Goodwill hunting #12: leather sandals

Three-day weekend holidays mean money-saving shopping trips at Goodwill thrift stores. Because of my day off, I headed to my fave local stores and sought bargains reduced to ridiculously wonderful prices.

In a blue bin marked with the 50% price tag, I found a pair of Donald J Pliner leather sandals. What caught my eye was the leopard print, which is my timeless fashion staple, so I had to have them. I also noticed the authentic leather and label claiming they were manufactured in the mountains of Italy, and I fell for the romanticized location imprint.

I'm not obsessed with labels, but my sister convinced me to look online to measure the extent of my bargain. And it turned out the $2.50 I paid was worth it since a similar, plainer pair runs up almost 100 times that price.

Donald J Pliner Sandal in Black Vachetta, $215, donaldjpliner.com.

I also noticed my sister bought two great Jessica Simpson items: a pair of pumps and a wallet. The shoes probably ran around $100 at one point and the wallet $45, so it pays to support recycled fashion, especially after a thorough cleaning process.

Baking bits #1: gluten-free vegan vanilla cake

It's been awhile, but the baking bug bit me today as I decided to bake a gluten-free, dairy-free cake.

Though I usually nix the wheat and dairy because of my food allergies, I also wanted to get rid of the eggs. For the past few months, I've been trying to maintain a part-time vegan diet with eating animal products at one meal during the day. But as soon as night falls, I don't want any meat, eggs, or honey, and since I like to eat my cake with ice cream at dessert time, I had to find a substitute for eggs. 

After an exhaustive search for gluten-free vegan cake recipes, I noticed distilled vinegar or unsweetened applesauce taking the place of eggs. My vanilla cake still tasted great with the vinegar (no applesauce in the fridge) and almond milk (switched out soy milk for the week). 

GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN VANILLA CAKE RECIPE
4/3 cups of brown rice flour or gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of vinegar, unsweetened applesauce, or orange juice 
3/4 cup of almond milk, soy milk, or dairy-free milk
2/3 cup of raw sugar or stevia 
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 egg  
Pinch of salt  (I don't add salt to anything)

If I could take anything from this baking experience, I learned I'm in desperate need of a great gluten-free vegan cookbook since Google is not always a girl's best friend when it comes to specialty baking matters.

Green Gem Glam enters blogosphere

This eco-fashion/eco-beauty blog is under construction! With the new name, Green Gem Glam, it will be a more improved blog focusing on news and personal adventures surrounding the hardships of being green in the fashion and beauty world.

Once I purchase a new professional camera (my old digital camera died a slow death), I can share authentic photos of my eco-fashion/eco-beauty experience. Blog entries will still be fresh, but photos are coming very soon!

But till then, follow my blog with Bloglovin

Mary J. Blige likes eco-beauty products

While flipping through my June 2012 issue of Essence, I noticed this month's cover girl, songstress Mary J. Blige, recommended eco-beauty products, some I even used and know are relatively affordable. 

I use my Dr. Bronner's castile soap every day to wash my face. It's the natural acne and blemish cleanser. Carol's Daughter products have done wonders for my hair because it's all-natural and comes in so many varieties. If I want brightening white teeth, I use Tom's of Maine to get the look and feel of an eco-friendly toothpaste. And with summer upon us, every complexion should use SPF 30 products. 

Check out her beauty must-haves below:

Reality fashion competition crowns first winner

Tuesday night, NBC's Fashion Star crowned designer Kara Laricks as its first winner. Since the first episode when she designed the cloth necklace-tie accessory that I would've totally rocked, I knew she would win the $6 million collection contract between three department stores.

All season, select up-and-coming fashion designers created unique pieces following a theme set by the three buyers from H+M, Macy's, and Saks Fifth Avenue and the three fashion-forward celeb judges: Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and John Varvatos.

Below are some pieces from Kara's line for the eco-fashionable H+M:

Fashion Star Winning Collection Printed Dress Designed by Kara, $19.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Fashion Star Winning Collection Blouse Designed by Kara, $14.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Fashion Star Winning Collection Shorts Designed by Kara, $19.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Macy's, Nature Conservancy team up to save Amazon rainforest

INC International Concepts Beaded
Print Top, $89.50, macys.com.

Eco-fashion doesn't only encompass using eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics, it can also include regular fashion donating profits to an environmental cause.

Wednesday's episode of ABC's The View revealed the latest trends of the fashion lines associated with Macy's. The island-themed attire and fashion show surrounded Brazil with some of the profits being donated to the Nature Conservancy for "A Magical Journey: Brasil" campaign to save rainforests. The campaign runs from April 22-July 15, 2012.

The conservancy will receive 10% of the sale price of every item sold at O Mercado, a specialty boutique inside 300 Macy's stores nationwide with Brazilian-inspired fashion. Till the end of May, the "Give, Get and Save the Rainforest" at all 800 Macy's stores will encourage customers to give $3 to receive a savings pass for 15-20% off any item storewide. Macy's will donate 100% of those $3 to the conservancy. 

The campaign promotes designers like Isabela Capeto and Art da Terra, both specializing in eco-friendly handmade jewelry.


A list of upcoming promotional events (aka fashion shows) can be found here. Macy's hopes to reach a goal of $1 million to give to the conservancy to save the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

Vivienne Westwood designs 'War and Peace' shirt for climate refugees

Supermodel extraordinaire Naomi
Campbell wears the "War and Peace"
T-shirt, $40, viviennewestwood.co.uk.

Iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has lent her hand into environmental issues yet again by creating the 100% organic cotton "War and Peace" T-shirt for the Environmental Justice Foundation's "No Place Like Home" campaign. 

Funds will go to assisting the millions of environmental refugees forced from their homes every day due to environmental hardships caused by global climate change. Since this new phenomenon is sweeping the world, countries don't know how to react to the issue, so EJF is trying to spread the word through its campaign. 


From the archives: Vivienne Westwood reveals sustainable line