A few years ago I was lucky enough to sit right next to Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Editor & CEO of EcoStiletto.com & MommyGreenest.com at a fashion show during Los Angeles Fashion Week.Well, we immediately hit it off and chatted throughout the show. I just couldn't wait to share this amazing site (if you haven't come across it already!) and the amazing things Rachel has done with it! And, I am not the only one raving about it! Check out the LOVE they have received from eco-chic celebs too!
1.) Tell us about your baby, EcoStiletto & how was it born.
I'm a journalist and I'd been writing about fashion and beauty for a while when I realized that the products I was reviewing 1. never seemed to do what they said they would, like erase my wrinkles, and 2. contained some pretty toxic chemicals. At the same time, green fashion and beauty was exploding! Once I started learning about eco-products that actually did what they said and didn't contain chemicals, I was sold. I created EcoStiletto as a place to show women that you can be as gorgeous and glamorous as ever, while still working to shrink your carbon footprint. Hence, the stiletto metaphor.
2.) What is your favorite eco brand/line? Why?
Right now I'm loving Alaffia hair care products. (www.alaffia.com) First and foremost, they work--I was at the salon yesterday and my hairdresser took one look at my formerly-limp-suddenly-luxurious hair and was like, "What are you using?" Second, they're totally chemical free--nothing on my Big List of Things That Suck. ( http://www.ecostiletto.com/index.php?/Beauty/tbltts/ ) But the coolest part is the story: The line was founded by Olowo N'djo Tchala, who is originally from Togo, Africa and now lives in Washington State. He sources all the shea butter from fair trade collectives in Togo and supports the communities there. He also organizes bike drives twice a year for the girls in the region, who typically give up school because they can't make the five-mile walk. And he works to educate people in his community about the dangers of things like female genital mutilation. Not the most fun subject to talk about, especially for a guy. So this is an example of the perfect line for EcoStiletto--it does what it says it does, it doesn't give money to the cosmetic chemical industry, and it supports a community in need.
3.) What can we find in your make-up bag?
I'm a total minimalist when it comes to makeup. I have three kids, so typically I just have time to slap on some tinted moisturizer--Physician's Formula Organic Wear, at the moment--and go. So I'm loving the Living Luminizer by RMS Beauty, which is a totally organic, chemical free line created by a makeup artist here in Los Angeles named Rose-Marie Swift. The Luminizer is amazing! You just dab a little bit on your cheekbones, around the outside socket of your eye, your lower lip, the tip of your nose and all of a sudden you look just kind of awake and, yes, luminous. You can put it on in the car!
4.) When your not writing for the site what can we find you doing? Tell us a little more about Rachel.
If I could, I'd do yoga every day. Right now I have just enough time for one class a week, and I crave it like chocolate. There's nothing better to get me out of my head and work through the little aches and pains that come from sitting at a computer 12 hours a day! And about once a month, I try to hit the Give + Take swap shop, which is this amazing boutique in Playa del Rey. (www.giveplustake.com) You bring the clothes you're not wearing and trade them in, then you get to pick from everyone else's swaps. Everything is clean and beautifully presented on wood hangers. It's still reusing and recycling so it's totally green, but it's less of a hunt than thrift shopping, because everything's already edited for you by the owner Dora, who is a fantastic on site stylist, too!
5.) What is on your holiday wish list?
Anything by Melissa Joy Manning. Her recycled metal jewelry with fair trade stones is consistently the most gorgeous stuff I've ever seen.
6.) What do you have planned for the future?
Giving away even cooler eco-swag--right now we're up to $1,200 per month in giveaways to our free newsletter subscribers! And next year I'm doing an eight-event series of Green Girls Night Out parties at Kimpton Hotels across the country--they're super green, so it's a perfect match. Watch out, I may be coming to a city near you ;-)
What You Don't Know About Rachel!
Pet peeves: Sustainabullies, defined on The Big List as n. A person who makes others feel guilty for perceived eco-sins; (s)he’s holier than thou and probably drives a Prius. Yes, I made that up.
Favorite color: When my daughter was born, my then two-year-old son said, "Mommy, I love all the colors of Julia." It's so random, but I love that. We're all made of colors--who could choose? Okay, now I sound like a total hippie.
Likes: I'm obsessed with Matcha green tea right now. It's a powder, so you can drink it hot or cold. And since I gave up drinking coffee, it's my go-to for an afternoon pick-me-up.
{STAY CONNECTED, ALL THINGS RACHEL}
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