Cohabitation with your lover can be exciting and fulfilling. Everyday is an opportunity to learn compassion, acceptance and trust, and grow stronger as individuals and together as a couple. It’s a beautiful thing to grow and share with a mate, and still equally as important to keep a sense of self and individuality. Easier said than done, so here are five habits that will help you maintain healthy relationships as you explore life together.

1. Don’t compromise.

I know we always hear about the importance of compromise, but as relationship gurus know, it isn’t always such a great thing. When we want to do X, and our lover wants to do Y, it’s sometimes better for each to do what they want. You will both be happier that way. And when it comes to spending time together, decide on something you both love.

2. Make space for yourself.

Having a room (or in my case, just a nightstand) that is yours gives you a certain spacial sanctuary–somewhere you can be tidy or messy, you can keep your private things and reserve that space just for you. During cohabitation, it’s so important to set boundaries and hold a space for yourself (mentally and physically) that is truly yours.

3. Share the duties.

With any living (or even work) space comes chores. Sharing those duties and doing them together can make cleaning, or whatever the task is, fun. If sharing duties seems to be an issue during cohabitation, craft a clear plan for who does what in a give situation to help keep resentment out of the picture.

4. Communicate!

This one is huge, and is key for maintaining healthy relationships while engaged in cohabitation. Butting heads and coming into conflict is normal, and it’s healthy to stay true to your opinions. But what’s equally important is being able to listen, learn and discuss with each other openly. You should never be afraid to share an honest opinion. If the relationship is healthy, you will be able to move through it by being present and frank.

5. Continue your own healthy habits.

Yoga, meditation, running–whatever it is, don’t stop just because your lover doesn’t do those things. A release for you might not be for them and that’s okay. Keeping up your own healthy habits will make you, and your relationship, stronger. (And who doesn’t want that?)

See Also:

7 Relationship Tips for Fresh Ways to Spice Up Your Love Life

The 9 Most Empowering Sex Positions for Women: Female Sexuality Remixed 

Image: ekelly89

The post Cohabitation Survival Guide: 5 Habits For Healthy Relationships appeared first on EcoSalon.

Whatever the speed you move through in life, make sure it’s your own.

We have a deep fascination with fast completions.

The 30day/30lb. weight loss story. Homeless to millionaire in a month. “I write all my blog posts in 15mins max.” Stories of speed. Multi-tasking. Fast fingers. Scratching your to-do lists to shreds.

For some people, breakneck speed is their absolute genius zone. Their best ideas, lovey doviest moments and biggest accomplishments that pop up lightning quick.

If you’re one of these Breakneck Types:

• The idea of booking a two-week vacation 12 hours before departure makes you giddy.
• You’re famous for cancelling plans at the last minute because you’ve found something (or someone) far more exciting.
• You have an app for everything. Everything.

At work, you might want to take your boss aside and ask for strict deadlines for every task she assigns, because you thrive when you’re pushing it right to the wire. Adrenaline and ticking clocks light you on fire and your best work burns through fast and strong every time.

So if that’s your natural pace, dear Breakneck one, the question becomes: How can you create more situations at work and at home that support this need for speed?

How can you help the people in your life understand that spontaneity and sudden, (seemingly) jerky movements really float your boat and bring forth your brightest creative ideas?

Repeat after me: I am not flighty or inconsistent. That’s just my flow. Burning rubber with sudden stops and turns. Flexible and fast. That is the pace that births your juiciest stuff. Embrace it.

Or you might be an Easy Breezy Type if:

• Your power-walker Breakneck friends get annoyed because leisurely ambling down the street is your preferred method of transportation.
• Your phone regularly goes straight to voicemail because you’ve turned it off for some silent time.
• While the Breakneckers are skiing down the mountain, you’re curled up with a book in front of the fire, sipping hot cocoa.

You might like deadlines at work too – but for a different reason. You like that a deadline (especially one that’s far away) gives you a distance to gradually cross as you make your way to the finish line. That way you can percolate on the task for days or weeks and then slowly do a piece here and a piece there. You like to marinate in it, then take a long walk and wash it from your mind completely and then pick it up again. Your best stuff almost always appears after being slowly, meticulously cultivated. Slow and relaxed is your magic zone.

For an Easy Breezier, that might mean working with a team/in an industry that supports your long, casual process. At home, you might think about getting up an extra half hour early so that you can take your sweet time getting dressed super slowly each morning. If a deliberate and gentle start to the day makes you feel strong and balanced, work with that. That’s who you are, Easy Breezy.

Here are some questions for you to ponder: How can you create situations at work and at home that support this need for a slow-like-molasses pace?

How can you help the people in your life understand that stretching an experience out helps you soak up all the juiciest pieces of it, connecting and creating at your most optimal? Let’s be done with believing that the speed at which we move through the world has to coincide with the advice of the time management guru of the moment.

However you flow best is how you flow best.

The minute you claim that and begin leading with your natural pace instead of resenting it, your creativity will soar, your relationships will feel oh-so-much-more groovy and you’ll catch your reflection in the coffee pot and realize you’ve been washing the dishes with a big grin on your face.

Embrace your pace.

Image: Sodanie Chea

The post Pacing-What’s Your Natural Rhythm? appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnFrom recipes to love, Ask Foodie Underground has the answer.

Choosing the wrong food truck or not knowing what to make with your leftover foraged figs can have disastrous consequences. Food is a serious business, and you certainly wouldn’t want to make a culinary faux pas. Which is why we’re launching the official Foodie Underground advice column, Ask Foodie Underground.

Think of it as lifestyle advice for the modern food lover; everything you ever wanted to know about food, from recipe ideas to dating queries.

Types of question we will be accepting:

• What should I do with all of my leftover radish tops?
• Is there an inappropriate time to use a mason jar?
• What should I eat while I’m waiting for apple season to kick in?
• An acquaintance of mine is using my quinoa and chia cake recipe and calling it her own, I kind of want to put too many bitters in her next cocktail, but I know better. What is the appropriate course of action?
• If I am out on a first date and he/she orders a pina colada as a drink, what should I do?
• My chickens just won’t stop laying eggs, do you have a new egg recipe I haven’t thought of?
• Can I put goat cheese sprinkles on my roasted beets without getting made fun of?
• What size of ice cube would I want to make if I wanted to seem cutting edge?
• I’m getting married, should I serve my cakes on tree stumps or vintage whiskey barrels?

It’s the place to take the food related questions you’ve never dared to asked before. We’ll give our own Foodie Underground spin as well as bring in the help of experts. Not sure what cocktail to make with your newly made basil and lemon infused simple syrup? You might want to turn to the internet, but Ask Foodie Underground is better than Google; we’ll ensure a response that’s thought out, researched and full of sass.

Have a question? Send it our way.

Email food [at]ecosalon[dot]com with any and all food questions. The more complicated the question, the better, and we won’t say that we can be bribed, but if it comes with a food porn attachment or a recipe, you just might get a response a little quicker than you think.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s weekly column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground, discovering what’s new and different in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to the culinary avant garde.

Image: Anna Brones

The post Foodie Underground: Launching a New Advice Column for the Modern Food Lover appeared first on EcoSalon.

The best of EcoSalon’s stories this week.

We’ve all heard junk food press releases describing their latest innovation as a taste of “real food” – but how often is this justified? Anna Brones checks out the facts behind some of the tallest stories in fast food marketing.

Art is meant to provoke – but when it reminds us of some of modern history’s most tragic events, does it instruct or offend?

How much can we trust other people when it comes to steering our own love lives? We look at 25 genuine pieces of advice given to single people.

Thursday was International Women’s Day – and to celebrate it, we looked at 11 memorable stories about and inspired by women and 30 images of women activists over the last 100 years.

We also gave you 20 Pickup Lines For Knitters to add a little sexy to your next fiber-infused fest.

The post The Friday 5: Tell Us A Story Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

Separate your real friends from your frenemies.

Your friends are your support system, your partners-in-crime. They’ll laugh over stupid reality shows with you, protect you from creepsters at the bar, bring you soup when you’re sick and tell you the truth when you need to hear it. They’re like family, except you can control who they are. So exercise that right. If your friends don’t give you that warm and fuzzy feeling, maybe you aren’t surrounding yourself with the right people.

Everything is a competition.  No matter what you say, your friend feels the need to one-up you. Mention that you had a bad day, and she’ll say, “Mine was even worse!” Tell a funny story and her response is, “Oh, but wait until you hear this!” She always has to have the more expensive shoes, the bigger diamond ring and the cuter boyfriend, but if you mention that you don’t care about those things, she’ll have an anecdote about how she cares even less. Some people are innately competitive, and that can be a positive thing, but there’s a big difference between showing off Scrabble skills and constantly belittling your accomplishments.

You’re only friends out of nostalgia. You lead totally different lives, you find very little to talk about when you’re together and you disagree on most of the big issues. But, you think, we’ve known each other forever! If you met today, you probably wouldn’t be friends at all, but you like being able to say that you’ve been BFFs for decades. On its own, this may not be a good reason to dump a friend, but it’s definitely a reason to downgrade her status in your life. You might want to focus your attention on friends that you can really click with instead.

They talk, but don’t listen. Everyone has experienced this at least once: sitting silent for thirty minutes or more while a clueless friend yaps on and on, never letting you get a word in edgewise. We all have our chatty moods, and sometimes, your friends really do just need you to sit there and listen while they vent. That’s cool, but when it happens on a daily basis, it can start to wear on your patience. If your friend asks how you’ve been doing and then immediately cuts you off with a story of her own, she’s probably got chronic self-absorption syndrome.

They ask for lots of favors, but never give back. Just like the friend who can’t shut up about herself, the flaky favor-asker seems to think her time is worth a lot more than yours. You’re the one who has to pick up the pizza, act as designated driver, help her move across town and pick her up from the airport. She calls you when her washing machine breaks or she needs to bake a cake for an office party, “because you’re better at this stuff than I am.” But when the tables are turned, your friend is AWOL. Don’t be a doormat.

They can’t keep secrets. You confided to a friend about something very personal, with the understanding that she wouldn’t tell anyone else. But she just can’t seem to keep things to herself, no matter how touchy the subject may be, and soon you’ve got mutual friends expressing their condolences, offering advice or just giving you knowing looks. Whatever her reason for gossiping, betraying your trust isn’t cool. You should be able to count on your friends not to broadcast your business.

In your time of need, they’re nowhere to be found. It happened – that big emergency that you hoped would never come up. This moment, whether it’s an accident, your house burning down, a death in the family or the breakdown of your relationship, is when you need the support of your friends the most. Instead of being there to help you get back on your feet, she’s giving you excuses about how busy she is. This might just be the ultimate friendship test.

When you talk to them about it, they’re not contrite. Okay, so you’ve decided you’re going to confront your friend directly about the issues that have been bothering you. You think, maybe she just doesn’t realize how she’s been acting, and she’ll stop. But instead of apologizing or saying she’ll try to do better, she offers up denials or rationalizes her behavior. She’s not willing to work on the friendship, so it must not mean much to her.

You have to psyche yourself up to see them. Maybe you avoid answering her calls because you have to be in a particular kind of mood to deal with her. Maybe you put off hanging out because you realize that every time you see her, you come home feeling like shit. Listen to yourself. These are not-so-subtle clues that this relationship isn’t doing anything for you.

You can’t just be yourself. When you’re around this particular person or group of friends, you feel like you have to do certain things or act a certain way to fit in. You might find yourself wearing clothes that you wouldn’t wear otherwise. You might even feel a need to self-censor, because you know they look down on some of your views or interests.  Maybe they even bully you a little bit. You shouldn’t have to try this hard.

You don’t like who you are around them. If you’re trying so hard to make your friendships work that you’re changing who you are to please them, and finding yourself more than a little disgusted with your own behavior, stop it right now. You should never compromise who you are to please other people, especially if those people actually kind of suck. There are plenty of potential friends out there who will love you for exactly who you are.

ALSO CHECK OUT:

10 Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Town

10 Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Relationship

10 Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Job

Photos:  dovima_is_devine_II, ohai_spackwood, whatmegsaid

The post 10 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Friends appeared first on EcoSalon.

Don’t stay for the wrong reasons.

Sometimes, relationships are like ugly old sweaters: they’re not flattering, they don’t make you feel good, and they’re actually kind of scratchy, now that you think about it. But they’re so familiar, you just can’t bear to get rid of them. Consider giving yourself room for something better – or just have fun being single for a while. Here are signs it may be time to part with the familiar.

You barely spend any time together.

It’s no surprise that, with both partners often working full-time jobs, modern couples may spend less time together than ever. Some couples juggle a lot of responsibilities and strain to see each other on a regular basis – that’s fairly normal. However, a big red flag should pop up when you find that you just aren’t mustering the effort to make it work. If you’d rather stay home and watch movies alone than go out on a romantic date or even just a casual get-together with your boyfriend or girlfriend, something is not right.

Your partner makes you feel bad about yourself.

You should never find yourself believing that you’re not good enough due to your partner’s words or actions. Even if it’s said in a joking way, a jibe about your looks, your job, your intelligence or any matter that relates to self-esteem can really hurt. Don’t just sit back and take it when the “jokes” keep adding up, or your partner doesn’t even bother to cloak his or her constant criticism. There’s a difference between constructive feedback or advice and comments that are meant to tear you down.

You can’t stop fighting.

He doesn’t help out around the house. You nitpick the way he drives. He ate the last cookie that your mom made for you. You made a funny face that could be interpreted as eye rolling. The sky is blue. If you find yourself getting into arguments over nothing and everything, there’s trouble brewing. Constant fighting is a sign of high tension, and while stress can certainly be a big factor in this, there are often underlying relationship issues causing your conflicts. When you can’t work them out – or simply don’t care to – say goodbye.

Your goals in life don’t mesh.

You’re on a quest for self-improvement, or at least a better life, and he’s content to sit in that armchair playing the latest XBox game until the end of his days. You’re growing as a human being, thinking about getting a better job or moving to a new place or having children, and she’s thinking about doing the same old thing she has done virtually every day for the past five years. Don’t sit around waiting for your partner to change. Unless you settle for less than what you truly want in your life, or your partner has some kind of epiphany, things aren’t looking good.

You try to justify repeated wrongs.

Making excuses for your partner’s ill deeds is not doing anyone any favors, least of all yourself. You tell yourself that he’s cold because of his relationship with his mother, that she doesn’t comfort you in your time of need because she’s distracted, that he cheated those three times because he was drunk and you were working late. If even after discussing these issues, they continue to recur, don’t keep justifying them; it just gives your partner permission to continue hurting you indefinitely.

You daydream about leaving.

You used to get lost in visions of cozy domestic life with your love, and now you’re longing to pack your bags and live like a bohemian artist in Paris. Everyone thinks about these things every now and then, but the danger comes when such thoughts become almost like an obsession. When you’re soothing yourself to bed at night with fantasies about starting fresh, you’re looking for a way out.

You’re staying out of self-sacrifice.

When it comes down to it, you realize that you’re no longer in love, but how can you leave? He just wouldn’t be able to get by without you. Maybe you’ve got children, and you worry about how the dissolution of your relationship will affect them. That’s totally understandable, but you’ve got to give yourself more value. Are you really helping your partner by staying with him or her at this point? Is your unhappiness affecting your kids anyway? Don’t waste what little time you have. Give yourself a chance at something real.

You keep secrets.

Once, there was nothing you kept from each other. You confessed all of your deepest secrets and told each other about virtually every aspect of your day, from the antics of an annoying co-worker to worries about your health. But now, things have changed. You conveniently forgot to mention that you’re back in touch with your college sweetheart, or that you’ve been putting money into a secret savings account that’s just for you. Being in a healthy relationship doesn’t have to mean giving over every little detail of yourself, but there definitely shouldn’t be any deception involved.

You’re not having sex.

Libidos change, and sometimes medical issues can cause serious shifts in sexual desire. If your sex life has gone off a cliff, eliminate any physical causes first. Then examine the state of your relationship. If either you or your partner just aren’t interested anymore, it may be a sign that your relationship changed from romantic to platonic when you weren’t looking. It’s not the end-all be-all issue for every relationship, but for most of us, sex is an integral part of a healthy union. When the spark fizzles out despite all efforts to revive it, you may be better off as friends.

The thrill is gone.

A big part of graduating to the real world of adult relationships is realizing that the early butterflies-in-your-stomach phase is supposed to blossom into something more stable and, perhaps, less exciting. Chances are, even if you’re with your “soul mate,” you don’t feel quite the same way about him as you did when you first met. But what if seeing your partner after an extended absence stirs no strong emotions whatsoever? Stop accepting mediocrity and meting it out in return. It’s time to move on.

ALSO CHECK OUT:

10 Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Town

10 Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Friends

10 Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Job

Photo: illusive photography

The post 10 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Relationship appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhether you buy it outright or make your own, tinted moisturizer is your cold weather must-have.

The one makeup product you need to make it through the dry seasons of fall and winter is tinted moisturizer. Skin becomes particularly parched as the air dries it out and indoor heating systems only exacerbate the problem. Hydrated skin makes us look fresh, younger and more vibrant and who doesn’t want that? Having a makeup product that can add needed moisture and even out skin tone is essential for every skin type. Yep, even you oily skin gals, listen up! There’s tips for you too.

One option is to buy a tinted moisturizer or a lightweight hydrating foundation. The other is to make your own with what you have on hand. The advantages of ready-made products are they save a little bit of time and mess while ensuring the ratio of foundation to moisturizer is just right.

A few of my eco favorites include:

Dr. Hauschka Translucent Make-up

Lavera Tinted Moisturizing Cream

Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer

Making your own blend can save money while letting you receive the benefits of your favorite cream and getting the exact shade of foundation right, especially if a pre-made line just doesn’t seem to have the right one for you.

What you’ll need to make a custom tinted moisturizer:

A liquid foundation or mineral powder that matches your skin tone.

A hydrating moisturizer for the daytime that works well for your skin type.

You will have to experiment a bit to find the exact ratio that works to achieve the coverage you desire. The best ratio to begin with is a dime size amount of moisturizer and a nickel size dab of foundation.  On the palm of a clean hand mix them together. You’ll see there if you need more foundation or moisturizer, then you can add accordingly. If you are using a lightweight foundation already or want a heavier coverage out of your base, decrease the amount of moisturizer.

Using mineral powder with a face cream to create a tinted moisturizer works especially well for those concerned about shiny, oily skin. The ratio for using mineral powder mixed in with moisturizer in this case is much smaller. A very tiny bit of powder goes a long way with a lightweight cream. The combination will dry quite matte, so keep that in mind before you start mixing up a giant batch. I’ve done it successfully but it took a few tries to get it not looking like a gummy mess. Once I had the ratio down, then I had a shine-free face, that didn’t feel dry and lasted with coverage all day.

Now let’s hear about your experiments and favorite products for tinted moisturizers this season, and leave your comments below.

Editor’s note: Got a celebrity look you’d like to copy or a trend you’d like to see incorporating healthy, non-toxic makeup? Send your questions to High Definition columnist Kristen Arnett at beauty@ecosalon.com

New York City based Kristen Arnett is an internationally renowned makeup artist and founder of the Green Beauty Team, styling high profile celebrities and runway models as well as a sought after beauty expert, educator and teacher for other makeup artists.

Image: Aimaness  photography

The post High Definition: Tinted Moisturizer for the Dry Months appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnFall makeup trends are all about featuring one part of the face and letting the rest play supporting roles.

Leaves are changing colors all around us, which is a signal to start changing our own makeup too. Fall 2011 brings with it some rather bold statements where one feature gets center stage and the rest of the face acts quietly in the background.

I’ve picked out five of the most wearable makeup trends from the Fall 2011 runway collections that offer something fun for everyone.

Petal Pink Cheeks  (above)

The softest and most natural of this season’s trends is a rounded wash of pink blush on the cheeks.  In order to pull this off, you must make sure any areas of redness in the nose, forehead and chin are already properly concealed, or it could just look like you have a sunburn.  Once you have an even canvas use a big, fluffy brush to sweep on a petal pink shade over the apples of the cheeks rounding the edges towards the eye and a touch into the hollows of the cheekbones.

Mesmerizing Metallics

We women are usually hypnotized by anything sparkly, and thankfully fall 2011 doesn’t disappoint. Metallics are always in, but there was a definite reemergence of silver, which has typically been trumped by gold sparkles in many of the past seasons. Silver is a pretty harsh look for most people to pull off because of its cool grey undertones, so stick with this one for nighttime activities like parties and clubs.

Graphic Eyes

No new purchases necessary for this stand-alone statement.  All you need is thickening mascara, some black eyeliner and a steady hand and to create a heavy, angular stripe that marks this season’s graphic, yet simply elegant punctuation. Thickly coat both upper and lower lashes with black mascara and don’t bother separating them. The drama for this fall trend comes from their spikey look.

Bold Brows 

Bushy brows have been going strong for sometime now in fashion and over plucking is way out. So if you haven’t already, start letting those furry friends grow in. If you are in the growing back stages or naturally have sparse brows, this trend is still achievable with a bit of attention.

Choose a powder or pencil one shade lighter than your current hair color, but make sure to match the tone.  So if your hair is redder, find a color that has a touch of red in it to look as natural as possible. Using a pencil or a small angled brush with a dab of powder, fill in any “naked areas”; keeping the shape smooth and slightly squared at the front, tapering thinner towards the end. Always finish by blending with a brow brush so it doesn’t look too harsh.

Pucker Up Reds

Almost any color of red goes for fall 2011, from Bordeaux to cherry. Red is a statement in and of itself, so keep the rest of the face very neutral. Since I already wrote an article for EcoSalon called Red Lips For All, dedicated to choosing and using the right shade of red, I encourage you to revisit the information there and experiment with those suggestions as your guides.

Editor’s note: Got a celebrity look you’d like to copy or a trend you’d like to see incorporating healthy, non-toxic makeup? Send your questions to High Definition columnist Kristen Arnett at beauty@ecosalon.com

New York City based Kristen Arnett is an internationally renowned makeup artist and founder of the Green Beauty Team, styling high profile celebrities and runway models as well as a sought after beauty expert, educator and teacher for other makeup artists.

The post High Definition: Fall’s Boldest Statements appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhen it comes to makeup, figure out what the difference is between want and need.

During economic depressions and recessions, the one thing that doesn’t slow in sales very much is lipstick. It’s an easy purchase; a luxury item that is relatively cheap and can brighten your mood quick. If you are spending $8-$28 dollars every time you want to feel better on a shade that is similar to one you already have, maybe it’s time to rethink the purchase pattern.

I mean, have you ever asked yourself, “what am I doing with six of the same shades of lipstick?” In general, women like buying something new, but we fear too much change and often end up with variations on a theme in our makeup bag.

Every time I do a makeup bag review for someone I come across this habit of multiples which tends to be about the same for every woman, no matter what age. In the confusion of her makeup bag there’s a few eye shadows in a variety of browns, some color she’s barely touched like sparkly green, a shimmery white and sparkly gold. Then a few eye pencils in black and brown, maybe one outlandish color she never wears. Several lip glosses and lip colors ranging from pale rose to deep wine with some bronzers and blush to fill out the rest of the bag. All of these products come in various states of wear and tear, with the safest colors being the most worn and others just standing by because they never really looked good but their owner can’t seem to justify throwing them away.

My advice?

First, start by editing your makeup bag, box or cabinet the way you would your wardrobe. Find your classic staples, a few good accessory colors for fun and toss out anything that is ancient or never looked good in the first place.

Second, start asking yourself what you need vs. what you want.

We tend to buy makeup from these two mindsets and often get derailed in the “want” department. Beauty counter associates and marketing ploys are great at doing just that. The beauty industry is built on creating buzz around newness. They want you to get excited and feel the urge to buy.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t start unconsciously gravitating towards pretty packaging every time I enter a Sephora. So there’s nothing bad about this, but having been on the marketing side of cosmetics, I can tell you that it’s a very direct and intentional methodology to get you to buy out of want and perceived need.

The best way to not make double purchases is to go with your makeup to the store and swatch test the colors on your hand to make sure what you are buying is truly different. Then try the new color on your face, wear it around for a couple of hours and if it still sings sweetly to you, then buy it.

I would be remiss as the eco makeup expert if I said, “just go out and buy anything.” Instead, I have hopes that each of you will take the time to find more natural and organic makeup to put on your face. If you need some suggestions and motivation for swapping out your traditional products, watch this short video where I replaced common makeup items with “green” substitutes and gave startling statistics about the amount of chemicals women are exposing themselves to daily.

Editor’s note: Got a celebrity look you’d like to copy or a trend you’d like to see incorporating healthy, non-toxic makeup? Send your questions to High Definition columnist Kristen Arnett at beauty@ecosalon.com

New York City based Kristen Arnett is an internationally renowned makeup artist and founder of the Green Beauty Team, styling high profile celebrities and runway models as well as a sought after beauty expert, educator and teacher for other makeup artists.

Image: Flickr: Viviana_Love

The post High Definition: Curbing Makeup Repeats appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnSometimes your skin needs a break from the weight of cosmetics.

Inevitably whenever we’ve asked EcoSalon readers what they most want to hear about in this column, someone pipes up with “how we don’t need to wear any.” Ok, ok, I get it. So while this column is focused on makeup, I admit, even though I’m using natural products on my face, I still give my skin breaks from makeup.

Fashion Week in New York is just ended, but it’s the beginning of a month long, intensive series of the most important fashion weeks in the world. Virtually the same group of models, makeup artists, hair stylists and backstage photographers travel to London, Milan and Paris over a grueling four weeks. Right now I’m in Milan recovering from an eight hour plane ride and a six hour time difference and I haven’t put a stitch of makeup on in 48 hours. It feels good.

You think models have a “model” life but by the time New York fashion week is over, they cringe and begin to complain about getting their makeup done and some even hide from us! Taking into consideration we makeup artists coat every part of their skin that is showing once they are dressed, you understand why.  Last year I worked on a model who complained that her eyelashes hurt from all the makeup that was constantly put on and taken off during fashion month.

This season is the spring/summer 2012 runway collections, which translates into a lot of skin showing and therefore a lot of body makeup. Maybe you don’t feel the need to wear full body makeup in your swimwear, but there is makeup for that and women do buy it and it’s not a far cry from needing to wear makeup in a variety of situations where it’s best left undone.

Places it’s actually better for your skin to be sans makeup:

The Gym

Sweat plus makeup equals pimples, clogged pores and possibly irritation. If you are trying to meet that special someone at the gym, remember most people say they prefer seeing a woman look natural. It’s not cute to see makeup start to slide off creating raccoon eyes or cracking the surface of foundation. If you are desperate for something, just use a little concealer under the eyes, a tinted lip balm and curl your lashes.

Long Airplane Rides

Pay close attention to the skin of older flight attendants. It’s almost always very dehydrated looking without a dewy glow.  That’s because being inside a plane for so long is very drying to the skin.  If you plan on sleeping, mascara is just bound to end up in places you didn’t want it and will just make you look worse than had you gone without it.

When traveling, opt for lots of moisturizer and bring some extra to keep reapplying during the flight. A natural skin mist (not toner) can help rehydrate the skin before putting on moisture.

Water Sports

Unless you are a synchronized swimmer, you really don’t need to be in heavy waterproof makeup while you frolic around in the water. Put on a safe sunblock and let your smile be your standout feature.

A Quick Supermarket Run

Getting to know yourself without makeup is important.  Being comfortable going to the grocery store with just a glowy, naked face can be liberating for some and terrifying for others.

If this sounds terrifying to you, I suggest spending less time looking in the mirror. When you do get in front of a mirror, don’t get close up and stare at whatever imperfections you see. Look at yourself square in the eyes and say, “I am beautiful.” If something inside of you starts to yell about that not being true, repeat the phrase for 5 minutes while looking right into your eyes. It’s a very powerful exercise so be ready for it – accepting our own beauty is often harder than most people realize.

Image: CNBC

The post High Definition: A Temporary Breakup From Makeup appeared first on EcoSalon.