Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products

I absolutely love this book. Not only was it engaging, it was eye-opening. The best part about "Do It Gorgeously: How to..." is that it gives the reader excellent reasons, as well as motivation, to want to be more "green". Uliano uses facts to support reasons to avoid certain things, but I found one or two blanket statements on something being bad that left me asking, "Why is that so bad?" Overall, she gives the reader excellent reasons on the "whys" of things such as:- the reason to avoid scary, chemical cocktails found in frequently-used beauty products- the surprising unhealthiness of the carpet under our feet- the possible toxicity of some home furnitureLiving up to the title, the author gives readers alternatives to replace "bad" items with something greener and healthier, many of which can be created at home with easy-to-access tools and ingredients. Better yet, the recipes are simple! The only downside is that some ingredients (ex. virgin coconut oil, ascorbic acid powder) aren't available at your neighborhood grocery store. Fortunately, many of those items are available at health food stores and, if not, the author includes a great set of listings on where to easily find them online.IMPORTANT: The recipes are not only for beauty products, although a very generous amount is included in the first part of the book. Rather, the book runs the gamut, including baby products, paint, anti-aging creme and an easily-constructed book shelf. Uliano frequently offers relevant anecdotes about whichever topic is being covered; a few include warnings on what NOT to do, thanks to the author's trial-and-error.I purchased the Kindle version. All of the drawings, patterns, and recipes were included and visually clear, but I feel it would have been better to have purchased it in paperback form. I have found it easier to follow recipes and diagrams via book. This is just a personal preference, though; readers can probably just as easily follow the recipes in their Kindle form, too.Uliano's website ([...][...]) is a fantastic supplement to the book; it includes more recipes and how-to videos with links to the specialty items she refers to in her books.If you want a comprehensive crash course on what small steps can be taken toward being healthier, while making this world a smidge better, this is the perfect book for you.

I really like DIY projects and I can get down with the idea that using products that have as few chemicals as possible is a good idea. This book has several sections broken down into beauty, kids stuff, home and garden, food and a few others. It has great information on canning your own food and making your own condiments (which taste so much better than store bought) and of course beauty products. One thing you must keep in mind, all of her recipes for beauty require essential oils and some of them are a bit pricey. I started out with ordering enough essential oils for 2 beauty recipes I wanted to try and I will add more as I try each recipe. One good thing about the essential oils is that they last a VERY long time so I think it's worth it. She also includes a list of resources like websites to order your bottles, oils and other useful things you will find in her recipes. While there isn't a huge variety of recipes, it's a great starter book that includes thorough resources. I wish she had more variety, but it's a good starter. I also found absolutely no use for 2 of the chapters dealing with children DIY and a section on making your own clothing, yoga pants, laundry bag, etc.Update 7/2/11I've made about 4 concoctions from the SIY Skin section. I like all of them that I have tried, however start up costs are expensive. Over time it's cheaper and healthier (if you care about cutting down on chemicals). As for the facial cleansers, it feels like I'm rubbing very thick lotion on my skin and it feels like it never rinses off. I'm used to Neutrogena facial products that lather and then rise off leaving you with a squeeky clean feeling. This wasn't like that, but after I dried off and moisturized I found it to be very softening and nice. Just something to get used to.

It is obvious throughout the book that the author is very passionate about this way of life and that she "walks the walk". I respect and admire that. However, the whole book had a judgemental feeling to it. As if the use of paper towels and non organic food and drugstore lotion revokes your "green card". ;0) I really liked the intention of this book, but found many of the recipes out of reach and certainly not less expensive. Many of the beauty recipes require you to make them often and use many different essential oils so the up front cost is cost prohibitive. Yes, over the long run you will save money, but I can't afford to shell out $50 up front to make one recipe that I'm not sure will work. I did like some of the body creams and sprays because they used cheaper ingredients, like coconut oil that I can also use for food, but I already have similar recipes to those from free internet searches. The cleaning recipes are also pretty good, but again, aren't much different to what I have from free internet searches. She has a chapter each for pets, kids, sewing projects, home energy conservation and food. Again, most of the information included can be found on the internet. I will say that the author's directions were very clear and concise and made the projects seem very doable. Many of them included diagrams and drawings to illustrate the directions. I really liked that. I also really appreciated her chapter on fitness. Many people often leave that out when discussing this topic.What I think could have been very useful is a project plan. A schedule of sorts to revamp your life in a more eco way, including sample days and weeks, like fitness books do.Overall, I recommend this book for someone who wants to change one or many aspects of their life to be more environmental, but doesn't have the time to search the internet for recipes/info and would like to have all that information in one handy resource. With that said, I don't recommend this book if you have the time and/or desire to search the internet for these recipes, but don't have a lot of money in your budget allocated to specialty ingredients, foods, a sewing machine, etc.

Good book.

Neat book with some excellent "Green" ideas that my family and I will enjoy. There's a great natural sunscreen recipe.

Very educational I make to eye and face serum just love it thank you for the great information . I recommend that book to my co- workers and friends

Happy with purchase ... just as described!

Great book