Have you ever heard of Quarterly Co?
Image and Fast Company Article
My husband mentioned the company to me the other day because one of his old bosses works for it now, and I was fascinated by the concept. The Quarterly Co. headline is: a subscription for wonderful things. Indeed. It is a quarterly subscription service (every 3 months you get a package in the mail) that enables it’s subscribers to receive items from influential contributors of their choice. And their current list of contributors are all incredibly interesting and I am super curious to see what each and every one of them will be curating to their subscribers each quarter. So after only a few minutes of perusing their site, I caved and subscribed to Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt of No More Dirty Looks.
Now let me back up a minute. You may be wondering why I have been somewhat absent from blogging lately. Yes, the holidays did keep me quite busy for a few days, but I have also been in the process of fulfilling one of my New Year’s Resolutions (and also my new obsession): removing all toxic products and items from my household. Okay, so I might be getting ahead of myself as I realize that this goal may be a little bit too lofty for my sanity and for my bank account, but I am making slow and steady progress towards it when I can. Which is why in my spare time I have been doing a little bit of research instead of spending my time here on this blog. Sorry!
But anyways, let me get back Quarterly Co. I was so excited when I saw that the writers of the blog, No More Dirty Looks were one of the current contributors for Quarterly Co. For those who are not familiar (like I was not), here is a little snippet from their About Us page: “They are clean beauty experts who know that making safe, natural and responsible choices can be not only easy but also luxurious and—the part that matters most—effective. They’re consultants who speak regularly on the topic in the media and at events. But they’re also regular women who want to look and feel their best, and want to help other women and men do the same!”
They are also the authors of the book “No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products–and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics.” And since I had a gift card from work event waiting to be used to Barnes and Noble, I ordered a copy along with the book, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts” by Susan Cain (because I fancy myself an introvert and I have been meaning to read this book for a while now)…
If you happen to be interested in using non-toxic cosmetics like me, then this website will be your new best friend: Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
Here is a little snippet from their About page: “We launched Skin Deep in 2004 to create online safety profiles for cosmetics and personal care products. Our aim is to fill in where industry and government leave off. Companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient they wish. The U.S. government doesn’t review the safety of products before they’re sold. Our staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases. Now in its eighth year, EWG’s Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate safety ratings for a wide range of products and ingredients on the market. At about one million page views per month, EWG’s Skin Deep is the world’s largest personal care product safety guide.” While they do not list every product under the sun, they do list quite a few and you can also look up the individual ingredients for products not in their database. You should look for products that fall under the 0-2 category (and are green in color!). After perusing blogs (I also LOVE reading Kimberly Snyder’s blog), the Skin Deep site as well as a few other sites, here are some products I am either using or thinking about using to start detoxifying my current cosmetics:
S.W. Basics of Brooklyn (Sprout Skincare) Vegan Lip Balm
S.W. Basics of Brooklyn (Sprout Skincare) Makeup Remover
Sally B’s Skin Yummies Antioxidant Skin Boost
Nature’s Way Pure Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (as body lotion)
RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek
RMS Lip & Skin Balm – Simply Cocoa
Soap for Goodness Sake – Eucalyptus Mint Shampoo Bar with Neem
Josie Maran Argan Oil
Tom’s of Maine Original Care Deodorant Stick
Suki Creamy Foaming Cleanser
Have you ever tried any of these products or do you have suggestions for other great products?!? This is all new to me so I am all ears. Phew! That was a monster brain dump….are you still there?!? If so, be back soon with something more design-related for the design aficionados! xo
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No More Dirty Looks is an amazing book. I learned so much from the book and I am now trying to make better healthier choices.
It is a great book! It definitely opened my eyes and I am trying too!