PopSugar

Roundup: Last-Minute Thanksgiving DIYs

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:01 -0800

Want to add a special, handmade element to your home this Thanksgiving? Here are some ones that will take minimal time!

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Fab Gift Guide: The Stylin' Eco Babe

FabSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:22 -0800

I used to have a hard time finding cute, eco-friendly holiday gifts for my green friends, but not anymore. This year, the stylin' eco babe will receive a wave of slick and sustainable gifts via bamboo scarves, recycled leather skirts, funky organic frocks, and conflict-free jewels. My planet-friendly BFF would love this Dianne Annelli Butterfly Organic Canvas Tote ($20). But wait, there's more . . .

Be sure to check out all the PopSugar Network's 2009 holiday gift guides!

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Stella Helps Leona Lewis Go Vegan (Designer)

FabSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:08:08 -0800

Leona Lewis has gone vegan, and who better to help her than Stella McCartney? Rumor has it the songstress - who doesn't wear fur, suede, or leather - has enlisted Stella's help to create her own vegan clothing and accessories line. What makes this collection different from Stella's? Leona wants it to be a more affordable option. This is one celebrity designer collection I would like to see.

10 Ideas For Eco-fying Your Thanksgiving

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:00:37 -0800

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's all about celebrating the season and sharing time with loved ones. There's no reason why you can't do all of this while also treading a little lighter this Turkey Day. Check out my tips for a greener Thanksgiving.
Source

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Learn to Love: Persimmons

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:00:01 -0800

Now that berry season is long gone, I'm expanding my breakfast fruit horizons. Celebrate the cold weather with pomegranate seeds in your oatmeal, or slice pears or persimmons and serve them with nut butter on toast or whole-grain waffles.

You probably know how to pick and slice a pear, but persimmons have a steeper learning curve. They're worth learning to love, so read more.

Persimmons come in two varieties: hachiya, which are orange-red and shaped like acorns, and fuyu, which sort of look like yellow-orange tomatoes. The hachiyas are bitter and astringent when they're not ripe, but when ripened, they have a soft, jelly-like texture. Fuyu persimmons are a bit firmer like a pear when ripe and can be sliced up like apples.

This fruit is an excellent source of antioxidants and chock-full of vitamins. One persimmon packs 55 percent of your daily allowance of Vitamin A and 21 percent of your recommended Vitamin C, plus six grams of fiber. In addition to having persimmon for breakfast or a snack, you can slice them up and serve them in a pretty Fall salad.

Have you tried persimmons? Tell me how you like to eat them in the comments.

Gear Review: Clear2Go Water Bottle With Filter

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:56 -0800

I've been carrying a reusable water bottle with me for years now, filling up on tap water as needed. Well, portable water just got a little cleaner with the Clear2Go water bottle ($16). It's your standard water bottle with a squeeze top made for cycling, but it comes with its very own water filter. The filter adds a little weight to the bottle, but it filters out 99.9 percent of microbial cysts (cryptosporidium and giardia), reduces the chlorine taste of water, and reduces lead and mercury. Using trickle down technology developed originally by NASA, one filter lasts for 100 gallons, or 533 refills - keeping an estimated 757 plastic bottles out of landfills. Replacement filters are available in two packs and cost $13.

Lance Armstrong is a fan of these eco and health friendly reusable bottles, and if you become of fan of Clear2Go on Facebook you can enter to win a bike ride with the seven-time winner of the Tour de France. You can purchase your mobile filtration system directly from Clear2Go. They make great holiday gifts and would definitely get you well on your way to filling a loved one's stocking.

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Your Eco-Friendly Pal

BellaSugarUK — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

There's nothing like buying a gift that you can be proud of. If you've got an Earth-conscious gal pal who's just as into beauty products as you are, but feels better about using goodies that won't harm the environment, then I've got some great ideas for you below.

I especially love this line of cosmetics from Nvey Eco. Their organic base is velvety smooth and their lipsticks (£15 each and all organic as well) are creamy and come in a fun and bright selection of colours.

So with all of the plastic, packaging and wrapping paper waste that we incur during the holiday season, supporting Earth-friendly products are a smart way to shop this season!

Bergamot Lip Balm by Pai Skincare - £6.00	Botanics Organic Super Balm - £4.88
Eco Erase Corrective Concealer by Nvey Eco - £14.00	Korres Colour Organic Face Primer - £19.50
Organic Surge Eye Gel - £7.99	Balm Balm Organis Rose Lip Balm - £2.93
Organic Bath Oil by NEOM - £32.00	Weleda Birch Body Scrub - £8.95
Mothercare organic Fairtrade Cotton wool buds - 200pk - £1.99	Organic Nourishing Body Oil Rosemary 250ml, Bamford - £36.00
Organic Lip Balm - £8.00	Purity Organic Skincare Anti Aging Serum & Mask 50ml - £8.99
Organic Muslin Face Cloth by Pai Skincare - £3.00	Jo Wood Organics Amka Organic Bath Oil - £44.95
Organic Soap by Ecosoapia - £6.00	Organic Frankincense Toning Body Cream by Neal's Yard Remedies - £22.00
Australian Organics Shower Kit - £9.75	Organic Soothing Gel by Dr. Alkaitis - £36.00
BaByliss Eco Hair Dryer, 5137U - £18.45	Organic Foot and Leg Balm by INLIGHT - £26.00
Green People Pure & Beautiful Gift Pack - £19.50

Paperless Post Gets Holiday Parties Started

babysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:30:29 -0800

This holiday season, go green, go cheap, and go beautiful! Instead of sending out a tree's worth of paper invitations for your holiday soiree, consider using creative and gorgeous online invitations. While e-vitations have been around a while, few are as sassy, simple, pretty, and well-organized as the custom stationery from the Paperless Post.

A cinch to figure out, and party queens can choose between traditional, contemporary, modern, and casual templates and add the perfect touch with an embossed design, colorful trims, a grosgrain ribbon, or even their own photos. New members get 25 free virtual stamps (good for 25 email addresses) when they sign up and pay an additional fee when they want to send out their notice to more guests. If a hostess wants to blast the invitation out to 100 people, she would only pay the $8 fee for 100 e-stamps as opposed to a $44 bill at the post office. For an extra $5, mama can make the envelope fancy and add a liner. In the end, an $8 stamp fee and $5 envelope liner are peanuts compared to the snail mail option, and she never has to wait in that dreaded line! The bonus is it makes managing the party details as easy as one, two, three. Mommy can tell who has opened the invite, replied to it, and made comments on it.

So the next time mum's throwing a bash - holiday or otherwise - she should consider Paperless Post. The guests will be impressed by her fabulous and savvy eco-friendly ways, and it will give her the opportunity to spend the money on wine and music, 'cause that's what will make her party legendary.

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Yet Another Reason to Steer Clear of Plastics

babysugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:30:31 -0800

The last thing mommy wants to do is add another worry to her already fret-worthy list, but this one may be worth noting. We all know that plastics can contain BPA and other harmful toxins, but we don't always know why they are hazardous. Fortunately, scientists are doing the dirty work for us and informing us of yet another reason to steer clear of items containing phthalates. In a recent study, British researchers found that certain phthalates were not only affecting male genitalia, but their behavior, too. Boys who were exposed to higher amounts of the chemical were less interested in the stereotypical car toys and less apt to play in a rough and tumble manner. Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of the chemicals campaign group CHEM Trust said:

We now know that phthalates, to which we are all constantly exposed, are extremely worrying from a health perspective, leading to disruption of male reproduction health and, it appears, male behavior too... This feminizing capacity of phthalates makes them true 'gender benders'.

While the EU banned such toxins from toys years ago, the US has yet to make such dramatic (and in my opinion, necessary) moves. This is just another good reminder why us moms should speak up and let our voices be known. Join the Million Baby Crawl and speak your mama mind!

There Could Be a Rainforest in Your Shower

BellaSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:13 -0800

If a trip to the rainforest isn't in the cards, you could always bring a piece of the rainforest to you. Wembé, a new collection of handmade soaps, lets you do just that.

Made in Paraguay, the soaps ($5-9) incorporate South American ingredients such as black clay, passion fruit, and chocolate. Unsurprisingly, they smell amazingly fresh and fragrant, but they don't have that headache-causing overload. Some of the soaps sound almost good enough to eat -Yerba Mate, Dulce de Leche, and Mango among them. (Disclaimer: Don't eat soap.) My favorite is the loofah exfoliating blend, which cleans gently while whisking away dead skin.

If you're a treehugging type, you'll be glad to know that the entire line is free of petroleum products, sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrance and color. FYI, Wembé has a three-bar minimum order. Still, it's cheaper than a flight to the Southern Hemisphere.