Saturday 31 January 2015

The Vegan Kind




For my birthday last year I was surprised with a subscription to The Vegan Kind box. If you haven't heard of them before, you sign up for a monthly membership and they send you a box full of wonderful vegan goodies.

This includes cruelty-free beauty and household products, nutritious snack bars and sweets. Anything healthy, delicious and vegan. Originally I had planned to review each box every month, but I discovered that writing about food is hard. Also I'm far too excited when I open the box to take photos and notes before gobbling up the contents.







These photos are of my December and January boxes (it took a lot of willpower to wait to eat everything). Included was a Harper's Bizarre soya candle which smelt so heavenly I can't wait to get some more.


Some more of my favourite things so far have been Propercorn (healthy popcorn), the Skinlikes natural deodorant, and Freedom Mallows. Vegetarian or vegan marshmallows are so hard to come by! Also the Green Frog Soapnuts washing tablets are excellent and I feel a lot better washing my clothes with something natural and environmentally friendly.

The Vegan Kind also have a beauty box every three months, which obviously I'm really keen to try. Altogether I'd really recommend The Vegan Kind boxes, whether you want to go cruelty-free, vegetarian, vegan or just want some healthy snacks every month.

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Weekly Winter Treat | Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks

Montagne Jeunesse 7th Heaven Face Masks Review


Montagne Jeunesse tick so many boxes when it comes to cruelty-free; leaping bunny approved, vegetarian society approved and lots of products suitable for vegans too. These face masks are made with natural ingredients, something I've been getting into more and more these days. You get so much in each pack you could easily share one with a friend. At £1 each they're great value and it's fun to try all the different varieties.

Suitable for vegetarians

This mask is incredibly creamy! It's luxuriously thick and felt wonderful to slather on. My skin felt really nourished afterwards and my pores were smaller and less noticeable. It's really hydrating, perfect for dry skin in the colder months or when your skin just needs a boost.

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans


If you've never tried a peel off mask before I highly recommend it! You smooth it on as normal, wait 15 minutes for it to dry, then peel it off (like dried glue!) I find it really fun. After I'd used this one my skin felt fresh and had that healthy glow which is so hard to achieve in winter.


Suitable for vegetarians and vegans


Another no fuss peel off mask with good results. Several big blackheads came off with it (lovely picture, I know) and again my pores looked smaller. I liked the slight scent of cucumber and how refreshing it felt on my skin. 


What's your favourite face mask? Have you tried peel off ones before?

Saturday 24 January 2015

Tea Tree Treat | Avalon Organics Shampoo

Avalon Organics Tea Tree Shampoo Review

Avalon Organics Tea Tree Shampoo Review

Suitable for vegetarians

A few months ago I was still suffering from dandruff. Nothing major, as my Dr Organic Rose Otto shampoo had done a good job of soothing my scalp. But enough to bother me. Enter this natural tea tree shampoo.

It only took a few washes to rid my hair of dandruff completely. I now use it once a week, alternating with my rose otto one because I still love that. This shampoo has a lovely tea tree smell - not too strong and a little bit of peppermint. 

Made from a lot of organic ingredients and like all natural shampoos, it is harder to get a lather going. What I like to do is put a dollop in my hand, rub it around with the teensiest bit of water and it gets a nice foam going, which is easier to spread through my long hair. After washing, my hair feels completely clean, without feeling stripped.

I've been using this shampoo for three months now and my hair really does look healthier. My dandruff is long gone and hasn't reappeared once. If you want to get rid of dandruff or an itchy scalp, I'd certainly recommend it.


Have you tried anything from Avalon Organics? I'm excited to try more from their range!

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Natural Mascara for Sensitive Eyes | Gabriel Color Mascara

Gabriel Color Mascara Review. Cruelty-Free & Vegan.


Gabriel Color Mascara Review. Cruelty-Free & Vegan.


Suitable for vegetarians and vegans

Following on from my post about dealing with sensitive eyes, I wanted to review the mascara I wear day to day. I loved my old e.l.f. mascara, but unfortunately it started irritating my eyes and so I had to go in search of a new one. I'd read that sensitive eyes can react to the chemicals in regular mascara, so natural eye make-up is the best way to go. After researching a lot of natural, cruelty-free options I went for this one from Gabriel and was very pleased that my eyes don't react to it at all.

Unfortunately, as far as I can find, this mascara isn't sold in the U.K. - I got mine when I was on holiday in the U.S. But if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some, I'd really recommend it, whether you have sensitive eyes or not.

The photo above shows me wearing two coats on my top lashes (I've never liked wearing mascara on my bottom lashes). No smudges, great curl, it holds up all day. It doesn't run even though I use eye drops about 5 or 6 times a day, which I find very impressive for a non-waterproof formula.

I find one coat perfect for daytime, and then I can layer it up for the evening if I want to. I couldn't be happier with this mascara!


What's your favourite mascara? Do you use any natural make-up?

Saturday 17 January 2015

How To Deal With Sensitive Eyes And What Works For Me

How To Help Sensitive Eyes

I have very dry, sensitive eyes. I had never had any problems with them until about 10 months ago, when my eyes started feeling sore. They quickly became more and more dry and now I can no longer wear contact lenses and need to use three different kinds of eye drops every day. I'm still not sure what the cause is, but I've learnt to deal with it. Here are the things I've developed into my daily routine to help my eyes feel a little more comfortable. If you have sensitive eyes I hope this can help!

Cleansing morning and night

I get tired, itchy eyes, most probably from an allergy. My eyelids used to be constantly swollen and aggravated. It was uncomfortable to say the least! Then I discovered that a little sweep of B. Micellar Water completely got rid of the swelling. It's incredibly soothing and never stings. It's also great for removing every last bit of make-up. Since using it my eyes are a lot less itchy and look and feel a lot more normal.

Natural mascara

When my eyes started getting irritated, mascara just made them worse. I did some reading and discovered that the chemicals in eye make-up can really irritate your eyes. I switched to a natural mascara and have had no problems at all with it. The one I use is Gabriel Color, which as far as I know isn't sold in the U.K., but there are lots of other natural cruelty-free options like Green People, Beauty Without Cruelty and PHB Ethical Beauty. I'll also warn not to wear eyeliner on your waterline as it's just asking for trouble!

Leaving them alone

Of course, when my eyes are itchy the thing I really want to do is rub them. But this actually makes the itching worse, as it releases more allergens. I use allergy eye drops and anything cool like ice cubes, cucumber or a wet flannel on my eyes to soothe the itching.

Learning what helps my eyes feel better has taken a while but I'm hoping that with time they'll start to go back to normal.


Do you have sensitive eyes? If you have any tips let me know!

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Cruelty-Free Favourites of 2014

Cruelty-Free Favourites of 2014. Vegetarian and Vegan.

This year I started reading beauty blogs, and my interest in all things beauty exploded. I absolutely love looking for new things to try and seeing my hair and skin benefit from looking after them.

Here are my favourite products from this year, many of them new discoveries and now ones I wouldn't be without.

Superdrug Cherry Body Butter - full review.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
This body butter smells good enough to eat and feels just as delicious.

Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Restorative Treatment Conditioner - full review.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Using this treatment as a weekly hair mask has completely transformed my hair.

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
After switching to more natural hair products I'll never go back to SLS!

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
A must have for oily skin, these absorb any shine from my face with no effort.

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Half wax, half powder this makes it super easy to create bold brows that last.

Barry M Nail Polish - full review (one of my very first posts).
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
The quality and staying power is unbeatable for the price. I want them all!

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
The lazy girl's cleanser that takes off the dirt and grime of the day in one sweep.

Suitable for vegetarians
These natural balms smell good, feel good and do good.

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
Citrusy scented, this leaves my locks looking and feeling clean and fresh.

Skinlikes Natural Deodorant - full review.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
A natural deodorant that works, doesn't sting and smells lovely too.



What have been your favourite products of the past year?

Saturday 10 January 2015

Christmas Presents 2014


I may be a little late with this one! My blogging break lasted a bit longer than I anticipated due to catching colds, the weak winter lighting and that every time I tried to take blog photos my cats would walk on to everything with muddy paws. But I absolutely love having a nose at what other people got for Christmas and I wanted to share with you some of the lovely presents I was given.


Christmas Presents 2014 | Cruelty-Free Beauty
Jumper - Asos, Barry M Nail Polish in Nightshade, Illamasqua Freak Parfum, Lush R&B Hair Moisturiser, Lush 9 To 5 cleansing lotion.


Christmas Presents 2014 | Cruelty-Free Beauty & Make-up
Lush D'Fluff Shaving Soap, Lush Mask of Magnaminty, Technic Smokey Eyeshadow Palette, Barry M Natural Glow 2 & Starry Eyed Eyeshadow Palettes, M&S Autograph Twist Up Lip Colour in Damson, Technic Nail Polish in Morello, Body Collection Maxi Lipstick in Damson.

Lots of beauty products! Which I was very happy about as I now have a nice long list of things to review for this blog :) I actually forgot to include a few too!

Christmas Presents 2014 | Harry Potter Prints


These last presents are from my sister and are some of my favourites. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and these are little artwork prints that I'd been wanting for a long time, which she printed out and framed. We even took a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter together last year (you can see her blogpost about it here) and these prints are a nice little keepsake that remind me of that trip.


What was your favourite Christmas present? Was it one you were given or one you gave to someone else?
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