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

by Sophie Uliano

From the "Mary Poppins for the new millennium," this do-it-yourself guide encourages everyone to take a brand new look at how we can reduce, reuse, and recycle -- and find deep satisfaction in making a better version of what we're used to buying in a store (Good Housekeeping). It's In these tough times, clueless is out--and crafty is in. For both financial and environmental reasons, life is all about doing well with what you have. But that doesn't mean you can't still be fabulous. Do It Gorgeously shows you how to make nearly everything you would otherwise From the kitchen to the nursery, from your medicine cabinet to your makeup drawer, you'll be astounded by how easy and inexpensive it is to make safe and eco-friendly products for your family. You deserve to have it all--and now you can do it yourself! Praise for Sophie "To be with Sophie is to be so caught up in the thrill of the potential of good!" --Julia Roberts "Sophie Uliano teaches us that we need not equate eco-friendly with Birkenstocks and wheatgrass shakes . . . she ushers us into a lifestyle that's ever so eco-chic." -- Los Angeles Confidential "Sophie Uliano is a Mary Poppins for the new Rather than advocating a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, Uliano will recommend rubbing sugar on your skin to make it glow--and then offer numerous other homegrown tips and tricks." -- Good Housekeeping

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Green, Cooking, Health

421 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Environmental guru Sophie Uliano presents GORGEOUSLY GREEN, the modern girl's guide to living in sustainable style."

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read her first book (and probably won't), so if the 2nd book built on anything, I missed it. Basically, this books is a green primer. She covers all kinds of things - motherhood, natural beauty products, fitness, food, home improvement - explaining the basics of all of them. The main thing she does different is that she doesn't really embrace the hippie-aspects of the green lifestyle (though the idea that you can't be glamorous and frugal or green isn't exactly new). The voice she writes with is very fun, someone who doesn't want to be deprived of luxuries, and cares about how she looks.

The best chapters (for me) dealt with natural beauty products, cleaning and gardening. There are whole books on these topics, but this was a good way to get your feet wet. If you liked the idea, you could research that topic more. The sewing projects were really basic and honestly not that fashionable; her tips for moms include getting used clothes - definitely green and inexpensive, but you don't need to buy a book to get that kind of information. The food chapter was similarly disappointing - if you don't know how to make egg salad, you should probably be reading a cookbook. The worst chapter was fitness - the exercises she includes are all fine, but really, do you need a book to tell you that you can work out at home for free? And if you really did want to work out at home, aren't there tons of books and magazines written by fitness instructors that you could get from the library? What about borrowing DVDs?

So, overall, while some aspects of the book were OK, I wouldn't recommend this. It is well-organized, and the illustrations are great - since her first book was a NYTimes best-seller, apparently this information is new for some people. The only people I think that could benefit from reading this are people that really want to go green in some aspect of their lives but have no idea where to start; or people who think that being environmentally friendly means you have to forgo make-up, body products and fashion.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled across this in the library, and as a sucker for all things DIY, I picked it up. It's easy reading with lots of ideas. Lots and lots...this is absolutely not a simple living or minimalist-type book -- I had no idea so many beauty products even existed! But I still picked up a few clever ideas, like how to check my toilet for leaks. A generally solid, interesting book.

But the gardening section did bug me. It was borrowing pretty heavily from Square Foot Gardening -- I mean, the pictures of how to assemble a classic 4'x4'x6" SFG raised bed even look like cartoon sketches of the photos in the SFG book. But there's no shout out at all -- no mention that it's drawing from SFG, or a footnote for further reading. I've read many gardening books where authors just list, up-front, their influences and the things they've researched, and explain how they've combined, changed, and adapted them. I appreciate that.

[Brooke Jeffries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: great DIY ideas and recipes. The author is clearly passionate about greener living. I loved the simple oven cleaning recommendation!

Cons: some of the recipes for personal products involve lots of ingredients, which can get expensive quickly.

Some of her “science” is not research proven, but overall a good resource to have on hand for anyone who wants to try some DIY and live a little greener.

[Didi Delighted · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book at the library while seeking another book located in the same section. I was immediately attracted to the cover, and decided to check it out. (Yeah, I judge a book by its cover sometimes) This is a very good collection of how to's for all kinds of household things including: beauty products, cleaning products, a garment here and there, baby food, herbal medicinal remedies, etc. We live in a toxic chemical free home, and I love DIY projects, so I wanted to love love love this title, but in the end I only found the book to be so-so. If you are not already familiar with making many of your own products at home this is probably a WONDERFUL choice for you. I definitely recommend this book if you are looking to be more self sufficient and green at home. There are a lot of good ideas and tips you may not have thought of, and the explanations are simple and easy to follow. In my case, I kind of need a bit of visual stimulation, so I'd have been jazzed if the book had photos instead of simple drawings. My favorite project in the book is how to make a pillow case night gown for a little girl. Such a cute idea! If I ever have little girl little ones I'll definitely try that out for sure.

[T.L. Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do It Gorgeously by Sophie Uliano is a well written and interesting guide to taking on projects instead of buying more or hiring someone else to do them. She focuses on re-purposing as well as making a variety of self-care products one's self. I'm intrigued by the self-care products and may give a few a try; however, I'm not so sure that some of them are even necessary once one moves away from using all the chemical products. As for some of the other projects, I'm not likely to do them simply because they aren't my thing. While she makes things like sewing sound incredibly simple, I know from past experience, sewing is not something I'm good at. The book is worth the read if for no other reason than to inspire the reader to think about things lying around the house in a different way.

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do It Gorgeously talked at length about the unhealthiness of commercial beauty products and recommended making your own with other ingredients...WITH NO RESEARCH CITATIONS OR REFERENCES TO SUPPORT ANY OF THE CLAIMS. No bibliography, no related resources, only a shopping list at the end. Very poor.

Why should I take Uliano's word that her recipes are better for face creams when her claims have no backup whatsoever? Even references to an article, a supporting book, a website, SOMETHING that gave some level of proof that this is worth doing would be great. Prove it!

Very disappointing.

[mRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice book of homemade... everything! I borrowed this for the beauty section but really all the other stuff was like WOW. This is overwhelming and no way all of this could be managed by a momma of 3 under 10 :) But there are a few ideas. I love the cover art :) old fashion beauty is the idea and I think it's represented well. If you are looking for less toxins and how to make your own clothes, food, decor, etc. this is the book for you. However, there is so much I'd say it really should be purchased in order to use it over time.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. Exhibit A that optimism exists. There is a publisher who thinks people want to read about making extravagantly simple and complicated things (like glue and soil) without full color photographs.
Also: in the gardening section, the author suggests buying a kit (she gives website) that includes a container and some seeds. (Why do I torture myself with these books?) (*I* am exhibit A of optimism.)

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good primer for anyone looking to "green" their lifestyle and save money at the same time. This book is a how-to manual with recipes for homemade personal care products and homemade cleaning products, as well as tips for adapting a more frugal homemade lifestyle (ex. how to sew a hole in a shirt, how to start a garden.) I didn't learn anything new from this book, but if you are totally new to non-toxic homemade products for home and body, this is a great starter book.

[Julie Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and dirty guide to DIY skin care and home care, some gardening tips, dog and cat care, even throws in some basic home exercise moves. It has a bunch of all-over-the-board ideas, which makes it a fun read but also leaves me feeling like I could stand to further investigate some of the DIY ideas in here. Really encourages the reader to think about all of the ways you can make ordinary household items yourself. I am looking forward to trying some of her ideas!

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought Uliano's first book and checked the second one out at the library, so I had to read this. This author literally changed the way I think about the environment and my day-to-day life. I loved the chapters on DIY beauty products, sewing projects and gardening. The rest were a mostly overlap from her previous two books but there was enough fresh info. here that I'm glad I bought this.

[Cammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am IN-LOVE with this cute little book. I checked it out at the library, but am deeply considering a purchase. As an individual with serious allergies and a desire to be as green as possible, she has lots of solutions to help my life. Case-in-point: Organic, minimal ingredient, lotion that I can make at home for a fraction of the cost. AWESOME.

[AM H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've tried some of the recipes in this book & I must say they really work! Even the recipe for all natural deodorant, which I was really skeptical about. But it does work wonderfully & I'm relieved to have fewer toxic chemicals in my body since most conventional products are chock full of carcinogens.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the library, I was getting close to the due date when I decided to sit down and read. Glad I did! Fantastic for completely clean (no additives at all) skincare product recipes. Just skimmed the rest of the book, not as useful to me personally, but inspiring for creating a nontoxic, naturally minded household.

[Sasha Rose Clifton Oxnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

this literally tells you how to make anything yourself - from sunscreen to kitty litter and most things in between. not a very aesthetically pleasing book but AWESOME advice. going to have to buy a copy for myself since this was from the library.

[Emma Kalmbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book because it provides inspiration to rethink what you have and re-use it and how to make your own cleaning and beauty products. A lot was very basic, as in how to sew, but I like randomly looking through the book and learning something new.

[Andie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book, but a lot of the stuff in it are not things that I can do right now. I love essential oils, but I can't afford to buy multiple scents to have what I need to make my own makeup and cleaning products. Someday, I hope to be able to do this, but for now I just can't afford it.

[Latasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be a book about beauty products, but it turned into more of a housewife DIY book. Some interesting sewing templates which I didn't expect, some good recipes for green beauty products as well.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good recipes for natural household cleaners, but let's face it I will never do half the things in this book. Pitch all my non-BPA-free plastics? Am I made out of money?

[Wren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only part in this book that was new to me were the sections on making your own beauty products- which I'd love to try.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic stuff in here... can't wait to dust off the sewing machine!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nice recipes, but a lot of the information I didn't really find useful. I mean making your own glue!!

[Juicy_Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't love or hate this book.It's got some nice tips and cute projects but I just don't care for it that much.Before I return it to the library I'm going to make the draft blocker for the door.

[Rae Wolford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes so far...a must-have if you are interested in making your own products from scratch! And non-toxic ones at that!

[Ruth Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made my own laundry soap.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have liked more cosmetics/skin care items and less complicated recipes. Many sections were irrelevant to me. Not quite what I was looking for.

[Beth White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good recipes!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Had some decent recipes, but a lot of common sense things that I didn't need to buy this book for.

[Misty Farias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, lots of good ideas, resources and recipes. I am going to try a few of her homemade beauty products after reading this!