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

Popularity: 3%

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!

Popularity: 3%

Mom does it all for you, now it’s your turn to give mom a special Mother’s Day gift of spa-at-home pampering.

Here are some quick and easy ways to make mom feel pampered with out spending a dime! All you need are some natural ingredients you can find right at home to make mom feel extra special this Mother’s Day.

First, grab your mom’s favorite robe and present it to her with a note of what is to be expected for her spa-at-home day.

You will need:

• a bowl for her feet to soak
• a dish for each hand to soak
• a towel to wrap her hair
• a large chair, lounge, or sofa because mom needs to relax and be totally comfortable throughout her spa experience

We are going to give mom a fabulous foot scrub and rub, a luxurious hand exfoliation with massage, and intense scalp treatment, but don’t forget the refreshments. Mom needs her favorite snacks and drinks ready and served to her throughout the day so prep early to save time.

For the Fabulous Foot Scrub, you will need

• 1 cup regular sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Mix them together to create an incredibly hydrating foot scrub that you can use all over mom’s feet and calves right after she soaks in a warm foot bath with fresh lemon and orange slices floating on top. The citrus fruits will help loosen dead skin cells and make the feet silky soft. Follow your foot soak and scrub with mom’s favorite body lotion and use it to massage and complete the perfect foot scrub and rub experience.Before we move onto the hands, we want to give moms scalp a treatment like no other. With mom’s busy schedule, she doesn’t spend enough time on her hair and scalp which I’m sure none of us do. All you need is to mix up a fabulous Tropical Scalp Treatment for her hair.

1. Mash up one over-ripe banana, the blacker the better
2. with one extra mushy avocado
3. Massage this exotic scalp cocktail into mom’s hair and leave on for at least 20 minutes. While this sets, we can move onto the manicure.

For the Motherly Manicure:

1. You will need to have mom soak her hands in warm water with a dab of liquid soap.
2. You can add a few small flowers to the water for a touch of sweetness.
3. Use the same scrub you made for the feet for the hands, but this time use half the mixture.
4. After you have exfoliated the hands, use mom’s favorite lotion to give a 15 to 20 minute hand massage. The hands can completely relax the body and your mom will feel totally pampered like she is at the spa.
5. Finish with a few coats of her favorite nail polish.

While mom’s nails dry, it’s time to rinse out the hair mask and wrap her up in a towel, serve her lunch, and have more spa bonding time with mom. A little sweetness goes a long way and don’t you think mom deserves a break? And who better to give it to her than her own personal beauty expert, YOU!

Happy Mothers Day to Mom’s Everywhere! You’re beauty choices have and always will be as fabulous and memorable as you are.

Popularity: 3%

Did you know that it can take up to 240 years for one plastic bag to decompose? Or that when plastic bags are incinerated there are claims that the substances given off include carbon dioxide which is a major culprit in the greenhouse effect and global warming? The first step to “Going Green” can start with your everyday shopping. We should all be using recycled material canvas, net, cloth, or hemp bags.

It is so important for every single one of us to do what we can to go green and help save our planet, and it is easier than you think. Just by changing the way we shop will make a huge impact on the planet and bring us closer to saving our earth. Before you go green, here are some simple facts to consider:

Plastic is made of polyethylene, a derivative of petroleum or, during oil crunches, natural gas, according to Dick Paplinsky, vice president of sales at American Western Corporation, a leading manufacturer of plastic products including bags. Since no standards have been established for the biodegradability of polyethylene, decomposition rates vary but always involve a “long, long time,” Paplinsky admits. The answers I came across in terms of the time frames for a plastic bag to fully decompose range from as short as one year to as long as 240 years. Complete incineration of plastic bags is possible, some claim, but the substances given off include carbon dioxide, which is a major culprit in the much-publicized greenhouse effect and global warming.

Now, it’s time to do something about it. It is becoming easier and easier to make the right choice to use recycled bags to shop with and you can find them anywhere! You can find them at your local grocery store, or your favorite fashion boutique. Everyone is waking up to the fact that we have to act now and this is the easiest way to make a difference. So, the next time you are out shopping for your next pair of summer sandals or fabulous earrings to complete the perfect outfit for a girls night out, just grab your shopping bag before you leave the house so not only will you look great, but you will be saving the planet in the process!

Here are some of our favorite sites to help you get started finding the perfect recycled bag to shop with, and also give back to help save our beautiful planet. Happy Earth Day!

Find 1000’s of Earth Day Tote Bags on CafePress

www.reusablebags.com
www.treehugger.com
www.thedailygreen.com

Want to shop green online? Save 10%off with $$ Double Drugstore.com Dollars!

Popularity: 4%