Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Let's Go Green!

You don't have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick's Day; everyone can be Irish today. Just because! Do you want to wear green or go green? St. Patrick's Day may be a good day for a green choice. Here are some ideas for you if you choose to go green - all featured here in the last year. These are organic and natural beauty products that have earned their place in my life.

John Masters, Rahua Beauty, and WEN hair care products are natural choices to make your hair shine. You can find them at Beautorium, New London Pharmacy, and Chaz Dean, respectively - and at other sites.

Try MELVITA skin care. Founded in Ardèche, France by beekeeper and biologist Bernard Chevilliat in 1983, Melvita (meaning "honey and life" in Latin) has always been a passionate advocate for the complete organic lifestyle. Check out the many MELVITA options at SkinStore.com.

Those beekeepers are onto something. Beecology has a beautiful line of skin-care and hair-care products.

Looking for fragrance? How about Kō Denmark Organic Jasmine + Neroli Roll-On Perfume for pure jasmine and neroli oils combined to create a heavenly fragrance. Or Ambre Blends, unique essential oils with an amber base for a sultry sophistication?

Holly Green at Norabloom offers a wonderful botanical Rose Bud Creme Cleanser. It contains an impressive list of good-for-your-skin ingredients, and as you might imagine, the natural fragrance is heavenly.

Kiehl's Organic Açaí Skin Care Collection The four-product line is everything you would expect from Kiehl's and more. Introduced last year, it's Ecocert and Cradle-to-Cradle certified.

My favorite U.S.-made olive oil is made by McEvoy Ranch. Just in case you aren't a "foodie," McEvoy Ranch makes some of the best olive oils on earth. They are certified organic - not simply great, but award-winning. Beautyhabit offers 80 Acres, a small line of skin- and body-care products enriched with McEvoy Ranch estate-produced pure, organic olive oil.

You won't find yourself sacrificing elegance for purity when you use these products. They are luxury defined. Want to add your own favorites in the comments?

I think going as green as possible is more important than wearing green one day out of the year. Nevertheless, I'll be wearing green today. I have a smattering of Irish blood in me!

P.S. If you click on the links here, you can learn more about the products and where to find them.

Photo courtesy of literatehousewife.com

Norabloom Botanicals Rose Bud Creme Cleanser

Norabloom Botanicals Rose Bud Creme Cleanser ($28) was selected for me by Holly Green, owner and founder of Norabloom Botanicals. Holly is a beauty junkie who is determined to design a beauty ritual for every gal out there, no matter what age. She is a licensed aesthetician and makeup artist who has been involved in the beauty and spa industry for over 10 years.

Holly collaborated with an award-winning chemist to bring us Norabloom Botanicals. She has a fundamental belief that we should treat and preserve our skin using healthy ingredients. Holly owns a darling little skin spa and beauty lounge in Ithaca, New York, and she recently published her first beauty book, Goddess Glow. She has a knack for caring for others, so pampering and beautifying her clients delights her. By offering her products online, she hopes to stretch her message beyond her local community and spread her knowledge, love, and passion for natural beauty! She did that for me. Holly sent me Rose Bud Creme Cleanser, and I wanted to transport myself (beam me up, Scotty) to Ithaca for a personal session with Holly.

When Holly and I first met online, she offered to send me one of her products to try. I told her about my skin, and she zeroed in Rose Bud Creme Cleanser, the perfect way to start your beauty ritual with this gentle, creamy facial cleanser that's perfect for all skin types, but especially for dry and sensitive skin. This cleanser contains organic aloe, which has remarkable healing properties, and organic shea butter to nourish and hydrate delicate skin. The formula also contains organic green tea, so it's packed with antioxidants. I love it! I love everything about it, including the pump dispenser. All seriousness aside, the only thing I didn't love about it was my klutziness; I dropped it on my foot in the shower and ended up with a foot shiner. The cleanser comes in a very generous size (big smile).

You have to read the ingredients in this product to get a sense for Holly's dedication to quality.

Purified Water, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Almond Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Rice Bran Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Shea Butter, Stearic Acid (plant based), Organic Dandelion Extract, Organic Oat Extract, Organic Green Tea Extract, Orange Oil, Essential Oils, Phenoxyethanol, Organic Grape, Organic Grain, and/or Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Citric and/or Lactic Acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Tocopherol), and Vitamin A.

It's an impressive list of good-for-your-skin ingredients, and as you might imagine, the natural fragrance is heavenly. Holly wouldn't use animal ingredients. That would offend her little ankle-biting chihuahua, Stella, and her big, goofy chocolate lab Rosie. So those of us who care about animals are safe in Holly's hands.

The cleanser has made me very happy. It's gentle, effective, and soothing. I'm now scouting the Norabloom Web site for other things I'd like to try. Holly offers an impressive list. I'm bummed that she discloses that her Aloe Microderm Scrub is not suitable for sensitive skin - it sounds so nice. On the other hand, that's the thing I love about Holly. She won't steer you wrong. Check out Norabloom Botanicals & Beauty Lounge to see what grabs your fancy.

I think my first purchase will include Natural Lip Stick ($22) with exotic oils, such as macademia nut, and rich butters of cocoa and avocado. I'd also like to try Evening Primrose Eye Cream ($42). Eye and lip products are two of my favorite skin-care treatments. My friend Kari at Fab over Forty tried Organic Jojoba Body Blend in Organic Lime. If you aren't sure what you'd like to try, Holly offers a sample bag for $24, giving you an opportunity to try before you invest.

If you live in upstate New York, you could have the privilege of visiting Holly at her Beauty Lounge. The rest of us will be perfectly happy with her Web site. Norabloom Botanicals are eco-friendly, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and petroleum-free.

Photo courtesy of Norabloom Botanicals

Beecology Buzz Balm - A Nature Lover's Delight

Recently, I received a nice sample package from Beecology, a company that strives to make their products as natural, renewable, and functional as they can without sacrificing quality. Although they try to make all of their products 100% natural, not all of the products have achieved that level - yet. However, all are derived from at least 95% renewable and naturally-derived ingredients like corn, soy, and coconut. As more and more organic ingredients become available in the personal care market, Beecology will be able to realize their goal of 100% organic, natural, and renewable products. How refreshingly straightforward!

Amy and David Rzepka, founders of Beecology, allowed a friend to place a bee hive on their property, ended up as beekeepers, and the rest is history. Now, with millions of bees sharing their property, they are using the abundance of honey and beeswax from the hives to produce their handmade Beecology products. Use them and you'll feel the love!

The very first product they made for sale was Buzz Balm Super Sting Peppermint Lip Balm ($2.99), and they sent me one. I hope no one's offended by this analogy, but that was like sending heroin to an addict! I am a lip balm junkie. Had you been here when I opened the box and started sniffing and trying, you would have heard me squeal.

Buzz Balm has all-natural ingredients to make dry, chapped lips soft and healthy. Açaí oil, a powerful antioxidant, gives it its healing properties. The balm helps dry winters go by more quickly, and summer's moisture last longer. Here are the ingredients: coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, aloe butter, cupuaçu butter, olive oil, peppermint oil, açaí butter, eucalyptus oil, clove oil, and tea tree oil. Fortunately, I don't perceive the clove oil, an ingredient to which I've become sensitized over the years. I can taste the peppermint oil, but it doesn't overwhelm the balm. The name "Super Sting" references the bees, not what the balm does to the lips!

My first impression when I applied the balm was, "Wow, how nice and soothing!" My lasting impression is that this balm is a keeper. It makes my lips soft; they don't thirst for another "drink of balm" minutes after application. If you are a lip balm addict, you will understand that. I have lip balms placed strategically throughout the spaces I inhabit (there's one at bedside, one at the entrance to my bedroom, another in the bathroom, one at my computer, one in the kitchen, one at my desk at work, one in my purse, one in the car, and so on. As you might imagine, I go through a lot of lip balm! That's why Beecology's Five-Pack Tin ($13.99) will be my best buy.

I have so much more to tell you about that box! Stay tuned. I plan to give Amy and David a call to get more information to share with you. I've used the fabulous shampoo and conditioner they sent me, and the body wash is next. I'm under Beecology's spell. Intrigued? Buzz over to Beecology's Web site to explore (sorry - a little corny - I couldn't resist). You'll like what you see.

Photo courtesy of Beecology

Skin Free After Shower Moisture Spritz

Skin Free After Shower Moisture Spritz ($11.99) is a spray oil made for all skin, but targeted for delicate, sensitive, and dry or damaged skin. It's helpful for those with allergies, eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis, and it's perfect for those who want to use natural oils to moisturize after bathing. According to Skin Free's Web site, their products are also recommended for pregnant women, babies, diabetics, renal patients, the elderly, and people who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Skin Free products have no fragrance, colorants, or petroleum products in them. The After Shower Moisture Spritz is simply olive oil, sweet almond oil, and vitamin E - no water, no preservatives, no suspect chemicals. That's why it's so good for men and women with skin that's dry or irritable.

You might ask, "Why would I pay $11.99 when I could mix these ingredients myself?" One reason is the convenient spray; it's easy to apply. A second reason is the formulation - somehow Skin Free is light and non-greasy after application. I don't like putting regular olive oil on my skin on a regular basis because it leaves a heavy film and damages my clothing. I also have to admit that my olive oil costs more than Skin Free, but that's another story!

Skin Free makes soap, a Niaouli Butter Stick, Super Moisture Body Balm, Whipped Tamanu Body Butter, and more - all for sensitive skin. They also make formulas for blemish-prone skin. All Skin Free products have been designed and formulated by Julie Hilton, a practicing pharmacist with over 30 years experience in compounding products and natural skin care. Julie started the company in 2000 when she and her husband moved to the Blue Ridge of Virginia.

The line is worth checking out at CVS, Walgreens, or Drugstore.com. Nice stuff!

Photo courtesy of Drugstore.com