Even though Earth Week is over, it's important to keep your green behaviour in check. Many fashion and beauty factors play into environmental awareness, so here is a gentle reminder of some of the easy eco-friendly behaviours you can incorporate into your every day:

#1 WASH CLOTHES IN COLD WATER
It is estimated that up to 80% of the energy used by washing machines is consumed in heating up the water, so to cut back on electricity - as well as cost - turn that dial to cold. There are also many detergents specially formulated for cold water cleaning, and as a bonus the chilly temps will help your brights keep their colour for longer.

When Earth Day comes around each year, I start thinking about the ways I can make a small change to be kinder to the planet. In the past, I’ve resolved to stop using plastic water bottles and to not salt my driveway in the winter. But when samples of the new Live Clean Professional line came across my desk recently, I began thinking that the change for this year could be an easier one - and prettier too!

At this week's New York Academy of Science panel discussion, experts from the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center spoke out against harmful toxins, many of which are found in everyday beauty products. The main culprits, according to Mount Sinai Director Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, are PCBs, phthalates and parabens; ingredients that can be found in everything from mascara to nail polish and moisturizer, and are often labeled simply as "fragrance" on the box.

Here I was thinking that Los Angeles was one of the world capitals of grooming and personal hygiene (hair cuts can get into the thousand dollar range!) when it turns out there is a whole anti-washing movement taking place in Lotus Land these days. I like dry shampoo as much as the next gal, but I’m more inclined to use it as an emergency pick-me-up for limp locks than a washing alternative. Call me old fashioned, but just as I believe the old adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, I’m a firm believer that a shower a day keeps the body odour at bay…

Considering that 72 percent of Americans think people look better with a tan (despite the obvious dangers of laying out) a new study by Bristol University could be prolonging a lot of lives that would have otherwise have been cut short due to excessive sun exposure.

Over the years, I’ve read a few mentions of beauty editors and celebs who swear by baby beauty products for their own use. And while the idea of using soaps and lotions geared to infants makes sense on a logical level (baby skin is notoriously thin and sensitive; my skin gets dry and irritated faster than you can say “binky” – and did I mention that moisturizer makes me break out?), I never got around to trying any – half because I never make it anywhere near the baby product aisle at the drugstore and half because I’m a born skeptic.

But when the press kit for the Live Clean Baby line crossed my desk a couple of weeks back, it didn’t for a second cross my mind to pass the moisturizing bar soaps on to my sister, who has a two-year-old and another on the way, or to any of my friends with babes at home… I couldn’t wait to try it on my own face.

The verdict?