Winter Capsule Wardrobe

posted in capsule wardrobes

Since moving back to Canada I’ve had to re-think my capsule wardrobes a bit with the new climate. The biggest difference from where I was living in Germany is that winters here are a lot longer and colder. Into November we were already very much in winter so I decided it was time to switch my wardrobe at the beginning of December. Project 333, which I started my capsule with, breaks the seasons into 3 months each but in a very cold climate I think it needs to be adapted it to at least 4, maybe even 5 months for winter.

My goal for this capsule was to have good layering options. We live in an apartment building which can actually be quite warm (we get a lot of heat from the neighbouring units and direct sunlight) so depending on the day a t-shirt might be fine inside but then I have to layer up to go out or into the evening. I didn’t include any under-layers in the capsule since they’re not really part of outfits but I still need them, so if I’m going to be outside a while I’ll layer leggings or a fitted tank or tee under my outfit for extra warmth and I made sure the pieces I chose can work layered over.

Winter Capsule Wardrobe

The Pieces in my Winter Capsule Wardrobe:

(please note: this list contains some affiliate links)
  1. Cropped Ikat tank – Matter Prints
  2. Velvet bodysuit – Underprotection (read a brand review)
  3. Grey linen tee – secondhand
  4. Navy tee – Lanius
  5. Grey knit top – People Tree
  6. Black top – Boody
  7. Striped oversized shirt – secondhand
  8. Long shirt – ArmedAngels
  9. Red knit top – old
  10. Blue cropped sweater – DIY/handknit
  11. Icelandic sweater – secondhand
  12. Grey/brown sweater – Izzy Lane
  13. Rust cardigan – Eileen Fisher
  14. Beige cardigan – old
  15. Plaid draped shirt – secondhand
  16. Check tunic – People Tree
  17. Grey tee dress – Kowtow
  18. Black dress – People Tree
  19. Draped wool dress – secondhand
  20. Striped knit skirt  – secondhand from thredUP
  21. Linen skirt – NotPerfectLinen (read more about my love of linen)
  22. Cropped wool pants – secondhand
  23. Ikat pants – Matter Prints
  24. Dark jeans – Mud Jeans
  25. Black pants – People Tree
  26. Plaid coat – secondhand from thredUP
  27. Fair Isle mittens  – market/handknit
  28. Navy hat (touque) – Sitka
  29. Paisley scarf – secondhand
  30. Colourblock knit scarf – DIY/handknit
  31. Beige purse – Angela & Roi 
  32. Backpack – Matt & Nat (please read why I no longer support Matt & Nat)

Winter Capsule Wardrobe items

Even though I’ve been doing capsule wardrobes for years now, I always try to learn from them so I can improve the next one. Especially with any big life changes, like moving to a different climate, it’s important to assess your capsule and learn what works and doesn’t work, because something that worked well before might not any longer. I think I have a pretty good selection of items but I’m also going to be flexible if I feel the need to swap or adapt the capsule to work better for Canadian winters.

Since it’s the holidays also be sure to check out my green gift guide! 

Giving Quality Over Quantity

Our consumerist society is amplified during the holidays and unfortunately it seems like consumption has become the focus of the season. Events require new outfits, festive-ness is measured by how many decorations you have, it seems like parties have to feature a Pinterest-worthy spread, and marketing tells us the bigger the pile of presents the more happiness there will be. I’m not here for it.
Now maybe you think I’m a Grinch but I actually really love the holidays! I just think we need to refocus a bit.

One shift that is incredibly important is moving from gift giving focused around quantity to quality. This is not only a lot more sustainable (we really don’t need more gifts ending up in the landfill in a few months) but I’ll bet it also helps with that holiday shopping stress.

Holiday spending is expected to increase this year and consumers surveyed in the US say they’re planning to spend an average of $1,250 each on gifts. Imagine the impact if even just a portion of this spending was shifted to high-quality, consciously made products that will last years or a lifetime, instead of disposable, cheap plastic goods with questionable origins.

This holiday season let’s try to focus on giving quality over quantity!

(this post is kindly sponsored by BuyMeOnce)

One store making it easier to buy better is BuyMeOnce. I’m exited to be partnering with them on this post because I not only think they have a great selection of gifts but I love their mission to “find the longest lasting products” and not only that, they also prioritise ethical manufacturing and sustainability in their selections.

All of the products they recommend have been thoroughly researched. They start by asking these questions:

  1. Do the materials and craftsmanship make this product more durable than its competitors?
  2. Do customer and independent reviews confirm the product’s durability?
  3. Is the product made ethically, and, if possible, out of sustainable materials?
  4. Does the company offer aftercare?
  5. Is the product’s design timeless?

If it passes, they then test it out themselves and sometimes they’ll also bring in experts to weigh in. A lot of their listed products also come with lifetime guarantees so even if something does happen it can be repaired or replaced.

Ideas for quality, long-lasting gifts

For the music lover

Tech is a tricky area to shop consciously – there are always new or improved versions coming out and it’s an industry notorious for planned obsolescence, which is when companies deliberately design products to wear out, become outdated in a few years, or products are designed to prevent repairs. So I was pretty surprised to see BuyMeOnce carrying a speaker. This Minirig 2 portable Bluetooth speaker is made in the UK which is really rare to see and is designed to be taken apart, so if something breaks it can easily be repaired, or if technology improves individual parts can be replaced instead of needing to buy a whole new speaker. Also, it can be coupled with a second speaker and/or subwoofer for improved sound that can fill a larger space.

This speaker has an incredible 80 hour battery life so it’s great for taking to the park, on roadtrips, camping, or travelling.

Silicone baking mats, zero waste
Know someone who loves to cook or bake?

Help them reduce waste and save time cleaning up sticky or burnt-on baking sheets by using silicone baking mats. These reusable mats come in 2 sizes and can also be cut to fit your trays or cookie sheets. They’re easy to use and a great zero waste replacement for foil or parchment paper. Plus the brand offers a lifetime guarantee.

I’ve ordered a set for us and am probably also going to get one for my parents so they can skip the aluminium foil. 🙂

Quality cast iron cookware can last generations and actually gets better with age as the seasoning builds up. I love cast iron because it’s super versatile, you can use it on the stove, in the oven, on a barbecue, or even on a campfire and you also don’t have to worry about potentially harmful Teflon coatings.

This Finex skillet not only is beautifully designed but it’s made in America, comes pre-seasoned, and the unique octagonal design allows for easy pouring. They also give you the choice to include a lid, and for extra quality assurance it has a lifetime guarantee.

On the go gifts

This laptop case can make a great gift for students or professionals.

It’s from Elvis & Kresse who have a line of bags made from durable, reclaimed materials such as decommissioned fire hoses, printing blankets (pictured), and leather off-cuts, and the bag is lined with reclaimed military-grade parachute silk. Designed to last, they also offer lifetime repairs on all their bags.

A product which I also featured in my green gift guide is Lüks Linen’s Peshtemal towels. Turkish towels are amazing for travel because they’re lightweight, compact, and dry quickly. I also love how versatile they are because they don’t look like a traditional towel you can wear them as a scarf, shawl, or sarong, and they can also be used at the beach, for a picnic, or as throw blanket. They’re incredibly practical for travelling, camping, spas/saunas, the gym, or just everyday home use.

Lüks Linen also offers a 20 year replace or repair guarantee on their products.

For little ones on the go there’s a wooden balance bike from Wishbone which has been designed to grow with your child. The frame and seat height are adjustable so they can use it from 18 months up to 5 years! The bike has also been designed to be 100% repairable so if any piece is damaged a replacement part can be purchased.

These bikes teach kids how to steer and balance and from personal experience are a great way to go on walks with kids and not have to carry them after 10 minutes. Plus the company also uses natural materials and non-toxic glues and finishes to keep children safe.

Everyday gifts

You might be thinking there’s no way jeans can have a lifetime guarantee, but these jeans from Blackhorse Lane Ateliers not only are designed to be good quality with features like hidden rivets and tacked stress-points but they come with free repairs for life! So if they get ripped or worn you can send them in to be patched and stitched up, how cool is that? Made in London from 100% organic cotton, selvedge raw denim these are the kind of jeans you can completely break in, mould to your body, and are sure to become the go-to pair.

A brand I was thrilled to discover is Swedish Stockings and I’m happy to see they are BuyMeOnce approved too! Stockings are unfortunately not going to last a lifetime, and because of this they create a lot of waste. Swedish Stockings however are tackling this by using recycled nylon and producing the stockings in zero waste and solar powered factories. If the tights do get damaged or wear out, they have a take-back program to recycle the stockings so they’re not contributing to more landfill waste.

Another gift idea, if you know someone who is also interested in shopping and living more consciously is the book A Life Less Throwaway by BuyMeOnce founder Tara Button. The book talks about why we tend to shop and over-spend, why products are no longer designed to last, how we can better take care of the things we have, how we can change consumerist habits, and how we can build a life around things that are meaningful and fulfilling instead of just accumulating more stuff.

There are so many ways to give quality gifts this holiday season, you can also give the gift of experiences and spending quality time together. Treat your friends or family to a nice dinner or activity they really enjoy.

This holiday season let’s take a step back, I don’t think we need to completely give up gift giving, but maybe consider if the piles of disposable presents are really necessary and if there’s a way to focus on quality over quantity gift giving.

Stop Using Fabric Softener – Why It’s Bad for your Clothes and Health

posted in clothing care

Should you use fabric softeners and dryer sheets? The quick answer is no. They’re unnecessary and bad for your clothes (especially athletic wear, which we’ll get into), your health, and the environment. Not worth it!

Fabric softeners became popular in the mid-1900s because the dyes, detergents, and dryers were harsh on clothes, making them rough and scratchy. However, with better technology, fabrics, and laundry products, fabric softeners are no longer necessary, yet are still very commonly used and most people don’t think twice about it.

How fabric softeners and dryer sheets work

Fabric softeners typically come in 2 different forms: a liquid used in the washing machine or a coated sheet used in the dryer. They are designed to prevent static, help with wrinkles, add a scent, and make the materials feel softer. They do this by covering the fabric in a thin, waxy, lubricating film. This coating prevents static by making the garments slippery to reduce friction, and the softener adds a positive charge to neutralize the negative static charge. It also helps to separate the fibres, making things like towels fluffier. Additionally, they are typically scented and designed so the scent will remain in the fabric. Sounds nice, so what’s the problem?

Are Fabric Softeners Bad for your Clothes?

You might have noticed on some tags, especially with athletic and performance clothing, they specifically say NOT to use fabric softeners. This is because the waxy coating can interfere with moisture-wicking and absorption properties. Athletic fabrics are designed to wick moisture from your skin to the outside of the fabric, where it can evaporate, but if you cover the fabric in a waxy coating it’s like plugging up a drinking straw and blocks the ability to move moisture. The coating also builds up over time, making it harder for water and detergent to permeate the fabric, so odours and stains are more difficult to get out and become sealed in.

People often ask why their workout clothes still have a smell even after washing. I always first ask if the person uses fabric softeners or dryer sheets – it’s almost always the problem!

Although your fabrics might feel extra soft and nice at first, the buildup of fatty film overtime makes fabrics less absorbent. This is especially a problem with towels, which obviously need to absorb a lot of moisture, as well as bed linens and underwear/base-layers which absorb sweat for comfort.

Fabric softeners can also stain your clothes. Liquid softeners can occasionally leave bluish or grey stain spots on garments, and overtime the waxy buildup can also cause yellowing on whites.

Finally, they can leave residue in your machines — which isn’t good for the machines — and also means you can get fabric softener residue on clothes even when you’re not using it in that load.

Fabric Softeners are Not Safe

Toxic for You

One of the biggest issues with fabric softeners is that they contain “fragrance,” a substance or mix of substances — natural or synthetic — that imparts a scent. The ingredients of fragrance don’t have to be disclosed, and there’s the potential they can contain allergens and toxic ingredients such as carcinogens, neurotoxicants and reproductive toxins. Transparency is an issue with cleaning products in general. In some countries like Canada and the United States, the ingredients of products like detergent and fabric softener don’t have to be listed, so it’s not just what’s in the fragrance that is a mystery.

A major ingredient in a lot of fabric softeners is Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs or “quats”), which ease static but can cause skin and respiratory irritation. Studies of medical professionals who used cleaning products with quats, which are also anti-bacterial, found an increase in asthma in those who were regularly exposed to them. The widespread use of quats in household products is also linked to the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In addition, studies have found that liquid fabric softeners can actually make fabrics more flammable, which no one wants.

Some of the most popular fabric softeners, such as Bounce dryer sheets and liquid Downy fabric softener receive grade D from the Environmental Working Group because of toxic ingredients.

Toxic for the Environment

QACs don’t easily biodegrade, especially in water, and can be toxic to aquatic organisms such as fish and algae. This is obviously extra worrisome, since as a laundry product they go directly into our water systems.

Fabric softeners can contain petroleum or palm-oil-derived ingredients. They also might not be cruelty-free or vegan — an ingredient found in some fabric softeners is dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride, which is derived from animal fat.

I also wonder if the coating and synthetic compounds in fabric softeners affect the biodegradability of clothing but haven’t been able to find any studies on it.

Fabric Softener Alternatives

1. Air-dry your clothes — it helps reduce static. I also really encourage air-drying because it saves a lot of energy (and money) and really increases the longevity of your clothes. There’s less wear-and-tear, colour fading, and shrinkage from heat. Plus, dryers break down spandex/elastane faster, causing your clothes to become misshapen, and they cause microscopic damage to the fabric. Just look in the lint tray — those are all fibres that have been broken off or pulled from the fabric! Air-dried clothes will definitely feel less soft than using a dryer, especially if you’re used to fabric softeners, but you can try putting them in the dryer for just a few minutes to fluff them up if that’s a problem.

2. If you need to use a dryer, wool dryer balls can help soften your clothes and also cut down on drying time, which saves energy. I’ve also heard of people adding essential oils to their dryer balls for some scent, but make sure you don’t use too much and stain your clothes, and use oils that are okay with heat. The dryer balls can also help with static.

3. Don’t over-dry your clothes, because the dryness is what causes static, so taking clothes out when they’ve just dried will really help reduce static.

4. Separate your natural and synthetic garments to help with static. Synthetic fabrics tend to be the ones with major static issues, as fluffy natural fibres rubbing against the synthetics builds up static charge. It’s also a great idea to wash your synthetics in a Guppyfriend Bag, which not only keeps them from rubbing against your other clothes but also catches the plastic microfibres they release into the water.

5. Try vinegar? Another option I hear a lot is to add a quarter or half cup of vinegar to your wash as a natural fabric softener (although be sure not to use with bleach). There are mixed reviews on this and don’t use more than that amount because some say it can damage your washing machine hoses. But if you’ve tried this I’d be interested in how it works!

As with any changes it takes some time to adjust, but everyone I know who has stopped using fabric softeners said they were just doing it out of habit or thought you were “supposed to,” and having stopped won’t ever go back.

Remove fabric softener from clothing

Can you Remove Fabric Softener from Clothing?

I tried a few things on my secondhand leggings which were full of fabric softener:

  • I washed them a couple times but this didn’t do much.
  • I tried soaking them in water and castile soap for a few hours and this definitely made an impact, although I could still smell the fabric softener.
  • The most recent thing I’ve tried is soaking them in some vinegar and water. This also seemed to help a bit, but the smell is still faintly there.
  • I’ve also been hanging them up on a drying rack to air out as much as possible.

While I have gotten rid of most of the smell (and it doesn’t give me a headache anymore just wearing them) it’s difficult to say if I’m only removing the fragrance or the actual fabric softener coating. The leggings still have a slightly waxy feel to them but it’s hard to gauge if any progress has been made. Hopefully as I keep wearing and washing them I can get rid of more of the softener but I don’t know if they’ll ever be back to the way they were originally.

If you have any other tips or suggestions for removing fabric softener please leave them in the comments!

naturally dyed shirts

Clothing Dyed with Plants?

posted in conscious fashion
(this post is kindly sponsored by Sustain)

I love natural dyeing, it not only is a beautiful process but it can be a lot safer for us and the environment. So I was thrilled when Kat from Sustain reached out to share her slow fashion brand that uses all natural dyes. It’s very hard to find brands even in the sustainable fashion world that naturally dye their fabrics. I think part of the reason is that customers and the industry are so used to synthetic dyes, some people don’t even know natural dyes are an option and there are misconceptions that they fade quickly, discolour, or won’t hold up (which we’ll get more into).

So how does natural dyeing work?

Dyes can be obtained from minerals, bugs, and plants – they can be extracted from roots, leaves, bark, wood, fruits, flowers, and fungi, even food waste like certain peels and pits can be used for dyeing. The dyes can come directly from the fresh plant or for more commercial dyeing they are typically in a dried, powdered, or extracted form.

Often fabrics are pre-treated with a mordant (which is French for “bite”) that helps the dye bind with the fabric and makes it more colourfast and long-lasting. Sometimes mordants are added to the dye bath and certain mordants can also be used to shift dyes to different colours. Sustain uses safer mordants like myrobalan (a medicinal Tibetan fruit), oak galls, alum, and soy milk, although it is important to know that some natural dyeing can use heavy metals so if you find naturally dyed products it’s often good to ask what has been used as a mordant.

The dye material is heated with water and steeped for a while to create a dye bath.

Then the mordanted fabric is added to the vat. It often needs to be stirred for even colour and given time to soak up the dye – typically the longer the fabric is left in the dye bath the deeper the colour will be. Dyes like indigo though are set when they oxidise so you have to repeatedly soak it in the bath and hang it up to deepen the colour.

After, the dyed fabric is rinsed to remove any excess dye, and dried. It might also go through other dyeing or printing processes, and then is ready to be cut into clothes!

naturally dyed pjs from Sustain

This pj set is dyed with a combination of chamomile, lavender, rose, myrobalan, and indigo. First they do the flower vat which creates a yellow colour and then the blue indigo vat which together results in a blue-ish green. The pjs initially were more blue but as I’ve worn and washed them they’ve shifted a bit more green which I think is really cool. Some natural dyes will change a bit over time and some are even ph sensitive – I definitely made a mistake using red cabbage (highly ph sensitive) as a dye once which you can see in this video. We’re so used to synthetic dyes that any slight variances in colour are unfortunately often seen as “flaws” – it’s not uncommon for entire shipments of styles to be sent back (aka trashed) if the colour isn’t an exact match. With natural dyeing though likely no dye bath will be identical, little things like the water used or when the plants were harvested can all impact the colour and I think those variances and changes are part of what makes the pieces special and unique. 😊

Something else I really love is Sustain is even conscious of their water use. For these pjs the leftover flower water is used in their garden where they grow dye plants like marigold, weld, madder root, and indigo, and they keep their indigo vat for months, just adding more dye and water as needed instead of starting from scratch every time.

Sustain dyes some of their products in-house but also carries garments made with an ayurvedic dyeing process which is part of an Indian tradition passed down through generations. The ayurvedic dyeing only mordants with tannins from the plants, uses the whole plants for dyeing, and at lower temperatures to preserve the beneficial properties of the plants.

The tank is made from organic cotton that has been dyed with pomegranate peels and rhubarb – both of which have antimicrobial properties.

But doesn’t it fade?

First thing to remember is all dyes fade overtime – one of the common reasons people replace items is because they’ve faded, how often do people complain that their black clothes aren’t true black anymore? It’s a misconception that naturally dyed clothes are not colourfast. You can see garments in museums from hundreds of years ago that still have their colour! While natural dyes can fade over time, different dyes will hold up better than others (indigo and madder for example are very long-lasting) and most synthetic dyes aren’t colourfast either.

Like with conventionally dyed clothes, there are some things you can do to preserve the colour:

  • wash in cold water
  • use a ph-neutral and eco-friendly detergent
  • avoid storing/hanging in direct sunlight

Natural dyes do typically have a softer quality to the colour – you won’t get a hot pink or neon orange, but they also seem to have a richness to them that I think you can’t really replicate with synthetics. Plus I find it is so cool knowing my clothes were dyed with plants, and also knowing there aren’t harmful chemicals like NPEs or azo compounds hiding in the fabric or being dumped into the water – I have a video more about toxic chemicals in clothing.

natural dyed pjs from Sustain

Additionally, all of Sustain’s garments are ethically made in LA and they ensure safe conditions and fair wages for the workers making and dyeing the textiles.

They have a beautiful selection of staples and basics in a range of naturally dyed colours, as well as a collection of undyed organic garments for those with very sensitive skin. They even have a ‘non-conformists’ line of one-of-a-kind pieces.

Thank you so much to Sustain by Kat for sponsoring this post! I love being able to share and talk about natural dyeing 😊

Read more about my favourite dyes and how I fell in love with natural dyeing. 

Fall 2018 Capsule Wardrobe

posted in capsule wardrobes
(please note: this post contains some affiliate links)

Now that we’re living in a totally new climate I’ve had to re-think my capsule wardrobe a bit. So far this autumn we’ve had both beautiful warm days as well as snow and temps dipping into the negatives. Since it can be quite unpredictable I’ve really focused on good layers with this capsule so hopefully I can layer up or down as the temperatures require.

fall capsule wardrobe layers

The items I chose for my fall capsule wardrobe:
  1. Olive/tan tank – Sustain
  2. Blue tank – secondhand
  3. Velvet bodysuit – Underprotection (read a brand review)
  4. Navy tee – Lanius
  5. Grey linen tee – secondhand
  6. Black tee – Funktion Schnitt 
  7. Long shirt – ArmedAngels
  8. Plaid draped shirt – secondhand
  9. Striped oversized shirt – secondhand
  10. Red knit top – old
  11. Grey knit top – People Tree
  12. Blue cropped sweater – DIY/handknit
  13. Grey/brown sweater – Izzy Lane
  14. Rust cardigan – Eileen Fisher
  15. Beige cardigan – old
  16. Dark jeans – Mud Jeans
  17. Black pants – People Tree
  18. Cropped wool pants – secondhand
  19. Striped knit skirt  – secondhand from thredUP
  20. Linen skirt – NotPerfectLinen (read more about my love of linen)
  21. Ikat jumpsuit – Matter Prints (watch more about ikat and the jumpsuit)
  22. Silk romper – secondhand
  23. Draped wool dress – secondhand
  24. Grey tee dress – Kowtow
  25. Brown jacket – DIY/handmade
  26. Denim jacket – secondhand
  27. Grey jacket – NäZ
  28. Paisley scarf – secondhand
  29. Beige purse – Angela & Roi 
  30. Backpack – Matt & Nat (please read why I no longer support Matt & Nat)
  31. Black hat – secondhand
  32. Beige beret – DIY/handknit

Pieces in my fall 2018 capsule wardrobe

My capsule wardrobe is adapted from the Project 333 challenge. Over the course of creating many capsule wardrobes I’ve been fine-tuning them to figure out what works best for me. Last year I decided to no longer include shoes as part of my capsule wardrobe, I feel I have a good core “shoe capsule” and the one thing I occasionally seemed to miss was a certain pair of shoes. This has worked well this last year and I will continue to have a separate shoes from my wardrobe. My “shoe capsule” includes a pair of boots, heeled boots (which I need to replace and am currently searching for), sneakers, sandals, flats, formal heels and athletic/running shoes.

I also no longer try to hit a specific number, just build a wardrobe I think would work well. It usually ends up being around 30-35 pieces, often on the higher end in fall/winter and lower in spring/summer.

Hope you have a beautiful autumn 🍂

Favourite Small-Batch Natural Skincare & Hair Brands

When you first get into green beauty it’s mostly the big brands you hear about. Lush was definitely my (and probably most people’s) introduction to more natural products, then I found 100% Pure, and moving to Germany it was easy to get brands like Lavera and Weleda. However one of my favourite things now is discovering small, indie brands who make wonderful products. So I want to share a few favourites I’ve tried.

(This post may contain some affiliate links)

Sḵwálwen Botanicals

I have been using Sḵwálwen’s skincare products for a couple years now and dare I say, have found the perfect routine for my skin?

Sḵwálwen is an Indigenous-owned brand crafting skincare products from sustainably wild-harvested plants and organic ingredients in the Canadian Pacific Northwest. I have been using a simple combination of their Tewín’xw Cranberry Facial Bar for cleansing followed by their Tewín’xw Cranberry Rose Facial Serum for moisturizing and it has done more for my skin redness than any other product.

I also really like their Kalkáy Wild Rose Face Masque although it is very different than most mask – it’s oil-based, very nourishing, and especially amazing for dry winter skin.


Oil + Water

This small batch skincare brand is all hand made in New York with a focus on minimal, high quality, beneficial ingredients. After trying out their starter set I fell in love with the gentle, moisturizing skin care routine (you can watch a skincare video I did in partnership with Oil + Water here).

My favourite product of theirs is probably the face oil, it absorbs nicely without being too heavy or greasy. They also have a beautiful face mist, clay mask, and soaps – basically everything I’ve tried I’ve loved. ☺️ Plus I also have a discount code – with MYGREENCLOSET10 you can get 10% off the Oil + Water line!


Magic Organic Apothecary 

I first discovered this UK brand through the owner of The Choosy Chick (which is a great place to order it in North America). All of MOA’s skincare products are made in England with a strong focus on yarrow, which is a herb with a rich history of healing, that they combine with other herbal extracts and oils. Their Hello Sunshine body oil has been amazing for summer and has such a great bright, citrusy scent.

Probably the product I love most though is their Green Balm – it has been my go-to multi-purpose product especially when camping and road-tripping this summer. It can be used as an oil cleanser and to remove makeup and I’ve also found it great for any dryness (which I’m getting a lot more since moving back to dry Alberta) as well as bug bites, itchiness, redness/irritation, and I even put it on sunburns.


The Innate Life

This Canadian hair care brand started with only a few hair treatments but have slowly been expanding their range. They focus on beneficial herbs, botanical blends, and high quality ingredients. While I love using their shampoo and conditioner, my top picks would actually be their scalp treatment – it’s amazing for dryness and to nourish your scalp, and also their rose hair elixir – a few drops can really help dry ends and frizziness.

The Innate Life hair oil

I love finding brands that value natural ingredients and work hard to create formulas that deliver all those beneficial plant properties to our skin and hair. Learning more about green beauty has been such a cool journey – it’s incredible all the amazing properties and things plants can do for our skin and bodies!

What are your favourite natural ingredients or indie green beauty brands?

💚


Photos using the products outside by Dennis Wilhelms Photography

Updated Jan 30, 2022

Watching the World Burn

posted in Activism, Thoughts

A couple weeks ago I experienced a forest fire. We were on a trip spending some time in the Okanagan which the night before had a huge lightning storm that started 20 fires in the area. There was a plume of smoke at the top of the mountain when we arrived and we watched it grow and move down the mountain throughout the day. Surreally we spent the evening sitting around with neighbours sipping wine and watching the glow of the fires and occasional columns of flames as whole trees caught. One was south of the town and another across the lake. We listened to updates of how our host’s friends down the road were being evacuated, reassurances that the fire wasn’t moving towards us and if winds changed there would be plenty of evacuation notice. Everyone was remarking how strange it is that something can be so devastating and beautiful at the same time, and it was weirdly beautiful to watch, the same way the flickering glow of a campfire is mesmerising. Binoculars were passed around and as the sun set the glow of the fires intensified.

Unlike the residents we had no home to worry about and all our belongings were basically packed up and ready to go. Our host came back with a stack of photo albums from their friend’s place and I considered what I would grab if a fire was moving towards our home, grateful to never have had to make that decision.

watching a forest fire in the Okangan
smoke from fires across the lake

We’ve left but the area is still burning; more evacuation orders have been put out but also fortunately rescinded and the last update I heard is that the one nearby fire reached over 1700 hectares but is being held. However the crazy thing is this is happening all over the world and at a much larger and more damaging scale. California is experiencing huge fires, and over in Europe Sweden seems to finally be on top of their fires (they had over 80), Greece’s fires have been tragically deadly, firefighters in Germany are using tanks because leftover WWII-era ammunition in the ground can be set off by the flames, and this is all exacerbated by a heatwave across Europe.

There’s no doubt that climate change will mean an increase in forest fires. A study commissioned by the EU found that with climate change dry areas are moving more north increasing forest fire risks. Areas of the sub-arctic in Canada, Sweden, and Latvia are burning and Greenland had a large fire last year just south of the ice sheet. According to this CBC Interview these arctic wildfires are even more difficult and damaging – peat moss releases large amounts of carbon dioxide when burned, the fires go deeper into the ground because of the moss and require more water, plus the soot and ash in the air blows north and blankets the arctic ice creating a dark surface and causing it to melt faster.

forest fire
photo: unsplash

Forest fires are only one reason on a very long list of why we need to care about climate change, be serious about implementing solutions, and stop politically polarising it.

I’m so thankful I have never had to live through a flood, fire, hurricane or any other natural disaster and can’t even imagine how terrifying and devastating it must be. Although I like to focus on positive stories and personal changes we can make to be more environmentally conscious I think it’s also important to remember why these changes are so important. Sitting by the lake with smoke blurring out the sun and the smell of burning everywhere, watching the fires, I couldn’t help thinking about how this planet is our only home, how we’ve carelessly abused it for so long, and how these kinds of natural disasters are likely going to keep increasing. We’ve already been setting record-breaking temperatures around the northern hemisphere this summer.

 

Now I don’t want to leave this post on such a heavy note and I like to focus on actionable things – so what can we do?
We all can definitely do our best to reduce our impact and I have lots of videos and other posts here on the blog about ways to do that, but something that is also really important is using your voice politically; contact your reps about climate policies and vote for people and parties who care about the environment and actually have plans and programs to help combat climate change. We need to demand our governments do better to protect our planet.

🌎

 

Dear Brands: I’m a Small Business Too

posted in Thoughts

Hey brands, we need to talk.

Every day I wake up to emails and DMs that go something like this:

“We’re an eco-friendly/vegan/natural/fair company and we’d love if you shared our product on Instagram/wrote a blog post about us/made a video using our product!”

It’s really cool to see how many conscious brands there are now and how many are starting up, and if the company meets my criteria and seems like a good fit for My Green Closet, I typically respond back asking for more info about the brand and include my media kit with sponsored content options.

Then about 95% of the time the brand either completely ghosts or responds:

“We’re a small business and don’t have a budget” 

Here’s the issue, I’m a small business too. My web hosting, camera, editing software, photographer, etc. all cost money, never mind paying myself for the typical 50+ hours I put into working on MGC each week.

Bloggers, Instagrammers, and Youtubers are often viewed like pitching newspapers or magazines where you can get free publicity for your brand, but the business model is completely different. We’re not paid a salary or rate per post and if there is any advertising revenue, it’s often minimal for a smaller influencer and can very unreliable. So while traditional media uses their advertising to pay for writing and photographing a feature about you, most influencers don’t have a lot of or any alternate funding to cover that. The majority of revenue typically comes from sponsorships or affiliate partnerships and in this eco/ethical niche it unfortunately seems very few brands are willing to pay for them.

The conscious brand and blogger relationship has to be a two-way street; creators can’t just be supporting brands, we should also be getting support back.

But you get “paid” in product!

First of all I know how bratty this might sound – complaining about getting stuff for free, 🙄 right? But please bear with me.

I think it’s obvious that I can’t pay my rent with free products so it’s not sustainable income, however there are also deeper issues and discrepancies here that brands, content creators, and consumers in the conscious fashion industry should be aware of. While sending out free products to influencers is a promoted and often advised way to market your brand for free/cheap it goes against some of the fundamental values we’re all claiming to support and work towards in a responsible fashion industry.

Conscious Creators Consume Consciously

Say that 5 times fast 😜

I’m probably at the more extreme end of this since I have a capsule wardrobe and live fairly minimally, but any creator who is promoting and actually living a more sustainable lifestyle knows the importance of mindful consumption. Having overflowing closets, drawers full of beauty products and piles of household goods, even if they’re eco friendly, still isn’t very sustainable.

There’s a balance to find as a blogger/youtuber though because people are looking for recommendations – if you’re thinking of purchasing something you want to make sure it meets your criteria and is something you’re going to like and use. The main mission of My Green Closet is to help and inspire people to live more sustainably and responsibly. One way of doing this is making it easier to shop in line with your values by sharing brands, products and better options. However I also have to to do this without going against my own values and ideas; how hypocritical would it be if I talk about consuming consciously and then every month share a new beauty line I’m using, have a totally new wardrobe each season, or post “hauls” (yes, I’ve had quite a few brands ask to be featured in a haul video 🤢).

If I said yes to every brand I like who wanted to send me stuff I would have a bursting closet and way more beauty and skincare products than I could ever use up, which is just wasteful! It is very exciting and encouraging to see how many sustainable brands and products are out there, but the main focus of my platforms is not to sell stuff.

I’m also trying to find other creative ways to share brands and products that I think the MGC audience would be interested in without compromising my own minimalist lifestyle. Doing things like borrowing clothes which can be sent back, only getting small samples of beauty products to try out first, or occasionally giving products to my Patrons/people who will use them, but I still have a set limit on how many partnerships I’ll do and that means only a tiny fraction of brands ever make the cut.

As a brand, if sending products to every conscious blogger out there is your marketing strategy be prepared for a lot of no-thank-yous. Most creators I know in this space only accept free product if it’s something they really want and likely would have purchased anyway. Be careful about influencers who say yes to any free product that’s offered, it’s important to do some research on who you’re contacting so you don’t get burned – there unfortunately are some “ethical” creators who use bots and fake followers and/or are just in it for the free stuff, so only approach creators you think are a good fit and align with your brands values, it’s not just about their numbers.

I know as a brand you need to sell your product, but you also need to give some thought to promoting conscious vs. mindless consumption or you’re just doing the same thing as fast fashion.

This also is important in your goals for a partnership, if you want to increase awareness about your brand and let people know about your beautiful products or the cool things you’re doing, great! Let’s talk 🙂 But if your goal is to have me get x number of people to purchase from you in the next week, I’m not interested. Promoting conscious consumption means I encourage people to think about their purchases and take time to make sure it’s something they will use and keep, not immediately buy the product (unless it’s actually the exact item they’ve been searching for).

Fair pay needs to include everyone

It’s hypocritical to tell me how you pay all your employees fairly for their work (which of course is very important) and then ask me to spend hours, sometimes days, filming and editing a video, taking photos, and/or writing content for you, unpaid.

Creators are helping you market your brand and should be part of your marketing budget. A ton of work goes into creating content for you and most of us are one-woman-shows; from researching, writing, editing, to styling, photographing, filming, modelling, responding to questions, and more, we’re doing it all! I assume you pay the models, photographers, social media staff, copywriters, etc. that do work for you, so why wouldn’t this extend to the bloggers and youtubers?

I also wonder if your business is okay

If you tell me you have zero budget for marketing it creates concerns and doubts about your business – all brands should have at least some marketing budget.

It makes me question if you’re serious about your company and mission and I worry if you’re still going to be around in a year with no strategy to market yourself. This is especially concerning if you work with artisans or disadvantaged communities – if you’re employing people without a stable business and long-term plan in place what happens to them if your brand doesn’t succeed?

I want to work with brands who are passionate about doing things better and who create amazing products, but also who are committed to building their conscious businesses. Having no marketing budget makes it seem like you’re not serious about growing your business.

Plus, rates are LOW

If you’re used to just giving out free product, paying for a sponsored post of course can seem expensive, but the reality is most creators in this conscious lifestyle space are charging a lot less than conventional influencers. There’s been talk among my fellow sustainable blogger friends about the need to raise our rates which are significantly lower than industry standards. While I of course believe creators deserve to be paid fairly for their work, I’ve been hesitant and slow to do this because it’s hard enough as is to get sponsors, and will only get harder with a rate increase, even if it is only moving closer to a more standard rate.

I’m also extremely fortunate and grateful because I have the most incredible Patrons helping support my content. Having a consistent bit of income each month means I at least know I can cover the basic costs of running MGC.

Additionally, I get some revenue from YouTube ads although I would LOVE to turn them off one day *fingers crossed* – it sucks having ads for brands I don’t support running on my videos, but currently I can’t keep making videos without them.

So thankfully not just sponsorships are solely funding My Green Closet which is why I’ve been able to keep going for 4 years, but most bloggers don’t have these supplementary revenue streams.

working on the computer

Guilt goes nowhere

Definitely don’t try to guilt or shame people into working for free. I’ve heard this from other bloggers too, when we ask for compensation for the work involved, the brand talks about how if we really cared about promoting ethical fashion we’d be happy to share their product. This is infuriating – there are so many amazing, dedicated creators in this space, working their asses off, giving up their free time to help spread awareness because it’s something they’re passionate about. Just because someone wants to spend their time talking about other topics instead of promoting your product doesn’t mean they don’t care about this movement.

Guilting and bullying people into sharing your brand by saying they’re lazy, greedy, or questing their commitment is just not cool. I promise you, if someone wants to make a lot of money and be lazy they don’t start an ethical fashion blog or youtube channel, people do this because they’re passionate about helping change things.

We succeed together

You have a mission to help improve the industry by doing things better and creating more responsible products. Myself and other creators have a mission to spread awareness and help educate and encourage people to live more consciously. We want to support the success of brands like you but it’s honestly hard and frustrating to do that when the majority of brands don’t want to support us back and often try to get things as cheap as possible or try to guilt creators into promoting them for free.

We both play a role in this complex puzzle and are ultimately working towards the same goals, so let’s work together.

It’s not everyone

I want to acknowledge that some brands are amazing to partner with and totally get that people working for them and helping promote them deserve to be fairly paid for their work, and also understand the value of influencer marketing and have a budget specifically for it. However based on the brands I’ve been in contact with unfortunately only about 5-10% fall into this category.

I also want to say that I don’t think most conscious brands are purposely trying to take advantage of bloggers. Getting free or very cheap promotion is seen as “good business – brands brag about how little they spend on social media promotion and I totally get that when budgets are tight you want to save pennies wherever possible. A lot of brands also don’t seem to understand the difference between a PR pitch and a marketing request – letting me know about you is fine, I can do what I want with that info, maybe ask for a product to test out and include you in content if it fits well. However asking to have a video made about you, for a blog feature, or for social media posts is not a PR pitch, you’re asking for marketing content which should be paid.

Overall I just think brands just aren’t looking at the larger picture and the relationship they’re building with influencers, don’t understand how much work goes into making content, and don’t realise how many pitches and free product offers creators receive (I currently am getting 1-5 pitches every day), so hopefully this post sheds some light from a content creator’s perspective.

And for some other conscious blogger’s perspectives check out:

Plastic Free July

posted in low waste

I’m doing the Plastic Free July challenge again! I’ve already talked about why I’m not zero waste, but I still think challenges can be a great way to learn and try out new things. Especially with our recent move back to Canada I’m excited to see what plastic free and eco-friendly options are available here. Things have also quieted down a bit this month so I’m also looking forward to having more time to test out some DIY recipes. 🙂

 

Setting a good foundation

With going plastic free, planning is definitely important so you can bring what you need. In addition to my essentials (water bottle, shopping bags, coffee cup) I’ll also try to bring snacks or maybe reuseable straws or cutlery depending where we’re going.

It also takes time to develop habits like asking for no straw or no bag, but I think a month-long challenge can be a great way to solidify some of those habits.

Plastic Free July must-haves

 

No one’s perfect

The downside to challenges like this though are that when you do forget or can’t figure out a plastic free alternative there can be guilt and feelings of failure. While I think a little dose of guilt can be helpful to remember next time, it’s important to move on and not dwell in those negative feelings. No one is perfectly sustainable and it’s about doing your best. Your living situation and what you have access too also plays a major role in how successful you can be at living plastic free. So focus on and celebrate the things you can do.

It’s a journey

More than anything I think this challenge is about being more aware of your plastic consumption and discovering ways you can make small changes.There are some amazing resources for getting inspiration and ideas:

💚 Going Zero Waste, Kathryn is seriously a one-stop shop for everything you could want to know about zero waste living and I love her approachable and non-judgemental attitude.

and because youtube is my first love, these are some great channels:

💚 Gittemary Johansen has a channel focused mainly on zero waste living, cooking, and travelling.

💚 Shelbizleee also has some great videos on sustainable and zero waste living.

💚 Alli Cherry, I love Alli’s channel and she has some lovely plastic free/zero waste videos.

and the Plastic Free July website has tons of great info and resources to help you out!

 

I’m sharing my Plastic Free July journey in weekly videos on Instagram’s new IGTV, the first week is now up and you can also see some of the low waste swaps and changes I’ve already made here.

Zero waste essentials

 

Please let me know if you’re also doing the challenge and how it’s going!

Summer 2018 Capsule Wardrobe

posted in capsule wardrobes

We’re settling into life in Canada and after about 10 years living in pretty cloudy places I’m really enjoying all the sun we get in Edmonton. ☀ Living in a new place also means thinking about my capsule a little differently due to the weather. We can get really hot and sunny days but also cool, cloudy days, and even some pretty intense rain/thunderstorms. So I had to plan for a good mix of clothes for different kinds of weather. I also needed a few new pieces for this capsule wardrobe and you can check out my video where I went secondhand shopping for them.

Also I’m now going into my 5th year of capsule wardrobes which is pretty crazy, I can’t believe how long it’s been!

outfit from summer capsule wardrobe

The items in my summer 2018 capsule wardrobe:

  1. Blue tank – secondhand
  2. Draped tank – old, upcycled from a dress
  3. Purple tank – Comazo Earth
  4. Navy tee – Lanius
  5. White linen tee – Lanius (read more about my love of linen)
  6. Brown oversized tee – old
  7. Black tee – Funktion Schnitt 
  8. Long shirt – ArmedAngels
  9. Striped oversized shirt – secondhand
  10. Plaid draped shirt – secondhand
  11. Beige cardigan – old
  12. Denim jacket – secondhand
  13. White oversized jacket – old
  14. Green shorts – ArmedAngels
  15. Black denim shorts – secondhand
  16. Blue Tencel pants – Recolution*
  17. Dark jeans – Mud Jeans*
  18. Linen skirt – NotPerfectLinen* (read more about my love of linen)
  19. Yellow skirt – handmade & dyed
  20. Ikat jumpsuit – Matter Prints* (more about ikat and the jumpsuit)
  21. Silk romper – secondhand
  22. Floral dress – handmade
  23. Grey/black tank dress – old
  24. Grey tee dress – Kowtow
  25. Beige purse – Angela & Roi 
  26. Backpack – Matt & Nat (please read why I no longer support Matt & Nat)
  27. Black hat – secondhand
  28. Beige hat – old

Summer 2018 capsule wardrobe pieces

My capsule wardrobe is adapted from the Project 333 challenge. Over the course of creating many capsule wardrobes I’ve been fine-tuning them to figure out what works best for me. Last year I decided to no longer include shoes as part of my capsule wardrobe, I feel I have a good core “shoe capsule” and the one thing I occasionally seemed to miss was a certain pair of shoes. This has worked well this last year and I will continue to have a separate shoes from my wardrobe. My “shoe capsule” includes a pair of boots, heeled boots, sneakers, sandals, slip-ons, heels and athletic/running shoes.

I also no longer try to hit a specific number, just build a wardrobe I think would work well. It usually ends up being around 30-35 pieces, often on the higher end in fall/winter and lower in spring/summer.

pants and t-shirt from capsule wardrobe

Hope you have a beautiful summer! 🌴☀

*item was gifted from the brand
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