I’ve swapped out most of my heels for men’s inspired shoes and ankle booties (also flat sandals, but those aren’t the issue). The problem with switching to closed toe shoes like these is that you suddenly and specifically need thin trouser socks. Athletic socks look terrible and I guess you could use no show socks but those can be pretty insubstantial or slip off the foot too easily. Plus it seems like a wasted opportunity to not put a fun print or some color between your shoe and your hemline.
After looking everywhere, I’ve found a few options that I am really excited about.
Today I’d like to share with you some new things I’m excited about but haven’t tried yet, including new fitness gear that may help get us both out of holiday hibernation and into the swing of achieving our New Year’s resolutions, and also what I’ve found deep-diving into tinted brow gels.
Innovation in athletic shoes
First up, Altra shoes. They are billed as running shoes but I know at least one person that uses them as a trail runner/lightweight hiking shoe. The style I saw looked well made and had pretty good grip on the long downhill I last saw them on. I haven’t personally tried them yet, but they are available in at least one style down to a women’s US size 4! That’s unprecedented for an athletic shoe as far as I know (but feel free to correct me in the comments!).
Next, another shoe! (It just worked out this way.) Merrell has created a shoe that has a 30 percent recycled outsole, 10 percent algae BLOOM(R) foam midsole, and 100 percent recycled ancillary parts. It’s a collab with a beer company and looks pretty rad. The tread design looks promising, kind of along the lines of what some other companies have been doing (did inov8 start that?), but I haven’t tried it yet.
Innovation in athletic/athleisure wear
If you are like me and your current shoes are good for a few more miles yet, I like the look of these Side Pocket Shorts, that–based on their bralette–should be just about as comfortable as a giant sock. They’re made out of hemp, organic cotton, or bamboo. Just know custom sizing is not really Harmonic Threads’ jam so be sure to check and double check their size chart and know that the cotton fabric can be shrunk down a little in the wash if needed.
Winter reading
Since we can’t spend all our time this year outside exercising, this post by nature has no boss led me to the discover Heather Hansman whom I don’t yet know but already respect for embarking on an epic adventure down the Colorado river solo to start a conversation about the future of water in America’s West.
Okay, now on to beauty.
Clean beauty tinted brow gels
I’ve been wanting to try tinted brow gel since Glossier’s Boy Brow came out. I’ve been using clear brow gel for years and was so excited to learn that someone finally put brow gel and mascara together and made colored brow gel. Seems like such a no-brainer in hindsight. Boy Brow has an EWG score of 3, and now there are “cleaner” alternatives.
Beautycounter’s Brilliant Brow Gel is the first product to come up in EWG’s Skin Deep database. Digging around, they are the cleanest tinted brow gel I could find and also the most expensive at 24 USD retail. It sounds like a great product but I think that ~30 USD factoring in shipping is pricey for a brow gel. Beautycounter is a multi-level marketing company (link to one person’s description of how their system works) that seems to be building mainstream awareness about the thousands of cosmetic ingredients banned in the EU that are not restricted in the U.S.
Another clean option is 100% Pure’s Green Tea Fiber Brow Builder. Pros include it may have a thickening effect because of the added fiber content that most other brow gels don’t have and it’s vegan and cruelty free. Cons include the fact that it comes in only two colors. A good side-by-side comparison of this product with the Glossier Boy Brow is here. The review notably points out that the 100% pure product is a drier formula whereas Glossier’s is wetter. The only promo code out there right now is for 10 percent off: REDDIT4RT10 (1/2020).
This review says Saie’s Brow Butter brow gel is a great clean beauty dupe for Boy Brow, but it’s only available in one color and clear. Reviewers also say W3LLPEOPLE’s brow gel is a good dupe for cool undertones. It’s available in more colors.
There are so many other options out there I haven’t gotten to.
Pure argan oil
Recently my hair stylist sold me a popular hair oil that is marketed as an argan oil product. I even asked if it was pure argan oil and was told it was, but the main ingredient is silicone. If you want pure argan oil, I just found this one, which they claim is fair trade and organic although I didn’t see third-party certifications. Acure also has argan oil at an even lower price point.
CertClean Clean Beauty Awards
I just learned about Clean Beauty Awards! I don’t know much about who is behind this effort, but they give awards each year for the best product in each of their categories. There is a fee for entering so that may preclude some great brands or products, but this is an interesting idea and another resource for finding new clean beauty products, for example, this Yuzu and Sake (fermented rice water) facial cleanser from Plantioxidants, which uses 100 percent recycled packaging that they will take back via mail from repeat customers. Sounds kinda like a clean beauty dupe of SK-II in cleanser form.
Nikki Reed’s company makes fine jewelry from gold recycled from computers. She also carries made in L.A. clothing and beauty products on her website, including Beautycounter.
Do you want to see more posts like this? Let me know in the comments. I am also curious to know what new things you’ve recently learned!
Over the years, I have tried so many “natural” shampoos in an attempt to avoid Sodium Laureth Sulfate, or SLS for short, that result in major build up, doubling the space my hair occupies around my head like Monica’s Barbados hair, except because of dulling build up instead of humidity. I’ve also inadvertently used products relying on surfactants or other chemicals that are actually considered worse than SLS in an attempt to avoid it (see Cocamidopropyl Betaine, an ingredient I’ve seen pop up in a lot of SLS-free drugstore shampoos lately).
People have been saying that SLS is bad for you for years. Three years ago, Forbes posted a response from an organic chemist that shed some light on why. Long story short, the chemist said there are two issues with SLS to be aware of: some people can have an allergic reaction to the chemical, and SLS can potentially be contaminated in its manufacturing process with 1,4 dioxane, a known carcinogen that’s pretty bad. Apparently it is possible to remove the contamination with another process, but I’ve never seen a beauty product at any price point touting that they’ve taken this step or even tested their SLS for contaminants. For anyone wanting to avoid SLS and its potential downsides, the chemist in the Forbes article recommended looking for products that “contain surfactants from the alkyl polyglycosides.”
Petite Picks 