I recently had the opportunity to interview Cristina Samuel from Mode cosmetics. I am not able to use her thorough responses in my most recent article for GCI magazine on makeup, unfortunately, but I wanted to share it anyway.

SM: What needs are not being met/what needs to change to make the cosmetics market successful?
CS: I think that too many marketers are desperately focusing on what other marketers are doing and not concentrating on their own products and brands. This can be a double edged sword which ultimately leads to a sea of me too’s and complete lack of innovation and uniqueness. I also feel that there has been a surge of negativity within the industry in recent years which has trickled its way to the consumer, including bullying practices by marketers, and misinformation being spread regarding the safety of certain ingredients that have been proven to be safe and effective for decades. If particular ingredients have no purpose, relevance, or bearing to a marketer’s formulations, then those ingredients are suddenly “marketed” and claimed as harmful and unsafe with fear mongering tactics, rather than concentrating on why their products are great, and I truly believe this is due to insecurity and severe desperation. It’s very important to educate the consumer rather than feeding into fears that misinformation and misunderstanding causes and in turn becoming that marketing bully.

I have been eating as if each day was a birthday party and not exercising, so … you do the math. It is amagaZING how quickly we can fall out of good habits and into bad ones. 3 weeks. That is all it took. Actually, all it took all of a few days. Once the decision was made to break the cycle, I found it easy to just keep right on going. Not that I am making excuses, but I am not without reason. After a super-crazy-busy week before Charlie’s birthday, school started. Adjusting to the new schedule has taken some time and we are all still pretty exhausted. Getting up BEFORE the family rises at 6:45am is out of the question. But, I was able to trade back with a previous small group member who had lent me her double stroller so that I could take Charlie on the trail with my old single while Avery is at school. So, the past 3 of 4 days I was once again hitting the pavement–albeit slowly (I might as well have rested for three years, not 3 weeks!) but I’m out there. I’m hoping to relax the tension on my waistband before the snow hits the ground or I am going to be replacing my wardrobe before Christmas!

It drives me crazy that my daughter insists that I have BROWN hair. Ugh! She drew the family in color the other day and I, of course, appeared with brown hair. I thought we’d been over this (but at least it’s not gray!) …

Not enough to convince me to make the switch yet, but I will definitely think twice before dying my hair as often, and gives me reason to consider a salon visit sometime in my future.

What’s not in beauty products is just as, if not more important, than what is these days. Heightened awareness of the environment sustainability, wellness and natural has given suppliers and marketers an opportunity to distinguish their products in the marketplace. The trend is consumer-driven, and the demand is on the rise. According to Organic Monitor, global sales of natural and organic cosmetics are increasing by more than $1 billion a year, and it is today’s discerning consumer helping the natural and organic market find its way. “People are remembering the benefits of simplicity in their lives and in the products they use,” says Masha Petrowizky, independent cosmetic design consultant.

Read more in the August issue of GCI magazine.

Good news: I went running this morning (I have been missing a lot of days bc sleep wins the battle when the alarm goes off!)
Bad news: I was super slow, one of the slowest runs I have had in a long time.
Good news: Because I ran the same distance, my run was longer than it’s been in a while.
Bad news: I burned fewer calories.
Good news: I still burned about 400 calories.
Bad news: It’s not enough! I’m stuck at 160 pounds! UGH.
Good news: There’s always tomorrow.
Bad news: I have to do it again tomorrow.

There’s no doubt the absence of industry regulations and inconsistency of private standards are confusing consumers and hindering further growth within the beauty industry. Because there are no national and EU regulations for natural and organic cosmetics, legitimate products are competing against conventional cosmetics that are labeled as “natural” because they contain some natural ingredients. Standards will allow honest professionals to be rewarded for their integrity and enable consumers to better identify and understand what is being offered to them. But that process itself is getting confusing.

Read more in the August issue of GCI magazine.

As a writer, I am often looking for experts who can discuss new technologies in professional hair color or trends in bath and body fragrancing. My job has been made a lot easier lately by new social networking sites, including LinkedIn and now: HARO. I only recently heard about this site, and just used it for the first time today so we’ll see how it goes. But what a great idea! The way it works: people (with something to say) sign up to get thrice-daily e-mails of really specific requests for sources, such as “Business owners that use video conferencing via their laptops” or “Interior designers who’ve done Emotional Intelligence training.” I submitted a request for salon colorists who use enzymes for an article I am writing on new technologies in professional hair color. If a topic or request submitted by a reporter fits your experience or expertise, you reply. It’s worth a look if you are trying to get your name out there (or you are a writer like me and need experts). Of course, it’s a lot of sifting through e-mails … the one downside no matter which side of the story you are on.

Until the day comes that all products are packaged in affordable, durable, biodegradable or recyclable packaging, all we can do is make the best of things. TerraCycle has turned this idea into a very profitable business. Co-founders Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer take packages and materials that are challenging to recycle (such as newsprint, plastic bags, juice pouches and chip bags) and transform them into affordable, high-quality goods, including tote bags, kites, umbrellas and even office supplies like pens and pencils. The upcycling process requires far less energy than recycling and yields much higher amounts of usable material, according to Terracyle’s Albe Zakes.

You can get involved by signing up for free. They will pay you to collect plastic bags, wrappers and packages and send them to TerraCycle using their free shipping bags.

In addition to partnering with Frito-Lay and Mars, Terracycle is just signed deals to develop programs that upcycle packaging from Kimberly Clark’s Huggies and Scott brands and re-purpose material from Aveeno.

While not the solution to the garbage problem, it just goes to show you are only limited by your creativity.

I wrote a while ago about some of my favorite cosmetics and personal care products and I have to update it for the summer. Now that the weather is getting warmer and much more humid, I have switched to a mineral makeup. I had a bad experience about 8 years ago and haven’t touched one since. I have been missing out! I received a sample of Afterglow and absolutely love it.

It helps to use a microdermabrasion kit once a week or so to give myself a smooth palette to apply the makeup (I like Olay’s although there are others I haven’t tried).

The first week of running like a madwoman and “not eating” (okay, not really but that’s what it felt like, I was constantly hungry!) was quite discouraging. I weighed myself after one week and had barely lost one pound. Not only that, but I went bowling with friends and … tore … my jeans. Thankfully nobody had a clue, until now that is, but I was mortified. I had to go home to change and I missed two frames! Anyway, that’s something only happens to fat people, right?!?! Well, apparently women with thunder thighs shouldn’t wear tight jeans bowling. It’s takes more exertion than you think sometimes. It was a few hours after that incident that I stepped on the scale … so, not encouraging. And there I was bragging about my food control and how much I was running! D’oh. To top it off, I was getting really upset with the CalorieCount Web site. Every day I logged in, my target weight goals advanced one day. I was never going to make my goal! Even CalorieCount thought I sucked!

Thankfully, I realized the following day that the problem is it’s not “smart.” Even though it’s keeping track of my caloric ins and outs, the target timeline was based on weights that I enter … and I hadn’t entered any than my starting weight.

So, I kept on … and it paid off. I weighed myself on Day 10 and I was 162! FOUR pounds in TEN days. What a difference three more days made. I am ecstatic! But, it was only a few months ago that I was feeling down about being 160, so … I still have a long ways to go.

What was originally a niche category has taken over the beauty aisles in almost every developed market, and industry insiders predict that natural and organic cosmetics will hold up well in 2009 even if they do not enjoy the dramatic sales growth of previous years. Consumers are beginning to make long-term, realistic changes to their lifestyle. They feel a huge responsibility not only to the planet but to themselves … They now include their own personal health as a microcosm and reflection of the health of the planet, stated the Natural Marketing Institute’s annual report. The mass consumption society as we knew it is over.

But this can be good news for the natural market. Increasingly, consumers’ values are resonating with companies that are able to fuse both a personal and planetary perspective into their brand. Aveda has found that 68% of consumers will remain loyal to a company that has a social and environmental commitment. This is a growing trend in which consumers are “voting with their dollars,” and supporting brands whose values resonate with their own.

With that, consumers are learning to read product labels to avoid greenwashing words like “natural” and “planet friendly” that aren’t backed up by standards or third-organizations. As like-minded groups come together, there is an attempt to cut through the confusion, and the focus of the media on greenwashing has forced the brands to become more open in their claims. But as a variety of organizations vie for the right to be the “official seal” of natural beauty, things could get worse instead of better. The recent suit by Dr. Bronner and the Organic Consumers Association is just one attempt to ensure those organizations such as Ecocert aren’t loose with their certifications. The point is to make it easier for the consumers and give products credibility.

The market is driven by a perfect storm of consumers, non-profits, industry, media and government, all of whom demand more truly natural and environmentally sustainable products. And while the industry can’t anticipate a continuation of the dramatic growth rates of recent years, opportunities still remain.

Retailers who educate consumers and provide strong assortment will come out on top. But strong assortment does not mean aisles and aisles of product but choice among the best-performing, authentic brands. Read more in the March 2009 issue of Global Cosmetic Industry magazine: Breaking Barriers: Retail’s Natural (R)evolution

I’ve struggled my entire life with self-esteem, and I tend to put my worth in my appearance. If only I lose this weight, try this hair ‘do, wear that makeup, or buy this sweater … Just so you know, it’s never worked. At least not long-term. Even if I believed I was liked for my appearance, it wasn’t good enough. I so desperately want to be smart, creative, funny and interesting. I often put up facades with people, afraid if they really get to know me, they would find me boring.

It’s a constant struggle to balance being unique with fitting in, isn’t it? We usually think of identity as what makes us different. But the Latin origin is identitās or ident, meaning “repeat” or the same. To be able to identify something, you have to know what’s similar, to have something to compare it to. Children can’t identify an apple until they’ve seen more than one, for example.

The trouble is, we usually compare ourselves to the world. People are desperate to discover themselves, looking to anything to find their identity through appearance, family, friends, occupation, even failures and sins. But that is not what defines you. If you let it, you will be chasing something like a hamster in a wheel.

To put your identity in this world, is to rely on things that are temporal, changing from year to year or day to day, even hour to hour. Your self-worth is not in what you look like or what you do. It’s in who you are. It’s natural to look to your family, your parents, to discern who you are. We are relational beings after all, it’s how God created us. I’m a mother, wife, daughter, sister … All things that are well and good. But I am more than a physical being. I have been created in the image of God, a spiritual being.

If we can look to our birth fathers to tell us who we are, how much more can we identify with a Heavenly Father to tell us who we are spiritually? As Bob George writes in his book Classic Christianity: “There is only one way to determine your identity that cannot be shaken, one foundation that cannot be taken away from you: ‘I am a child of God.’ “

Even Jesus, “knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God” …washed the disciples feet. With full confidence in who He was in His Father, he humbled himself to the lowliest of positions in the society (even slaves weren’t to touch their masters feet). Setting the ultimate example for us, Jesus shows that we can have full confidence in who we are in Christ to accomplish His work for us on this earth.

Our Bible study leader likened it to the children’s book, Are You My Mother? about a little bird desperately searching for his mom. He realizes none of the things he comes across are anything like him, they are not the same. He is searching for his identity, who is he? When he finally finds his mom, he knows! The bird is home and his mother’s right there ready with a worm to feed him.

Once we finally look to our Heavenly Father to find our identity, we can stop looking to the world for our confidence. We can truly know that we are “home.” To top it off, we will be ready to accept whatever he has prepared for us in advance. He wants to feed you, to bless you! Don’t you just love that? He is just waiting for you, to shower you with blessings!

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” I Peter 2:9

White. Black. Brown. Yellow. Red. Not exactly colors of the rainbow, but there’s beauty in the diversity of women all over the world. But what makes them different also brings them together: color. Thevi Cosmetics‘ sleek, modern line of cosmetics in rich and vibrant shades is just one new line that celebrates the unity of color. “Color is influenced by lifestyle, fashion, home décor, tradition, every aspect of our lives,” explained founder Thevaki Thambirajah. “We have an opportunity to emphasize not a trend but an everyday expression of self, femininity and powerfulness in a dramatic way for every woman, through color cosmetics.”

Thevi launched last year, targeting the “new ethnic” woman, light-dark skinned women of Asian, South Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean decent. One of Thambirajah’s goals was to provide sophisticated, educated, affluent women a prestige makeup brand with high-end packaging. The sleek, modern line celebrates color in rich and vibrant shades. Inspiration came from her own life as a first generation American who grew up in a multi-ethnic culture and is adapting those color traditions into everyday looks.

Although she plans to introduce the Thevi line to retail stores this year, Thambirajah is relying on a grassroots marketing campaign to build a following first. Her future goal is to partner with retailers who understand the ethnic market, where ethnic shopping is higher. But it will take time. “Retailers are not confident and it is a risky venture especially in this economic climate,” explained Thambirajah. “I won’t succeed unless I have a loyal customer base that identifies with the message.” In the meantime, she is looking for other opportunities for consumers to test and try the products and build awareness until they are available at retail. Read more in the December issue of Global Cosmetic Industry magazine: Ethnic Cosmetics Fit New Beauty Paradigm.

I’ve been thinking more about my previous post on dieting. Why can’t I make it work? I know the rules, it’s not that. I know what I need to do: burn more calories than I take in. Whether I eat better or exercise more doesn’t matter. But I notice when I’m thirsty, I grab a pop instead of water which will satisfy my thirst. When I’m craving food, I eat chocolate instead of an apple or other nutritious food that my body needs. When I am lacking energy, I “rest” instead of exercising to revive myself. I make poor decisions.

I was thinking today how easy it is to do that in our spiritual lives, too. Instead of going to God and His Word to fill up with truth when we are fearful, angry, depressed or unsure, we turn to the world and its “wisdom” and feed those emotions. And again, it’s not because we don’t know what we should do. It’s just a matter of doing it. The result of living in a sinful world with a sinful nature that is constantly being encouraged, ahem not by God, to disobey Him. Garbage in, garbage out.

But God has the answers, all we need to do is fill ourselves with His truth, to become so farmilar with it so that we can defend ourselves from these attacks, whether from the world, Satan or even yourself.

“If you abide in My Word … you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

Try as I might, dieting doesn’t seem to work for me. I.like.food. Junk food. I like pizza and chocolate and hot dogs and Cheetos. I can come up with all kinds of excuses, I know. I have spent most of my life worrying about my weight and I am no better off today than I was the first time I thought, “Am I fat?” In fact, in every stage of my life I look back and think about how great I looked then. I keep trying to remind myself that will never look as good as I do right NOW. In other words, be thankful for what I have and the body that God gave me.

Thanks to Mama Rehema for hosting this week’s Fun Monday: Diets.