Green looks good on everybody.

It’s surprisingly simple to have a trendy, high-fashion wardrobe that’s eco-friendly as well. My Beauty Bunny is teaming up with Shopbop, an online retailer that offers the latest trends from your favorite designer collections like 3.1 Phillip Lim, to give one lucky reader $100 to spend on a glamorous and green new wardrobe.

Here are 3 simple ways you can go green in your closet:

1. Go organic. . Shopbop offers plenty of earth-friendly brands like Bassike, JADEtrible, and MATT & NAT. Shop the Designer Sale for pieces that are made with organically dyed materials, faux fur, or from recycled materials. If you’re not sure if something is earth-friendly, don’t worry. Shopbop will let you know and tell you why in the item description.

2. Donate. Once you find some fabulous Alice & Olivia Dresses and the perfect pair of skinny jeans from Shopbop’s Rag & Bone Jean collection, you’ll need to clear some space in your closet for them. Instead of throwing away those old cardigans that you know you probably won’t wear anymore, donate them to a local thrift store or a homeless shelter. It’s simple to do and you’ll feel great knowing your old favorite clothes will be somebody else’s new favorites.

3. Keep your clothes clean and green.  There are a lot of ways you can be more eco-friendly while doing laundry. Make sure you always have a full load in the washer and dryer, so you’ll do laundry less often. Chlorine bleaches are hard on your clothing and the environment, so stick to using a hydrogen-peroxide based bleach instead.

Enter to Win a $100 ShopBop gift card!

Mandatory entry – leave a comment below telling me your favorite designer – make sure your email address is included so I can reach you if you win OR enter via the My Beauty Bunny ShopBop Sweepstakes Facebook tab.

Additional entries (leave a comment for each) -

• Follow @mybeautybunny and @shopbop on Twitter (leave me your Twitter username in the comments).
• Tweet about this giveaway (one per day please). Leave the link where you tweeted in the comments section. (You can use the Tweet button above or compose your own tweet with link to this post.) OR you can tweet here and everyone who RTs will gain you an extra entry!!
• Follow My Beauty Bunny on Facebook.
• Follow ShopBop on Facebook.
• Sign up for the My Beauty Bunny mailing list (see below).
• Leave a comment on any other My Beauty Bunny post – then come back here and let me know you commented.
• Enter via the My Beauty Bunny giveaway app on Facebook.

Giveaways open to US mailing addresses only. Must be 18 or older. One winner will be randomly chosen on or after contest ends on April 30, 2011 at 7 pm PST. Read official rules here.

Good luck!

Contest has ended. Congrats to our winner, Tara Hill!

My Beauty Bunny is proud to be listed as a top 40 eco-beauty blog by Bachelor of Science! We’re listed along with some of my favorite eco-friendly blogs like Vegan Beauty Review, The Eco Diva and others.

Eco-savvy beauty lovers go to the web when they need real reviews and tips on the latest eco-friendly products to hit high end department stores and drugstores. There’s something for everyone when it comes to beauty products that are cruelty-free and come in eco-packaging. Even mainstream makeup lines are coming out with eco-friendly products and new lines come out almost monthly. Do your own research when buying eco-friendly beauty products since buzzwords like”natural” and”green” can be slapped on any product and sold on the market.

View the rest of the top 40 beauty blogs at BachelorofScience.com.

Jen

Here at My Beauty Bunny, we can’t get enough Aveda! Jen and I are always happy to share our love of this cruelty-free brand, and it’s my pleasure to announce my latest favorite: Aveda’s must-have shine spray is indeed brilliant.  Congrats to our first hair-care award winner!

What do I love most about this petite miracle-in-a-bottle?  I could wax ecstatic about  the wonderful ingredients or the pleasant aroma, but neither would be worth mentioning if Brilliant wasn’t so…brilliant.  When used as directed, this spray leaves even my razzle-dazzle ‘do looking glossy (not greasy).  A fine line exists between shellac and a smooth, sleek finish; fortunately Aveda knows how to keep from crossing it.

Additional benefits include:

• elimination of static and fly-aways (a common problem for us Asians)
• taming of frizz (we’re not exempt from this issue, either)

For additional techniques or advice, be sure to watch Aveda’s How to Make Any Hair Straight.  Those of you who are spatially gifted will appreciate it most–guess that means my sister shall have to act as my unofficial stylist again.  Sarah, you certainly have a flair for the flat-iron; want to work that magic again, after I return from the Big Apple?!

Jen#2

Product image and info courtesy of Aveda.com.

Cruelty-free – Widely used by cosmetic companies to let consumers know that they do not directly use animal testing in the making of their products. While this does not always include the ingredients that are bought to be used in the products, it’s usually a good sign that the manufacturer has a positive preference towards the rights of animals as companies is not currently required to state whether or not their products are cruelty-free.

Editor’s Note – check out PETA’s iphone app to find cruelty free products on the go:

PETA's iphone app

Green – Technically, to “be green” means to not have any sort of negative impact on the environment at any stage of production. This includes what it’s made of, how it got there and where it lays to rest. Cosmetic companies such as Nothing Nasty use reusable and recyclable containers and even offer a refilling service of products at a 20% discount.

Natural – While the word “natural” looks so fresh and alluring on a package of salty chips, what exactly makes it so “natural?” A good frame of reference is that the farther food is from its original source the less natural it has become. The processing, doctoring up with chemicals, dyes, fragrances, preservatives and synthetic ingredients is what gradually makes a product less natural. This can be applied to cosmetics. A more natural cosmetic product will have things listed in the ingredients such as “cocoa butter” or “beeswax” such as Burt’s Bees, rather than long chemicals you can’t pronounce.

Organic – The term “organic” is commonly intertwined with the term “natural” but the big difference is that anything labeled “organic” is closely watched by the USDA and indicates the regulation of additives and processes to a product. Organic Wear Make Up by cruelty-free brand Physician’s Formula promises that their cosmetics are 100% free of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and even have a cute compact made of paper that is “93% less plastic than a traditional compact.”

Although it may seem daunting with all the products available, making one small product change at a time can add up to living a life that is healthy as well as conscientious about animal welfare and the environment in which we live. Start by trying out one new organic and cruelty-free product at a time. Maybe start with a more natural chapstick, then try an organic shampoo or skin cleanser. Always make sure to check the ingredients on the label. Try out different brands to see what you like and check out caringconsumer.com or leapingbunny.org to make sure a beauty company is cruelty-free!

Lauren Warner

Before Earth Day is over, be sure to say Happy Birthday to Jen. My Beauty Bunny was launched last year, and thanks to her innovation and creativity, we have developed into a world-wide presence–and we’re still growing!  We also are grateful to you, dear readers: without you, we wouldn’t be the feel-good, cruelty-free blog that we are today…

I’m sure I speak for our entire staff when I say, Here’s to you, Jen; thanks for everything–what else?! Hope you had an awesome day, you certainly deserve it!

Cheers,