The Ethical Fashion Missionary

(via Couples Exchange Their Entire Outfits)

MUSANA JEWELRY

If you like 31 bits you’re really going to enjoy the similarly hand-crafted designs and very reasonably priced artisanal creations offered by Musana! 

As I mentioned on Twitter the other day, I recently accepted a country director position with non-profit, Help International. My in-country assignment will begin in April and last for four full months. I am thrilled to share that I will be going to Peru- Piura, to be precise. It is here that I intend to deeply explore artisan livelihoods, from jewelers to weavers, and begin to mold the structure of my ethical fashion social enterprise. I am excited to get my feet wet and lead projects that will inform and inspire my cohort of volunteers. This includes projects that expand across disciplines- from education to sustainable agriculture, I plan for us to do it all, paying very close attention to the needs and desires of the communities which we aim to empower.

As I read about past country directors, I came across the profile of a young woman, Melissa Sevy. I was thrilled to discover a fellow ethical fashion missionary had participated in Help and was inspired to found a non-profit that would benefit the community in which she had worked. Melissa is a co-founder of Musana and was a 2009 country director in Uganda. She says,

“While in Uganda, I realized how limited I was in my thinking of the good I can do. I saw that even young, relatively inexperienced kids like us can make positive change. Maybe it is because we are young and a little crazy and daring. We must certainly learn from those who have been in the business about the sound principles of sustainable development; but also be innovative and creative in coming up with new solutions to age-old problems. I’m really hopeful about the future, the general goodness of people, and our generation’s ability to eliminate the effects of extreme poverty in the world.” - Melissa Sevy

The “casual but elegant” coral sands earrings, pictured above, are just one of many products available at the Musana online shop. They have me absolutely smitten! At $8.00 there is absolutely no reason to deny yourself and rest assured that you will be supporting the Lugazi community of female artisans 100%- literally 100% of the profits are reinvested into the community! 

xoxo,

The Ethical Fashion Missionary

My favorite new beauty product will make you feel more rejuvenated almost instantly… Really! And it smells delicious (not in an icky, artificial way). The shea-jojoba fusion of L’ERBOLARIO’s crema viso tonificante (facial toning cream) is naturally intoxicating.  

Crema Viso Tonificante - Nutrire e Dissetare - L’Erbolario

I discovered this magical little tub of instant, creamy moisturizer on my last trip to Milan a couple of weeks ago and I had to bring it back to the States. It’s about 18€ and well worth it, plus it comes in 50ml containers which is really important to someone like me who is always traveling. This means it is perfect for your handbag or carry-on and there will be no fuss at security. (No dreaded confrontations with TSA!)

L’ERBOLARIO is a natural cosmetics company based in Lodi, Italy and it is completely environmentally/animal friendly. You should apply it after thoroughly washing your face and patting it dry. I always dab on four dots- onto my forehead, cheeks and chin- and use my fingertips to work it in gently and evenly across my face and neck. It wears well underneath make up or “senza trucco,” giving you a long-lasting glow. I apply it in the morning and at night when I wash my face because moisturizer is our friend! 

For this photo I used it before applying a little makeup. (bareMinerals SPF15 foundation deepest deep, UNE ombre paupières peau nue <nude eyes shadow>, UNE khôl noirs absolus <absolute blacks eyeliner>, UNE casual volume mascara and Korres jasmine lip butter).

bareMinerals is an American natural makeup company and UNE is a French line that is EcoCert certified and bio-organic. I really recommend using their eyeliner and mascara. Using a synthetic product that close to your eyeball is just not safe! You will also notice that any irritation that you experience from normal (errr, toxic) eyeliners or mascaras does not occur with UNE products, even if it gets wet or you accidentally smear it. That’s because it is ophthalmologically tested. Korres is an innovative Greek company out of Athens. It’s sold at Sephora and while you’re there you can pick up the bareMinerals starter kit for just $49 for a limited time. I must say that when I was living in Spain I couldn’t find bareMinerals at any of the local retailers and I picked up UNE mineral foundation at El Corte Inglés. It really is an excellent substitute that is equally as kind to the environment as it is to your skin. Both are packaged very well so no worries about throwing it into your handbag!

Treat yourself for the holidays!

xoxo,

The Ethical Fashion Missionary