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Going green isn’t rocket science. I promise. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, join a yoga class or eat kale chips every day (unless that’s your thing). Going green and living a more eco-glamorous lifestyle is simply about making small changes to protect our environment and our health so that it becomes an after thought.

Here are my suggestions for a few immediate things we can all do to live a little more green.

• Ditch the paper towels – Paper towels are a tremendous waste of resources. It’s great to have a roll or two on hand for simple cleaning jobs but I find that I tend to use them frivolously throughout the day when they’re there.  Cloth kitchen towels and bathroom towels will save on the millions of trees chopped down each year. Clean them at the end of the week (or replace every three days).

• BYOB – If I were president the first thing I’d do is ban plastic bags. Seriously. They’re extremely harmful to our environment and usually end up in landfills where they barely decompose and some little bird gets trapped inside. If you don’t believe me check out this article describing the dreadful details. If you’re not about killing birds or any other wild life, bring your own bag to the grocery store, Target, Walmart or wherever it is that you shop. It’s also a lot more durable.

• Turn off the lights – We tend to waste lots of energy. Don’t pay more of an electric bill than you have to. Turn out lights you’re not using. Unplug your cell phone chargers. Take back your energy!

My pillow box

I love samples. I’ve wasted tons of money in the past on products that didn’t work or just didn’t match my skin tone. How many of you have spent more money than you’d like on makeup, skin care and hair care that just doesn’t cut it only to be left with a closet full of product you don’t dare to share with your girlfriends? Been there. Done that. Coulda wrote the book.

Well thank God for the new sampling programs allowing beauty lovers to get a taste of a new product without parting with too much of your hard earned cash. While I’ve enjoyed the offerings of programs like BirchBox and TestTube, what’s missing from these types of monthly subscriptions is typically indicative of the target market most beauty companies are trying to reach. And if you’re really intuitive you understand that brown beauty, no matter how far we have come, is still not the “standard” of beauty in the west. So instead of a customized pack of samples that we can try are typically tossed away when fillers, anti-aging creams and powders that are lighter than our palms makeup the contents.

So what is a brown girl to do when she too wants to sample products that were made just for her? She finds The Pillow Box from MyShadeofBrown.com! When I heard about this sampling program I screamed and after receiving my first box in the mail I tell you I’m a believer.

The monthly subscription is only $10 per month and you won’t be disappointed.  They work with some of my favorite natural brands including Lamik, Georgia and Pooka Pure and Simple.

Sign up today ladies and also follow them on twitter and facebook. I’m expecting great things and amazing brands from this awesome sample service in the future.

Love and Beauty,

OBV

Don’t judge me. I’m still that bag lady hopping on the train or bus with a purse and heavier-than-life tote bag filled with books. Have I contemplated getting a kindle? Of course! Even the thought of dropping 500 dollars post-paying my student loans has crossed my mind, but as a last resort I’ve still opted for ordering cheap used books from Amazon for pennies on the dollar.

There’s something about the smell, texture and literary euphoria I sill get when I open and discover the pages of a book. In college toting books and staying on top of reading assignments was a tremendous hassle but now, reading and indulging my brain in something other than Facebook messages and fashion magazines is a luxury.

Last week I journeyed into Barnes and Nobles. The day was wet (of course Seattle you would  play into your stereotype) and I found myself hanging downtown waiting on a client to finish their meeting. With the recent number of book store closures throughout the country I’d thought it to be rather odd that B & N was still vibrant and rampant with freeloaders and homeless men looking for a warm place to stay and a great book to gain inspiration.

Reluctantly, I strolled into my typical sections: African American literature, business, entrepreneurship, health and fitness. Off in the distance I spotted the children’s section and immediately I was five years old again.  Sweet memories of dates with me and my mom taking trips to the book store on the weekends became familiar once more. She’d leave me in the children’s section to revel in my love affair with the American Girl collection and Babysitter’s Club series while she brushed up on some Terry McMillan.

We spent a few hours amongst our favorite authors but for me there was never enough time to journey throughout each story. Mom and I would come out of B & N with huge smiles smeared across our faces, carrying our cherished green bags filled with our latest little pieces of adventure.

I say all of this to say that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give up my love affair with physical books. I don’t need a power cord to get to know the power behind Zora Neal Hurston’s greatest works. I don’t have to have a back up source just in case my Jorge Louis Borges gets deleted.

How do you inscribe a thoughtful message when you give a book as a gift via an electronic download?  I still remember my mom sending me a copy of  Hill Harper’s “Letter’s To A Young Sister” with a note behind the front cover telling me to soar when I found myself feeling a little defeated my first semester in college.

Yeah. I don’t think I’m ready to give up my precious books to technology just yet…

What’s on my reading list for those that want to know…

Just finished:

Your Money God’s Way

Outliers

Currently Drooling Over:

The Alchemist

The Natural Year

What’s on your reading list?

Love and beauty,

OBV

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Hmmm. What to eat for great health and great skin.

Mornings for me are rough. And since I’ve been holding it down in NYC for Fashion Week, between the jet lag and the parties and meeting up with friends, I barely make it out of bed before 7 am. No time for scrambled eggs and slices of canteloupe or fresh strawberries, I’ve become a complete master of the grab and go breakfast.

I typically like to mix up what I call an anti-oxidant yogurt parfait. After trying Activia’s Picks yogurt (my faves so far are the harvest peach and strawberry made with real fruit) I got a little creative with the light , yet-filling yogurt and included more natural anti-aging and cancer fighting fruits like mangos, kiwis, blackberries and raspberries.

Check out my recipe for an awesome breafast or snack that will keep you energized and also kick those sugar cravings. 

1 pack of Activia Harvest yogurt (whichever flavor you like)

1/2 cup of chopped mangos

1/4 cup of chopped strawberries

1/4 cup of granola

I typically dump the yogurt into a small bowl, spread on the granola and build on my make-shift parfait with which ever fruit I feel the taste for that day. You can mix it up for a colorful treat and even sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on top. I kid you not when I say this little healthy treat will keep you from craving that midday snickers. Without trying I lost for pounds in the last two weeks! Ditching that red velvet and pound cake was easy when I replaced it with my anti-oxidant parfait.

Skin Treat

You all know I’m also a fan of kitchen beauty recipes. Scoop a little of your parfait out of your bowl and set to the side for a calming and cooling facial! Yes, a yogurt facial is great especially if you suffer with acne. You can ditch the diced fruit if you want but adding the cinnamon and nutmeg onto your skin before you layer the yogurt will help bring down inflammation.

Love and Beauty,

OBV

Me with the great, beautiful & kind Kim Coles

New York City greeted me this week with the same irresistible fervor it had the day I decided to leave the bright lights behind. Returning made me realize just how much I truly missed the city. The sounds, the smells, the glitz, glam and most importantly…. Fashion Week.

Friday evening I popped into the Texture on the Runway fashion show at the City Winery. Talk about inspiration! Bloggers and attendees showed up and showed out with fabulous hair, gorgeous color-blocking ensembles and fierce lip colors that will inspire a productive morning trip at Sephora’s today. My favorite bloggers, LoveBrownSugar and AfroBella were in attendance and looking fierce (as always) and before I headed out I was also able to run into the beautiful Kim Coles (literally as I exited the bathroom stall) and Felicia Leatherwood.

I went that evening expecting another industry type event with the wine flowing, fake smiles and uncomfortable laughs. Instead, what I received was the blessing of beauty that poured into the evening allowing each of us an opportunity to shine.

Every time I prepare to write a post, tweet or host an event, I think about my intent. I think about the intent of what beauty is supposed to give others and in what way my life is demonstrating a beauty that lives beyond cosmetics and creams.

Beauty has to be an action that builds community, represents love for each other and pours into ourselves abundantly. Without being too mushy I’d like to continue to challenge the discussion on what beauty really is. How are you pouring it into your life and into the lives of others?

While you ponder the thought check out a few pics from my evening out with Texture on the Runway.

Me & Natasha of AsiliGlam.com

Christina of LoveBrownSugar looking amazing as always! Such a sweet woman.

Two gorgeous naturals rocking a red lip like me!

Love and Beauty,

OBV

If Taryn Renee and I would have been born in the same city, we probably would have ended up as best friends. She’s an eco-glam girl inspiring women to be “gorgeously healthy” and her blog is an inspiration for eating and living the right way. I’m so honored to feature her as a Vixen of the Week. Peep her interview below…

What do you love most about what you do? I absolutely love showing women that whether you’re busy with work or school, you can fit in a Glamorously Healthy lifestyle! It makes me happy to show women that they don’t have to spend hours and hours grocery shopping, planning meals, or cooking. I am totally about planning and cooking while fitting it into a busy lifestyle!

Why did you decide to get into your industry? What sparked your interest?

My interest for a healthy lifestyle started a couple of years ago after college. I wanted to start eating healthier and lose weight but didn’t know where to start! After much research and planning my meals day by day, I started to feel better and eventually started to see results! Since then, I’ve been addicted to incorporating my new habits into everyday life.

How would you describe your passion for life?

Words can’t describe my passion for life. I am incredibly blessed and grateful to use my strengths to encourage other women in their journey!

What does natural beauty mean to you?

First and foremost, beauty comes from within. You should be eating loads of fruits and veggies, and drinking lots of H20! Natural beauty is loving the skin we are in and enhancing it with foods and products that are pure and good for our bodies!

How do you inspire, uplift and encourage others to be true to themselves?

I am a HUGE advocate for supporting other women in whatever they do!! I encourage women to do whatever makes them happy, no matter what that might be. I offer my complete support, but at the end of the day we must realize we only have one life to live, so MAKE IT COUNT!

Have you converted to living a more eco-friendly or eco-glamorous lifestyle? What’s been the hardest thing or the best thing about making the change?

Absolutely! I am totally into buying homegrown foods from farmer’s markets and health food stores. Its so important to consume fresh, pesticide-free foods, but also to support local farmers. Additionally, I’m totally into cleaning my house with natural products, recycling, and being conscious of using reusable products. The initial switch is not easy, I would stay take it day by day!

What philosophy do you live by?

I live each day “Glamorously Healthy”, a lifestyle that beautifully meshes the world of healthy living with glamour, beauty, and style:)

Love and Beauty,

OBV

It was the fall of 2005 and I was fresh off the plane in New York City ready to seize my new life as a college freshman in the Big Apple, I had so much more than freedom in the concrete jungle. I had Brooklyn. Not too keen with the transportation system I hopped the first thing smokin’ and ended up in downtown Brooklyn amongst strangers with thick accents, big buildings and music on the street that sang the soundtrack to my new life.

Walking past the many shops and shoddy sneaker stores I drunk in the artistry of hairstyles adorning the many brown beauties who held their heads as high as their heels.

“Miss, your dreads are absolutely gorgeous,” I said meekly, not completely comfortable speaking to strangers in New York without a can of mase (I knew Law & Order way too well).

“Baby, there’s nothing dreadful about my hair,” the brown-skinned woman with high-cheekbones responded brashly.

That day was a reality check for me. And after four years of rocking locs I cringe when someone pays me the exact same complement. There isn’t anything dreadful about my hair.

I’m often inundated when asked about my “dreads”. Do I correct others? Should it matter if I or anyone else for that matter uses either word. Some people get highly offended while others don’t care. What’s your take?

Love and Beauty,

OBV

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I go to Sephora in the same way that many folks go to Starbucks for their morning coffee. It’s the stop I make on my way to my destination and often the place I visit before returning home.

For other glamour girls obsessed with makeup, skin care and fragrance, this beauty haven can bring on a state of euphoria that’s hard to shake. But beyond the glitz, glamour and lip tattoos (I haven’t dared to try them as of yet but I do see rhinestone puckers in my future), I’m very leery about getting excited about new products on the shelf simply because I know I’ll never be able to use them.

Let’s face it, most products at Sephora seducing our beauty addictions are laden with toxic chemicals, iffy ingredient decks and outrageous claims that have us scratching our heads. So what’s an OBV to do? All is not lost! There’s still a place for ladies looking to go and stay green. You just have to know which brands you can feel safe with.

Here’s a look at Sephora’s best natural, organic and somewhat-lower-on-the-toxic-scale products so you can revel in being a “beauty insider” without losing your religion.

Korres – I have to admit, Korres doesn’t have many shades for brown girls but the mascara and lip colors are amazing. If you’re routine is simple and you don’t like having too many choices in your cosmetic bag, you’ll love this line.

Tarte – My eyes are thanking Tarte Cosmetics for their concealer that leaves my dark circles masked and gives me a fresh look to the greet the day. You can also pick up not-so-granola color palettes and sexy bronzers for your face and legs.

Josie Maran – Again, you won’t find many shades for deeper skin tones but you’ll love the skin care and argan oil based hair treatments. As a special treat when you purchase a mascara one will be donated to a cancer patient/survivor. Talk about giving the gift of beauty!

Carol’s Daughter – The fact that Carol’s Daughter is being carried at Sephora makes me proud. I had the pleasure of meeting founder Lisa Price last year and be in the same room with the power woman who has completely led the black owned beauty industry paving the way for other brands to get in on the action is incredible.

Love and Beauty,

OBV

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