Be beautiful, but be smart first!

Hey my beautiful friends- do you all know what is in all your beauty products? You all have heard me talk about natural beauty products before (like my friend's magnificent skin care line Tata Harper which I blogged about here and here). Well, yesterday I had the privilege of learning about a new skin care line called Beautycounter that uses only nontoxic ingredients. I was so excited to learn about this new line directly from the founder, Gregg Renfrew, (don't be fooled by the name she is a woman!) I was in awe with this force of a woman and her powerful vision for the future of the skincare industry. What was alarming to me were some interesting facts about the FDA. For example, did you know that the European union has banned 1,300 ingredients from being used in cosmetics because their effects on humans are not quite known? And how many do you think the United States has banned? I would have thought maybe 300? Well, its actually 11. Yes, be surprised and angry and realize that we all need to be aware of what is in the products we use for our daily routine.

There are over 10,000 chemicals used in the skin care and beauty industry, and only about 10% of these ingredients have safety data. This is not very reassuring. So, this is why I urge you to look into these new lines of products that are fighting for your well being so you can take the best care of yourself and those you love..

Beautycounter will be introducing a children's line which I'm thrilled about. I want my baby's body to remain as toxin free for as long possible. And they will be coming out with a make-up line as well. You can see their products here. Go get your smart beauty on!

Just a few links this week-

1 || I guest posted on Heart of Gold Luxury on Monday while Alison enjoys her getaway to the Caribbean and I forgot to link up. So come get some pendant light inspiration here. You can achieve some similar effects with these and these pendants from West Elm (the prices are fab!) and even these from Ikea. So there really is no excuse if you want to modernize a dining table or desk.

2 || Dying over this bikini. So cute!!