Category: Skincare

Men’s Vegan Grooming Gifts

Leave a comment

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!

Advertisement

The Cruelty Free Beauty Box Deluxe [October 2019]

2 Comments

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.

Self Care Sundays: Issue 4

Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I posted a Self Care Sunday post so apologies! It’s been a busy few weeks but I was finally able to take a beat…

Here are the products I treated myself to this time.

Lush: Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar

I am a big fan of a bubble bar. Bath bombs are lovely and smell amazing, but bubble bars give you the same thing with all of the bubbles! I bought the Lush Unicorn Horn bubble bar a few months ago and finally got to use it.

The bubble bar was lovely and didn’t produce heavy amounts of glitter which is a positive for me as I don’t like coming out of the bath caked in glitter or shimmer.

It was lovely and relaxing, and as always, I highly recommending visiting Lush for all your bathing and bubble needs!

Superdrug: Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask

I’m not sure if I’ve written about this face mask before but it is my absolute favourite face mask. It is so refreshing and great for my pores.

It’s a Superdrug own brand mask and costs only 99p. It’s clearly labelled vegan which is great too. Here‘s the link to the product.

My only criticism of this is the packaging. I find these disposable packs really inconvenient and quite wasteful. I feel like I end up wasting product. I usually end up emptying it into a small Lush pot that I have spare and lying around to try and get the most of it.

PIXI: FortifEYE patches

Finally, I bought a new product the other day and have been using these on a few occasions, usually just when I’m sitting around watching TV.

Everyone loves an under-eye mask and these ones are great. There’s lots of pairs in the pot, but admittedly they are a little pricey. I managed to get these on LookFantastic with a discount code so it worked out quite well.

The reviews were really good and when I finally got them I definitely didn’t disagree. They were really easy to use and left my eyes feeling really refreshed. I do think that they’re lifting and firming well and I’m noticing the bags under my eyes less and less.

Don’t forget to treat yourselves every now and then because you deserve it!

My Top Vegan Skincare Picks

Leave a comment

Our skin is the largest organ of our bodies so it’s important to take good care of it.

My skin is generally quite good. I’m not particularly acne prone, but I do have an incredibly oily T-zone. My skin tone is quite patchy and red so does need to be evened out.

Skin is unique to everyone as we all have different skin types and quirks. These are products that I use and love, but they might not necessarily be great for you. But always continue the hunt for the perfect skincare!

Lush Jade Roller Naked Cleansing Balm

‘Naked’ products are all the rage these days. They give you your favourite products without the unnecessary packaging! The Jade Roller cleansing balm is exactly that.

I bought this product in May and have been using it for the last few weeks and it is absolutely lovely. I only bought a mini version, but more recently they’ve released a larger version which I will definitely be purchasing in future.

The product smells amazing and is so easy to use. It’s quite melty so as soon as you start rubbing it over your face, it melts across the skin. I think massage it into my face, focusing on hard to clean areas like my eye make up. The cleansing balm lifts it all up with ease and I wash off with a Face Halo. My skin is always left feeling refreshed and soft.

Figs & Rouge Hydra-Pore Soft Focus Veil

In a previous blog post, which you can find here, I wrote about a one-off beauty box I bought from Cohorted. This box contained only items by Figs & Rouge which are a vegan, cruelty-free company. I actually love everything that I was given, but the Hydra-Pore Soft Focus Veil was my favourite.

I’ve essentially been using it as a primer underneath my make up. It does say to use it after cleansing and moisturising, but I kind of use it as a moisturiser.

My pores gets covered well every time and any foundation I use sits so beautifully on it. This includes both powder and liquid foundations. It’s not cakey and it’s not too thick. I much prefer it to silicone based primers, and it still feels soft and smooth on the skin.

Natura Sheet Masks

The first of these sheet masks that I had received was in The Cruelty Free Beauty Box before they revamped their options and I finally got round to using it in June. You can read my review of this on this post here.

Because I loved it so much, I ordered another one and it was just as good. Sheet masks aren’t for everyone but I love them. The Natura ones are great, easy to use and smell amazing.

The Rose Infused Sheet mask was absolutely lovely. The smell wasn’t too much and my skin felt amazing afterwards. I think I’ll try and make my way round the entire range, but each one has different skin benefits so make sure you read up.

LUE by Jean Seo: Clear

This one is coming to the end of it’s life so I’m going to have to buy a new one, but for the occasions where I can feel spots coming through (and even when they’re right there!), this skin treatment is amazing.

I apply it directly to the area affected, usually my chin, and it helps dry out the spot and reduce redness. It’s an absolute life saver! I fully recommend buying this one. I think it’s worth every penny.

Self Care Sundays: Issue 3

Leave a comment

Another Sunday, and another day to treat myself to a little pamper afternoon with a relaxing bath and a book!

I was a little bit rubbish this time and only used 1 new product! The face mask I used was the cupcake mask that I used previously which you can read about here.

Lush Bath Bomb: Love Boat

No bath is ever fully complete without a bath bomb or a bubble bar. A few months ago, I popped to Lush and treated myself to the Love Boat bath bomb. In fact, it was a Valentine’s day special…! That’s how long I’ve had it in my secret bath bomb stash.

The bath bomb floated surprisingly well and produced beautiful colours. The smell was fine and it wasn’t too glittery. It was a nice treat and produced quite a few bubbles for a bath bomb!

Lush produce such a varied range of products which include lots of vegan options. Please be careful as not everything is vegan so keep an eye out on the labels to make sure you pick up the vegan products!

Not everything will be to your taste, but there’s so many options that you’re bound to find something you love. I always go to Lush when I’m looking for options and a nice treat.

The Cruelty Free Beauty Box Deluxe [August 2019]

1 Comment

The second edition of The Cruelty Free Beauty Box Deluxe has arrived and it is, again, another delight! You can read about the first edition in my previous post, here.

I’ve been waiting for my box as soon as the shipping e-mail was sent. It arrived last Friday and I couldn’t wait to open it.

Before the shipping, I ordered myself a Natura sheet mask as I loved the one I received in one of my previous boxes (read about it in this post). One great thing that The Cruelty Free Beauty Box offers is that you can order items on their website to be shipped with your beauty box. This saves on shipping costs and means more treats!

Under all the beautiful and protective, recyclable shredded paper was my sheet mask, so I was glad it made it into my box successfully. Then came the seed paper product lists. I was too excited to read through them so kept digging for the products. I came across all the beauty products first which included a facial bar, a skin scrub, a balm and a gel eyeliner.

Then I thought… wait, where are my lifestyle products?! What I hadn’t realised was that I hadn’t dug far enough into my box… My lifestyle treats included some sweets, a compact mirror and my favourite item… a tote bag with the infamous words…

Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.

Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)

For readers of my blog, I went to the Warner Bros Studio Tours the week before this box landed on my doorstep so it felt like fate for this tote bag to be bestowed upon me! Especially when it was a quote from my fellow Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood.

So the breakdown of this box:

The total worth of the box is £102.75, so for £39.95 it’s an absolute bargain. Everything is full size which is great, especially for the things that I like!

As much as samples are great for trying things, it’s a pain if I love it and I run out. Also, if there’s something I’m not a fan of, I can give it to someone else who may benefit more out of it and I won’t feel silly giving them a small sample size.

I have yet to use everything in my box, but the House of Wonderland Alice in Wonderland compact mirror is now a staple in my handbag, alongside the Luna Lovegood tote bag.

I have yet to be disappointed by The Cruelty Free Beauty Box so I recommend giving them a try. Don’t forget that the lifestyle box isn’t the only box available. There are smaller and cheaper boxes available with different items which you can find here.

Self Care Sundays: Issue 2

Leave a comment

Welcome to another issue of Self Care Sundays. I took a beat after a long week of work and treated myself to a relaxing bath and face mask.

Here are the products that I used this week:

Before moving onto the products, thrown into the picture above is my Spectrum Kind Cup which is cute and small; perfect for a cup of tea. It’s made of polypropylene which is also widely recyclable so when it’s worn down, it can be recycled!

Also, the best chocolate around, Nomo Chocolate. Available in Tesco stores, my favourite is fruit and nut but they have other flavours available too. Vegans out there who haven’t tried this chocolate yet really need to! You’d never know any different, it’s so good!

With those bits over, let’s move onto the skincare products…

Lush Face Mask: Cupcake

So, I’ve actually had this Cupcake face mask from Lush sat in my fridge for months. I hadn’t used it until last week but it still smelt amazing.

The mask was interesting. The smell was lovely, but I found the texture strange. It was easy enough to apply and wash off, but I didn’t feel like my skin was any better for it.

I don’t think this is something I’d recommend. Lush do have plenty more face masks so I’m sure I’ll be trying one of those in the future, but Cupcake won’t be one I’ll be buying again.

Lush Bath Bomb: Snow Fairy

As always, a bath bomb is necessary during one of my self-care sundays. I love a colourful bubble bath and the lovely smells.

This week was the Snow Fairy bath bomb which I believe is a Christmas special, and likely to have been hanging around in my secret stash for a while.

Snow Fairy has a gorgeous sweet smell to it, and I love a bright pink bubble bath. There isn’t much else going for it except for the gorgeous smell but that’s more than enough for me!

Maria Nila Head & Hair Heal Masque

Finally, I’m going to tell you about my favourite product this week which I’ll definitely be using regularly going forward.

In the first picture on this post is the Maria Nila Head and Hair Heal Masque. I actually received a full sized tub of this in a vegan Glossybox I ordered months and months ago. I’ve written about Maria Nila products before, you can find the post here.

This hair mask is absolutely incredible. It smelt truly amazing and was easy to put on. The texture was thick and creamy, and ran through my hair beautifully. I left it on for the recommended 10 minutes.

After I finished my bath and dried my hair, I was left with a gorgeous, frizz-free mane! My hair smelt incredible for days afterwards and it was left feeling the softest it’s ever been.

I highly recommend this product. It was nourishing and really did leave my hair and scalp feeling refreshed.

Self Care Sundays: Issue 1

1 Comment

It is important to take a beat for ourselves on a regular basis. Whether it be enjoying a hobby or trip somewhere you enjoy. With our busy lives, it’s nice to take time for ourselves.

As much as I wish I could, I don’t take every Sunday for myself. But when I do, I like to pamper myself a little.

This usually includes doing my nails, or taking a long bubble bath with my secret stash of Lush bubble bars and bath bombs. I like to throw in a hair mask and a face mask when I can to.

Every now and then, I’ll be throwing one of these posts to let you know some of the products I’ve been using and what I can and absolutely cannot recommend you guys go out and use!

Superdrug Face Mask

Superdrug has a great range of face masks for 99p. The first time I bought these masks, I actually bought them for a hen party goody bag. They’re all very well labelled as to whether they’re vegan or not. They also write on the front what skin type they’re best for.

This week, I used a black seaweed peel off mask. I’m not usually a fan of a peel off mask as I feel like they’re more effort than they’re worth, but for 99p, it was worth a shot.

An image of the mask. I’ll save you from the inappropriate selfie!

The mask was easy to apply and I used it all over my face. I used the entire pack which I don’t actually recommend. You can probably use half of one and achieve the same effect. Because I used the whole pack, it took a while for the mask to dry but once it did, it was easy to peel off.

My skin felt lovely afterwards. The oil had been stripped of my face and I felt super clean.

Lush Bath Bomb

For good measure, I threw in a bath bomb from my secret stash of Lush bath bombs! In fact, it’s so secret that I forgot about it and I’m pretty sure they don’t sell it anymore!

The bath bomb is called Shoot For The Stars and left a lovely blue colour in the bath. The stars were creamy and moisturising and it smelt lovely. It’s a shame that it’s not available anymore because I definitely recommend this bath bomb.

Keep an eye out for my future Self Care Sundays posts with various products that I’ll be using to pamper myself! If there’s anything you’d like me to try and write about then let me know in the comments.

June Samples: Natura Sheet Mask and Lue by Jean Seo Serum

2 Comments

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have plenty of older beauty box items that I still need to get through. It’s about time to start trying all the products I’ve been storing for no good reason and writing about them for you!

This months trial products are:

These 2 products have been hanging around in my samples box for a while now and I thought I’d treat myself to a pamper evening before an episode of Love Island so here we go!

Natura Herb Infused Sheet Mask

I’ve always loved a sheet mask. My mum always used to get them from SKII when she used their skin care so sheet masks are not unusual territory for me. The description on the back is as follows:

Packed with a variety of Herbs and Vitamins, this multi-tasking mask rebalances skin time, reduces enlarged pores, brightens complexion while offering deep hydration and nourishment.

Sounds great, right?! I ripped the mask open and put it on straight away. The smell of the mask was amazing. It was subtly fragrant and incredibly moisturising. I relaxed for 15 minutes while I waited for my skin to absorb in all the goodness. Once time was up, I patted my skin down to remove excess product. I’ve read that washing your face after a face mask will just negate all the good work it’s done!

  • Pre-face mask
  • Post-face mask

Even though my skin might not look like it’s improved at all, it felt amazing on and as described, nourishing! It sounds silly but my skin feels lighter and much more refreshed. If nothing else, it was a nice treat to relax!

I provided a link to the product from The Cruelty Free Beauty Box but after a quick Google search, they’re available on many other websites and in so many different infusions so make sure you have a good read, but I fully recommend their product.

Lue by Jean Seo Balance Serum

After using the Lue by Jean Seo Clear spot treatment which I also received in one of my Cruelty Free Beauty Boxes, I had high hopes. The Clear spot treatment is absolutely amazing so I definitely recommend that!

I didn’t expect much from the serum. I’m not sure why but I was never huge on serum. I always found most serums quite tacky and not particularly absorbent. This serum really surprised me.

The pump released quite a lot of product which I wasn’t expecting, but also came out much more watery than I expected too. All that aside though, I wasn’t disappointed by the product.

It promises to firm, tone and control oil and shine to minimise pores. I haven’t been using it for long enough to confirm it’s firming and toning promises, but it has definitely improved my oil and shine! I’ve been using it only in the evenings after I’ve cleansed, but it does recommend to use it morning and night.

At the rate I’m going with products, I will be oil free in no time and there’ll be no need for all these mattifying products anymore!

So that ties up my June sample trials. I’ll try some more products next month and let you know how they go too!

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

1 Comment

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!