Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

Are you looking to have a fun day with “the girls” or create a special party for a birthday or some other occasion to get together?   Why not create a spa day at home!    Where I work, we recently had the opportunity to create a table setting for WAMSO (The MN Orchestra Volunteer Association) and their fundraising event called Settings of Note.   Designers and others create table settings around a theme of their choice and then patrons and guests bid on the table settings.

My office did the Spa Retreat theme and let me tell you, it was a huge hit!   From what I could tell, our table out of nearly 20, had the highest bids!   Everyone was commenting on how it was such a great idea and that it was so out of the “norm” for typical table top ideas of “English garden” or “Outdoor picnic” etc. 

We did a simple “meal” of sushi and cucumber water, had lily votives set around the table top, simple yet beautiful orchids as a centerpiece and all in soothing colors of pink and green and creamy white. 

But some of the most popular things were the gift sets that were put together.    In these cute little wicker baskets, each guest received a spa robe from Cypress Bathrobes, a Ms Pedicure Foot SpAhh set, EcoTools Body Butter, Karen Neuburger Spa Socks and Lisa Hoffman Beauty Spa Facial Packette!   It was the ultimate beauty set!

I can’t thank enough Lisa Hoffman Beauty, EcoTools, Ms Pedicure, Karen Neuburger and Cypress Bathrobes for their wonderful donations and helping to make the fundraising event a huge success!  

Now maybe when my group of girlfriends get together to celebrate a birthday, we’ll do something fun like this, too! 

With tomorrow being Earth Day I thought I’d share with you some Earth Day events and products that will all make us winners on Earth.

EcoTools makes wonderful Earth friendly products like these super-soft makeup brushes.  Made with 100% synthetic taklon bristles, cruelty free, and bamboo handles what’s not to love about these brushes!

Jane Iredale Refillable Compact made from anodized aluminum.  Anodizing has been called the “green,” or environmentally friendly finish in the metal finishing field for some time. The process releases few toxins into the environment, uses almost no heavy materials, and uses chemicals and metals that are recycled easily. Finished products made from anodized aluminum are nontoxic and can be recycled over and over again.

Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Pore Perfecting Toner.  100% all natural witch hazel which has ingredients that consumers can actually understand when the flip over the bottle.  It is the ONLY 100 percent natural Pore Perfecting Toner that is non-drying and gentle for all skin types on the market. 

Feeling good comes from a natural lifestyle so Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel and the Women’s Sports Foundation teamed up for the Tone Up Challenge, a 14 day simple work out regimen that incorporates tips to tone, the body, face and mind – www.toneupchallenge.com.

Gilt Groupe will be offering a unique Earth Day celebration sale this Thursday, April 22^nd with a portion of proceeds benefiting the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy.

Dr. Hauschka:   
They say beauty is only skin-deep, but the Dr. Hauschka line is doing a lot to change that. Based on a holistic philosophy that promotes an eco-friendly and healthy lifestyle, the company’s products are formulated with the purest and most effective ingredients. The certified natural skincare line all begins in the company’s own gardens, where plants and crops are carefully farmed. The line, which includes products for the face, body, hair and sun, deliver essential moisture with amazing, natural fragrances. For more than 40 years, Dr. Hauschka has created products that work with, not against, the balance and rhythm of the body. The result? Beautiful, healthy, flawless skin.  Daily Face Care Kit 6 Essential Products Original Retail: $24.95, Gilt: $15    Clarifying Facial Toner  Original Retail: $34.95, Gilt: $27.

 Burt’s Bees is excited to celebrate 40 years of Earth Day this month!  They are asking everyone to “Find Their Inner Burt.”  The co-founder, Burt was a photo journalist turned beekeeper, whose beeswax became the stuff of beauty miraacles.   That was 25 years ago, but his belief that beauty should be both people and earth friendly remains today.  

They believe the small choices we make all day add up and that being conscious of the Earth can also be fun!   check out FindYourBurt.com and bring your eco-motives to life, Burt-style.   And follow Burt’s on Twitter @BurtsBees.

Award-winning chef, author and sustainable food leader Michel Nischan’s newest book, Sustainably Delicious, is launching just in time for Earth Day—and FRESH cosmetics and FOOD & WINE magazine are teaming up with Michel and his Wholesome Wave Foundation for a nationwide celebration!

10% of all FRESH product purchases (in store and online) will be donated to Nischan’s Wholesome Wave Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make healthy, affordable locally grown foods available to communities that would otherwise not have access to them. 

Customers at the Union Square, NYC FRESH flagship store will enjoy bites from Nischan’s new cookbook, and receive a free subscription to Food & Wine when they spend $50 or more on FRESH products. 

Congratulations to #6 Katie and #12 Carla!  Their #’s were chosen at random.    Thanks for all who entered.

Well lovely ladies, I’m back!   I’ve been on an incredible vacation to St. John’s USVI and had the most relaxing, wonderful time.   Then reality hit when we landed last night around midnight and it was snowing and it hasn’t quit yet and won’t until Tuesday.  Ugh.    So, let’s turn this into a good day instead with not one, but two sets of ecoTOOLS bamboo eye brush sets to give away!

I spoke the other day about what a great set this is – good for home and yes, travel!   These brushes are incredibly soft and angled just so for great application.  I also want to share some makeup application videos with you – put out by ecoTOOLS.   Makeup artist Meredith Baraf shows us how to use the various ecoTOOLS brushes to create great looks – just click on the various titles to view.

• Cat eye look
• Flawless Face
• Sultry smoky eye
• Touch-up face for day to night

To enter to win one of these eye brush sets, just enter your name in COMMENTS below.   Contest ends on Thursday, Feb. 11th at noon CST.   Good luck!

Getting gorgeous, going green and giving back

Starting today ecoTOOLS has some new brushes available added to their already successful brush line.   EcoTOOLS are earth friendly products that are reasonably priced.    These makeup handles are made from bamboo with recycled aluminum ferrules and the bristles are cruelty free taklon.

The new 6 piece eye brush set is only $7.99 and comes in a natural hemp and cotton case with a mirror.    They include:

• Large Eye Shadow Brush
• Angled Crease Brush
• Petite Eye Shading Brush
• Domed Highlighting Brush
• Smudge Brush

Each brush also is imprinted with the name to assist in application – that makes it so simple!

The Bronzer brush is only $9.99 and is a really full, super-soft head.   Again this is made out of the same materials as the eye brush set.

I am amazed at the quality of these brushes and their ease of use that are great for the beginner to the expert.     I beg of you to throw away the ity-bity brushes that come with your makeup and get quality brushes.   At these prices, everyone can afford them!     Available at Walgreens, www.eco-tools.com Ulta and other retailers.

1% of ecoTOOLS annual sales are donated to 1%For The Planet – an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet.

Congratulations to winners #’s 4-Angelique, 5-Monica and 7-Shana!

Remember the ecoTOOLS cosmetic bags that I spoke of the other day?   Well, the oh, so fabulous ecoTOOLS is offering 3 of these overnight bags to give away to Fabulous Over Forty readers!   Generously sized, and with removeable pouches inside – this bag will be a great holiday gift to win!  

Become a Fan of ecoTOOLS on Facebook and tweet about the giveaway on Twitter too!

Just enter your name in comments and 1 entry per day.    Contest ends on Friday, Dec. 18 at 11:59 CST.  Good luck!

Trying to figure out gifts for the eco-friendly person in your life?   Try one of these great bags by Alicia Silverstone for ecoTOOLS.  Alicia is a passionate environmental activist and she has joined with ecoTOOLS to create a line of natural hemp cosmetic bags which are feminine and workable in one.   The pretty floral print is made with a non-toxic ink and many times I think of hemp as not so soft, but these are soft, yet sturdy.

The top one shown is the Overnight Bag ($19.99) and shown underneath it is the interior with zip pouches made of a recycled PET lining.  You can also remove the pouches as they are Velcro attached.  

The second bag shown is the Train Case ($14.99) with a zip top and it is a perfect size.   There’s also a removeable compartment in this one too – shown in the photo below the train case.

On the bottom is the Cosmetic Bag ($8.99) for all your must-haves in your handbag.    

Wondering what to put in one of those great bags or just want to use some natural skin care yourself?   Try out these bath and body products by ecoTOOLS.  They’re paraben free, phthalate free, dermatology tested, allergy tested and never animal tested and they’re 98% made from nature (so the company says). 

You can get ecoTOOLS at Ulta or go to their website (I have highlighted) to see where ecoTOOLS are sold near you.