Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care Helps Communities Beat Unfair Conditions

It's not often that you can make a difference by buying skincare.

But Alaffia cares about more than your skin. They are advancing gender equality and alleviating poverty through the fair trade of handcrafted shea butter in Togo, West Africa and their amazing products.

Alaffia's Skincare line is superb, one of the best I've ever tried. And crazy inexpensive! When I saw the quality of the ingredients and how it transformed my skin, I thought for sure these bottles would be at least $60 each. 

Not even close!

My routine starts with the Rooibos & Shea Butter Antioxidant Facial Cleanser. Using a combination of  handcrafted shea butter, virgin coconut oil, rooibos tea, aloe and African wild honey, it feels soft and gentle on your skin, but considering that I had some waterproof makeup on, it really went to work on getting everything off - with no effort on my part.

I love the feeling of having a freshly washed face before bed, but learned long ago that soap dries out your skin. My skin's dry enough, thank you very much, so I really appreciate that after having used this cleanser, my skin feels softer than before I put on my makeup this morning.

Next, I apply the tea-coloured Rooibos & Shea Antioxidant Facial Toner, sprayed on a cotton ball. The refreshing, revitalizing blend of rooibos tea, shea leaf extracts, witch-hazel and African wild honey prepped my fave like a canvas. See, it's formulated to "naturally balance your skin's pH and help maximize hydration," and because there's no drying alcohol, your skin simply looks clean and luminescent. 

My favourite part has got to be putting on Alaffia's Rooibos & Shea Butter Antioxidant Face Cream. I think it's because it feels so good to smooth on (the texture is soft and silky) and you can feel your skin immediately hydrate and soften upon application. Really, it works that quickly. It's their amazing products that you see throughout the line - unrefined shea butter, virgin coconut oil, rooibos tea and African wild honey. My skin became so supple and toned after using this just after a few days. And after just one day of use, my fella came home and said, "Your skin looks really good."

That really says it all, doesn't it?

You should shop Alaffia for many reasons:

- their products work

- they are incredibly affordable

- purchasing their products goes to help women in West Africa

- the fragrance of the ingredients is intoxicating - kind of like Chinese 5 spice powder

So shop Alaffia now and make a difference - to your skin and to those in need.

Rock Your Style & Help Japan & New Orleans With what'Surbag - The Most Comfy Tote EVER!

It all started with just one bag.

what’Surbag now thankfully has whole new lines of specially designed reusable tote bags.They are made in New Orleans.

But these are unlike any other tote you've had before - they are super stretchy, uber comfy, completely weightless and extremely fashionable. They come in different sizes so whether you want to head to the beach, the mall, the office or the bookstore, they will keep all your stuff together - medium, large, backpack, pouch, tech tote, travel laundry, travel shoe, travel lingerie, travel toiletry and cosmetic bag.  And all these different looks - metallics, patterns and solids. You won't be able to choose just one!

After you've used a what’Surbag, it's hard to go back to a regular cotton or nylon one. Because the ‘its-laS-tik’ line uses a special flexible nylon and lycra fabric blend, your bag bounces along your side. It is the most awesome feeling in the world. And because it boings along, you feel the weight of your stuff less!

And don't worry, the bag will spring back to its original shape when you remove your items from it. You can wash it, roll it, fold it, scrunch it. It really doesn't take up any room at all!

You can also support and amazing cause while having the coolest tote on the block.  To support efforts to help the Japanese dealing with the multiple disasters in their time of need, what’Surbag created special tote bags to convey a message of HOPE and STRENGTH.

As a member of the Ganbare Nippon Project (Ganbare means “persevere during challenging times” in Japanese),This special charity project has been voluntarily launched at participating retail stores throughout Japan and the United States.

100% of profits from the Hope and Strength Japan effort will be donated to the American Red Cross “Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.”

I'm rocking the silver Hope Japan Tote (pictured above) and I couldn't love it more. It goes everywhere I go and so does the message.

Get your what'Surbag totes  and help Japan and New Orleans now.

It's more than just a bag.

Slice - For When You Want to Just Cut to the Chase, or the Paper!

Have you ever gone to use your scissors to only be shocked by how dull they are? And aren't they just so bulky and uncomfortable to grip onto and use?

Slice has created a line of innovative household items such as Stainless Steel Scissors that are so beautifully designed, you'll wonder why you were stuck with those ugly black ones for all those years! They have paired with world-renowned designers to create objects of not only beauty, but function.

Designed by Karim Rashid, the Japanese stainless steel scissors (pictured above) are a work of art, but no so much that you can't use them. In fact, the hand-polished finger-grips are quite comfortable (whether you use your left or right hand!), despite the flat shape. The blades are sharp, so you can cut your way through stuff without having to use your hand for strength.

It's hard to find a good Letter Opener, but this one just zips through your envelopes, no matter how thin or thick. The zirconium oxide ceramic blade works on the envelope, not on your hand, so no more paper cuts or slicing your hand open. And because it's magnetized, you can always keep it within reach. And I know, just because you can open your bills faster, doesn't mean they'll necessarily get paid any sooner!

If you're at artist or tend to need to cut and open a lot of materials, you're going to love the Safety & Precision Cutters! The Slice Safety Cutter is not only a life-saver, but an immense time-saver. Opening and removing the shrink wrap from CDs and DVDs suddenly takes just one sec. Cut pictures and recipes out from magazines or articles from the paper smoothly and quickly! And there's that magnet again, so you won't lose it, or use the key-ring hole so that you can have it with you on the go.

The Precision Cutter is another Karim Rashid design. He's made this one safe and sharp, thanks the zirconium oxide blade and comfortable handle, so you can work your heart out without worry of it slipping. It also gives you great control so don't be surprised if you start doing intricate paper cutouts amidst the projects you're working on!

And for those of use, forever trying to find a vegetable peeler that actually:

- works

- and feels good in the hand

Slice and Karim Rashid have come up with a superb Vegetable Peeler - the Y-Peeler - that will have you eating more fruit and veggies than ever because it's so much fun and easy to use! The super-sharp ceramic blade gets through both soft and tough skins, and the handle is so comfortable, you'll want all of your kitchen utensils to come with the same comfy grip! That's neat is that the ceramic blade is "non-allergenic, chemically neutral, and impervious to acid, fat and salt. Won't brown food, transfer smells, or leave a metallic taste." I'd never even thought about those things before! No wonder it's recommended by the Cooking Club of America! 

Slice is really onto something here - making our everyday tools work in today's environments with our needs in mind. And despite using famous designers, Slice has managed to keep the tools at affordable prices, so you can have chic items without having to cough up a week's paycheck! 

And it's all for a good cause to boot: Slice was founded in 2008 by TJ Scimone as a way to help fund long-term care for his son, Alex, who is autistic. A minimum of 1% of all Slice product sales is donated to help fund autism research. By purchasing their products, you’re helping to find a cure for the millions of children and their families who live with autism every day.

Shop the entire Slice collection and get tools that fit in with your modern lifestyle. Isn't it about time?

Celebrate the Season with The Cardboard Christmas Tree!

In recent years, there has been a real eco movement during the holidays - people sending out ecards instead of paper ones, giving less but more meaningful gifts and then there's the tree issue.

Perhaps you bought a plastic or 'fake' tree thinking that it is reusable and you don't have to kill a tree. Or maybe you believe that buying a real one is better because you can replant it.

I think one of the coolest solutions is The Cardboard Christmas Tree for a number of reasons:

1. It looks completely awesome.

2. It fits wherever you need it - there the tabletop version (1 ft) for teeny rooms and a small floor one (3 ft) for those with just a little more room.

3. It comes with its own decorations, simplifying your tree ceremony ritual forever!

4. You can colour and decorate it yourself, thereby personalizing it. Just look at what you can do!

4. It stores flat and small, so that you can finally have a tree but not have to move in order to have room to store it.

5. It is made from recycled materials, so it's your feel good tree.

6. You can mail to someone, straight from the website. Buying someone their Christmas tree tops any gift they get this yet. 

7. A portion of the profits from the Cardboard Christmas Tree sales are donated to the Arbor Day Foundation's Trees for America program. Through this program, for every one dollar donated, one tree will be planted in a damaged forest.  

8. They are so darn affordable, you might as well just get a bunch of 'em. There, your shopping list is practically done.

Shop for The Cardboard Christmas Tree now.

Give a Fair Trade Gift This Season From Ten Thousand Villages

Fair Trade products are handcrafted from sustainable materials using environmentally-friendly methods.

Ten Thousand Villages have been providing vital, fair income to people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East by selling their handicrafts and telling their stories since 1946.

In 2011, Ten Thousand Villages will be celebrating its 65th anniversary, making it Canada's largest and oldest Fair Trade organizations.

Ten Thousand Villages Stores are staffed in part by volunteers, but please feel free to shop online if you like (I like going to the store in my neighbourhood as it is welcoming and warm and happens to be just around the corner - there are 49 stores across Canada). You can shop for handcrafted jewelry, personal accessories, home decor, textiles, skin care, food products, toys and instruments as well as many other items. For each items, there is printed product information so your gift comes with a real story.

For Christmas, there are amazing decoration and ornaments to select from, as well as unique Nativity Scenes. They even have a Stocking Stuffers category, to make shopping that much easier for you.

If you're really stuck for what to choose, try these lists: Gifts for Him, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Kids, Gifts for the Hostess, Gifts for Teachers and Corporate Gift Ideas.

Here are some of my favourite picks:

- Coiled Paper Ball Ornaments add so much colour to the tree.

- I'm a big fan of Putumayo CDs.

- The Tea Holder/Box makes your tea a little extra special.

- Embossed Boxes can transform into a beautiful and meaningful  memory box.

- What a statement piece! I love the Black Metal Lamp and Shade.

- The Blue Tibetan Wool Accent Rug (pictured above) will be something they cherish forever.

- I am fascinated by the Himalayan Calendar and 40-Year Calendar.

- The Hogla Leaf Storage Stool is 2 gifts in one - nice!

- Ooh, I love the Handwoven Grey Silk Scarf.

- Give the gift of an indoor garden with the Ceramic Herb Pots (3 Pieces).

- Blow their minds with the Upside Down Map.

And for the food lover on your list, these cookbooks are a great gift that keeps on giving and the Black Horn Salad Servers are a classy gift. The Eight Piece Ceramic Sushi Set is simply fabulous and the Elegant Olive Wood Cutting Board is a cook's dream.

Two other wonderful options are Gift Cards and Living Gifts.

It's easy to see why it pays to shop at Ten Thousand Villages.

Shop now and make this holiday a meaningful, memorable one.

Between the Lines - A New, Contemporary Colouring Book

Looking for an unusual and completely original gift for the creative person in your life?

It doesn't get any better than the NEW Between the Lines: A Colouring Book of Drawings by Contemporary Artists, Volume 2.

This book finally gives adults a creative outlet.

It allows those of us who love art, to colour in more than 50 original line drawings contributed by a diverse roster of today’s best-known contemporary artists.

Get out your markers or pencil crayons and rock out your creative self. Fill in the customer service girl by Adam McEwan, the soft-edged elephants by Cynthia Rowley and good luck completing Ernesto Caivano and Scott Lenhardt's extravagant forest scenes and Matt Mulligan's intricate cubes before the end of the year.

But that's the point to this - there's no rush. Take your time. Luxuriate in the process. Enjoy yourself so much that you let go of the worker bee you've become and rejoice in the fun of being a kid again.

What colour will you do the jeans on the reclining fellow in Kehinde Wiley's romantic ode (pictured above)? And I bet we'd all approach Mary Temple's piece with different mediums and colours. You will no doubt be drawn to the houses by Mike Bayne. I mean, how many houses did you draw in your youth, over and over again? And being an Obama fan, I could spend hours working on the piece by Rirkirt Tiravanija.

And in case that's not insanely fun enough, the book comes with a whack of amazing stickers designed by Nate Lowman and Mickalene Thomas.

Oh and there is more to this colouring book than meets the eye. It's not just a fun gift to give to friends and families for birthdays and mates for anniversaries.

RxArt is a not-for-profit organization that curates contemporary art installations in hospitals and outpatient centers. They are "dedicated to placing original fine art in patient, procedure and examination rooms of healthcare facilities, at no cost to the institution. Our mission is to improve otherwise sterile environments through contemporary art, promote healing, and inspire hope in patients, families and staff."

The Between the Lines coloring books are distributed free of charge to children in RxArt’s participating health care facilities and sold to benefit RxArt’s projects.

So buy a bunch and make some great art while making people feel better.

If you really want to help, donate what you can.

You know you couldn't survive without art in your life, so why should the sick and the suffering?

Shop at Ten Thousand Villages and Make a Real Difference!

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit Fair Trade organizations that sells stylish, ethnically-inspired and ethically sources products in stores and online.

They provide vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.

By shopping at Ten Thousand Villages, you can buy gifts with meaning, green gifts and shop ethically for you and your home all in one convenient location. Just imagine how meaningful a graduation, wedding or anniversary gift when it's been handcrafted with such love, care and dedication. And they have a gift registry, which is wonderful.

You can choose from personal accessories, home furnishing, textiles, books and stationery, plant and garden, jewelry, skin care, food items, toys and musical instruments, some of which are made from reused, reclaimed, sustainable or organic materials.

Here are some of my recent favourites:

The Cotton Ikat Tablecloth w/ Gingham shows off the season's biggest trend and is just in time for patio season. Your backyard barbecue never looked better. On second thought, you'd better get the matching napkinsfor a truly complete look.

We use a Bamboo Folding Table as our coffee table so that our living room can work in a number of different ways.

I think the Natural & Lime Kaisa Basket is the perfect accent piece for my breakfast bar. And the Reverse Painted Serving Tray (pictured above) is a wonderful time saver when entertaining.

For no-fail gift giving, Portraits is a stellar choice, as is The BitterSweet World of Chocolate. Bookends are always useful and what about a wine rack that folds up? Perfect for taking up to the cottage for the week! And who doesn't love jewelry as a gift?

Being an avid cook, I love how fresh the food and ingredients are, as well as the fact it is all fairly-traded and much of it is organic - all at completely and affordable prices! I get my spices here (like their wonderful curry and za'atar) and I pay LESS for them than at my local grocery store!

Last year, I bought over half of my Christmas presents at Ten Thousand Villages and for once, I felt good about shopping. My purchases really meant something.

You can visit them online via the US or Canada or go in person to one of their many store locations.

Celebrate the G20 with Putumayo Presents South Africa CD!

Over at Pan Magazine, Chris and I are blogging about all the G20 and the foods of each country.

Today I posted about South Africa's cuisine, so I thought it would be fun to tell you about their music as well.

No one does world music better than Putumayo and one of their latest releases is South Africa.

It includes many musical styles such as mbaqanga, kwela and township jive, among others, and you will no doubt be moved beyond words. The simple joy and celebratory feeling that is evoked throughout the CD is like nothing else you've ever experienced.

From the very first track of the Soul Brothers' "Ujaheni," you'll be up outta your chair, dancing and feeling great from head to toe. And the very last track from The Soweto Gospel Choir will give you goosebumps. Can you say all of this about the latest Jonas Brothers CD?

I love the swish and sway that comes with "Mbombela" and the plinky melody of "Oxam." Maube has such a lovely rich voice. And "Nkosi" has such a modern vibe - it's like listening to a more elegant Black Eyed Peas!

I won't give away the whole album, just know that it is a wonderful vibrant collection that will having you smiling the whole way through.

Isn't that what your day needs way more of?

I thought so.

And in addition to being an amazing way to spend your time, a portion of Putumayo's proceeds from the sale of this CD will be donated to Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), a non-profit organization working in South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS and advance human rights.

Oh, and as if that's not enough, you get a South African recipe too!!

Buy a bunch of 'em right now and support an important cause, all the while dancing and singing to your heart's content.

Just about the best way to spend your day, wouldn't you say?

And check out my previous posts about Putumayo:

- Putumayo World Party

- Putumayo Kids Presents Brazilian Playground CD

The Path of Wellness & Healing - Breast Cancer DVD

We all have people in our lives that have been affected by breast cancer.

So when La Prairie told me of their involvement with The Path of Wellness & Healing - Breast Cancer DVD Set, I wanted to help spread the word.

This 2 DVD set is not only informative but compelling. You hear from celebrities such as Christina Applegate and Melissa Etheridge about their own struggles. Leaders in their fields like Dean Ornish, Deepak Chopra and Dr. Susan Love tell us that we can beat it, that breast cancer does not need to go into the next generation.

With hours of amazing interviews and demos and Q&As, you'll be informed and enlightened.

Disc 1 is intended as a "step-by-step resource for anyone who has just received a diagnosis." This is the guide that's going to get you through. Disc 2 "gives patients and their loved ones an in-depth look at treatment procedures and provides the necessary tools to deal with various cancer-related issues." This disc includes everything you need to know from chemotherapy to yoga for healing.

This truly is a DVD set that should be watched by everyone. Because we need to stop this disease from destroying us. And only by being informed and wise, will we be able to beat this thing.

Thanks La Prairie, for bringing this to my attention.