Origins Peace of Mind: Holiday Beauty Gift Guide

Here's one of my holiday pet peeves: you're involved in a gift swap and the max amount you can spend is $10. Don't cha just hate that? What inevitably ends up happening is you wind up buying some throwaway gift and you think to yourself, "I should have just put an Alexander Hamilton in an envelope and been done with it."

Well, this year when you find yourself in that situation, I have the perfect gift pick: Origins Peace of Mind.

Peace of Mind is Origins' original stress-buster. When the world closes in on you and your head feels a size too small, apply just two dabs and you'll feel a tingling sensation as pressure, tension and tightness begin to melt away.

Any time I've got a lot on my mind and have trouble relaxing before bedtime, I dot this stuff on my temples, between my brows and on the nape of my neck. It's like a creamy, liquid lullaby. So next time you have to buy a present and penny-pinch, give the gift every one wants and needs: a good night sleep.

Origins Peace of Mind is available at Macy's and origins.com.

For more expert gift picks, check out Spoiled Pretty's 2009 Holiday Beauty Gift Guide!

Bonus Origins Samples

The Total Beauty team just tipped me off to this incredible offer...

Get Nature's Best Skin Care FREE!

Shop Origins online and receive a FREE 4-piece sample set with any order while supplies last, plus Free Standard Shipping.

Or

Visit an Origins store for a FREE 2-minute skin care consultation and take home a FREE 4-piece sample set of your choice, while supplies last.



Promotion runs 8/22 - 9/3/08. Click here for more details.

Naturally Beautiful: Nordstrom Goes Green

Just because you’ve embraced an eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t mean that you need to trade your Manolo Blahnik for Birkenstocks. And just because you prefer your skincare to be chemical-free doesn’t mean you have to purchase products in a health store/head shop that reeks of patchouli. Just in time for Earth Day, Nordstrom is going green.

Last month, Nordstrom launched its new "Well Beauty" counters in 25 stores – and a virtual counter on Nordstrom.com. Rather than zip from counter to counter looking for natural products, Well Beauty is one-stop shopping your organic beauty needs.

Featured brands include Origins Organics, Juice Beauty, Pangea Organics, Korres, Caudalie and CARE by Stella McCartney. Products were chosen because they are paraben, petro-chemical free and sold in recycled packaging. And there will also be a full-time staff member at the Well Beauty counter to answer questions and direct customers to the products most appropriate for their skin.

To find a Well Beauty counter near you, contact your local Nordstrom store. To shop online, click here.

Special Offer from Origins

Right now Origins is giving away a free one-week supply of the new Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Plantidote Mega Mushroom Treatment Lotion with any $25 purchase (plus free shipping)!

This special ends March 30th, so take advantage of the free gift while you can!

Hola From Orlando

By the time you read this, I’ll probably be back in Philadelphia – but I had to report on my fabulous beauty finds in Florida. I’m here on business, but I had some downtime – which I chose to fill with a trip to the Orlando Premium Outlets. I visited the Philadelphia Premium Outlets on Monday, so I guess you could say that I’m addicted.

Anyway, I stopped by The Cosmetics Company Store, and it didn’t disappoint. Like the one in Philadelphia, the outlet carried Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Estee Lauder, MAC, Origins, and Prescriptives. But they also sell select products from Stila (including some discontinued, yet gorgeous, shades of Lip Glaze).

I picked up three MAC Eye Shadows for $10 each (normally $14) and two MAC Tendertone Lip Balms for $11.25 each (usually $14.50). Tendertone is a lipcolor that combines the shine of a gloss with the soft emollient feel of a lip conditioner. Moisturizing and non-sticky in wear, they smell like a candy apple. I highly recommend Deep Sigh (sheer bronze pearl) and Pucker (sheer raspberry).

Bargain Beauty

If you’re in the Greater Philadelphia area, might I suggest a trip to the new Philadelphia Premium Outlets? Located in Limerick, PA (ironically, somewhat far from Philadelphia), the outlet mall boasts designer brands such as Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Coach, Michael Kors, and Neiman Marcus.

My favorite discovery, however, was the handful of beauty stores - which offer jaw-dropping discounts on cosmetics, bath and body products, and fragrances…I’m talking 25-65% off!

The Cosmetics Company Store carries an impressive selection of products from Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Darphin, Estee Lauder, MAC, Origins, and Prescriptives – just to name a few. The Lancome Company Outlet sells select makeup, skincare, and fragrances. There’s also a Crabtree & Evelyn outlet, as well as two perfume discounters.

Before you take the trip to Limerick, make sure to sign up for the VIP Shopper Club to receive exclusive discounts, a coupon book, and insider news on your favorite brands!

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

Love chocolate, but watching your waistline? Next time you get a craving, put down the M&M’s (my personal weakness) and pick up one of the following products. They’re sure to satisfy any chocoholic’s sweet tooth!

Bath & Body


Chocolate Milk Body Wash by Philip B is a playful and magical experience that revives the spirit of your inner child and lends a spiritual youth jolt! Nurturing and skin conditioning, the aromatic rich scent is a treat from your nose to your toes and makes you feel 100% delicious.


When times are rough, let nature’s original physical therapist, pure Cocoa Extract, reveal your softer self. Origins Cocoa Therapy Body-Buffing Scrub helps delete skin-dulling debris and excess impurities.


Prepare yourself for pampering with Spa Chocolate Gift Set by Not Soap, Radio - consisting of exfoliating sugared body polish, ultra-whipped cocoa butter body soufflé, and a purifying face mask all made with real cocoa, a dash of vanilla and a hint of nutmeg.


Fragrance


Aquolina’s Chocolovers Sweet Kiss Gift Set includes a 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray and a 0.27 oz Creamy Lip Color in a signature gift box.


Dangerously alluring and passionately addictive, Comptoir Sud Pacifique’s Amour de Cacao offers a delicate and original alternative for vanilla lovers. With notes of unsweetened dark chocolate, vanilla, and bitter orange, this elegant confection lingers with a powdery exoticism.


Cosmetics


There's just nothing sexier than a juicy, plump, healthy, satin-smooth pucker. Keep your lips in kissable shape with Too Faced Beauty Balm, a seductive lip balm infused with lip loving essential oils. The Chocolate Bunny shade (a chocolate-scented nude) keeps lips soft and supple.


Sweet Beauty Lip Balms are formulated to moisturize, heal and protect, while pampering your lips with the delicious taste of chocolate. They are available in 5 degrees of chocolaty intensity.


Bourjois Bronzing Powder and Kabuki Brush give your skin a radiant, healthy glowing tan with a chocolate-orange scent.


Home


If you're not eating chocolate, what's the next best thing? A Cocoa Bar that looks and smells like the real thing...but can hold all sorts of things for you. Slide cards or photos in between the individual "pieces" to hold them up or use it as a soap dish or a paperweight. The possibilities are endless...and if all else fails, you can always take an intoxicating whiff. Chocoholics won't be able to resist.


Laura Mercier Chocolate Truffle Candle diffuses a warm chocolate fragrance throughout the home. It blends top notes of almond with creamy espresso and a hint of Frangelico; the chocolate scent is warmed with a blend of vanilla, sweet maple and honey topped off with rose.

Spoiled Silly

Spoil yourself silly with Origins’ most irresistible Bath and Body Beauties. The Spoiled Silly set includes:

• Shedonism Intensely bubbling bath syrup (3.4 fl. oz) - a bubble bath/body wash scented with the Tahitian Tiare flower
• Shedonism Exotic floral essence rollerball (0.14 fl. oz.) - deep, hypnotic Tahitian Tiare delicately dashed with evocative Jasmine, sweet Petitgrain Mandarin, sparkling Bergamot and Basil
• Shedonism Deeply hydrating butter cream (8 oz.) - a sumptuous, hydrating blend of Sweet Almond, Coconut oils, and Shea Butter
• Shedonism votive candle - adds a lush and lavish feel to any room and makes it simple to spoil yourself silly; all natural essential oils, 100% vegetable wax, 100% cotton wick
  

Spoiled Silly is a $66 value for $58. Origins products are sold at Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Douglas Cosmetics, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Origins.

Good Clean Fun

Sometimes, it's super-fun getting dirty. Shouldn’t it be as enjoyable getting clean again? With these soap stars, it can be!


Soap Leaves by Trace Elements
Only Mother Nature could form soaps this beautiful. Genuine dried and cured leaves form a pretty, latice frame for a gentle soap resin that has been mixed according to a secret Thai formula. Each honey-scented soap leaf will last for one to two washings. Available in Ivory or Green. Box of 20.


Sapone da Viaggio Assorted Gift Soap Set by Tocca
A charming gift set of three Sapone bar soaps in Stella (Blood Orange), Florence(Orris Rose), and Cleopatra (Grapefruit Cucumber), Sapone Da Viaggio makes the perfect gift. A gentle, moisture-rich bar soap that uses key ingredients like Kukui Nut oil, blue-green algae extract and Vitamin E to hydrate, firm and repair skin, leaving it soft and glowing.


Bar Soap by Pure & Basic
It was only recently discovered that green tea has deodorant properties that are surprisingly effective. In formulating their exclusive soaps, Pure & Basic used Green Tea extracts that provide natural deodorant protection. For the first time, health-conscious consumers can buy a gentle deodorant soap that really works. Ingredients include tea tree oil, lotus leaves, and shea butter. Available in five fragrances: Fresh Fig, Green Tea, Honey Shea Butter, White Tea, and Wild Banana Vanilla (my fav!).


La Source Triple-Milled Soap by Crabtree & Evelyn
La Source cleansing bars are formulated with shea butter to moisturize and condition your skin. The relaxing sea air fragrance smells so good, I get compliments from friends and strangers.


Original Soaps by Fresh
These soaps have a pure vegetable oil base enhanced with nourishing shea butter. Because the bars are milled twice, there are no air pockets - which makes the soap dense, luxurious, and long-lasting. My favorite scents are Verbena, Vanilla, and Mangosteen.


Let's Circulate Salt Rub Soap by Origins
Massaging nubs and purifying Dead Sea Salts buffered in moisture-grabbing Glycerin lather up to release surface toxins and get positive energy circulating throughout your whole being.


Exfoliating Body Soap by L'Occitane
Enriched with exfoliating apricot kernel powder, nourishing grape-seed oil and revitalizing organic grape juice from Provence, this exfoliating soap cares for your skin and reveals all its beauty. It smoothes rough areas and effectively sloughs away dead cells and traces of ink, adhesive bandages, self-tanners, etc.

It's So Easy Being Green

Just because I love makeup doesn't mean that I can't love the environment too, right? It used to be that eco-friendly cosmetics were few and far between, had an extremely short shelf-life, and were as couture as a hemp bracelet. But recently, a number of companies have jumped on the natural beauty bandwagon - giving us good reason to go green.

Makeup



Cargo's PlantLove Botanical Lipstick contains no mineral oils or petroleums. In their place, the formula contains meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba and shea butter as well as their trademarked Orchid Complex. The packaging is what makes this lipstick truly special. It’s made entirely out of corn (which by it’s nature, is completely bio-degradable). In addition, the outer carton is made of flower paper, embedded with real flower seeds. So plant the packaging and see how your garden grows. In addition, Cargo is donating two dollars from the sale of every shade of lipstick to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Natural rose and jojoba waxes in Dr. Hauschka Mascara Intermezzo help strengthen lashes. It also has a silky, plant extract-rich formula that's great for contact-lens wearers and those with sensitive eyes. Jennifer Aniston is a fan.
















Smashbox Palettes for PETA are limited-edition, 100% vegan eye shadows formulated for superb blendability that have never been tested on animals. Pick up a palette and help smashbox support cruelty-free, kind living. IPalette includes a double-ended brush for blending, lining and smudging.

Face

Epicuren Citrus Herbal Cleanser is an all natural liquid cleanser for normal, combination or sensitive skin. Infused with apricot, walnut, and cucumber extracts, it is a superior aromatherapy cleanser.















Angelina Jolie loves Shea Terra Organics Lip Butter, made from shea butter, beeswax, and virgin coconut crème oil. And unlike most balms, their ultra moisturizing lip butters are petroleum-free and naturally sweetened, so chances are you will be licking your lips!

Stella McCartney Care 5 Benefits Moisturizing Cream improves skin's moisture, nourishes, helps to protect the skin from exposure to the environment, and leaves skin firm, fresh, and radiant.

Hair

John Masters Organics Bouron Vanilla & Tangerine Hair Texturizer is an extra-strength texturizer that's perfect for shaping hair into any style, from spiky to smooth. It adds amazing texture and creates a soft, shiny, non-greasy finish.

Lauren Conrad uses It’s All Good Rosemary Mint Shampoo, which cools and revitalizes your scalp leaving hair feeling soft, silky, and smooth.

Skin

What's so special about Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Creme? Honey, where do I begin? It offers intense moisturization to even the roughest of feet and callused skin. With coconut oil, olive oil and vitamin E it will pamper and nourish your feet leaving them soft and beautiful. Peppermint oil provides a cooling and refreshing feeling. For $4 more, purchase the creme as part of the Foot Care Kit, which includes a pumice stone, sleep socks, and tips for touchable tootsies.





Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Matcha Tea Body Scrub exfoliates skin with antioxidant-rich green tea and sea salt. It whisks away roughness, dullness and skin stressors, purifies the body and reinvigorates the flow of healthy energy to restore the four perfect principles of the Tea Ceremony - “Wa (harmony), kei (respect), sei (purity), jaku (tranquility)”.