But in the eyes of mompreneur, Corene Hejl-Edgeworth, Andrews is the perfect place to find the uncommon life she’s pursuing. Somewhere between dance lessons, art projects and homemade stuffed cabbage she found ... Read More »]]> Drive down main street and you quickly get the feeling that this town might very well be the one that time forgot. The decaying storefronts are mostly boarded up, the outlying factories have long since closed their doors. ‘Welcome to Andrews… home of Chubby Checker’ the rusted green sign welcomes the few that drive through… yes it’s the most unlikely place to find the next luxury skin care company.

But in the eyes of mompreneur, Corene Hejl-Edgeworth, Andrews is the perfect place to find the uncommon life she’s pursuing. Somewhere between dance lessons, art projects and homemade stuffed cabbage she found the time, energy and inspiration to fight for her dream of changing the world of cosmetics for good by creating a cooler kind of skin care. What resulted was a skin care line that features FROZEN, single serving products that are made fresh daily by happy people using time-tested, all-natural ingredients. Frozen products allow the use of fresh ingredients without all the preservatives and single serving, well, that’s just pure genius.

From her humble beginnings in a South Carolina kitchen to product debuts at Henri Bendel’s legendary 5^th Avenue boutique and Celebrity Stylist, Patricia Field’s flagship NYC store, feedmyskin is taking the world of beauty by storm. You gotta give it to the gal that single handedly made industry giants like Procter & Gamble, Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret stop and take notice – Corene was invited to meet with all three! The product line has even caught the attention of renowned beauty guru Ceslie Armstrong and has peaked the interest of billion dollar distributor, Daymon Worldwide. Not bad for a Mom from Andrews, eh?

Wanna try out a Strawberry Scrub in a Tub (body polish chilled to perfection) or an Aloe Push Up (think old school ice-cream truck meets frozen, frosty sunburn relief)? Of course you do! www.FeedMySkin.com

Classic Greens

Creates 1/2 dressing

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: 1 handful of fresh organic cilantro 1 clove of garlic 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon 1/3 c cold pressed olive oil 1/2 t course Himalayan sea salt

Directions: Add all ingredients to VitaMix or favorite high speed blender. Blend until very smooth. Drizzle atop your favorite plate or bowl of fresh organic greens and herbs. Enjoy! (C) Corinne C Johnson, 2012

Corinne Johnson is a passionate and avid raw vegan, independent EcoAdvisor for OnlyGreen and acting manager of a women’s clothing store. ... Read More »]]> Want a light lunch? Here is a beautiful light dressing that will bring a spring in your step over your favorite mixed greens.

Classic Greens

Creates 1/2 dressing

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1 handful of fresh organic cilantro
1 clove of garlic
1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
1/3 c cold pressed olive oil
1/2 t course Himalayan sea salt

Directions:
Add all ingredients to VitaMix or favorite high speed blender. Blend until very smooth. Drizzle atop your favorite plate or bowl of fresh organic greens and herbs. Enjoy!
(C) Corinne C Johnson, 2012

Corinne Johnson is a passionate and avid raw vegan, independent EcoAdvisor for OnlyGreen and acting manager of a women’s clothing store. She currently lives in Regina, SK, Canada. Enjoy her creative, inspiring and educating gourmet recipes at www.corinnejohnson.blogspot.com and visit her website at www.onlygreen.com/glisten. Connect on Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter @corinnecjohnson

What are your favorite mixed greens? Lettuce? Cabbage?

TIP: Use all organic products and real butter. You can use substitutions, but you will lose out on nutrients and a lot of flavor. Yes, it’s still a sweet treat, but there’s a little goodness in there and a whole lot of love. Camelot Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup ... Read More »]]> There’s something about the scent of baking cookies wafting through the house that brings the whole family running into the kitchen.  Do you wish that these tasty morsels could actually be good for you? Want to know Carole Marie secret? Follow the recipe and check out the ingredients for yourself!

TIP: Use all organic products and real butter. You can use substitutions, but you will lose out on nutrients and a lot of flavor. Yes, it’s still a sweet treat, but there’s a little goodness in there and a whole lot of love.
Camelot Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup real butter

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup oats

½ cup wheat germ

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder

½ tablespoon baking soda

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup almond meal

1 cup white flour

1 bag chocolate chunks

Preparation:

Melt the butter.  Combine melted butter with sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients, mixing well.  Roll dough into golf-ball sizes.  Place six dough balls on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until golden.

Carole Marie is a professional photographer, writer and home-schooling mama to four children. Please visit www.carolemarie.com and www.carolemariephotography.com

What additional ingredients do you like in your chocolate chip cookies?

Photo credit © Robyn Mackenzie | Dreamstime.com

Everyday more and more beauty companies are choosing to go green with their products, and why not?  So many of the best ingredients come from nature, so why pick up a product where you can barely read words like propilparabeno, or Laurent sulfate?  Your skin is your biggest organ, take care of it. I found and use a ton of fabulous products that have simple ingredients, but work amazing.  One of my ultimate indulgences is body scrubs.  I love them and seriously, cannot get enough.

Valley Green Natural makes this Wildflower Honey Scrub that smells ... Read More »]]>

Everyday more and more beauty companies are choosing to go green with their products, and why not?  So many of the best ingredients come from nature, so why pick up a product where you can barely read words like propilparabeno, or Laurent sulfate?  Your skin is your biggest organ, take care of it. I found and use a ton of fabulous products that have simple ingredients, but work amazing.  One of my ultimate indulgences is body scrubs.  I love them and seriously, cannot get enough.

Valley Green Natural makes this Wildflower Honey Scrub that smells like heaven and leaves your skin ridiculously soft.  The only ingredients, coarse sugars, bran oil, honey, and essential oils…and well it only cost $12..yup crazy!

Another super natural “body buffer” scrub is Nettiescrub.  It has a bit of a different feeling from your usual scrub, less oily with fine granules. Simple ingredients like grape seed oil, olive oil sugar, and acai make it delectable. I tried the grapefruit, smelled fresh and clean and left my skin perfectly smooth.

How many shaving creams, lotions, and gels have you gone through to get your skin soft while shaving?  I have tried countless bottles of different ones. I have only recently seen more natural products for this on the market.   One sold at my all time favorite market Wholefoods, gets the natural job done, it’s by Pacific Shaving Company, and it is oil.  A few drops right before shaving, your legs will be as sexy as the starlets on the red carpet. I love that your man can use it too.

Finally the last organic beauty item for instantly perfect skin is Stratus by Vapour.  It is a mineral anti-aging primer that rids the complexion of lines, wrinkles and something I will do anything to get rid of, enlarged pores. Personally, I think large pours will make anyone’s skin look older..uggh hate them.

Natural, organic products are becoming so much more accessible in drug stores, at make-up counters, and of course online.  Take care of your skin, no matter what your age.  You can have a healthy glow with a little special attention and the right natural products.

Kisses

Dawn Del Russo is a TV personality, fashion expert seen on National TV Better TV, Fox 5 NY, InStyle Magazine, Life and Style Magazine, US Weekly for her fashion and lifestyle tips and advice. She is the author of “101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle”

Dawn has not been paid in any form for her thoughts or opinions.

Canadian Entrepreneur’s Laundry Detergent Grows on Trees

Demetria Organics Soap Nuts Benefit the Body, Environment and Wallet

New e-business Demetria Organics is striving to save our planet, and our pocketbooks, one load of laundry at a time with its launch of Soap Nuts.

Soap Nuts are Himalayan tree berries that create cleansing bubbles when agitated in water. The suds are an antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, scent-free and additive-free alternative to laundry detergent and household cleaners.

Frustrated with questionable ingredients in commercial cleaning products, Canadian entrepreneur Marlese Assman began an extensive search for healthful, environmentally friendly household products for her own use. ... Read More »]]>

Canadian Entrepreneur’s Laundry Detergent Grows on Trees

Demetria Organics Soap Nuts Benefit the Body, Environment and Wallet

New e-business Demetria Organics is striving to save our planet, and our pocketbooks, one load of laundry at a time with its launch of Soap Nuts.

Soap Nuts are Himalayan tree berries that create cleansing bubbles when agitated in water. The suds are an antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, scent-free and additive-free alternative to laundry detergent and household cleaners.

Frustrated with questionable ingredients in commercial cleaning products, Canadian entrepreneur Marlese Assman began an extensive search for healthful, environmentally friendly household products for her own use. Her introduction to this one-ingredient all-natural cleanser ultimately led to the creation of Demetria Organics earlier this year.

“I could not get over how effective and affordable soap nuts are,” Assman said. “The more I learned about the product, the more I wanted to share it with others.”

Four berries placed in a drawstring bag and thrown into the wash can be reused up to six times before composting. A bag of 100 Soap Nuts — which retails for $13.20 tax-included — can wash up to 100 loads of laundry. Soap Nuts also replace the need for fabric softener, which means extra savings per load. Since they are naturally low-sudsing, Soap Nuts may be used in any washer, including high efficiency machines.

Assman also boils Soap Nuts in water for an all-purpose cleaning liquid. She might mix in a few drops of Demetria Organics’ lemon essential oil for a more powerful disinfectant or add a tablespoon of vinegar to a spray bottle for cleaning glass.

Demetria Organics Soap Nuts are biodegradable and sustainably grown. Assman works directly with fair-trade growers’ cooperatives in Nepal to import the wild, hand-harvested berries.

“We have created a symbiotic relationship between the growth and distribution of all our products,” Assman said. “We are dedicated to environmental sustainability, products that are as natural as the body itself and quality of life for our customers and suppliers.”

Demetria Organics Soap Nuts are available for purchase online at www.demetriaorganics.com.

Chic Galleria is giving away soap nuts to one (1) lucky Chic Galleria reader. The winner would receive a 250g bag of soap nuts (which does 75-100 loads of laundry) and organic sweet orange essential oil that you can add to fragrance their laundry if you wish. Just leave a comment on this article and tell us your worst laundry problem? The winner will be chosen at random from those who leave a comment and the winners will be announced January 25, 2010.

Congratulations Kym!