9 Beauty Tips + Life Hacks from Eco Goddess Sophia Bush
April brings spring showers, the need for rain-proof hairstyles, a reminder that snow does actually (we swear!) melt and an Earth Month rally cry to show a very important mother, Mother Nature, naturally, some love. We recently got the chance to have a little green girl talk with actress and eco advocate Sophia Bush (who, btw, promised us she’d stop by Brit HQ sometime soon, to “make all the things” — holding you to it, SB). From her best and wackiest all-natural beauty secret to her favorite earth-friendly homemakers tips, get green and beauty-full with the Chicago P.D. star below!
Her Morning Hair Hack: From her One Tree Hill days to today, Sophia has spent a lot of time in the hair and makeup chair. But when it comes to her personal AM routine, Sophia is a Lazy Girl just like us and wants to spend as few minutes fussing as possible. “My favorite little life hack in the morning when I wash my hair, is that I’ll put all my products in it and I’ll leave it alone. I’ll go grab my breakfast, make my coffee, throw a little makeup on, get dressed and by the time I’m turning my attention back to my hair it’s almost dry. I’ll do a quick blast with a blow dryer, a little heat styling if I need it.”
When she does turn on the hair dryer, Sophia has another trick: she uses EcoTools hair brushes (which dry hair 20 to 40% faster than normal brushes — tell me more). “They’re hollow, so they conduct heat better and will dry your hair faster,” Sophia dishes. “It’s like — voila!”
Her Time-Saving Beauty Hack: You’ve heard the phrase “a poor workman blames his tools” before, but you probably never thought about how that applies to your *makeup* tools, now have you? Well, you should! The right makeup brushes or applicators can transform your routine. Sophia is a big fan of EcoTools’ new Complexion Collection, a makeup-skincare hybrid line that helps with common skincare concerns like oily skin and fine lines. “They make your makeup work better for you because of the way the bristles are cut,” Sophia dishes. “The application goes on smoother, more evenly. I don’t have to run and do a ‘sun check’ in the mirror to make sure everything is blended; I know it is. Little things like that are improving my day-to-day.”
Her Work-to-Date Night Hack: Sophia’s Happy Hour-ready routine is our new mantra: “It’s all about a shoe, a bag and a lip.” Besides dressing smartly for the day with a transitional outfit that looks just as good in the AM as it will after you clock out, Sophia tells us that she stashes heels, a clutch and a red lipstick in her work bag to do a quick outfit upgrade once the workday is done.
See? Say it with us: It’s all about a shoe, a bag and a lip. Ommmm.
Her Weirdest Beauty Secret: Over a mutual love of all-things-beauty-oil, Sophia shared: “I use an oil wash to take the makeup off, it’s incredible. It’s a game changer. Whether you’re using oil on your face or on your body, it’s so nourishing and so good for you.”
Her other favorite beauty secret only looks weird, but it was a favorite of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O, to name a few! “Erno Lazslo has this classic, old Hollywood beauty product, a black soap bar that makes you look so crazy when you’re washing your face. Your sink looks like you were dyeing fabric in it when you’re done, but it’s worth it.” It isn’t cheap (one bar rings in at $45), but you can also look for cleansers with its signature ingredients (charcoal and mud from the Dead Sea) in products on Etsy or your favorite natural beauty store.
Her Go-To Green Homemaker Tips: In honor of Earth Day and our quest to redefine what it means to be a homemaker, Sophia shared some of her favorite eco home tips with us. “Something that really excites me is the way you can change your daily routine [to go green]. For me it’s become about shortening showers, which feel no less luxurious or enjoyable. I keep myself on a clock so I’m relaxing but I’m also being efficient. It’s insane how you can actually see the benefits — not only in living greener, but in my water bill as well.
Make sure you have recyclable bags in a convenient place. I have a hook in my garage with a whole bunch of really cute market bags, so anytime I’m going to the grocery store or the farmers’ market, I have a quick and easy place to grab something and know that I’m not going to have to use a plastic or paper bag when I get there. For an easy little hack, keep two or three in your trunk so you have backup for a grocery store run that wasn’t planned.” Pro Tip! Sophia will be sharing eco tips all month using the hashtag #EcoInspire on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Her Future Green Homemaker Tip: With the IoT spreading as quickly as the latest viral vid, smart home fan Sophia is already planning upgrades to make her future pad more green as well. “I’m getting really excited about how much more attainable and available solar energy is becoming, because one of my goals eventually is to run my whole house with solar power. Hopefully as those brilliant engineers are innovating and creating new technology those will be the kind of things that aren’t these crazy, unaffordable pipe dreams for many of us, but doable and feasible for everyone.”
The Last Thing She Made Was… “a really amazing beet soup! I’m not a vegan but I think when you can be super green and super clean and vegetable based, why not? I did it, I tasted it and thought — oh my gosh, I’m having a Martha Stewart moment!” We know those oh-so well, Soph. She got us inspired (and hungry) for a bowl of our own, so we think we’ll be trying The Awesome Green’s Beet Detox Soup, pictured above, for dinner this week.
What is your favorite eco life hack? Share it with us below!
(Photos via Angela Weiss, Timothy Hiatt/Getty)
