For the better part of the Twilight series, Nikki Reed played a vampire who was vain and selfish. But in real life, the actress is quite the opposite — consciously making sure every passion project of hers has a positive impact on others. Design handbags out of recycled plastic bottles? Check. Start a jewellery line that funds the animal and environmental-focused Ian Somerhalder Foundation? Check, check. If everything Reed touches is of the high-end, eco-friendly persuasion, then it's especially fitting that she just entered the clean living and beauty market, too.
Starting today, her sustainable lifestyle company BaYou With Love — which is an ode to the Louisiana bayous — is bringing four all-natural, plant-based products to the retail destination of all 21st century free spirits: Anthropologie. Inside the vegan cosmetics pouch, you can find a bergamot and sandalwood-spiked oil perfume, calendula healing balm, travel candle, and lip and cheek tint. Call it the ultimate bohemian starter kit.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"Finding low chemical options is especially important to me now as I enter into this next chapter as a mom," Reed told Hollywood Reporter. (The actress is expecting her first child with husband, Ian Somerhalder.) "I grew up in Southern California with a love for sage and sandalwood mixed with earth and dirt. I like things that mimic nature."
Frankly, I do too. (It must be the Kansan in me.) Which is why I swiftly swooped every last pint-sized item to bring home and try myself. The balm, lip tint, and candle have this relaxing, mint-meets-woods-meets-lavender scent that makes you feel like you just stepped into an Aveda salon and rubbed your hands with a bunch of essential oils. I imagine this is the kind of nirvana a yogi feels after a particularly satisfying vinyasa.
Perhaps the most surprising of the loot, though, is the perfume oil. I've never been a fan of heavy fragrances, but this scent is not that... at all. In fact, you can barely smell it on your skin. It's only when you're out and about and the breeze is picking up that you get a hit of the subtle, musky aroma.
The best part? The whole plant-based set (including the fragrance) is safe for pregnant moms. Reed outdid herself, once again.
BaYou With Love Cosmetic Set, available at Anthropologie.