The best stuff ever in the whole entire world for hip, happening ladies!

Let me just tell you this right now, Megan’s word is gospel. I am quite happy that she gave me a list of her must-haves in make-up because there is really no one out there who is better prepared to tell you what is what.

Megan lives in LA and her red carpet, premier-going, actor lifestyle put her in the perfect position to really know what is the best of the best in make-up. She loves it, and I love that if I ever need to know anything that I can trust her to give the real 411.

She also is spectacular at doing other people’s make-up, as proved at Lani’s wedding in Alaska this past June when she truly created a masterpiece in subtle beauty (see this Gleepeek for more Lani). If I were you, I would waste no time making the products that she suggests part of your routine existence. Here is her first choice:

MAC Paint in “Bare Canvas” If I wear nothing else in a day, I’ll brush or dab on a little bare canvas on my lids. This barely-there cream shadow can act as a primer for bigger makeup looks, or can last all day as a lid neutralizer. It’s amazing how much healthier and more rested a gal looks when the discoloration on her lids is neutralized! Thin enough to feel like nothing on the lid, yet thick enough to disguise those little capillaries, this is my #1 makeup must-have for every caucasian face. – Megan

On another note, since my birthday is on Sunday, I’ve decided to take this week to post on the things on my personal wish list. This MAC Paint is the perfect start! It sounds exactly like the solution I’ve been looking for.

When I first saw these, my initial instinct was to want each one since they are so aesthetically pleasing. A girl can dream, right?

These Poem Satchels would be great on the bed or a chair. Although they are smelly good (dried plant mix, balsam fir, lavender), I wouldn’t want to hide them in a clothing drawer just for the sake of making my socks a little more tolerable because they just look so nice.

Not only are they cool looking, they are made in the USA using fair labor practices and sustainable materials. Hard to argue with that!

National Geographic rocks, as does their store. Something for every one…the jewelry, the hammocks, the artwork! Sweetness.

Okay, here is one of my personal faves that will always and forever have a place in my shower – Dr. Bronner’s Almond Organic Liquid Soap. Mucho love for the super-sudsy, earth-loving, delightfully smelly soap.

It is that weird, wacked-out hippie soap you see at your local drugstore or grocery store, and it is the best soap EVER. Affordable and gets you clean, clean, clean. All this while providing the most entertaining shower reading material I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I always now and forever will have a bottle on hand…almond, orange, lavender, or whatever other type.

A little goes a long way, and another bonus…the same soap is gentle but cleansing enough for your body, hair, and face if so needed.

I finally broke down and bought it after years of wondering what that weird bottle with all the writing all over it was about. So happy I did. Not only is it organic, but it is packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottle.

Get it!

I was one of those kids who grew up in a home where NPR followed you from room to room and always in the car. It was Wyoming, after all. The only alternatives on the radio were country and christian. Luckily, I loved and still love NPR, so imagine my delight when I received for Christmas last year The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper…a cookbook from their award winning food show.

Not only is this book filled with engaging anecdotes and some of the best cooking tips I’ve come across, the recipes are all exceptional.

Here is one of my favorites (so YUMMY! and healthy), and it is super easy to make which is quite important in my sub-par economy-size kitchen.

Provencal Tuna Salad

Serves 2, 15 minutes prep

Three 6oz cans water-packed albacore tuna, thoroughly drained

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

1/2 cup whole Kalamata or Nicoise olives, preferably pitted

3 heaping tablespoons of drained capers

1/4 cup red onion

1/4 to 1/2 light packed cup chopped dill leaves

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 1/2 large lemons)

Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Just mix it all together and leave at room temp for about an hour. Jason and I eat it on toasted slices of baguette.

I can not stress enough how delish this is! Must give it a try.

*For a vegetarian version, replace tuna with 2 cans of chickpeas and the dill with 1/2 light-packed cup of torn fresh basil leaves. Grate zest from one quarter organic orange directly over the dish.

Here it is. Here we are. Gleegarden.com. A first glimpse for all into the website upon which I have been hard at work.

I hope that there is a lot of fun content on here, and yes, it is mainly geared toward the ladies.  Stylish, cool ladies who enjoy nice things.

Guys, there are some goodies here for you as well, and when it is time for gift-giving, you may have no better reference than gleegarden.

Things around here are still in the building phase, so expect to see some changes. Also, any input is appreciated. Design ideas? Content inspiration? I would love to hear from you at moriah@gleegarden.com.

I appreciate everyone’s support and hope to have great site full of integrity in content. It will be great fun bringing you all the best information on the lovely things that should shape our lives. If you like what you see, pass it on! Get you and your friends registered for the e-mail list (currently putting together a killer box-o-goodies to go out to a lucky person) and wait for the fun to come your way.

Pacifica makes the perfect candle. I am not kidding. It even says “The best candles in the world” on their website.

Not only are the wicks made of lead-free cotton, the candles of vegetable soy, and all are phthalate-free, BUT they smell absolutely splendid. Pacifica makes an incredible number of different candles, and if I could I would rotate my candle scents by season and room. Not quite there yet. Plus, I am such a sucker for great packaging and they really do a nice job.

Here is one of my favorite scents, Egyptian Bergamot Rose (I will keep my other top 2 choices to myself, as sometimes the best things in life need just a little protecting).

Light and airy. 100% organic cotton. Made in Kenya by a company whose aim is to develop sustainable markets and skill sets in needy communities. There is seriously oh so much to love about this eggshell coloured tunic from Edun.

How cute?! How comfy?! I can see myself wearing this over a pair of jeans. This tunic is definitely a wardrobe want. And a purchase you can really feel good about. ‘Hippie chic’ goes without saying.

I thought, theme week? Why not? There may be more in the future too. I have so many ideas with this ‘Hippie Chic’ theme it is hard to narrow. Hippie Chic is pretty well my life down here in the Virgin Islands, although it is sometimes hard to get the whole ‘chic’ part of it when you are in a constant state of overbearing heat and being coated with Sahara dust. Yes, the dust does blow up here all the way from the Sahara desert, and it gives you a fine layer to scrub off at the end of each day.

Anyhoo, to kick things off, I’m bringing back Miss Didi. You may remember her from a few weeks back when she got the GleePeaks kicked off here with the beginning of her must-haves list. In this post, she gives us the perfect start to the theme week with the next item on her list:

• Preserve Toothbrushes – recycled toothbrushes that you can recycle again. You can find a link on the greenissexy.org website. – Didi

Okay, here we have a one-two ‘Hippie Chic’ punch. Not only is Didi suggesting we try the recycled toothbrushes, but she is also pointing out her fabulous site www.greenissexy.org.  She and 2 other friends started this website to promote green living ideas, products, stories, and so on. Definitely check it out. There is a lot to learn and I definitely pick something new up each time I visit the site.

Back to the toothbrushes. You can go directly to the PreserveProducts.com toothbrush link here. And make sure to check out all the other cool things that they make out of recycled plastic. Highly fun, highly affordable, and incredibly Hippie Chic. Thanks for another goody Deeds!

There is a sense of urgency with this coming weekend. An overwhelming need to get out and enjoy one of the last weekends of summer splendidness. I get a pit in my stomach just thinking about people going back to school and the cooling weather (although that isn’t such a worry for me, being in the Caribbean and not being in school…but I can feel empathetic!).

So everyone, get out and about! Go to a drive-in movie if you have one near you, or at least have some drinks with friends at your favorite outdoor bar. Make the most of what you have before it is gone for another 9 or so months.

And what to wear while doing so? This is the perfect dress and definitely at the right price.

It is inexpensive and comfortable, and more importantly—versatile. Shoe up with your sneakers, heels, sandals, boots. Layer and add a belt to switch things up. This is the perfect little wardrobe staple to take you into the cooler upcoming months. Click here for the website.

And get yourself outside to enjoy the warm sun with friends and family while there is still time!