An Interview With Morag of mo'adore

Welcome to the second feature of my new series interviewing cruelty-free bloggers, getting their thoughts and experiences on blogging and cruelty-free. I am super excited to introduce Morag, who writes the brilliant cruelty-free blog mo'adore. Morag has a very reliable cruelty-free list and is the founder of the cruelty-free bloggers Twitter chat - held Thursdays 9-10pm  GMT for all those interested in cruelty-free.

Hi Morag! Tell us a bit about yourself and your blog.

mo'adore is a mis-matched blog that covers many areas of my life. However I'm cruelty-free and vegan and these topics feature heavily. Other than these topics I also write book reviews, outfit choices (including fancy dress and cosplay!), monthly playlists, urban gardening, gig reviews, and a weekly round-up of links!


When did you start blogging and what inspired you to start your own?

I've been blogging in some capacity for a decade. When I was a teenager I was on MSN and I stumbled upon MSN Spaces, and fell in love with the community I found. That was my gateway into the online world. I didn't blog much when I became a student (partially because I was living in halls with limited internet) but I still had itchy feet and at the start of 2011 I started mo'adore after having a dream that this is what I should call my blog. I didn't have a direction and I was only beginning to go vegetarian (let alone vegan) but in 2012 I went cruelty-free and I've been here ever since.


What are your favourite cruelty-free products?

I'm constantly on the look out for new products but I still have my old-time favourites. I love Pacifica for Perfume, Lush for skincare, Faith in Nature for shampoo, Paul Mitchell for styling products and Gosh for lipsticks!


What advice would you give to someone who wants to buy cruelty-free?

Take your time, and be kind to yourself if you accidentally buy something that isn't cruelty-free. And if you already own non-cf products use them up but never repurchase.


What's your favourite part of blogging?

I've been in love with blogging and social media for close to a decade and I've always found it hard to pin-point what it is that makes me adore it so much. But I'm inclined to say it gives me a creative outlet and I've met so many great people through the blogging community.

Luxury Skincare | Triumph Moisturising Creme Balm

Premae Skincare Triumph Creme Balm

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans

I received this little pot in one of my Vegan Kind boxes a few months ago and it has served me well since. It's a natural, aloe vera based moisturiser that's both Vegan Society approved and Allergy UK approved.

I often get dry patches of skin around my nose that will sting when I apply anything to them. This balm is the only product I've found that doesn't make my skin sting, but actually soothes and heals it, which I think must be the aloe vera at work.

The consistency is very thick but it's also quick and easy to absorb - my skin just seems to drink it up. As this is such a small pot I've only been using it on those patches of dryness around my nose and on my forehead, but this would be a divine cream to use for your whole face. Plus it has a lovely scent of frankincense oil, which is also anti-ageing.

My one qualm is the price - at £51 for a regular sized pot this moisturiser will set you back a pretty penny. It's a lot more expensive than any other product I use, as I just love my budget beauty. But having used it and experienced the benefits I can see the reason for the price. If I were looking to start buying luxury skincare, I'd certainly start with this.


Do you use any luxury skincare? Is it something you spend or save on?

Disappointing Products

Before now, I've been unsure whether to post negative reviews, because the purpose of this blog is to promote choosing cruelty-free. But, I don't always love every single product I try and these are two of them. There's nothing wrong with these products - they're just not for me.

Green People Day Solution Cream SPF15
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans

This is a natural day moisturiser, with 85% organic ingredients that's Vegan Society approved. It's also the first moisturiser I've found that has an SPF and doesn't make my face shiny. Not even a little. Completely matte! 

However the thing I can't get past with this cream is the consistency. It's very thick and dense, which makes it difficult to spread on my face. I also don't feel like it's moisturising enough for me. If my skin's a bit dry, I'll always choose a different moisturiser instead of this one, because otherwise it clings to the dry skin. I think it might work for someone with very oily skin, but it doesn't suit my combination of oily and dry.

Lush D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap
Suitable for vegetarians

My skin gets irritated quite easily, particularly my legs. Having read reviews from people with similar problems who said this soap worked wonders for them, I was very eager to try it. It smells fantastic - fresh strawberries with that distinctive 'Lush' undertone.

But alas, this just doesn't have the same effect for my skin. It hardly foams no matter how much I use and creates a very thin barrier between razor and skin. It wasn't pleasant at all to shave with, as it barely felt like anything was there. My legs were sore afterwards, like I'd shaved them with no more than water and so I've only used it twice. Perhaps it's because I'm used to using conditioner on my legs to shave with, which is obviously a lot thicker and softer. I feel like it was worth a try and so many other people love it, but I'll just be using it up as a shower gel instead.


Have you tried either of these? What products have you been disappointed by?

An e.l.f. Make-Up Look For Spring

This week I'm saying goodbye to my favourite make-up brand e.l.f. as they're closing down in the U.K. You can see what I bought in my last order here, and enter my giveaway to win lots of e.l.f. goodies here. 

I created this look for Spring using all e.l.f. products and brushes, some are new and some are old favourites. I've always had a strong love for purple eyeshadow so I thought it was about time I shared that with you! 

All of e.l.f.'s make-up is cruelty-free and vegan, but most of these products are now sold out on the e.l.f  U.K. site - I've linked to everything that is still available.

Edit September 2015: e.l.f. have returned to the U.K.! I've linked to everything that's available on the new site, and hopefully the other products will be added soon.

The Main Products:

1. Base

I started with the Hydrating Face Primer to even everything out and make sure my foundation went on smoothly. For combination skin this is just perfect as it takes care of any dry or oily patches. Then I applied the Flawless Finish Foundation in Porcelain with an e.l.f. Blending Wedge (a nifty little make-up sponge), which gives a lighter coverage than using a brush. I went over the bits that needed a bit more coverage, like under my eyes and around my nose, with a dab more of foundation and the e.l.f. Concealer Brush.

2. Brows

I filled in my eyebrows with the Studio Eyebrow Kit, which is half wax and half powder. The wax does the shaping and filling and the powder sets it and makes it look natural. Then I sweeped them over with the Clear Mascara to keep those bushy brows neatly in place.

3. Blush & highlight

I used a tiny bit of the Cream Blush in Seductress as I wanted to keep the focus on the eyeshadow. These blushes are so pigmented you could really build them up for a truly rosy cheek. For highlight, I used the Colour Stick in Spotlight under my brows and on the top of my cheekbones.

4. Eyes

For a base I used the Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, which keeps any eyeshadow in place like a dream. From the Baked Eyeshadow Palette in Seattle, I used white in the inner corners of my eyelids (top left), lilac for the middle part and a soft purple (second top row) on the outer edges. Using the e.l.f. Studio Small Angled Brush I lined my outer lashline with the darkest purple (top right). For my lashes I used the Mineral Infused Mascara in Black, lovely for a natural daytime look.

5. Lips

For lips I kept it simple with one product, the Moisturising Lipstick in Ravishing Rose. The formula is super creamy, making it an easy everyday lipstick. This is such a gorgeous pink for Spring and I can already see it becoming one of my most loved products this year.

6. Powder & Set

To keep everything nice and matte I dusted the Mineral Booster powder on top with the e.l.f. Complexion Brush. The powder has a slight tint to it, perfect for giving a flush of colour. And to make sure all the make-up stays where it should I used two spritzes of the Make-Up Mist & Set, which keeps it in place all day.


Let me know what you think! What make-up will you be wearing this Spring?

e.l.f. Giveaway!

In my last post I talked all about my love for e.l.f. and how sad I am that they're closing down here in the U.K. So as a goodbye to the brand I wanted to hold my first ever giveaway! The winner will receive all the goodies pictured above, which are:

100 Piece Eyeshadow Palette
Moisturising Lipstick in Rosy-Go-Round
Essentials Lipstick in Seductive
Shimmer Lip Gloss in Hope
Super Glossy Lip Shine in Angel
Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal

They're all cruelty-free and vegan, and nearly all of these products are now completely sold out! You can enter with the Rafflecopter below. You only need one entry to win, but the more entries you have the better your chance! Also, the giveaway is U.K. only as unfortunately it would be too expensive to post these internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
A big thank you to all my lovely readers, commenters and those who've been sharing my posts. I love writing this blog and it always makes me smile when someone goes out of their way to say something nice about it :)