Green for Chic - Where nature and beauty meet

Around three weeks ago I was visiting my folks back home in Madrid and amongst other things I was catching up on sleep, eating good food, reading more and trying to recuperate some positive energy back into myself. All this was my solution after a stressful month that I had experienced.

On Friday morning I decided to head out for some shopping with my mum and we wanted to just spend some girly time together. It was not the best day to be doing this, as it was cold and rainy. Nevertheless, we decided to make the most of it.  I had heard of a pop up store in town where various designers were showing their collections and convinced her to take me there.

This was my purely accidental discovery for Green for Chic. I entered their store, located at Federica & Co. (Calle Hermosilla 26, Madrid) and simply felt pulled by the holistic feel it gave me. The warm woods and recycled materials which had been used to compliment the interiors added a fresh and natural feel to their eco friendly cosmetics which were on display. I felt I was inside a beautiful garden where I was breathing pure aromas that allured me to stay and try them all day. I normally don’t blog about places or brands, and least of all about stores. I did feel quite compelled to do it this time though, and the reason being the philosophy these two ladies believed in.

Carole and Beatriz showcase various natural cosmetic brands from around Europe and other parts of the world. They believe that beauty products which traditionally belong in herbalist stores have now arrived in an elegant glamorous world, where not only does one purchase a high quality product but is assured that the lipstick or nail polish they acquire has not been tested on animals, is not harming the planet and is free from toxic chemicals that could otherwise harm you, the end user.

My entire weekend was driven by this idea, on how we make such an effort to eat the right food, exercise, surround ourselves around positive people and try to be good human beings. However, it had not struck me so deeply on how using the right beauty products plays a fundamental part of my internal and external self care regime too.  As these lovely ladies said to me “Nature is a luxury”. It is indeed and we are part of this nature, so therefore must luxuriously take care of ourselves and pamper our face and body with only the right products.

Effectively I was introduced to a larger world of what until now had been limited to The Body Shop and perhaps a few products I consumed from my chemist. Green for Chic adds an additional frill to your beauty experience because you actually get personalised assistance for your needs. I was not particularly looking to pick up anything specific as much as I was simply browsing the charming displays, awed almost entirely by their nail polish display. I am a big fan of nail colours and I was invited to try their infinitely delicious pantones. The warm attention these ladies gave me was a clear sign of how much they believed in their product. I usually fear how quickly nail colour chips off, though they assured me Uslu Airlines, a charming brand which names all its shades by airport or heliport codes wouldn’t disappoint me and as a bonus it was free from many of the injurious chemicals that cause harm to the nail and often encourage an unattractive yellow tint to the nail after removing the lacquer. I applied the colour the very same evening and it lasted me for a whole week, with a lovely shine included. I must say I was impressed with my Heliport JCO. Shellac and the likes could be forgotten for a while!

There was a myriad of products available for men, women and even children. I was particularly excited by a strategy they had adopted, which was to benchmark up and coming brands at their store for a trial period. This is so fresh and encouraging, given the current economic climate we live in.

I liked their commitment to nature, their customers and above all their sound choice of brands. All the brands Green for Chic distributes are driven by their own philosophy to benefit the environment and an example of this is Erborian - a Korean brand of cosmetics that bases all its products on the Korean medical science pharmacopoeia. Their products are made with ingredients such as ginseng, liquorice and ginger. The star product in this case was the BB cream, which moisturizes and softens your skin, giving it a velvety touch, a perfect pre foundation base. Green for Chic literally spoke of the cream as if it was their baby. I had actually seen the cream at other cosmetic retailers, but I was moved by the passion with which these women lauded their brands. I could see the conviction in their decisions to grandstand every brand, because it was worth the celebration.

Green for Chic is a store which for me stood out firstly for the type of product they had chosen to share with the consumer and bring under one roof a wonderful selection of brands that all believed in the longevity of nature, and this includes you and me. They also stood out for the approach they gave to retailing; a tailor made package to pamper your every need. Lastly I want to thank them for the opportunity I was given to blog about them and share my experience with my readers. For those who don’t live in Madrid, Green for Chic has a website www.greenforchic.com and here you can read and buy their carefully selected products.

A weekend that exemplified my belief that I must take care of myself. I took away a beautiful message with me that nature is luxury and our resources are finite. We are part of this nature, therefore must treat ourselves luxuriously and feed the body happiness and plenitude to remain beautiful.