…and the winner of the New Factory, Friend wrap is…

Anna K!

Congratulations, Anna! The lovely Max from New Factory, Friend will contact you soon to get your color choice, size preference and shipping address.

Didn’t win? There’s a giveaway going on right now at The Ethical Rag, and more coming soon!

You may have noticed our new advertiser, New Factory, Friend, hanging out with us over there in the sidebar. I’m excited to officially “introduce” them to you, because I think you’ll really like them!

And by “them” I really mean she: the enigmatic Max Schroder, owner and founder of New Factory, Friend (which I also sometimes call NFF). I’ve been chatting with Max for months as she’s altered and tweaked her growing business into something really amazing: a line of classic wrap tops and button-down shirts made using socially responsible practices and sustainable materials, all produced in the USA.

New Factory, Friend: Eco-Friendly Wrap Tops

“Where does the name New Factory, Friend come from? The name is an homage to the Japanese designers Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, and Yohji Yamamoto who continually inspire and broaden the limits of what we think is possible in how we view the world.”

Along with their worldly name, New Factory, Friend has a dedication to its local roots.  Everything is manufactured in the San Francisco area, and every person that helps create an NFF organic or hemp top is paid a fair wage.  They also donate a percentage of their profits to a local organization, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, which supports fledgling entrepreneurs in every aspect of their business creation, and to KIVA, which supports entrepreneurs worldwide.

New Factory, Friend: Eco-Friendly Button-Up Shirts

NFF’s collection is inspired by classic mid-twentieth-century button down shirts, sewn with a modern twist and added functionality for the present day.  Their goal is to make button-downs and wraps that fit today’s woman, both aesthetically and functionally.

Botton-down shirts and wraps used to be two styles I feared.  If you have large breasts, you know that fear as well as I do: it’s called the gap, and it falls squarely between the buttonholes of my shirt, right at the bustline – or, in a wrap, makes me afraid that a “wardrobe malfunction” could happen at any moment.  (I just can’t keep ‘em contained.)  However, with their modern styling and interesting details, New Factory, Friend actually got me wondering if maybe, just maybe, I could try a wrap again.

Do you want to try a wrap?  Because you can.  For free.

Oh yeah, baby.  It’s time for a giveaway!

New Factory, Friend: Wrap Giveaway!

This is the J Church wrap, which is named after the train line that rumbles by Max’s house each day.  It’s made of 100% Surplus Slub Rayon and, of course, all manufacturing is done in the USA.  The J Church wrap is available in black or silver grey, and if you win, you get to choose which color and size you’ll receive.

Entering is easy:

• Go to New Factory, Friend’s online store and comment on this post with your favorite design.  (I adore the Dalva wrap in navy.)
• While you’re at it, check out their Fabric Guide, which is really informative, and their Fit and Style Guide, which makes my boobs less afraid of exposure every time I read it.

If you want extra entries…

• Follow New Factory, Friend on Facebook;
• Follow Awakened Aesthetic on Tumblr; and/or
• Subscribe to The Ethical Rag, our bi-monthly newsletter that is also currently running a giveaway.  Easy peasy!

When you’re all set,  fill out the form below.  Don’t forget your name and email address, so I can contact you if you win!

Did you enter our flash giveaway for a four pack of PeaceKeeper lip gloss? No?

Well, you’re too late. We have a winner!

Colleen B.

Congratulations, Colleen! We have given your contact information to our friends at LovingEco, and they will contact you directly.

Did this flash giveaway pass you by? That’s okay – we ran it over a weekend and you were probably (hopefully) outside enjoying summer. We promise to host another giveaway, sponsored by LovingEco – this time during the week – soon! In the meantime, follow @Loving_Eco (and @AwakeAesthetic, of course) on Twitter, as well as on Facebook!

eco

Surprise! It’s a giveaway!

As Lindsay and I prepare to jaunt off to the islands for the weekend (more on that in our bimonthly newsletter, The Ethical Rag), we’re feeling a little sad that we can’t take you all with us. Then our favorite ethical sample sale site, LovingEco, contacted us about hosting an impromptu giveaway…and we’re pretty sure it’s apologetic serendipity.

LovingEco will give one lucky winner a pack of four exclusive PeaceKeeper Yum Glaze lip glosses in blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and citrus. All four glosses are 95% organic, food-grade and delicious. Here’s a touch more info from LovingEco:

PeaceKeeper’s new upscale lip balm series only sells in the most exclusive stores around the country. Create a fruity, clear gloss on your lips while moistening them. Use over lipstick or alone. Made with real organic fruit flavors.

The USDA seal means that YUM GLAZES have been confirmed to be 95% organic by the USDA. Therefore, our new YUM GLAZES are food-grade, allowing you to spread them on your toast with butter for breakfast! We would recommend that, instead, you apply them to your lips and you will see why we say “YUM”.

Lips, not toast. I agree.

Want to know how to win these glosses? It’s simple!

1. MANDATORY ENTRY: Sign up for LovingEco (which will allow you access to exclusive limited-time sales on ethical products – and isn’t that why you’re here?) and tell me which other sales are exciting you this week. Are you smitten with the Ten Thousand Rivers bracelet like I am, or would you rather have a pair of cruelty-free feather earrings?
2. ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: You can tweet the following up to twice per day, and comment here each time you tweet:

Flash #giveaway! I just entered to win #organic lip gloss from @AwakeAesthetic and @Loving_Eco http://ow.ly/5Wbax

-

eco

Thank you to all who entered the Uranus Apparel soy boyshort giveaway!

The entries have been tallied, a winner has been chosen, and the winner is…

Entry #61, Spicy Colleen!

Congrats, Colleen! Didn’t win this time? No worries! More giveaways are always around the bend. If you’d like to offer up something to give away to help promote your brand, contact us!

This giveaway post is going to be rich with puns, just so you’re ready.

Uranus Apparel is a merchant out of Miami, Florida who are approaching sustainability from a basic, fundamental point of view: your underwear. It’s an oft forgotten part of women’s wardrobes that seems to get kicked by the wayside when it comes to creating a sustainable wardrobe. It’s so rare to find a creator of undergarments that doesn’t just recycle, or create independently – but actually created eco-friendly, sustainable products like Uranus Apparel – and they do it with an amazing sense of humor.

Our Mission: Help Save Planet Earth Starting With Uranus

Are you on board? Are you seeing these three gals’ amazing, relaxed, silly sense of humor? They make adorable/hilarious videos starring their mindful knickers, and appear to be living the dream of helping the sustainable fashion industry progress while also having the best time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW8023_6M_0

Now, onto the goods.

Uranus Apparel offers soy underwear for ladies. We don’t see a lot of soy clothing, really, so questions like “Why Soy?” are on the tips of our tongues. Fortunately, Uranus Apparel has us covered (which is seemingly their goal):

Soy fabric is luxuriously soft and comfortable, often likened to silk or cashmere. Many of the product testers compared wearing Soyshorts™ underwear to “being totally naked.” Besides being softer than cotton, soy fabric is more durable and long-lasting (and it keeps getting softer the more times you wash it). It dries quicker than cotton and is extremely easy to care for, being machine-washable and dryer-safe (use low heat to prevent shrinkage). It is warmer than wool, but absorbant and breathable, making it the ideal fabric for warm or cool weather.

Soy fabric is eco-friendly and sustainable because of the way it is made. Soy fabric is manufactured from the by-products of soy food products, like tofu and soybean oil. Since the process uses materials that would otherwise be waste, it is considered to “close the loop” on soy.

Sounds like the perfect panties, to me.

Right now, Uranus offered sets of boyshorts in two color schemes: Earthy (above) and Venus (below). Each come in their own biodegradable burlap sack, which Uranus Apparel encourages you to compost or reuse!

Both sets of three retail for $22 and $27, respectively, on their website… But today, they’re offering up the Venus Boyshorts in a GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway Info

As with all giveaways, we have many ways for you to enter! Here’s the list:

• Go to Uranus Apparel and tell us which of their videos is your favorite!
• Sign up for the Uranus Apparel newsletter in the sidebar of their website!
• Follow Uranus Apparel on Twitter!
• Follow Awakened Aesthetic on Twitter!
• Follow Awakened Aesthetic on Tumblr!
• Sign up for Awakened Aesthetic’s all new Ethical Rag newsletter!

Whew – is that enough for you? It better be, because that’s the list, and it ain’t changin’!

Once you’ve completed as many entries as you’re interested in, fill out this form for your official entry:

This giveaway will end at 11:59pm on June 10th, 2011! Good luck!

Kelsey!

Congratulations, Kelsey! We have emailed your email address to Drops of Sun, and they will contact you soon!

Everyone else: we have yet another giveaway coming up in May…keep a look-out!

As my hair grows out – I’m going from an short asymmetrical cut to an inverted bob – I’ve been developing new and creative ways to style it. Hair Art a la Jen.

Okay, so mostly it’s just a bunch of bobby pins, but it’s way fun.

All this playing has pulled me away from my usual fondness for chunky bracelets and cocktail rings and toward the little holes time almost forgot: pierced earrings.

Last month I connected with Anna, the founder of Drops of Sun. I complimented her on her flawless paper jewelry designs – made from traditional Japanese paper, vintage postage stamps and recycled news and magazine paper, all of which are eco-friendly – and she offered to send me her Blue Ribbon Earrings for review.

Hello, ear. It’s good to see you again.

Anna makes each piece of jewelry by hand: earrings, necklaces, rings and even men’s cufflinks. She endeavors to use as many recycled materials as she can, including 100% recycled sterling silver ear wires. (FYI: This also means “crappy jewelry” allergies, or bright red earlobes.)

“I want to help make people aware of issues like dirty mining, sustainable papers, and knowing where your products come from.”

To help spread that same awareness, Drops of Sun has partnered with Awakened Aesthetic to give away $15 toward anything in their store.

This includes the earrings I’m wearing in this post, which only cost $20, and her customizable paper necklaces, which are $15.

Want to win? Here’s how:

1. (Mandatory) Go to the Drops of Sun website and tell us which item you love the most – no matter what the cost.
2. (Extra!) Follow Awakened Aesthetic on Facebook.
3. (Extra!)Follow Drops of Sun on Facebook.
4. (Extra!)Follow Awakened Aesthetic using Bloglovin’.
5. (Extra!) Follow Awakened Aesthetic on Tumblr!
6. (Extra!) Like this post on Facebook with the button here:

Once you’ve entered in as many ways as your heart desires, fill out this poll to confirm your entries:

The giveaway ends on April 25, 2011. Good luck!

Christa!

Christa, I’ll email you shortly to connect you with Sweet Petula. Congratulations!

Everyone else: there’s another giveaway just around the corner…it starts on Friday, and it’s a doozy. Get ready!

There is a luxury in bathing.

I love bathing so much that I Etsy bath products, have a favorite eco-friendly body wash of all time, and even write posts while in the bath. Though Lindsay hates showers (seriously – imagine washing that mop of hair), she still has a bit of an obsession with Lush. (I promise we’ll do some E-List research them soon!)

So it’s no surprise I’ve been stalking Sweet Petula for a while.

Started in 1995 in Seattle, Sweet Petula’s mantra is “simple luxuries for bath & body.” They strive to create inspired, indulgent scents, housed in simple, effective soaps. Most of their soaps are based in shea butter, and their productions is based locally in Seattle.

I had the opportunity of trying a few of her soaps (disclosure: I purchased a few and she sent me a few more as gifts) and loved the smoothness and strong, distinctive scent of each. My favorites so far are Bourbon & Vanilla and Vintage Peony.

I purchased La Nuit for Lindsay as a gift, and must say that it’s in my top five favorite scents. (The awesome skull packaging makes it even better.)

In fact, the packaging on all of these soaps is so meticulous and stunning. They make great gifts, even individually.

What was that? Did I say gift? Or did I say…giveaway?

Awakened Aesthetic has partnered with Sweet Petula to give away Collection No. 1: a gift set of six of their best-selling fragrances!

The winner’s gift wrapped set will come with the following 3oz. bars:

Sweet Pea & Clover (new 2011 scent)

White Gardenia

Fig Leaf

Earl Grey Tea

Vintage Peony

Aloe Leaf & Mint (new 2011 scent)

Want to win? Here’s how:

1. (Mandatory) Go to Sweet Petula’s shop and tell me which soap you’re most enamored with and would love to try – whether or not it’s included in this giveaway.
2. (Extra!) Follow Awakened Aesthetic on Facebook.
3. (Extra!)Follow Sweet Petula’s blog on Blogspot.
4. (Extra!)Follow Awakened Aesthetic using Bloglovin’.
5. (Extra!) Like this post on Facebook with the button here:

Once you’ve entered in as many ways as your heart desires, fill out this poll to confirm your entries:

Good luck!!