Tag: cruelty free

beauty, cruelty free, reviews, skincare

Skincare Saturday: Essential Vie Review*

ramblingmads

Today I thought I’d share my thoughts on some skincare I was recently sent to review.

Essential Vie Hydrating Moisturiser

🍓Highlighted ingredients were organic Argan Oil and Vitamin E.

🍓Suitable for sensitive skin (very important for me)

🍓Not tested on animals.

🍓Vegan.

🍓Free from parabens and sulphates.

🍓Made in the UK

This is a medium thick daily moisturiser, lightly scented from ingredients not added perfumes. It absorbs quickly and leaves the lightest of residues on the skin during absorption.

I did struggle with the pump at first as it seemed to get clogged and stop working, only allowing tiny amounts out. But I persevered as it seemed like a cream my notoriously stroppy skin could get on with.

I avoided areas where my eczema has flared as that really needs something a bit more ferocious and steroid-y (prescription time!)

I had no bad reactions to this and overall it’s similar I think to Superdrug’s Vitamin E cream in texture and consistency.

You can get this from Boots priced at £9.99 for 100ml.

Essential Vie Anti Stretch Mark Oil

🍓Highlighted ingredients are organic Argan Oil and Vitamin E.

🍓Cruelty Free.

🍓A blend of essential oils designed to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

The only fragrance is from the oils, this is easy to use and suitable for the whole body.

I used it on some rather angry looking marks on my arm from blood tests that have always bothered me. It seemed to lighten the skin a bit, and certainly added some moisture and improved the overall appearance of my skin.

I had no negative reaction and found this nicer to use than Bio Oil which I find slightly unpleasant to smell or feel. This didn’t leave my skin greasy or my hand after application.

You can pick this up in Boots priced at £11.99 for 100ml.

*I was sent these products to test and review but all words and opinions remain my own.

beauty, cruelty free, make up, reviews, skincare

Sey-Beaute Naturelle Lipsticks*

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Sey-Beaute is an independent, cruelty free, vegan beauty range designed by an incredibly talented lady called Meghan who was inspired to start her line while studying in China and struggling with her hair health. Hailing originally from the Seychelles, but now based in the UK, Meghan went back to basics – coconut butter and other natural ingredients that have been used for years.

I was gifted a selection of gorgeous soy based lipsticks to test as well as a tub of delicious smelling watermelon body butter.

Sey-Chic is a gorgeous purple-pink, a warm toned lipstick that brings a pop of colour to my pale winter skin.

Sey-Shea is already a favourite, a rich golden nude that I wasn’t sure would work on my skintone at first, but imparts a slight shimmer in place of my more usual matte nudes.

I also have three of the Sey-slick lipsticks in purple, brown/red and dark pink. All rich, but not overwhelming shades, and you know I love a dramatic lip.

The use of shea and coconut oils mean these lipsticks are moisturising as well as pretty, taking care of my lips while looking good.

The watermelon body butter smells like summer and is made of all natural ingredients that my thirsty skin loves.

The use of natural ingredients and the cruelty free nature of these gorgeous products mean I can see Sey-Beaute becoming a firm favourite and one more people should be aware of.

Currently you can only purchase products directly from Sey-Beaute but I’m sure that will soon change and you’ll see these beauties stocked on the high street.

*this post contains gifted or sponsored items but all words and opinions are my own.

beauty, cruelty free, reviews, skincare

Product Review: Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Light Summer Cream* 

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I’ve been testing out the Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Light Summer Cream for a while now and thought I’d share my thoughts.

Dr. B is vegan friendly so cruelty free and contains no animal derivatives. Containing rose water and coconut oil, this soothes and hydrates skin while Tiare Flower extract nourishes the skin. This is quite a heavy moisturiser compared to some of the others I use and I prefer it for the days I’m not wearing make up as it doesn’t play well with my foundation. The fragrance isn’t too strong and fades quickly, so you can still wear perfume without the scents clashing.

The only thing I didn’t like was that it warmed my skin and felt a bit weird the first few times I used it. However I didn’t see any concerns and my rosacea didn’t flare up or become irritated. Overall I think this is a pretty decent moisturiser if you want something to keep your skin happy in winter.

*I was gifted this item in exchange for review. All thoughts and words remain my own.

beauty, cruelty free, make up, reviews

Product Review: Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Matte Gel Eye Crayons*

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The team at Influenster UK sent me their latest Vox Box which contained two of these new Marc Jacobs Beauty Matte Gel Eye Crayons.

These super soft eyeliner pencils in (Earth)quake and Pink Of Me.

(Earth)quake is a soft brown which works as a great alternative to a black liner for a softer look.

Pink of Me is a pale pink which initially I really wasn’t sure about as it doesn’t really show up well on my skin. However smudged across my lids it makes a nice light wash of colour.

These liners are incredibly waterproof, I tested it on my hand and it wouldn’t budge when I washed my hand. It takes a good splash of make up remover to take it off my hand and my eyelids.

Marc Jacobs Beauty is cruelty free, which means I can add these to my collection happily.

You can buy Marc Jacobs Beauty in John Lewis online and in store.

*This post includes items that are gifted or sponsored but all opinions and words are my own.

beauty, make up

Body Shop Birthday Buys

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It was my birthday last month and I treated myself to a few bits from The Body Shop’s make up range. Thank you for the Love Your Body Club discount. 

So what did I buy you ask? 

Lip & Cheek Velvet Stick – this might look rather odd, it’s a sort of purple/black in the stick but it’s designed to adapt to the unique pH of your skin to develop into a poppy shade that suits your skin with a matte finish. It also smells good too with a floral scent.

 At first I wasn’t sure about this but if you let it settle it really works – the soft reddish pink I got is really nice. 

Lightening Touch Universal Radiance – an illuminating highlighter which is super easy to apply (it has a built in brush) and leaves skin dewy. 

I really like this and can see it being used for brow bone and cheek highlighting. 

Lipscuff – this green stick contains lovely mint to buff away dead skin on lips and moisturise at the same time. 

My lips are super dry, especially in the winter so this is genius – a lip balm that’s also a scrub. 

Drops of Glow Lustre Finish Creator – a multi use illuminator – mix it with your favourite foundation or moisturiser to add all over glow, layer onto eyelids for extra sparkle or use like a highlighter. 

On days when I don’t wear make up this will be perfect mixed into my moisturiser to keep my skin looking healthy without needing foundation. 

Shade Adjusting Drops (lightening) – this is a pretty famous product, mix it with that foundation that’s just a bit too dark to lighten it and make it more wearable. 

Being quite pale I struggle to find foundations (and concealers) that are right so hopefully this will help level out the slightly too dark/orangey ones and make them more wearable. 

L-R: lightening drops, drops of glow, velvet stick, lightening touch. 

beauty, cruelty free, make up, reviews, skincare

Review: Arbonne Cosmetics 

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As you may be mildly sick of me mentioning, I went to the Allergy & Free From Show recently. 

One of the brands I discovered there is Arbonne – a Swiss beauty company that makes cruelty free, vegan friendly make up and skincare. 

After a little test session with friendly make up artist and rep Sarah my lovely mum bought me a foundation and a blush. Sarah kindly threw in a primer for me too.

I love make up but the combination of sensitive skin, eczema and rosacea means I have to be super careful with what I use on my face to avoid breakouts and flare ups. 

Sarah explained the ingredients and ethos used by Arbonne – from their website; 

Ingredient Policy

Transparency and honesty. For over 35 years, this has been the hallmark of our product integrity. From the beginning, Arbonne has developed products by combining the best of nature with leading science. Our mission is to always improve and evaluate our ingredient policy as an ever-evolving standard of excellence. This means we continuously challenge ourselves to do better and better.

We formulate without

animal products or by-products | artificial flavors | artificial sweeteners | benzene | bisphenol-a | carbon black | formaldehyde-donating preservatives | hydroquinone | mineral oil | parabens | petrolatum | phthalates | sodium laureth sulfates (SLES) | sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) | synthetic dyes | talc | triclosan | triethanolamine (TEA) And so much more …

A lot of the things I avoid are absent from these products which is great for me. 

The foundation I chose is in the lightest shade of the range, quelle surprise, Alabaster, a gentle medium coverage liquid foundation that sinks in without looking chalky or leaving a residue. 

The blusher is in a light shade called Ballet – it seems a little pale in the pot but once on its peach undertones appear, making my skin look warm. 

The primer is quite gel like but blends down smoothly leaving my skin even and ready to apply my make up. 

I am definitely going to keep using these products and potentially re-purchase, although I also have my eye on some of the skincare Arbonne produces. 

If anything catches your eye – do contact Sarah and check out her Instagram too for some amazing make up looks. 

beauty, beauty boxes, ethics, make up, reviews

The Pip Beauty Box

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This new beauty box, named after the founder’s canine chum, is all about championing cruelty free beauty. 50p from each box has been donated to Cruelty Free International. 

Inside are five cruelty free and vegan friendly beauty treats. 

Bloomtown Botanicals Nourishing Mini Soap (RRP £1.40) – made in small batches with plant oils and butters, this vegan friendly Soap comes in a whole range of scents. 

Akamuti Green Clay Face Mask (RRP £2) – sundries green clay that you mix yourself to make a purifying face mask that is suitable for sensitive and problem skin. 

Saturated Colour Lip Vinyl Liquid Lipstick in Frisky Fuchsia (RRP  £7) – a deep pink shade in a liquid lipstick – something of a recent beauty trend. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Black Mascara & Nearly Black Eyeliner (RRP £24.70) – both award winning formulas that complement each other. Made with botanical oils and water resistant, suitable for sensitive eyes. 

There are discount codes in the box for PHB and Saturated Colour. 

For a first beauty box this is well balanced in terms of skincare and make up – and fullsize items to boot. 

beauty, beauty boxes, ethics, reviews, skincare, vegan kind

TVK Beauty Box Nov ’16

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The box costs £18.95 from The Vegan Kind and comes every three months. There is also a monthly snack box with one beauty/body treat. As always 20p from each box sold goes to the Dr Hadwen Trust – the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity. 

Inside this box are 7 items. Several are fullsize and I have a serious issue with the size of one of them…

Maggie Anne Gel Effect Nail Varnish (RRP £10.50) – fullsize. When will ‘nude’ nail varnish die? I would love to have received a fun, seasonal colour one, but no, another nude. Having said that it seems OK – goes on smoothly, with a nice finish. 

Human+Kind Body Scrub (RRP £13.50) – fullsize. This is a big bottle of body scrub and one I will be putting aside for the Mr as I really don’t like the scent. But I do like the natural ingredients and lack of evil microbeads. 

Inecto Naturals Little Saviour Coconut Hand and Nail Cream  (RRP £1.00) – fullsize. I like coconut and I like handcream. So I like this. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Peach Lip Liner (RRP £8.95) – fullsize. Matte lip liner in a slightly weird Peach colour. Hello the 90s. Really not sure about this. 

Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Body Wash (RRP £2.99) – fullsize. I generally use argan oil on my hair after I wash it – it got rid of all my stress induced split ends like magic. So I will give this a go even though I’ve found other oil based body washes don’t leave me feeling clean or fresh as much as the bubbly ones. 

Amie Naturally Kind Morning Dew Matte Finish Moisturiser 10ml (RRP of fullsize item £4.95) – what is with the teeny tiny bottle? I don’t think you get much of a test run from something this small and at just under a fiver it’s hardly an exclusive premium product. That said, it’s a decent moisturiser for the price but nothing particularly fancy and no SPF.

Faith in Nature Watermelon Shampoo Sample  (fullsize RRP £5.50) – this is even more of a joke, have the Glossybox team taken over TVK? This is a tiny sachet of shampoo, good for one wash. Which isn’t a great way to test out whether this is for you. And again this is about average for a high street product.  What made me laugh the most was the fact that on the box insert card it raves about the gorgeous packaging – I wouldn’t know from this 7ml sample. 

All in all this was an ok box. Nothing too special- obviously the USP is that this is a cruelty free, vegan friendly collection, and in that sense it fulfils its brief. However all of these brands have been in the box before and some of the products are on the basic side. It would have been nice to see some little known and indie brands included.  

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, make up, reviews, skincare, vegan kind

TVK Beauty Box Five

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I love beauty products, make up, skincare, you name it, but I also love animals, I’m mum to five rats, and animal testing horrifies me. The comestic industry really doesn’t need to test shampoo on rabbits or mascara on mice.

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The Vegan Kind‘s three monthly beauty boxes contain products that demonstrate this fact wholeheartedly. None of these items have been tested on animals and all are suitable for use by humans.

The box contains six items for £18.95, is delivered every three months and this box has donated 20p for every box sold to The Dr Hadwen Trust – the UK’s leading non-animal medical research lab.

Inside the box;

Human+Kind Hand Elbow and Foot Cream 500ml (RRP £6) this rich and pleasant scented multi use cream contains cocoa butter and avocado oil to deliver lasting hydration.

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Spectrum Collections Concealer and Eyeshadow Brush (RRP £4.99) I am a sucker for a nice brush and love the soft electric blue bristles on this baby. Shaped for applying colour to your lids or concealer to that pesky dark shadow. I might have to use my exclusive discount code to treat myself to a few more.

Cocoyou Coconut Oil 200ml (RRP £5.99) coconut oil is everywhere this year, in baking, stir fries, slathered on skin and hair, used in teeth cleaning (oil pulling). This tub is perfect for your beauty routine, coat your face at night, smooth through the ends of your hair and use it to sort out your cuticles.

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Emani Vegan Cosmetics Soulmate Lipshine 7ml (RRP £11) this pink gloss goes on clear with a slight sheen of shine.

Vegan Button Mirror – soon to be available from the TVK website, this little pocket mirror is rather sweet with it’s bunny logo.

Green People’s Vegan & Organic Intensive Repair Shampoo 30ml trial size. Strengthens and repairs dry, damaged or weak hair. Excellent for the upcoming party season when too much hairspray and too many late nights stress your hair out. There’s also 20% off for subscribers.

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beauty, beauty boxes, ethics, reviews, skincare, vegan kind

The Vegan Kind Beauty Box

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Every three months TVK send out a beauty box to complement their snack boxes (monthly).

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This month’s has finally arrived. I think it had a few adventures getting here.

Inside are four full size vegan beauty products.

Dr Organic Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask – I’ve had this in a few boxes before and my mum swiped it last time! The dead sea is famous for its high mineral content that restores skin’s glow.

Faith in Nature 3 in 1 facial wipes – some people really hate face wipes, whereas I find them useful, to remove mistakes when applying make up and to help remove it at the end of the day (followed by micellar water and a good wash).

Teabox Detox (3 teabags – 1 day’s supply) – this tea claims to consist of antioxidants and antiinflammatories to boost skin health, remove toxins etc. My inner sceptic isn’t so sure a herbal tea could do all that but it can’t hurt.

PHB Ethical Beauty Natural and Organic Black Eye Liner – made with plant oils and waxes, water resistant yet gentle. This would be good if you want a cat flick but find the chemicals in some eyeliners make you weepy.

B is for Beautiful All Lengthening Defining Volumising Mascara in black – cruelty free beauty brand (available in your local Superdrug) I can’t speak to all their claims but if it appeals to you – then go for it.

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