Category: Beauty

Freedm Street Deluxe Box [August 2020]

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I recently received my Freedm Street Deluxe Box in the post! For those of you that may not be aware, The Cruelty Free Beauty Box have recently changed their name to Freedm Street! For more details, check out their instagram posts.

Let’s move swiftly onto the contents of the box!

Again, nothing in this box disappoints! As always, there are various beauty products and snacks which I’m very much looking forward to digging into. Inside the box is:

  • Flawless Hydrating Toner (RRP £3.95)
  • Love Absolute Mulberry Milk Jelly Cleanser (RRP £24)
  • Pura Cosmetics Lip Scrub (RRP £4.99)
  • Lola Makeup Lash Extension Mascara (RRP £11.95)
  • Jorgobe Black Peel Off Mask (RRP £26)
  • UpCircle Gentle Exfoliating Soap Bar (RRP £6.99)
  • The British Crisp Co Handcooked Crisps (RRP 89p)
  • Brave Roasted Peas (RRP £1.39)
  • Beevive – The Bee Revival Kit (RRP £10.99)
  • Nourished Inner Beauty Stack Trial Box (RRP £29.99)

The contents of the box totals at £121.14 but only cost £39.95 as part of their subscription box!

I’ve yet to make a dent into yet as it only arrived this week but I’m looking forward to it already!

The Nourished vitamins appear interesting. I’m not sure how much benefit you’d be able to see with a 7 day trial but I can’t complain when it’s included as part of my subscription box! Each vitamin is individually wrapped and without opening it directly, I believe they’re gummy ones!

  • Beevive Revival Kit
  • Lola Lash Extension Mascara

The other more interesting product in the box was the Beevive Bee Revival Kit! It’s a little keyring with a little vial of sugar water which can be used to save the bees when they’re in need of a little bit of energy! I love the idea behind it but whether I’ll find good use for it is a different matter.

I also love the Lola Lash Extension Mascara. I didn’t take a picture of my lashes, but I loved it. The brush is great and leaves lashes well separated without any clumps for a nice wide eyed look.

There are so many other goodies included in the box with some wonderful brands that I’m currently using such as UpCircle and Love Absolute. I’m so excited to try them all out.

With the company rebrand, I highly recommend taking another look at the website to see what new products have been added!

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Saalt Menstrual Cup

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If you’re someone who doesn’t want to read about menstruation, then please look away now and stop reading.

For those of you who are more than happy to read about it and are also interested in changing to a more sustainable solution, keep reading!

My menstruation back story is a long one, but to summarise, I had the implant for a few years and my periods had stopped. I recently had my implant removed and my menstruation has returned to my version of normal which is very regular.

I was fed up of using disposable sanitary products. I had switched to Natracare and the products were amazing and I still rate them over any other sanitary products on the market but the menstrual cup just seemed like a sensible economic and sustainable option.

I did a little bit of research around a menstrual cup, but luckily my sisters already had their own and were able to give me all the information I required. I recommend having a quick read at articles online to find out if a menstrual cup is more suited to you.

I chose Saalt as this was the only brand I found online that were clearer on the guides on cup capacity. What I mean by this is that all the other companies simply said ‘Small’ or ‘Large’. For someone who has no idea what they’re doing, this is incredibly daunting! Saalt did this perfectly by describing capacity based on numbers of tampons and flow type.

  • Size Small: 2 to 3 tampons capacity
  • Size Regular: 3 to 4 tampons capacity

It came with a carry pouch and general and instructions on how to use the cup as well as how to sterilise it.

It’s been a few months now and I can safely say that it has been an investment worth making. I track my period using the ‘Flo’ app from the App Store and I don’t dread when I’m about to start. I simply have my cup handy and it’s never been so easy.

The first attempt was a bit of an experience. I wasn’t sure if it had done it right but I remained calm and managed it after a bit of fiddling. I found it very comfortable to wear. Since the first go, it’s been a breeze every time.

If you’re thinking about making this sustainable swap, I do recommend looking at what Saalt have to offer. They have multiple packages available and even have a ‘soft’ version for those who may find it uncomfortable. Have a browse and make sure you do your research to see if it’s a right fit for you.

Nails Inc Polishes

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Last week, I took my gel polish off my nails and decided not to rush to reapplying. I gave my nails a break and allowed them to breathe and I really did notice a difference.

However, the nail polish lover in me couldn’t bare to see my nails without colour, so I decided to treat myself to some Nails Inc nail polishes! I thought it would be a good idea to have some non-gel polish in my back pocket for these scenarios.

  • Number Ones
  • Peachy and Perky
  • Freshly Juiced

I ordered the Number Ones which contains a mini base and top coat, Peachy and Perky which is a lipgloss and a gorgeous peach polish called ‘Real Peaches Only’ and finally the Freshly Juiced set which has 2 amazing summer polishes called ‘Not From Concentrate’ and ‘Looking Super Juicy’.

These products are labelled specifically as vegan and cruelty free on their website which I hadn’t seen before as I hadn’t bought from them in such a long time. It’s also included on their packaging now so once we go back to normality and we can shop physically, look out for the labels!

This bank holiday weekend, I tried the Freshly Juiced polishes on my fingers and toes to bring some Summer and bright colours into my day to day life!

Can I firstly say, the base coat and top coat are fantastic. Minis are a great option as I’ve historically found that polish goes thick and clumpy after a while so smaller ones are great options to help avoid waste. The base coat smells great and isn’t thick that sits oddly on the nail. The 45 second top coat is truly remarkable. My nails were touch dry so much quicker than I had anticipated and I could pretty much go about my day without any fear of ruining my nails (with the usual precautions, of course!).

The Freshly Juice polishes are bright and vibrant and I absolutely adore them. Not From Concentrate smells like oranges and Looking Super Juicy smells like watermelon! I wasn’t expecting it but it was really refreshing to not inhale chemical fume smells.

In summary, I would highly recommend Nails Inc polishes. They’re high quality and great colours, and let’s not forget well labelled. Keep an eye out for them if you’re looking for some new nail polish.

Make Up Revolution: The Mascara Revolution

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I’m not one to switch up my make up too often as I know what I like and what gets me the look I normally like. I’ve been using the KVD Beauty Go Big Home or Go Home but at a pricey £20, I thought I’d switch it up.

I popped to my local Superdrug earlier last month where they had a 3 for 2 offer so what better opportunity to try out a new product?

Make Up Revolution are cruelty free and offer lots of vegan options so I took the plunge and spent the £8 of their Mascara Revolution.

The packaging is simple, yet appealing and bold with the rose gold and black. It’s quite a large tube. Similar to the large tube for the KVD Beauty mascara.

The brush is quite big with a curve in the middle mimicking an hourglass. I never really understood why mascara brushes were so different and what benefit they brought. I’m more of a dan of the standard shaped brushes.

The product sat a bit clumpy and thick on the brush, and with the curve in the middle, more of the product sat there. I wasn’t entirely filled with confidence when I saw it.

Left hand side with mascara on

Applying the product wasn’t an issue, even with the brush shape. And surprisingly, it applied very evenly across the lashes. It gave me a bit more volume and a little bit more length which is exactly what I wanted. My only criticism is that it did group my lashes more than I liked but for £12 less than my usual mascara, I can’t complain.

The mascara is a decent mascara for the price. Other online reviews don’t speak as positively about it as I do but I do think I’ll be sticking to my usual but it’s good to know there are other options out there.

Self Care Sundays: Issue 12

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We all know how much I love a pamper every now and then and with the sun out for the past few weeks with a few patches of rain here and there, I made sure I did the works!

After epilating my leg, lasering my moustache and doing my nails, I used the Natura sheet mask that I bought as part of my build your own box from The Cruelty Free Beauty Box. You can find a run through of the box on this blog post.

I’ve used so many Natura sheet masks in the past and they are never disappointing. They feel like a real treat and my skin always feels fantastic afterwards.

The sheets themselves are made from biodegradable bamboo so can be put in your compost bin! (I would check that your local authority can process this before doing so though).

  • During
  • After

As always, I forgot to take a before phone, so I thought I’d include the terrifying during photo. The after photo shows my lovely bright face after the mask.

I will forever recommend Natura sheet masks. They come in so many different infusions for different skin types and their benefits so make sure you have a good read before choosing the one that’s right for you.

Pure Nails: Halo Gel Polish

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I absolutely love doing my nails. I like to be able to look down and see colour at the end of my finger tips instead of plain nails. It’s the little joys in the life…!

I’ve been doing them with gel polish for a while now and it can be quite difficult to find vegan gel polish. My go-to website for good quality nail polish is Nail Polish Direct. I popped on the website the other day and there was a whole section on vegan polish.

I spotted a brand I hadn’t seen before which was Pure Nails. The polish is reasonably priced and comes in so many different colours. You can find the vegan declaration on their site here that says they do not test on animals or use any animal by-products.

I bought 3 nail polishes which included a matte top coat, a reactive colour changing polish called Denim Pink and a multi glitter called Pandora.

When I did my nails last weekend, I chose Pandora. I’m like a magpie when it comes to shiny things and Pandora was the perfect shade!! It’s a glitter polish made up of pink, purple and copper and when caught in different lights, looks like an entirely different colour each time. I’m obsessed.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with gel nails, they have much more staying power than normal polish and all you’d need is an LED lamp which you can probably get on eBay. I do my nails around every 2 weeks now and I only choose to do them because of the nail growth!

I’ve only just painted these nails so I’m not sure what the staying power of this specific polish is yet but the colour is amazing and I had no other issues with it.

They’re definitely worth a look!

Umberto Giannini Flowerology Colour

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Not being able to leave the house had my roots in absolute chaos. I’d seen adverts on social media for Umberto Giannini’s Flowerology Colour range which is vegan and cruelty free. They have an equivalent Colour Care range too but I haven’t tried that.

Anyway… moving onto the product! I ordered 4 boxes of Dark Brown 3.0 as this was the darkest option available and the multi-buy was on offer. There are quite a few colour options available ranging from blonde and dark brown so make sure you take a look at the options!

My hair colour is very dark naturally so I needed it. My hair has been a shade of red for many years now so going dark was a bit of a change but I already feel so much better about my hair.

It is recommended that you do a patch test 48 hours before to ensure you don’t react to the product so make sure you do that! Application itself is just like any other box dye available on the shelves of supermarkets and beauty shops. my hair is quite long but 1 box was just about enough. After seeing the finished dye, I probably could have done with a little more product…! After leaving the dye on for 30 minutes, wash off and voila!

You can see the before and after results in the images above. I’m much happier with the darker hair and the results were decent for a box dye! The colour was exactly as I expected and it covered up my previous dye well. It’s a little patchy in places but that’s definitely a reflection of my self dying capabilities.

I think another round of colouring will sort out the patches so I’ll give it a few weeks to settle down before dying it again but I’m really pleased with the end result.

It’s quite difficult to find a vegan hair dye but Umberto Giannini are certified cruelty free and vegan meaning that their products do not contain any animal products nor are they tested on animals.

I would definitely check them out to see what they have to offer, and as I said, there are loads of other hair care products available to browse and shop so I would have a look. Based on their hair dye, you’re onto a winner!

The Cruelty Free Beauty Box: Build Your Own Box

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Due to the unexpected COVID19, the CFBB were unable to send out the April boxes. But worry not my friends, when normal business resumes, subscriptions will continue as normal! In the mean time, in order to get my beauty fix, I ordered a Build Your Own Box (plus some extras…!)

The build your own beauty box allows you to select items from a given list for £24.95. The list contains various beauty items and snacks. In total, you’ll be allowed to select 5 items so I chose:

  • 2 packs of Soffle’s Pitta Chips
  • Delhicious Body Scrub
  • Lue by Jean Seo Spot Control
  • Natura Multigrain Infused Sheet Mask

I added an extra pack of Soffle’s Pitta Chips because desperate times call for more snacks, and the tin of Ananda’s limited edition Easter wagon wheels which are always delicious.

I’ve used both the Delhicious Body Scrub and the Lue Spot Control before and I absolutely recommend and rate both products! You can read my blog post about the body scrub here and Lue Spot Control serum here.

Although these products aren’t new for me, it was money well spent as I know I will use them and I know how good they already are. If you’re looking for your fix, hit up The Cruelty Free Beauty Box website to have a browse.

Stay safe out there!

Self Care Sundays: Issue 11

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Now, more than ever, it is so important to look after your mind and your body. A lot of us are on lockdown or isolation due to COVID19 so self-care is key to ensure this disruption to your life will limit the disruption to your mind.

For me, self-care is having a nice prolonged bath with a face mask and a hair mask, but this isn’t the same for everyone.

Try reading a book or cosying up with a video game. Whatever helps you relax and take your mind off things, even momentarily!

This week’s issue is another lovely Lush bath bomb, Peachy.

Peachy Lush Bath Bomb

So this might actually be one of my favourite ever bath bombs by Lush. Peachy has an amazing smell and produces a gorgeous colour in the bath.

It produced a lot more bubbles than a normal bath bomb as well which I found surprising but I thoroughly enjoyed my bath regardless

As you can see from the pictures above, the bath bomb melts away beautifully with it’s gorgeous peach, coral and green colours and the bubbles were a nice little bonus.

I highly recommend Peachy. It’s a seasonal Lush product but it’s definitely worth buying!

True Skincare Facial Oil

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, my sister @vgnnatalie treated me to a lovely dinner at Suncraft in Bristol for my birthday at the beginning of this month.

She also treated me to a bottle of True Skincare‘s Safflower & Basil Facial Oil! She has been using their rosehip oil and absolutely raved about it. She was impressed by the quality of the product and results she was seeing, and she wanted me to experience it too.

I wrote a blog a few months ago about the oils that I had been using and how helpful they had been. You can read that blog post here.

I can safely say that this True Skincare oil blows everything else out of the water. The packaging is well presented and really good quality. It sits nicely on the dressing table and would look great with any aesthetic.

Let’s talk about the actual oil. It smells amazing. It’s an actual pleasure to have added to my routine and massage into my face in the evenings. The oil is amazing quality. It’s hard to describe but it’s a thicker oil as it’s a waterless formula and I personally think this makes it more absorbent. The other oils I use feel much more slippery and sit on the skin for much longer.

I’ve been using True for about 2 weeks now and I wish I had taken before and after photos. My skin appears brighter and less oily than it’s ever been. I also think it’s reduced the redness in my skin which isn’t something I was looking to do but it is most certainly welcomed.

I only have good things to say about this product. I completely understand why it’s award winning and I would 100% recommend this to help alleviate any skin woes.