| Body Care with a Conscience |
| January 03, 2009 |
 Start the New Year with a Green Resolution As the new year arrives, many people are reflecting on their past, coming up with a new year's resolution. Banning those old habits doesn't necessarily mean that you can no longer indulge. But be smart about your purchases and pamper yourself in a healthy and eco-chic kind of way. To make life easier for you, we came up with a selection of environmentally friendly body care products. Now you no longer have to feel guilty when indulging.  The Eye of the Tiger Chantecaille has already made itself a name for creating make-up for a good cause, such as the Protect Paradise compacts, which brought awareness to the urgent situation of our oceans. This time the luxurious brand is focusing on the Royal Bengal tigers with a new collection called Le Tigre Collection. 5% of the proceeds from its sales will go towards TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, to help save the tigers. The collection includes Bengali Bronzer and White Tiger, both in a gold compact, embossed with an image of a tiger, La Palette du Bengal with shades for eyes and cheeks, Kohl Pencil eye Liner in Green and Pure Brilliance Trio glosses in an envelope pouch. Available at Lane Crawford, Seibu and Joyce in Hong Kong; Breeze Center and Mitsukoshi in Taiwan; Shinsegae in South Korea; Isetan in Japan.  Squared WoodDespite the bottle shape of Dsquared2's latest scent, She Wood, the fragrance is anything but square. Following the success of their male counterpart, He Wood, the Canadian fashion design duo decided to launch the female fragrance. Like He Wood, She Wood has a woody base and includes ingredients such as vetiver, vegetal amber and musk. But to give it a more feminine touch, She Wood also features vanilla, lemon and jasmine. The wood inspired fragrances also come with a conscience. For every tree cut down to make a bottle, three more are planted. The twin brothers also have plans to launch a refillable bottle. Watch this space... Available at Dsquared2 boutiques and department stores worldwide.  Moroccan Anti-Ageing SecretThe big beauty secret has been revealed, and the luxury skincare line from Fushi by Eva seems to know everything about it. The A4 Age Reverse products contain 100% pure plant oils, such as the miracle ingredient and rare argan oil, backed up by the most modern active ingredient complexes to work together against wrinkles, dryness and the loss of elasticity. Remarkably high in vitamin E and essential fatty acids (80%), the Argan oil, which is obtained from the argan nut, helps all sorts of skin conditions, such as dry skin, acne, psoriasis and eczema. The costly argan raw material, obtained from the endangered argan tree only grows in a UNESCO protected biosphere reserve in Morocco. A4 Age Reverse uses only eco-certified argan oil from a cooperative that employs only Amazigh (Berber) women, ensuring that the women receive fair pay and education. In addition to the already existing series, Eva Steinmeyer also created a Help Soap, which will donate 100% of its proceeds to the Moroccan cooperative (to be launched soon in Asia). Available at Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong; Tenjinbashi in Osaka.  Brad Pitt makes a Green SplashPitt might be making his way into your shower. The film star has collaborated with hair and skincare brand Kiehl's Since 1851 to create an eco-friendly body cleanser to raise money for green causes. 100% of the proceeds from the Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser will go to the JPF Eco Systems, a charitable foundation created by Pitt to support global environmental initiatives. Its first project will support the efforts of Make it Right, a charity which focuses its work on minimizing environmental impact through thoughtful design. Make it Right currently funds construction of environmentally sustainable, affordable housing in New Orleans for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The cleanser is made of all-natural, biodegradable ingredients such as aloe vera, coconut-derived cleansers and glycerin, packaged in a recyclable plastic bottle featuring the actor's handwriting. Available at Kiehl's stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.  Recessionista’s Guide to Smart Gift GivingAs the credit crunch deepens, savvy shoppers think twice when looking for gifts for your friends or for yourself. Smart spending is all the rage. Get style AND substance for your money! The Body Shop offers the opportunity to reduce, re-use and recycle with products, such as The Warm Amber Shower Gel. The cleansing gel comes in a 100% recycled PET bottle and contains amber extract and moisturizing Community Trade honey from an organic source in Zambia. It leaves skin feeling fresh, smooth and scented while keeping the mind calm, resting assured that your purchase is making a difference this time. Available at The Body Shop stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. |
