Give yourself the perfect pout!

We're all on a quest to find eco-friendly - or at least safe - beauty products. And if you've had the same experiences I've had, you know it can be a chore. I was recently sent samples of J.R. Watkins Natural Apothecary Lip Tints, and was very impressed with the product.

It's a typical beeswax lip balm with a hint of colour - nothing too overbearing. I found the Lip Tints moisturize while sprucing up my lips for a night out. An added bonus: they contain Shea butter, which is a natural ultraviolet sun protector.

They're available in four different shades (Tickled Pink, Strike-a-Rose, Simply Mauve-lous and Berry Charming). You can find them at Shopper's Drug Mart, Zellers and Keil's for $5.99 each. They also make a perfect gift.

What I love about J.R. Watkins is their commitment to using natural ingredients in all their products. The company also boasts environmentally friendly ingredients from renewable resources, and the avoidance of the use of chemical offenders such as parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

Is being eco-friendly on your mind when shopping for beauty products? Which brands would you recommend?

Great green beauty products!

Looking great comes at a price these days, and we know this the more we hear about how many harmful chemicals it takes to look good - harmful to us, and the environment. When searching the shelves, look for products with natural ingredients (I always consider whether I wouldn't mind putting the product in my mouth - don't actually try that). Also, it might be worth considering making your own beauty products. Have any of you ever tried doing that? I remember that my sister once made me beautiful grapefruit lip balm. Also, Adria Vasil of Ecoholic fame recommends visiting Make Your Cosmetics for recipes.

Way back in August I wrote about Origins Organics, a great line of green products I had come across. I had fallen in love with their lovely Body Pampering Massage Oil. All of Origins Organics products are free of many of the leading environmental and health offenders, such as parabens (an estrogenic chemical found in most cosmetics), phthalates (a hormone disrupter now slowly being phased out of certain products), petroleum (derived from crude oil), mineral oil (which is a petroleum byproduct) and DEA (which is suspected to increase the risk of cancer and is commonly found in beauty products).

I have great news for those of you who love looking great with a conscience. I have a Origins Organics beauty basket to give away to one lucky Green Living Blog Subscriber. One lucky winner will get:

• Origins Organics Foaming Face Wash

• Origins Organics Nourishing Face Lotion

• Origins Organics Cleansing Body Bar

Just leave a comment here telling me your best recipe for a homemade beauty product. Don't forget, you also have to be a subscriber to win! I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, April 21.

Also, two lucky winners will be walking away with a copy of the book Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?, by Robyn Harding (I blogged about it here!). It's a great, funny read that most of you can relate to. I'll pick the two winners at random and will announce it here next Tuesday as well.