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Archive for the ‘Halloween makeup’ Category

Wild Child

Tuesday, October 29th, 2013

Halloween is coming up FAST! Need a last minute costume? Here are a few animal makeup ideas for your little critter. These are not only really creative, but  foster an appreciation of wildlife! They are also easily paired with some solid neutral colored shirts or sweaters. Make sure to use a brand of lead-free face paint, or make your own with our recipe.

Baboon

From Crafthours

 

Giraffe

Super easy! And the little hair buns double as an accessory. Tutorial from Daily Candy

 

Lion

Design from HGTV

Fox

This face paint is great with a red fluffy outfit or a suit and tie à la Fantastic Mr. Fox? Here is the video from Marvelous Masks.

For more makeup follow us at facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

The Scariest Thing About Halloween Might Be In You Kids’ Makeup

Friday, October 25th, 2013

This post was previously published on HUFFPOST PARENTS

Lead is a known carcinogen and a powerful neurotoxin that can affect nearly every organ in the body. Scientists generally agree that there is NO safe level of lead in children. And yet lead, regardless of the level, is found in makeup around the country. Even in makeup intended for kids. Halloween can be an opportunity for toxic mayhem OR it can be an opportunity to learn, educate and buy carefully.

Lead poisoning, according to the CDC, is entirely preventable. Most people aren’t aware of the ways in which lead can make its way into our bodies. But, because of their rapid development, children age 1-6 are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure. While many parents may be aware of the primary sources of lead exposure (from household paint and dust) there are numerous other paths of exposure and makeup is a critical one. Since we absorb as much as 80 percent of what goes on our skin, the precautionary principal tells us it’s not smart to coat ourselves with things containing lead.

And yet… that is often exactly what’s happening. A recent study found that 66 percent of the top brands of lipstick sold in the U.S. contain lead, not to mention other toxic metals like cadmium, aluminum, and nickel as well. Because of the fact that the cosmetics industry is not regulated by the FDA, there are no laws based on levels that are safe for makeup. (Although I’d advocate that there is NO safe level of lead in any makeup.) Furthermore, you won’t find these ingredients listed on the package, as the FDA doesn’t mandate disclosure on heavy metals, which makes it even trickier to find something safe.

Lead in lipstick has been a known issue for years and the FDA continues to do periodic tests which only show more lead in lipstick (see FDA chart with names of brands listed) but still there’s no regulation.

Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has found that 10 out of 10 kids’ Halloween makeup tested positive for lead. That doesn’t mean that every single makeup on the market contains lead but many, even perhaps most, will. As a mom, it’s not a gamble I want to take.

According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics: At least a million children in the U.S. exceed the currently accepted threshold for blood lead level exposure that affects behavior and cognition. Lead is banned from makeup in both Canada and Europe but it’s allowed AT ANY LEVEL in makeup in the U.S.

While the only way you’ll truly know if your makeup is free of toxins is to have it examined under the microscope, there are things you can do to be careful.

You can’t trust labels of “non-toxic,” “safe,” or “hypo-allergenic” — and in fairness some companies may not even know if they have heavy metals in their makeup because it would mean they would have had to specifically test their raw ingredients, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. But many types of “mineral” makeup can be contaminated with heavy metals, as are often other makeup that is mixed with cheap ingredients.

While perhaps the very safest way of making sure your child isn’t exposed to lead or other irritants and allergens this year is to avoid face paint altogether, you can also 1.) use make up that participates in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, 2.) look for how makeup rates on the EWG score, and 3.) is made by a producer you can trust, who is very consciously deciding what ingredients to use and where to source them.

But lead dangers don’t stop at makeup. There are a lot of Halloween items that can be tainted with lead. Education is the best way to protect your kids from harm this Halloween and in the years to come.

By Amy Ziff

For more Halloween safety pieces follow us on Facebook facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

For more information on product ingredients visit Veritey.com, facebook.com/veritey, or Twitter @veritey

Tweets & Tips

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013

We held recently a twitter party to share healthy Halloween tips. In case you missed it (don’t worry, there were quite a few folks who had to put their little goblins to bed!)  we’ve compiled a list of the best #greenhalloween tricks and treats. Thanks to all our wonderful party-goers for their great suggestions!

 

What to do on Halloween Day / Night

  • Have your child eat a full meal before going out.
  • Make sure your child eats two rainbows of produce two weeks before and after Halloween. Learn more at Today I Ate a Rainbow.
  • Trade candy for Legos or other toys.
  • Bring candy to work the next day (the office my suffer from a sugar high, but the candy is bound to disappear quickly).
  • Pack your own healthy treats for your child to have while walking from house to house. Later, donate the candy s/he acquired.
  • Try reverse Trick or Treating. Instead of taking junky candy, go to your neighbors and give them a fair trade gift. Help empower workers.

Tips for Parties/ Decorations / Costumes

  • Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 10 out of 10 Halloween makeup kits tested contain lead! Stay safe and make your own face paint.
  • Who says piñatas have to be full of candy? Fill that baby up with little prizes!
  • Grow your own pumpkins! Can you get it to be this big?
  • “Disposable?” More like reusable! Wash your plastic cutlery to use for all your parties. Or, try bamboo picnic ware.
  • Need some fun, eco-party inspiration? Try a Healthy Child Party Kit.
Favorite Treats (Recommended by #greenhalloween party friends)

 

For more healthy tips follow us on Facebook facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

 

Relax! It’s Monday

Monday, September 23rd, 2013

Mondays are tough. But, just because it is the start of the workweek, doesn’t mean you can’t pamper yourself! And what better way to do it than with natural ingredients free of harmful parabans? Plus, you can use the Green Halloween team favorite gourd, pumpkin! Rich in Vitamin A, these homemade beauty treatments will help you relax and let you concentrate on what an awesome eco-friendly Halloween you are going to have!

Pumpkin Mask

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons canned pureed pumpkin
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
  • I recommend to use under eye masks

Directions

Mix all ingredients and apply to face. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse. Voila! Smooth beautiful skin.

 

Pumpkin Exfoliant 

Ingredients

  • 1 small pumpkin
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup organic coconut oil (other oils can be used, but coconut oil is thicker than others at room temperature)
  • 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spices (I combined cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger)
Directions

Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (but save them to roast!). Roast pumpkin for 30 minutes or until tender. Canned pumpkin puree can also be used, but I prefer fresh. Scoop the pumpkin puree into a bowl and add the sugar, oil and spices. Mix well and jar. Yum! An exfoliant that smells like pie.

To learn more about pumpkins, check out this post and this post

These natural beauty ideas come from Mother Nature Network and Green Global Travel

For more natural remedies  follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

5 Different Ways to Put Ketchup to Use

Monday, June 11th, 2012

By Wendy

Summer is officially here. It’s time take the grill out of the garage and start the barbeque! Call the family, make the salad, and get the hotdogs and hamburgers ready. They’re the perfect condiment. So perfect that a group of engineers at MIT have also created a new liquid called LiquiGlide used to coat the inside of condiment bottles for an easier pour and not waste a single drop.

My favorite ketchup is Krazy Ketchup. It was created by moms who wanted to give their kids a great tasting ketchup. It’s also 100% Certified Organic and rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Potassium.

For you DIY moms, here’s an easy homemade ketchup recipe you can make at home:

What You Need:

1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in puree

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

What to Do:

Blend the can of whole tomatoes in a blender until smooth

Cook onions in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until softened, about 8 minutes

Add blended tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 1 hour, stirring more frequently toward the end of cooking to prevent scorching

Puree ketchup in 2 batches in blender until it’s smooth. Chill covered, at least 2 hours to help flavors develop.

Cooks’ note: Ketchup can be chilled up to 3 weeks

 

But what else can you do with ketchup? Here are 5 things you can do with your new found ketchup besides putting it on your burger:

  1. Shine Your Copper Pot and Pans- the acidity in ketchup helps to remove the tarnish build up, making your pieces shine like new. Apply a thin layer of ketchup on your copper pan for 20 minutes. Rinse and dry.
  2. Keeping Your Silver Pieces Bright and Sparkly- ketchup can also remove the grime that builds up on silver jewelry and other pieces. Pour ketchup into a bowl and dip silver pieces right in for 20 minutes. You may want to scrub hard to reach places. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
  3. Fixing of Chlorine Damaged Hair- it helps to remove the icky green that you sometimes get after being in swimming pools. Just apply ketchup all over your hair and let it marinate for about 20 minutes. Wash hair thoroughly and you should see results.
  4. Making Fake Blood During Halloween- ketchup makes great imitation blood for those vampire and zombie Halloween costumes for the kids
  5. Finger Painting for Toddlers- let kids use ketchup to paint their food to make it eating more fun and nutritious.

What other things do you use your ketchup for?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.