signature huile de parfum - mandarine spice notablySmitten/limited edition

When I say this little bottle of perfume is heavenly, I speak the truth.  Delectable citrus notes start off at the top, rich and creamy Madagascar Vanilla fills out the middle...ginger, vetiver and sage finish the scent. It's got a fetching, come-hither quality...nectarous and sexy. 

This bewitching fragrance is notablySmitten's first signature scent - ten percent of each bottle will go toward purchasing Wello Waterwheels for regions of the country that are faced with dire challenges accessing water. 

notablySmitten loves Wello and wants you to know more about this important company here.

Totally notably Smitten!

hands and hearts...and suds - Hand in Hand soap

It is so wonderfully simple: you buy a bar of this luxurious soap, and provide soap and clean water to children in the developing world.

In 2011, Bill Glaab and Courtney Apple read a substantial article that stated 5 million children die each year from water related illnesses. After much research, they learned that 45% of these deaths could have been prevented with simple hand washing alone. They decided to create a utilitarian product... that could save lives as well. Thus, Hand in Hand was born!

You can buy directly from their site. Or, you can find Hand in Hand...at Target!

It is your purchases that keep these programs running & we thank you for your continued support!

a sparkly, sexy...significant bangle - Eden: Fusion Leather Snap bracelet

This wrist stunner is made from twenty four hand-beaded strands affixed to two soft, sturdy leather strands. The wristlet closes with three snap buttons that adorn the leather. Stand out in this luscious piece of jewelry from Raven and Lily.

This bangle is made by women who live on the Entoto Mountain in Ethiopia, where the artisans melt down bullet casings to create the beads for their designs, "transforming what was once used for harm into beauty."

This is my third post for Raven and Lily, a company I positively love. The initial post with all appropriate accolades here.

Forever Smitten with Raven and Lily.

mocha infused liqueur - FAIR

The combination of coffee and alcohol - heaven to me! And I cannot remember the last time I had such a delectable glass of heaven then yesterday when I tried FAIR. Cafe' Liqueur. Smooth, deep, intense...a very provocative cocktail.

FAIR. is an independent spirits brand. The folks behind the company are dedicated to high quality products, source ethically and sustainably.

"Think Human Drink Fair"

The delicious bang from this perfect combination comes from slow roasting the finest organically grown, Fair Trade Certified Arabica coffee beans, then infusing the freshly ground beans directly into the liqueur base. Creating a bountifully flavored coffee based spirit.

Their coffee beans are organically grown and Fair Trade certified and  come from a co-op of more than 1,900 independent farmers in the Huatusco region of Veracruz, Mexico.

The sugar used in FAIR. Café Liqueur is also organic and Fair Trade Certified, and comes from various co-ops in countries such as Malawi and Paraguay.

FAIR. was founded in 2009 by Alexandre Koiransky. "Alexandre follows his own intuition, his love for people, his heart."

The FAIR. ideology is to treat all people, at every stage of the process, fairly.

Heavenly Smitten.

beautiful block print scarf...Hello fall! - Greenola Style

This luxurious block print scarf certainly welcomes fall with a big "hello!" Not only will neckwear keep you warm, but can pull a look together in one fell swoop...and always adds a bit of mystery. This 100% cotton scarf has such a subtle design, thin geometric lines of lavender and miniature diamonds of deep rose. Gorgeous.

This beautiful garment was made in India.

Greenola Style provides advancement opportunities to artisans in marginalized parts of the world - particularly in Bolivia and Kenya.

Respecting the cultural heritage and promoting the craftsmanship in each country, Greenola pays fair wages - Fair Trade Federation.

Greenola donates a percentage of their profits to Solidarity Bridge, an organization that trains and equips medical communities in Bolivia and Paraguay empowering them to provide high-complexity surgery and other healthcare for those living in poverty.

This partnership also helps Bolivian artisans access quality healthcare.

To donate directly to Solidarity Bridge.

Greenola Style is not affiliated with Solidarity Bridge, however they donate to help support their mission.

Smitten with Greenola Style and Solidarity Bridge!

gold, pretty, altruistic - Global Goods Partners

These golden, dangly, fun earrings are made from magazine paper! Rolled into delicate cylinders and strung onto these perfectly sized hoops. Light and pretty, a compliment to any outfit day or night.

I've written about Global Goods Partners in the past...because I positively love what they do!

Smitten again and again.

a perfect carry-all - Apolis Los Angeles Tote

The Los Angeles Bag from Apolis is the perfect accessory to a Sunday farmer’s market adventure in Los Angeles.  This stylish, causal, reusable tote is a true tribute to Apolis’ lifestyle brand, as well as a nod to their LA Arts District studio location. 

When brother duo Raan and Shea Parton named their company Apolis, meaning “global citizen”, they sent a clear message about their commitment to global advocacy.  Founded in 2004 with the idea that business can create social change, they now have grown into a group of entrepreneurs with the same vision.  Their “Advocacy through Industry” business model ensures that they source and manufacture locally, while still keeping a global perspective on impact and change.  Apolis is also proud to be certified as a B Corporation, which is awarded to organizations that hold high standards of social and economic performance, transparency, and accountability. 

Smitten on a global scale!

notable sun wear - Solve sunglasses

Solve is a for-profit sunglasses company that contributes to solving one of the biggest threats for developing societies - a lack of clean water.  For each pair of sunglasses that are purchased, Solve will provide clean water for an entire life. 

Solve was founded by Jeb Geesey and Justin Kroboth, two fire-fighters from Charleston SC, and works exclusively with Water Missions International to provide clean water for life.  Solve is able to put $10 of each sunglasses sale - the estimated cost per person of Water Missions’ custom water, sanitation and hygiene efforts - and promises that the clean water supply will continue for life.  

Like our friends behind the Wello Water Wheel, Solve knows that water gathering in developing countries is a time consuming, often dangerous, back-breaking practice (usually left to women and children) that very directly perpetuates the poverty cycle.  With the help of Solve and Water Missions International, a clean water supply becomes a reliable and easily accessible part of every community.

So Smitten.

the perfect gift = Wello WaterWheel

Cynthia Koenig has spent the last two years creating an extremely innovative solution to a very real problem in Rajathsan: the gathering and storing of clean water.  Simply put, water collecting eats up a large portion of the day for many women and is very taxing on the body.  The Wello WaterWheel is a deceptively simple tool that allows up to 45liters of water at a time to be gathered and safely stored by simply pushing the wheel like a cart. 

Wello claims that 1 in 7 people globally lives more than a kilometer from the nearest water source, and most women carry 20 liters on average (weighing around 45lbs) at a time.  It is also estimated that 75% of the girls between the ages of 15-17 in Rajathsan drop out of school to help with the household.  Water gathering is a slow, tiring process and almost exclusively a woman’s job.  

With the WaterWheel, women are able to dramatically improve their daily life with an estimated 35 hours a week saved by no longer gathering water in a traditional method!  They have time to work a job and produce income, have more water each day to keep their home clean, are able to properly hydrate their families, and can create better irrigation for their crops.  All of these factors are key elements to breaking the poverty cycle.

Interested in donating.

We’re so excited to see Wello reach their full potential as they begin distributing WaterWheels this year.  

Inspired and Smitten.

beautiful black birds - The Bird Project

The (exquisite) Bird Project soap was born in 2010, after the extraordinarily tragic BP spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Tippy Tippens, a design expert and social entrepreneur, was living in New York at the time of the catastrophe and felt the desire to help. After many visits, she decided to relocate to New Orleans and start her (very cool) business, Matter Inc.

Matter Inc. is devoted to “making the world a better place by making meaningful products that matter.”

These delicate, black, bird-shaped soaps are made with natural, locally sourced ingredients: biodiesel glycerin, fair trade olive oil, aloe, activated black charcoal, and exude a light cypress scent…evocative of the bayous of Louisiana.

Soon, wash after wash, the black bird melts away to reveal a white, ceramic memento, handmade by Louisiana Clay.  A marvelous symbol of the creatures affected…a lasting token of life, restoration and hope.

The best part is that 50% of the profits go towards the Gulf Restoration Network and International Bird Rescue.

The artistry of the bird…to be cradled in the hand, caressed and cleansed is just brilliant symbolism and an extraordinary literal expression.

I am Smitten with these sumptuous soaps.

kick a** socks - Conscious Step

These socks walk the walk they talk! Conscious Step helps “give an ordinary purchase an extraordinary purpose.”

Can socks change the world…why yes, they can! Conscious Step is surely going  to make a difference “one pair of socks at a time” – 50 percent of all profits go toward 3 partnering charities. Currently Conscious Step offers three exclusive sock designs, each reflective of the cause it supports:

One pair funds Action Against Hunger that provides three therapeutic food packages for malnourished children living in refugee camps in Kenya, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The second pair funds Trees for the Future, which plants 30 trees in rural Ghana and provides an education in agroforestry to women and children, giving them the ability to replenish degraded soils and generate sustainable sources of food and fuel.

The third pair funds Engineers Without Borders that sends Australian engineers to Nepal to build clean water sources in schools so that young girls can have the same education opportunities as boys.

The wonderful entrepreneurs behind Conscious Step are Dr. Hassan Ahmad and Adam Long from Sydney, and Prashant Mehta from New York City. All three, firm believers in “the more profitable you are, the greater your impact”…and “knowing that my sock drawer planted a forest in Ghana”, is more motivating than donating $5 to a charity and having no idea how it will be used or what difference it will make,” says Dr. Ahmad.

These socks are made from 200-needle count, organic, fair trade cotton and are sweat resistant. Each style is embroidered with it’s own unique distinguishable symbol…and did I say they kick a**!

Smitten with these socks.

simply red - the Red Thread Movement

This is about a movement, and it is called the Red Thread Movement. It is a call to action with the sale of red thread bracelets. This is what one little vibrantly colored, handsomely crafted little bracelet can do! 

The Red Thread Movement battles human trafficking and has partnered with a Nepalese anti-trafficking organization that has set up border units between Nepal and India (which is open and allows for citizens from both countries to travel freely with no visa or passport.) As there is an estimated 12,000 victims of sex trafficking between these countries every year, the success rate of these border units is extremely high, each rescuing up to 15 girls a month. 

Many girls are not able to return to their villages after rescue, as social rejection and shame are common. Safe houses are established to provide shelter, counseling and vocational training for girls who cannot return to their villages. It is at these safe houses that the girls make the Red Thread Movement bracelets.

The bracelets make a difference in 3 important ways:

1. They provide a Fair Trade income for rescued girls who do the craftsmanship and hand weave the bracelets themselves.

2. Additional proceeds fund anti-trafficking border units and safe houses through the work of Red Thread’s partner, Kingdom Investments Nepal (K.I. Nepal.)

3. Wearing the bracelet generates awareness and declares sex trafficking as human rights crime.

These bracelets are an outstanding way to fundraise and spread the word!

I am Smitten.

socially conscious since 2007 - FEED

I cannot do a blog about conscious gifts and giving and not write about Lauren Bush Lauren, who had the brilliant idea in 2007 of founding FEED. 

As an Honorary Student Spokesperson for the World Food Programme she had witnessed the effects of hunger firsthand and decided FEED’s mission would be: "Creating Good Products That Help FEED the World."

The conscious company’s first creation was the FEED 1 Bag, a reversible burlap and organic cotton bag stamped with "FEED the Children of the World" and the number '1' to signify that each bag would provide enough meals to feed one child in school for one year.

Every product sold has a measurable donation attached to it. To date, FEED has been able to provide nearly 84 million meals globally through the WFP and Feeding America. FEED has also supported nutrition programs around the world, providing over 3.6 million children with Vitamin A supplements through the WFP and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Throughout the years, FEED has also forged successful partnerships with Target, Disney, Pottery Barn, Clarins, Whole Foods Market, Gap, Tory Burch, Rachel Roy, DKNY, Links of London, Godiva and TOMS, among many others.

Smitten with FEED.

put your money where your lips are - Yum Balms

Who knew that an attractive little tube of delectable shiny lip balm could do so much good in the world? Jody Weiss did! 

In 2002 Jody created an all-natural cosmetics line called PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics, the first cosmetics line to donate 100 percent of all profits (after taxes) to women’s health and human rights organizations.

Their focus is to help bond the exceptional, fortuitous women of this country, with the women who by chance of birthplace, have been born into a world with challenged resources and opportunities. 

Jody’s own personal journey is a potent and inspiring one!

She’s also conceived an efficient way to participate effectively as a philanthropist with PeaceKeeper, and help end the cycle of poverty and exploitation for millions of women and girls around the world for just a dollar a day!

Please check out the rest of the Cause-Metic line: Mega Balms, Lip Sticks, Glosses and Nail Polish. 

Smitten.