Shop for a Cause this Earth Day

First of all, hello! I know it's been quite a while, things have been a bit hectic but I'm excited to bring you this collaboration with a fellow green beauty blogger, Mollie! I'll be sure to link her blog below, but we decided since it's Earth Day, we would showcase our top 5 companies that give back and help make this world a better place, whether that be humanitarian or in relation to keeping the Earth sustained. You all may or may not know, but I love shopping with companies that serve a higher purpose, and those that help to make our planet better in some form or fashion. The following companies are in no particular order, they're all incredible!

1. Meridian Lee Ethical Design - If you've visited my blog before, you may have seen my detailed blog about this company and it's incredible impact on society. I also did an in depth review of my overnight duffle bag I purchased from them {which I must say is my favorite bag I own}. You can read that post here for more detail, but this incredible company has an array of hand-made products including purses, duffle bags, scarves, jewelry, and more! All of their materials are ethically sourced, made from renewable resources, and their products are hand crafted by women who have survived unimaginable conditions. The women employed by Meridian Lee are survivors of human trafficking and other hardship within developing countries. Meridian Lee enters into these communities, and provides these women with a means of supporting their families and a purpose in their trade. One item in particular that is on my wish list is a bracelet called Honoré Bracelet, pictured below in turquoise {also comes in natural}, and this particular bracelet features a hand carved pendant that is made by women in Kenya, and those women use their profits from their artisan co-op to care for orphans of the aids epidemic in their neighborhood. How incredible and humbling is that? I highly recommend you look into this brand and please consider purchasing an item, regardless of size or cost, all proceeds help these women.

2. Axiology Beauty Liptsicks - This is another company I recently have mentioned on my YouTube channel, and I cannot begin to say enough about this brand and their incredible lip products. Axiology Beauty has a line of 19 varying shades of organic ingredient lipsticks that are both extremely moisturizing, long-lasting, beautifully pigmented, and quite unique in their shade range {which can be hard to find at times}. Their lipstick stands out to me as one of the best in green beauty, and their company's values stand out just as much. The first thing I noticed upon opening my box from Fig & Flower to reveal the lipstick, is their beautiful outer packaging {pictured below}. The packaging is made from 100% recycled paper that has been folded and decorated by hand by women who run a boutique in Bali, Indonesia. The boxes also help to reduce trash on the island! In addition, the company uses only natural and organic ingredients, which means no toxic chemicals or harmful additives, protecting our environment. Ingredients are all sustainable and ethically sourced, and their products are completely cruelty free. The company also supports the international orangutan foundation, which is dedicated to rainforest and orangutan conservation. They donate a percentage of their profits to support the cause. The reasoning for a new lipstick purchase just got a bit easier!

3. Green & Gorgeous Organics - I wanted to provide a variety of different product options within this blog, so this company provides something super convenient for ladies {& men}in the hair department. You know those days when you wake up late or just want to stretch your gorgeous hair from yesterday a day further? We all have them, and I'm sure the majority of us own dry shampoo. My bet is that the majority of people who own dry shampoo are using either traditional baby powder, which contains harmful talc, or they're using the aerosol spray dry shampoo you can conveniently find at your local Walmart or Target. Most traditional dry shampoos are harmful for the environment and your body due to the toxins found in their ingredient lists such as, but not limited to, talc, fragrance (parfum), parabens, a petroleum gas that allows the aerosol function to operate and includes  a mixture of numerous environmentally harmful chemicals, and denatured alcohol. According to one of the blogs on the Green & Gorgeous site, our scalps absorb at a rate of 5 to 10 times higher than any other area of our body. I used to use the spray dry shampoo, but now that I've researched and began looking for healthier alternatives, I've found a few dry shampoo brands that are non-toxic, but G&G has been the most effective for me. It works extremely well at ridding those excess oils, and makes your hair look fresh! Not to mention the products smell amazing, and the large bottles will last for ages. In addition to cutting out excess toxins and the aerosol aspect of most dry shampoo, the company also aids to helping the environment by housing their product in a 100% eco-friendly and biodegradable packaging. The majority of green beauty companies I've found make efforts such as these, so choosing which brands to highlight were a bit hard, but I decided to focus on some smaller brands in the mix in an effort to hope they continue to grow. 

4. 100% Pure - I had to include this company for numerous reasons with one being that it was one of the first brands that I purchased from when I began transitioning into green beauty. The brand has grown substantially within the past few years from what I understand, and they are continuously making efforts to help our environment not only through the ingredients within their products and their packaging, but also through their efforts to help others through the donation of proceeds. They donate and help numerous organizations through philanthropy actions, you can see the list here! I think it's incredible that such a large company still makes an effort to help those in need, including all walks of life. For example, today they are having an Earth Day special in which 100%, yes ALL proceeds from sales today, will be donated to providing 100% clean and safe water for the residents of Flint, Michigan. On their site, they've stated the following - 

100% PURE hopes that this small measure will provoke policy changes and regulations to protect safe sources of water around the globe.

How incredible is that? That alone shows the type of character and values this company holds.

5. Thesis Beauty Purists - I discovered this brand from a sample I received from the lovely Fig & Flower  of the Thesis makeup remover, and all I can say is I was SO impressed. It's hands down the best makeup remover I've ever tried, and it is so very gentle I can use it to tackle waterproof mascara with no irritation {can I get an AMEN?} Needless to say, the packaging of this brand also blew me away from the glass bottle packaging, the ingredient standard, and the unique labeling. Their packaging is made from 40% recycled material and they're handmade which supports small artisans! Glass isn't biodegradable of course, but it is reusable and easy to recycle. Their boxes and labels are all completely recycled, and biodegradable paper products that are actually treeless! How neat is that?  They're either made from cotton or stone ensuring that no trees or forests are harmed by their company. They use plastic for certain products {such as the makeup remover} pumps & caps when needed but they work extremely hard to limit the use of any plastic. The plastic they use impacts the environment in a positive way because it is the most easily recycled type of plastic. {I didn't even realize how many types of plastic there are!} They carry a huge array of items, and I plan to try more in the near future! Shown below is the makeup remover, and you can see how gorgeous the packaging is. If you'd like to purchase this product or any other product from Fig & Flower boutique, code "objourney15" will save you at checkout {all caps}!

I hope someone enjoyed this post and hopefully found it helpful. As I mentioned in the beginning, be sure to check out Mollie's blog, She's a Natural - her post should be up within the next day or so!

Any action you can take to help better our environment and protect our Earth is extremely important. From recycling, to reducing overall waste, to using products that cut out toxins, and more, it all matters. All actions have a huge impact on our planet whether or not we realize it. Make an effort to do your part and just as we were taught in school - reduce, reuse, recycle.

Happy Earth Day 2016! 

Stay beautiful. 

xoxo, Holly