I recently had the great pleasure of speaking with the founder of nude skincare, Bryan Meehan from his offices in London.  Nude skincare according to Harpers Bazaar UK’s beauty editor, Newby Hands, is “the first natural skincare range with visibly anti-aging results…”  And that, my friends, is why I had to investigate and now am hooked.  Here are some highlights from our wonderful chat.

Michelle Barge, beYOU.tv:
I like that you’ve brought luxury to natural beauty products for the eco-conscious woman.  This speaks to me completely:  I shouldn’t have to sacrifice elegance in my bathroom, for natural products that are free of parabens, sulphates, PEGs, propylene glycol, TEA, DEA, phthalates, mineral oil, silicones, GM and potential carcinogens. I write a lot about this. So how did this line come about?  What was the evolution and development of the line? (more…)

OK readers, you know how passionate I am about organic and natural skincare and beauty.  I’ve written on Suki, waxed on about Dr. Hauschka, praised Jurlique, and lavished love on Neal’s Yard.  My biggest need in skin care products is for them to be free of all the “nasties” I’ve written about ad nauseum as well — parabens, SLS, petroleates, etc.

Well in these harsh economic times, how thrilled am I to have found and tested over the last 2 weeks a fabulous, affordable vegan skin care line, Be Fine Food Skin Care.  All of my world’s have converged.  This line, sold nation wide in drugstore chains like CVS, Rite Aid (in-store) and Duane Reade (in-store), was developed and inspired by food products and the importance of food-grade natural products in skincare.  This beauty company sticks to the premise that I believe in:  one shouldn’t smear and wash their bodies with products that are chock full of chemicals that are just going into the blood stream.  Well Be Fine is banking that the mid-level shopper will feel the same way. (more…)

Tuesday evening I had the extreme pleasure of attending a glamorous, albeit steamy, party for the launch of Kate Hudson’s new eco hair care line, David Babaii for Wild Aid, in partnership with her long time hairstylist David Babaii. The collection launched at the fabulous emporium ABC Carpet & Home in New York City’s Flatiron District. For those not in the know, ABC could not have been a more perfect fit — as a retailer they are committed to offering products that serve communities and give back to causes having established ABC Home & Planet Foundation. (more…)

In this last segment in our our 4-part Healthy Skin Care Series, where we’ve been reviewing various chemicals in skin care products, today beYOUmag.com looks this week at petroleum and petroleum derivatives and their impact in your skin care products while investigating some healthy alternatives.

What is petroleum?
Petroleum jelly - as it’s referred (more…)

Summer is approaching and all of a sudden the desire to expose arms and legs is upon us. Problem is: those limbs might not have seen the sun in months. The desire to “lay a base” for beach season or bronze-up pale body parts is strong now. However, try and resist the urge to “fake bake” or indulge in a tanning bed session. According to a piece on Mayo Clinic’s site all exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays is damaging to the skin.

Alternatives: I know some people get a little disconcerted by sunless tanning products (more…)

Continuing our look at various chemicals in skin care products in our Healthy Skin Care Series, beYOUmag.com looks this week at propylene glycol and its impact in your skin care products and some healthy alternatives.

What is propylene glycol?
Propylene glycol is in the alcohol family and is a clear, viscous type compound used primarily in skin care products as a moisturizer, emulsifier, lubricant (as in personal care), and is one of the main ingredient in deodorants. (more…)

Continuing our look at various chemicals in skin care products in our Healthy Skin Care Series, beYOUmag.com looks this week at sodium lauryl sulfates and their impact in your skin care products and some healthy alternatives.

What are Sodium Lauryl Sulfates:
Quite simply, sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS) are an inexpensive detergent commonly used in cosmetic cleansers, hair shampoos, bath and shower gels, bubble baths, etc. It’s what puts the suds in sudsy - it’s main goal is to create lather. (more…)

I write often on natural and organic skin care, from healthy and realistic makeup to skin care free of fillers and harmful chemicals. The ingredient “no-nos” I always look for and religiously try to avoid are parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), propylene glycol and petroleum. Since one could write major reports on each of these chemicals and their harmful and potentially carcinogenic effects, beYOUmag.com will be bringing you a new Healthy Skin Series breaking down (more…)

My readers know I’m a huge fan of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles, whose sole mission is to “…use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment…” How great is that? I cannot stress enough how much information is on this site, but organized in a user friendly and intuitive way. One subject or topic of interest can take you deeper and deeper into more information. One of my favorite tools on their site is Skin Deep, a cosmetics safety database which is a safety guide to over 25,000 products. (more…)

Rarely do I find a skin care line that moves me as much as the Suki product line. Mind you, before I became a full time yogi, I worked within the beauty industry and was lucky enough (and sometimes not-so-lucky when bad reactions occurred) to try some of the “best-of-the-best” in skin care. But when I started examining what I put in and on my body, the search for organic and natural skin care became like a quest for the holy grail. (more…)