If you are particularly prone to flaky, dry lips, the following honey sugar lip scrub will be your latest and favorite homemade, all-natural skincare product.

The season is changing and when that happens, it is the optimal time to cleanse, renew and put a fresher face forward. Your skin is no exception. Lips are abused on a daily basis with the likes of cosmetics, salty or sugar foods and beverages and coming in contact with other people’s cheeks and lips. It’s no wonder they wear and tear every so often. Good thing all you need is three ingredients to turn lips from shabby to fabulous in this homemade lip scrub recipe.

Choose a raw, on-the-thinner-side honey in order to benefit from its natural antibacterial, antiviral and antibiotic properties as well as its high enzymatic activity. The sugar is a light exfoliant, helping to scrub away any dry skin. The water helps to thin out the scrub and make it a bit easier to apply. I dare you to try not to lick your lips during the process of application! When all is said and done, your lips will be soft, glowing and beautiful in all its pinkish red glory.

Honey Sugar Lip Scrub Recipe

Makes 1 treatment

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon white or brown sugar
• Warm water

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together the honey and brown sugar to make a thick paste. Run your tooth brush under warm water. Shake to release excess drops and push the toothbrush bristles against the paste. Scrub your lips with the paste, using the toothbrush, making sure to get every corner. Let sit for 3 minutes before rinsing.

Related on EcoSalon

Pucker Up: 10 Surprising Uses for Lip Balm

Fight the Chap: Best Ways to Soothe Our Winter Lips

Is Your Facial Scrub Causing Water Pollution?

Photo Credit: Helga Weber

The post DIY Beauty Recipe: Honey Sugar Lip Scrub Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

What makes lips sexy?  Is it the size, shape, color, or placement on the face?  

Lips represent how we communicate. We use them for kissing, affection, and to express our sexuality. Well moisturized lips in a naturally flushed color say healthy, and healthy is sexy.  Don’t have Scarlett Johansson’s naturally full, pink & pouty pair? Don’t stress. Most of us don’t. Make the most of what you’ve got using these five steps.

1.  Keep them healthy.  No one wants to have shriveled looking, flaky, peeling lips, so take steps to keep them healthy. Exfoliate to remove dead skin and use a good lip balm to seal in moisture.  You can use just about any face or body scrub on your lips too, however, The Natural Lip Scrub is a delicious options formulated specifically for your kisser. Remember to drink lots of water too – it shows in the lips first when you’re dehydrated.

2.  Define their shape.  Use a high quality lip pencil to outline your shape.  You can match the tone to your lipstick or pick one close to the natural color of your lips for a more subtle effect. Wearing a deep hue?  Give your natural shape and size a boost by running the pencil just outside your natural borders to create a fuller lip, but keep  close in. No clown faces here. Primitive Makeup’s super creamy Lip Pencils offer a range of flattering shades for lining lips or providing all over colors.

3.  Plump them up.  While not a permanent solution, there are a variety of natural lip plumpers to add a little more volume to your pout.  Look for products that use hyaluronic acid to attract and bind moisture to the lips. Eve Organics Lip Plumper is a good natural option that does double duty as a high shine gloss. It also contains cinnamon which will cause the lips to swell slightly (if only for a little while) for a bit of a bee stung look.

4.  Be an illusionist.  A trick to adding the appearance of fullness is to dab a highlighter on your lower lip.  Choose a pale pink or pearly white shade (nothing blue). Vapour Organic Beauty’s Trick Stick Highlighter in Luster or Star are good options. Apply to nude lips or over color, just a dab in the center of your lower lip, right where it starts to turn out will give the illusion of fullness.

5.  Add some color.  Whether it’s siren red or a naturally flushed pink or peach, choose a color that’s at least a couple shades darker than  your skin.  No white, super light pastels or frosted shades, blue, green or black. It’s just not flattering and lips simply don’t turn that color naturally unless your frost bitten or channeling a zombie.  W3LL People’s Nudist Colorbalm Stick provides flattering shades in a sheer formula along with amazing shine and long lasting moisture–everything you want in a single stick. Looking for a deeper shade?  Line then color in lips for lasting color and layer over with your favorite gloss, plumper or a Nudist shade that’s complementary.

Want to try healthier beauty products to find what works for you?  Check out Goodebox, a members only discovery and trial service for healthy beauty and natural wellness products.

Image: socialspice

The post 5 Steps to a Naturally Sexy Pout appeared first on EcoSalon.

Winter can turn lips dry, cracked and painful, making kissing, talking and eating a chore. Ease them back to healthy with natural lip care.

If eyes are the windows to our souls, then our lips are the sentinels to our attitudes in stilettos. We use to them whisper, scream, shout and kiss, while simultaneously dressing them up in vibrant shades to telegraph our moods. So it’s not surprising that people go nuts if they feel like their lips are in jeopardy. If you could only have chocolate or lip balm on a desert island, which would you choose? Any further questions?

No doubt about it, our lips are extremely sensitive and deserving of heartfelt sonnets. Our lips are actually quite fragile, which is why the wind, cold, and low humidity can wreck such havoc on them. They are made up of three to five layers of skin, while the rest of our face has 16 layers. They lack hair and sweat glands, which mean they don’t have the usual layers of sweat and oil to protect them. This is why our lips chap so easily.

So can we do to soothe them? Many of us grew up on the petroleum stuff, flaunting our Chap Sticks in the mirror like we were Blondie singing “Heart of Glass.” As we’ve previously reported, Chap Stick was invented by Dr. C. D. Fleet, who decided that petroleum jelly would be the best short-term fix for dry lips. But petroleum doesn’t absorb into the skin, so it’s really just keeping your skin from breathing, not healing. Ultimately, this can make them more chapped in the long run. See also: it’s made of petroleum so, you know, gasoline.

So you want a nourishing, healthy balm to protect and heal your winter pout. Jessica Wu is a dermatologist in Los Angeles. As Dr. Wu explained to Web MD, “skin heals better when it’s kept moist, so I suggest wearing an emollient balm or ointment rather than a waxy stick treatment.” Just be sure to use products that don’t make baby seals cry.

With our Days of Chap Stick firmly behind us, we’re left staggering about the wastelands of winter, licking our lips in desperation, standing outside drugstores staring in the windows while everyone inside dances around, waving their Chap Sticks over their temporarily moisturized pouts. Just kidding—we’re totally kicking ass with a ton of awesome natural and organic lip products. Welcome to five fantastic ways to sooth and heal your winter lips—without petroleum and other harsh elements.

1. Best Everyday Moisture: Organic Lip Balm by Aubrey Organics ($2.95)
There is one balm to rule them all—and this is the Organic Lip Balm from Aubrey Organics. Certified organic by QAI, Inc., this product contains coconut oil, olive oil, and Vitamin E. Available in a multitude of flavors, it’s so affordable that you can keep several stashed around your house or person, which I may or may not do because God help me if I can’t find my Organic Lip Balm.

2. Best Vegan Balm: Vegan Lip Balm by S.W. Basics of Brooklyn ($4.00)
Not a fan of beeswax? The Vegan Lip Balm by S.W. Basics of Brooklyn uses plant-based Candelilla wax to sooth your parched pout. All ingredients used in this product are either certified organic, Fair Trade or sourced from small family farms. Also containing organic and fair trade cocoa butter, it comes in highly-delectable flavors that are surprising strong for a single .15 ounce balm.

3. Best Hydrating Color: Tinted Lip Conditioner by Ilia Beauty ($24.00)
Yes, we are established fans of Ilia Beauty’s lip products.  Simply, it’s because they work, and they work well. The Tinted Lip Conditioner offers up a deep color in multiple shades while soothing your lips as well as any lip balm. Made with 85 percent organic ingredients, including organic jojoba oil, cocoa butter, and Vitamin E, the Tinted Lip Conditioner provides a lasting color with an intense hydration.

4. Best Therapeutic Moisture: Balmy Days Balm by Ilia Beauty ($24.00)
Lips already staging a revolt due to winter conditions? Consider this healing balm from—I know, I know, but this line is awesome—luxury lip care curators Ilia Beauty. This colorless product provides a deep, restorative hydration with the aforementioned 85 percent certified organic ingredients, as well as bioactive botanicals. Creator Sasha Plavsic also incorporates fresh pomegranate and essential oils of jasmine and orange blossom, all free of synthetic preservatives, fillers and petrochemicals. Not a bad place to pick up where your Chap Stick left off.

5. Best Homemade Relief: Olive Oil Sugar Scrub by Strawberry Hedgehog (Market Price)
Tracy Perkins is the founder of the luxury vegan body care line Strawberry Hedgehog. Exclusively for EcoSalon, she recommends this easy-to-make lip treatment you can whip up in your own kitchen. (Or if you’re pressed for time, you can buy the finished product here.)

To make: Combine one part organic fine sugar and one part organic olive oil. (A “part” can be range from a teaspoon to a cup, just make them equal.) If you’re feeling really decadent, a drop of vanilla extract makes it amazing. Make a small jar of it—something like a sterilized leftover jam jar—and use it once a week.

To use: Dampen your lips and the area around them with warm water. Apply the scrub in GENTLE circular motions until the sugar dissolves. This is great way to boost circulation and shed excess dead skin. Rinse with warm water, then slather on shea butter or your preferred balm.

FTC Compliance 

Flickr/Mitya Kuznetsov 

The post Fight the Chap: 5 Best Ways to Soothe Our Winter Lips appeared first on EcoSalon.

Full lips are hot, and we can thank Angelina Jolie. Sure, women were concerned about lips before Brad Pitt’s leading lady hit the scene. But were they injecting fillers into their pout before Mother Jolie came into our consciousness? Were terms like celebrity pout, trout pout, and “For the love of Pete, someone stop that woman before she can blink her lips?” part of our consciousness? Not so much.

So women want full smackers, and they are going to great lengths to get them. (White women, we might add. Women of African descent generally have the genetic advantage.) Lindsay Lohan famously pouted up before her last rehab/jail stint. Jessica Simpson admitted that she looked like a blowfish after injections. Jennifer Garner is known for her “natural” work. Lisa Rinna, lip pioneer extraordinaire, recently admitted to silicone injections in her upper lip – which she has since had surgically repaired.

Wanting fuller lips isn’t so bad – just turning them into floatation devices can be problematic. After all, our lips are an erogenous zone and va-va-voomy smackers go a long way on the evolutionary train. But a little bee-stung look can go a long way in working a lipstick. And here are some natural ways to get a temporary pouty pucker.

1. Moisturize, you say?

If you lips are cracked and dry, they aren’t going to shine with health and beauty. Keeping your lips moisturized will reduce fine lines and let them look fuller. Recently, we checked out hellomellow’s Lip Butters, which offer up a natural hydration for under $10. Made from avocado and mango butters ripe in fatty acids, they are also free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates and other synthetic ingredients. Do they hydrate well? They do indeed, as well as any petroleum-based product.

2. Apply a lip hydration mask.

Did we mention you need to keep your lips moisturized? We may have mentioned that. For the ultimate way to pamper up your pout, whip up a homemade lip mask. Check out a “Just Juicy Red” mask courtesy of Narine Nikosian’s Return to Beauty.

Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon cottage cheese, 1/2 teaspoon sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon beet juice, rose oil.
In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, and beet juice, Mix well. Pat over the lip area with your fingertips. Relax for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and smooth a few drops of rose oil over your lips to seal in the moisture.

3. Brush your lips.

Your lips respond to mild irritation by swelling. But keep it light. As one expert noted, “mild irritation does not mean you scrap off layers of skin.” One way to achieve this is to mildly brush your lips after brushing your teeth. Then, as the same expert noted, be sure to apply a good lip balm. You’ve just exfoliated – the last thing you want is to dry out your pout.

4. Get spicy with cinnamon or peppermint oil.

Cinnamon or peppermint oils can increase the blood flow to your lips, making them appear fuller for a short period of time. Pick up a bottle of organic cinnamon or peppermint oil. Starting with just one drop, mix it in with your lip balm of choice and apply. But be careful not to apply the oils directly to your lips, as the oils can sting in concentrated doses.

5. Line your lips.

Yes, simple makeup can go a long way in making up luscious lips. For a more natural look, apply a subtle, natural lip liner just outside your natural lip line. Make sure the pencil is sharp so it gives a more natural look. Then apply a sheer gloss in your natural color. Your lips will look larger. Unless you went too far over your lip line. Then you will look like a pretty Bozo the Clown.

6. Face yoga. Yes, face yoga.

Some suggest daily exercises to promote your pout, such as puckering your lips and blow a kiss. Don’t believe us? Click here.

FTC Compliance

Image: gageskidmore

The post How to Pump Up Your Pout appeared first on EcoSalon.

For me, a successful application of makeup is all about the eyeliner. If I manage to get it on straight and properly shaped, I’ll strut through the rest of the evening winking at everyone who looks me in my perfectly-lined eyes. Or do so in my sassy dreams, since this actually almost never happens. It’s more likely I’ll apply some eyeliner, smudge it around until it’s acceptable, and slink out of the house heading for dim lighting and Audrey Hepburn dreams of the perfect cat eye.

For others, applying makeup is a burden they wish to be rid of for good. Permanent makeup ensures some will never have to buy makeup remover again. But what makes a person decide they want their lips permanently redden, or eyes lined for good? Does it come from a desire to diminish one’s time in front of the mirror each day? Or is it about something a little darker, like an inherent disbelief about natural beauty?

Permanent makeup, also known as micro pigmentation and cosmetic tattooing, is actually manipulating tattoos on the eyes, lips and eyebrows to look like makeup. The procedure is supposed to use the same FDA-approved inks that are in licensed tattoo parlors, though some reports have been filed of users employing printer’s ink or car paint. And while a knee-jerk reaction might regulate this procedure to the Land of Botox and Fillers, some have it done who have lost their eyebrows or skin pigmentation to disease, chemotherapy, alopecia, old age and scarring. It can even be used to help breast reconstruction in which the areola has been removed.

And yes, others have it done who want to simply wake up in makeup or feel confident in the pool. You see it advertised in doctor’s offices, day spas, and nail salons. Be advised that cosmetic tattooing often requires separate certifications from the state, so just because a salon has certification for general beauty procedures does not mean they are licensed to draw permanent eyeliner on your lids.

There are several problems that can arise as a result of permanent tattooing. First, if you are not satisfied with your initial procedure, you are virtually stuck with it. Permanent makeup is extremely expensive to undo, as well as difficult to actually reverse. The industry is largely unregulated, and Consumer Reports Health notes that by 2003 the FDA had identified so many patients with negative reactions that it advised “the application of permanent makeup can result in serious, long-term, disfiguring reactions.”

Further, there are reports linking permanent makeup to unwanted tissue growth. Needle slips into eyes have been reported, and even skin cancer might be connected to it. But most of the time, an undesired outcome of cosmetic tattooing is that the color simply degrades with time.

So is it worth it? Obviously it’s a personal choice – but a choice someone should make well-informed. In the meantime, I’m going to go practice steadying my eyeliner hand.

Image: pumpkincat210

The post The Permanent Problems of Permanent Makeup appeared first on EcoSalon.

Lip gloss – it’s so sticky, it could trap bugs. Seriously, I sometimes feel like I could make like a human fly strip if I just stand very quietly while wearing a good gloss. And forget leaving my hair down in anything less than a shellacked bun – stray wisps are almost magnetically attracted to my newly glossed lips.

So yes, maybe I’m not such a big fan of lip gloss. Not to mention, most traditional brands contain more parabens and fragrances than a makeup counter at the mall. Nonetheless, I recently decided to take a look at what the eco-world offers on organic and/or natural lip shine. And I found Lavera’s Lipgloss.

Lavera racks up lots of eco points. Its lipgloss contains some certified organic ingredients like Jojoba seed oil, aloe vera extract, shea butter, almond oil and more. Lavera claims this product contains “emollient and non-sticky oils of Vitamin E and Jojoba are repairing moisturizers. [It also contains] crushed Natural Minerals add shimmer and an anti-aging Sun protection.”

Further, Lavera’s products are all BDIH certified natural. This means it carried the certified natural cosmetics seal. The materials are sourced from biological wild collections, are not tested on animals, are allowed to contain inorganic minerals, and do not contain any synthetic fragrances. This product contains minerals, which by designed are not classified as a food ingredient. (There’s also been rumblings about possible dangers of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide — which this product contains. Skin Deep gives these a low to moderate hazard rating, depending on the grade.)

Therefore, they cannot be certified as organic by the USDA. (Confused? You’re not alone. Different organizations have different standards for what is considered organic and/or natural.)

But how does this gloss work? It gives a pleasant tinge of shine – and best of all, it’s not too sticky. (And frankly, I give it major points for this tidbit.) It’s rather like a lip balm in its emollient effect, and it has a lovely berry taste to boot. Does it last? Not really – I was reaching for my reapplication not long after initial application. But all in all, it’s a nice little gloss that can ease your eco-conscious. You can buy it for $16 here.

FTC Compliant

The post Looking at Lavera’s Mineral Lip Gloss appeared first on EcoSalon.

This past winter was all about rich, dark colors and metallics with a glint of sparkle – thanks to Twilight-mania, naturally. As much as I love my sheer pinks and nudes for summer, I still get excited about wearing bright reds and berry colors during the warmer months, too. Now that I’ve equipped you with some of the best organic eyeliners, it’s time to turn our attention to lipsticks! I recently had the chance to test out three organic makeup lines: Josie Maran Cosmetics, Lavera and NVEY Eco. And what did I find out? That some of the meanest green lips are on this side of She-Hulk.

Did you know that we can eat four to six pounds of lipstick throughout our lives? If you buy standard lipstick, you’re basically chowing down on artificial dyes, lanolin, sodium lauryl sulfates, colors derived from petroleum and even carmine that comes from the shell of a female beetle. Say it with me now – gross.

This can complicate things if you are green-minded and if you like a lipstick that stays. Frankly, a long-lasting lipstick can be hard to find. Sure, there are the decidedly non-organic lip stains that Revlon and MAC have on the market. But using them is like sneaking a Coke Zero once in a while. Yes, I have been known to stain my lips with something that doesn’t have organic jojoba oil as its main component. Why? Cause this green girl likes a lipstick that lasts.

Luckily, things seem to be changing. Check out these organic lines that like to stay on our lips!

Josie Maran Cosmetics

Josie Maran’s line offers a lush lipstick containing organic jojoba seed oil and coconut cream. It goes on light and hydrates. Just one application lasts at least an hour – which is how long it was before I started reaching for my balm.

I love the hue Desirous, which is a rich, berry plum. It feels like a lip balm when it goes on and better yet, it does provide a lasting color. I have the complexion of a snow woman, so anything dark on me looks really dark. But Desirous managed to be colorful without dead washing.

And then there is one of the best glosses on the market. Josie’s Brilliant a Levres in “Joie De Vivre” is a sparkly, deep red that slides on your lips with a cotton candy kick-off. 

Why is it so great?  Anyone with hair longer than their chin knows that lip gloss can be a precarious adventure. A slight wind can mean you have your ponytail instantly attached to your bottom lip. But the “Joie De Vivre” glosses without accessories your hair style to your mouth.

Lavera Naturkosmetic

These lipsticks contain extracts of organic shea butter, jojoba and almond oil.” This German line is certified natural by BDIH, which has one of the strictest standards in Europe. For one, this means that the ingredients are from plants and minerals only come from sources that have been organically grown or wild harvested.

How does Lavera feel? Like Josie Maran, it is extremely hydrating. Their shades are more bold than Maran’s and seem to have an orange base to them. I sampled the peach and felt like I was rocking out a hip, light orange that would kill it on any red carpet.

NVEY Eco

This organic line out of Australia is made from ingredients that include natural beeswax, rose, jojoba oil, chamomile and more. (Click here to check out the various organic awards and certifications this company has racked up.) Their Organic Lip Lustre offers a nice, slick color. Flirt in particular offers up a pretty, fall plumage. For a gloss, it is decidedly unsticky (more props to the organic lines!) and provides a nice, rich color. However, it doesn’t last long, so treat it more like a tint. Would I use this as a moisturizer for my lips? It’s not so hydrating that I’ll retire the lip balm anytime soon.

The post Pucker Up this Season with the Best Natural Lipsticks appeared first on EcoSalon.