November Favourites

Hi everyone, it feels like forever since I have written one of these posts. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I want to get back into the swing of blogging and forcing myself to write these posts is part of that.

I shouldn’t really say “forced” because I do enjoy blogging. I’ve just been forcing myself to prioritise it and make time for it instead of going for a nap or something.

The past few months I would literally sit and write my list of what I was going to include in this post, but I would either forget or not make enough time to take the photos. Anyway, yay for this month.

The Body Shop Hand Sanitiser

This has been one of my favourite new purchases of the past couple months. I have two of these, the strawberry one you see in the above photo and another satsuma scented one. They smell amazing and are a nice small size so you can take them everywhere with you (i do).  I think, I only paid about £2.50 for it, I don’t know if that is expensive or not in hand sanitiser world but I’m obsessed.

Eyelure False Lashes

Since I finally mastered learning to apply false eyelashes I cannot go out without them. I LOVE THEM. Eyelure ones are the best for the price and one set can last multiple times as long as they are looked after properly. As you can see in the photo, there is a nice 3 for 2 sticker on that, I got these in Miss Selfridge and I think they might always have that deal on. It’s 3 sets of lashes for a tenner and that is a bargain I cannot argue with.

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Mist

You can probably see a little strawberry theme on this post, smelling like strawberries is clearly something I’m very into right now. Not gonna lie I didn’t think I would love this product as much as I do, thought I would be like “okay thats fine” but it is so much better than fine. It has such a refreshing and sweet scent that lasts a good few hours after spraying yourself with it.

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

I stole this photo from a previous blog post because I’ve already reviewed this palette which you can read here if you’re interested. However, I have a new found love for it as it is the perfect autumnal, warm toned palette. I wear this palette too often for it not to be mentioned in this favourites post.

Lush Snow Fairy Body Conditioner

The Lush Snow Fairy range is iconic because it is amazing. I am a huge fan and some of my favourite Lush products are in this range. The body conditioner smells of candy floss, bon bons and everything sweet and nice. There is a subtle shimmer after you’ve applied this and I love it.

The Good Place

This TV show has become my favourite thing since my flat mate suggested I should watch it. It’s so light and funny, and there is an amazing plot twist at the end of season one which I am not gonna spoil for anyone. Normally I hate comedies, but I love this and also have a new love for Kristen Bell. You can watch this on Netflix and it’s also just been renewed for a third season.

So, this has been all my favourite things from this month. Hope you all enjoyed reading this. What were your favourite things from this month?

Siobhan x

 

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My Favourite Cruelty Free Brands

Hi everyone, hope you are all great.

Many people who have been keeping up with this blog will know I recently re-vamped my beauty collection to make it all cruelty free. I have been following a plant based diet for nearly 3 years now and along the way became lazy in checking what brands test on animals and which do not.  There is no excuse for buying products tested on animals when there are so many amazing cruelty free brands. This post isn’t to shame anyone on the brands they use and buy, but to share that there is so many amazing cruelty ree alternatives out there.

1. The Body Shop

This will come to no surprise to anyone who even glances at this blog that I love The Body Shop. Every second post is practically about something from there. This is one of the highest profile cruelty free brands about. The Body Shop have an amazing range of products, many of which are vegan but all of them are vegetarian. The Body Shop has also been sold by L’Oreal to another cruelty free company, so those people who avoided the brand so they weren’t giving money to L’Oreal can now rejoice.

2) Lush

Nobody can argue that the absolutely divine smell that comes from the Lush shop as you walk past doesn’t lure you in. I am particularly a fan of any Lush bath bomb and anything from the Snow Fairy range. Lush products are 100% vegetarian, some of them are vegan too. As well as The Body Shop, Lush also run a campaign towards ending the testing on animals for cosmetics.

3) Faith In Nature

This wasn’t a brand I had heard much about until the first Christmas I was vegan, my mum, gran, dad and stepmum had all bombarded me with presents from there. I am a huge fan of their Hemp shampoo and conditioner, as well as their coconut handcream which I wrote about in my July Favourites post. Faith In Nature’s products range from hair care, shower and bath products, hand wash and soap, skin care, baby care and home care.

4) NYX Cosmetics

NYX is a hugely popular cruelty free beauty brand. Many of their products are vegan but none of them are tested on animals which is a huge boost. This brand is sold in many drugstores around the UK with a very reasonable price tag. NYX also offers vegan false lashes, a couple of synthetic makeup brushes, and a couple vegan-friendly tools.

These are all four of my favourite cruelty free brands. I wanted to include more in this list but I picked the brands I have been using the longest and tried the most products from to give the best feedback.

This post is part of a collab with Courtney from The Curly Anomaly, we both follow a plant based diet and wanted to spread some information. I picked these brands as I think they have the best selection of vegan products as well for those who are interested in cruelty free beauty. If any of you are interested in adopting the vegan diet then Courtney has written a great, informative article here – https://thecurlyanomaly.com/what-i-wish-i-knew-before-adopting-a-plant-based-diet

Hope you all enjoyed this post. If I missed out any great cruelty free brands please let me know in the comments.

Siobhan x

July Favourites

Hi everyone, hope you are all well.

I can’t believe it is time to write another favourites post. There is only 4 months of the year left which is crazy as I remember New Year as if it was yesterday. However, we are now slowly moving towards Autumn which is undoubtedly the best time of the year.

I’ve tried quite a lot of new products and have acquired some new habits with beauty products this month which I am excited to talk about. I haven’t been buying loads of new products as I desperately need to save money so it was a month of raiding the cupboards trying new, unopened items.

Faith In Nature Coconut Hand Cream 

I am starting the post by talking about this as it is my favourite product in this post. My hands have been getting so dry and irritated from constantly being in and out of hot water in work and constantly wrapping up cutlery in cheap napkins. This product was a total saviour. My hands could also have been a bit drier since it is summer, but I do live in the Highlands in Scotland so even though the weather has been a bit nicer than normal I would still use the term summer lightly. This hand cream is so light and hydrating, it sinks into your skin almost immediately so there is no greasy hands after applying like there is with some moisturisers. The bottle is small and travel sized so it is perfect to take everywhere. As you can see in the photo there is the leaping bunny and vegan sign so this product is cruelty free.

Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick in Queen B 

My love for these lipsticks is not a secret but this is the newest shade I have purchased and I am OBSESSED. I don’t normally suit darker shades of lipstick as I am so pale because I just look washed out but this is a deep purple/mauve with a pink tone through it and I love how it looks when I apply it. The formula is so smooth and easy to apply. When I get up for work at 7am and apply this lipstick it is still on almost perfectly when I return home at 9pm at night. It stays on perfectly through meals as well, whatever shade of this lipstick I use of this range I am never disappointed.

Simple Moisturising Face Wash

I use this every day either at night or in the morning to wash my face and I am so happy with the results. This is a product I have had for so long but only properly got into the habit of using it this month. My skin feels so soft and clean after using this. I have never used a foaming wash before and love the way it feels as I rub it into my skin. This tube will last for so long because you don’t need to use a lot of product, only a pea sized amount. I have a really bad habit of squeezing too much out and instead of wasting it just washing my face 2 or 3 times.

The Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream

This is another product from The Body Shop which didn’t disappoint. This is a soap free shower cream designed to cleanse your skin as well as clean it too. This is the second coconut scented item on this list so you can probably tell I love coconut. This is so strong and sweet smelling I wish I had a perfume that had a scent like this too. After using this my skin really does feel softer and more hydrated. If I use this in the shower then I tend to finish off and moisturise with my coconut body butter from The Body Shop as well in the hopes I smell of a tropical coconut queen for as long as possible.

The Body Shop All In One BB Cream

I’ve mentioned in previous posts about foundation not always looking right on my skin so now I have switched to using BB cream more or less every day instead of foundation. My skin has majorly thanked me for this as it looks so much better on my skin. It is so much lighter than foundation so it doesn’t clog up my pores at all which is nice. This BB cream is skin adapting too which is nice as you don’t need to worry about is being too light or too dark. When using this my skin has a more natural glow to it which makes me look much more refreshed too. There is also aloe vera infused into the cream which makes it all the more soothing too.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Promade 

Not even exaggerating or anything when I say this but this product has transformed the way I do my eyebrows. I LOVE this stuff. It is the easiest make up to apply that I have ever used. A little goes a long way with this product so you don’t need to use masses of product so even though it is just a wee tub you get it is most likely to last for months. There is a nice consistency to this promade, I really like filling in my eyebrows with it as it doesn’t try straight away so you aren’t struggling with it. It applies so smoothly leaving your brows looking Instagram perfect.

So that is all of my favourite products from July, I hope you all enjoyed to read this post. Every item on this list is cruelty free so I am keeping up my promise to only endorse cruelty free brands now. I would love to hear your thoughts on this post and whether or not you have tried any of the products I have spoken about, let me know in the comments.

Siobhan x

My Current Favourite Affordable Skincare Products

Hi everyone, hope you are all well and enjoying your summer. I was brain storming for days about what I should write my next post on. I have so many blog post ideas but there was none I wanted to write. Do you ever get like that? Skincare is something I don’t really splash out on, £20 is probably the most I would ever spend on any product unless I felt like the world was going to end if I didn’t buy it. So I think that makes all of my skincare products pretty affordable.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Let’s talk about the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. I use this daily at night times to remove my make up. This works wonders for removing make up, even when I wear really heavy make-up after using 3-4 cotton pads with the water rubbed on it my face is clean. After use your face feels soft, clean and fresh – there is no feelings of grease or oil left afterwards which is great as this is advertised as a no rinse cleanser. This product is £1.99 on boots.com it is a complete and utter bargain.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleaner

Next to discuss is The Body Shop Cream Cleanser, I know I already spoke about this in my June Favourites post so I am gonna keep this paragraph short and sweet. I use this after I have taken off my make-up just to get rid of the last little bits of dirt on my face if there is any. This product leaves my skin feeling cleaner, softer and fresher. This is a very effective product, it’s hydrating and suitable for all skin types. This costs £7.50 and comes in a reasonably large bottle so it will last a long time even with every day use, totally worth the money.

 

Fair Naturally Cotton and Cucumber Facial Toner

I use this after cleansing my face, this is normally the last product I use before I call it quits when cleaning my face at night. This is a gentle toner with a very crisp and fresh scent to it which I adore. This is a very cooling toner which is nice on the skin and leaves skin feeling soft and refreshed. The best thing about this product is the smell, I’m honestly obsessed with it. This costs £4 and is worth every penny.

The Body Shop Skin Clearing Tea Tree Face Mask 

No post discussing skincare favourites is complete without talking about a face mask. This face mask is super cooling and refreshing designed to calm blemished skin. When I get spots, which I do right now, I always lean towards this mask. This won’t 100% clear anybody’s spots so don’t think it will, however it does lessen the appearance of them. This mask is super easy to rinse off and leaves skin feeling smooth and clean.

 

The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Day Cream

Last product on my list is my new favourite day cream. This is designed for sensitive and dry skin, I do  not have particularly sensitive skin but the skin on my face can get really dry at times. This moisturiser is free of fragrance, preservatives and alcohol. I use this every morning without fail before applying make up – it is SO hydrating. It is £13 which some may think is a bit pricey as you do only get a small tub but a little goes a long way with this cream. You don’t need to apply loads and loads, it’s so moisturising and nice on the skin it’s unreal.

So here is the end of my favourite affordable skincare products, most from The Body Shop which is not surprising. Maybe I should branch out and try some other brands, so if anyone has some good skin care brand/product recommendation please let me know in the comments. If you have tried any of these products or want to know more I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this,

Siobhan x

June Favourites

Hi everyone, I’m not gonna say that I can’t believe it’s July because I can. This year is passing crazy quick and it will be August before we know it. Even though I’m not in school and I work full-time, now that the school holidays have began I feel as though it is finally officially summer. I can’t wait to share all my favourite things from this month with you guys. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette 

Let’s start off this list with one of my favourite buys from the whole of 2017. I gave this palette a glowing review on my blog back in January or February of this year, and I am still obsessed. I go through phases with my eyeshadow palettes and use a certain one non stop for a few weeks, this is the one I am currently obsessing with. The amazing quality, high pigmentation and range of shades makes it perfect for every day use and going out make up.
The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser

Everyone knows how much I love The Body Shop this product is no exception. This is a light and creamy facial cleanser designed to remove make up and leave your skin feeling silky smooth and clean, which it certainly does. This product doesn’t have the nicest smell but it is such a gentle cleanser on the skin and I use this daily.

Instax Mini 8 Instant Camera

I have been obsessed with this camera since the moment I got it. I LOVE capturing moments with this. I’m trying to get into the habit of taking it everywhere I go with me, or at least everywhere when I do exciting things. Recently, I bought loads of new film for it including black and white film, blue edged film, polka dot edged film. This just makes it all look a bit more colourful and interesting in my photo album.

Alexa Chung – IT

I adore this book. It is a sort of scrapbook journal that Alexa Chung has written filled with doodles and photos from throughout her life. She discusses her style icons such as Winona Ryder and Mick Jagger, gives helpful suggestions on make up and heartbreak too. It is refreshingly witty and down to earth. It’s a pleasant read.

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Butter

I have had this moisturiser for so long but I still love it. It makes my skin sooo smooth and I adore the smell of it too. My favourite thing about this is that it doesn’t leave my skin feel that sticky way when a moisturiser hasn’t quite sunk into your skin yet. This is the perfect moisturiser for summer as it smells refreshing and crisp and leaves your skin feeling soft as anything.

That’s all my favourites from this month. Hope you all enjoyed reading this post, I would love to hear your thoughts on any of the items I’ve mentioned.

Siobhan x