Ethical Jewelry Purchases

I made two jewelry purchases recently that I have to tell you about. When it comes to my outfits, I love using jewelry to modernize or make an outfit look a little more current, especially if the clothing is vintage. I am personally a gold jewelry kind of girl and started purchasing dainty gold pieces that I know I will get A LOT of use out of, and the best part?…are ethically made! Both of the pieces I will be sharing today, have made their way into my everyday, don’t ever take off jewelry group. haha

First up, we have this stunning ring from Ana Luisa. I had first heard about Ana Luisa through some fashion bloggers that I have been following and the more I heard the more I was interested. Conscious, luxury jewelry at an affordable price? Sign me up! Ana Luisa uses recycled materials whenever possible, and they are 100% carbon neutral which is SO COOL! I also love how transparent the website is about their commitment to creating sustainable jewelry.

I purchased the CHLOE ring and she is STUNNING! I love how unique but simple the ring is. I wear it every day, through showering, working out, cooking, etc, and it hasn’t tarnished (they say it won’t). I did use a new customer coupon to get it 10% off. I get many compliments on it and I can’t wait to purchase my next Ana Luisa piece. This is definitely a brand that I will continue to support and buy from because I love the company and what they are doing for sustainability in fashion!

If you’d like $15 your first purchase at Ana Luisa, CLICK THIS LINK!

The second amazing piece of ethical jewelry I recently purchased is this beautiful gold necklace from Better Way Designs, through my friend Bekah’s business. Every item they sell is made by a woman who was saved from sex trafficking. By purchase Items through Bekah, you are supporting the companies in countries all over the world that are employing these women, giving them fair wages, and safe environments to work in! It’s such a great cause. While unfortunately, this specific necklace is no longer available, I am linking her business below so you can look at all of the many beautiful products that are sold through Better Way Designs.

I am hosting a party through Bekah’s business until October 30th, so if you’d like to shop and support this cause through my party, CLICK THIS LINK!

Have you been more mindful of where you are buying your jewelry from? Be sure to comment below your favorite businesses you’ve found that allow you to buy ethically made items!

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea

Gifts for Friends: $30 & Under Intentional Gifting

We’ve all been there. We want to gift our friends something nice without spending an arm and a leg, but want it to be something that they will actually use and enjoy. So today I’ve cultivated a list of items that are perfect for this situation. Below are 10 items that aren’t expensive, but that you wouldn’t necessarily buy yourself regularly, so they are great to receive as a gift. If you have the means within your budget, I would recommend stocking up on some and keeping them on hand for those moments when you want to give someone special a little something.

Tip: Going the extra mile when wrapping a small gift can help it feel like something really special even if it didn’t cost you much.

Arches Candle from Good & Well Supply Co: I fell in love with this candle when I received it myself as a gift. It is the best smelling candle I’ve ever smelled and one I will continually buy until they stop making it. Mikey and I are both obsessed with it, so it’s a great home scent for everyone. All of this companies products are 100% vegan, 100% ecofriendly, and ethically sourced, which is means you can feel great about gifting it to someone you love.

Hearth & Hand Flour Sack Tea Towel: One of my favorite things to gift a friend, especially as a house warming treat, is a beautiful tea towel.

Better Way Tea in ‘Warm Happy Place’: I love tea and I love receiving new teas that I haven’t tried before, especially ones that are a little more nice an expensive. This one from Better Way Designs (shoutout to my amazing friend Bekah who’s business I’ve linked this tea through) is so delicious. It is unlike any other tea I’ve had before and really gives such a cozy, experience when drinking.

Glo Skin Beauty Suede Matte Lip Crayon in Monogram or Trademark: This is one of my favorite lip products of all time for weddings. I very often put bridesmaids in one of these two shades because they are natural, long wearing, comfortable and look so different and beautiful on every skin tone. At $20 a lipstick, these are a great small gift for someone who loves an everyday lip color because they are great quality and look good on everyone.

Zebra Mildliner Highlighter Pack: A massive pack of beautiful shades of highlighters is not always a justifiable ‘need’ in someone’s budget, but boy do these make writing more enjoyable. If you know someone who uses a handwritten planner, writes a lot of notes, is creative and doodles, or just wants to bring a little joy into their everyday life, these are such a great gift! I love that they are double ended so they have two thicknesses.

Hydroflask Tumbler: Who doesn’t want a travel mug that keeps their hot drinks hot for hours and their cold drinks cold for hours? This gift is amazing for SO many people, and I can’t recommend Hydroflask enough. It’s not secret over here that Mikey and I are obsessed and this one is on my list for Christmas.

Sapo de Solis Handcrafted Soap: This is my favorite local soap company and I love that you can buy them online too! If you’re local to the Lansing area, you can find them in the REO Town Marketplace and often at the Okemos Farmer’s Market. I love how long these last and the scents are amazing. We’ve switched to bar soap in both our shower and our bathroom sink and while I have many soaps on hand that I switch in and out, I always seem to go back to buying from Sapo de Solis when I need soap!

Flowers & Thrifted Vase: This is a really simple and meaningful gift that can bring a nice touch to someone’s home. I find beautiful vases at the thrift store all the time that are great for gifting. You could even go a step further and DIY the vase by painting it, etc and making it a unique gift. Then, stop at your local farmer’s market, flower shop, or grocery store, and pick up some flowers to put in your vase before gifting! I have personally received dried lavender and I highly recommend it because it lasts for months instead of just a couple days!

Endangered Species Chocolate: I love this brand of chocolate. The packaging is beautiful and great for gifting, and I love that there is a special cause behind the company because it makes gifting it, that much more special. Each flavor of chocolate bar is associated with a different endangered species, which you can see on the back of each bar. When you purchase them, 10% of the Net Profits go towards saving that animal. This would be a really great gift idea for someone who loves a specific animal like Elephants, for example.

I hope you enjoy these gift ideas for small and meaningful gifts. If you have any suggestions to add to the list, please leave a comment below and let me know!

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea

Disclosure: Some of the above links are Affiliate links meaning that I make a commission off the purchase of the product through my link. This does not affect the price of the product on your end. I would never recommend a product that I didn't love and all opinions are my own. I am thankful for you choosing to purchase through my links, as it helps me create more content for Andrea Fontana Beauty

Intentional Shopping Faves

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I try to shop with intention. Today I’m here to share some amazing products made by meaningful companies. Whether they are small, owned by a BIPOC and/or female owner, sustainably made, etc…these are the companies I try extra hard to seek out and support with my purchases. I try to make it a priority to shop secondhand first, but also intentionally if I can’t find it secondhand. These are some of the favorite items and companies I have purchased from recently.

Juvia’s Place Eyeshadows: I share these eyeshadows all the time but I couldn’t write a blog post about intentional shopping and no include these because they are 1. created by a woman of color and 2. amazing quality products. I would say that 90% of the time they are all I use on my clients because I can trust that they will always perform and be stunning.

megababe Rosy Pits Deodorant: I have been on the natural deodorant train for years now (at least 6, maybe longer) and I have tried a lot. Megababe is owned by an amazing woman, Katie Sturino, and her products are created for REAL women problems. While I still love my Native deodorant as well, I love this megababe one just as much!

Bee Joyful Shop Beeswax Wraps: I am so jealous that Kalamazoo now has an ethical and sustainable zero-waste shop! Bee Joyful opened during quarantine, so I jumped on placing an online order when I could. I am obsessed with their Beeswax Wraps because they are the best brand I have tried (even better than the original). They mold so easily and I feel like they seal better than the other brands I’ve tried because they are a little thicker. I highly recommend buying a set if you are looking to cut down on your plastic wrap usage.

Ceramic Incense Holder: I found Hannah Desch Ceramics after an Etsy browse for an incense holder. I wanted a natural texture like ceramic, a neutral color (Mine is white with black speckles) and this fit the bill perfectly. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find a super minimal and earthy incense holder. I love how it’s round but big enough to catch the little ashes that fall as the incense burns. Definitely check out her Etsy page to get a one of a kind incense holder.

Kalamazoo Candle: This is my favorite candle brand. I love that I can purchase them locally at my local Schuler’s bookstore or Whole Food, but I also order online from time to time. If you’re ever in Kalamazoo, you need to check out the store. You can make your own candles which would be a really fun date night (not sure if this is currently going on with COVID precautions so look into that first FYI). They have some really unique and really classic scents and I love the neutral containers they come in. They designed them so that they are easy to reuse, which you know I love! I try to burn only soy candles and I love that they are all 100% natural soy. I am currently burning the Salted Grapefruit scent right now as I write this post and it is so amazing.

Incense Variety Pack of 60 Sticks - Energy Art and Goods: After I purchased my incense holder, I was really happy to stumble upon this big variety pack of 60 Incense sticks, also from Etsy. While not all of the scents were my favorite, it was great to test out a bunch of different scents. I recommend trying this if you are new to incense and don’t know what scents you like yet. They are great quality and burn slowly which I like.

Nerdy Babies Board Books: If you know anyone with babies or kids, you MUST buy them this series. I am slowly collecting them all for my nephews and we are all obsessed. The thing I love most? They are written and illustrated by a Kalamazoo, MI author, Emmy Kastner. As a science nerd myself, it’s really important to me that I find unique books that teach my nieces and nephews science in a fun way!

Fortress Coffee Brazil Santos Roast: I know I’m probably sounding like a broken record by telling you to try Fortress Coffee Co, but guys…. COME ON! What are you waiting for? It’s the only coffee that Mikey and I really buy, not just because we are good friends with the owners, but because it’s our favorite. I love the Brazil Santos roast best, but every roast I’ve tried is amazing!

“Arches” Good + Well Supply Co. Candle: Another candle…can you tell I burn a lot of candles for my clients in my studio? Haha Everyone knows my love for them and the best part is that my people know to give me ones from small businesses. This small business is new to me, but I am so happy to discover it because 1. I LOVE the smell of this Arches candle and 2. I love the concept behind the scents, matching them to various National Parks. The owner, Megan, started a lot of time camping and taking in the scents of the outdoors and this is what inspired these candles. I love it. If you need a gift for someone, get this Arches candle. There’s no way they won’t love it. Again, the tins are also really beautiful and would be great for re-purposing. They also offer incense which I can’t wait to try as well.

What are your favorite businesses to shop at that promote intentional shopping? Comment below and let me know. Have you tried any of the ones I’ve listed? If so, what’s your favorite product from them?

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea