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reusable bag, chico bag
Reusable bags are great - if you remember to take them shopping with you. Purse Alerts! subscriber Chris from Takoma Park, Maryland recommends Chico Bags (left) for a few reasons: they fold up inside a small, attached stuff sack; they're light but extremely durable; and most of all, they come with a clip, so they're easy to attach to a purse, pocketbook, briefcase or backpack. That way, you always have a reusable bag handy, especially for those spur-of-the-moment purchases. $5.00

Here are a few other easy-to-remember bags:

EnviroSax - lightweight, portable, waterproof ; each one holds the equivalent of two supermarket plastic bags thanks to reinforced seams. Printed in a wide variety of trendy patterns. $8.50

Flip and Tumble - stylish enough to take to the department store as well as grocery shopping; strong enough to hold a 20-pound bowling ball; "flips" into a 3" ball so you can "tumble" it into your purse, backpack or briefcase. $12.00

The Container Store - tote-style bag can be used at the farmers' market, grocery store, flea market or while traveling. Long straps make it easy to carry over a shoulder. It folds into its own pouch when not in use and slips easily into a handbag, backpack, briefcase or glove box. The pouch clips onto the bag when you're using it. $7.99.

ACME Bags/Workhorse - superlight nylon bags in four colors that fold into an attached pouch; reinforced shoulder straps support up to 25 pounds. $7.95

Ecobags Organic Cotton String Shopping Bag - available in a variety of colors but also in undyed, certified organic cotton. $8- $10.
mineral makeup
Looking for make-up that doesn't make you look made up?

Purse Alerts! subscriber (and One in a Million member) Mary from Orange, California raved so much about glowing mineral-based cosmetics, I finally tried them. Here's what I found:

· Fewer environmental/health hazards. Most cosmetics made from minerals are free of allergens and sensitizers. Because they contain no organic material, they're naturally anti-bacterial. They generally don't clog pores.
· Longer-lasting. A little mineral powder goes a very long way. You tap a small amount of the cosmetic into its container lid, swirl a makeup brush into it, and apply. The result is a healthy, natural-looking glow as opposed to a salon-style make-up face.
· Don't need preservatives or fragrances. Because the ingredients are essentially pulverized rock, they don't deteriorate or require preservatives to keep them fresh or extend their shelf-life.
· Don't damage the skin. Because they contain no talc, dyes, phthalates, petrochemicals or other harsh ingredients, minerals seem to have little impact on the skin. They can be used on both oily and dry skin.
· No animal cruelty. Most alternative mineral cosmetic manufacturers do not test their products on animals or use any animal-based ingredients.

Want to give it a try?

Alima Cosmetics are free of parabens, bismuth oxychloride, phthalates, talc, preservatives, dyes, carmine, salicylates, fragrances and other ingredients that could irritate or aggravate sensitive skin or compromise your health. You can order samples for $1.00, or full-sized containers for $14.00 - $18.95, plus shipping. Lip balms run $5.95. Choices include satin matte foundation, shimmer powder, concealer, luminous shimmer blush, eyeliner and lip balm. After you use five full-size containers, you can return them to the company for recycling and credit towards the purchase of another Alima product. Alima is a member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and 1% for the Planet, and is also Co-op America approved.

Everyday Minerals offers foundation, blush, lip gloss, finishing power, pressed powder and concealer. The foundation choices are broken down into 6 different complexion categories: Warm, Golden, Cool, Beige, Buff, and Olive, with accompanying explanations to make it easier to figure out which one is right for you. Prices on powders and blushes range from $8.00 for 6 g, $4 for 2.5 g. The company notes on its website that ingredients in the average liquid foundation include: Propylparaben, Imidazolidinyl urea, Butyl paraben, Methyl paraben, Ethyl paraben, Stearic acid, Octyl stearate, Isopropyl palmitate, Cetyl palmitate, Petrolatum, Triethanolamine, BHT - Butylene Hydroxy toluene, Ascorbyl palmitate, Ascorbic acid BHA - Butylene Hydroxy Anisol, Propylene Glycol (aka, anti- freeze). Everyday Minerals Foundation contains four primary ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, and Zinc Oxide.

Monave has developed a cosmetics color line particularly for African-American, Asian and Latina complexions. The company, another signatory of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, also sells ingredients and kits in case you want to try mixing your own cosmetics. Lip gloss costs $5.00; sample pot $2.50; Bronzers - full size $12.00 - sample baggie, $1.00.

Note: You can buy products like Bare Minerals at Ulta, Sephora, and other mall outlets. However, read the label before you do. Bare Minerals, for example, includes parabens (which have been linked to breast cancer).

Shameless self-promotion - Our new book Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World is getting rave reviews - from the likes of More, Plenty, Sierra, and Body + Soul. Says Laurie David, the producer of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," "If you take just a few suggestions from Big Green Purse, you will be on your way to being part of the solution instead of part of the problem." But we're most happy to be in partnership with Eco- Libris, which, for just one dollar, makes it possible for you to plant a tree for every book you buy. Yes, the book is already printed on acid-free, recycled paper. But we still like planting trees, no matter how little virgin paper the book actually used!

By the way, if you want to pass this information along to a friend, just click on the Forward button right below my signature.

Talk to you again soon,

 Diane's Photo
Diane MacEachern
Big Green Purse

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