Kelly Bonanno

Your soulful coach for eco friendly living, organic beauty & wellness Savvy | Sexy | Beautiful | Healthy | You

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Roccoco Botanicals Skin Care Review & Giveaway!

Roccoco Botanicals is one of the best skin care lines that I have ever tried and you, my beautiful, savvy friend, have a chance to win an entire 4 piece skin care set from them!

Effective anti-aging skin care

I am a tough customer when it comes to skin care, particularly anti-aging skin care. I want something that is truly clean. It cannot have an unpleasant or over powering scent (even when scents aren’t synthetic, they can be unpleasant!). I especially want something that is seriously effective. I’d like to notice a positive change in my skin. Demanding? Perhaps. but it’s possible. Excellent, result driven, non toxic skin care does exist, ladies.

**Scroll to bottom of the post to enter the giveaway**

Using skin care that is appropriate and effective for my age group is key. So many beauty bloggers and YouTubers, particularly when it comes to green beauty are 27 if they’re a day. So when they tell us about organic beauty products they’ve tried and say they are so amazing and go on about how their skin is glowing it doesn’t carry much weight because your skin should be glowing and beautiful if you’re not even 35 yet. Those of us who are well over 40, like me, would like products that make aging skin glow! 

Having said that, I realize that just because you’re under 30 doesn’t mean you necessarily have beautiful skin; some people do have skin issues like rosacea, acne, milia or even premature aging. I get it, but I’m talking in general. 

There are wonderful clean, green, eco beauty lines on the market. I am continuously on the hunt for eco friendly skin care that combats signs of aging that women in middle age and beyond want to address as well as skin care that addresses acne and other skin issues my clients struggle with. That is the type of natural, eco skin care that I want to introduce to you. It’s not about looking like we’re 25, it’s simply about looking our best and giving our skin the best possible chance to glow and radiate our inner beauty. It’s about looking healthy.

Quality eco friendly skin care

Which brings me to the fantastic line I am reviewing today, Roccoco Botanicals.  Founder, Jacine Greenwood, started the line aiming to provide safe, quality skincare for compromised and hyper-sensitive skin inspired by her children whom both suffered from eczema. Their products focus on calming and soothing irritated skin and making it less reactive.

They use extracts from the native bushlands of Australia, where they are based. The formulas are safe and advanced with liquid crystals, botanicals and botanically derived ingredients such as peony, pomegranate, resveratrol, elderflower and many more. Their headquarters are in Australia and they have a warehouse in Boise, Idaho. Each item is in beautiful recyclable packaging.

Is acne or random breakouts your issue? They have you covered. Roccoco Botanicals has a fantastic anti-acne line  as well. Jacine is one of the most knowledgeable people I have come across when it comes to skincare. She was recently nominated for Favorite Brand Educator in the DERMASCOPE Magazine Aestheticians’ Choice Awards! They also have remarkable products for healing eczema. Follow her on Instagram and you will get helpful tips and information every time she posts.

I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing her. Be sure to watch it, Jacine offers wonderful information about how the nourishing ingredients they use in their formulations benefits the skin and we discuss what good, quality skin care should be delivering. 

Roccoco Botanicals Giveaway

This is a big giveaway, Jacine is offering a phenomenal prize valued at nearly $400! One of my very lucky readers will win the full 4 piece anti-aging set which includes:

Soothing Cleansing Oil An oil based cleanser containing a soothing blend of Omega 3 rich oils designed to gently clean skin while replenishing vital lipids. Sunflower Oil, Raspberry Oil and Passionfruit are high in essential fatty acids which help to replenish the skin barrier. It helps dislodge blackheads which makes it is a great cleanser for dehydrated acne skin.

Purifying Essence Helps exfoliate and unblock pores without drying out the skin.

LRT (Lift + Rejuvenate + Tone) This is their revolutionary neck cream that I was lucky to try. It is designed specifically for the architecture of the neck and décolletage. I think we can all agree that the neck area is one of the hardest areas to firm and tone. You’ve seen those women who look pretty good but the neck not so much which is why I always tell clients to take care of that area too! Good skin care does not stop at the jawline. Very few peptides on the market specifically target this area effectively, the way LRT does. It also reduces pigmentation and evens out skin tone. She told me that they were seeing great results on the face so I applied it all the way from the chest up to my forehead.

Pomegranate Eye Balm A rich cream infused with peptides. It firms and tones the eye area reducing the appearance of expression wrinkles.

My video review & interview with Jacine

This luxurious line of high quality skin care products delivers. I am impressed. As you’ll hear when you watch my video review, I saw results with the anti-aging products she sent me. They are extremely effective yet gentle. Very hydrating, felt wonderful on my face and smells lovely. I love that they package formulations in pumps. I find them easier to use and they are certainly more sanitary.

The cleansing oil is divine and if you get blackheads, this is your new best friend. The eye balm is phenomenal. I get puffiness around the eye area, not only did this eye balm not exacerbate that the way many eye creams on the market do, my eye area looked better. I was starting to see some crepiness on my neck (ugh) but the LRT took care of it, I saw a noticeable improvement! I also noticed a firmness.

It was such a pleasure interviewing Jacine!

They also offer remote consultations. They will help you and guide you to the right products for your skin concerns. Jacine is extremely knowledgable. One conversation with her is like a masterclass in clean, natural skin care ingredients! She is a genius when it comes to healing acneic skin and she is absolutely delightful, such a sweet, likable person.

This is not just some cheapo giveaway, the value of this is nearly $400!

Oh, and another really cool thing? If you are the winner, let me know what your skin type is and if the skin care set featured doesn’t align with your skin type, she will send you products that do!

Do not hesitate, enter to WIN now!

Update: Sorry you missed the giveaway but you can check out all the wonderful Roccoco Botanicals products here. Try some and let me know what you think! I’m sure you will love them and the results they give you.

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The Savvy Girl’s Guide To Looking Gorgeous With Eco Beauty In 10 Easy Steps™

Achieve a youthful glow without slathering yourself with toxins

Going green with your beauty and personal care routine will help you make significant improvements in your health and in the way you look. But it can be confusing, can’t it? It’s not easy to know what to do, which products to use, which methods really work and which resources to trust.

You want to look your best naturally and achieve a more youthful appearance without slathering yourself with harmful chemicals, right? You can! Ditch the toxins with my free beauty checklist, The Savvy Girl’s Guide To Looking Gorgeous With Eco Beauty In 10 Easy Steps.

This cheat sheet is for the modern woman who desires to be environmentally and health conscious without sacrificing style, quality and glamour. It gives you simple, actionable tips that you can start right away to look and feel hotter and even more fabulous than you already are ?

I’ve done the research, I’ve tested methods and products galore. I want to share my top organic beauty secrets with you. These tips go way beyond skincare products to help you feel better, look better & have more energy.

Get your FREE eco beauty checklist here!

These are my top eco beauty and wellness tips to help you look and feel your best. Self care is quite the buzzword lately but it really is important. I’m a firm believer that when you feel better you look better and when you look better you feel better!

There are many ways to show yourself love, eco friendly and wellness living is one of them… to me the most important one. Why? Because while you are healing yourself you are also healing the environment. You live in and among every single person living in that environment. Your desire to detox your body and your home creates a ripple effect. You are taking on a task that not many consider taking or will take in their lifetime.

It’s never too late to become aware and do your part for the environment and it’s never too late to take better care of yourself. What’s good for the environment is healthy for you and what’s healthy for you is good for the environment… it all works synergistically.

I also want to prevent you from getting greenwashed. What is greenwashing? It is when companies display insincere concern for our health & the environment claiming their products are clean when they actually are not.

Are you ready to turn back the clock naturally, look younger, improve your health & feel better without using unsafe products? Here’s How In 10 easy Steps

Your journey to organic beauty and wellness starts now!  Click here and your FREE checklist will be delivered right to your inbox.

Would you like even more support going glamorously green and living your healthiest lifestyle with clean beauty and holistic wellness? Join my free Facebook group today!

Connect with fellow eco minded people and those who strive to become more eco friendly as we share ideas, information & recommendations on clean effective brands & products, as well as wellness, organic beauty & eco friendly living methods & news. We’d love to see you there!

A votre sante! ?

xo ~Kelly

p.s. Are your energy levels low or are you struggling to drop weight? Feel free to book A complimentary health assessment.

I’ll evaluate you and give you a crystal clear plan with key steps to get weight off for good.

We’ll uncover hidden challenges that could be sabotaging your weight-loss efforts. You’ll learn tips to mitigate Type II Diabetes, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and potentially get off certain medications.

You’ll leave the session renewed, energized and inspired to make the changes necessary to implement new healthy habits as well as learning about a proven method to lose weight once and for all.

Click here to book your free health assessment at a time that is convenient for you or email me: kelly@kellybonanno.com. 

Join Savvy Girl’s Organic World Facebook group!

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The Story Of Cosmetics

MAKEUP26You may have already seen this video, perhaps even on this site. I try to post it once a year since it’s such important info. If not, take a few minutes today to watch, you’ll be glad you did. It might shock you and it will certainly enlighten you.

This video sums everything up so powerfully! “We are trashing the environment, we are trashing each other, and we are not even having fun..” Toxic chemicals in our personal care products are a HUGE issue! 

If you want pure, safe, luxurious personal care products for you and your kids that do NOT contain harmful ingredients, my favorite line is Pure Haven Essentials. No green washing with this company, their products are truly safe and effective (and affordable!) which is why I sell is on my site. Check out the video & let me know what your favorite clean, safe products are in the comments section. I’m always looking for suggestions! 

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Are You Making These 4 Summer Skin Care Mistakes?

Guest post by Helen Moore 

Summer brings the usual issues that overwhelm the skin like peeling sunburns, bug bites, or oily and sweaty skin.  It’s a tricky balance to care for the skin during the summer and we’re probably not aware of the mistakes we make.

file11012819027151. Over-exfoliating and washing the face Since the summer heat and humidity can makes us sweat more, it makes the skin feel oilier. This can be so unsettling for some people that they tend to over-cleanse the face and increase the number of times the exfoliation is done. This essentially strips the skin of its natural oils which causes the skin to overproduce oil exacerbating the problem.

  • Solution: Keep your cleansing routine the same — wash in the morning and cleanse at night. Limit exfoliation to twice a week. Continue to moisturize because without adequate hydration, skin may over produce oil. If necessary, blot wipe it with a clean cloth.

2. Foregoing Sunscreen Despite its popularity, some people are still not in the habit of applying sunscreen. It’s important to do this even if you don’t have any plans of spending the day at the beach. While some people are not applying sunscreen, others are applying it incorrectly.

  • Solution:  Don’t skip this at all. If you go swimming or spend the day outdoors, bring a bottle with you and reapply as needed. Lather a generous amount on skin that’s exposed. Choose a sunscreen with non-nanoparticle zinc oxide. Look for one on the Environmental Working Group’s list of safe and effective sunscreens. Ava Anderson Non Toxic tops their list.

3. Failing to stay hydrated While refreshments, such as a cold glass of juice, quench the thirst and relieves our body from the heat, our skin also needs the same kind of treatment inside and out. It’s not enough that you drink lots of water, especially during this season.

  • Solution: Eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in water content to supplement what you may lack with drinking just water. Put on lotion and moisturizers so that the skin absorbs this, preventing flakes and dryness that commonly happens during summer.

4. Disregarding care of the feet Feet are exposed to a lot of free radicals and irritants during the summer because people wear sandals and flip-flops a lot, or walk barefoot in the sand.  With so many activities, care for the feet is often overlooked, when it should be given attention, as this is when cracks and dryness often occur.

  • Solution: Don’t ever forget to moisturize and exfoliate the feet. Make this part of your skin care routine. One other thing you can do is apply moisturizer, such as extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil at night and then wear socks. This may be a bit too warm to do in the summer, but try at least three times a week.

What is your summer skin care routine? Share your tips in the comments below. 

The summer season can also trigger a yeast infection. Know what factors cause this and what you can do to prevent or treat yeast infections using natural ingredients by visiting YeastInfectionsAdviser.com.

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You Have To See This

file0001655248612This short video from Earth Focus is worth a few minutes of your time. Why am I so passionate about everyone using safer personal care products? Watch this and you’ll know why.

You do not need to subject yourself or your children to toxic chemicals every time you wash your hair or moisturize your body. There are safer options. But don’t be fooled by companies claiming to be ‘natural’ or ‘green’ because they could be misleading you.

Know your ingredients, read labels and stay away from any products or ingredients that score higher than a 2 on the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Data Base. You can see a list of the most dangerous chemicals to avoid here.

 

 

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8 Tips For Your Non Toxic Bridal Beauty Regime

file000854755435Every bride wants to look beautiful on her wedding day, but makeup should be the end of your routine – not the start. To obtain perfect wedding skin you have to start months before the big day and stick to natural, non-toxic ingredients.
This week on Green Bride Guide I offer my top 8 Tips For Your Non Toxic Bridal Beauty Regime. Head over and check out my article so you can be a natural beauty on your wedding and every day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posh Polish For A Green Girl’s Perfect Mainicure

If you want your manicure to outlast the rest try Poshé top coat. I’ve used it for years. I gave myself a quick little manicure before heading out on the town last night and only had to wait 5 minutes before my nails were good to go. There are a lot of Seche Vite fans out there but I find Poshé works better.

Poshe & night swim 040Allure Magazine agrees, they’ve given it the best topcoat award 5 times. It gives great shine and it really is chip resistant. My pedicures can last 3 weeks without a chip. Obviously it doesn’t last that long on my hands since they’re constantly being used and washed but it lasts as well as the brands with toxic chemicals.

If I do my nails at night, after just 5 minutes I can get in bed and wake up the next morning without sheet prints on my nails. The best thing about this top coat is that it is free of the toxic chemicals dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Toluene and Formaldehyde that are found in most other nail polish brands. Try it & let me know what you think.

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Is Your Beauty Routine Toxic? Part II

As I mentioned in part I of  this series, up to 60% of what we put on our skin gets absorbed which leads to our bodies absorbing up to 5 pounds of chemicals through our skin every year. If something isn’t pure enough to eat we really should not put in on our body, should we?

It’s inauspicious that manufacturers of personal care products are not regulated and therefore not required to disclose ingredients, toxic or not. Fortunately, many organizations are on top of it and bringing awareness to the issue. Some of these watchdog groups may have a political agenda, but not all of them do.

Agenda or no agenda, much of the information they share is based in science and they do have an important message: do not use products containing harmful ingredients that will compromise your health and threaten the environment.

There are many brands out there claiming to be pure and while they may not contain carcinogens, they do have synthetic fragrances, irritants, endocrine disruptors and other unfavorable ingredients. So what can we do? How do we find products that won’t harm us? We have to be cautious but there are some fabulous lines on the market which I will talk about in upcoming posts and videos.

You can also check the ingredients of your products in EWG’s cosmetic data base.  It’s not a complete list of every personal care item out there but it is a helpful resource. I’ll be writing about ingredients to avoid in the near future as well so stay tuned.

Did you read the article I posted on my Facebook page the other day? They tested over 400 lipsticks for lead content, check to see if yours is on the list.

It’s not always easy to find suitable alternatives and many of the organic and truly pure, clean cosmetics are way over priced. But there are companies that offer good, safe products such as Ava Anderson Non Toxic. I’ll write about of my finds in upcoming posts. One of my favorite tinted lip balms is by Tarte.

Mascara has been a tough one for me. Do I really want to spend $25 on mascara that flakes off and leaves a smattering of black dust under my eyes when I can spend $7 on Lash Exact by Covergirl that really does give my lashes great volume and length?!

What’s an eco savvy gal to do?! I’m giving Ava and Organic Wear mascara a try, I’ll let you know how they measure up. If you like an earth friendly mascara that works well and doesn’t break the bank I’d love to hear about it.

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Is Your Beauty Routine Toxic? Part I

Lead in lipstick, coal tar in lotions, formaldehyde in shampoo… harmful chemicals are lurking in our everyday products and most of us don’t even know it. If you’ve been reading my blog regularly you know how passionate I am about clean, chemical free living. I make it a priority to use pure, clean products, both personal care items and the products we use in our home.

gty_cosmetics_jef_130401_wgI love playing with make up. It’s fun to get all glammed up and go out but the stuff they put in most make up is scary. The cosmetic industry is not regulated so manufacturers can include anything they want in their formulations.

Our bodies absorb up to 5 pounds of chemicals each year through our skin which is the largest organ in our body. Up to 60% of what we put on our skin gets absorbed so if something isn’t pure enough to eat we really should not put in on our body.

Because they are not regulated, manufacturers of personal care products are not required to disclose the ingredients so there may not even be a label to read and frankly, reading labels isn’t enough, you have to know what the ingredients are.

Very few people have the time or even the desire to know the scientific properties of dozens of different chemicals. That’s the hard part. But I’ll help you sort it out with a series of posts about chemicals we should avoid in our personal care products as well as our household items.

Be sure to check out part II of this series, it includes some eco friendly solutions such as Ava Anderson Non Toxic.

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Skin Care for your 20s, 30s, 40s & Beyond

Guest Post by Lee Ann Buttery

From college sorority sisters to centenarians and everything in between, everyone should practice good skin care. With each subsequent decade, we must adjust our skin care regimen accordingly. If we take proper care of our skin (along with eating healthfully and exercising regularly), we can be confident that we’ll age gracefully. Whether you’re 20 or 100, keep reading to learn skin care tips appropriate for your age.

20s

Your skin is still very young but it requires a little more attention than it did in your teen years. Simplicity is still key here, but now is the time to take a small step toward anti-aging for preventive purposes. If acne is an ongoing battle it may be because you are using the wrong skin care products for your skin type. If you have oily skin, opt for a gel-based cleanser. If you have dry skin, choose a cream-based formula. For acne-prone skin, use a cleanser that contains acne-fighting ingredients such as salicylic acid. After cleansing, apply a toner on the face and neck—well formulated toners can offer amazing benefits to the skin.

To treat blemishes, use a spot treatment that contains salicylic acid and/or colloidal sulfur. The last step is to apply a moisturizer with a built-in broad spectrum sunscreen for daytime. Choose one with a physical barrier like zinc so you don’t absorb harmful chemicals. For nighttime, choose a formula without sunscreen. It is crucial to take proper care of your skin now, because you’ll reap the benefits (or lack thereof) in your 30s and beyond—especially when it comes to protecting your skin from the sun; sunscreen is the top anti-aging product. When you approach your early 20s, you can incorporate an eye cream into your regimen to slow the formation of crow’s feet.

30s

You may start to notice your complexion is not as vibrant as it used to be in your 20s. Also, you may notice a few fine lines and crow’s feet around the eyes. Now is the time to really address signs of aging. Aside from basic cleansing, toning and moisturizing, it would be wise to include a serum in your skin care routine. Choose an antioxidant-packed serum such as a vitamin c serum to help address discoloration and dullness.

Moreover, now is the time to be a little more aggressive with exfoliation—use a cleanser that contains an alpha hydroxy acid such as Glycolic Acid. Exfoliating two to three times a week will instantly slough away dead surface cells to reveal a fresher, more youthful-looking complexion. It will also help increase cellular turnover, which slows down as we age. Cellular turnover is the speed at which skin cells die and are replaced by new ones. The process of cellular turnover is what determines the youthfulness of our skin. For instance, a child’s skin has very fast cellular turnover, which is why their skin looks so young and smooth. At this stage of the game, you should be using an eye cream to nourish the delicate eye area, especially since it gets more fragile and thin as we get older.

40s & Beyond

When you reach your 40s and beyond, hydration is more important than ever before. Continue the basic regimen suggested for those in their 30s but step it up a bit. Your skin care products—from cleanser to eye cream should contain hydrating ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin and Lactic Acid. Retinols work wonders too. Furthermore, continue to exfoliate two to three times a week with a product formulated with an alpha hydroxy acid (Glycolic Acid), for higher grade resurfacing.

Regardless of your age, there are universal skin practices that everyone should abide by. Aside from the basics such as cleansing, toning and moisturizing, everyone should wear sunscreen on a daily basis, moisturize and exfoliate regularly.  Be careful of the products you use, most skin care lines contain harmful chemicals. Beauty comes with every age and good skin care will yield the healthiest skin possible.

Lee Ann Buttery is a Licensed Esthetician and Professional Makeup Artist who works for Mario Badescu. She is passionate about all things beauty-related and has a particular obsession with anti-aging.