#ShopDrop2016 Gift Bag Preview

On the fence about taking the Shop Drop Challenge? Perhaps the gift bag may convince you. What’s inside? Take a look!

Curating a gift bag for the Shop Drop Challenge gave me an opportunity to share some amazing Mommy Greenest Approved healthy lifestyle and beauty products, including favorites from:

100% Pure

If you’ve been reading Mommy Greenest for a while, you know how I feel about honey. Perfect for the dry skin I battle with each winter, 100% Pure has created the most amazing Honey Almond Whipped Body Butter that simply melts into your skin, delivering serious hydration without chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances or dyes, sulfates or other petrochemical crap. I had to put it in the gift bag!

Acure Organics

I discovered cleansing towelettes a few years ago and haven’t looked back. They have made SUCH a difference in my skin! When I’m using them regularly after cleansing, I exfoliate less and actually skip the morning suds. My combination skin has seriously never been so balanced, and free of pimples and flakes. My go-to is Acure Organics Coconut & Argan Cleansing Towelettes, which gently removes makeup, sweat and dirt without splashing. As with all Acure Organics products, these are free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, as well as synthetic fragrances, preservatives and colors; instead, they call on organic and natural ingredients to cleanse and tone.

Baby ECOS

You know how important it is to choose safer cleaning products for your family–and how challenging making that decision can be, given the greenwashing that goes on in that industry! I trust Earth Friendly Products, which has been manufacturing a full range of truly natural cleaners for decades, and was thrilled to include their Baby ECOS Bottle & Dish Wash in the gift bag. (They were part of our Nix Pink Soap petition, too!) It’s formaldehyde and petrochemical free, but serious enough to take on my greasy pots and pans.

BioRepublic

I am OBSESSED with BioRebublic sheet masks, which deliver serious skincare benefits like more even tone, texture and—dare I say—glow! And now I’m dying to try their brand-new Lost Baggage Under Eye Emergency Repair Mask, which just makes me LOL every time I read that. Since I discovered them earlier this year, I pack a few BioRepublic masks every time I travel–they’re individually packaged, so super easy to pop in your carry on, and they repair dehydration and puffiness in minutes. Seriously.

Earth Mama Angel Baby

I’m in love with Earth Mama Angel Baby’s Calming Lavender Baby Lotion. Made with organic calendula for sensitive, delicate skin, this gentle and amazing lotion is naturally scented with lavender and vanilla and smells AMAZING! Certified organic and made without synthetic fragrance, phthalates or parabens, all of Earth Mama Angel Baby’s products are safe and suitable for the whole family.

Goddess Garden Organics

You may have heard me wax rhapsodic about Goddess Garden Organics Everyday 30 Sunscreen. The plant-based sunscreen is miraculously non-greasy and made with natural minerals for broad-based UVA/UVB protection. It’s certified organic, biodegradable and—best of all—reef safe. (For more on why that’s so important, click here.) You know you still need sunscreen in winter, right? That’s why it’s in the gift bag!

Rustic Maka

One of my most common FAQs is about a natural vegan deodorant that works. Formulated to look like a solid but apply like a cream, RusticMaka’s Pachy Deodorant delivers. It’s available in five clean scents derived from essential oils—plus unscented—as well as baking soda free, for the many among us who experience a reaction to that common ingredient (read: me). Key ingredients include certified organic coconut oil and shea butter, as well as sweat-absorbing arrowroot powder. Sold!

SpaRitual

Do you look on with envy at your friends’ perfect gel manicures, knowing that you’d never get one because of the toxic chemicals and skin cancer risk, but wishing you could find a more natural mani that lasts that long? Envy no more. SpaRitual’s new GOLD DuoKit is a quick-drying color and top coat that seriously doubles the life of your color, with no base coat necessary. Free of heavy-hitting “big five” toxic chemicals, SpaRitual GOLD cures in natural light and comes in 24 au courant colors with names that sound like they came off of a Café Gratitude menu. My favorite? The gorgeous dark greige aptly named: Shrewd. Yes, really.

VIVAIODAYS

VIVAIODAYS (vivaio means nursery in Italian) is a new shopping experience with a mission to inspire new parents. The website offers high quality sustainable products and gives back to children in need. The VIVAIODAYS model connects each customer with a child in a third-world country; for every $20 you spend, the company provides a “VIVAIO DAY” of school, healthcare and meals that child. And the products presented are so beautiful curated, it’s an immersive sustainable shopping experience! How to deliver that experience in a gift bag? Why a delicious organic fair trade dark chocolate bar, of course!

thredUP

The cute gift bags in this photo are from the Best Kids Party Company. Ours will be from thredUP! All of this amazing sustainable swag will be packed into an exclusive reusable canvas tote gift bag, which also includes a thredUP Clean Out Kit. My go-to for closet cleaning, simply fill it with clothes and accessories you no longer want, and send in—shipping is free—for credit to spend on thredUP’s online consignment store, where prices are up to 75% less than retail, year-round. More than 14 million pieces have been upcycled this year alone!

Still not convinced? The Shop Drop Challenge will culminate at a party on January 27^th in Santa Monica, CA hosted by Sarah Jane Morris, former star of “Brothers and Sisters” who will be seen on NBC’s “The Night Shift” this spring. Each attendee will score one of the amazing sustainable gift bags. In SoCal (or just like to travel)? Join us! And if you’re not able to make the party, don’t worry there will be an opportunity to win a gift bag…coming soon!

This post was sponsored by the brands listed above and meets the standards we’ve established to endorse a brand as “Mommy Greenest Approved.” Click here for more about Editorial Standards.