So it’s Go Green week at Trespass. A subject very close to my heart. As an avid vegetarian and tree-hugger, I often get a bit of stick from my friends. I frequently get called a hippy, even though I probably own more beauty products than most of them combined, and at dinner parties I’m specially catered for. So this week, to be able to talk to other beauty-and-green-junkies, has been an absolute pleasure. Being able to promote a healthier, safer, and far more environmentally friendly lifestyle is something I am passionate about. Read on, to find out who these inspirational women are, and what they are doing to help change the world…
Alex Hume, Eco Fashionista
Alex Hume created Eco Fashionista for green at heart fashion lovers, and for those of us who want to help save the planet, but don’t want to sacrifice our sense of style. Eco Fashionista is an exclusive online boutique that stocks a chic range of eco-friendly clothes, accessories and gifts, from designers including Minna, Good Society, Loup Charmant and Skin and Threads.
Alex lives in Melbourne with her partner Lee and their 18-month-old son Max, where she divides her time between shopping, searching for the best coffee in town, and hanging out with her family.
What made you want to get into eco-friendly fashion?
I created Eco Fashionista almost a year to the day, after the birth of my son Max – the website grew from a number of catalysts, especially a desire to create a greener lifestyle for my family.
I realised that there were very limited options when it came to destinations for finding beautiful eco-friendly clothes. I have also found a fun outlet for my creativity and love of fashion, a far cry from my background in law.
What is the philosophy behind Eco Fashionista?
In line with the Eco Fashionista philosophy, all of the labels featured on the site couple sophistication with serious eco credentials. All of the different designers and I are equally dedicated to delivering real fashion with minimal impact on the Earth – proving that the two can go hand-in-hand.
The ranges we feature include pieces made from organic, sustainable, recycled and vintage fabrics, developed through eco-friendly production processes and under fair working conditions.
“Dedicated to delivering real fashion with minimal impact on the Earth – proving that the two can go hand-in-hand.”
What is your best ‘greenie’ tip?
I think that the best way we can all work towards being ‘greener’ is to focus on investment pieces. We constantly over consume and have a tendency to buy things we just don’t need.
For example, I believe in spending that little bit extra on a few great dresses that are all made really well, fit perfectly and can be adapted for different occasions as opposed to hundreds that aren’t quite right. My favourites are Minna’s Maria dress in vintage print and IVANAhelsinki’s Annie dress.
What is your most cringe-worthy fashion memory?
I would have to say a ra-ra skirt and matching crop top circa 1987…
The one fashion item I want locked up in a time capsule, never to return is: Anything fluoro!
What are your top 5 beauty essentials?
1. Emergin-C green tea cleanser - beautiful cleanser from natural ingredients for sensitive skin.
2. Organic rose hip oil – a wonderful skin treat at night.
3. Sk-II eye treatement patches – erases dark circles and fine lines in 20 minutes, need I say more?
4. Nars, The Multiple makeup stick in Cococobana – an all purpose creamy illuminator for eyes, cheeks.
5. Issada mineral foundation power – an all Australian, all natural product with great coverge and gentle on sensitive skin.
Catherine De Groot, Trilogy Co-Founder
Catherine founded Trilogy with her sister, Sarah Gibbs, in 2002 when they fell in love with Rosehip oil and decided to create an entire skin care range around this remarkable ingredient. At that time she was a beauty journalist and Sarah was manufacturing natural ingredients for the cosmetics industry. Sarah discovered a new way to extract the purest elements from this remarkable oil and they were excited by the results. They launched Trilogy with just five products including their hero product, Certified Organic Rosehip Oil. Eight years later, the Trilogy range consists of over 40 high performance skin and hair care products and is sold in 10 international markets.
1. What made you want to get into ‘green’ skincare?
When we launched Trilogy, natural skin care was still using old-fashioned formulas, heady overpowering scents and heavy oily textures. Sarah and I believed that, like us, people wanted to make more natural and ethical choices but didn’t want to sacrifice quality. The opportunity was obvious. We had a wonderful ingredient and a niche market in need of a contemporary makeover. We knew what we wanted to do. Trilogy was born.
“Three words inspired the name of our brand Trilogy – Simple, Pure and Vital.”
2. What is the philosophy behind Trilogy?
Three words inspired the name of our brand Trilogy – Simple, Pure and Vital. Each Trilogy product contains a simple blend of pure botanical extracts, in unique formulations, which restore the natural vitality and radiance of your skin and hair by working in perfect harmony with them.
Our mission is to produce high performance products with minimal environmental impact – “Maximum effect on your skin, minimum effect on our environment™.”
3. What is your best ‘greenie’ skin care tip?
Research the company you are buying products from:
a. Do they have integrity?
b. Is the brand up-front with the consumer?
c. Is the brand committed to ethical, cultural and environmental responsibility?
4. What is your beauty regime?
I like to keep my skin care regime simple. I cleanse, tone and moisturise morning and night, which takes less than five minutes each time, I use an exfoliating treatment twice a week and a masque once a week.
Nowadays my makeup also takes no longer than five minutes. I’m wearing less foundation (which has to be a good thing!), I no longer worry about lip liner and after 23 years, I’ve stopped wearing eye liner. I’ve taken a tip from my makeup artist friend who suggests a simple sweep of a matt eye shadow close to the eyelashes, giving a gentle depth to the eyes without the need for an eye pencil.
5. What are your top 5 beauty essentials?
Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil is definitely number one on my list. I massage a few drops into skin on my face and neck before applying my moisturiser. I also often add a few drops to my bath to help soften my skin all over!
I always cleanse morning and night with Trilogy Cream Cleanser which removes all my makeup, even the most stubborn mascara, and I follow this with a nutrient rich natural moisturiser. By day I use our Age Proof Daily Defence Moisturiser with SPF15 to protect my skin from the sun’s harsh rays, and by night I like to use a rich moisturiser such as Trilogy Ultra Hydrating Cream or Age Proof Replenishing Night Cream.
When it comes to cosmetics, the only two I always use are mascara and lipstick.
Elizabeth Barbalich, creator of Antipodes Skincare
Antipodes founder and owner Elizabeth Barbalich, first thought about creating her own all-natural skincare brand in 1997, when her first child was born. Elizabeth and her husband started thinking about how the family was living and the products they were using. “I began to see there was a gap in the market for a New Zealand-style brand. It sounds clichéd, I know, but I began mixing products in the kitchen and thinking about starting my own business.”
As Elizabeth recalls, “No-one wanted to know about it. The manufacturer I approached told me it was a waste of time. I was just another housewife with a fantasy about starting her own skincare.” But Elizabeth took heart from the knowledge that there were other New Zealand brands that were doing well. “I thought there was potential for a special niche, high-end skincare brand focused on exporting.”
Antipodes now has 18 products in its range and is exported all over the world.
What made you want to get into ‘green’ skincare?
I have a strong passion for organic and natural products, so I wanted to create a brand that was ethical; using clean, green ingredients, but also with a glamour aspect to it. Hip, not hippy!
What is the philosophy behind Antipodes?
To create the most desirable skincare products, for women and men, seeking a genuine green, and certified organic solution for skin care. Our customers want to use pure, results oriented products, and have a genuine respect for the environment. We use only the best possible ingredients, which can be traced to origin and the highest standards for manufacture and clinical trials. It’s paramount that we create products filled with passion to imbue a little joy in every day skincare regimes.
“I wanted to create a brand that was ethical; using clean, green ingredients, but also with a glamour aspect to it. Hip, not hippy!”
What is your best ‘greenie’ tip?
Buy it fresh, use it fresh! Purchase products to use on a daily basis, not put aside for special occasion. We compare organic skincare to fresh living produce.
What is your beauty regime?
3 steps to skin perfection!
Daily cleanse : hallelujah lime & patchouli cleanser in the morning, to remove sebum produced overnight, followed by a deep antioxidant cleanse at sunset with Grapeseed Butter Cleanser – this product is brilliant for gentle exfoliation, has harekeke which is an antibacterial ingredient to reduce blemishes, and leaves the skin glowing!
Daily moisturise: I love Vanilla Pod hydrating day cream, – it is super hydtrating, luscious, but light, and perfect for everyday use. At night-time I can’t go past Avocado pear nourishing night cream – it’s clinically shown to stimulate type 1 collagen in human skin cells by up to 92%.
Daily ultracare: In summer I use Immortal performance plus natural spf 15 over my moisturiser as this gives completely natural UV protection at a high level. I can enjoy 15 times my natural burn time in the sunlight with this product. It’s also a perfect base for foundation. At night, Hosanna serum is excellent under the night cream, as a water based product it has active botanical ingredients such as mamaku black fern and potent antioxidant vinanza grape.
What are your top 5 beauty essentials?
Water, 9 hours sleep, vegetable juice daily (from fresh vegies), love and Antipodes skincare!
Related Post: Green Fashion & Beauty Brands Pt. 2
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