This week’s Link Love we get a taste of craft beers from around the world, local goes up against organic, now you can drink “Game of Thrones” wine, EcoSalon’s own Fatima Olive and why Apple hates female anatomy.

5 of the best craft beers from around the world. [via Organic Authority]

Is local better than organic? [via Eat Drink Better]

“Game of Thrones” gets its own wine. [via Mashable]

Our own beauty expert Fatima Olive featured in Minnesota Monthly! [via Minnesota Monthly]

Apple won’t engrave what on your computer? [via Jezebel]

 Related on EcoSalon

Link Love: The Many Ways of Beauty + How to Wear Black in Summer + Eco Bedrooms

Link Love: What ‘Office Space’ Did for Humanity + The Tweeting Dress +  DIY Beehive

Link Love: Mila Kunis + Vegan Supermarket + Black People and Climate Change

The post Link Love: ‘Game of Thrones’ Wine + Fatima Olive Beauty + Apple and Female Anatomy appeared first on EcoSalon.

Here are my three easy tips to get professional eyebrow shaping on your own.

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, the eyebrows could be considered the “window treatments.” If the window treatments are too overpowering then you can’t see the view. On the other hand, if the windows are bare, the effect can be very stark. The eyebrow shape can either detract or compliment the eyes. Here’s how to create perfect eyebrow shapes in 3 easy professional eyebrow shaping steps.

Where to start with your brows? Before you turn over all control to someone else, take a good look in the mirror. Most often your natural shape is the most flattering. After all, the true job of the brows is to protect the eyes from things like sweat or rain running down our forehead. Your very own unique arched eyebrow shape (before you went crazy with the tweezers in 6^th grade) helps to funnel the moisture towards the sides of the face preventing it from going directly in the eyes.

The brows also form a visual boundary on the face literally “framing” the eyes. And like a great frame, the brows should bring attention to the eyes rather than detract. Subtlety is the key. To create the most complimentary shape for you face (and eyes), use your features as a guide.

Here are the basics of creating beautiful brows:

Step 1: Measure

Determine the parameters of the brows (use a white eye pencil to mark these measurements). Use a pencil or brush to create a line from the outer edge of the nostril to the inner corner of the eye and continuing up to the brow. This is where the brow should begin (mark here with the white pencil). Use the same technique to determine where the brow should end, this time the line goes from the outer edge of the nostril to the outer corner of the eye and continuing up to the brow (mark here with the white pencil). The arch should be just above the outer edge of the iris of the eye, when you are looking straight ahead (mark here with the white pencil).

Step 2: Remove hair

Once the parameters are determined, I use the same white pencil to connect the three points and create the shape of the brow. I use the line as a guide to determine what to keep and what to tweeze. I go by the adage “measure twice, tweeze once.”

I like tweezing over waxing because tweezing is more precise, and when I am creating a perfect brow each and every hair makes a difference. I tweeze one hair at a time in the direction the hair naturally grows, and I wipe my tweezers on a tissue so they are more efficient at grabbing individual hairs. Don’t try to get a bunch at a time (remember quality not quantity).

Having the right tools makes all the difference in the world. My favorite tweezers are made by a company named Tweezerman. I have been using Tweezerman slant tweezers for the last 22 years. (I have one pair that I have had that long!) These tweezers have a lifetime guarantee and the company has a free sharpening policy. Most definitely worth the price!

Once all the extra hairs have been removed I blend in my guide line (white pencil), which also camouflages any redness.

Step 3: Perfect

Lastly, I fill in any gaps using an angle brush and a powdered shadow that perfectly matches the color of the brows (if in doubt choose a lighter rather than a darker color). You don’t necessarily need to buy a special shadow for the brows, however stick to matte shadows only. Believe it or not I use Paula’s Choice “The Nude Mattes Eye” shadow Palette in my kit. The palette has a beautiful array of matte colors that match almost every eyebrow shade and the shadows really stay on (the brows or the eyes). To finish and keep the brows perfectly groomed apply a clear brow gel brushing up and out.

The perfect eyebrow shape take a little time in the beginning but once you create the most flattering frame for your eyes the maintenance is minimal, and you’ll be surprised at how little eye makeup is needed to finish the face.

Find Fatima on Twitter @fatimaolive and on Pinterest

Related on EcoSalon

How to Find the Best Sunglasses for Your Face Shape

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Images: hugo971 (top); fatima olive

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This is the true meaning of Mother’s Day.

“You’re the most beautiful mom in the world!”

I woke up to those words and the beaming face of my daughter.

“Happy Mother’s Day,” she said as she dove into the bed to give me a delicious bear hug!

The most beautiful mom in the world? Wow! As my mom would say: my daughter “looks at me with good eyes.” I just turned 51 and although I am attractive, fit and take good care of my skin, I felt it would have been a more accurate compliment of my 25 year old self, especially when it’s six in the morning!

What is it that makes a mother beautiful to her children? Is it her face, her voice, her smell? Maybe so–and it’s surely much more than a physical characteristic.

Thinking back to my childhood, I realize what made my mother beautiful was more about feeling than vision. No matter what was happening, I knew I was the center of her universe. When I looked at my mother I saw the beauty of her unconditional love, her undivided attention, her fierce devotion. Perhaps it was because of this that her face glowed when she looked at me. Her love was like a tangible force field (a superhero power) that radiated through her eyes and constantly surrounded and protected me.

Could it be, what we as children see when we look at our mothers, is a reflection somehow of the love our mother feels for us?

My mother has been gone for 36 years, having lost her battle with breast cancer when I was a teenager. I have been without her longer than I was with her. After so many years, it isn’t the physical attributes that I remember; to be perfectly honest I can’t remember her voice or her laugh. Her physical body left, but her force field of love never did, I felt this once the pain of loss began to dissipate. I still feel the beauty of her love surrounding me to this day.

This Mother’s Day, in honor of my mother and in celebration of the amazing child I have been blessed to share my life with, I will unapologetically accept the gift of my daughter’s compliment and return it with my attention. I will put the phone down, return the email tomorrow, and right now, I will look deeply into her eyes (with my superhero mom powers) so she knows she is the center of my universe. I believe it’s the experience of truly, deeply loving a child unconditionally that makes a mother beautiful.

Find Fatima on Twitter @fatimaolive and on Pinterest

Related on EcoSalon

5 Alternative Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

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Images: (top)  a4gpa, (bottom) Fatima Olive

The post On Mother’s Day: Being ‘the Most Beautiful Mom in the World’ appeared first on EcoSalon.

Natural beauty products are better for our body. And on Earth Day 2014, we remember that they are better for our planet, too.

Earth Day, now in its 44^th year, invites us to examine how our actions impact the planet. But it is just one day—so what about the other 364 days in the year?

April 22 1990 was the 20^th anniversary of Earth Day, and my first. I had just moved to Minneapolis having accepted a position at Aveda a month prior. Little did I know it would be a move to a whole new way of life.

Before I started working for Aveda, green was simply a color to me. Once I joined the company I began to understand that green was so much more, thanks in no small part to its visionary founder, Horst Rechelbacher. His vision of sustainability and environmental responsibility changed everything. No longer did you have to sacrifice product performance for a cause. All of us on the inside were constantly being challenged to live up to the mission of the company, and what made Aveda so special and successful was that we did. Our enthusiasm was contagious.

It was through the success of Aveda that I realized that the choices we make with our purchases support the changes we want to see in the world. Just look at how many choices we now have for amazing product made in a responsible, earth friendly manner. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices, though (I know I do). Therefore, I called my friend and Aveda alum, Terry Gips, who is now President of the Alliance for Sustainability and asked: “What can I do for Earth Day, and will it really make a difference?”

The truth is, there is a lot each of us can do–even if it seems so simple, so insignificant. From supporting companies that are minimizing their impact on the environment, to making small changes that can save money and the earth at the same time. There really is so much that can be done. Terry’s advice is to educate yourself: “understand what is going on and prioritize.” Terry has written a wonderful piece called “Show Me the Money: 10 Simple Sustainability Steps People Can Take to Save Money and the Environment.”

To that advice this Earth Day, why not educate yourself on some natural products for the body and home, and see if you can go a little greener? Swap one of your usual natural beauty products for a more sustainable product that makes you look better, with no guilt! Here are four companies noteworthy for both their commitment to the environment as well as making truly fantastic and effective products. They’re so green you’d think it was St Paddy’s Day all over again!

Hair

First up is Intelligent Nutrients Certified Organic Health and Beauty, founded by Horst Rechelbacher. IN is the evolution of Horst’s idea that “Everything we put in and on our bodies must be nutritious and safe.”

Intelligent Nutrients uses:

• certified organic ingredients
• 100% plant fragrances, never synthetic
• Nothing toxic, plasticizing, metallic or scary 
(I love this!)
• Combining plant wisdom with the latest in scientific technology

My family’s favorite IN product is the Pureluxe Shampoo and Conditioner. As with all of Horst’s products, the scent is what you fall for first. Lemongrass, ylang ylang and geranium combine for an uplifting and refreshing experience that leaves your hair hydrated, shiny and healthy, and I feel good about my daughter using it.

Face

Earth Tu Face began with two herbalists, a garden, and a focus on creating a purely plant-based skin care. I recently discovered Earth Tu Face and appreciate its responsible plant based approach to beauty.

Earth Tu Face believes:

• In truth and transparency in the personal care industry
• Never putting on your skin what you would not put in your mouth
• In minimal waste packaging
• In avoiding synthetics & preservatives

The Earth Tu Face Voyage Travel Kit is a great introduction to its skin care. It includes: Face Wash, Face Serum and Body Butter.  The gentle formulas and earthy aromas make your skin feel as if you’ve been on a retreat (even if your never left your bathroom).

Body

Robin Brown and Anna Cirronis started Erbaviva in 1996 as a line of organic skincare products for baby and mothers-to-be (their own newborn was their inspiration). The company has since (and thankfully!) grown to include products for the entire family. Erbaviva’s products are compassionately made by hand at the company’s own renewable energy powered facility in Southern California. With so many beautiful products to choose from it’s hard to decide which one I love the most!  The Relax body lotion is a perfect addition to a pre-bedtime ritual.  The light and nourishing cocoa seed butter combine with natural oils of lavender, rose and neroli to restore moisture and encourage relaxation.  Or check out the Refreshing Foot Balm, which is perfect for getting those winter feet flip-flop ready.

Home

Launched just one year ago by artist and package designer Kristi Head, LITE+CYCLE candles are 100 percent earth-made with pure essential oils, vegetable waxes and a single cotton wick. No chemicals, pesticides, paraffin or synthetics. Made by hand in the USA. The vessel-less pillar candles integrate renewable biodegradable materials with natural-only ingredients.

The recently launched Urban Forrest candle was inspired by the juxtaposition of  a natural oasis in the center of the city. Notes of cedar, fennel, fir and a hint of coffee blend to create the perfect balance of Zen with the zip of caffeine.

My personal steps for Earth Day: indulge in all of the above! Plus, I just ordered a compost bin for my organic waste. Change starts one step at a time.

Find Fatima on Twitter @fatimaolive and on Pinterest

Related on EcoSalon

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top image: karin.krn

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