Sustainable beauty Catherine Berlin Ferro Cosmetics I’m not sure which is better, seeing “Made in USA by Ferro Cosmetics Buffalo NY” on the bottom of the containers, or the look of the mineral foundations on my skin. Move over bareMinerals, our own Krissy Ferro has created a make-up line that that is good for the skin and practically invisible to detect. Mineral-based foundation is, in general, a make-up miracle, like waterproof mascara and Helena Rubenstein’s first salon. Now Ferro produces a Radiance Foundation that reflects light, an Ultimate Foundation that focuses on imperfections, and a variety of veils that can give you the finish you want, from sparkle to dewy (go for the Crystal Mineral Veil) to illuminating to matte. She has also created an extensive line of bronzers, blushers, and eye shadows. “Don’t bother sending eye shadow,” I told the Ferro rep. “They never seem to impress as much as the foundations and bronzers.” “Maybe we can convince you to change your mind,” the rep replied, and they did. Eye Candy in Vegas Tan—now, how can I put this—lets someone like me wear gold glitter without looking like one of my kids played beauty salon on my face. It’s subtle, it covers, and it shimmers. How? I don’t know. That’s not my business. It’s Krissy’s, and we are lucky to have her. Spread the word. Ferro is a member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. www.ferrocosmetics.com Appellation Spa Grapeseed Muscle Soak Sometimes it feels great to be wrong. Cynical is so tedious. I wasn’t expecting much from whatever was inside the bottle from Appellation Spa. A grape muscle soak, it said. Sure, I thought, as it sat on the “to be tried” counter for a while. But during a cold, dry, forced-air kind of night that plagues us all during the winter, I decided to twist off the bottle cap and pour the pale purple and pink flakes into a bath. It smelled instantly of clove heaven and incredibly invigorating—especially as I had been expecting a weak dose of lavender. Then, I could feel my skin transform during the soak. I got out of the tub with spa-like softness. I mean really soft, “as if I were an infant again” soft. The grapes are from the central coast of California, a sustainable product base, and are crushed and cold filtered with water, not chemicals. The clove is a neutral enough spice that guys will like this soak, too. Just show them the word “muscle” on the label. www.californianorth.com $32.50 Joico K-Pak / Ojon Hair “Is she a swimmer?” asked the stranger lady, reaching over to touch strands of my daughter’s crisp hair. The woman knew the answer. A seven-year-old doesn’t end up with lifeless locks without a lot of effort. She could have just as easily grabbed a fistful of mine and said, “Oh, and honey, something tells me you’re not a real blond.” What would be my biggest giveaway, the brittle, the dull, the monotone ech? “What do you have for people with over-processed hair, hypothetically speaking?” I asked over the phone to a product specialist. “I’ll send you some things that work magic,” she promised. I moved my desk to the mailroom. The package contained K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor, a conditioning product that has won a BehindtheChair.com Stylist Choice Award every year since 2001 and is a have-it-or-die product over at Pursebuzz.com. I hit the shower and opened the cap to a scent that captured something between a pina colada and butter-cream icing, and just as capable at calming my senses as the protein complex glommed onto each strand of hair. Then I massaged in palm nut oil from rainforests of Honduras. The oil has been harvested and processed by the Tawira Indians for over five hundred years, and is now what drives a successful business venture between Ojon (a company in Oakville, Ontario) and the indigenous people of Central America, using rainforest preservation methods. Somehow, I’m getting shimmer back. I haven’t seen shimmer in years. Guess this means the K-Pak/Ojon system’s going to work. It also means that I’m going to have to share it with a swimmer I know. Ojon is at ojon.com and Sephora (Walden Galeria) for $15–55; K-Pak at Capello Salons, Le Salon Des Angelos on Hertel, and Supercuts, from $25. Rare2B Vegan Organic Skin Care This doesn’t feel like any other product I’ve ever tried, and there’s a reason. It isn’t like any other product I’ve ever tried. When I first put the Hydrating Day Crème on my face, it felt awkward and thick. The Body Lotion was lighter, but still it took some effort to rub in (reminding me a little of the natural shea butter I order from Africa), so I decided to just try it on one leg. The products are missing the synthetic chemicals and petrols I’m used to. Instead, they’re full of algaes and seaweeds, seed oils for viscosity, and botanical extracts to help protect skin against water loss. As I sat reading all this, I began to feel a change coming over my skin: it was firming. My face felt taut, my one leg felt as if it had a stocking on. We’ve all seen the products that make these promises, maybe even tried them and thought, “Well, if you say so.” But here the firming effect was intense (did I use too much?) and that promise wasn’t even in the literature. Then instead of feeling slightly tacky as they did at first, my hands seemed to have soft, protective gloves on. The product ingredients have been certified organic and vegan, with some even wild-crafted: the botanical equivalent of free-range. The company is also involved in fair-trade practices and donates ten percent of its proceeds to organizations such as Amazon Watch and the Natural Resources Defense Council. This is all very nice. Did I tell you it really, really firms? From $26. www.rarenatural.com Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss Ok, this product is just in here because I fell for it pretty darn hard, and because all of our lips are craving care. This gloss contains laminectine and Vitamin E and it exfoliates, hydrates, and makes your lips feel brand new, coated, soft, beautiful—just like someone else’s. It’s not so much about the color, although there is some. Here, the gloss is intense. Unlike most paint-ons, though, there is nothing sticky about them. Your lips will look and feel poured on. Plus, it feels so good that you might actually remember to reapply. So think of it as the best-looking lip care ever. Sephora, $28. Catherine Berlin is a writer, photographer, and lawyer raising children and a husband in Buffalo. SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top