Style + Beauty Trendwatch

Aside from employing reusable bags when I grocery-shop (they are enormous totes from Barneys that proclaim chicly in green "lose the plastic") and Mrs. Meyers clean green products, I am not as green as I might seem. But, on Earth Day 2009, I decided to incorporate some green beauty products into my makeup bag. 

To be perfectly honest, the idea of using only green beauty products has never resonated with me. I'm a die-hard beauty junkie at heart and tough when it comes to product performance. 

But I've noticed, too, that more and more celebrities are joining the planet- and people-friendly crusade, including Beyonce, who has done work for Second Harvest, a food-bank network and her husband, Jay-Z, founder of the UN's Water for Life program; Natalie Portman, a vegan who has a shoe line, Te Casan, of all man-made materials; Cameron Diaz, who drives a Prius; and Julia Roberts, Cindy Crawford, and Gywneth Paltrow, three moms who are raising their kids with the green spirit.

For my part, here are three eco-friendly beauty products I've tried, and I recommend them to everyone simply because they live up to and beyond their expectations while they do the planet good.

Kiehl's Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser ($16.50, kiehls.com)
If the skin-soothing aloe vera and coconut don't get you, maybe the fact that Brad Pitt partnered with this famous naturally inclined brand to create the product will. All of the proceeds from sales go to Brad's new nonprofit JPF Eco Systems, and you have Brad's handwritten note of support for green initiatives on the label.

Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream Light ($42.95, drhauschka.com)
This everyday botanical moisturizer is a beauty kit staple of models who love its natural, gentle moisturizing benefits. Each tube contains 30 rose petals and avocado extract. The brand has partnered with Heifer International, a nonprofit committed to fighting hunger worldwide with donations of livestock to promote better nutrition and self-reliance in 125 countries around the world, including the U.S.

Cargo PlantLove Botanical          Lipsticks ($20, cargocosmetics.com)
Each lipstick contains only botanical ingredients and comes in a biodegradable tube. The outer packaging is made from biodegradable paper created from seeds and flowers; you can actually plant the box. Plus, $2 from the sale of every lipstick goes to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Some are designed by celebrities, others are environmentally inspired. My favorite shades are Lindsay Lohan's "Lindsay," a sheer pink cream, and Kim Raver's "Cherry Bliss," a sheer cherry.

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