On My Mind: Green Beauty In 2016

Happy February everyone! It’s been a while since my last On My Mind post and I have lots to fill you in on. First things first, Indie Beauty Expo has announced their dates for 2016. They’re going bi-coastal, with a show in LA on May 4th & 5th and a show in NYC on August 24th & 25th. They will be showcasing tons of independent beauty brands- most all of them green beauty. This is a great chance to meet the brand founders, get up close and personal with the products, and mingle with fellow enthusiast. I’m tentatively planning to attend the LA event and if I can do NYC too, I will. It’s right around when my little man starts kindergarten though, so we’ll see. I will keep you posted!

Next up, my loooonngg overdue reveal of the December Glowing Beets box. Seriously guys, this last month got away from me in so many ways. So, the December box did not disappoint, in fact I couldn’t believe how much was included. In addition to all of the fabulous products featured, they gave subscribers the prettiest little dish that’s now housing some of my rings. I love a little mint green and gold. The products featured were all new to me, so I loved exploring them. The Zabana Essentials facial steamer cubes were a favorite. Aren’t they gorgeous? They have a lovely scent, as well. The Mullein and Sparrow Immortelle & Myrrh face oil, also smells so pretty and with squalene oil, rosehip seed oil, avocado oil, carrot seed essential oil, Immortelle, and frankincense oil, it packs quite a punch. Lovely scent plus awesome ingredients- I highly recommend! Little Barn Apothecary Honeysuckle and Grapefruit body oil was yet another gorgeously scented product and I loved how unique the scent is too. The Sally B Skin Yummy’s Healing Hand Butter was well timed as I’ve been going through hand butters like crazy lately, along with lip balm, so the Grateful Naturals balm was very much appreciated. Also, the Pumpkin Facial Mask from Sweet Emotions Soap Shoppe smells good enough to eat. All of that in one box! I really do think that at $29 Glowing Beets is one of the best deals around if you want to discover new natural brands and just sample products to see what you gravitate towards. Also, you get 10% off by signing up for their emails.

So it was in this On My Mind series that I shared the loss of my beloved dog Bosco, so it only seems fitting that I introduce you to Franklyn Waffles (AKA Frankie) in this very same series. Truthfully, I was not ready to move on and get another doggy, but the kids kept asking and one morning while my son was playing with his stuffed animal dog, he burst into tears and said he wanted a real dog, not a pretend dog (huge tears and all). It broke my heart and I do think it’s good for kids to grow up with animals so we gave in. After scouring shelters and rescue groups, Frankie came to us in a more unexpected way and we were a little unprepared to deal with all of his issues. We got him at a little under 6 weeks of age and he was quite sick. We’ve been nursing him back to health the last 6 or 7 weeks and he is much better (just working on some tummy issues). I’ll be sharing more about his story and how he came to us, along with some of my favorite puppy picks and helpful tips for a healthy pooch! Until then we are enjoying all the puppy snuggles and kisses we can get.

Next up in safer product news: A new third party certification for nontoxic products has come to town and they are covering beauty products all the way down to household products. Made Safe has two levels of certification for products they screen and will offer their seals to the ones that are truly made safe- in their words “Think proof shopping”. I, along with a couple other bloggers, will be sharing more about this new organization soon! 

Last, but not least, I need to give a shoutout to my gurl (see what I did there) Suzi of Gurl Gone Green. Suzi is the real deal and really knows her stuff when it comes to natural living. That’s why I was beyond excited that she’s launched a new podcast series with her naturopathic doctor and covering a variety of topics. So far they’ve discussed detoxing and hormones, especially related to fertility and pregnancy. So very interesting and you’re getting the wisdom of her naturopath for free, so check it out!

Well friends, I hope you all have a great Monday and a great start to the new month. xoxo