After seeing this tag on Morag's blog I thought it'd make for a nice little post on my own blog as my two year cruelty free cosmetics anniversary is coming up in October – yippee!
Showing posts with label bblogger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bblogger. Show all posts
Monday, 14 September 2015
Bunny Friendly Beauty Tag
After seeing this tag on Morag's blog I thought it'd make for a nice little post on my own blog as my two year cruelty free cosmetics anniversary is coming up in October – yippee!
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Wednesday, 22 April 2015
Wednesday, 8 April 2015
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
makeup revolution | £1 lipsticks
make up revolution amazing lipstick & vamp collection lipsticks: £1
left to right: rebel with cause, fusion, 100% vamp
left to right: rebel with cause, fusion, 100% vamp
Wednesday, 4 March 2015
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
oops, i did it again
'don't knock it until you've tried it' they say, and now i've tried it i'm well and truly knocking life without a fringe. i've been debating going for the snip since before christmas, and last week i finally took the plunge and went ahead with cutting off the 8 months worth of growth and had my trusty fringe put back in, and i don't regret it at all (let's see if i'm still saying that in the summer when it's no doubt sweaty and sticking to my face...)
i opted for quite a messy, soft fringe as opposed to the super straight cut fringe i used to have simply because i wanted something that was going to be easy to manage and part if i wanted to, and i'm really pleased with my decision. to say i've not had a fringe for around 8 months, it's weird how 'me' i feel now i have one once again. fringe, i left you once, but i'll never leave you again.
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
the body shop | 'mango' eau de toilette
after harping on about the difficulty of finding cruelty free fragrances for what felt like a lifetime, my mum quite clearly became aware of my struggles and thoughtfully bought me this mango eau de toilette for christmas to try out. i'm a big fan of the body shop's various scented body butters and shower gels, so i was curious to see how i'd get on with one of their famous fruity scents in the form of an everyday fragrance.
mango isn't at the top of my list when asked what my favourite body shop scents are, however it's pleasantly surprised me. i tend to be a lover of sickly sweet scents (ie britney spears' fantasy) which i find people tend to either love or hate, so i was surprised at just how much i've been enjoying using this product as it isn't nearly as sweet as some of my previous favourite fragrances. i'm terrible at describing scents so i'm not going to embarrass myself by attempting to describe this product's scent, however i will say that it's fruity rather than sweet and in turn i think it smells a bit more mature than my usual scents of choice.
my only slight niggle with the product is the fact that it's an eau de toilette as opposed to a perfume so it doesn't linger for as long as i'd like it to, meaning that it makes a perfect fragrance for throughout the day, but you might want to find something with a little bit more of a kick to it for a fragrance that would see you through the day and into the night. or, if you're like me, you can just simply top this product up as and when you desire to stay smelling delicious all day and night.
for £8.50 i really don't think this is a bad little fragrance. i've been using this product daily since christmas now and i'm about a third of a way down it, and i've already been considering heading back to the body shop to pick up a vanilla and strawberry scented fragrance for when this one eventually runs out. the body shop's scents might not be the greatest cruelty free option out there, but they're certainly bridging a gap for me while i'm finding my bearings in the world of cruelty free fragrance.
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
urban decay | naked 'on the run' palette
while browsing debenhams just before christmas with my dad, he asked if there was anything i'd like to pick up as a gift because he was intending on mainly giving me money for christmas, so i jumped at the chance to try out some high end make up i wouldn't normally pay for myself and headed straight to the urban decay counter. after a bit of deliberation, i put down the naked 3 palette and walked away with their naked on the run palette as i figured that it'd give me the chance to try out a variety of their products as opposed to just one. so, how have i been getting on with it?
| perversion mascara |
retailing at £17 for the full version, this isn't something i'd be happy to buy on a whim for fear of being bitterly disappointed, so i was excited to give this a go. it creates fanned out, fluttery lashes that look relatively natural as they don't clump together. i personally love bold, thick lashes so this mascara didn't blow me away, however it does make me wonder what your lashes would look like if you teamed this with their subversion lash primer. unfortunately i don't think i'll ever find out though as £17 is a little bit too pricey for me to ever consider paying for a mascara when i know there are perfectly good budget options available on the high street.
| 24/7 glide-on eye pencil |
i haven't purchased an eyeliner pencil for longer than i care to remember now as i'm an eyeliner pen convert, but i thought i'd give this a try regardless. i used it to create a somewhat smoky cat eye, applying the pencil roughly and then blending it out. the pencil is creamy, meaning it doesn't drag when applied and is easy to blend out, and is also really highly pigmented, meaning it'd be pretty easy to build up for a more dramatic look. i've found it's also handy for lining your tight line as it doesn't transfer onto your waterline, which is always good.
| naked lipgloss |
lipgloss is something that i haven't owned since early high school, so i was definitely curious to see how a high end option would fare when compared to the gross, sticky selection young teenage me once owned. much to my surprise, the lipgloss wasn't overly sticky on your lips and added a lovely, subtle sheen of colour. another bonus is that it smells wonderful, so any bits of hair that may get stuck to your lips on a windy day could perhaps be forgiven.
| eyeshadows |
as i was contemplating picking up this or the much coveted naked 3 palette, i was definitely interested to see how their eyeshadows fared, and i certainly wasn't disappointed. for me these eyeshadows are the best thing about the palette as they're extremely pigmented, long wearing and don't have any fall out; what more could you want from eyeshadows?! if i ever happen to have £40 lying around that i don't particularly need, i would definitely considered splurging and treating myself to the naked 3 palette.
| naked flushed palette |
lately i'm big on contouring and highlighting, so i was keen to see how this trio fared, and unfortunately i was a bit disappointed. the highlighter didn't really seem to do much on my skin, but i don't know if it's because i currently use a MUA highlighter which is extremely shimmery, and as pictured, this highlighter doesn't have that much shimmer to it at all. as for the contour, i found it to be too orange for my skin tone, and the blusher really wasn't any greater than the sleek blushers i currently own, so i probably wouldn't ever find myself paying the £22 that this product retails for.
altogether, i was pretty damn impressed by the array of urban decay products that this palette offers you, and i think i made a good decision in opting for this over the naked 3 palette, even if i do still find myself lusting after it every now and again. urban decay as a brand has always intrigued me, however i've been reluctant to throw so much money at a brand that i didn't know would be worth it. now i've had a bit of experience with the brand, i've got my sights set on an eyshadow palette and a couple of lipsticks, but time will only tell if i ever decide to splurge out and treat myself to some of them...
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
lush | 'light pink' colour supplement
after the christmas festivities that were (for me) mostly eating myself into a coma, my skin decided to misbehave for a long while afterwards so i decided to take action in the form of purchasing a new foundation. while i was out treating myself to some sale bargains i decided to pick up a lush colour supplement after toying around with the idea of buying one whilst in store for months previously, and i opted for the shade light pink, obviously because i'm a fairly pale gal and my skin tends to be pink in tone.
i'd describe the product as being light to medium coverage, and as you can see from the before and after picture above it does a pretty good job of evening out your skin tone and masking subtle imperfections, however it doesn't quite cover up more aggressive blemishes, but that's fine for me because i'm not a fan of heavy duty foundations anyway and much prefer to combat pesky blemishes with concealer instead. the product itself is almost gel like in consistency and sets pretty quickly, so i like to apply it by dotting it onto my face section by section (chin, cheeks, forehead) and blending as i go to ensure an even finish as it can dry a little patchy if you don't work it in quickly enough. i apply the product in circular motions with elf's small stipple brush, and it has made its way firmly into my everyday makeup routine even now that my skin's cleared up again simply because it's so lightweight and natural looking that i forget that i'm even wearing a foundation, and that's just how i like it.
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
collection | blush in 'trouble'
previous to picking up this blush, the only other blushers i owned were the ones within the sleek 'pumpkin' blush by 3 palette. while all three of the sleek blushers are still going strong now almost a year after purchase, i'd exhausted them and their vibrancy and was looking for something a little more subtle to combine with the more dramatic eye looks i've been opting for as of late, and i found my solution in collection's 'trouble' blush.
for £2.99, this really isn't a bad little blusher. it isn't quite as pigmented as the sleek ones i own and as such requires a heavier hand when you're collecting the colour onto your blusher brush, but the end result is stunning. 'trouble' is a neutral, dusky pink colour that gives your cheeks a slight flush without overpowering the rest of your makeup, and as such would suit pretty much any look you'd desire to create on the day, meaning it's been a very welcome addition into my makeup bag and my daily makeup routine.
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
lush | a well deserved bubble bath
creamy candy bubble bar: £2.75 | snow fairy shower gel | space girl bath bomb £2.35
since my assessment last tuesday i'd been promising myself a well deserved indulgent bath with some of the lush products i'd bought recently, however i didn't end up getting around to it until the sunday just passed, which actually worked out perfectly in the end after spending the entirety of friday and saturday and then the morning of sunday feeling pretty ill. i don't tend to get ill all that often, so when illness does strike i end up acting really self pitying and pathetic (lame, i know,) so to give myself an hour to run a bath, have a soak and unwind was the perfect pick me up that i needed to pull me out out of my state of self pity.
i picked up the bubble bar over christmas, and after using it once on its own i was a little underwhelmed, so i decided i was going to team it with a bath bomb for my next lush bath, and space girl was my bath bomb of choice after being taken in by its subtle shimmer and its delicious scent that reminded me somewhat of parma violets (ie, my favourite sweets ever.) the combination of the bubble bar and bath bomb meant that my water ended up a fantastic magenta colour while providing my skin with a well needed silky, moisturising, nourishing rinse. i did find that the bubble bar left a bit of residue on my skin, but nothing too uncomfortable, and i'm definitely looking forward to the next time i decide to indulge in lush and pick up some more bath bombs to give a try. lush baths, you've won me over.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
makeup of the moment
collection bronze glow mosaic: £2.99
soap & glory fabulipstick in 'super nude': £9
ted baker london iii kit
soap & glory fabulipstick in 'super nude': £9
ted baker london iii kit
as much as the term 'heroin chic' makes me cringe, i must admit that i've been loving donning the look at the moment; dark, tired eyes, a strong contour and a nude lip are easy enough to throw on and suit my current state of "oh my god i have so much work to do where is my time to sleep??" admittedly i'm pretty good at fitting my 8 hours a night in, so this look helps to give off the overworked vibe i'm currently feelin' at the moment, regardless of whether or not my sleeping pattern reflects that. girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do (and i just gotta get my 8 hours, man.)
i got this little ted baker eyeshadow kit as a gift for my birthday, and after finding out that ted baker was indeed cruelty free i was more than eager to give the middle colour a go. after a bit of playing around with it it became my eyeshadow of choice, with a little bit of the darkest colour to its right along my upper lashline to give off the impression of thicker lashes. i've trawled the internet for places that sell this product to no avail, so i'm thinking that when this palette's had its time (which will be a while, admittedly,) i'll have to find myself a dupe from somewhere to carry on the lazy, somewhat trashy but still put together look that i've welcomed into my daily routine with open arms.
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
one year cruelty free & new year's resolutions
this post has been long overdue now as i officially began shopping cruelty free in october 2013, but with the new year being around the corner and the vast majority of us desperate to make new years resolutions to stick to, i thought i'd talk about my transition now in the hopes of inspiring some of my readers to perhaps consider shopping cruelty free.
so, let's start at the beginning... i adopted my cruelty free stance after reading up about the 2013 eu ban on selling animal tested cosmetic products, and realising that there's much more to the issue than originally appears. i quickly learnt about the loopholes and what truly makes a brand cruelty free or not, and decided that i wanted to avoid the dishonest brands that were keen to avoid admitting their products were actually tested on animals. it's very easy to be ignorant of the issue as animal testing isn't something brands are keen to discuss when they do test, so reading up on the issue helped to open my eyes and really reinforced how strongly i opposed animal testing for cosmetic purposes, and thus inspired me to change my habits.
i'll secondly move onto addressing the fact that while other cf bloggers aren't, i personally am happy to support cruelty free brands that are owned by testing parent companies. my reasoning for this is simple: i believe that if everyone swapped from purchasing l'oreal products to the body shop products, the parent company would then perhaps see where their customers' interests lie, and because of this could perhaps be persuaded to reconsider their stance with their brands that do test on animals in order to sell more products once again to their cf audience, in turn reaching a wider audience. i also believe that to boycott brands that have worked for their cf status due to a greedy parent company could harm them and potentially push them into closing, which means one less cf brand on the market to advocate the ban of all cosmetic animal testing, and also one less available brand for cf shoppers to support. whether you agree with me or not is completely your own call, but i'm firm in my beliefs.
so, how was the transition for me? pretty easy, actually. i think what puts a lot of people off taking the jump to cf cosmetics is the fear that they'll struggle to find products to live up to their current (potentially tested) favourites, but there's such a wide range of cf brands available that i truly believe that there'd be something for everyone. more budget brands such as collection and makeup revolution are readily available on the high street, and high end brands such as urban decay or nars are also available within many department stores – also found on the high street – to satisfy those looking for something a little bit more expensive. i've found that i've become a fan of superdrug's own brand b., the online shop elf and makeup revolution because they're all budget brands offering good quality products, and they now make up a good portion of my everyday makeup and skincare essentials.
choosing to go cruelty free has been really rewarding for me personally, and i'd strongly recommend it to anybody. nowadays i can shop completely guilt free, and know that my makeup probably looks just as good as my friends' who wear mac or rimmel because really, i think makeup's all in the application. since purchasing a set of real techniques brushes (which are also cf!) i find that my makeup applies like a dream whether it's from collection or urban decay, so i'd say that it's well worth investing in a good set of makeup brushes if you're looking for perfect makeup, not an expensive brand that tests on animals.
i hope i've potentially inspired a few of you to consider shopping cruelty free, and i also hope that i haven't sounded too preachy. i feel really strongly about shopping cruelty free and try to advise friends on cf products where possible, but i don't like to aggressively shove my opinions down others' throats because i believe that we're all entitled to form our own opinions. i truly believe that one day cosmetic animal testing will be completely eradicated, but in the meantime i think committed cf shoppers and brands are just helping to speed up the process.
if i have inspired you to consider a cf makeup bag, here are some points of advice and links that i think could come in useful for beginning your transition:
- read up about the eu ban on cosmetic animal testing
- don't throw out all your current tested makeup; you paid for it, you might as well use it, just acknowledge that you won't be throwing money into their pot again
- check out the leaping bunny's cruelty free guide; it isn't completely comprehensive, but it's a good starting point
- check out moadore's and phyrra's cf guides; they address companies that may not be leaping bunny certified, but are indeed cruelty free
- do your own research; not all the answers can be found on the internet, so don't be scared to contact brands yourself for your own peace of mind
some of my favourite cruelty free brands are listed below, and they offer both makeup and skincare products:
so, what's next for me? obviously i'm not a cf expert and fall short in some areas, but i'm actively trying to broaden my knowledge and slip up as little as possible. in the past year i've slipped up once in terms of cosmetics, buying a simple product as they're marketed as suitable for vegans, to later find out that they do indeed test on animals, which makes me question how they believe that they're suitable for vegans. other areas i want to focus on when shopping cruelty free are cleaning products and perfumes. i buy most of my cleaning products from aldi (their own brand is cf) so i think i'm mostly clean, however a bit more research can ensure that i'll avoid tested brands altogether. most supermarkets' own brands are cf (morrisons and sainsbury's in particular) so they're perhaps a good place to start. in terms of perfume, i've noticed that most drugstore brands are in fact tested on animals, sadly. i've done research on cf perfumes before and, to my knowledge, they're not very easily available (other than in the body shop,) so in 2015 i want to focus on creating a list of cf perfumes that i can replace my current tested favourites with.
in addition to extending my cf stance, i also want to concentrate on becoming vegetarian. since beginning third year i've reduced my meat intake dramatically as i no longer eat meat at home, but when eating out i often opt for meat dishes as a treat. after many a moral dilemma, i've decided that i just don't agree with eating meat any more, and my own new year's resolution is to give up meat altogether. because i've cut out meat so much from my diet as it is i don't think it'll be a great struggle, it just requires a bit more discipline on my own behalf and to stay in touch with what meat actually is, because sillily, it's easy to forget that the chicken burger you're enjoying was once living and breathing. again, you may not agree with my decision, but it's something i've considered for a while now and strongly want to pursue.
and with that said, i think that concludes my post! i hope i've perhaps inspired any of you, and good luck if you do decide to try out the cf lifestyle! i don't often set myself new year's resolutions because i find the whole 'new year, new start' thing a little bit silly, but i think this year it's the perfect excuse to finally pursue my beliefs for good. what are your new year's resolutions for 2015?
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