Simply ethical. Simply fair trade and eco chic » vegan

News from the Waterfront …..

Sabine — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:45:39 +0000

It has been a little while since my last post. Mea culpa – I have been very busy
sourcing new products, raw materials and developing new ideas as well
as new skin care products made with fairtrade, vegan and organic oils,
butters and herbs. Many of you have left comments for me and told me
what you are looking for, what you think is missing from my skincare
range and how certain products have helped you improve your skin’s
condition. Thank you so much for this input. It is very much
appreciated.

My lovely aromatherapist Helen Hammond has assisted me in developing a luxurious body oil made with only the finest African oils – fairtrade and produced under organic principles. It then took us 6 months to create an exquisite essential oil blend made from wild African and English grown herbs. The result is very exciting. The unscented version is called “Afrika Safi“. The aromatherapy oil infused oil is called “Afrika Umoja“.
Both come in a stylish glass bottle with dropper and recyclable
aluminium cap. Both oil versions are 100% vegan and don’t contain any chemicals or preservatives. I am selling this oil on my portal World of Good for now, so pop over and have a look.

There is a range for rosacea sufferers in the making. I am currently trialling the toner but can report excellent results with the serum. I suffer from thread veins on my cheeks and the use of the serum over the last 6 weeks is already showing results.

I am also launching a toner for blemish skin soon, as well as a vegan liquid mineral foundation in three pre-made shades and custom colours (i.e. you can ask me to mix a colour for your skin tone). My foundation is comes for two types of skin: one is for oily, combination and acne skin. The other is for combination to dry and mature skin.

I have decided to opt for the liquid mineral makeup because I have fine lines on my face around the eyes and mouth and powders enhance those. This liquid foundation glides on and is sheer and matte but can be applied in several layers to deepen the tone slightly or offer more coverage if needed. I recommend the use of a foundation brush to apply it in tiny blobs and then smooth it over your face with your fingers. You can’t do anything wrong and you won’t get an accumulation of colour on one part of your face, as the foundation is really very smooth and can be “worked in” before leaving it to settle. You can use a finishing powder dusted lightly over the foundation – I personally don’t use one but a powder offers a great fixation of the liquid makeup if you suffer from oily skin (in the t-zone for example).

The best thing is that you don’t have to use a base cream or a primer. For oily skin this is heavenly. Just cleanse and tone. Wait a couple of minutes and then apply the foundation. It will stay put all day (under normal conditions).

I know what I am talking about as I have a combination of skin that really is the curse for all women – very oily t-zone, very dry cheeks, rosacea on my cheeks and blackheads in the t-zone, fine lines around the eyes ….. with this foundation I don’t worry any longer. I glides on like a second skin, hardly noticeable, stays put, no need for powders and the best bit – it covers my blackheads and the rosacea but doesn’t creep into my fine lines.

You will have to wait a little while longer as I am just testing it with various other people and the safety assessment certificate needs to be completed. Sorry!

What you see at the top (the picture at the top of this newsletter) is a fundraising activity for the Orang Utan Foundation Borneo that I started 4 weeks ago. I really hope to be able to donate at least £1,000 by the end of this year as the foundation is in dire need of more funds to save more orang
utans and reintroduce them to the wild. It is very sad what is happening to these magnificent apes and also – I want the world’s rainforests saved, not chopped down for palm oil plantations. With that in mind I created a palm oil free soap
in 7 different aromatherapy blends, one of which is unscented and eminently suitable as a face soap. Again – 100% vegan and free from preservatives. Please spare a few pounds and get a lovely, long lasting soap in return. I promise that I am not making any profits on this product and that each soap is handmade and worth every penny you pay for it. Thank you.

This lovely handbag is made from felt and comes in two colours: natural and brown. The felt is made by Mongolian herders. The bag is lined and closes with a button. The strap is made from braided wool and the handbag is of medium size – not too small and not too big. I sell this bag as part of the Snow Leopard Conservation Shop and 35% of the proceeds from my sales help to protect the Snow Leopard.

Our popluar sisal handbags, made in Kenya, are back in stock. They are fully lined with an inner zip pocket and a sturdy zip closure on a leather top to which the leather shoulder strap is attached. It comes in four colours, but stock is limited.

If you are still unsure about what fairtrade means and how it helps producers not only in developing countries but also locally, where you live, then go to my website – I have uploaded an excellent video and given a short but concise explanation. Visit “Why Fairtrade” on the Cebra website.

A new incentive for my existing customers is my “5 % discount” for subsequent orders that you place on the Cebra website. When you purchase something you will receive a confirmation email advising you when your order has been dispatched and contained in this email is your 5% discount voucher code that you can use on any product purchase and as many times as you like. If you are an existing customers then send me an email and I let you know the voucher code by return email.

And finally please remember that you can follow me on Twitter – www.twitter.com/cebraonline.
I may not twitter every day, but if you like what I have to say then this is the place to catch up with my latest news, projects, ideas, tips and offers….

What is Cebra up to?

Sabine — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:48:17 +0000

I support the Snow Leopard Trust and to that effect I created a shop section on cebraonline.com. Every month new products are added and in February there will be a range of new adult slippers, children’s booties, handbags, rugs, coasters and heat pads as well as a few toys such as felt balls.

The adult slippers have proven such a success that the Inilchek version is sold out now until new stock arrives in July. Pop over and have a look. The baby booties are particularly cute….

The arrival of our chocolate brown fair trade alpaca wool ponchos and a fab range of alpaca wool, hand knitted women’s sweaters is awaited by us with eager anticipation. Ponchos area such great clothing items. When the days get longer and warmer, they are the ultimate “coats” – just pull over and go. They keep you warm and cosy and look chic and trendy and this colour, chocolate brown, can be combined and worn with any outfit. Our ponchos are hand knitted in Peru from the finest alpaca wool and can be worn for years to come.

Hand knitted, soft alpaca sweaters in black, chocolate brown and cream – a great choice of colours and superior quality. These are the type of jumpers I have been searching for for a long time and finally I found them. Hand knitted from the finest alpaca wool in Peru, they complement your wardrobe perfectly and make for an elegant and sophisticated fashion statement. Available from mid February, so please check back regularly.

New in our vegan registered range: bath fizzies, aloe vera gels with seaweed and essential oils, organic fairtrade shea nilotica from Uganda (our own range), hand crafted shea butter soaps with herbs, shea butter moisturiser bars and in the body care section we are launching a new 100% vegan hairbrush as well as a new, slightly larger baby hair brush.

And finally – our weavernest tealight holders handmade from coloured glass and fairly traded with an Indian community were featured on Good Morning America.i Very briefly I must say with just a pointer at them by the presenter, but nevertheless. They were on American television – hey! If you look very closely they are on the video picture to the right behind the presenter, hanging up on a bamboo stick……and they are listed on page two – scroll down to the middle of the page.

5 Top Tips for a Happy Life

Sabine — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:28:00 +0000

Apart from the obvious like eating freshly prepared food, being nice to your neighbours, giving up smoking and drinking (but not necessarily the odd glass of wine every now and then) and being generous, ethical shopping can have a big impact on your outlook on life.

Looking your best really is a big mood enhancer. Physical appeal aside, beauty is about your aura, how you feel about yourself and therefore how others perceive you. It has been proven time and again that chemically loaded facial creams don’t do very much for your appearance, especially if you suffer from allergies as some chemicals can cause your skin to come out in a rash.

Recycling is another great mood enhancer. Yes, sorting your plastics from your papers is a good start, but why not go and buy more recycled products and even extend this to buying recycled gifts for friends or décor for your home and garden?

Buy more fair trade – it gives you a clear conscience and that lets you sleep better. Sleep in turn is great for your skin…….fair trade makes sure that small producers receive a fair share from selling their products. And real fair trade makes sure that only sustainable or recycled ingredients are used in the making of products. You can make a difference when buying fair trade.

Creating a green corner in your home, if you don’t have a big garden, gives you a positive mindset. Sowing seeds to see them grow into flowers, herbs or your own salad leaves is a real thrill – for you and your children. It is also great for teaching and learning about responsibility.

And finally, buying only good quality and well designed products, whether for yourself or a friend, is kinder to your purse in the long run. Which makes you happier. That handbag you bought for £9.50 the other day, fell apart the next day and you lost your keys, your money, your driver’s licence and now you have a hellish time replacing everything. Which will cost you – what? 5 times as much as that handbag? Better save up and then buy a handbag for £75 that will last, is stylish and can be recycled by passing it on to your daughter. For example.

That’s it. In my experience anyway.

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Alaffia skincare range

Sabine — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:41:00 +0000

Our supplier returns 10% of their sales to West Africa to fund community enhancement projects. These projects are designed to help lift their communities out of poverty and become self-sustaining. Their projects focus on the future, emphasizing the environment, gender equality, education and empowering communities.

Women are the backbone of African societies. It is time to honour their contributions by working towards gender equality. One way to do this is to place fair monetary value on the unique skills of African women, such as handcrafting shea butter, and compensate them with fair values for their products and knowledge. This economic and moral boost encourages gender equality in the family institution. Over the past four years our Fair Trade cooperative members in central Togo have seen a shift in family equality. Their regular salaries help them to support their families and give them more voice in their communities.

Alaffia and Cebra believe that the future of Africa lies in the hands of the young and that if young Africans are helped with the dilemmas they face – such as harsh poverty and lack of infrastructure – they will in turn help Africa in the future. Alaffia have several ongoing projects, including donating school supplies, roofs and furniture and their bicycles for education project in which they collect used bicycles in the United States to distribute to students in rural Togo.

Protection of sub-Saharan Africa’s complex and diverse environment is essential to the quality of life of present and future generations, especially as our climates change due to global warming. Alaffia are currently focusing on one major problem, deforestation, through their Reforestation and Shea Tree Protection programs. To date, they have distributed trees to more than 150 households in central Togo. They hope to plant more than 500 trees next year, as well as expand the project throughout other regions of Togo and West Africa.

Cebra finds Alaffia’s skincare range the to be one of the best vegan, organic creams, lotions and soaps on the market and we endeavour to support their projects on an ongoing basis by steadily increasing sales of their products in the UK and Europe.