My Beauty Box: Environment Awareness Month: Beauty With a Conscience

April is the Environment Awareness Month and I want to help you make better choices for your body and the planet. Here's a list of a few of my favorite natural cosmetics brands and highlight products you need to check out along with a few beauty hacks that can help cut down on the amount of products you use.

I don't think I have ever fallen in love so hard, so fast with a shampoo. It's fantastic! It leaves me with clean, voluminous, soft hair; removing any dirt and product build up in one rinse and leaves hair squeaky clean yet soft and manageable. The conditioner is light and great for "regular" use, I mix it with a mask once a week to give my hair a boost. I also enjoy their skin lotion, it has the same lovely, subtle fragrance the hair line has a light texture that adds a touch of moisture to dry skin without being too greasy or oily. I am so, so impressed with this brand and their products and I can't recommend them enough. It's good to know that the line has a fragrance free version of everything, which can be interesting for those with fragrance sensitivities and most products have a score of 0 (lowest possible) on EWG. Seriously, try the shampoo!

I really love their Orange Blossom Energizer and Rose Revitalizing Care, both being a 2 phase hybrid between a serum and a toner that keep my skin soft and hydrated. During winter I use them under my regular moisturizer and wear them on their own in the summer. I also like pretty much everything from their Aquanature skin range, the main ingredient in it, hyaluronic acid, is great for dehydrated skin along with their fancy Beauty Pearl Anti Pollution Serum a pricey but oh-so-worth it hyaluronic acid serum that makes my skin soft, plump and supple. This brand has great innovative and beautiful products that are worth investing in.

3. Smith Farms
Go local! Support local businesses and diminish your carbon footprint by choosing products made close to you. I recently discovered a local skincare bran that amazed my with its simplicity and lovely products made by two sisters, here in Quebec. Smith Farms offers a simple and clean range of products with simple, natural ingredients that can take care of all your beauty needs. I love the moisturizer, the toner (mix them to get a lighter cream) as well as the body/hair oil which smells amazing and is so versatile (hair mask and body oil in one bottle). Their hand cream is nice too. If you live in Ontario or Quebec check out your local health food stores and look for their products.

4. Ecotools

I've been using Ecotools brushes for years and they are one of the best tools you can get for the price. The line offers "eco-conscious cosmetic and bath accessories made using sustainable resources that minimize the negative impact on the environment - such as bamboo, cruelty-free taklon bristles and recycled aluminum". I love their Bronzer Brush (great to buff in powders), their eye brushes , their biiig fan brush and their konjac sponges.

When it comes to makeup ZuZu is one of my favorites. I've already talked about their powder foundation and bronzers, They make great lip-liners, liquid eyeliners and eye-shadows. Another brand recently introduced to Canada from France is Boho Cosmetics. They are very reasonably priced and they are very conscious about their packaging, most of it being recyclable and eco friendly. I like their lipsticks, their cream foundations, eye-shadows and nail polishes.

Coconut oil makes for the BEST hair mask, apricot and almond oils can easily remove your makeup and double as a body oil, bath oil and shaving cream. Tamanu and Rosehip are my skin's BFFs along with argan and coconut. Castor oil is the secret to long luscious lashes. It's fun experimenting with different oil but you can easily replace half of your skincare routine with coconut oil (or any other oil) alone. It's simple, easy and cheap.

When I travel a bar of castile soap (or liquid) is the only thing I bring with me when it comes to cleansers. Think of it as a universal soap base. Dilute it if using liquid or just use the bar as soap on your body and face, shampoo your hair, wash your clothes with it (even dishes), floors, make-up brushes... anything that needs washing, really. I have to say I don't like using it as a shampoo unless I'm really out of options but one tub or bar of castile soap can easily replace everything in my bathroom and in my cleaning cabinet. I prefer using Green Beaver's sunflower castile soap as it's much gentler and Canadian :).

Don't throw away your coffee grains after you finished your cup of joe! Take the grains with you in the shower and use them as a scrub. The caffeine along with the physical exfoliation will leave your skin baby soft and technically. it didn't cost you anything. Sugar, salt and baking soda also make for great scrubs and you most likely already have those ingredients in your house already. No unnecessary packaging, no nasty plastic beads that pollute our environment, no harsh chemicals, no carbon footprint. I also love my Clarisonic, I've had it for over four years and I'm still using it daily to exfoliate my face.