So shines a good deed in a weary world...

Hello my sweeties!

How's your ridiculously hot summer going? Here in the Big Apple (or the Baked Apple, har dee har har!), it's only been "summer" for about three days, and we are smack dab in the middle of our first heat wave!  Be sure to wear your cruelty free sunblock, like this new brand I just discovered right over at the drugstore, Ocean Potion! Here's their website - http://www.opotion.com/  - and they have all sorts of awesome, inexpensive stuff to protect you from the sun, and best of all, they're non-animal tested!  WHOOT!!  I've been wearing their Cool Dry Touch SPF 50, and it's great stuff!  Unscented, dries quickly, and it's sweat proof.  Good good stuff for sure!

Also, don't forget to protect your kisser!  Lots of sunblocks are available in lip glosses and lipsticks now, and it will likely say so on the packaging.  A great cruelty free lip gloss to try is Laura Geller's Shine and Shield SPF 15.  It has a lovely, light milk-chocolate flavor to it, and comes in three gorgeous shades.  I have Fresco Gelato and Fresco Berry, and I'm nuts about them.  Here's Laura's site so you can check them out for your own bad selves!  http://www.laurageller.com/

My main reason for posting today is to show you this article, compliments of a buddy of mine (thanks, Billy!).  One of the dogs tortured by the absolutely horrible Michael Vick has found a new home, thanks to our buddies at Best Friends Animal Society http://www.bestfriends.org/.  Here's the article, http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/sportatorium/2010/06/one_of_michael_vicks_dogs_find.php, and really gang, I don't know what to say.  Mr. Richard Hunter, you and your wife are wonderful, awesome human beings, dude.  I hope I can find a way to get this to you so that you know how admired you are by opening your heart and your home to poor little Mel.  In my humble opinion?  There isn't enough jail time for someone like Michael Vick, but the fact that at least some of those poor dogs are able to be placed is some solace.  And huge kudos to Pumpkin too!

Well, gotta make like an egg and scramble!  My boss just handed me a project, so I must get moving.  Much love and air-conditioning to all you and yours - which reminds me, don't forget to keep your fuzzy four-legged love-bugs cool this season!  Never EVER leave them in your car unattended, and try to keep them in the coolest room you can find.  Mr. Edison gets a deluxe size bowl of ice cubes before I head out every day, which means he actually looks forward to me leaving for work, ha ha!

Okay, must get going!

Love and bunny snuggles,

Lisa and Edison
XO

A Cruelty-Free Thought For the Day...

Hello, my sweeties!

Well, I'm a month shy of completing my class, but of course, it's always busiest and craziest right towards the end!  As a result, I haven't had a second to spare looking up or trying out new products to tell you about, but I wanted to stick my head in here and send you guys my hugs!

So to that end, today's update is nothing more than a really lovely quote from author Alice Walker ("The Color Purple") about how kindness should apply to all beings, regardless of gender, race, religion - or how many legs they have to scoot their fabulous selves around on!

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men." -- Alice Walker

Isn't that beautiful?  I never heard that before, but I think it's particularly appropriate for our little blog.  It shows that no matter who we are, or how different, we all should love and respect each other.

So till I have some spare time once again, here's a hug, a smooch...

Oooh! And a frappuccino!  Yaaay!  One of those for everybody!

Aaanyway....M'WAAAH!!!

Bunches o' love, and a little Starbucks,

Lisa and Edison!
XO

Product Spotlight: Philosophy

Hey hey hey!  How is everyone today?

Just a heads up - if I sound a little lackluster today, it's because my class is kicking my ass, and I had to leave for work at 6 AM today to get here by 7 AM, so I'm kind of running on one piston.  It's definitely got nothing to do with the brand we're going to take a peek at today!

What brand is that?  Well, dahlinks, today I'd like to blab at you about some amazing stuff that I'm sure everyone is either using or has heard about - Philosophy!  You've either seen their fabulous goodies over at Sephora, on QVC, or at some of their new counters at Macy's.  Frankly, they have so much stuff that feels wonderful, smells good, and just plain gives you a boost, that I could blog about them for a year and not cover all their products. So today, our Product Spotlight is going to be about their skincare, which I just switched over to, lock, stock and barrel!

So, I'm 46, you know? I do my best to keep everything glued together and hoisted to the sky, as we all do.  But here's the thing - I'm terrified, freaking TERRIFIED, of even the idea of plastic surgery, Botox, all that freaky crap. I won't even consider it - which means I'd better get used to spending all of my disposable income for the best skincare I can afford, amiright?

Last week, I knew I needed a boost of some sort for the ol' faccia (which is Italian for "face" - see that? It's not just ramblings about bunnies and lipstick - you're *learning* something!).  So I hopped into Sephora, and headed straight for the Philosophy area.  Without giving it too much thought since I know it's a great and reasonably priced brand, I just grabbed this little gem off the shelf:

This is their simply awesome Advanced Makeup Optional Kit for Aging Skin.  Their Makeup Optional kits are pretty popular, so when I saw this, I knew I had to try it.  It's mini versions of everything you see here - Hope in Jar with SPF 20 moisturizer, When Hope is Not Enough firming serum, Help Me nighttime retinol cream, The Microdelivery Exfoliating facial wash for morning, and Purity Made Simple facial wash for nighttime. 

Can I just tell you something amazing with absolutely no exaggeration, swear to god?  I've now been using this kit for about a week and a half - and I look like I've had work done.  And not in a bad way!  My skin is totally smoothed out, the pores are smaller, the flakiness and ruddiness is gone!  The tone is brighter, the lines have decreased - you guys, I can't even believe it!  Even with other really great brands I've tried, I've never seen results that fast.  It's amazing, it honestly and really is!

And you don't have to be all middle-aged and stuff like me - the great thing about Philosophy is that they make a little "try it" kit for all skin types - younger, older, oilier, dryer, normal.  There's nothing you won't be able to find that doesn't work for you. And I'll bet you'll see results so fast that you're going to want the big sizes of everything in here, no doubt.

The only thing missing from the kit is an eye cream, and since I needed one anyway, I decided to take the leap and go with Philosophy's anti-aging stuff called Eye Hope (*Rimshot!*  Thank you folks, thank you - the people who think up cute names for Philosophy products will be here all week!  Don't forget to tip your waitress!)  Anyway, this stuff...

... this stuff right here! - is a little pump bottle full of awesomeness.  The lines disappear, it's not greasy, your eye makeup goes on smoothly.  And best of all, if you use this stuff, no crazed surgeon will have to come near your delicate eyeballs with a knife, laser or needle for years to come (Gaaaah! I just freaked me out!). 

So check it out!  High tail it over to Sephora or Macy's, or Philosophy's website (www.philosophy.com), or QVC.com, and go get some great, cruelty-free skincare for your ownselves!

Solidarity for the bunnies, as always!

Love and smooches,

Lisa (and the Edison bee-boo head!)

XO

And a Peace Fell Across the Land...

Happy Easter and Passover, youse guyses!  Although technically, there are usually only bunnies for Easter, you know that around here, you're all my bunnies!

Okay, so I'm willing to call a truce.  A big, fat, booty-shaking (which would be terrifying if you could see it - WHOOT!) truce with Bare Escentuals.

If you remember my blog from January 15th, I had just found out that our beloved cruelty-free Bare Escentuals had been purchased by Shiseido, a company that still very much tests.  This would make BE a non-animal testing subsidiary of a parent company that tests. And again, whether or not you decide to use a CF product from a parent company that tests is totally up to your individual comfort level.  For me?  Generally, I stay away, because it just bugs me too much. 

But you know, I've been a BE whore since 2004, so it's hard to give that up.  So in one of my moments of "Grumble... grumble... well, okay, lemme just check..." I did a little more homework.  I emailed BE directly and laid it all out for them (oh, dudes, complete with drama! I would have rivaled Halle Berry's Oscar speech in that email!).  They assured me that they absolutely will continue to be cruelty-free, not only with their established products, but with any new ones as well.  Now as you know, many companies who claim to put a moratorium on animal testing will promise to do so only for their established products, but will continue testing on any new ones they develop.  Which, to my way of thinking is still animal testing no matter what they do.  So the promise that BE will continue to remain CF even on their new stuff went quite a long way towards restoring my faith in them.

The other thing I noticed is that PETA still has BE listed on their "Does Not Test on Animals" list - and that's always pretty important to me, since they have such a comprehensive guide about this stuff.  So all of this is my round about way of saying that I still love me some Bare Escentuals, and that as long as they maintain a completely cruelty free stance, I can live with this!

So it's all good...

...we hugged it out, bitches!

Have a happy holiday, no matter how or what you celebrate, and I'll be back to bother you soon enough! Clearly, I love me some mineral makeup, and I have another very fun brand, Meow Cosmetics, that I'm planning on shining the spotlight on in my next blog or so!

Big ol' rib-crushing hugs!

Lisa and Edison
XO

Product Spotlight: Pacifica Perfumes and Body Products!

Hey lovelies! How are you?

I know, it's been about a month, but my class is seriously kicking my butt, you guys. I'm glad and grateful to be taking it, and it's endlessly interesting, but it's SO much stuff to remember in a few months while I'm working full time! So, all that goes to say, I wanted to put up a quick post to let you all know that I'm thinking of you, and I'm sorry I've been away.

AND of course, to very quickly tell you about a wonderful organic brand of perfumes, body care, and even candles called Pacifica (http://www.pacificaperfume.com/)! AWESOME STUFF, bunnies, really great stuff!



Started by Brooke Harvey-Taylor and her husband Billy Taylor in 1996, Pacifica offers eco-friendly, CF fragrance in the forms of spray and solid perfume, body butters, and candles! Right now, I'm rocking their Lotus Garden perfume, and I'm in LOVE! And let me tell you, it was hard to decide - the number of beautiful, yummy fragrances they have makes you want to take them all home. Of course, since Brooke's stuff is pretty reasonably priced, you probably could take home a bunch if you wanted to! It's just this fresh, lovely, clean-smelling stuff that makes me really hanker for spring to just get here already! Pacifica is vegan and sulfate-free, contains no mineral oil, parabens, or any of that other scary crap that we're trying to weed out of our lives these days.

So... you wanna get your smell-good on? Head to Sephora or Whole Foods, or just check out their website for other places near you that might carry such awesomeness. But I'm warning you now.... don't blame me if you develop a following! Or a habit, for that matter! (Hee!)

Okay, so I have to make like a tree and leave (I'm here all week! Don't forget to tip your waitress!), so wish me luck on my studies and my finals, please! And after you're done sending some good thoughts in my direction, you can go cash in on your good karma by loading up on some fun Pacifica products!

Many smooches, everyonesies! Hope you're all well!

Love,

Lisa (and Edison, who doesn't help me study, but *does* lay across my textbooks while I'm trying to get some work done!)
XO

All Hail Joan Jett!

Hey booba-doos!

Hope everything's going great, and since tomorrow's Friday, that you're all looking forward to the weekend!

With all the much-deserved anticipation for the new movie "The Runaways", coming out in March, I just recently caught some pictures of Joan Jett out at Sundance, where she's making appearances with Dakota Fanning and Joan's own Mini-Me, Kristen Stewart, the stars of the film (Fanning and Stewart will be playing Cherie Currie and Joan, respectively). Anyway, I saw all these recent pictures of Joan, and holy crap, y'all! She looks amazing! She's 51 yrs. old, and whether or not she's had plastic surgery remains to be seen. But if she did, her surgeon must be a genius, because she's never looked better. This isn't one of the Sundance pictures (because they're all huge, and I don't know how to shrink them!), but here she is from a year or so back.

Amazing, right? And you know, I hate to say this, because it's so sexist and annoying, and when people say it to me, it makes me want to flick them on the nose - but she's so pretty when she smiles! I mean, who knew? I've only ever seen her sneering and scowling since 1982, so I had no idea her face just lights up when she looks happy.

Anyway, out of curiosity about the movie, I was Googling stuff about the Runaways, and it turns out that Joan is a friend of the animals! Yes, the Divine Ms. Jett is a veggie, and is full-on Cruelty Free! Here's the link to a short little interview Peta2 did with her where she talks about being a veggie and living a CF life in general:

http://www.peta2.com/OUTTHERE/o-joanjett.asp

I don't know about you, but frankly, I loved the part where she talks about taking in her four stray and shelter cats, and then having to rescue random lost birds *from* her cats! Hee!

So there you go - one of the legendary bad-asses of the 80s, living a kind and consciously CF life, and looking amazing while doing so! Maybe she hasn't had her face done after all - maybe it's from CF living, or maybe she's just a happy that she kept her cats from being bird killers!

Have a great weekend, luvvies!

Love,

Lisa (and Edison - who sympathizes with Joan's cats...)

XO

Brand Spotlight: Laura Mercier

Baybeeees!

How are you? Groovy? Cool? Awesome? All of the above? Fabulous! Me too!

So with my complete, total disappointment last Friday over Bare Escentuals allowing themselves to be purchased by the horrid, animal-testing Shiseido, I wrapped up my blog by saying that I'd be heading over to the Estee Lauder counter that evening to find a new CF makeup to call my very own.

Well - no offense to Estee Lauder, because they're CF, they own many CF brands, and they just all-around rock my socks, but I didn't quite get that far. My first and only pit stop wound up being at the Laura Mercier counter (http://www.lauramercier.com/store/home.jsp), and I never got any further! They're a wonderful, sophisticated and classy CF brand, and I wound up picking up a few items that I'm truly just loving. Here's what I brought home with me:

1. I never thought, after six years with Bare Escentuals, that you could turn me back onto liquid foundation. Well, I was wrong! LM's Oil Free Foundation is just magical! It gives this great natural looking finish, but still covers flaws and lasts all day. I could never wear many liquid foundations before, because they just slid off my face by lunchtime. This stuff hangs on, but is still easy to get off at night. The shades are a pretty good match - there's about ten of them, and it was really easy for me to get the perfect shade really fast.
2. Secret Concealer - Only three shades to pick from, but wow! Those three shades still manage to have quite a range. Even the lightest shade, #1, looked really kind of dark in the little pot for "Old Paper Face" me! But it wasn't - once you get it on, it really blends in with your skin tone, and covers everything bad! Bonus - you can use it on your lids as a primer, and it just hangs on to your eyeshadow! You may wonder how much mileage you're going to get out of this little pot, but one thing I found out is that the tiniest, most ridiculously little bit goes the longest way.
3. However, my problem with all concealers, be they cream or mineral, is that once I get them on under my eyes, I need to set them with powder. Setting them with powder, however, makes them crack and crease, and I look even older and more tired. Weeelll, not anymore! LM makes this positively unbelievable stuff called Secret Brightening Powder. OMG, you guys - I have truly found a product I can't do without! You can use it anywhere, I suppose, but where this little gem truly works its mojo is setting your concealer, and leaving it with a satiny, crease-free, won't crack finish. In the six days I've been using this, I've not had to touch up my under-eye concealer at all, and I always need to touch up. And it stays smooth, and unwrinkled! This stuff, with the Secret Concealer, has been amazing!
4. Last but certainly not least, to top off the gorgeousness, is LM's Mineral Finishing Powder. You know I love me some mineral makeup. This stuff is so lovely and translucent and airy! It's really, really fine and sheer, they must just mill it to death to get it that air spun. And you know - minerals! Good for your skin!

The brand's not cheap, but it's not outrageously expensive, either - it's in the ballpark of Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, around there, price-wise. But it's WORTH IT! I mean, for example, take the Secret Brightening Powder. At $22 for a little tub, it may seem pricey. But if you're only using the tiniest bit of that on a little brush to set your concealer, that's gonna last you forever. Heeey, you won't have to shell out again for it till you have some serious lines to conceal! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! (I keep getting funnier with each blog. This I know.)

This is a wonderful CF brand, and though there's plenty out there to love, you should definitely steer yourselves towards their nearest counter or Sephora!

Much love, buttons!

Lisa
XO

YES!!! Yes yes yes YES!!!

Honey bunnies!

Happy 2010, you beauties! How was your holiday? Did Santa bring you lots of CF goodies?

I have the most fantabulous news! News that I, frankly, have been waiting years to hear!

So, you know that one of my arch-enemies, cosmetic brand-wise, was NARS. For years, I'd heard that they tested on animals, they weren't on PETA's "Does Not Test" list, and there was zilch on their website. And yet, secretly... I loved them, but I couldn't use them. It was the love that dare not speak its name, my dirty little secret, and "Dolce Vita" lipgloss was my forbidden love. I could look, but I couldn't touch.

Well, I don't know at what point they got their act together and decided to finally let the public know about their animal testing policy, but I just did another re-check on their website, and found THIS:

"NARS and Animal Testing: NARS Cosmetics does not and never has conducted any animal testing of any kind. Thank you."

Not to be outdone, Edison says:

"Pffft, please. Like she even found this information herself. I'm the one that found it on the internet, not her!"

So that's the awesome scoop for the day! They either were unfairly branded - I forget by who - as animal testers, or something. I mean, it was all over Makeup Alley that they tested, so I dunno what to think, but there's the good news, right from their very own site! WHOOT!

Have a great time dancing through the aisles of Sephora, babies!

Love,

Lisa and Edison

XO

A Word About Mineral Makeup

Hello, lovelies!

Sorry I've been AWOL, but - you guessed it - the job! Don't worry, once I win the lottery, I'm all yours, 24-7!

So today, we're going to make talk about mineral makeup, and making sure you're absolutely buying a CF brand.

If you're nutso bananas about mineral makeup like I am, you're in good company. I had nothing but blotchy, sensitive, problem skin till I made the mineral switch. Lots of smart ladies have made this change, and their skin has thanked them for it.

The wonderful Bare Escentuals, as we all know, was the first trailblazer into the mineral makeup field, followed closely by such awesome brands as Jane Iredale, Aromaleigh, and Everyday Minerals. In fact, once Bare Escentuals hit it big, many other mineral makeup brands began popping up like daisies, and more importantly, many existing cosmetic brands developed their own mineral makeup to add to their regular liquid foundation line. This is where it gets interesting, and this is the point of my blog today.

Many well-intentioned ladies out there who are buying mineral makeup are assuming - sometimes incorrectly - that if it's mineral makeup, it must be CF, since the first original brands were CF brands. But "Mineral Makeup = CF" is not always the case, so be careful! I've even heard some folks remark, while wandering the aisles of Sephora, "Well, it's mineral makeup, so I know it's not tested on animals." It's an honest enough mistake to make - not only were those first few brands in the mineral makeup field CF brands, many of them were also mostly natural, with very few chemical ingredients to screw up your skin. The brands I mentioned above are all CF mineral makeup brands. But there are some companies that still test on animals who have added mineral makeup to their lines.

We all know how business is - it's a "monkey see, monkey do" world out there. If one brand hits it big with a certain formula of makeup, then many more brands are all too willing to jump on the bandwagon. So what this means for you is that you still need to do your homework, check back here, or email me before you buy! Because, babies, brands who still test, like Cover Girl, Maybelline, and Neutrogena, have all come out with mineral makeup lines, and they're all still tested on animals. Plus, to boot, the brands who still test are adding very few minerals to the actual makeup. So not only do you run the risk of still buying a tested brand, you also run the risk of buying something that has just as many chemicals in it as their other cosmetics. You're all a pretty smart bunch, I can smell it on ya, so don't be fooled!

As always, the good news is that in addition to the CF mineral brands mentioned earlier, lots of the big-wig CF regular brands have a mineral makeup for you as well. Clinique, Estee Lauder, MAC, Revlon - they all jumped on the popularity of mineral makeup, too, so there are plenty of CF brands out there to pick from.

As always, I loves ya! Have a great weekend, and I'll smooch you all to bits very, very soon!

Love,

Lisa

Product Spotlight - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Hey there, hi there, ho there!

Today, we're gonna dish about Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/) ! If you're into seriously high quality CF perfume oils with quite a bit of a gothy twist, truly eclectic formulas and scents, and so many blends that it'll make your head spin, than look no further than this funky, indie brand based out of Hollywood, CA.

Their scents run the gamut from sweet and innocent, dark and scary, classic and glamorous. Best of all are what they call "Imp's Ears", commonly known as sample vials, ranging in price from $3.50 for one, or a set of six for $19.95. After you decide what you love - and you will fall in love! - the full sized bottles of the oils are 5 ml size for $15, with some limited editions pricing up a bit more, around $17.50.

Whether you go for the imps or the full sizes, these oils are deep, sensual, and long lasting. There are so many layers to each blend, you can always find a surprise, a scent you hadn't noticed before, from the time you put it on wet, until the dry-down, and throughout your day. It's just like this beautiful, amazing "pop-up" each time you sniff your wrist.

They have a great search engine, so let's say you want something based in a violet scent. Type that into the search, and absolutely anything with a violet note pops up. The folks on the forums are second to none in the thoroughness of their descriptions - so after you find that scent search, the results link you to the forums where dozens of eloquent posters describe that particular oil to you in astonishing detail. It's like having your own personal perfumery, with dozens of choices, right there at your fingertips.

Quite frankly, there's no reason to pay the ridiculous, exorbitant prices that the department stores charge in order to smell gorgeous. Honestly, with as fussy as I am about perfume, the companies who want $75 of my money for something that's not going to last, or that I can't try a tiny vial of for a few days, never fails to chap my butt. There's no reason to not smell fabulous all day long for only a few bucks. So don't miss out on this brand! And especially don't wait and miss out on those limited editions - those are truly the jewels in BPAL's crown! So go get them now, and sniff up a storm, babies!

Love,

Lisa

20% OFF SALE AT AROMALEIGH MINERAL COSMETICS!

Hello, sweeties! Long time, no see!

Work has been insane, it's been nothing but "drama, drama, drama" for most of June, so I apologize - AGAIN!

But you know what perks me up? A sale! A sale on awesome, CF mineral makeup! I've blogged about this brand before, Aromaleigh, and this week they're having a sale of 20% off! No restrictions, 20% sale off on all items on the Aromaleigh website, but you have to hurry - this excellent offer expires on June 30th at 11:59 PM!

http://aromaleigh.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/hot20-20-off-sale-code-through-630/

You'll kick yourself if you miss out on this sale, so click on that link! Click on it, give yourself a real treat you won't regret, and save a few bucks while you're at it!

Enjoy!

Love,

Lisa

Chemicals in Your Cosmetics!

Babyheads!

How goes it?

Today, I'm going to go the "Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater" route and not really blog so much as just give you a very eye-opening link. This was sent to me by a good friend of mine (shout-out to Fiona! Thanks, buddy, luv ya!), and it's about the presence of certain toxic chemicals in your every-day cosmetics. Here is the link (through MSN's Green Living section), and you should give this a really good read through, and then go through your beauty stash to see what you need to get the hell off of your body, pronto!

http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/green-living-online-article.aspx?cp-documentid=1058819

One of the things that got me buying mostly organic and all natural cosmetics and products is not just the CF nature of those products, which has been a passion of mine for years. I started thinking - what am I washing down the drain when I wash my hair, my face, my clothes? What chemicals are leeching out into the soil and the water system? Now that greener options are dropping in price as they go more mainstream, it's easier to make a change for the better.

Within the above link, there are more links: one for a book with an eye-opening exposé about cosmetic chemical levels, a link to the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics, which you should absolutely click on and get involved in, and something called the Skin Deep database, which tells you the chemical levels of products you're using with their handy search function. That's gonna open your eyes! Luckily, you can sort by level number, and find safer alternatives.

Well, I've babbled enough today - you have some clicking and reading to do, my lovelies, so get to it! And remember, there's no amount of beauty that's worth the price of your health and well-being. You already are beautiful - just remember to stay that way by taking care of your body and your spirit first!

Much love,

Lisa

Product Spotlight - Aromaleigh Mineral Makeup

Happy Friday!

If you've jumped onto the mineral makeup bandwagon with the enthusiasm that I have, you're going to really love today's spotlight product.

There's a little company out of South Carolina called Aromaleigh Cosmetics and Aromatics (http://www.aromaleigh.com/), and they make what is, for my money, the best mineral cosmetics and makeup around.

Now, I'm not going to slag on the biggies like Bare Escentuals. I like BE very much, they're pretty much the mack-daddy of mineral makeup, and far be it for me to bust on any CF product that's good for your skin. I wore BE for five years, but Aromaleigh gives them some serious competition.

I'll start by saying that its only drawback is that you can only order it online. So how do you go about testing it out? Simple - on their website, Aromaleigh gives you options for ordering samples of their foundations, concealers, finishing powders, color-correcting powders, primers, eyecolors, lipcolors, and blushers for a very small price, anywhere from 80 cents to a couple of bucks (give or take, depending on what you want to try) per sample. If that sounds like a lot, keep in mind how much you get in each little sample pack - they'll last you a good long time while you try them out. I'm currently still using a blend of two sample packs of foundation that I ordered a month ago, and I'm not nearly finished with them yet.

And you'll be grateful for those samples, because the selection of shades that Aromaleigh offers will simply boggle your mind! Whatever your skin shade or tone, they have a foundation and a concealer for you. Their eyeshadow colors? You'll go old and gray before you have a chance to try them all. Honestly, I haven't seen huge cosmetic companies in the department stores that have the selection that this little indy brand has.

Their shipping is second to none - it's a one to two day turnaround at most. And how else do they hook you once you receive said package? Simple - they always include three samples in with your order. They pick the colors, usually two eyeshadows and a lipcolor. And will you get hooked on those? I predict you totally will! Their colors are some of the most rich and saturated of any brand I've ever seen. Biggies like MAC and Estee Lauder have got nothing as far as color and depth like Aromaleigh does.

The foundations and concealers are incredibly wearable and natural looking. I don't know how they do it, but their foundations are sheer, but still give you great coverage. Plus, they have two formulas - their Voile foundation for oilier skin, and their Glissade for more sensitive skin types.

Their prices are incredibly reasonable - they're cheaper by a good $10 on foundation than Bare Escentuals, if that gives you any idea, and the prices of many of their products run as low as the drugstore brands do. Plus, with first time buyer coupon codes, the birthday club, and sales on selected products, you can get a lot for very little cash.

In addition to being CF and great for your skin, they also donate a portion of their profits every month to Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org/), a non-profit organization whose goal is ending world hunger and poverty through self-reliance. Quite simply, there's nothing to not love about this company.

So if you're looking for a more wallet-friendly CF brand that gives you zillions of options, plus has a humanitarian side to it as well, I can't recommend Aromaleigh enough!

Have a great and safe holiday weekend!

Lisa

I swear, I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth!

Hi there, long time no see!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but this month has been insane at my actual job-job. I promise to be more around more, to be more visible, and to dig for more info. In short, to be a better "blog-friend" (Internet readers - will you accept this rose?). Hey, you know how it goes - start a new blog, put up your first six or so posts like a house on fire, and then have work take over all your blogging time!

One of my plans, now that I've gotten most of my basic info out there to you, is to "spotlight" a lot of the great CF brands I've been indulging in, because there are plenty of them!

For example, I'm currently obsessed, obsessed I tell you, with this awesome online brand of mineral makeup called Aromaleigh, and the more info I can get out there about it, the better. Also Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab for the most incredible perfume oils you'll find. Deva products for hair care, Lush for face care, Desert Essence and Jason Naturals for body care - those are just a few teasers to throw out there to you, and I'll get into detail with those, one yummy brand at a time.

So till tomorrow when I start our first brand spotlight in earnest, stay safe, be good, brush your teeth, and if you were one of the ones who didn't vote for Adam Lambert on Tuesday night during the "American Idol" finale, for shame on you! (Kidding! But I am bummed that the poor guyliner guy didn't win.)

Arrivederci, Roma!

Lisa

Online bargains!

Hey there!

So I guess I don't need to tell you about shopping online, hmm? Nope, probably not. You all look like a fairly sharp bunch.

However, shopping online for CF products, even with shipping involved, can be so much cheaper than the convenience of walking into a store and buying something off the shelves. If you can do without that instant gratification of taking something home with you that day, you can save a lot of money.

Let's take one of my favorite CF products in the world as an example - Jason Naturals Ester-C Hyper C Serum:

This stuff rocks. In the way of CF products, it's probably one of the ones I can't do without. I've used other Vitamin C serums, and they just don't compare. However, the issue is the price.

Some Vitamin C serums from department store brands can run into $100 or more. So while this bottle of Jason Naturals may seem a bargain for $35 at your local Whole Foods or healthfood store, you can still get it for way less online. I found this little beauty for $21 at Vitacost.com - it's an online drugstore, and you can find a ton of CF brands over there for much much less than you'd get it wherever you are. Unless you stole it - which then you have to figure in bail money for shoplifting charges, which is even more than the original $35 price tag, so you'd still pay more! (I never said I wasn't going to be a little silly from time to time in these blogs, did I? Nope, I made no such guarantee.) So in order to avoid jail time, head over to http://www.vitacost.com/, and see what they have. I got the Jason's Vitamin C serum for $21, and then tossed in some Tom's of Maine (http://www.tomsofmaine.com/) toothpaste and some Desert Essence (http://www.desertessence.com/) deodorant to eat up the shipping cost. Vitacost's shipping is pretty inexpensive anyway (and very fast), but on top of that, the toothpaste and deodorant were each about $1 or so cheaper than you'd find them in the stores, so it's like the shipping was free anyway with everything I saved.

Another brand I love, since I have very curly hair, is a fantastic brand of CF curly hair products called Deva:

They have several lines for various kinds of curls (less curly, more curly, color treated, etc.), but they're not cheap. Or are they? They are if you order them from Cosmetic Magic.com, (http://www.cosmeticmagic.com/)- a fantastic little outfit based in Fort Lee, N.J. Are you ready for how much you can save? I saved $5 per bottle on my order of their DevaCurl products! And not just Deva - they carry plenty of CF hair care brands over there, so I can't sing their praises enough. Plus, if you order over $40, you get free shipping. They also didn't charge tax on my order - I don't know if that was just because they're based out of NJ, or if it's a NJ to NY thing or what, but their prices are so low, it's worth it. How fast do they ship? So incredibly fast, I had barely hit "Send" before my order arrived. I'm surprised "Warp Speed" wasn't one of the shipping choices.

Other great finds can be had at Drugstore.com (http://drugstore.com), but as far as the real bargains go on some great CF brands, Cosmetic Magic and Vitacost are hard to beat.

Have a great day!

Lisa

An interesting rule of thumb I've stumbled across....

Good morning!

Something I forgot to address yesterday, which I think is pretty important (hence the bolding): this blog is for the purposes of cosmetics, beauty, pet care, and household care only. I won't get into a discussion about animal testing within the medical industry.

It's a very slippery slope. As much as I wish there were more humane alternatives, I do understand why it's still done in some circles. There's no excuse for animal testing in the cosmetics industry anymore - many existing companies have made that clear. But the medical world is a whole different can of worms - one that I have no wish to open, one that I have no expertise in, so I won't pretend that I do. I lost a family member who I love very much to a terrible disease, so yeah, I get it, believe me. Anyway, 'nuff said about that.

I'm new to blogging, so right now I'm obsessed that I can't get the picture at the top of the page centered (that's my mission tonight after I get home from dinner). Once that's straightened out, it'll stop occupying my mind so I can actually get some information out to you. Otherwise, this blog's going to consist of stupid statements like, "A very good brand to try is - does that look straight to you?" "Let's discuss parent companies and the brands they... the font's not bright enough, is it?"

Back on track - I have no real expertise in all of this. As I stated in my greeting yesterday, going cruelty free is simply a passion and a bit of a hobby of mine. So today's blog will consist of a quick and interesting little rule of thumb I've discovered over the years, which is - if you're looking for non-animal tested brands of cosmetics, head to the department stores. What I've discovered is that most department store brands don't animal test, while most drugstore brands do animal test. Now, that's not a hard and fast rule - there are some non-animal tested drugstore brands, for example, Almay, Revlon, Queen Helene, Jane, and Physician's Formula. And there are some department store brands that unfortunately do still test, such as Elizabeth Arden and Lancome. But your odds lean heavily in the direction of this unwritten rule. I'm not sure why - it could have to do with the cost involved, although many of those drugstore brands rake in billions. They can't be that hard up to change their testing methods (*cough cough Procter & Gamble cough cough!*).

The good news is that as people become more educated on this horrible and inhumane practice, more and more companies are changing their testing methods to ones which are more humane.

At some point very soon, I'll type up a list of companies that do and don't test, and of course at any time, you can contact me to ask if there's a company you aren't sure about. I promise to do my very best to find out for you. Also, a friend suggested to me that I should feature a blog on which non-animal tested brands are a little more wallet-friendly. It's great to be humane, but you don't have to go broke to do it. That blog will go up in a couple of days, but in the meantime, the few drugstore brands I mentioned above are great ones to start with.

Have an excellent day!

Lisa

A "Hello!" to start us off!

Hi there, everyone!

My name is Lisa, and my purpose of this blog is to provide some easy guidance about cruelty-free (and also organic/all natural) products, encompassing beauty, skin & body care, hair care, pet care and household upkeep. This has been both a passion and a sort of hobby of mine since about 1995, and I absolutely love sharing what I know and what I've discovered along the way with as many folks as I can.

It's a big, wide world out there - with a few changes, we can make it kinder and greener!

Smooches, pooches -

Lisa