Category: Haircare

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!

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Men’s Vegan Grooming Gifts

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As a woman, it can be difficult trying to find good gift sets for men. The market is definitely catered more for women than it is for men. I did a spot of shopping a few weeks ago and was inspired to write this post based on what I saw!

Here’s just a few recommend brands and products and if I come up with some more ideas, I’ll make sure I write another post.

Superdrug

So when I was wandering around my local Superdrug the other day, I was enticed by their Christmas section and also pleasantly surprised. I found a few of their own brand men’s gift sets which were lovely and also very reasonably priced!

If you’re unsure what to buy for someone, a gift set like this is a great alternative as they usually contain useful things that they are likely to use.

What’s also great about Superdrug is that their items are clearly labelled vegan which makes it much easier to shop.

Browsing online with Superdrug has also become so much easier as they have a vegan Christmas section which you can find here!

Manmane

Manmane are a completely vegan brand that sells male grooming products. We’ve seen them at vegan events around the country before, and being welsh myself, it’s nice to support local business!

Tom loves their products. They’re high quality and there are so many different options.

I highly recommend taking a visit to their website to have a look at the products. A few include: bread oils and balms, soaps, perfumes and candles.

If you have a bearded loved one in your life, you should absolutely check out Manmane for their products! They make wonderful gifts and they’ll be hooked going forward.

Maria Nila

This one will be a short one but I do have to rave about it. Maria Nila sell vegan wax grooming products that are perfect gifts!

Tom has always really struggled to find good hair product for his hair type. He’s got fine hair but a lot of volume.

I took a punt and bought him the Maria Nila Gneiss Moulding Paste. He absolutely loves it and can now style his hair properly without the unnecessary gunk of product all over his hair. And an added bonus is that it smells great too!

The Cruelty Free Beauty Box Deluxe [October 2019]

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Another 2 months has passed us by so it’s time for another run through of my latest delivery of the Deluxe Cruelty Free Beauty Box! I was lucky enough to win this box this month in their usual sharing giveaway. I was so chuffed.

If you want to read about the box before this, click here for the post. Previous posts can be found under the Beauty section.

As always, the box did not disappoint and had so many goodies that I cannot wait to try!

This months box contained the following:

  • My HairCare Rescue My Hair Hydrate Shampoo Bar (RRP £14)
  • Natura Pumpkin Sheet Mask (RRP £5.95)
  • Fairypants perfume (RRP £1.50)
  • Palm Bar Body Butter Bar (RRP £5)
  • Bellapierre Liquid Gold 24k (RRP £30)
  • Niu Body Glow Facial Serum (RRP £27.95)
  • Gardner’s Halloween Cookie (RRP £2)
  • Vegan Bunny Chai Latte Soy Candle (RRP £13)
  • Jeavon’s Rizo (RRP £2.75)

The total value of the Deluxe box comes in at £102.15 but will only cost you £39.95.

I’ve eaten the cookie and Rizo bar already and both were a dream. I haven’t had shortbread for a long time and the Gardner’s cookie was a delicious shortbread.

I’ve written about Natura products in various other blog posts I’ve written and I love the sheet masks. They’re a really lovely treat so I’m looking forward to using this pumpkin one.

My final favourite is the Vegan Bunny Chai Latte candle. I’ve actually bought Vegan Bunny candles off Etsy before, but not for myself! I’ve bought Christmas scented candles as stocking fillers for my family members and regretted not buying one for myself. The Chai Latte smell is incredible! I haven’t lit the candle yet but I can’t wait till I do!

I absolutely cannot recommend The Cruelty Free Beauty Box enough. They only send every 2 months which is more than enough for me, and every month is full of new and interesting treats. I adore The Deluxe box with the lifestyle treats. It’s so nice to receive new things that I’d never normally buy for myself or want to try.

Function of Beauty

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I’d finally reach the end of my Maria Nila shampoo and conditioner bottles so it was time to re-evaluate my hair care.

My friend Emily recommended Function of Beauty to me. I’d seen adverts on Facebook before and found the whole thing very intriguing so I took the plunge and ordered some.

Ordering Process

The whole process was very easy. You take the hair quiz by selecting your hair type, the things that you care most or want to achieve from your hair, i.e. ‘Hair Goals’ and I chose the following:

  • Fix split ends
  • Colour protection
  • Oil control
  • Soothe scalp
  • Anti-frizz

You then also choose the colour and fragrance you want your product to be which was really cool. I went for peach and orange and yellow. When you’ve finally finished and signed up, you can submit your order and there are various options with size and subscriptions! I went for the largest one based on all the positive reviews I’d heard.

You can subscribe 3 monthly, 6 monthly and yearly. If you’re not willing to commit quite yet, there is an option to buy it as a one-off which gives you the opportunity to try it first. I decided to opt for a 6-monthly subscription which meant free delivery and a small discount for my first order. I think that was a Summer offer.

I submitted my order and I was given an ETA of 2nd September. You can pay to have it sooner but I didn’t mind waiting.

They give you plenty of updates through the process and let you know when your hair products are being developed and then when they’re dispatched also.

The Finished Product

My shampoo and conditioner arrived earlier than I expected. It arrived via Yodel on the 28th August which was almost a week earlier than stated.

It arrived beautifully packaged in recycled cardboard. My one gripe was that this was also covered in plastic wrap which I felt wasn’t really necessary.

My orange and yellow peach smelling shampoo and conditioner came with pumps and smelt amazing. I could smell them as soon as I opened the box. It also came with a little card to remind me what I selected on ordering and lots of stickers!

I used my new Function of Beauty products the following day and was very impressed. The shampoo lathered really well and smelt incredible. It’s left my hair is feeling luscious and always smelling amazing. I think I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my hair with less frizz and my scalp is less dry and itchy. I’m not sure on any oil control yet though but I’ve only been using it for a week!

Function of Beauty is cruelty-free and vegan, as well as producing paraben and sulphate free hair care. Here‘s a little blog post they’ve written about why they are vegan and cruelty free.

So far, I’m loving my new shampoo and conditioner and I would absolute recommend them to everyone. It is quite expensive but the customisability is a big selling point and as I mentioned above, I am definitely seeing improvements already!

The Cruelty Free Beauty Box Deluxe: 1st Edition [June 2019]

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I’m so excited to write this post! I used to subscribe to The Cruelty Free Beauty Box before I had too many and couldn’t use enough of the products before the next one arrived. It all got a bit overwhelming so I regrettably cancelled my subscription (I’m still making my way through some of the old products!)

When I cancelled, they contacted me to find out why and asked for my feedback. I let them know that the make up colours weren’t suited to me, the products were often too similar, and that I would prefer to have a box every other month instead of every month. To resolve the colours, they amended my account to change my make up preferences so the next time I subscribed I’d get different colours.

A few months later, they were offering new boxes, sent every other month with more options. It was as if all my prayers had been answered! In reality, the team listened to customer feedback and made those changes. I subscribed to the Deluxe Beauty Box pretty much as soon as I could! This version of the box includes Lifestyle and Snacks which I didn’t even know I wanted but now it is, I want it! The monthly price is a tad expensive at £39.95, but as this blog post will describe, I think it’s worth every penny.

So, let’s start with the very First Edition of this box! It arrived on Wednesday just gone, in a nice big cardboard box and had some serious weight to it. I was so excited! The classic stamp was on the box, and stickers made of sugar can were used to keep the box closed during delivery.

Inside, the leaflet on top describes all the products inside, and also includes a description of the changes that the new boxes include! To summarise, the packaging is more eco-friendly now with things being recyclable, compostable and bio-degradable. Additionally, that specific piece of paper is seed paper which you can grow! I think I’ll give the growth a go and see what turns out.

Product List

  • Bumi Face Polish in Juniperberry, Saga, Hemp & Volcanic Ash (15ml) – RRP £9
  • PHB Ethical Beauty Bio Gel ‘Skin Brightener (Full size) – RRP £25
  • Articka Nourishing Hair Oil (10ml) – RRP £4.95
  • Sknfed Espresso Body Butter Bar (60g) – RRP £7.95
  • Love Byrd Hippy Dippy Facial Serum (Full size) – RRP £18
  • Bain and Savon Peony Salt Scrub Foot Bar (Full size) – RRP £1.50
  • Phase Zero Lip Gloss in Dark Burgundy (Full size) – RRP £12
  • A handmade Turkish towel – RRP £14.95
  • Soffle’s Pitta Chips in Rosemary & Thyme – RRP £1
  • Ananda’s Round Up’s Wagon Wheel – RRP £3

As you can see from the image of the haul above, the box comes with so many goodies. As it only arrived a few days ago, I haven’t been able to make use of everything yet, but I will be soon! And totalling the RRP values of each item comes to just under £95!

The beauty products smell amazing, and the snacks look great. All of the products seem like great quality, and the smaller sized products are perfect for travelling and keeping in your handbag.

I’ve seen Ananda’s at vegan events before but I’d never tried them before. I tucked straight into the wagon wheel and it really hit the spot! Thank you Ananda Foods!

My favourite product has to be the towel! I know it’s not a beauty product, but it’s beautiful and I can’t wait to take it on holiday to use at the beach.

I am absolutely thrilled with this box and I highly recommend those who are interested in subscribing to take a look at what The Cruelty Free Beauty Box has to offer. This box won’t be perfect for everyone, but there’ll be a subscription more suitable for you!

And let’s importantly not forget that everything in these boxes are vegan and cruelty free!

Maria Nila Stockholm

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My best friend, Emily, is a serial subscriber to beauty boxes. She often gets cruelty free and vegan samples which she gives to me (because she really is the best). One day, she gave me a little gift bag full of goodies which included mini travel sized vegan shampoo and conditioner. Little did I know that this brand would change my haircare routine forever…

When browsing in my local Sally Beauty store, I came across Maria Nila again and I thought the branding looked familiar. It took me a while to register, but I took the plunge and treated myself to a shampoo, conditioner and hair oil.

Before turning vegan, I was a loyal user of TIGI Bed Head Urban Antidotes in Resurrection. It revived my hair after colour damage and smelt amazing. I thought I would never find anything to replace it, and along came Maria Nila. I purchased the Heal Shampoo and Conditioner to help with my itchy scalp.

The product was great quality and it smelt incredible. My scalp felt amazing afterwards and the dryness was removed after only a few uses.

Shortly afterwards, I started using the True Soft Argan Oil. It was bought to replace the Moroccan Oil that I always used to use. I use the Maria Nila oil it in the exact same way that I used Moroccan Oil and it’s a perfect replacement. Again, the product smells amazing and the ends of my hair remain frizz free for the foreseeable future!

After all this experimenting with shampoos and oils, I decided to venture further out and I purchased the Autumn Red Colour Refresh. It even came with a set of free gloves to protect my hands!

The photos above are of the product itself and a little selfie of me with my freshly dyed hair the next day (no filter!).

Colour Refresh is not a permanent hair colouring solution. It is semi-permanent and I used it purely as a top-up on my faded hair colour as it needed a bit of pop. It was easy to use and quick to apply (only 10 minutes). I washed off my hair and dried it and it was like I had a fresh new dye. The colour didn’t fade anywhere near as quickly as I anticipated and it’s in a nice easy to use pump bottle.

If you’re looking for a vegan haircare replacement, I highly recommend Maria Nila. Although on the pricier end of haircare, it is most certainly worth it. As I keep mentioning, the products really smell amazing, they’re highly moisturising and they’re honestly really worth it.