how to apply eye cream for maximum benefits

The skin around your eyes is very delicate and thin; thus explains why fine lines, puffiness and dark circles are common issues. While nothing can substitute for a good night sleep, an antioxidant rich eye cream can do wonders if used properly to help you look fresh and well rested. Here are a 5 key tips on how to make the most of your eye cream.
 1. The Basics
Apply to freshly cleansed skin; make sure all eye makeup has been thoroughly removed.  Use less than a pea size amount and apply with your ring finger or pinkie finger.  Pat the cream on the corresponding ring or pinkie finger. You will use less pressure with these fingers when applying to your delicate eye area.

2. Gentle Touch

gently tap the cream soaked pad of your fingertip on the skin under your eyes working from the inner corner to the crease, where so many of us get crow's feet. Gently work into crows feet area as well. Be super delicate and do not rub, tug or pull on the skin.

3. Soak in the Benefits
Let your eye cream really soak in (a good 5-10 minutes) before applying any under eye concealer or makeup.

4. Consistency 

Make applying eye cream a part of your skin care routine morning and evening for best results! I've been learning first hand this is especially important in your 30s :)

5. Don't Stop at Your Eyes

Eye creams often contain potent vitamins and antioxidants that help plump and nourish the skin. The Grapeseed Co. eye cream, DiVine Eyes™ anti aging cream with eyebright, can also be used in crease areas around the mouth (aka laugh lines) or forehead to help target and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. I've got a little 'furrow of the brow line' above my nose I use DiVine Eyes™ on daily.

reader tips & every day is earth day winner

We asked our readers to share tips on how to respect the earth everyday. Here are their fabulous responses. 
Feel free to comment with your own!

"Use the rain that falls naturally from the sky to water your gardens instead of sending it down the sewers and into the streets"
Kathy

"I keep 2 reusable bags in my purse, that way I absolutely never leave home without them!" 
Jennifer

"#1 - We keep a number of reusable bags in each vehicle so that we're never without.
#2 - We recycle our kitty's water into the bird bath."
@ecstewart 

"Dispose old medications responsibly. Here are guidelines: http://bit.ly/cq2hQV" 
Reena Kazmann 

"Since we bring reusable bags with us to the store and don't have many plastic bags around the house anymore (thank goodness), I reuse produce bags and the bags our newspaper is delivered in for Mabel's daily constitutionals."
Katie L.

"Women could choose to use a menstrual cup (www.divacup.com) and a washable pantiliner (www.lunapads.com) instead of tampons and pads. Think of the paper usage, and saving that from the landfills! Also, think about the dioxin that will not be entered into the body, from bleached products."
Blogger Grrl

"My biggest green tips would be to eat lower on the food chain, carry reusable bags and food containers with you. Walk everywhere and take short showers. Composting is pretty awesome and easier then you think!"
 Amber Zuckswert 

"Here at our aromatherapy studio, we diffuse essential oils into the air for natural, clean fragrance. Not only are synthetic air fresheners comprised of chemicals, their packaging creates a lot of waste. For essential oil diffusion, you only need a diffusing source such as a candle diffuser or nebulizer, water, and essential oil which comes in a very concentrated form. One bottle will last you a long time!!"
Kathleen McManus

"We replaced our old, cracked windows and noticed a dramatic change in heating bills this winter, plus we got the tax credit for making our home more energy efficient. Big investment, but a great time to do it!"
Sarah B.

"Enjoy a litter-free lunch! Get up 5 minutes early and make (or prepare the night before) a fresh, organic lunch and then pack it in a re-usable, recyclable container. Throw in a washable cloth napkin and you'll eat healthier while saving money and the environment!"
Gregory

"We have a water catchment system we rigged for rain, we then use the water in the garden."
Sam Perry 

"My tip is to Install low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets."
Eve

"I started switching off my internet router and electronics at night. Since they're all on a power strip, it's as easy as flicking a switch to cut off phantom electricity drain. I also started lining my trash bins (in all rooms except the kitchen) with washable reusable bags. I just don't have many plastic bags lying around anymore. "
NotEasytobeGreen  

"We switched to a green trash hauler this year. The trucks are smaller, quieter, and more fuel efficient. The trash doesn't go into a landfill. It goes to a trash-to-energy facility and creates electricity. Ferrous metals are recycled. It even costs less than our old traditional trash hauler."
 Lee Hemming 

"Recycling is an easy way to make a difference. Starting you own compost for fantastic organic plantings is rewarding. Unplug. It not only help saves the planet but it cuts your electric bill down to size."
tlr33960  

"Bring your own coffee cup to work instead of using the disposable one's. If you want to go even futher, use re-usable dishes and silverware at work as well instead of the paper and plastic ones provided by your office. This is a GREAT way to cut down your footprint."
heater

"Val from IOWA: GREEN TIP is recycle old shoes/boots/sandals give to women's shelter & men's shelter!! OR give to any of the many international groups that send shoes to DARFU or ANYWHRE necessary!! THANKS :)"
Valerie (Val) Hirschhorn 

"In addition to using more reusable shopping bags lately, we recently purchased reusable sandwich and snack bags. Also, we use refillable water bottles rather than drink bottled water. I usually brew coffee at home, but when I do grab coffee on-the-go I skip the paper sleeve and use my handmade fabric coffee sleeve. It folds flat so it is easy to carry in my purse and perfect for both hot and cold coffees."
erin

"Use cloth towels to dry your hands instead of paper towels" 

Evelyn Damptey

Thanks so much to everyone for your contributions and terrific ideas. We're pleased to announce our winner from the random drawing: 

CONGRATULATIONS  

Sarah B. 

Please email: orders(at)thegrapeseedcompany.com with your shipping info and "earth day winner" 
in the subject line. 

ENJOY!

cheers,

Kristin

things we do everyday to celebrate & respect the earth

Happy Earth Day! 

 Wow, today marks 40 years since we've been acknowledging and celebrating this day, amazing. We're sharing with you 10 things we do every day at The Grapeseed Co. with the earth in mind. Because our company was founded with a focus to tread lightly on the earth, we don't broadcast some of these things because it's just how we operate.

 1. The base ingredient of our entire Grapeseed Co. line is made from a local byproduct, grape seeds.

 2. All of our formulations for Grapeseed Co. & Dirty Dog Organics contain the finest quality expeller pressed and steam distilled natural oils. Never phthalates, synthetic fragrances, parabens or sulfates. There's a big difference in quality between naturally pressed and distilled oils and chemically solvent extracted oils!

3. We locally source many ingredients like grape seeds, honey and olive oil.

4. We grow our own organic lavender and mint.

5. All packaging can be recycled and the beautiful cobalt PET plastic or glass help to preserve the product by blocking the contents from light.

6. We offer a refill program for glass soy candle containers that are returned to us and even give you a 15% discount for doing so!

7. Our shipping materials are either recycled or made from post consumer materials. This includes shipping boxes, our beautiful packing tissue (100% post consumer!), and the peanuts we reuse from ingredient shipments.

8. Our office systems and order processing system are paper free.

9. Abbie, our awesome production assistant, makes sure nothing goes to waste. This girl's got an eco-friendly solution for everything whether it's the last bit of product remaining in our filling machine or a slightly imperfect bar or soap.

10. I'm lucky enough to live in downtown Santa Barbara, not too far from The Grapeseed Co. office. I've made a commitment to walk or bike to work whenever possible. I've even outfitted my bike with a handy removable basket so carrying lunch, herbs and my laptop doesn't become an excuse to hop in the car!

What do you do daily to tread lighter on our planet? 

Leave your tip here and enter to win over $75 of organic skincare!

tips for terrific skin while traveling

Let's face it, travel can be tough on your skin. Dry, not-so-fresh recycled air on planes, climate change, lack of sleep, jet lag... the list goes on. And ya, come to think of it, no wonder our skin breaks out when traveling!

No matter where you are, Texas or Tahiti, you need to cleanse and hydrate your skin properly. Our new travel size skin care line makes this possible all the time. The green tea & grapes creme cleanser and chamomile grapefruit moisturizer are good to go in cute little tubs, bringing you botanical beauty from wine on the road. Pack the mojito man moisture mist or lavender rose toner in convenient misting bottles in your carry-on. Spritz your face a few times throughout the flight to keep the life from being sucked out of your complexion! Guys, feel free to retreat to the bathroom if this feels like a girl-y indulgence. I guarantee you will feel refreshed and see an difference in your skin (and will probably enjoy it too!)

Grapeseed Skin Care Travel Essentials Set

Don't forget the basics. A good night's sleep does wonders on so many levels. Your skin needs proper rest too, so try to get those ZZZZs. Its super easy to get dehydrated while traveling. Make sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day. I also stick to drinking a glass of water for every adult beverage I consume in the evening. My face (and head) feel better the next morning.

Ladies, thoroughly remove your makeup before bed! 100% pure grapeseed oil is a great multi-use product that will do this while treating your skin. It can also be applied to irritated skin, burns, bites, and used as a head to toe moisturizer on super sensitive skin.

Speaking of burns, don't forget the sunscreen! If you're poolside, beach bound or out on the town it's a necessity. Reapply, reapply, reapply.

A little extra TLC always helps the complexion.  The custom vinotherapy mask sampler is an awesome treat to bring with you when you travel. The adorable little pouches are filled with a dry vinotherapy mask that you mix fresh at your destination. The application brush is small, easy to pack and feels absolutely luxurious. Brushing a warm mask on after a long day will make you feel like you're at the spa, even if you're hanging in your hotel room.

Take a little time to tend to your skin when you travel. Business or pleasure, dry, sallow, tired looking skin shows on a weary traveler's face.

fresh from your kitchen: minty margarita foot soak

Most of the country is warming up for sandal season! I happen to live in a place where flip flops are year round footwear. Pedicures can get a bit expensive, so I like to go once a month for a professional pedi, and have created some fun home pedi recipes for the times in between when my feet need a little cleaning up. Today's Fresh From Your Kitchen features a great recipe for step 1 of a favorite home pedi treatment. Enjoy beauties!

minty margarita foot soak
combine all ingredients with in a basin (big enough for both feet) filled with warm water.
1T epsom salt
1T sea salt
2 limes: cut 1 lime in half, squeeze juice into the basin. Thinly slice the remaining lime and add. 
a handful of fresh mint leaves, or 2 bags of peppermint tea 
         fresh mint: muddle leaves with mortar and pestle.
         mint tea: rip open tea bag and pour herbs into basin
Kristin's favorite spa at home pedicure   
step 1:
Prepare your foot soak. Find a comfy spot, plop your feet into the basin and relax with a good book for 10 minutes
step 2:
scoop a quarter sized amount of surf sea salt foots scrub in your hands and massage into feet focusing on rough areas like the your heals and pads of the feet. Work off calluses with our handy 4 in 1 pedicure tool (pictured right.) File toenails or clip if needed. Return feet to basin and rinse.
step 3:
pat dry; then apply surf lotion generously, massaging into your feet. Put on a pair of cotton socks and let the lotion really soak in for 10 minutes or so.
step 4:
remove socks and apply a little polish remover to your toenails. This removes the oils (from the lotion) from your toenails and will help the polish adhere better, therefore lasting longer.
step 5:
paint your toes with an eco friendly polish. 2 of my fav brands of non-toxic polish: priti and zoya

the sole surfer pedicure kit ($35) contains everything else you need for this treatment in addition to the recipe above. You'll get at least 20 pedis out of this kit, which is an unbelievable value at just $1.75 per pedicure!

Green Skin Care Blog brings simple spa delights to your home with Fresh From Your Kitchen: DIY recipes & treatments you can create with a trip to the grocer or health food store. Direct from the creator of The Grapeseed Company's personal stash of fresh beauty creations and concoctions.

related posts

Check out past Fresh From Your Kitchen features:

lemon eucalyptus steam

out-a here eye bags

natural cold & flu remedies

pumpkin cream pie facial

facial in a flower bouquet

I'm not 18 anymore muscle soak

the buzz sun repair mask

acai berry-oxidant mask

B.C.C. hair mask

vanilla dream salt glow

strawberry kiwi exfoliating mask

super silky bedtime bath salts

cold care

cool cucumber under eye mask

lemon ginger revitalizing bath

breakout busters

parsley facial steam

hey bright eyes, what's eyebright?

learn what your skin care is doing for you 
ingredient insider :: eyebright

botanical name:
euphrasia officinalis 

what it does:  Eyebright is an amazing herb with a solid history of use in folk medicine to treat irritation of the eye area. It’s rich in flavanoids and tannins, like grape seeds are. It is native to Europe, but today it's grown all over the world. Eyebright is known in herbal medicine to treat inflammation and irritation. Eyebright is also naturally rich in vitamin A, D and E, making it a great anti-aging ingredient in skin care. 

folklore: Eyebright has been used as a remedy in folk medicine to treat various conditions around the eyes. It's commonly brewed into a tea, then applied to the eye area with a compress. People also take the supplement in capsule and tincture form to help with allergies, colds and even sinus infections due to it's anti-inflammatory affect from the tannins.

find it in:  DiVine Eyes™ anti-aging cream with eyebright 
a new Grapeseed Co. release available for purchase here

huge savings today: Grapeseed Co. on Jasmere.com

hello green beauties!

I'm sharing an unbelievable promo we're running for the next 20+ hours with our friends at jasmere.com.
We've put together 3 special sets of our botanical beauty products made from wine for the folks at Jasmere to sell at an insane discount for just 24 hours.  You get to purchase the same fabulous Grapeseed Co. products at 50-70% off retail price, today only!

catch their review of Grapeseed Co. products here

If you've ever wanted to try vinotherapy, now is your chance! Go green with your beauty routine and save some $green$ while you're at it. What are you waiting for? Shop and save, today only!

cheers,

Kristin

podcast: Kristin on Celebrate Green! Radio

I had a great time chatting with Lynn and Corey from Celebrate Green! on their fabulous radio show Wednesday 4/7/10. If you missed the live show, here's a link to the podcast. Lynn and Corey make going green easy and affordable, and brought together an awesome group of guests in this show. The mom-daughter duo share some cool tips and history about Earth Day, followed by this interesting and informative line-up of guests.

Thanks for having me on Lynn & Corey- I love what you are all about! Check out their book for more awesome earth friendly tips on living and celebrating GREEN!

cheers,

Kristin

Every Day is Earth Day Give-Away!

 

Earth Day was founded by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson on April 22, 1970. This year, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. In honor of this day of eco-awareness, we are hosting a special contest to compile a list of simple things you do to tread lighter on our planet.

One randomly selected contributor will win a boatload of Grapeseed Co. skin care goodies worth over $75! One lucky duck will win everything needed to green your daily skin care routine, pictured below:

 grapeseed organic skin care starter set

 vinotherapy body lotion

wine bar organic soap

All you need to do to enter is leave your earth friendly tip (it can be as simple as bringing your own mug to your local coffee house) in the comments section here at our blog or on The Grapeseed Co. Facebook Page and either subscribe to GreenSkincareBlog.com, or become a Facebook fan.

On April 24th, we will compile your responses, randomly select a winner and publish the list of reader tips at GreenSkincareBlog.com along with announcing the lucky winner.
In a way, we all win by sharing and learning great eco-living tips from each other!

Tell us...
what is your simple earth friendly tip?

live tomorrow on Celebrate Green! radio

Hey there, 

 Join me tomorrow, 4/7/10 at 10:00 AM pacific time as I chat live with Lynn and Corey, the mom-daughter dynamic duo authors of Celebrate Green! We'll be discussing green beauty, creating a natural skincare line from the byproduct of wine and green Mother's Day gift ideas too!

Lynn and Corey have an awesome lineup on their show tomorrow. I'm excited to listen to the biodynamic winegrower, the next guest up on the show following me. Learn more about Lynn, Corey and their fabulous book at CelebrateGreen.net Get details on tomorrow's show here.

cheers,

Kristin