One lucky EcoSalon reader’s skin will soon be very happy with this incredible skin care gift bag courtesy of Malibu’s OSEA! Valued at $242, you’re going to love these luxurious organic skincare products infused with natural seaweed and algae, perfect for your winter skin care needs. Want to enter for your chance to win? Read on!

OSEA creates anti-aging skincare inspired by the idea of uniting the elements (Ocean, Sun, Earth and Atmosphere) in order to restore skin to its highest level of healthy beauty. The marine-based seaweed product line is bursting with clean, healthy ingredients rich in vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and potent antioxidants in all of its cleansers, serums, masks, moisturizers, lotions, oils and scrubs.

The winner will receive the following products:

Advanced Protection Cream: Super rich antioxidant moisturizer for dry, sensitive and aging skin. A blend of naturally derived amino acids, vitamins, botanical oils, trace elements and sea minerals hydrate and nourish dry, depleted skin. DPHP, the second ingredient, helps even out hyper-pigmentation, fine lines, and stimulates collagen production. Usage: Use day and night $98

Essential Hydrating Oil: Organic blend of pure essential oilsof Lavender, Roman Chamomile, and Geranium provide an advanced degree of hydration, working to plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This extraordinary blend restores the youthful glow and luster diminished by the effects of the sun and aging and promotes the rapid healing of various skin conditions. Tips & Tricks: Scent is extremely soothing and helps calm the central nervous system. $28

Undaria Algae Oil: Rich in omega 3-6 fatty acids, sea minerals and antioxidants for ultimate skin repair. Undaria prevents the breakdown of hyaluronic acid in the body, which is necessary to keep skin smooth and firm. Reduces appearance of stretch marks. Absorbs easily without a greasy feeling and helps carry nutrients deeper into skin. Usage: Daily moisturizer for body. Tips & Tricks: Daily Moisturizer. $16

Undaria Body Polish: Super hydrating antioxidant rich body polish. Undaria prevents the breakdown of hyaluronic acid in the body, which is necessary to keep skin smooth and firm. Contains hemp seed oil, rich in omega 3-6 essential fatty acids, that conditions the skin. Gently scrub away with this bio-blend of pumice, acai and guarana. The uplifting aromas of organic Melissa, Lemon Grass and Bulgarian Lavender is intoxicating. Usage: Use 2-3x weekly. Once skin is warm and wet, then apply the scrub. Remove with wet washcloth. $48

Ocean Lotion: Fragrance free, mineral rich body moisturizer that feeds the skin. Red algae and organic oils of macadamia, kukui, avocado, sesame and rose hip seed leave skin soft and silky. USAGE: Daily for all skin types. $30

Want to enter? All you have to do is sign up for the EcoSalon newsletter, And if you haven’t already, you can also “like” our Facebook page, pin us on Pinterest, and follow us on Twitter. Good luck!

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

The post EcoSalon is Giving Away a Winter Skin Care Kit from Osea! [$242 Value] appeared first on EcoSalon.

Yikes, it’s already time to get out the holiday décor. Question is, are you going to buy this year or DIY?

Turns out, Halloween is one of the most popular holidays to celebrate and decorate, second only to Christmas. Basically, it’s a good excuse to party and eat seasonally designated M&Ms. Store bought Halloween décor can get pretty pricey so why not set the mood with some DIY candles and save some dough.

You can buy some at Olive and Cocoa, $74.00 for two or……

…you can make your own for the price of the candle and some supplies you probably already have.

Supplies

• Candles –  5″ and 10″ tall pillars that are off white
• Tissue Paper – white, used for wrapping presents
• Spray Glue
• Printer
• Hair Dryer
• Spooky Clip Art

Step 1. Pick out some Halloween graphics and size them to fit your candles on your computer.

Step 2. Lightly spray glue the tissue paper to some printer paper and trim it out. The goal is to get the graphics printed onto tissue paper. I tried taping the tissue on the paper but my printer just spit it out all crumpled. If you have a rubber stamp image you would like to use, you can just stamp directly onto the tissue and skip the printer.

Step 3. Print out your graphics onto your tissue/printer paper.

Step 4.  Peel the tissue from the paper and trim it out as closely as possible to the images. FYI, I tried trimming before removing the tissue from the paper and the tissue tore very easily.

Step 5. Since the tissue is already a bit tacky, stick your image onto the candle. Turn your hairdryer on hot and hold it close to the image. It takes a few minutes for the candle wax to heat and when it does, your image will melt into the candle. You can just smooth the edges down. My candle never got hot enough with the hairdryer to burn my fingers.

You can see how the edges have disappeared and the image melts into the candle. Have patience!

I found my antique images online at the Graphics Fairy. You can look in old books for spooky images or make your own custom graphics using words. Next, I’m going to try using an old photo of my family with zombie eyes.

Set the candles in a bowl with dried black beans for a creepy effect and you’re done.

Happy Halloween!

The post To BUY or DIY: Graphically Pleasing Halloween Candles appeared first on EcoSalon.

Why do we really need so little?

I sat down to write an article titled, The Dark Side of Minimalism. My “beware of minimalism” sermon was so ready to pour forth. It was gonna go like so:

I stand in my very strong values of minimalism, anti-consumerism, and simplicity. These movements fuel my faith in human consciousness. Increasingly, we are voting with our dollars, ceasing to fill the holes in our souls with plastic stuff, and living more lightly on a highly-burdened eco-system. Uncluttering, vigilante consumerism, and simplification are outbursts of enlightenment. Howevah…

Fear n’ loathing can lurk beneath “right action.” We can use beautiful concepts to reinforce ugly lies about our esteem and self worth. We can use austerity to punish ourselves, and frugality to keep abundance at bay.

So…that’s how I would have kicked ‘er off. But I came across a post from Lianne Raymond, who is like, the Majesty of Questioning Just About Everything: Red Winkle Picker Regret and The Dark Side of Decluttering. And well, I just can’t top this:

Now decluttering has gone mega mainstream. It’s almost religious. It’s rarely questioned. There are gurus and gospels to follow. Salvation shall be yours through decluttering. …

There are some other really obvious reasons why the declutter cult has taken off –

1. Control – In a world that seems out of control, decluttering and organizing can provide an illusion of control. (This is my hall closet).

2. Guilt – as the world continues to shrink, we can more and more see how our unconscious consumption is linked with developing world living conditions and climate change. To purge our possessions can feel like a cleansing confession. (Go in peace and sin no more – and throw in three Hail Marys for good measure.)

3. Perfection/Salvation – all my problems will be solved, my life will be perfect and I will find eternal happiness when I get rid of all my clutter and get organized. (This is a variation on “I will be happy when I am skinny.”)

4. Freedom – getting rid of stuff can give us a temporary hit of feeling free. When our lives feel full of obligation, this is alluring.

When you dig deeper into any of these, you will likely find fear. And if you do have a lot of junk in your life and dig into why you ended up with it in the first place – guess who’s coming to dinner? – fear. So if you are purging from the same mindset that you had while procuring – well, that’s just the other side of the same coin, honey.

Lianne’s lucid, provocative piece goes as deep as asserting that our urge to purge is “pathologizing the feminine in favour of celebrating the masculine” Uhhuh. Like I said, I can’t top that.

Dig it yourself: Red Winkle Picker Regret and The Dark Side of Decluttering

Yours in self-love and the kind of minimalism that affirms your goodness, not your lack.

. . . . . . .

Danielle LaPorte is the author of The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide for Creating Success on Your Own Terms (from Random House/Crown). An inspirational speaker, former think tank exec and business strategist, she is the creator of the online program The Spark Kit: A Digital Experience for Entrepreneurs and co-author of Your Big Beautiful Book Plan. Over a million visitors have gone for her straight-up advice on DanielleLaPorte.com, a site that has been deemed “the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality.”

You can find her on Facebook and on Twitter @daniellelaporte

The post Danielle LaPorte: The Dark Side of Minimalism appeared first on EcoSalon.

Kick start that spring feeling with fashion’s best new films.

Fashion lovers are generally a visual lot. As the growing interest in Pinterest, Tumblr and other image-based social tools demonstrates, more and more of us like to absorb information visually. So if you’re thinking its time to turn your winter wardrobe into spring style, take a look at fashion’s best new films for color trends, silhouettes and fabrications to look out for as the warmer months slowly approach.

Above. In the captivating 16mm film entitled, “She Builds Domes in Air,”  by acclaimed artist Catherine Sullivan, Kristen McMenamy stalks the intricate inner and sensory worlds of the Alexander McQueen spring/summer collection – designer Sarah Burton’s third and most celebrated yet.

Burton tells AnOther Magazine: “The McQueen woman doesn’t want to feel casual. It’s not that kind of world. When you put on the clothes, they make you stand differently, feel differently. It was about how to do that but make it feel light. I’ve always been part of Lee’s romantic side, that’s what I love. Although there are elements of this collection that are quite dark, even sinister, there’s always a romance to it, a delicacy. Empowerment and protection: Working here, you always have to bring it back to Alexander.”

Geren Ford Spring 2012 Fashion Film from Geren Ford

For those dreaming of clothing suitable for a springtime spent outdoors, check out the first in a series of fashion videos featuring the spring 2012 collection of lifestyle brand, Geren Ford.

Ford describes the film to Racked : “Echoing the line’s wanderlust for life and as-chic-at-noon-as-at-midnight ethos, the film is a visual recap of ‘the night before,’ a peek into late-night mischief of a get together where decorum and good manners went home hours ago and with each step unfolds epic house party lore, mischief and chaos, and the blossoming of young love.”

Lane Crawford: High Style on Nowness.com

A meditation on the ephemeral qualities of fashion, luxury store Lane Crawford’s “The Pinnacle of Style,” takes us behind the scenes of its spring 2012 campaign. Shot by powerhouse photographic duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and starring China’s biggest stars Li Bing Bing and Chen Ran, the animated short presents the store’s latest collections from the likes of Azzedine Alaïa, Céline, Givenchy, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Lane Crawford Fashion Director Sarah Rutson explains to Nowness: “The power of fashion to help an individual express themselves is central to the store’s ideology. As Mark Twain said, ‘Clothes make the man, naked people have little or no influence on society’. Clothing is an outward expression for someone to show their individuality, as the essence of who they are.”

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