A Chat with the Creator of White and Elm Products

I am thrilled to be carrying some fabulous products from none other then White and Elm.
White and Elm encourages us to throw out chemical laden products and join them on a mission to feel healthy, natural and beautiful.
They are passionate about crafting the best organic personal care and wellness products available.  They encourage us to lead a healthy and vibrant lifestyle and the products are MADE WITH LOVE with the highest quality of plant-based ingredients.  You will read the label and know what you are putting on your skin because it lists 10 ingredients or less to make it simple and easy to understand. Your skin will feel the benefits from these products!

I asked Sherelle a few questions so you can get to know where the person and passion behind White and Elm.
What have been some of your resources for healthy living?
Sherelle: I’m a huge fan of Well + Good NYC, The Chalkboard Mag and MindBodyGreen. They are my go-to resources for healthy nutrition, wellness and fitness. I also have a great amount of respect for the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and their Skin Deep program. They are an incredible resource for detoxifying your life.
Who or what is your inspiration? Do you find your environment (Colorado) to play a factor in your natural living inspiration and in what way?
Sherelle: I am very inspired by nature and I do believe being a native of Colorado contributes to that. The incredible beauty and grounding energy found in Colorado is palpable.   I use that inspiration to keep my life simple and inspired.
Along with your change in beauty products to your natural healthy range, did you change your diet or any household products that you noticed benefitted your overall health?
Sherelle: My journey towards green beauty actually began in my kitchen over 10 years ago when I started detoxifying my diet. Eating organic, plant based foods and juicing opened my eyes to how amazing I could feel. It was like a light switch that had been flipped. I began feverishly detoxify everything else in our home.
Since I am crazy about plants and flowers here, do you have a favorite flower or plant?
Sherelle: My favorite flower is the Colorado Columbine because they grow natively on mountain property that my family owns outside of Denver. When I see one, I remember my Grandmother who has passed, and all the family, love and connection I have to Colorado.

Any enticing tidbits of things to come for White and Elm that you’re willing to share?
Sherelle: White & Elm will be exhibiting at the Indie Beauty Expo NYC in August. We are very excited to join other green beauty brands to celebrate and promote healthier options in the beauty industry. We also have some major new product releases coming out this Fall that our testers are raving about. I can’t wait to share them with our customers!
The growth of White and Elm since you began in 2014 has been significant! Congrats to you and your beautiful line and its future growth. I am so happy to carry your line and see it grow!
Sherelle: Thank you so much!! We are thrilled to have Conscious Makeup Boutique in our family of retailers!

Are you just as concerned as I am when receiving online orders with a lot of non-recyclable, plastic packaging? The landfills are overflowing as it is right!?
I've made it my goal at Conscious Makeup Boutique to seek out brands that are eco-friendly in their packaging and keep this continuous when I send out products from my boutique.  I currently carry Haut Cosmetics who just recently switched over a lot of their plastic packaging to glass as well as some unique plant-able packaging.  I also carry White and Elm products which consist of glass packaging. I believe this is a big undertaking for businesses to make, as you know the expense of glass packaging being more expensive to purchase then plastic and heavier in weight to ship.  At the same time the businesses also desire to keep their product prices reasonable and affordable for their clients.
"The message needs to be clear that using reusable containers, recycling packaging materials, avoiding overpackaging, and working hard to not drain our already depleted natural resources will benefit the environment, while keeping product costs from rising. Ultimately, packaging begins with an awareness that must transcend all levels from the manufacturer to the retailers to the consumer with each level responding to the other’s concerns." Source: Read More here

Reuse your product packaging when you can! In the past I have held onto my sample packaging and used it for travelling or as something I keep on hand in my car or purse.
I tend to lean towards simplistic and minimalistic. Don't let the size of our samples surprise you. Well, I don't want a lot of plastic wasted if I must use it (my goal is to be able to provide glass samples too). The samples may appear small in size but don't underestimate the long-lasting product on the inside.  It will give you an idea of the texture, ingredients, color and if it's a product you'd want to purchase in full size.
Some of the packaging you will see  from Conscious Makeup Boutique:
I decided to use burlap as pouches for samples and other products customers purchase at Conscious Makeup Boutique for many reasons.  I was first attracted to the patterns I found in this jute/hemp made material. Second, burlap is sustainable, biodegradable, 100%  environmentally friendly and recyclable.  Did you know you can even use burlap in your garden?  "Burlap specifically has the lowest carbon and water footprint of all the options" (Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4600964_what-burlap-made.html)  The burlap patterns and colors I will use will change with the seasons as I believe change is good!

I have chosen some recycled white tissue paper for product protection in boxes and padded mailer envelopes. "NO new materials are used in the manufacturing of the shipping boxes" and are made in the USA. I hope this gives you peace of mind that none of these shipping materials will end up in the landfill.
I believe it's also worth hanging onto packaging that you have received for your own shipping needs when possible. REUSE what you already have. I sure do!
I hope all of these tidbits of information  in our choices of packaging excites the conscious consumer in you!

Special Holiday Weekend

I'm so Thankful for my family and friends all year round but I sure look forward to Thanksgiving Day festivities!
This year our family spent the Holiday with new friends and people we'd never met but the warmth of the welcome into their home made us feel warm and fuzzy and like we'd known them for more than just a few hours. They created lasting memories with my children as they carried out their Thanksgiving Family tradition of decorating a Christmas tree. I'd never seen so many decorations on one tree but it sure glowed with LOTS of LOVE!
I would like to pass on the my joy of the holidays with you by sharing this 20% special with your Conscious Makeup Boutique purchase! I carry favorites in Haut Cosmetics Makeup/Skincare and White and Elm Skincare products. Use coupon code: Thankful
I'm so thankful that you have come to visit and hope you'll be back soon!