Nothing says spring like a pair of sweet sandals, and with going green becoming more and more chic, you no longer have to sacrifice fashion for function.  Lucky you, tons of this spring’s new crop of sandals, wedges, and heels have an eco-slant.  Here are some fashionable and fun spring sandals that give a nod to the environment.

It’s no secret we love the charitable company Toms, but these wedges take the cake!  Super comfortable and cute and Toms donates a pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair you purchase.  (1) Red Nautical Stripes and (2) Yellow Savannah Wedges.

(4) Melissa Shoes use eco-friendly, vegan production values…even in these drop dead gorgeous heels that are a collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier.  They definitely add the grown up to the Jelly Shoe.

These Naya Shoes feature veggie tanned leather straps and a small heel made out of bamboo!  (6) Naya Tatiana Sandal

Olsen Haus designs super chic vegan and cruelty free shoes like the fun (3) Mrs. Roper which features cork, faux suede, and cotton or (7) Bangkok Heel which hosts a recycled heel.  The small heel features a polyester microfiber made from recycled television screens.  How cool is that?

Finally, if you’re looking for something flat, try the (5) Patagonia Bandha T-Strap Sandal which is created with a partially recycled EVA footbed.

Don’t forget to make sure your toes are decorated with eco-friendly nail polish before slipping into these pretty sandals!

Bright colored makeup is back in style for spring and summer 2012.  Aqua blues, bright purples, neon pinks, it’s all fair game this season.  For those of you thinking the 80s have come back, rest assured the colors are a little more subtle and have a hint of shimmer to keep you fresh and current – not stuck in a time machine.  Why should you embrace the bright makeup?  “Brights are fun!” says Dick Page, Artistic Director of Shiseido Makeup, who’s worked with celebs like Julianne Moore and Catherine Zeta-Jones. “They complement lighter, brighter summer clothes particularly well.”  But they can be intimidating, so how do you wear all these bright colors?

Start Small
If you’re new to neon, start small.  Don’t try a crazy bright color at first.  Ease in with a pop of color to your normal makeup routine.   Try using colored eyeliner like plum or navy instead of black or brown or slick on a layer of poppy pink gloss on top of your normal daily color.

Pick a Focus
When wearing bright colors, it’s important to pick a feature to stand out.  Don’t wear bright eye shadow, blush, and lips all at the same time – focus on one look.

Lips:  If you want your lips to stand out, opt for a neutral eye and subtle cheeks.  Need help picking a bright lip color?  Follow Oprah Magazine’s advice: “If you have fair skin with pink undertones, pick warm orange-based pinks, or brick reds. Medium and olive complexions can carry true, blue-based reds. Dark skin is stunning against rich plums. Almost any skin tone is flattered by fuchsias, perfect pink-red hybrids.”

Eyes:  When adding poppy color to your eyes, make sure to apply concealer with a soft concealer brush.  If you don’t hide any dark colors or circles under your eyes, a bold color will just accentuate them.  If you color isn’t looking as bold as you’d like, try adding a drop of eye drops to the shadow compact or dipping some Cosmetic Applicators in water before the color.  This will give you a liner like quality.  Finish your bright eyes with subtle beige or lip colored gloss and just enough blush to transition gracefully from lips to eyes.

Think Outside the Box

Eye shadows and lipsticks aren’t the only place to wear bright colors.  Try wearing a bright pink blush on a day you want to feel extra flush.  Apply a little colored mascara to the ends of your outer eyelashes or wear neon on your nails!  You can even go for a bold look by matching your colored eyeliner to your nails.  Experiment until you find your favorite look.  You can always wipe off your mistakes.

Don’t forget: “Color is fun! Don’t be so serious,” says founder of Nars cosmetics Francois Nars.  “After all, it’s only makeup.”

Photos from: Oprah.com, MakeupandBeauty.com, Yahoo Shine, TotalBeauty.com

A couple weeks ago we blogged about 6 Essential Makeup Brushes for the Average Person and you loved it!  Over 150 of you clicked like on Facebook.  So to continue our brush education, once you have your six essential brushes: Concealer, Foundation, Blending, Eye Shadow, Eye Liner, and Lash & Brow Groomer…here are the next few you’ll need.  The average person can definitely add these specialty brushes to their collection.

Buffing Brush
This flat topped brush is perfect for getting the most out of your makeup.  Using small, circular motions buff your foundation into your skin to help achieve a glowing, not shinny look.  You can also use it to take blending to the next step.  Accidentally apply too much blush?  Use the Buffing Brush to buff the excess cheek color into your foundation.

Bronzer Brush
Even if you don’t wear bronzer, you’ll want this brush atop your vanity.  This chunky, thick brush contains densely packed bristles perfect for applying contouring.  Use it to not only apply bronzer, but also to apply two toned blush.  Suck your cheeks in and use the Bronzer Brush to apply a slightly darker shade of blush into the hollows of your cheeks, then layer your normal blush with a Blush Brush on top of it to create contouring and definition.  This brush is also great for applying shimmer powder on the face or body.

Travel Brush
There are sometimes you just need to bring a brush with you when you’re on the go.  Think touch ups after a long flight,  long days where you go from work to cocktails, after workouts, or even that audition for the local play.  Carrying a brush that’s designed to travel not only makes sure the brush stays in pristine condition, but also guarantees that you won’t end up with excess makeup on your clothes or in your handbag.  Plus carrying a single brush is much easier than toting a whole travel set with you.  Our two travel companions are perfect for on the go: The Retractable Kabuki is great if you’re a bronzer, powder, or blush girl while The Retractable Foundation Brush is perfect for almost any type of touch up, it’s also the smaller of the two so it’s easier to tote.

Cosmetic Applicators
Usually we say that those tiny applicators that come with eye shadow quads aren’t the best for applying color, there are some times they’re just right.  We love these little guys for applying crazy bright colors.  There hard tips mean the bright color won’t move with you try to apply it.  These small applicators are also are perfect for fixing makeup mistakes – just dip the tip in makeup remover!

Now you have a collection of ten makeup brushes!  It’s the perfect start for creating all your everyday makeup looks!  Which of these four brushes do you have?  Which one is your favorite?

Wouldn’t you like a place on the internet to go where you can look at beautiful images, great products, and find inspiration 24/7?  Now you can!  As an Earth Month gift, we’ve created the Living Beautifully Community, a place for you to share and read all about going green, getting inspired, and feeling beautiful.   The Living Beautifully Community is a virtual community wall that anyone can post to.  We’ll post pictures and projects that inspire us and we want you to do the same!

How do you use it?

Upload a video, or that great photo that speaks 1,000 words, or actually write those words in a text post!  You can preview posts by hovering over their thumbnail, then click on a thumbnail to display all the post details; you can also sort by category and search for posts on the wall.  You can even share a specific post or the whole wall with friends.  The best part is it’s ever changing, so every time you come back, you’ll see different eco-inspiration.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Tip 1: Think of a title for your post as well as a brief description.
• Tip 2: If you’re posting a photo, make sure it’s cropped to only show the image you want to post. Landscape or portrait format is fine, but avoid extremely narrow cropping. JPG or GIF only. Keep your image under 5MB, or it may not be published.
• Tip 3: If you’re posting a video, keep it under 3 minutes and 100 MB, or it may not be published. Please be patient, video uploads can take a few minutes.
• Tip 4: You can make text posts and upload audio files, too (if available on the Add A Post dialog.) Post as many times as you want…just one at a time.
• Tip 5: Be sure to tag your post, to help people find it.
• Tip 6: Click share this wall and spread the word about the Living Beautifully Community.

Share Inspiration & Win

As a gift for our community, one winner from every 50 posts will receive EcoTools prizes!  As an added bonus, during Earth Week, all posts will be entered to win one BIG EcoTools grand prize.  Make sure to keep up to date on the latest Living Beautifully Community news and incentives on our Facebook and Twitter.

We hope you’ll love this new space as much as we do!  Get posting now and let us know if you loved it.  Leave a comment below and let us see that link to your Living Beautifully Community contribution.

Happy Earth Month!