Pretty and Sustainable Lav And Kush Dresses

It's spring, and my fancy is finally turning from boots and winter coats to pretty, frilly spring things. There is no better place to start your search than at the lovely Vancouver-based Lav And Kush. They have lots of dresses that are pretty, and feminine, and stylish - check out the ruffly Sweetie Dress (on sale!) or this gorgeous, exotic silk halter dress - can't you just imagine putting this on for a champagne cocktail on a beautiful, humid evening in July?

Everything at Lav and Kush is made with eco-friendly fabrics such as bamboo, modal, or tencel, and is made with both beauty and sustainability in mind. All pieces are designed and made in Vancouver. And all of them are gorgeous - and lots of them are on sale (with free shipping!) on their online shop now. Go, take a look!

uFabu

So, if you go to the Ottawa Farmers' Market on Sundays at Landsdowne, you see a gorgeous range of stands. Stands with local fruits and vegetables and meats, some organic. Stands with delicious food to eat then and there. Pretty crafts. And some stands, you walk by them and you smell them before you see them.. the smell of lovely lavender and cinnamon and sweet essential oils.

uFabu is one of those stands.

The gorgeous, indulgent scent is but one reason you should walk in to the uFabu stand, though. There are lots of other reasons, all evident in the beautiful layout of products available.

The quirky, fun, oh-so-stylish (as in, you totally want your friends to see your bath stuff cause it's so stylin) labels identify their selection of products, categorized by UnderWater (bath salts, soaks and soaps), SkinDeep (creams, rubs, even zinc sunscreens) and In The Mirror (face stuff - scrubs, lip balms).  Eco-friendly, organic as much as possible, preservative-free, look gorgeous on your bathroom or vanity shelf, and beautiful, peace-invoking scents all mean that these products are truly ones you should covet. Of course, if that wasn't enough: Canadian. Local to the National Capital region. But if you're not lucky enough to live here, they also conveniently have an online store.

Origins Online: Free full-size cleanser with $30 order

There's lots of specials and discounts going on today - Earth Day! One nice one in my inbox was from Origins - get a free full size cleanser with your $30 Online order - just use the appropriate offer code at checkout, shown in the image at left. And, if you purchase any A Perfect World moisturizer until April 30 and Origins will plant a tree on your behalf. Nice!

Kaia Bamboo facial cleansing cloths: Ecofriendly travel cleaning

In a neverending quest to eco-friendlify the daily routines, I've made lots of small changes. Instead of using cotton balls to remove eye makeup, for example, I'll just put some eye makeup remover on a facecloth. Easy peasy. But what happens in a hotel or on the road, when you don't want to leave black eye makeup stains on someone else's facecloths?

These bamboo facial cleansing cloths from kaia solve that problem elegantly. These neat little gems are made with 100% bamboo and come in a packet of 30 unbleached, pre-moistened cloths, soaked with goodness like 8 pure citrus essential oils, Canadian organic honey, sunflower seed oil and oat amino acids. And they work like a charm, whisking away the toughest eye makeup and leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth afterwards. If you check out their website, you can learn more about Kaia's philosophy and ingredients too... nice to read an ingredient list that explains exactly what's in a product and why, for a change.

Check these links to find where to buy online or in store.

Aveda Stylists Must-Have Offers: Free samples!

Interested in trying out new Aveda products? Today only, you can moisturize and strengthen hair with two free treatment samples: Dry Remedy and Damage Remedy Treatment, plus Free Shipping with all orders over $25. Simply enter offer code REMEDY9 at checkout.

Why Aveda? Many of their lines contain organic and naturally derived ingredients. Packaging is recycled and recyclable. And several of their products have been granted the coveted Cradle to Cradle sustainability endorsement (including some Dry Remedy products!):

Cradle to Cradle product certifications... recognize Aveda's recent extraordinary efforts to develop products and processes that conform to the world's most advanced standards for intelligent design, sustainable stewardship and reuse of materials.

And free samples don't hurt.

Origins - 25% off Friends and Family offer!

It's Origins Friends and Family discount time again! Simply print off the image at left and take it to your local Origins counter. You can also join their email list or Facebook Fan Page in order to ensure you get these notifications too. Enjoy!

Organic Surge goodies: Earth Week Giveaway #5

And the lucky recipient of the Organic Surge goodies is Christie who said...

Ooh, you had me at Bergamot - I love bergamot - so the tropical bergamot shower gel!

email me at talk at ecochick dot ca, Christie! Good luck next time, ecochicks!

Hey ecochicks!

Our final giveaway for this week is a set of gorgeous goodies from the United Kingdom's Organic Surge. These wonderful combinations of products are made with 99% naturally derived ingredients with certified organic essential oils. They leave out parabens, SLS, sulfates, synthetic perfume and plenty of other nasties, leaving in plant extracts and all kinds of other goodness. And I have a gift pack for you to try out! The pack includes:

Citrus mint shampoo. There are lots of minty shampoos on the market - they're wonderful because they have such a nice fresh feeling on the scalp! This one is less minty than some, so it's lighter and very, very nice.

Next, Tropical Bergamot shower gel is a fresh, pretty gel that leaves your skin clean and soft.

But my clear favourite out of the gift pack is the Lavender and Geranium hand lotion. I never would have thought to put lavender and geranium together as a scent combination - and it really, really works. The two scents compliment each other gorgeously, resulting in a wholly natural, lovely fragrance. And the cream is very nice too!

You want the gift pack? Just head on over to Organic Surge (it's the UK site but they have all of the products listed there) and tell me what new products sound good to you! Post back here by Friday, May 1 and make sure you leave me a way to contact you, and random.org may just say this gift pack is yours.

Organic Surge products are available in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart.

It's been an awesome week here at ecochick, with all kinds of great giveaways and awesome visitors to the site. Welcome back all of you who've been here for a while, and welcome to everyone who just discovered the site this week - I hope you stick around! Don't forget to subscribe to the ecochick feed, and if you have any feedback for me you can comment or email me at talk at ecochick dot ca. Happy eco-living!

Origins Bag and Ginger Scrub: Earth Week Giveaway #4

And the lucky recipient of the Origins giveaway is Susan R who said...

Hey Shannie,

I was actually making a mental list on Earth Day of the changes that I've already made to try and be a little cleaner and greener. Here's my list of some of the biggies:

1) No chemical cleaners in da' house - vinegar, BS, Dr, Bonner's and essential oils. Sure, my house sometimes smells like a fish and chips shop but it beats the "I think I'm gonna pass out from the Tilex fumes" alternative.

2) Organic food where possible - especially fruit and veg. I order a basket from www.ottawaorganics.com. Fresh organic produce, as local as the season allows, delivered right to my door, which also saves on the gas it would take for me to drive to the grocery store - bonus!

3) Cannot remember the last time I got a plastic bag at any store. People whinge and complain that Loblaws are now charging for plastic...how can they be expected to remember their green bags all the time? Um..put them in your trunk, bring them into the store, fill them up, take them home, empty them out, put them back in the trunk. University degree not required.

4) I compost. I recycle - whatever and wherever I can. Big box stores -Best Buy, in particular - is great for old electronics and used batteries.

In the upcoming year, I'm planning on switching my hot water heating over to solar. I think those funky panels in my roof will be quite stylin'. See www.solsmart.com. I'm also investing in a rainwater collection tank to water the lawn and plants when (read: if!) summer arrrives.

Bring on the eco-volution!

Congrats Susan R and good luck next time, peeps!

"No, no! Say it ain't so! Not another giveaway! It's TOO MUCH!" I can hear you all wailing. Well, you'll just have to get over it because today I have two treats for you from Origins.

It's no secret around here that Origins is one of my favourite brands. While they are a "big" brand, I've always appreciated the fact that they are continually trying to improve their products and provide consumers with high-quality alternatives to regular department store products. Combine this with their fun and innovative blends and the Origins counter is one I find myself spending lots of time at.

Today I have two treats for you from Origins. One: A jar of their gorgeous Ginger Body Scrub. This amazing little tub contains skin-scouring Dead Sea Salts and warming Ginger Zest buffered in emollient-rich Macadamia Oil, Soybean Oil, Kukui Nut Oil and Sweet Almond Oil. This combination, when slathered on dry, flaky skin, scrubs away all the old and leaves bright, healthy, moisturized new skin in its place. It's luxuriant and feels wonderful, and will leave you moisturized for hours. (Just don't wipe out when you're getting out of the tub... this stuff is slippery!)

And keeping that jar safe is treat number two: A limited edition Origins I Don't Get Wasted organic cotton reusable bag as shown at left. Big, with sturdy handles, this bag will carry even your heaviest grocery loads and stand up for more.

What do you have to do to get these treats? You just have to comment below and tell me What change you're making to your lifestyle after Earth Day. Are you switching to post-consumer recycled paper products in your home? Are you going to plant an organic veggie garden in the back yard? Whatever it is, post it below by Thursday, April 30. I'll pick a name through Random.org. Don't forget to leave me contact information... and good luck!

Well.ca Green Store Launch - Earth Week Giveaway #3!

Whee, the lucky recipient of the Well.ca gift basket is susantroy who said...

The baby cubes are the greatest purchase ever for new moms (hint, hint). I didn't have those, but they would be so much better than ice cube trays for freezing baby food! You need to buy them! :)

Happy Earth Day!

Susan, email me at talk at ecochick dot ca ASAP and everyone else - good luck next time!

Have you checked out Well.ca, the online drugstore? It's a great resource for purchasing anything you can find at a regular drugstore - with the added bonus, of course, of doing it from your lap, and with free shipping anywhere in Canada on all orders, it's a no brainer for when you need to stock up on essentials.

The great eco-news is that today they've launched their new Green and Natural store stocked with over 3,000 products from great lines such as Burt’s Bees, Kiss My Face, Derma E, Weleda, Giovanni's, Green Works, Green Beaver and many more.

And the *awesome* news is that the gang at Well.ca love ecochick readers, and want to give you some great products to try out in honour of their launch and Earth Day.

First in the gift pack is an Urban Spa Full Body Sea Sponge - Soft, absorbent and durable, sea sponges turn soap and body wash into a foamy, luxurious lather that's perfect for the bath and shower. These sponges are sustainably harvested too!

Next up is a delicious jar of Giovanni Cool Mint Lemonade Salt Scrub - this delicious lemony scrub tingles with fragrance and is an invigorating body exfoliator that polishes skin's surface, removing cellular debris. The richly scented formula contains the exclusive Giovanni PureOrganic Technology blend.

And finally - as if you needed more - there's a Burt's Bees Nourishing Gift Set containing *amazing* Burt's Bees products including Naturally Nourishing Body Wash, Naturally Nourishing Lotion, Naturally Nourishing Body Bar, Herbal Milk Bath, Honey Lip Balm, Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme and a gorgeous Bee-uty Bag. Can you believe it?

All this can be yours, ecochick - you just need to head on over to the Well.ca Green Store and spend a little time exploring. Then come back here and tell me in the comments about a new eco-product you've discovered there that you'd love to try. Leave your comment by Wednesday, April 29, 2009 (sorry folks, Canucks only!) and make sure you leave me a way to contact you. Good luck and Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day - specials galore!

Happy Earth Day, ecochicks! Check out Earth Day.ca to check out what's happening across Canada and in your area. There's also plenty of folks doing fun stuff in stores and on the web for today, so here's a list of what I've found (will update throughout the day when I find new things, so keep checking back):

Aveeno is giving away one of their limited edition Aveeno Envirosax. Unfortunately it's USA only, boo, sorry Canucks!

Origins Online will plant a tree on your behalf with a purchase of their A Perfect World moisturizer. They're also selling Limited Edition Reusable Totes and giving away 4 free samples with any order.

Eco-Handbags.ca is offering a 15% discount on all the gorgeous, funky, ecofriendly items in their shop, today only.

Loblaws stores are giving away free green bins with a minimum $60 purchase til the end of April.

Huggies is giving away a sample of their New Pure and Natural Diapers.

The Daily Green has posted a list of 11 Earth Day Discounts.

More to come - and of course, today's Earth Week Giveaway is up too!

Green Beaver Shampoo and Conditioner: Earth Week Giveaway #2!

And the lucky recipient of the Green Beaver giveaway is michelle who said...

i'm a moisturizer addict. gotta try the cranberry body lotion. mmm, cranberries!

email me at talk at ecochick dot ca asap, Michele - and the rest, good luck next time!

Delicious, sweet smelling, oh-so-good for you Green Beaver. Body products, all made in Canada, with plenty of Canadian ingredients from certified organic agriculture or ecologically wildcrafted. With aroma blends 100% made from plants, instead of vaguely defined "fragrances". With no paraben preservatives, sulfates, artificial aromas, fragrances or dyes, glycol or petrolatum. With no animal testing. And with to-die-for, straight out of nature scents, like that of the gorgeous Cranberry Rejuvenating Shampoo and the refreshing Apple Mint Conditioner, both of which I have to put in to your hot little hands in nice big 325 ml bottle sizes. Aren't you lucky!

Just go to the Green Beaver Website and tell me in the comments what your favourite Green Beaver product is and why, by Tuesday, April 28. Make sure you leave me a way to contact you! Giveaway will be determined by Random.Org. Good luck!

Juice Beauty: Deliciously Organic!

Have you checked out Juice Beauty lately? Maybe it's something about being trapped in the middle of a Canadian winter, but the bright fresh colours and the images evoked by the whole concept of "juice" - natural, citrussy, fruity scents, bright, crisp formulations - seem particularly attractive right now (as she looks out at the 3 feet of snow on top of the barbecue...)

But it's not just the great marketing that makes Juice Beauty so attractive. They use fresh, local ingredients sustainably cultivated from USDA Certified Organic Farms. All their fun and funky cartons and sales materials are printed on 100% recycled paper, use soy based inks, and are VOC free. Any other paper is Forest Stewardship Council certified, which promotes environmentally conscious and sustainable use of forests. Further lightening the carbon footprint, over 80% of all Juice Beauty products are manufactured in a solar powered plant in sunny California.

And there's a whole lot of product-based reasons to like Juice Beauty too. Check out their (OMG delicious-sounding) Organic Lip Moisturizer with shea butter, orange and vanilla; the sweet Organic Facial Wash, with organic grape and apple juices, organic sunflower oil, honey and more; or really treat yourself (or someone you really, really like) with an Eco-Chic Beauty Bag, the bag made from recycled rice bags and repurposed aluminum, the contents including gorgeous Lip Plumper, Green Apple SPF 20 Antioxidant Body Moisturizer, and more.

You can purchase Juice Beauty products on their website or in Canada at your local Sephora.

New stuff at Lilou Organics!

If you're looking for an all-Canadian source for your natural and eco-friendly beauty care needs, you need to remember Lilou Organics. Based in Ontario, Lisa and Brian maintain a gorgeous inventory of products from lines you will love (if you don't already) - Dr Hauschka, John Masters Organics, Suki and much more. And they've just added loads of great new products to the inventory.

Check out this UV Natural Sunscreen - I promise you can pronounce every single ingredient on the label. Try that with drugstore sunscreens!

If you're a mama or mama-to-be, you might be interested in some great Earth Mama Angel Baby products, such as this great Tea Sampler which has USDA Certified Organic teas for every trimester - Morning Wellness Tea for T1, Heartburn Tea for the whole thing, Peaceful Mama tea to quell those stressed nerves, and Third Trimester Tea to help your body prepare for delivery day.

Or perhaps if you're looking for a new skin care regime, you could try this amazing Juice Beauty Organics to Go Clear Skin starter kit. Containing a 30 day supply of their cleansing regime including Cleansing Gel, Green Apple Peel, Blemish Clearing Serum and Oil Free Moisturizer, this is everything you need to give your skin a fresh start.

You can shop for all this awesomeness and more at the Lilou Organics web site. And remember, there's free shipping on orders over $100 within Canada. Nice!

Giveaway day-after-Tuesday: Burt's Bees Radiance Healthy Glow Kit!

And the lucky recipient of the Burt's Bees kit is Deanna who said I'd like to get my mom the Body Nectar Softening Set, she'd love it! email me at talk at ecochick dot ca as soon as you can so I can dispatch your goodies in the mail!

Yeah, ecochick hasn't been on the ball lately. Mea culpa, readers. I've been so up to there that I'm actually considering bringing on another writer (I can't pay, but I can share goodies!) More on that in another post. In the meantime, hey! Yesterday was Tuesday! And that means something good....

A month or so ago, ecochick featured a Burt's Bees School Survival Kit filled with Burt's Awesomeness. And hey, guess what? I have another awesome Burt's Bees kit to give away - this time a Radiance Healthy Glow Kit containing

• Mini Radiant Exfoliating Body Bar (.80 oz.)
• Exfoliating Body Wash (1 fl. oz.)
• Mini Body Lotion (.50 fl. oz.)
• Day Creme (.25 oz.)
• Night Creme (.25 oz.)
• Eye Creme (packette) (.067 oz.)
• Full Size Lip Shimmer (.0975 oz)

I'm telling you, every time I list one of these I wonder.. why am I giving this away again?

Burt's Bees products will make perfect stocking stuffers for everyone on your list. So tell me, beautiful readers: What would you like to give someone else this year from the Burt's Bees collection? Tell me in the comments by Wednesday, December 3 and you just might be getting this little beauty in the mail. Don't forget to leave me an email address and good luck!

25% off til November 21 at Origins!

Get some early Christmas shopping done at Origins with their November 25% off offer! Simply use the code ffnov at checkout, and you'll get not only the 25% discount but free shipping. Sah-weet!

Ecochick Giveaway Tuesday: Kiss My Face Kisses On Trial

And Random.org says the lucky Kiss My Face Giveaway recipient is lisalila who said...

Hi Eco-chick!

I loooooove Kiss my face products!
I would be happy to receive any sample you are offering, but I would prefer the olive oil soap if I had to choose :o)

Happy Holidays!

email me at talk at ecochick dot ca to claim your goodies!

Have you been to Kiss My Face lately? You know Kiss My Face, the brainchild of two happy hippies in the 80s who decided to revolutionize the skin care industry by creating things naturally? Well, they're still doing it, creating beautiful, lovely-smelling products made with organic, natural, biodegradeable ingredients not tested on animals. They have lovely Body Care, Facial Care, Cleansing, Hair Care and Suncare lines and much, much more. You can even check out what the lads are up to at their blog. You can purchase their products online or venture to any of a number of stores across Canada. Nice!

On to the giveaway... for you, my lovely ecochicks, I have a Kiss My Face Kisses On Trial gift pack, containing trial sizes of nine of their most popular products including samples from the hair care, shower gel, organic oral care, and moisturizer lines. Just comment on this post by Wednesday, November 26th letting me know what Kiss My Face product you're most interested in trying. Don't forget to leave me an email address, and check back after the 26th to see if the Kisses On Trial are yours!

Ecco Bella

Girlies, here's another fun cosmetics line for you to investigate. Ecco Bella's lines of skin care, body care, cosmetics, fragrances, hair care and even room mists are created with you and the planet in mind. All products use as many organic and natural ingredients as possible. In addition, Ecco Bella utterly refuses to test any of their products on animals. Which is nice for the environment as well as the conscience. Many products are preservative- and gluten-free as well as being suitable for vegans. Check out their gorgeous air fresheners made with essential oils, emulsifier and water only instead of tons of icky chemicals. Or their gorgeous FlowerColor Cosmetics made from earth minerals infused with flower waxes - gluten and (mostly) preservative free!

And as if that wasn't enough, they also have a Health By Chocolate section - a series of products beginning with the finest organic cocoa and cocoa butter, a healthy fat that does not raise cholesterol levels. To that they add proprietary blends of powerful antioxidants, herbs, vitamins and minerals to create exciting flavors of 'health by chocolate'. Go ahead - resist that!

Wondering where to find Ecco Bella products? You can shop online, or check out their nifty Store Finder which will tell you the closest place to check them out.

Giveaway Tuesday: Pure Anada Cosmetics!

And the winner of the Pure Anada giveaway is Hit Pay Dirt who said...

I've been wanting to switch to a mineral foundation for awhile. I'd love to try out Anada!

Congrats and contact me ASAP at talk at ecochick dot ca!

A few weeks ago, I got a lovely package in the mail from Pure Anada Natural Mineral Cosmetics. Good cosmetics are the one thing that's hard to find in the eco-friendly world, so I eagerly accepted their offer to try out their samples. They talked a good game: Pure Anada Mineral Cosmetics, they say, is makeup in its most natural form. Made of simple, natural ingredients, Pure Anada provides you with all the coverage and color without the chemicals, synthetics, and dyes. After reading that, I couldn't wait to see what would arrive.

And oh boy, did they come through. A lovely bag of cosmetics arrived at my door in tons of delicious colours. Knowing that I wanted to try some and give the rest away, I made my selections carefully, keeping a Natural Liquid Gloss for Lips in Morden's Blush and two Luminous Mineral Colours for Eyes in Cafe Latte and Storm for myself.

I chose well.

While it took my morning-addled brain a few minutes to figure out how exactly to get in to the Luminous Mineral Colour pots (and I'm still not sure I did it right!) the effort was worth it. The powder is fluffy in the container, but goes on extremely well - smoothly but doesn't go blotchy like some powders can (a good brush helps with this) and lasts all day. They aren't kidding when they say luminous, either - this stuff is sparkly! I loved it and got several compliments on it, and due to the fact that I like getting compliments, it's now made it into the regular makeup rotation.

How about the Natural Liquid Gloss? This is an excellent choice for someone who enjoys bold lip colour. The gloss is surprisingly densely coloured (If you think of the level of colour in say, a MAC LipGlass, this colour is much richer). As a result, I found I didn't apply it very thickly as I prefer a pale lip. The hint of Tangerine gave it a bright, fresh scent which was quite energizing to wear right under my nose. The gloss also doesn't have the stickiness common to many lip glosses, so right there it gets my vote. All in all, my experience with using Pure Anada was very pleasing - you should see where you can purchase it and try it out for yourself.

What's that, you say? You want some freebies too? Oh, all right my pretties. Just comment on this post by Wednesday, November 12 and tell me what Pure Anada product you would love to try out and why. Drawing will be made by Random.org and the answer posted here after the 12th. Please make sure I have a way of contacting you - either your blogger profile or an email address! And here's what the winner will receive: Velvet Matte Mineral Powder in Grey Flannel and Graphite, Luminous Mineral Powder - Deep Bronzer and Autumn, Natural Lipstick in Sugar Plum, and Tropical Lip Cream with Sun Protection. I can hear you squeeeing from here! Enjoy the giveaway, and good luck!

Origins; 3 Treats Today Only!

3 Treats today only at Origins! Shop online and you can choose a free sample size Mask or Cleanser. Will it be the soothing No Puffery Cooling Mask for Puffy Eyes and the Origins Organics Foaming Face Wash, or perhaps the Plantidote Mega Mushroom Skin Calming Face Mask and the Perfect World Deep Cleanser with White Tea? Who knows, indeed? Head over to Origins and find out. Happy Halloween!

Green Beaver Winter Body Product Giveaway!

And the winner of the Green Beaver giveaway is stsammy who said...

The Apres-Ski Face Cream is exactly what I need right now! My face is already starting to winterize since the furnaces have turned on... this sounds like just the ticket (and perfect for my cross-country skiing! I want the burn in my legs, not on my cheeks!)

Congratulations stsammy! Please email me at talk at ecochick ca to claim your gift!


We've talked about Green Beaver before. This wonderful, all-Canadian line creates natural products without chemical preservatives, dyes, perfumes - basically any chemical compounds are big no-nos in any Green Beaver product. Their products are 100% Natural, Biodegradeable, Vegan and Gluten-free. And that is very good for you.

There are those of us who love summer, and there are those of us who hate winter. And then there are the really crazy among us who go outside willingly in winter and... do things like ski and skate and snowboard and basically expose themselves to all the elements while people like me huddle under the blanket. So if you're one of those people, you will probably greatly appreciate Green Beaver's Apres-Ski Winter Body Products, including their Winter Body Lotion with colloidal oatmeal for deep moisturizing, Winter Bath Therapy, also with oatmeal to soothe dry, itchy skin; Winter Hand Balm with beeswax and shea butter; and Winter Lip Balm with Aloe and Vitamin E. If you use these products, your skin will look as healthy and non-chapped as if you just spent the week at a spa, rather than in the frigid Canadian north. And oh, look: I have all of those things to give away. Simply comment on this post by Wednesday, October 29 and let me know which Green Beaver product sounds the most delicious to you, and why. And then you might be the lucky giveaway winner of this awesome Green Beaver set!

Can't wait for the giveaway? Then you should check out Green Beaver's online retailers or find a store near you.