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.

Happy August, everyone! Though I love the dog days of summer–I certainly don’t love the havoc they wreak upon my face.  But really, does anyone?!

As those of us with oily skin know all too well, steamy weather conditions are so not favorable to our high-maintenance complexions.  It doesn’t matter if we diligently cleanse our faces or blot with mineral foundation–Jen’s July 10th post is fabulous–ultra-humid days will turn us into Shiny Happy People within a matter of hours (no offense to any R.E.M. fans out there).  Not that I recommend staying inside: now’s the time to attend all the quintessential outdoor events of the season.  It doesn’t last long–not around Upstate NY!

Allow me to introduce DERMAdoctor’s Tease Zone oil-control gel, created as an alternative to the de rigueur treatments which saturate the market.  As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I had spent a pretty penny on a number of these so-called miracle products–only to be left shiner (and certainly not happier) than ever.  So, what’s new and improved about this one? Does it live up to its “sebum sequestering” promise–or is it only a…tease?

I think not!  So far, I love what the DERMAdoc has ordered; beyond the witty and clever branding, Tease Zone actually works.  Believe it or not,  a light layer under my regular make-up leaves my skin shine-free throughout most of the day–regardless of heat or humidity.  Yes, dear readers, I can put away the oil-blotting papers now; I never liked having to use them, anyway.

Still skeptical? According to dermatologist Audrey Kunin, Tease Zone “relies upon polymer technology to absorb and lift away excessive surface skin oils.  Sebum already present upon the skin (or deep within the glands) is soaked up–and continues to be absorbed as it’s formed throughout the day”.  This effectively prevents mid-day shine; however, it’s important to remember that no regulating treatment can reduce the actual amount of oil produced.  That’s determined by genetics–as are both the texture of your skin and the size of your pores.  If you’re not pleased with either, blame your DNA?!

Clearly I’m not the only one who’s impressed with Dr. Kunin and her cruelty-free, eco-friendly brand.  Not only has our fearless editor-in-chief had bestowed a Cruelty-Free Favorite award upon sensitive-skin-friendly Physical Chemistry, Jen also featured this exfoliating scrub in yesterday’s article.  But don’t just take our word for it–visit the DERMAdoctor site and see for yourself–the products and resources are awesome!

Jen#2

Images and product info courtesy of DERMAdoctor.com.

Exfoliating Foot Scrub

As Jen mentioned the other day, women tend to subject their feet to more than their fair share of torture.  Perhaps no one is more guilty of doing so than yours truly–now that summer is here, I realize I should probably start taking better care of my tattered tootsies! That’s why I picked up this tube of cruelty-free peppermint foot scrub during a recent trip to the drugstore. If anyone’s feet needed to be exfoliated, mine certainly did–let me tell you, they’re anything but photogenic!

The online product description is short, sweet and self-explanatory: this good-for-you organic scrub helps dry, rough feet shed that unwanted layer of flaky or scaly skin–using only natural pumice and walnut shells as exfoliating agents.  In addition to buffing and polishing, sunflower oil (an excellent source of therapeutic vitamins A and E) also helps minimize further agony by moisturizing those poor, over-worked soles.

More good news about Kiss My Face: not only is the line cruelty-free, almost everything is also vegan (a few products list honey and/or beeswax among the ingredients; they’re listed in the FAQs). Hooray for humane, eco-friendly beauty!

Are my feet ready for their close-up now?  To be perfectly honest, I have only used the scrub once, thus far (on Saturday, to be exact), yet I can already see–and feel–an improvement in the overall texture and appearance.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted after subsequent use; I might even feel brave enough to share a pic!

Product image and info courtesy of Kiss My Face; mineral clarification is from the Mineral Information Institute.

Jen 2