the PR girl if I could use it as a body shower gel instead. I vaguely remember receiving a stunned silence, which was probably my cue to switch to a less socially-awkward topic, such as the weather. heh. Anyhoos, here’s my two cents’ worth about their new Verbena and Lavender Bath and Shower Gel – and no, you don’t get no photos of my hawt hawt bodeh in the shower muahahaha. Crabtree & Evelyn Verbena and Lavender Bath and Shower Gel 250ml ($30) The Verbena & Lavender de Provence Collection comprises the following and is available at all Crabtree & ...

A baby shower is a great time for soon-to-be parents to receive the gifts they need to help them get ready for parenthood. Here's our list of top ten baby gifts worth giving new parents. Baby libraryA shelf full of classic children's books is a gift sure to win any parent's heart. Some favorites are Goodnight Moon , Runaway Bunny , and Guess How Much I Love You? .If you love the idea of giving books, consider making it the theme of the shower: Have everyone bring their favorite with a note to the baby tucked inside . Be sure to mix some baby- friendly board books in with the traditional hardcover variety — that way newborns will be able to truly appreciate the sound and the taste of your gift. Baby sling or carrierOne of the easiest ways for a new parent to tote a baby around is in a sling or front carrier. Babies love the warmth and feeling of being snuggled up close to Mom or Dad, and the ingeniously simple design leaves a parent's hands free to do housework or...

Excerpt from 'How Clean is Your House' By Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie Getting started Kim and Aggie's essential cleaning kit A glance at the shelves of cleaning materials in any large store will tell you that there is a breathtaking array of cleaning creams, powders, polishes, liquids, cloths, mops and tablets available. Of course you don't need them all! Some are time-saving, but buying so many products is hardly economical—we'll show you other cleaning methods that avoid buying a special product that does only one job. However, every home should have a basic cleaning kit . All the homes we visited contained cleaning materials —they just weren't being used. Their purchase was a sign of the best intentions, but then they had been buried at the back of a cupboard—often covered in grease or dust! Name a product and you can be sure that we have tried it. Here is a list of the supplies we never ...