PASSION FOR SHOES

Green Beauty

2016-06-25T23:24:00.001-05:00

Almost two decades ago I decided to change my diet and convert to vegetarian and later on to vegan. Getting educated on vegetarianism and veganism, made me realize how beneficial it is for our health and the ecosystem.

Most recently I started getting some knowledge about the crazy amount of toxic chemical in products of daily use. So there I was, very conscious about my eating habits and making sure everything is organic, free of pesticides, gmo free and completely clueless about the huge amount chemicals our bodies absorb from beauty and personal care products!

The average woman applies 515 chemicals on her skin every single day, and it only takes 26 seconds for those toxic ingredients to get in the bloodstream! Our bodies absorbs sixty percent of what we put on our skins.
It is baffling to realize how for so many years, most of us have been taking good care of what we put in our bodies and not being conscious about the skin, our biggest organ.

Parabens, Phthalates, Toluene, Methylisothiazolinone, Aluminum, Lead, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, are just few of the many toxic ingredients in cosmetics, toothpaste, sunblock, shampoo, deodorant, and other products, we all use every day.
All these are linked to many of the health issues of our time. Hormonal disruptors can cause different types of cancer and plasticizing ingredients have been linked to birth defects, reproductive problems and infertility. Other harmful chemicals can go from causing severe allergies to affect our nervous system, and even damage vital organs.

Scary right!?
I did get very alarmed and horrified from all the years of not knowing this information and applying all this gross stuff on my skin. After learning all this, I decided to do an exorcism in my beauty bag and personal care shelf. Tossed my Chanél facial powder, got rid of the La Mer moisturizer, my former favorite “Orgasm” Nars Blush and every single toxic makeup.
It was not an easy task to find the new healthy favorites, specially changing to a non chemical toothpaste. Finding the right deodorant was another difficult task, it took me 8 different natural deodorants and smelling like a dirty hippy to find one that worked perfectly. Not only I changed makeup & beauty products, I also went green on everything in the house, even household detergent!

Here are my new green, clean, chemical free favorite products:

For facial care my favorite organic products are from Evan Healy, they are very conscious about their ingredients, responsible sourcing and the ecosystem. Their serums and HydroSoul tonics are wonderful. Their Whipped Patchouli Vanilla Shea Butter has the most amazing smell, I like to apply it on my neck & décolleté area, some times I also use it on my face.

As facial moisturizer I primarily use my own concoction, blending equal parts of Organic Shea Butter, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Baobab Oil, Organic Rose Hip Oil & Organic Avocado Oil.

I am always running away from the sun, it is bad for the skin and after my last pregnancy I developed a quite annoying hyperpicmentation problem on my face, yuck! For this I use sunblock daily.
For my face I prefer the Badger Damascus Rose Face Sunscreen and for other exposed areas I like Badger Broad Spectrum I usually get the daily sunscreen but since is the summer and the rest of the family uses it too, this time I got the sport. They are both organic, non gmo, cruelty free, hypoallergenic, non comedogenic & biodegradable.
Their Organic Madagascar Vanilla Lip Balm, I use daily, alone or under lip color.

For a healthy shampoo and conditioner, I rotate between Natures Gate Enriching Non GMO Biotin & Bamboo and Andalou Naturals Lavender & Biotin. For plant based hair color I love Naturcolor it is very gentle to your hair and scalp, it doesn’t have strong smells. It leaves your hair very shiny and when your new hair starts growing you notice a gradual fading not a straight dividing line. I purchase it at the local Central Market but I’ve heard it is available on several Whole Foods and you can also find some of the colors online.

You will always find a little bottle or towels of EO Organic Lavender Hand Sanitizer in my purse, the scent its just irresistible, all good ingredients, no parabens, phthalates or synthetic fragrances!
Finding a safe toothpaste with natural ingredients with a good taste took several tubes of many brands, some did taste like roots, grass or very herbal. Im glad I found this one from Kiss My Face, it’s a soft gel and the taste is perfect.
The one that took the most time to find was the deodorant, I lost count of how many me and my family tried. The search was a bit frustrating and uncomfortable but I’m glad I discovered Lavanila, it works perfectly. I’ve always used unscented deodorants but the scent of this one is so pleasant and subtle that I stuck with it. It is paraben & aluminum free, cruelty free and vegan. Crystal Roll On unscented and Every Man Jack Deodorant Sandalwood are the other two favorite healthy deodorants in my family.

For body lotion I make my own concoction. I place equal parts of Organic Unfiltered Coconut Oil , Organic Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter in a small jar, I take apart the lid with any plastic parts and place it in the oven for a few minutes at 150º until all oils are combined. Then I put the jar & lid together and place it in the refrigerator until it gets more solid and voila! my own creamy healthy body lotion is ready!

Last but not least my healthy makeup is all from Zao Organic Makeup.

I have to say I am quite smitten with this one! I used to have bad skin irritations due to allergies and since I started using Zao they are all gone.

The coverage is just perfect and it feels like having a clean bare face. The ingredients are all natural organic and cruelty free. Some of the ingredients are Flax seed oil, Ginger root extract , Shea Butter, Pomegranate oil and even Pure Silver! Also who knew Bamboo Stem Powder & Bamboo Rhizome Oil was so good for the skin.

Very happy to share my quest to a healthier lifestyle!

If you already went green on your beauty/personal care routine I would love to hear about your experience and favorite products!

Happy Holidays!

2015-12-26T14:53:00.000-06:00

Wishing you joyful holidays!

31st

2015-11-01T22:53:00.001-06:00

I hope you all had a great Halloween!!

Santa Fe

2015-09-06T18:46:00.002-05:00

Once A Blue Moon

2015-07-31T02:19:00.003-05:00

My stunning view tonight, from Boulder Colorado!

Texas

2014-06-11T18:16:00.001-05:00

Throwback

2014-02-27T22:44:00.001-06:00

Add hint of Tilda Swinton, a bit of Angelina Jolie, a dash of Linda Evangelista and

as Mrs. Vreeland would say, much much more pizazz!

...That would be my description of the marvelous Veruschka!!

The first and most amazing supermodel!

Here you can find a great piece on her history: Veruschka Von Lehndorf

Glint

2014-01-02T11:37:00.003-06:00

Im already missing the sparkle!

2014

2014-01-01T17:55:00.000-06:00

Cheers for a wonderful 2013 and to an even better 2014!!

The Return

2013-12-11T10:09:00.002-06:00

Karl Lagerfeld's The Return Of Chanel

Still

2013-12-11T10:04:00.000-06:00

Ice

2013-12-08T16:25:00.000-06:00

The Winter storm came to Texas and left everything frozen.

There is no much to do ...eat, shop online, sleep, play board games and if you can handle the freezing temperatures, venture outside and snap some photos.

12 Shoes

2013-12-07T21:28:00.001-06:00

Love, sex, memories & shoe sculptures by Sebastián Errazuriz

Photos: Inspirationist.ro

Celebration Galore!

2013-11-03T14:48:00.003-06:00

It was a very fun week, Halloween celebration galore!

I hope you had as many pleasant moments as I did :)

Lingering

2013-11-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

31

2013-10-31T10:06:00.003-05:00

Have a Fabulous Halloween!

Grayscale

2013-10-31T00:51:00.000-05:00

Swift

2013-10-18T22:53:00.002-05:00

Miss Luna is looking beautiful tonight!

Playing hide and seek behind the clouds

Whirligig

2013-10-17T09:34:00.003-05:00

Kinetic art by Anthony Howe

Nude

2013-10-14T14:39:00.004-05:00

In My Bag

2013-10-12T14:52:00.001-05:00

Hair ties, wallets, hand necessities, make up must-haves, creativity tools... here are the basics you'll find in my bag.

Since I always do my makeup before leaving the house I keep the make up in my purse very minimal, just for retouches. I carry with me eye illuminator in nude for the day and silver for the night. I can't live without Chapstick! my favorite one is the Natural lip Butter but I also like the medicated formula, I use it in combination with the Chanél lip pencil as a perfect lip tint. A mini version of a favorite mascara or a very convenient sample are perfect space savers, specially if it's a small bag. For touchups I use the Chanél compact.

Two big sunglasses in basic colors and a case are indispensable.

Very important for me, a notepad, small sketchbook, sharpie and mechanical pencils.

Presentation cards, mini wallet with the everyday essentials and a bigger one for the wallet things I don't use everyday but might need.

Since I'm a bit of a germaphobe I always have two important things with me, a mini EO hand sanitizer spray (love it's lavender scent) and baby wipes. In the lotion department, I prefer Aveda Hand Relief, or Kiehl's Hand Slave . Also, to avoid awful looking chipped nail polish I like to keep my nail color handy.

For the soul a very dark chocolate is must needed! Better if it's 50%+ cocoa because I prefer things that are not too sweet.

Phone, headphones & camera can't be left behind.

Santiago Calatrava

2013-10-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

Margaret Hunt Hill bridge, Dallas. Designed by Santiago Calatrava.

My Day

2013-10-08T23:15:00.002-05:00

A couple of moons ago.

Omakase at Nobu Dallas.

Yellow 108 hat, Alice and Olivia metal sequined top, Dondup denim & Dolce & Gabbana shoes.

Placed

2013-10-04T22:45:00.003-05:00

Some of my favorites!

I really love this hat!

Last cherries of the season :')

Red Kiss

2013-10-03T10:58:00.001-05:00

UO shirt, lucky jeans & Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.

Get the look: