Design Bitch

Earth day is only once a year, but let’s keep in mind that it’s also great to make earth friendly decisions every day. So what better way to celebrate mother nature than an eco-friendly brand of beauty products by KORRES. Korres focuses on highly natural ingredients so there’s none of that ethyl-propyl-something or other found in a lot of the products out there. If you’re looking to make a small change to help the earth this year switch up your beauty drawer and try a new Korres lip balm or moisturizer, or whatever you might happen to be running out of and need to buy soon. All of Korres’ products are natural and well priced, so you can feel good about your purchases while feeling great about all the delicious and nutritious all natural vitamins going to work on your skin. (Not to mention the gorgeous packaging and colors everything comes in.) Mother nature never looked so pretty. Wild rose, evening primrose, white tea, quince, need I say more? I can smell all the pretty products already. Here are some of their best sellers:

Moisturizing shea with a tint of color to keep your lips pretty. Comes in a wide variety of shades and scents. Korres Quince Lip Butter, $10.00.

I have an extra sensitive eye area, as most of us do, so I only trust the best and most natural of liners to put around my eyes. Try this one with natural cedar and vitamin E.
Korres Eyeliner Pencil, $16.00.

Can’t say no to anything guava scented, and everyone always needs a good moisturizer. Nourishing and packed with rich avocado oils.
Korres Guava Body Butter, $15.50.

I’m a great lover of shoes. Not only because they serve a very important purpose, but many times because of their sheer beauty. Some shoes are definite objects of art, and you can tell designers have gotten their inspiration from the art world. Not only are they creating functional footwear, but are also true artists themselves. Here are a few of my favorite ‘artful shoes’.

Diego Dolcini

Giuseppe Zanotti E00139 High Heels

Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte

Five reasons to love Willow sandals by Twenty Two Shoes: 1) they are simple, 2) they are hand-made from Italian leather, 3) they use vegetable dyes and non-toxic glues, 4) their packaging and shoe boxes are crafted from recycled paper and printed with soy ink, 5) they come in silver or gold. If these flats float your boat, you can stop by their LA location or purchase them at their online store.

Twenty Two Shoes

8304 W 3rd St.

West Hollywood

b/t S. Flores St. and S. Sweetzer Ave.

(323-782-1929)

There is swapping and keeping and then there is renting and returning. To each his own, but to the latter it’s Zilok. Zilok is an online renting service where you can rent just about anything. From tuxedos to cars to lawn mowers to… you name it, it’s there, now you just have to f ind it within your proximity. This is ideal for items you don’t need to own, since you’ll only use them a couple of times a year. Getting started could not be easier:

A. Create your account

B. List your rental items

C. Make money

About a month ago I wrote a post about fashion swapping. This weekend I came across yet another swap site – Commuto.com. Only that this site is not fashion exclusive. The good thing about Commuto is that you trade within a community. You can either join a community geographically or create your own and invite your friends. Selling on Ebay or Craig’s list can be daunting unless you are selling items that are in high demand. In this case, you won’t have to reduce your prices by trading items of equal value.

How to use Commuto?
1. Sign up and create a profile.
2. Create your own private community or join an existing community.
3. Fill your “My Items” list with items you would like to trade.
4. Add to your “Wish List” items you want by either searching for the items by name or searching other members in your community and adding their items.
5. Wait for Commuto to automatically find matches for your trades or other members to propose trades to you.

To celebrate our lovely planet and her resources, we can strive to cut down our consumption. Here are a couple of ways to refresh your wardrobe without spending a fortune, while saving the environment. Join the fashion swapping community:

1. Swapstyle – online fashion swap party where you can trade apparel, shoes, accessories and more
2. Bag, Borrow or Steal – borrow or rent designer handbags and jewelry online
3. Don’t shop, swap! Throw your own fashion swapping party.

This year’s Earth Week Banana Republic is donating 1% of their sales to Trust for Public Land, a non-profit dedicated to conserving city parks and playgrounds and creating new ones. So hurry and shop this week (April 22-27) guilt-free, knowing that with every new skirt or sundress that you buy, you are making your city greener. If you are not a BR clothing fan, but would like to support their environmental efforts, you can also donate directly to this great cause or register to volunteer.

Who———-Andrea Crews collective – avant-garde and quirky
——————-French designers founded by Maroussia Rebecq

What———4 tonne mountain of used clothing transformed into a
——————-unique “post vintage” eco-collection

Why———–because you are an eco-hipster

Where——–andreacrews.com