Tag: vegan beauty

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.

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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!

My Top Vegan Skincare Picks

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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

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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]

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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.

Spectrum Collection Brushes

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I treated myself to a set of brand new Spectrum Collection brushes in May in their 50% bank holiday sale. Spectrum are well known for their bright, colourful, cruelty-free, vegan brushes. I couldn’t help myself when I saw that they were having a 50% off sale, so here I am, telling you about my glorious purchase.

At Christmas time, Tom bought me a set of brushes which were lovely so I knew they were high quality so I was happy to take the plunge. I bought a set to match my existing set, and only 1 brush overlapped!

  • 50% 12 piece set
  • Christmas gift from Tom

I took the plunge and bought myself the White Marbleous 12 Piece Set. It has a wide range of face and eye brushes for application, buffing and contour.

  • A00 – Luxe Powder 
  • C07 – Luxe Tapered Sculptor 
  • A02 – Angled Foundation
  • C02 – Flat Top Contour
  • A05 – Precision Blush
  • B05 – Luxe Blender 
  • B06 – Tall Tapered Blender
  • A07 – Stubby Shader
  • A12 – Fluffy Pencil
  • A13 – Short Smudge
  • A14 – Brow Definer
  • A15 – Lip Definer

I believe the prefix A, B and C for the brushes stand for Application, Buffing and Contour. I’m sure they have a range of D brushes also which I can only guess is for Definition. Either way, I just use whichever brush is clean and does the job!

The brushes are made of synthetic materials and they’re super soft. Whenever I use them to apply, product is always applied evenly and smoothly. And plus, because the brushes are white, it does make them a lot easier to clean!

And on the topic of brush cleaning…

I also purchased their Mini Vegan Brush Soap. Incredibly easy to use. You simply wet the brush and wipe it over the soap. I then clean as always using one of the make up pads with the bumps I bought on eBay and my brushes smell lovely and are clean for re-use!

Spectrum brushes are quite expensive but they are worth every penny. The quality is fantastic and they look great on the dressing table. And more importantly, they are a vegan and cruelty-free brand!

Revolution Beauty: Mattify and Pore Blur primers

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I recently came to end of my trusty KVD primer so I decided to mix it up and go for a more accessible high-street brand. It didn’t take long to find Revolution Beauty as they are everywhere! In fact, I even managed to get their products on ASOS.

Revolution Beauty are PETA Cruelty-Free approved and have an extensive vegan range of products. There has been some speculation over the PETA Cruelty-Free stamping due to some controversy over the brand, Wet ‘n’ Wild. Read about it here on the Ethical Elephant.

Moving on…

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts before, I have very oily skin and as a secondary point, the pores on my nose are very prominent. I decided to purchase 2 primers, Mattify and Pore Blur. At £6 each, they were a bargain. Additional bonus points for ASOS having 20% off at the time too.

I thought the Mattify and Pore Blur would be the best options for my skin but they have a huge range of different primers, found here, so I recommend doing some research.

I used Mattify first and was really impressed. The product reminded me a lot of the bareMinerals primer which is much pricier. It comes out clear and has a silicon based style texture. It applies well across the face but doesn’t absorb as well as other primers I’ve used. The only other comment I feel I should make here is that I had to use more product than I first thought as it didn’t spread as far as I’d hoped.

I then used Pore Blur the next day and had a very similar experience. Pore Blur has a slight tint to it but not enough to be heavily noticeable across the skin so I still need to apply foundation on top.

  • Mattify and Pore Blur side by side
  • Blended in

Both had great staying power and really lived up to their names. The Pore Blur primer did a great job of covering up my pores and my skin didn’t feel clogged up. The Mattify primer really, really did keep my skin matte all day. I was so impressed with it and I highly recommend it for those with oily skin. And at those prices, you really can’t go wrong.

As much as I love Kat Von D beauty, I’m definitely going to be making room for these 2 Revolution Beauty primers in my permanent collection!

Vegan Love eyeshadow palette by KVD Beauty

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As you may be very well aware by now, I am a huge fan of the Kat Von D Beauty range.

The limited edition Vegan Love eyeshadow palette is, of course, completely vegan and cruelty free. It’s full with 10 extremely vivid shimmer colours which catch the eye. As a bonus, 20% of the cost of the palette goes to the non-profit organisation ‘Mercy for Animals‘.

I haven’t yet used the palette on my eyes or face, but I’ve swatched it for you to trial the colours and show them to you guys on my skin tone.

From Top to Bottom: Mercy, Empathy, Equality, Sanctuary, Earthling, Liberation, Species, Sentient, Activist, Compassion

The only downside to this product that I can see is that some of the colour remains on the skin. I’ve simply swatched the product using my fingers, as suggested by the label, and I’ve been left with a green and red finger. I’m not sure what this would be like if left on the face!

  • Equality and Empathy
  • Sentient

The aside, my favourite colours in the palette are Empathy, Equality and Sentient. I’m generally a fan of more neutral colours but I’m sure I’ll find occasions to wear the more intense ones!

I really love this palette. The colours are amazing and the shimmer is surprisingly balanced (I thought it’d be a lot more glittery as opposed to shimmery). It’s bright and beautiful, and most importantly, vegan!

Figs And Rouge

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I can’t wait to write this blog post about Figs & Rouge. My friend, Vicky, was a subscriber of the Cohorted box and she told me about the April box being vegan! She raved about the products so I decided to pay the extra for the one-off box.

At £50 for a box, it’s incredibly pricey. But after a rave review and the savings compared to the usual RRP of the products, I thought why not treat myself!

I’m going to take this brief moment to put something negative up… Vicky does not rate Cohorted as a company so I most certainly would not recommend them. Firstly, they’re not vegan and put various non-vegan product in their subscription boxes; but secondly, their customer service is terrible with lack of replies and information and items have been missing from her boxes.

With that over, let’s focus on Figs & Rouge!

The entire contents of the Cohorted April 2019 Figs & Rouge box

In this beautiful box of goodies, I received the following Figs & Rouge products:

  • Morning Revival Face Cream
  • Day Detox Micro-Refining Serum
  • Illumination Eye Balm
  • Pore Perfect Matte Veil
  • Glow Drops
  • Morning Revive Oil

Everything is fantastic. The quality of the packaging is great and the product is incredibly luxurious. I’ve sampled everything in the box at least once now and here are my favourite items…

The Glow Drops pictured above are amazing. I used it as a highlighter and it gave me a lovely, natural glow. Apparently, you can mix it with a moisturiser to use all over your face for an instant, illuminated soft focus effect. It absorbs into the skin beautifully and leaves a fresh glow. A big fan!

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts before, I have really oily skin. This matte serum is incredibly. It feels amazing on my skin, and really did it’s job! I used it as instructed, across my T-zone underneath my make up and it really did it’s job. My face didn’t get shiny by the end of the work day and I didn’t need to top it up either.

I haven’t used anything else extensively but it’s all lovely, but those 2 products really stood out for me. I highly recommend them both, and as a brand, they stand for everything I need it to.

Proudly vegan and cruelty free. Their products are never tested on animals and source all luxury grade vegan based raw materials ethically.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like me to blog about in the future.

The Lipstick Chronicles: Beauty Bakerie

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Time for the second chapter of the Lipstick Chronicles. If you missed the first one, you can find it here.

I found out about Beauty Bakerie from my sister, @vgnnatalie. They were a new, cult brand at the time that were renowned for producing a long lasting lip product, their Lip Whip. Not only was the product ground breaking for how well it stayed, it came in a wide range of colours which meant everyone could find a shade for them and whatever mood you were in.

I own 3 shades: Take Me For Pomegranate, Gingersnap and Versailles.

Beauty Bakerie are a fully vegan brand and they are completely committed to being cruelty free! Details can be found on this post on their blog.

Here are selfies I’ve taken in Gingersnap and Versailles so you have a better idea of what they look like on.

  • Versailles
  • Gingersnap

I haven’t bought a Lip Whip for a while now but I do recommend them. Their staying power is second to none, and arguably much better than the KVD Beauty Everlasting Lipstick.

The colour range is amazing and the price point is appealing to all. I bought mine on ASOS at the time but I don’t think ASOS sell Beauty Bakerie anymore. They also had a nude and a metallic range which looks amazing but I’ve never tried. I don’t think I’ll find an occasion for a metallic lip colour as I’m fairly boring!