lip balm

Apple Spice Vegan Lip Balm

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:32:00 +0000

Calling all Vegans! You’re in for a treat. This Apple Spice Lip Balm I’ve got has a mouthwatering flavour that’s good enough to eat, which might happen as your tongue seeks a trace of that delectable apple spice scent. The first thing you notice as you pop open the cap is its deliciously sweet aroma, which is created out of a mixture of red delicious apples and cinnamon for supreme flavour. If spiced apples don't have an appeal, there are more tantalizing flavours to choose from, including iced pineapple, chai tea, asian pear, and mango peach fusion. Yum!

The second thing you notice, as you smooth the balm over your lips, is how soft and cushion-y they’ll soon feel. The ingredients are all from natural sources: jujoba oil, sweet almond oil, candelilla wax, cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter, natural flavor oil, and natural stevia. The Apple Spice Lip Balm is addictive; you can’t help but inhale its wonderful aroma, and unlike pure petroleum jelly, there’s no need for frequent application. The balm lasts a reasonably long time, and you won’t get that shiny look. It’s plain, simple, and effective.

This product is brought to you by the Vegan Soap Kitchen, which has an online store on Etsy, a community of independent creators who sell handmade goods. The Vegan Soap Kitchen also sells other great items, like soaps made from vegetable milk. Glancing at the images of her products, you may mistake them for food, and if they look that scrumptious, surely they must be healthy and good for your skin!

Vegan Soap Kitchen is a great place to shop if you’re not a carnivore—and even if you are!— because owner Deborah Dana creates the stock in her own non-smoking soap kitchen where no kind of animal product is used. The Apple Spice Lip Balm ships from the United States and costs $2.50. Is it worth it? Yes!

Written by: Payal Patel, December 12th 2009

Eco Lips Gold / Vegan Eco Lips / Eco Tints

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:07:00 +0000

By Eco Lips

The founding of Eco Lips is a charming romantic tale: a lone female balm-brewer gave out samples of her homemade lip tonic to friends, and an appreciative recipient sought her out, asked her hand, and upon their marriage, the couple invested her life's savings in the production of the limp balm “Hemp Lip Buzz.” I am happy to report that they're still at it, and that with the energetic assistance of their premier marketer, over two hundred competing lip balms were examined prior to the formulation of Eco Lips. This organic lip balm is handcrafted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and distributed globally.

Basic 'pure & simple' balm flavors include grape, coconut, and kiwi-strawberry. The more cosmetically inclined Eco Tints is offered in rose quartz, plush red, and mocha velvet. Many products come with innovative carrying contraptions: the 'Eco Clip'—a convenient aluminum caribiner, or an 'Eco Leash'—a neoprene tube that can be clipped to a zipper. Purchasers can avoid using animal products or oppressing bees—a vegan 'bee-free' balm comes in Lemon-Lime, and now, Pomegranate. Orders of over fifteen dollars receive free shipping. The organization Shakti Rising—a women's recovery program—receives one dollar per tube purchased. Eco Lips also participates in the one percent 'Profit for the Planet' program. “Uncover – Rediscover – Reclaim” says Shakti's slogan. Cover your lips with any one of these soothing products, secure in the knowledge that you are avoiding parabens and harmful compounds. As their motto reminds: “Don't panic! – It's organic.”

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, September 9th 2009

Vulva Portrait Pendant / Gush! Menstrual Pads / Vegan Lip Balm

admin — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:17:00 +0000

By Vulva Love Lovely

Would you send a photo of your vagina to a stranger online? Sounds like a MySpace porn scam, right? In one particular situation, you’d be totally wrong. As I write, I have a replica of my own vulva around my neck. It is amazingly accurate and arguably one of the more tasteful pieces of jewelry I own—assuming you aren’t offended by my own very special vagina. I’m not.

My necklace—and matching charm—are based on a photo and description I sent to Vulva Love Lovely, an Etsy shop that celebrates all things vaginal. In order to have such a personal item produced, one has to engage in an inherently feminist exercise: describe your own vulva in detail, or take a photo. After consulting with vulva artisan Jessica Marie in an attempt to help her be as accurate as possible in her representation, I did both. In doing so, I learned a tremendous amount about myself. I also realized that most men would probably have no trouble describing their goodies, and neither should women. In return for my thoughtful and enlightening self-exploration, I received two vulva personal pendants handmade from polymer clay. The detail is extraordinary, and you can tell much thought and love was put into these completely unique pieces of work.

Jessica Marie has all sorts of products celebrating women's bodies and all their natural occurrences, and after getting hooked on the idea of wearing my own disembodied vagina around my neck, I checked out the rest of her stock. I have loved cloth menstrual pads since I splurged on one at Bluestockings once upon a sojourn to the historic bookstore. Despite really loving and using it for the past four-plus years, I never bought a second, mostly due to my inability to find a size/shape that suited my needs.

Gush! cloth pads have completely changed this. In a gorgeous deep crimson color with black stitching and pearl snaps, my Red Dress pads are not only the perfect size for my body; they are easy to care for and won’t show stains. In a set of four that includes three types of protection, I no longer need to search for backup pantyliners on light flow days. As of my next cycle, I intend to fully phase out disposable pads. Washing instructions are included for your health and convenience.

As a bit of a balm snob and a vegan, I’m hard to please when it comes to lip emollients. Jessica Marie, being a vegan herself, spent roughly a week toying with ingredients until reaching her perfect concoction of avocado and coconut oils, candelilla wax, and flavor. The result—in a fabulously erotic tin that reads “for your lips”—is a delicious fruity treat that will last for months.

Need more reasons to support a body-positive feminist craftster? The recession hurts us all, but buying cloth pads and giant tins of salve are investments that will help you ride out the economic collapse in comfort and style. Monthly sales and charity donations are listed on the Vulva Love Lovely blog and VLL’s Twitter. I happened to find Vulva Love Lovely because she’d previously advertised here on Elevate Difference, and I figure the if she supports us, we can support her. If I can trust a stranger with a photo of my vagina, you can too.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, August 21st 2009

White Willow Facial Toner & Lip Repair Butter

admin — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 01:26:00 +0000

By Suki Pure Skin Care

Who would have thought that facial toner would be the next new application for aroma therapy? The fresh scent of this toner will have both you and your skin feeling divinely invigorated. Suki says white willow is the holistic anti-inflammatory for every type of skin. Simply mist the toner onto your face after cleansing. It’s also been proven to treat poison ivy. Imagine that. Rose petal, chamomile, calendula and tea tree infusion, extracts of white willow, comfrey and rose... Oh, it’s vegan and organic all the time also.

Holistic, naturalistic, organic, wonderful-ific, the Lip Repair Butter prevented dry, chapped lips during the most brutal of Chicago winters. Going on smooth without feeling greasy, clumpy or waxy, Lip Repair Butter stays on for hours. Each new application replenishes lips with nutrients from such ingredients as jojoba, sunflower oils, grapeseed, vitamin E and other organic goodies.

All the ingredients are especially keen on skin, however, grapeseed has been getting some seriously good words lately. A magical oil produced from pressed organic grapes, it’s jammed with Omega 6 and some of the most powerful antioxidants around. It prevents damage those nasty free radicals cause, and repels sun damage and pollution. So, glide on Lip Repair Butter in the morning under a coat of your favorite lip color or wear naked. It’s good to go all day. Perfect for sensitive skin.

Written by: Jill Dudones, March 30th 2007