Pacific Northwest-based Terra Firma Cosmetics is known for its awesome organic ingredients and chemical-free beauty products, but we think it’s about to be known for its irreverent marketing as well.

A new product, the High Performance Natural Mascara, boasts that “this ain’t your mama’s natural mascara.” Unfortunately, my mama doesn’t use natural mascara because it’s a.) hard to find, and b.) usually a gummy, smudgy mess, but Terra Firma gets it right with its paraben- and silicone-free formula.

This flake-free mascara volumnizes as well as any other chemical-laden product but you can pronounce everything on the ingredient list. Not to mention each batch is made by hand and it costs less than the natural mascaras available at Sephora (one of the only other places we’ve seen carry them).

Plus it comes in a sapphire blue as well as black and black-brown so you can try out the colored lashes trend painlessly.

High Performance Natural Mascara, $12.99 at TerraFirmaCosmetics.com.

We’ve been loyal fans of Gypsy 05’s comfortable wear-anywhere maxi dresses for going on two years, but now we have even more reason to love the brand: Its Los Angeles headquarters has just gone completely solar this month.

In a press release, the company’s CEO explains how Gypsy 05 is taking its commitment to eco-fashion a major step further:

“It’s been our goal to make a mark in the fashion world, without leaving a carbon footprint on the rest of the world,” said Gypsy ‘05 CEO Dotan Shoham. “We feel like we’re living the dream right now.”

Using nature as the inspiration behind each collection, Gypsy ’05 is one of the fastest growing eco-friendly fashion lines on the market today. Garments are created using organic and natural fabrics, organic soy softeners, low impact dyes, and an organic seaweed extract for printing.

“People feel very connected to our clothing, not only because it’s so easy to wear, but because of our efforts to protect the planet,” said Shoham. “Gypsy ’05 is about a lifestyle, and our customers relate to the philosophy behind the brand in addition to loving the look of our clothes.”

Amen to that! If a small business can make this much of an impact, imagine what could happen if bigger brands followed suit.

We love a good before-and-after photoshoot as much as the next gal. Tearful weight-loss photos revealed on Oprah, those home-renovation shows, the-ugly-duckling-becomes-the-swan montage in prom movies — makeovers are always inspiring.

Right in line with those big reveals are the handcrafted bags by reMade USA, a San Francisco-based company that reinterprets leather jackets as beautiful new handbags. And not just any old jacket — you can send in a personal selection from your closet for repurposing as a sentimental take on the recycled leather purse.

As designer Shannon South puts it:

The most beautiful bags are those that have embedded personal stories and sentimental value. Creating a bag from your personal jacket gives a second life to the piece and an emotional connection far greater than a store-bought bag. We’ve had multiple customers bring out-of-style jackets from memorable trips to Italy, one customer used her father’s old Peace Corps jacket, a husband made a bag for his wife from his 20-year old motorcycle jacket, another made two clutch bags for herself and her sister from their fathers old jacket that he got on his honeymoon. So many people have leather jackets sitting in the back of the closet- out of style, but too valuable to give away.

ReMade created a photo album on Facebook of its bespoke bags so you can browse photos of the befores and the afters. Looking at these makeovers might just be enough for you to finally clean out your overstuffed closet.

(via @reMadeUSA)

I had the pleasure of meeting Lynn Chorn, the founder of natural skincare company Malcolm’s Miracle, this summer at a convention. She is one of those people with a radiantly kind soul and I found myself pouring my heart out to her within minutes of meeting her. Not my typical MO when talking to new people, believe me.

She handed me a tube of her cruelty-free, hemp-oil based Anti-Aging Hand and Body Treatment as a parting gift and it’s turned into one of my favorite products. Even months later, it remains in heavy rotation in my beauty arsenal — not just because my husband loves the lavender smell of it, but also because it works serious magic on my parched skin when the Santa Ana winds are blowing. Best of all, it’s so light and nongreasy that I can go right back to typing on my laptop immediately after rubbing it in.

Lynn just emailed me over the weekend with a fantastic deal that I have to share with E.S. readers: To sample her hand-brewed wonder potion at a discount, enter code MM25FR6 at checkout to save 10 percent on your order. The coupon can be used once per customer and is valid on everything on the site (serums, moisturizers, and cleansers included!).

Anti-Aging Hand and Body Treatment, $20 at MalcolmsMiracle.com.

The ever-fabulous Kristen Bell is on the cover of October’s Lucky magazine and we are absolutely drooling over her shopping picks in the fashion spread detailing her favorite things.

The coolest? An organic hemp shoulder bag by L.A.-based designer Heather Heron. Bell says:

“Heather Heron makes a line of eco-friendly bags that don’t force you to choose between good design and the environment.”

Amen, sister! That’s the holy grail right there, epitomized in the organic Cypress hobo (pictured above) with its slouchy shape and long zipper tassels.

Organic Cypress Bag, $495 at HeatherHeron.org.

While surfing Twitter today, we came across quirky sustainable accessories shop Make Love Not Trash and promptly fell in love with its punk-rock sensibility. 

Made in the U.S.A. — right here in California, as a matter of fact — the brand’s wallets, bags, and tees are crafted from eco-friendly materials like organic denim, nickel-free hardware, and nontoxic dyes. And to boot, MLNT’s motto for its fall collection of black denim handbags is pretty badass:

“You’re hard-nosed about trash, run roughshod over junk mail, and crack down on plastic consumables. Despite that earth-mother, granola-crunching exterior, you’re no one’s patsy, so shouldn’t your bag be just as tough?”

Heck yeah!

And a quick plug: If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow us! Our 4,000th follower will get a big virtual hug from us. And hey, we love to chat with our readers.

Every so often we fall hopelessly in love with some fashionable item we simply can’t justify. (You know you’ve been there too.) But just in case there is a Santa Claus out there, we present iWood and the brand’s awesome sunglasses made from a variety of sustainably sourced exotic woods.

Each pair of sunglasses are made from lightweight but durable hand-finished wood, with the beautiful woodgrain blazing through the laminate. The gradient lenses are imported from Italy with 100% UVA/UVB protection, but the rest of the sunglasses are made in the USA.

They have a totally ’70s look to them that just makes us drool, but at $350, they are a bit spendy for something we will likely sit on. We’ll have to start saving our allowances — by next summer, maybe we’ll be able to have our own boffo pair.

iWood Aviator #314 Sunglasses, $350 at TheGreenLoop.com.

It never fails: The end of July hits and with it, the urge to go back-to-school shopping. (Nevermind how long we’ve been out of school.) I went to college in New England and even now that I live in Southern California, I feel undeniably drawn to fall’s big trend: Americana-themed boots.

There’s no better place to look for classic riding boots than Frye. The brand has been making them for 146 years — securing its place as the oldest footwear company in the United States. And that means that plenty of vintage options abound.

Chances are good your local thrift shop has a pair or two lying around, but for ease of shopping by size or style, eBay is your best bet for getting a pair of vintage Fryes at a fraction of the price for new.

Check out these listings (all current as of today!):

• Circa 1960s tall Campus boots in buttery banana yellow, size 5.5, $60 Buy It Now.
• Platform Dorian boots with side-zip in toffee brown, size 6, $69.99 Buy It Now with free shipping.
• Stacked-heel short boots in espresso brown in near-mint condition, size 6, $95 Buy It Now.
• Circa 1970s knee-high western boots in putty grey, size 7, bidding currently at $28.99.
• Mod platform Villager short boots in black, size 8, $30 Buy It Now.
• Seriously broken-in riding boots in rust brown, size 9.5, bidding currently at only $9.99.
• Circa 1970s Dingo cowboy boots in excellent condition, size 10, bidding currently at $23.

What a difference a year makes!

Last summer was when we first discovered Pacifica, a little California-based beauty company that uses all organic and vegan ingredients in its adorably packaged perfumes and candles.

Since then, Pacifica has been the little company that could. Its products — which now include everything from shower gel to body butter — can be found at Sephora in 21 different herbal incarnations like Brazilian Mango Grapefruit and Egyptian Bergamot Rose.

And the product line is still as ethical as can be. Still vegan, still organic, still biodegradable — and best of all, still affordable, with just about everything in the $9 to $22 range.

Pacifica Brazilian Mango Grapefruit Set, $14 at Sephora.com.

There’s more than one American Apparel among the tourist traps on Hollywood Boulevard. The chain retailer that became famous for tee-shirts bearing a proud “Made in Downtown LA” label is popular enough to warrant two locations on the Walk of Fame: one at 6615 Hollywood Boulevard, and another four blocks away at 6922, directly across from Graumann’s Chinese Theatre.

American Apparel has proven popular enough to warrant two locations in four blocks on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. (M.J. Prest/EthicalStyle.com)

Both locations are perpetually packed with tourists eager to bring home one of its popular stretchy tank dresses, holographic leggings, or cheeky tees — perhaps from its “Legalize Gay” collection now populating the window displays. They do a brisk business with the out-of-towners, but you’ll still find plenty of locals browsing the racks. After all, American Apparel is a local brand.

The company was founded in 1998 by Dov Charney, a Canadian free spirit who quit his studies at Tufts University before bouncing around the country from Wall Street to South Carolina. He landed in Los Angeles on Independence Day in 1997 and put down roots for his burgeoning tee-shirt business the following year.

In the 11 years since, American Apparel’s staff has swollen from one to 5,000, making it one of Los Angeles’s largest employers. More than 80 new stores opened in 2008 with combined sales of $341-million — a 62 percent increase over 2007. It plans to expand to 800 retail locations internationally in the next few years.

The brand’s influence has become inescapable, even if you don’t have a retail location near you. The Guardian dubbed it the “Label of the Year” last November. Online tee-shirt emporiums like Threadless buy plain American Apparel shirts in bulk and print their own designs on the blanks. The company has played a crucial role in promoting the use of solar power and organic cotton without charging a huge premium for the privilege. (For example, its best-selling unisex short-sleeve tees are $17 for conventional cotton and $18 for organic.)

But its celebrated “vertical integration manufacturing” strategy is American Apparel’s standout philosophy. From start to finish, every garment under the brand’s name is produced in Los Angeles. Taking out the middlemen that typically contract with overseas factories, the company’s designers can more easily pounce on trends while they’re still fresh and get new items on the shelves at lightning speed. The executives personally oversee its manufacturing processes to maintain quality control. And because its inventory moves so quickly, the company almost never puts its stock on sale.

American Apparel is not without controversy, however. Mr. Charney has been on the receiving end of multiple sexual-harassment lawsuits from former employees, although none of the charges have stuck. The company’s pornography-themed advertising campaign regularly toes the line between decency and scandal. Actor and director Woody Allen successfully sued American Apparel for $5-million earlier this year for using his likeness on a billboard without permission.

But the good the company has done in Los Angeles — and for breathing new life into “Made in the USA” — is undeniable.

Perhaps the brand’s most attractive ethical credential is the compensation packages it offers its workers — even those lowest on the totem pole. Seamstresses make an average of $12 per hour, nearly double the minimum wage. Benefits include full medical coverage as well as free meals, English lessons for recent immigrants, and an on-site health clinic. The company also believes in sharing the wealth: Factory workers were granted a total of $25-million in stock options in 2008.

It’s conceivable that no other company has been as successful at maintaining its ideals while turning a huge profit. But by going back to basics and treating its employees well, American Apparel personifies the American dream.