Beyond Beauty Basics goes Down Under! We have teamed up with Apple & Bee to bring you a great giveaway.

As seen in Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Apple & Bee is a 100% Australian-owned company that makes beautiful cosmetic, travel, and even baby bags without harming the environment. Each bag is made of the finest natural materials such as certified organic cotton, silk, hemp, burlap/calico, and leather. Each fabric is designed in-house and exclusive to Apple & Bee.

I personally love the Wooden Handle Clutch and the Silver Clasp Purse. They come in these great prints that I love for days and nights out, especially in the summer. They’d be great for a tropical summer vacation too (this is a hint to my husband).

If you were ever a Girl Scout, you were told to leave nature as you found it. Apple & Bee does just that – they have a neutral carbon footprint. They also donate part of all of their profits to environmental organizations. These are not only beautiful bags, but they are green, and that just feels good.

To be eligible for our giveaway, simply leave a comment and tell us why you think you deserve to win your very own Apple & Bee collection! The winner will receive everything you see here: Large Make-Up Bag, Wooden Handle Clutch, Silver Clasp Purse, Medium Make-Up Bag, and the Small Make-Up Bag – a $300 value. Each bag comes in a signature Apple & Bee dust bag.

You can check out the rest of the collection at AppleandBee.com

**Update** Congrats to our winner Amy Hammond!

Contest ends Saturday, June 27, 2009 11:59pm EST. One (1) lucky winner will be chosen at random on June 28th 2009. This contest is only open to U.S. residents and winners will be notified via email. One comment entry per person, trackable by IP address. Please make sure to provide a valid email address. Winner must confirm within 24 hours, otherwise another entry will be chosen.

This is the time of year where we want new skincare & beauty options and we want those options to be healthy, eco-friendly and good for our skin. Thankfully we have many natural beauty brands and products to choose from, in a wide range of categories and price points, from cleanser to bronzer and everything in-between. Brands are listening closely to what customers are asking for and the brands are creating fantastic products for us to enjoy.

Two of my favorite good-for-you skincare brands are LUSH and Yes To Carrots. These brands offer fantastic price points and such a huge selection of items to choose from.

LUSH actually makes solid shampoo bars with delicious healthy ingredients. I love their Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo. This vegan solid shampoo is fantastic for hair and scalp, even helping to reduce dandruff. Nutritious nettle, restorative rosemary, purifying tea tree and stimulating peppermint pack a punch every time you use it. Also, if you visit your local LUSH store try and bring your own cloth bag as some of their products don’t have extra packaging, leaving less trash for the environment.

Yes To Carrots has a wide selection of great products derived from the Dead Sea. This is a fun paraben-free collection of good-for-you skincare for your face and body targeting dry and oily skin types. This is a great way to keep your skin healthy no matter what skin type you have.

I am thrilled to see so many wonderful beauty brands continue to grow and flourish in the natural arena. Korres is a Natural Product line from a Greek company with its roots coming from Athens’ first ever Homeopathic Pharmacy. This summer,  their collection of make-up has grown by leaps and bounds. Not only are there colors extraordinary but they feel and look fantastic on all skin types. Tarte Cosmetics has always been a glamour gals best friend with innovative products and fantastic packaging. They always wanted to make sure that there customers knew that not only were the buying a great pretty product, you were also buying one that would be good for your skin. It’s what’s inside that counts, and what’s inside these products are wholesome, skinvigorating™ ingredients that treat, nourish and protect skin.

If you’ve ever wanted to try a new skincare or beauty routine in the organic and natural arena now is the time to do it. Enjoy all of the great options and have fun with all of the beautiful green beauty products that are available.

Guest Contributor:

Jennifer Walsh has been a true pioneer in the beauty business. Her role within the industry began more than 14 years ago and has involved everything from becoming a CEO of her own company to being a make-up artist for movies, concerts, and runway, to being an on air TV expert, a freelance beauty writer, a creator of beauty retail stores, a book contributor, producer of shoots for magazines, a guest speaker at functions around the country, and most of all, a beauty and skin care expert. JenniferWalshOnline.com

Hey everyone, this week is National Pollinator Week and Burt’s Bees is having a fun contest here at Beyond Beauty Basics to give these little pollinators a moment in the spotlight! Burt’s Bees uses home-made bees wax in their popular lip balms, hand salves, and other products. The company focuses on providing consumers natural products and has also been leaders in using eco-friendly packaging. The best natural personal care products and my personal favorite lip balm are all made by Burt’s Bees. Have you tried any of their addictive natural products yet? No? Well here’s your chance to score yourself a Burt’s Bees Radiance Kit.

You can easily win and glow from head to toe by sampling an assortment from the Burt’s Bees Radiance line in convenient travel sizes which include:

• Mini Exfoliating Body Bar
• Exfoliating Body Wash
• Mini Body Lotion
• Day Creme
• Night Creme
• Eye Creme
• Full Size Lip Shimmer

NAPPC is a group of more than 90 partners and affiliated organizations, working to promote and implement a continent-wide Action Plan to encourage activities that protect the numbers and health of resident and migratory pollinating animals.

Well it’s really easy to win your own Burt’s Bees Radiance Kit so you can stay BEE-utiful! In honor of National Pollinator Week from June 22-28 all you have to do is visit any of the following 3 pollinator friendly resource sites below and leave a comment here on Beyond Beauty Basics on what you learned about the bee crisis, how you can help, or any Bee Crisis FACT.

• Burt’s Bees (www.burtsbees.com)
• The Pollinator Partnership (www.pollinator.org)
• Haagen-Daz’s Honeybee Program (www.haagendazs.com)

Contest ends June 28 11:59pm EST. Five (5) lucky winners will be chosen at random on June 29 and must have a Bee Fact from one of the 3 sites which will be verified. This contest is only open to U.S. residents and winners will be notified via email.

***Drum Roll Please***

Congratulations to the following winners of the “Burt’s Bees BEE-utiful Radiance Kit Contest Giveaway”!  Thank you to all those that entered and check back with us on Beyond Beauty Basics for more contests and great prizes!

• Melody Kristensen
• Kathy Conley
• Tina Renee, NC
• Jenny-kins, NY
• Teresa Hoyt, MI

Let’s go swimming on this heat wave of a weekend without all of the harsh chemicals which so many of our favorite sunscreens have in them. If you switch to a more natural or organic sunscreen, your skin will thank you and you will still get that protection you need during this hot summer and all year round. Sunscreen is a must for everyday and with all of the pollutants our skin is constantly fighting, let’s start treating it right with an organic sunscreen. What I love the most about organic and natural sunscreens is the scents. They usually smell of fresh lavender and essential oils that leave you feeling fresh instead of covered in synthetic ingredients.Here are a few to get you started:

Alba Organic Lavender Sunscreen SPF 30 is packed with delicious smelling natural ingredients. Lavender, aloe vera, chamomile, ginkgo biloba, and green tea are just a few of the many natural ingredients to help soothe and protect your skin. This is a broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protectant that is not greasy and water resistant. This is for all skin types and the natural lavender works as an insect repellent as well. Reapply this sunscreen every two hours while swimming. Be sure to re-apply, the sun breaks down our SPF regardless of the brand so it is very important to reapply. You can find this as well as many other skincare products at www.albabotanical.com

Dr. Hauschka has an incredible stick sunscreen. I love these to take along with me in my bag just in case I get stuck out in the sun and need to touch up. This is filled with plant waxes and botanical extracts to give even the most sensitive skin the proper sun protection. You will get UVA and UVB protection from this stick, but don’t let size fool you; this is extremely effective in protecting you from the sun. Remember to always reapply! Check out the entire line at www.drhauschka.com.

I am most excited to share with you the Anti-Aging Sun Screen SPF 20 Face by Lavera Naturkosmetik. I am in love with this brand for all that it stands for and the powerful and effective ingredients they use. This is a 100% paraben, petroleum, glutene, and synthetic ingredient free line. As well as cruelty free and uses only pure organic plant oils, herbs, flower extracts, and essential oils. This is a line that has flourished for the past 20 years in Germany and now available to everyone. The Anti-Aging Sun Screen SPF 20 Face is intensely hydrating as well as packed with anti-aging ingredients. Caffeine extract to stimulate circulation, hyaluronic acid and aloe vera gel to give maximum hydration, and organic sunflower oil to protect and soothe the skin are just a few. This is effective the moment you put it on and is waterproof, vegan, free of oxybenzone and cetyl cinnamates, and is 100% mineral based to protect you from UVA, B, and C rays. You can learn more at www.Lavera.com and you can find which products work best for you.

Remember, always use your sun protection, organic or not! The sun will break your SPF down to nothing in a few hours so be sure to reapply. Enjoy the summer sun, but always be protected!