We are excited to announce the first annual Ecosalon Beauty Awards, coming November 18th—23rd! We’ll be asking you, our beloved readers, to vote when we go live, but to narrow down the bounty of natural beauty goodness out there, we had to turn to our friends, some seriously accomplished women. 

To get you as excited as we are, meet our truly knowledgeable and esteemed panel of judges, who are the cream of the crop when it comes to the the green beauty world. 

Kristen Arnett, Makeup Artist, Editor, and Beauty Educator

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, aka Mommy Greenest

Better known as Mommy Greenest, Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is the former founder of EcoStiletto, CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World and was editor of Children magazine—before she had three of her own. Want less judgmental, more sustainable parenting advice? Follow her: @RachelLSarnoff, Facebook.com/MommyGreenest and Pinterest.com/RachelSarnoff. Because you shouldn’t have to be a scientist to raise healthy kids!

Brandie Gilliam, Founder of Organic Beauty Talk

Starre Vartan, Editor Fashion and Beauty, Travel & Shelter at Ecosalon

Starre Vartan is the editor of Fashion & Beauty, Travel, and Shelter at Ecosalon, and founder and editor-in-chief of Eco Chick and its sister site, Eco Chick Escapes, all about ethical travel and style. She’s the author of The Eco-Chick Guide to Life (St. Martin’s Press), and a problogger and oft-quoted green living expert who has been featured in the New York Times, Elle, Glamour and Self magazines. She has style-edited for magazines, styled (and reported on) eco fashion shows at New York Fashion Week, and currently contributes her writing on design to Metropolis magazine, lifestyle for MNN.com, and ethical destinations to LuxuryTravel.About.com. Starre has also consulted for American Express, Mavea, Neutrogena Naturals, and, currently, eBay Green.

Aysia Wright, Founder of Goodebox 

From non-profit work to retail; environmental law to public relations and marketing; Aysia’s eclectic career path has always been guided by a passion to  advocate for more sustainable living. While these endeavors were rewarding and served as a sort of “trial by fire” PhD in applied sustainability, she soon learned the efficacy of stepping off the soapbox and into the marketplace to get the message across and help effect change. Goodebox is her latest effort, helping conscious consumers find the best clean, responsible products that work for them. It’s a helping hand in navigating the confusing and overwhelming market of beauty products with the ultimate goal of helping consumers make the switch to better beauty and growing the market share of responsible brands.

The post Announcing The First Annual Ecosalon Beauty Awards (Meet Our Judges!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

What pushes men and women over the edge to have sex or a steamy makeout session?

Most women seem to regard men’s interest in sleeping with them in one of two ways. It’s either, “Yes, every guy wants me, and I have to beat those horny devils off constantly!” Or it’s, “Guys want to sleep with me? That can’t be, I look nothing like the GQ covergirl, and I haven’t waxed in weeks, and I’ve been told I talk too much sometimes…”

Naturally, the truth is somewhere in the middle: No, straight men don’t want to sleep with every female they know, and conversely, if you think nobody’s interested in you, you’re just not paying attention. For men, it’s much the same story – half of you hunks seem to think nobody finds you hot and the other half are hitting on everything in a brightly colored dress.

Being that the above is the case – that is, that we are all totally confused – when it comes to hookups and dating, but still thrill to the whole thing, what are do we do? (Come one, we are modern folk here. Yes, most of us want relationships, but sometimes a good night of sexing is totally great). What is it that makes that kinda-cute, totally sexy person across the bar from us give us the green light for a bed-party in their mind?

We all want to know what it takes to hook up. Here are some tales from the trenches:

Sometimes It’s Just Italy: (Florence D’Italia, early 40’s):

“I was working on the mess deck of a merchant ship en route to Africa, Italy, Spain and Portugal and would work cocktail parties when we came into port. These parties were great and attended by well-to-do consuls and Navy admirals amongst others. When we ported in Genoa, Italy, I met a handsome American who was there as a translator for one of the consulates and we hit it off. I agreed after my shift was over, I’d meet him on the dock. He was really funny and I was more into laughing and running around Genoa having an adventure more than anything.

Adventure we did, all over the city. He was an architecture student at University there so we snuck into all kinds of cool buildings so he could wow me with all his knowledge. We finally made it to the  highest point in the city and were looking out over the harbor, with all the lights and I turned to look at him and he suddenly seemed the most handsome man alive and we had a full make-out session that lasted for a loooong time.

I had no plans on ever seeing him again and we were both completely ok with that. The problem was when he showed up on the dock the next morning with a bouquet of flowers and my elderly roommate woke me up to tell me “That young man you were gallivanting around with last night is out on the dock!” By the time I threw on some jeans and a t-shirt we were far enough away that I could see him waving. I never saw him again.

That’s Italy for you.”

Sometimes It’s Not That Complicated: (Freddy Fairlane, mid-30’s):

“In my wild single days I met a local girl on OKC and arranged to get together at a pub. Five minutes after we first sat down with our drinks she was telling me, in lurid detail, about the time she was gang-banged at a swingers party. It turned out that she was polyamorous and really really liked to have sex. We left five minutes after that. We quickly walked to my car and had steamy backseat sex.”

Sometimes It’s a Well-Stocked Library: (Shegot Millayd, early 30’s):

“After coming out of an almost seven-year relationship when I turned 30, I was ready to date! I had never been out on the scene before, and I had a lot of fun saying yes to every guy who asked me out. After over a year of nonstop dating, I still had never had a one-night stand. I had slept with a couple guys, but only after seeing them quite a bit first. I couldn’t believe I was a liberated, fun-loving almost-32-year-old and I had never had a one-night stand. But I was dating in NYC, and going home with some guy before I knew him seemed dangerous. But one night, I met an online date at Toys ‘R Us in Times Square (he wanted to take me on the ferris wheel! How cute. We also played in the life-sized Barbie dreamhouse). We proceeded to a nearby Australian bar where we both got very drunk in true Aussie style, and when he invited me back to his place with the lure of homemade snacks, I said yes.

I was thinking about if this guy might be ‘the one’ (that I finally have a one-night stand with, of course), on the cab ride over, but thought maybe it would be a better idea to wait – though I knew I also didn’t really want to go on another date with him. He was attractive, but somehow just not the kind of guy I could see myself pursuing anything long-term with. When he opened the door to his rather large East Village apartment, and piles of books teeter-tottered in every room (and he started showing me his favorite vintage photo tomes of NYC), this bibliophile was sold. A guy with that many books  got the prize. My first – and only – one night stand.”

Sometimes It’s the Ex-Factor: (Luffer Von Leavher, mid-20’s):

“I’m not the world’s greatest-looking guy, but I do ok with women. I realized when I was a kid that they like it when you listen, so I do. I think hookups are fun, but recently, after I got out from under a bad relationship, I wasn’t feeling like just a random thing with any chick. I was really hurt and missing my ex, who picked a job opportunity over me, saying she ‘cared for me, but didn’t really think I was worth staying in town for.’ I knew she wasn’t right for me anyway, but still. She had this really distinctive curly blonde hair, and one night a couple weeks after the ex had left town, I was out with my buddies, and this girl with the same kind of hair was at the bar. I couldn’t help but talk to her, and it turned out she looked a bit like my ex face-wise too. She was very flirtatious.

I wondered if it would be a bad idea to get with someone who resembled my last girlfriend, and thought it might be weird. But when she grabbed my butt and looked me in the eye, I got so turned on I had to take her back to my place. Did I kind of imagine I was doing my ex? In the dark, in my bed, yeah, I did. Lucky for me, she was a lot more fun. But it was too strange to actually date her, so I never called her after that.”

Sometimes It’s No Way Even When There’s Cocktails: (Heidi Roller, late 20’s)

“I had been single for a few years and was really hitting up the online dating scene. My date appeared to be cute and funny and we were to meet at a bar/coffeehouse I had never been to before. After spending the usual amount of girlie time getting ready, I was on my way when I received a call – he had a flat on his bike. I offered to pick him up at the 7-11 he was stuck at with his broken bicycle.

When I met him at the 7-11, we proceeded to get into a slight argument about the value of putting his bicycle in my car as opposed to dealing with it later. Apparently, there was a bike shop next to the coffeehouse and he could get it fixed and ride home. After I realized I was getting nowhere with words, I let my date get in my car, we left his bicycle, and proceeded to the bar/coffeeshop.

He proceeded to order only a coffee and informed me that he only orders coffee because it is the cheapest ($2.00 to be exact) and has unlimited refills. It was at this time that I decided to start drinking alcohol. A few hours and alcoholic drinks later, I informed my date it was time to get back to the 7-11 for his bicycle. When the tab came, he offered to give me a few bucks for my drinks but I felt too bad for the guy. I ended up paying for my drinks and his coffee.

I drove him back to the 7-11. He then asked me if I could drive him to his house. I nearly left him there but did end up driving him to his house with the bicycle in the back of my car.

After arriving at his house, he tried to kiss me and then invite me in.  I declined both offers.”

Editor’s note: All names have been changed to protect the not so innocent.

Image: DavidMartynHunt, Scented_Mirror, kainr,

The post Hooking Up: True Stories of What Makes Her (or Him) Say ‘Yes!’ appeared first on EcoSalon.

EcoSalon’s top 20 favorite sustainable fashion sites from around the globe.

They help us find out about new designers, industry news, trends, learn what sustainable fashion means, and discover all the swanky events we can attend on a global level – these are our eco fashion writers and designers, our go-to girls reporting all the news fit to print, from the exciting and beautiful to the all-too-often tragic and wasteful designer landscape. These are the pioneers of a new type of fashion that explores, connects and draws us in to what the industry could be if we simply supported it more.

We’d like to throw our own hat into this ring, as well- but then, you’re already here reading us, aren’t you?

Past Fashion Future

Past Fashion Future founder Emma Grady says: “I founded Past Fashion Future one year ago as a platform to explore my personal style aesthetic and to show the beauty of timeless and classic fashion and style. I love hearing people’s personal style stories, specifically about their sentimental connection to the clothing that they wear.”

We love the site layout, sharp, stylish images and especially, Something Old, Something New, a series that reveals how modern day style mavens wear heirlooms, vintage, and ethical fashion.

Vogue’s Green Style blog

Come on, It’s Vogue, it’s Livia Firth, it’s eco fashion and it’s high style – do we need to say any more about it?

Ecco eco

BurdaStyle

BurdaStyle, is an online social community that uses the web to bring the craft of sewing to a new generation of designers, hobbyists, DIYers and anyone looking to sew. What could be more sustainable than making clothes yourself? Sewers flock here to mingle, share and support over projects, patterns and full galleries of completed designs.

Join their community to keep current with what other budding (and seasoned) designers are doing. We most certainly do.

Six Magazine

SIX says it was founded with one aim, “to celebrate the designers, individuals, independent brands and companies who are creating a more ethical and sustainable future for the fashion industry.”
We love how the site incorporates beauty products as well as high fashion and packages it so beautifully we want to read every article.
We also love that SIX represents the sixth sense we all have when it comes to style and value.

Clever.

4 Equal Sides

Tara St James, founder of Study NY and 4 Equal Sides believes that “open source material plays a strong role in the development of the sustainable design community,” making her the rare designer that has vision enough to see how the sustainable designer’s new model needs to play out. Under her guidance, Study’s interns have developed, produced and continue to sell their own sustainable mini collections. St James is very open about her production and design process and documents her own story as a designer in a visually as well as editorially personal way that makes you come back for more.

Fashion Me Green

FashionMeGreen is a sustainable fashion awareness project and style site. Founder Greta Eagan says it’s “Conscious coolhunting from around the globe,” and we are in total agreement.

All the curated product pulls, designer features, amazing photo editorials and fashion trend pieces give us extreme hope for the future of ethical fashion that it can in fact be stylish enough to become mainstream without anyone even noticing.

Closette

Yuka Yoneda, founder of Closette and Ecouterre’s Senior Editor calls herself a shopaholic.

“Well, I was a shopaholic. I was always a jeans and sweatshirt kinda girl, but when I graduated from college and got a job in the city, I went a leeeetle crazy with the shopping – okay, a lot crazy. Then I learned about where the clothes I was buying came from and how they were affecting and hurting other people, particularly women and children, around the globe. The idea that these crimes against women, pollution and chemicals going into our water and bodies, and just shear waste were all happening because I wanted a new top or jeans really made me feel ashamed. I knew I had to make a difference in my own life, so I started thrift shopping, supporting sustainable designers and making my own clothes and I feel wonderful knowing that the garments I wear don’t contribute to anyone else being hurt (except maybe for the people who have to look at my crazy outfits).”

Check out Closette for some fun DIY ideas, shop vintage and secondhand clothing or try winning one of her fun giveaways.

Goodlifer

Founded by Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Johanna Björk, Goodlifer is all about style and the good life. “With your help, we’re writing a guidebook for a new generation of Goodlifers. We want you to share in and help craft a positive, enthusiastic vision of a future that is both sustainable and achievable. Through first-hand, personal journalism and thoughtful exploration and discussion we’re here to consider daily choices, reconsider assumptions, pose questions, uncover opportunities, make you think and collaborate with us on what it means to be a Goodlifer.”

Sign us on Johanna.

We’ve been following Timo Rissanen since we came across him in this New York Times article and were more than elated to finally meet him recently at the Yield exhibit in Brooklyn. Timo says on his site: “I’m investigating fashion creation without fabric waste creation through design practice.”

We are fascinated by his finds.

EFW

EcoFashionWorld says they aim to inspire with new ideas, ideals and information. “Our goal is to keep you green, gorgeous and growing with a comprehensive guide to finding sustainable designer brands and online eco fashion stores.” For those new to the game and fumbling over the words like Peace Silk or tencel, check out their glossary for the latest terminology definitions.

Ethical Fashion Forum

The Ethical Fashion Forum is a non-profit organization, that makes life just a little more easy “for fashion professionals to integrate sustainability at the heart of what they do.”
Membership to the EFF delivers support for sustainable fashion businesses through three programs with each program including several essential tools which members can take advantage of to succeed in ethical fashion business.

Members can also stay current with events, sourcing and EFF socials.

Ecouterre

The fashion daughter of Inhabitat, Ecouterre is a heavily photo-curated website devoted to the future of sustainable fashion design. “We’re dedicated to showcasing and supporting designers who not only contemplate cut, form, and drape, but also a garment’s social and environmental impact, from the cultivation of its fibers to its use and disposal. Our ethos: To follow the evolution of the apparel industry toward a more environmentally sound future, as well as facilitate a conversation about why sustainable fashion matters.”

Treehugger

What came first, eco blogging or Treehugger? I think many of us were reading Treehugger when eco fashion was just beginning to evolve past the point of crunchy. Still on track to provide us with timely fashion news, we’ve bookmarked the site and will continue to go back.

Eco Chick

Eco-Chick editor Starre Vartan, consultant and author of The Eco-Chick’s Guide to Life, says the main intention of her site is to “inspire readers toward a healthier, more sustainable life (which we think means a happier life too). That includes slowing down, unplugging, getting out, going in, making mistakes and moving on, being choosy, doing research, and growing every day. Rest and relaxation are real and important, and so is time with friends and family. We love local food, farmer’s markets, independent designers, handmade everything, and connecting with where our stuff comes from and who makes it. We especially love inspiring women who keep us on our toes and asking questions.”

Her site covers all aspects of the fashion industry and Starre is a known girl about town on the streets of New York City when it comes to getting the scoop on eco-fashion. If you’re where she is, you’re in the right place.

Magnifeco

Magnifeco is an eco-fashion blog currently based in Tokyo by founder Kate Black and features fair-trade, sustainable, organic, recycled, vintage and vegan brands in a place where ethics meet aesthetics. From earth friendly fabrics, to sustainable manufacturing processes and fairtrade practices, the site features conscious designers and products for the conscious consumer.

Market Publique

Market Publique is an eclectic marketplace dedicated to vintage fashion “committed to bringing the community together so we can all have a place to buy, sell and discuss vintage in a positive and focused environment.”
The Brooklyn based company started when the founders realized there was a lack of options for quality vintage sellers online.

We are obsessed with how great the styling is and are always inspired to grab a piece to add to our own wardrobes or to simply wear clothes differently after we leave the site.

Holly McQuillan

Holy McQuillan, Yield Curator, designer and lecturer in the fashion design program at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington, New Zealand says since completing her Masters of Design, which explored the presentation of cultural memory through garment design, her work has focused on exploring the possibilities that arise when garment design is restrained by one goal – zero-waste.

Peruse her site or get in touch with her with some of your own zero waste design questions. She will get you rethinking fashion for sure.

Organic Girly

Organic Girly founder Jennifer Barckley is not only one of the nicest people we’ve ever met, she’s also a fantastic resource. Utilize her “Ask me anything,” button and she will get back to you quickly. Check her site for periodic updates on vegan and sustainable fashion forays that sometimes even lead her to chicken sitting.

Social Alterations

Mary Hanlon’s Social Alterations was “developed with fashion and textile design educators in mind, it also acts to create a platform for design educators to benchmark themselves against other educators not only within their own field, but across various design disciplines. In order to create real lasting change, designers of all disciplines must work together to foster transformation.”

A wonderful venue for timely fashion news regarding everything from Fast Fashion to CSR.

Image: Shandi-lee

The post From Eco to Vintage to DIY, 20 Fashion Sites We Can’t Live Without appeared first on EcoSalon.

The road to modernity has been paved with good intentions. But most days, for most of us, life kinda sucks, and we make up for it with grown-up  toys (aka gadgets), legal drugs like caffeine and alcohol, and plenty of stupid television. How did we get it so wrong? The future (now) was supposed to be so great, with less work (now women do double-time with work and kids), more play, and better health for all. Instead we’ve got obese 2-year olds, a summer jam-packed with movies nobody wants to see, and nonexistent sex lives.

So without further ado, here are some ‘old-fashioned’ ideas we might want to bring back – in order to have more joie de vivre the and fewer “honey I’ve got a headache” nights.

Separate Beds: Not Just for Victorian Literary Heroines Anymore

After decades of cultural weirdness surrounding not sleeping with your spouse or partner (only horrific snoring seemed to be a way out), some couples are outing their separate sleeping arrangements. Since about 75% of Americans sleep restlessly (defined as waking frequently or snoring), that makes life hell for the rest of us; exhaustion does not lead to happy sex lives. For some, constant physical closeness is overkill, and having indy snooze zones can preserve the sweet mystery and intimacy of those times you are together, and give you space when you’re in a bad mood. Why not re-create the excitement of a “sleepover” in one’s own home?

Nurseries: Great for Kids, Even Better for Parents

Generations of kids grew up without helicoptering parents observing and interfering with their every move. For your sake and theirs, give your children their own room, starting with (yes, I’m going there) babies. They will cry, and then they will sleep, on their own. I’m not suggesting that a nightmaring kid be kicked out of the reassuring parental posturpedic, but putting a child to bed in their own room isn’t about pushing them out, but about giving them their own space and a modicum of independence. Kids can play quietly by themselves, read under the covers with a flashlight, or sleep without constant direct parental supervision, and might even enjoy it. And give mom and dad (or mom and mom, or dad and dad) some private nookie time after lights out. How do you think the founding parents of this country had 12 or 14 kids? It wasn’t by sleeping with all of them through the age of 6. It was by sleeping with each other, and taking parents-only time seriously. Besides, co-sleeping has been given the thumbs down by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission – in case you need backup reasoning to put the kid in its crib and have the bed to yourselves.

Men’s Clubs: The Anti Man-Cave

Women have lots of places that are de facto just for us, as well as (whether culturally constructed or tied to our neurology) just being plain old better at putting together women’s nights out – or in. Right now, men have….strip clubs. Maybe if guys had a place where they could go and just be guys, allowed to bond in quiet and security with other men their own age (and older mentors), it would lead to more positive male bonding spaces and occupations. Not to mention the unattractive (and sex-curtailing) jealousy that wives and partners tend to display when all the spare bills have disappeared from the cookie jar. Not every guy wants to spend evenings at the Rubdown Room, but these days, it’s all they’ve got.

Baby Nurses and Nannies: Keeping Parents Happy for Generations

Baby nurses help take care of mom and baby for the first six weeks to few months after a bundle of (screaming, pooping, puking) joy joins the family, and can really assist new parents with the adjustment by giving mom and dad periods of time when they can catch up on sleep, maybe step out for some coffee, or take a head-clearing walk. AKA acting like human beings who see each other as more than baby feeder and baby changer. Not necessarily a huge extravagance, baby nurses are definitely more useful – not to mention planet-friendly – to parents than the boxes of plastic stuff that are given at the baby shower. Anyone who looks down at families for having a baby nurse, or the longer-term nanny – so parents can attend adult functions, keep their careers alive, or just plain get it on, and keep their marriage or partnership strong, healthy and sexy – has forgotten that happy, fulfilled parents make better parents. Not to mention better human beings, drivers, bosses and coworkers.

Image above by Flickr User Tobyotter.

The post Old Fashioned Life Strategies for Bringing Sexy Back appeared first on EcoSalon.

Getting down sans silly tips from a certain dull glossy.

We may only be at the beginning, but that’s the point. Here’s the part of the article where I inform you that you are absolutely going to make more time in your life for sex. I will accept no arguments except, possibly, “He won’t wax his back.” Now that we have that out of the way, we can completely bypass all your non-sex-having excuses (tired, bills, kids, rinse, repeat) because sex? It’s a wonderful thing.

What’s not wonderful is the usual glib listicle. It’s not sexy to force sex, yet it seems like that’s always the advice we hear. “Schedule it in,” as if it were something to avoid, like your drill-happy dentist. “Do it even if you don’t feel like it.” Great, right next to flossing on the to-do list.

The real key to wanting to do it is feeling sexy, which is not a state that can be bought, drugged (yet!) or conjured up magically. Sexiness come from feeling relaxed, receptive and focused on our partner. Most of all, it comes from setting the mood long before you’re in the mood. Here’s how to get there, so you can get down. Tonight. (Or earlier…).

Setting the mood for sex is about everything but the act of fornication, which is just its inevitable and enjoyable conclusion. It starts early in the day – or preferably, is part of the ongoing banter/communication between you and your lover. During the time you and your partner are apart, use technology to your advantage.

Send:

– Playful texts (remember 9^th grade flirting? Playful doesn’t have to mean dirty, if that’s not your thing)

– Semi-erotic photos (could be of you, could be of a mutually admired Hollywood hottie)

– Sexy articles (ahem!) peppered with your own thoughts

– Crude and/or sexy jokes

– Fantasy scenarios and stories

The key here is no faking it! If you love dirty jokes and pictures (and they do too), go with it. If erotic literature is how you steam it up, share it. If you are both visually stimulated, keep your eyes peeled – the bonus here is that you will get turned on, too.

But that’s just one sense – the visual. Remember when you were a young pup and you heard that something like 90% of massages end in sex? Well, obviously that statistic isn’t true (otherwise massage therapists would be in another line of work), but there is something both thrilling and soothing about being touched in a loving way by the person you care about – whether it leads to sex in that particular instance or not.

After all, not every act to “set the mood” has to end in sex. The relaxation and sensuousness of touching and relaxing might not reap benefits until the next morning or two evenings hence. But they will come.

Here are a few more delicious tips for an eco-minded girl to get her groove on:

Simple, fresh food that encourages the two of you to really savor whatever you’re eating and will get you keyed into your senses. Just sharing a meal that’s made from local, organic ingredients in a no-distractions environment will allow you to connect. This meal shouldn’t be something that requires hours by one of you slaving over stove, and should be something that’s not too filling and hits all the major flavor faves of you and your love. If it’s summer, think of a salad packed with farm-fresh ingredients, including local cheeses, beans and a variety of vegetables. In winter, a warm one-pot stew will fill you up without weighing you down.

Make your bedroom into a clean and dreamy lair for sex, sleep and relaxation. It’s almost impossible to do any of the above (or the below) while things are beeping, distracting and otherwise demanding your attention (this includes children). So, keep the kids out and turn the machines off. Every couple deserves to have a place that’s just for them, and frankly, you’ll be more likely to tune into each other if there isn’t much else going on. Reading is allowed, especially if erotic prose turns you on, but shouldn’t be used as a distraction. Invest in natural, organic, supersoft textures and linens to cozy up in.

Making out is totally underrated. Unlike teenage suck-face sessions, everyone now knows how to kiss. Enjoy your lover’s lips, the way their hands feel on your body and vice versa, the warmth or cool of their skin compared to yours. Noticing these smaller stimulations releases endorphins (and will most likely turn you on). Let it lead to something more. Or not. Sometimes a good make-out session can be incredibly satisfying in and of itself. It’s okay to leave yourself wanting more, but not indulging. That’s fine.

No pressure is the last rule. Anticipation of sex is hot. Expectation is not. Thinking that you failed just because you didn’t have simultaneous mind-blowing orgasms is disappointing. Which means that you’ll be less likely to get caught in the flow the next time around (tomorrow, potentially!). Enjoy yourself, your beloved, and whatever your kink or vanilla may be. The best part about having a partner is that you get to do it again in an hour, in the middle of the night, or tomorrow morning before work. Besides, it’s always fun to be surprised when those head-exploding climaxes happen upon your sex life.

Image: brina_head

The post The Un-Cosmo Guide to Setting the Mood appeared first on EcoSalon.

What can you tell from other people’s faces? More than you think.

There are plenty of dating books out there that tell you what to look for in a mate, but there is only one that will really key you into the physical qualities that could determine whether tonight’s dinner date will be a good match for you – and whether he or she will stay faithful. (Shocker, it’s not a dating book!)

Contrary to, well, pretty much everything you’ve ever heard, people’s faces tell us plenty about their real motivations and personalities, according to Prof. David Perrett, the head of the Perception Lab at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His recent book, In Your Face: The New Science of Human Attraction pulls together the years of research he and his team have done studying attractiveness, fidelity, fertility and even sociability – all traits that we can parse from faces.

Turns out that phenotypes (which is how genes express themselves – phenotype is the combo of genes and their response to the environment) show in our faces, and over evolutionary millennia, we have actually become pretty adept at reading others’ countenances. While some people are natural face readers and others are less good at it (turns out that the cynical and less optimistic people are actually better readers), we all have some ability to correctly identify basic characteristics from faces, though much of the time we are probably doing this subconsciously.

Dubious? I was too, until I took a few of the tests, and my answers matched the results that Prof. Perrett found. Looking at a series of photos of men and women’s faces that are digitally altered (and are the actual photos used in the past research projects), readers are asked for example, which look extroverted and which look introverted. The alterations are subtle, but a quick glance tells me which guy at the bar I would feel more comfortable asking for directions when I’m lost. The trick is that the faces look like pretty much the same people – the digital alterations are in the wideness of their eyes, the set of the mouth, and other small changes.

The ramifications of these small variabilities are borne out in Chapter 9 of the book, called “Faces with Attitude: How the personality we seek in a partner guides our face tastes.” Here Prof. Perrett asks us (and previously, his research subjects), to judge which people in a group of pictures are most attractive. Most commonly, women judged men who appeared more assertive as more attractive (this trait is tied to higher testosterone and to squarer jaws, as well as more mature features). But interestingly, not all women are drawn to the dominant male. (My test results matched what I seek out in my real life; I consistently find that softer looking, intelligent, and somewhat introverted men pique my interest). Of course, as Perrett also points out, if we were all attracted to the same type of guy (or girl), the human race wouldn’t be as successful as it is.

Prof. Perrett has not only looked at aggressive vs. passive guys, he has also looked at faces and their connection to what he terms “devoted lovers” (who are more likely to contemplate sex only in the context of a long-term relationship) and “no-strings people” (who are open to short-term sexual relationships). Looking at composite photos of both men and women who have already filled out a questionnaire about their sexual habits, he found that more masculine, assertive-looking men are more likely to be ‘no strings’ guys – and women are attracted to them for short-term partnership as well, but not for long-term mates. Men were more attracted to the women who are ‘no-strings’ types for both short- and long-term relationships.

Though some of this information is compelling, there is still plenty more to be learned by scientists who study attraction and perception. Most of the whys behind the above info are unexplained and for now are just theories. This is just the beginning of this kind of research about who we are, and there’s plenty more to be done. But we are a bit closer to understanding why, in a room full of cute strangers, we are drawn to that one.

To try out some of the tests yourself, read more about the results discussed above, and learn more about how this kind of science is done, visit the Perception Lab.

Image: Jane Rahman, Elvert Barnes

The post Fidelity, Fertility and More, Revealed in Your Lover’s Face appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

This week has been a veritable feast of words and thought with five brilliant, new writers joining us.We thought introductions were necessary, so without further ado, here’s our Friday 5 featuring the five.

Taking natural makeup to dizzying heights, Kristen Arnett’s column High Definition is a new weekly foray into detoxing our makeup bags and giving us healthier cosmetic options. Expect to be wooed by everything from runway makeup trends to celebrity makeovers. Arnett is an internationally renowned makeup artist and founder of the Green Beauty Team, styling high profile celebrities and runway models as well as being a sought after beauty expert, educator and teacher for other makeup artists.

Sex By Numbers is columnist Abigail Wick’s weekly exploration into the sexually fascinating and provocative. Expect an ongoing look into the emotional and sexual  lives of the modern day woman and for insight and inspiration as she explores the “sex” of women and the terrain they must travel.

Dominique Pacheco picks up where Heart Of Art left with a new art column HeARTbeat, offering a weekly glimpse into the artistic inspiration driving artists all over the globe. Look for her conscious art trends and how they tumble through social media to shape the very culture that binds us all.

Stay tuned for next week’s launch of Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, with new columnist Kara Dicamillo as your travel guide. She will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar with all the gorgeous locations and accommodations she finds that share a love for environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

Seasoned sustainable writer Starre Vartan has just started penning intriguing stories in our Sex section that are titillating and on trend from stories that praise the human body to contraptions we use to promote (or prevent) sex. We are eager to learn more…

Image: arquera

The post The Friday 5, Vol. 12 appeared first on EcoSalon.

Chastity belts arrived just after the religious wars and are still going strong.

Even though most of us think of chastity belts as bizarre medieval anti-sex devices, there are more of them now available than at any other time before in Planet Earth’s history.

After all, there are plenty of websites out there selling modern day ‘chastity belts’ for the BDSM crowd, some of them pricier than others. For each of these sites, there is a pile of these belts in boxes waiting to be shipped out the door. That means thousands of them, in all sorts of shapes and sizes, made from various materials and combinations of materials, for both men and women. Of course, chastity belts weren’t originally meant for sex play (at least not according to the Wikipedia page on the subject), they were to keep women safe from rape (and temptation) during the Crusades.

Except for the fact that this isn’t true.

The first evidence of the belts weren’t found until 100 years after the religious wars. But they were worn by men and women during the Renaissance – or at least there are devices that exist that date from that time. Evidence is hard to come by, but there is this chilling tale: “In 1889, a leather-and-iron belt was found by Anton Pachinger, a German collector of antiquities in Linz, Austria in a grave on a skeleton of a young woman. The woman was reportedly buried sometime in the 16th century. Pachinger, however, could not find any record of the woman’s burial in the town archives.”

But looking through the wide variety, not to mention the close similarities between the post-medieval devices and modern ones, I got to thinking about what chastity belts were ultimately supposed to do, which is to create a physical barrier between a person getting their sex on, usually with another person. While some of the men’s belts are meant to prevent erections altogether, and therefore masturbation (they were actually used in the 1930’s to keep kids and teens from onanism), the majority of them are to keep women from having sex.

These days of course, the whole thing is more about playing with power roles in sexual relationships, and chastity belts are the way that some people enact those parts. But it got me to thinking: In 2011, what does chastity mean, anyway? In these days of psuedo-virginity and born-again virgins, teens being encouraged to masturbate (as parents are realizing that it’s safer than sex), vaginal “rejuvenation” surgery, and an ever-growing acceptance of sexual nonconformity and openness (drugstores are selling dildos, swingers’ clubs are as suburban as Chevy Suburbans), does anyone really care about chastity anymore?

Image: Arcadius

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A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Like wearing statements on your chest? In The Best Graphic, Organic T-Shirts, we give you a plethora of opportunities to choose from. From small indie brands in the U.K., to names you know here stateside, we guarantee you’ll find something you like.

People ask us what we read to get so much interesting information. It’s not just our super powers that help us think outside the box, we’re also inspired by others. In Our Big Fat Conscious Reading List: The Best Websites Of 2011, we break it all down for you by our section sites. Happy reading!

Does the term “Homesteading” inspire thoughts of pioneers? Did you know you could become one no matter where you live? It’s true; keeping bees, chickens and a compost can be done with ease and in her article Making Homesteading Approachable, writer K. Emily Bond will give you some ideas on how to personalize it.

We’re not perfect humans, but we are what we eat. That might mean many horror-inducing things to you if you’re a Doritos freak or a cupcake hound. Consuming junk, or even semi-healthy foods in moderation, allows for toxins to build up over time. Is it time to cleanse? In her article Do Cleanses Really Work?, writer Libby Lowe explores not just different cleanses but why we think we need them.

“However you see the relative attractiveness of human bodies, it is a cultural idea, not an inherent truth, that women are more beautiful than men,” writer Starre Vartan says in her article The Beautiful Man.” A woman’s curves are used to entice consumers “to buy toothpaste and batteries,” because society dictates that “it’s just that women are so much more lovely, you see. Implied is the idea that if men’s bodies were somehow less visually unfortunate, their bodies would be used, too. I call bullocks,” says Vartan.

Image: deltaMike

The post The Friday 5, Vol 11 appeared first on EcoSalon.

Why men’s bodies are just as beautiful as women’s.

When women’s bodies are being used to sell yet another product, one of the most common defenses from both sexes is that women’s bodies are just prettier than men’s. It’s not sexism when a woman’s curves are used to entice us to buy toothpaste and batteries; it’s just that women are so much more lovely, you see. Implied is the idea that if men’s bodies were somehow less visually unfortunate, their bodies would be used, too. I call bullocks.

Men’s bodies are just as attractive as women’s. Certainly, the Greeks thought so. (Or, they are both unattractive compared to a truly graceful animal like a cheetah. My personal taste leans toward the latter – human beings’ patchy hair, awkward upright walk, and usually unfit bodies aren’t so beautiful compared to many other animals.) However you see the relative attractiveness of human bodies, it is a cultural idea, not an inherent truth, that women are more beautiful than men.

In feminist studies, the idea that a whole society learns to see through heterosexual, male eyes is termed the “male gaze.” How many thousands of movies have you watched in your life, how many photographs created from the male perspective? A movie with negligible female casting or character development is for everyone, and women and girls are expected to enjoy and empathize with male characters all the time  – reverse that and it’s called a chick flick. There are men who have no problem putting themselves in a woman’s perspective while reading a book or watching a film. These men prove that being only interested, willing or able to see from the male perspective is learned, so they are a good example (not to mention better dates).

That generations of women have grown up seeing the world through the lens of a straight male gaze would yield the unsurprising result of women considering women’s bodies to be more beautiful than men’s. But I challenge you to imagine a world where men’s bodies are used as commonly as women’s to indicate beauty, a future where perfectly sculpted men’s thighs and calves rather than women’s are used to hawk plasmas and sneakers.

As a straight woman, I have precious few opportunities outside company with my significant other to enjoy the male body as casually and as constantly as my heterosexual guy friends do. Yes, of course I can search out male art photography, but most of that is also from the vantage point of men (gay men produce some gorgeous male nude art, but it’s not from a woman’s perspective). And the few places where men’s bodies are celebrated and exemplified seem to focus on what men think women want to see, not what women actually like looking at. It helps when the photographer is a woman, like Lynda Churilla, whose work, shown above, is viewable at Robin Rice Gallery.

Gradually, we are seeing more attractive men’s bodies in media; perhaps this is a trend in the making? Until then, I always have the archives of hot soccer players from the World Cup (Jezebel’s “thighlights” being a particular fave of mine).

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