As mentioned above, the scent to this all-natural dreamy cream is sweet and amazing. A combination of vanilla orchid extract, distilled orange, frankincense and rose essential oils are blended to perfection and fair trade butters (shea – great for penetrating deep into skin and cocoa – highly moisturising and fab for scars/stretchmarks) give skin a long lasting feel of hydration.

Tanzanian Baobab Oil is also used, which has excellent emolliency and many skin-loving nutrients.

Only a small amount is needed when being applied, it absorbs quickly and won’t sit on your skin and rub off onto clothes. The tub is a generous size, with 250g worth of goodness. Long term use will help promote healthier, supple skin.

What do you think, does this sound worthy to you?

RRP – $36

Stockists – Visit http://www.remedica.com.au for your stockist needs.

The entire range is made purely from bamboo viscose that has been certified by the Oeko-tex 100 Standard meaning that the finished product is entirely free from toxins and chemicals.  Spandex and a small amount of organic cotton are also found in the pieces.

Choosing bamboo is a superb choice when it comes to clothing. It has many benefits over cotton, with a luxuriously lightweight feel it is hypoallergenic and is incredible soft. Bamboo is environmentally friendly and grows quite fast meaning it doesn’t require any pesticides or much water to enhance growth.

O2Wear have a top 10 benefits of choosing bamboo and why it can be of benefit to you –

• Eco-friendly : Due to being a raw material
• Softness : Bamboo feels wonderfully soft, smooth and gentle against your skin
• Sensitive Skin : Allergy sufferers sing the praises of bamboo – it isn’t made with any chemicals and is naturally antibacterial.
• Easy Care : Completely machine washable, you don’t have to worry about it going out of shape.
• Moisture Wicking : Perfect for those who participate in sports and yoga – bamboo has almost twice the moisture transfer then cotton, leaving you feeling more comfortable.
• Biodegradable : Being completely made from nature, bamboo is thus biodegradable.
• UV Protection : Studies from Deakin University have shown that bamboo fabric is 60% more efficient at protecting the wearer from UV rays then ordinary cotton.
• Breathability : Bamboo fabric is a natural temperature regulator – it is cool to wear during the warmer months and will keep you toasty and warm during the colder months.
• Insulating : Being a naturally insulating fabric, bamboo clothing helps trap a small layer of air against your skin, creating insulation. As mentioned above, this helps to keep you cool and warm where needed.
• Antibacterial : The antibacterial properties come from the bamboo plant which is rarely attacked by bugs/pests and is not susceptible to plant diseases.

Having tested the camisole (in pink, of course!) and leggings I can vouch that I am definitely impressed by bamboo fabric. It is indeed very soft and touchable, with great flexibility making it quite adequate for daily wear. There are no issues when it comes to washing the items and they fit well. As the weather is now becoming colder, wearing the camisole/leggings under clothes is a clever way to keep warm, without looking overly puffy due to many layers of clothing.

RRP – $29.95 for the camisole, available in 4 colours.

$39.95 for the leggings, available in black.

Stockists – Visit http://www.o2wear.com for information on purchasing, the lovely Anna is more then friendly and always willing to help.

For those of you who are wondering, what exactly is fair trade? Fair trade is about helping to create quality work conditions, trading partnership, raising awareness, local sustainability and better prices for workers/farmers in the developing world.

The Dharma Door was founded by Shannon Sheedy, who sees fair trade as her personal dedication. The company is truly passionate about what they support and ensure that proper human rights, fair wages, safe and clean working conditions are used at all times. There is a range of rather beautiful, high-quality hand-made products, created by talented artisans based in Vietnam,Bangladesh and Cambodia. The range consists of a selection of bags and totes, book bags, bookmarks, cushions, table wear, stationary, and much more.

The Dharma Door company goal is to help people gain access to skills training, health care, education and community development for a better way of life.

My favourite item of the eco-friendly range would have to be the large selection of book bags which can be used to store books, magazines, A4 documents, ipads and journals. I’m the proud owner of the Mandalay Blue Book Bag which is made from sustainable jute and natural cotton fabric. You can expect when purchasing a book bag -

-          A selective range of quality designs and colours

-          Matching bookmarks and notebooks are also available

-          Hand-printed on azo-free dyes

-          All ethical information is printed on the inside flap of the bag, meaning no plastic packaging or printed labels

-          Fair trade + fair wages and better working conditions for the women who produce the book bags in Bangladesh.

By purchasing from the Dharma Door range you too are also helping support fair trade.

RRP – The Mandalay Blue Book Bag I own retails for $26

Stockists – Visit http://www.thedharmadoor.com.au for all stockist information

The team at One Skin System make a point of saying that the products are safely tested on willing humans, not animals. No animal products are included in the formulations and all packaging is certified recycled and with sustainable materials.

The trial pack includes four 10ml products –

• Renewal Cleanse
• Active C Scrub
• Daily Hydrate Moisturiser
• Vital Night Enfleurage
• Custom compact mirror

All four products are packaged in a style of a syringe, dispensing just the right amount of product for limited wastage. They work in synergy together; there is also a fifth product, Ultimate Vitamin Treatment, not included in the pack.

The Renewal Cleanse – a concentrated cleanser using exotic fruit and flowers – is a cream cleanser that cleanses intensely to remove make-up, dirt, impurities, dead skin cells, excess oils and pollutants. With a light floral-like scent, it’s quick, easy and efficient to use.

Next follows the Active C Scrub, a fine powder that you can mix with water, your cleanser or facial oil. If having squeaky clean skin is your thing, than this is the scrub for you. With pure vitamin c, macrobiotic sea salt and micro grains, it exfoliates deep down, resulting in healthy, smooth invigorated skin. I recommend using this once or twice a week. Effective for all skin types, but if you’re rather sensitive, go easy and be gentle.

Daily Hydrate Moisturiser is wonderful for dehydrated skin that requires a little extra care. A mixture of Australian Desert Orchids, Wild Hibiscus extract and essential fatty acids create a lusciously rich, yet light facial cream. Non-greasy and non-irritating are two of the many benefits of this cream, along with a promise of soft, supple, well-hydrated skin which won’t clog your pores.

And lastly comes the Vital Night Enfleurage (Enfleurage being a French ingredient, described as being an “ageless precious oil”, it’s also quite fun to pronounce) which just so happens to have won an award in Nature and Health’s Natural Beauty Awards 2012. Please note that this is called “Night Enfleurage” for a reason, it contains potent Retinol A, which stimulates collagen productions and cellular rejuvenation but can cause sun sensitivity when applied during the day. So night time only! Yes, at $95 for the full size it is rather expensive, but with Macadamia, Kakadu Plum and Australian Baobab oils, to nourish, protect and rehabilitate the skin, you know your skin is receiving the best.

RRP – $59 for the trial pack

Stockists – Visit http://www.oneskinsystem.com.au/ for your stockist needs.

I was most delighted when a prettily packaged box arrived for me from the team at Eye of Horus. I had heard of this wondrous brand before and had read many rave reviews on their mascara and eyeliner so I had my expectations set quite high. Eye of Horus use natural waxes and plant based ingredients to formulate the products, making them safe for sensitive eyes.

They claim the products to be easily removed – all you require is a little warm water and a wash cloth – this is excellent news for me because most unfortunately I suffer from incredibly sensitive eyes that take it upon themselves to make my life just a little difficult.

The benefits of using natural mascara over commercial mascara are many due to the nourishing properties of oils and waxes, you can expect

•   Treatment that cares for your lashes
•   Coats lashes evenly
•   Won’t irritate or sting
•   Easily removable – using warm water alone is enough to rid the eye of product
•   Assists in the growth of lashes
•   Conditions and strengthens lash structure

The mascara consists of carnauba wax, beeswax, rice bran wax and candelilla wax. The smokey eyeliner is equally as impressive with jojoba, mango, coconut and macadamia oils, along with shea butter and vitamins c and e.

From my own personal experience of using these products I can announce that they didn’t annoy my eyes in the slightest of ways. The mascara and eyeliner were indeed easy to remove, long-lasting and didn’t smudge. I favoured the mascara out of the three; it lengthened, thickened and was suitable for when wearing contacts.

RRP –

Natural Mascara $30

Liquid Define Eye Liner $30

Natural Smokey Eye Pencil $30

Horus Sharpener $8

Stockists – Visit http://eyeofhorus.com.au for stockist details

With a range of greeting cards, bookmarks, wrapping paper, notebooks, writing sets and pens, you’re spoiled for choice. I had the honour of interviewing the lovely creator of Earth Greetings, read on below to see what Heide had to say.

In your own words, how would you describe Earth Greetings?

Earth Greetings create unique greeting cards & stationery using sustainable methods and materials, inspired by the Australian natural environment.

Where did you get the idea and inspiration to start Earth Greetings?

I got the idea for Earth Greetings in 2003 because I was taking photos as a hobby and particularly loved flowers and nature.  I was encouraged by friends and family who commented that my photos would look great on greeting cards.  I had also worked in a publishing company so had some skills in the area of wholesale.

The inspiration for making Earth Greetings a sustainable business came from my noticing the lack of recycled greeting cards & stationery available to buy.  I used to make all my own cards but found that I was often short on time and wanted to buy something ready-made, but most cards back then were not made from recycled paper.  I couldn’t help but wonder why.  So I researched the options for recycled paper & sustainable printing, and realised it was quite difficult to source back then and also very expensive.  Thankfully it’s a lot easier now as there is more awareness about sustainability.

What positive impact has Earth Greetings had on the environment?

Through our regular donations to Trees For Life from sales of our boxed Christmas card packs since 2008, Earth Greetings have enabled their volunteers to plant over 27,000 native trees.  The trees revegitate arid farmland, prevent soil erosion, clean the air by soaking up carbon dioxide and return homes to native wildlife.

The designs you use are absolutely gorgeous – I have a soft spot for magpies and adore your “Magpies Meet” – how did you come up with the designs?

Thank you!  I adore magpies too, such strong personalities.  I have an affinity for nature, and spend most weekends getting outdoors somewhere.  Wherever I go walking, I take lots of reference photos of trees, leaves and birds.  I use them as inspiration for all of my designs.  I only depict Australian native flora and fauna in my designs, because I want to bring awareness to the beauty of our local species and encourage people to want to protect it.  Plus there is so much diversity throughout Australia, I never seem to run out of inspiration!

What are your current best selling items?

Presently it’s our new Wild Life range of die-cut 100% post-consumer waste notelets.  Notelets are little notepads cut to a bird & cloud shape and the covers are screen printed with neon-bright colour. I think they are popular because they are both fun and practical!

What does the future have in store for you?

It’s coming up to ten years since I started Earth Greetings so I have been thinking about this a lot lately!  I would love to have some time off work actually, to travel around Australia bit more.  I hope to return inspired to create new and fresh designs.  I also want to expand my collaboration with other designers which is something I find really exciting.

Thank you to Heide for allowing time for an interview. We congratulate you on nearly ten years of successful business. Us here at Beauty and Lace love your designs and we know our readers will too.

For more information on Earth Greetings, visit the website – www.earthgreetings.com.au

Earth Greetings is one the many products featured in the up-coming Beauty and Lace box, which you can find more information about here.

Macadamias are hardly a stranger to most people’s diets – I think just about everyone has sampled these divine tasting nuts at one point or another. And we all know by now (or I should certainly hope so) that nuts are an essential part of our diet – a good way of getting our daily recommended intake of healthy fats. But what are the benefits of Macadamias?

• Macadamias are an excellent source of protein, calcium, potassium, dietary fibre and antioxidants
• Macadamias are very low in sodium
• Macadamia are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids
• Is highly resistance to oxidation and hence has a good shelf life
• Contains a large range of minerals including iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. Macadamias also contain significant levels of zinc, copper and selenium.
• Macadamias are also rich in vitamin E, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2, niacin and also contain pantothenic acid (B5) and folate.

In my pantry I have sitting proudly on display three bottles of Brookfarm’s exceptional Macadamia Oils – Premium Grade Macadamia Oil, Lemon Myrtle Infused Macadamia Oil and Lime and Chili Infused Macadamia Oil. The premium grade Macadamia Oil is an excellent choice for stir-fry’s, baking, salad dressings and marinades. It imparts a sweet, nutty taste that doesn’t distract from the flavour of the food. The Lemon Myrtle (perhaps my favourite of the three) goes well with chicken, fish, lamb, pasta dishes, mayonnaise, pestos and all vegetable dishes. Last but certainly not least, the Lime and Chili infused is good for sauces, seafood, and vegetable and noodle dishes. It can also be used to marinade meats and poultry dishes. The citrusy lime adds a light tang while the chili has a pleasing warmth.

The recipe page on the Brookfarm website is highly worthy of a read – I especially recommend the Lemon Backstraps with Lemon Myrtle Cous Cous (for those gluten-free like me, Cous Cous can be substituted with Quinoa) and Macadamia Pesto .

Brookfarm is a company that I’ve been personally purchasing from for the past couple of years – with their excellent, high-quality, nutrient-rich products and exceptionally enthusiastic customer service; I will definitely continue to be a willing customer.

RRP –  $10.95 for 250ml bottle

Stockists – For stockist information please visit www.brookfarm.com.au for details.

This little gem has been the centre of attention in beauty news recently, with claims that this wonder oil can provide many of great things for all skin ages and skin types.

Some of these benefits include –

• A high concentration of vitamin e, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins – which help to produce healthy skin, has anti-aging properties and encourages soft skin
• Helps to restore the natural pH balance of the skin
• Helps regulate sebum thus making it ideal for oily skins
• Strengthens hair
• Good for scar tissues
• Applied to brittle nails/cuticles helps to strengthen
• Provides relief for eczema and psoriasis

Seven Wonders have added divine smelling rose oil and vitamin e oil to their concoction and I must say it has a heavenly scent. The handy little pump provides enough drops for a thorough application and argan oil sinks in quickly, so skin isn’t left feeling greasy to touch.

If you would like a chance to try this luscious argan oil, Beauty and Lace is giving you the chance to win one of 5 bottles. Just click on this link, enter your details and I wish the best for you!

RRP – $24.95

Stockists – Keep an eye out for Seven Wonders products stocked in health food stores and pharmacies – also see www.sevenwonders.com.au for more stockist information.

Each pillowcase comes elegantly wrapped in a presentable box, with information about silk included.

Switching to a silk pillowcase has many benefits for both your skin and hair –

• -Silk is hypoallergenic
• -Silk doesn’t draw moisture from your skin, unlike cotton
• -Silk allows your skin to glide across the pillow, resulting in less skin stretching and sleep-crease
• -Cotton pillowcases twist and grab your hair while you sleep, resulting in damage.
• -Silk allows your hairstyle to last overnight
• -Silk breathes and is a natural room temperature regulator
• -Silk is a natural fibre, as opposed to synthetic satin pillowcases which are rougher, thinner and “sweats”, essentially negating the benefits.

When comparing this to my regular, cotton pillowcase, it’s quite unbelievable just how much of a smoother sensation silk gives. As far as the benefits go, its something that you need to use regularly for long term results. I can say however that my hair come morning does indeed look a little calmer and less like I’ve touched a live wire.

SLIP Silk Pillowcases come recommended by dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons, hairdressers and beauty therapists.

RRP – $59.95

Stockists – Visit www.slip.com.au for stockist information.

With sparkling new packaging and 7 exciting new additions to the range, the world was stirring with people longing to try.

When her Recovery Eye Gel Cream and Clay Purifying Mask landed into my eager little hands, I was rest assured with the knowledge that Kora doesn’t test their products on animals – only on Miranda herself. The Recover Eye Gel Cream has been a marvellous addition to my skin care routine – the adorably cute little tube has 10ml of creamy, soothing goodness including organic seaweeds (for it’s collagen boosting powers) Noni Extract (the star ingredient, as being included in all the Kora range) and Aloe Vera.

It sinks in quickly leaving the eye area feeling calmed, refreshed and rejuvenated. I can happily conclude that this didn’t irritate my sensitive eye area – anyone whom suffers from yearly hay fever will know how bothersome it can be to find something suitable.

The Clay Purifying Mask was equally impressive – I’ll confess that I’ll very rarely indulge in the time to use a facial mask (aren’t I terrible?) but I can happily and honestly say that I managed to shake myself from this habit for the sakes of this mask. With it’s abilities to gently refine, purify and detox the skin – all while still being nourishing – it’s a rare quality to find. With regular use skin will regain a natural glow.

The entire Kora Organics range is very proudly Australian made and owned and suitable for vegans. By not including a terrifying arrange of toxic ingredients – NO Sulfates, Parabens, Synthetic fragrance, Synthetic colours, T.E.A., D.E.A., Glycols, Silicones, PEGS. Ethoxylate and Formaldehyde free – Kora has won the hearts and respect of many people.

RRP – Kora Recovery Eye Gel Cream – $54.95         Kora Clay Purifying Mask – $49.95

Stockists – If you’re just as anxious as I was to try, Kora can be purchased from David Jones, Terry White Chemists and http://www.koraorganics.com