Image via Pangea Organics

Er, I hate being Debbie Downer this fine Monday, but this weekend I was lucky enough to watch Vice's VBS Series, Garbage Island, and I gotta say, it busted me up. I get really conflicted see: My undeniably awesome job at Product Fiend is to educate and inform you about various beauty products, but I also feel like it's extremely important to remind consumers and beauty junkies to buy responsibly. It's no secret that the majority of products we love are packaged in plastic and other non-biodegradable materials, (not to mention the household goods, groceries and other sundries we all buy on a regular basis). After watching this series, it certainly makes me think twice about every single thing I purchase. You can't always avoid buying plastic. But you can always be responsible about recycling it to (hopefully) ensure that it doesn't end up in the ocean or landfills. In the spirit of creating less waste, here are a few of the best products that also feature eco-friendly packaging...

Nude
This new Bono and Christy Turlington approved all-natural line comes bound in sleek recycled, biodegradable packaging that "eschews the traditional extemporaneous box for a tamper-free wrapper."

River Soap Company
These beyond delicious-smelling soaps are all vegetable, biodegradable and cruelty-free, plus they contain no perfumes or artificial colorant, and come packaged in paper, not plastic.

Lush
Makes every effort to ensure they package their products are sparsely as possible. In fact, according to their web site, "approximately 3 million plastic bottles were not manufactured, transported or disposed of because customers bought LUSH solid shampoo bars instead of bottled products."

The Soap Opera
Has been selling shampoos and body washes in simple refillable bottles for the last 35 years. Ingredients are 100% biodegradable and not tested on animals.

Cargo
Known for their paper-free (online) catalogs. Their awesome lipstick comes in a case that's made from corn, and the box the lipstick comes in is studded with seeds and can be planted: "Just moisten and plant it to grow your own wildflowers."

Pangea Organics
They also embed plantable seeds in their biodegradable packaging for soaps and skin care lines.

And remember, buying less is always more. Don't forget the power of DIY: There are tons of ingredients you can find to make your own food-based toners, peels, scrubs and moisturizers. Here's a great directory to at-home remedies.