The Bunny Friendly Beauty Tag

 

I love doing tags and answering questions so I thought I'd do the Bunny Friendly Beauty Tag which was created by Vicki. Read on to find out more about my cruelty free lifestyle and beauty essentials.


1) How long have you been on your cruelty free journey?
I think I went cruelty free in late 2009/early 2010, so around 6 years now. I'm fairly sure it was after I'd finished my beauty therapy training, as during that time we used lots of different products and brands and I was fairly ignorant about animal testing. Once I qualified, I decided to put my newly-discovered skincare knowledge into action and I began researching different skincare companies.

2) What made you decide to go cruelty free?
During my skincare research, I tried out a couple of brands before deciding to use Lush's products. I used to buy their bath bombs and I remembered they did skincare products, so I thought I might see what they were like. I remember browsing their website and reading all their information about animal testing, and I think that's when I realised that it still went on and that not all products were cruelty free. From there I looked into the issue further, with Cruelty Free International (or BUAV as it was then known) being my go-to source and I started replacing all my current products with cruelty free alternatives.

3) What has been the hardest product to find a cruelty free dupe for?
I have to be honest and say that I haven't really struggled to find a cruelty free alternative for anything. Maybe professional beauty products such as eyelash tints (there are probably some that are cruelty free but none that are Leaping Bunny certified) but as I no longer do such treatments it's not really a problem. It's a little harder to find certain things now that I am trying to use more natural products, but I certainly don't mind browsing the Internet for hours until I find exactly what I'm looking for!

4) What's the best cruelty free dupe you've found?
I could not live without Everyday Minerals semi-matte foundation, which I think is a brilliant dupe for Bare Minerals, which I used to use. I know Bare Minerals is regarded as cruelty-free (although their parent company is not), I prefer to use Leaping Bunny certified companies. Bare Minerals also use bismuth oxychloride in their foundations, which is an irritant and used to make my face itch! Everyday Minerals gives just as good (if not better) as a result as Bare Minerals in my opinion and is a lot more affordable too. The only downside is it is a little hard to get hold of since there are only a couple of distributors in the UK. But I love it so much that if I have to, I order it from Ecco Verde :)

5) What product or brand do you wish was cruelty free?
I wish all brands would go cruelty free, especially the most popular brands that are always raved about my beauty bloggers and Youtubers, such as MAC, Chanel, L'Oreal, Jo Malone etc. These companies get mentioned so much in the industry and I think sometimes people don't want to go cruelty free because they don't want to give up the brand names that everyone else is using, even if there are cruelty free alternatives available. If these companies were cruelty free it could only be a good thing, not least because it would make it easier for a lot of people to choose cruelty free. Plus it would mean I could finally try something from the likes of Chanel or Jo Malone (who doesn't swoon over their luxurious packaging?) - but if I never get to, it doesn't matter because nothing looks as good as being cruelty free feels :)

6) What's your holy grail cruelty free brand?
I think it would have to be PHB Ethical Beauty. They are everything I look for in a company: vegan, Leaping Bunny certified and free from harsh chemicals. Their product range is amazing, especially their skincare (which I use in my aromatherapy facials) and their makeup. They regularly have special offers, freebies and discounts available, plus 15% of their profits go to helping people and animals around the world. They are also handmade in the UK, palm oil free, halal certified and ethical. If you haven't tried PHB yet you must go and check them out, I can't sing their praises loud enough!

7) Name one cruelty free brand others might not have heard of?
Live Native Skincare. Their products are handmade in Scotland and are Fair Trade, cruelty-free, toxin-free, raw vegan organic and free from chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. I use their foot balms in my reflexology treatments. Their products are on the higher end of the price range but they are really lovely and luxurious.

8) Are you a vegan? If so, for how long and have you had any struggles? If not, why not?
Yes, I've been a vegan for over 3 years now. I gradually started to make the transition to veganism (having turned vegetarian in 2005) in 2012 and I became fully vegan in the October. It's been so much easier than I thought it would be and I know it's a cliche but my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Around the same time that I went vegan, it started to become more main-stream and I think that made it a lot easier. The only real struggle I have is that it is sometimes tricky to eat out in restaurants as so many people still do not have a clue about veganism. A couple of times I've been really annoyed at having to just have chips and salad while my family tuck into a hearty meal, but then I remember that I'm vegan for the animals therefore I'm willing to put up with the occasional boring meal for the sake of not contributing to animal cruelty.
9) What's your favourite local vegan friendly venue?
Without a doubt the Wildebeest Cafe in Falmouth! It's so amazing to have a completely vegan cafe/restaurant in Cornwall. The food there is heavenly and the desserts are the best I've ever eaten. Falmouth in general is probably the most vegan-friendly town in Cornwall. There are a couple of other veggie cafes there, and vegan cake can be found in several cafes along the cobbled streets! For a non-veggie venue that's vegan friendly, my favourite place is Kota Kai in Porthleven. They always cater for me really well and their food is so delicious. They always have vegan sorbets available for dessert, and I usually have a cheeky cocktail or two when I'm there as well!

10) You have 30 seconds to convert someone to a cruelty free lifestyle - what would you say to them?
If you love animals then you can't knowingly choose to support their suffering. By going cruelty free you can help to make a difference and you will feel amazing knowing that you don't contribute to animal testing. With a little knowledge and by making gradual changes, it is so easy to be cruelty free - I'll show you how!

I'm not going to tag anyone as I think most cruelty free bloggers have already done this, but if you haven't then join in and let me know if you do it :) 

2016 Goals ♥

 

 

Last year I didn't really make any new year's resolutions or set myself any goals. Over the past few months however, I've become quite addicted to planning and so I thought it would be fun to set myself some goals for the coming year. I've enjoyed reading other bloggers' yearly reviews and I am looking forward to writing my own at the end of 2016.

#1 Drink more water
I used to easily reach the recommended intake of 2 litres of water a day, but lately I've become terrible at keeping hydrated. Some days I will get to mid-afternoon and realise I haven't had anything to drink yet which is really bad, especially since I'm always telling my clients to drink plenty of water! I've noticed my skin has become drier since drinking less water, so I really do need to keep on top of this.

#2 Eat healthier
Again, I really should be eating healthily considering my profession, but lately I've found myself making poor food choices. It doesn't help when Jamie and I both finish work late and neither of us can be bothered to cook so we end up just chucking a veggie burger or something and chips in the oven. I really wish I enjoyed cooking but I just don't. Although I have loads of recipe books, I rarely try anything out as I think they look so complicated! If anyone has any really easy yet nourishing recipes, please send them my way!

#3 Blog more
I am determined to make more time for blogging, as I really haven't put much effort into it lately. Life has just been so busy that I let blogging take a back seat, but I really want to get back into it and fit it into my schedule.

#4 Be more organised
It annoys me that I have become a lot less organised than I used to be. I used to be early for everything, whereas now I find myself rushing to be out of the door on time, despite usually having plenty of time to get ready. I procrastinate a lot, and I seem to leave everything to the last minute. Hopefully with the help of my daily and monthly planners I will be able to set myself tasks and and stick to time schedules. I really want to spend more time getting things done, and I really want to do things in advance - including Christmas shopping! I am pretty sure that being more organised results in less stress.

#5 Read more
I used to be such an avid reader, yet lately I haven't had time (or perhaps I just haven't made time? Do you sense a recurring theme here?) to relax with a good book. I find myself starting a book and then not picking it up again for weeks or even months at a time. There's nothing better than curling up on a rainy afternoon with a book and a blanket, and so I aim to do a lot more reading this year. I still need to finish The Casual Vacancy (I started it sometime last year) and I really want to read the Poldark books before the next series airs on TV. 

#6 Become more minimalistic
Having lived in the same house for nearly 25 years (the same house I was actually born in), I moved house twice last year. They aren't joking when they say it's one of the most stressful life events! Packing and unpacking all my belongings and struggling to find places to store everything has really opened my eyes to how much unnecessary stuff I actually own. It's even made me realise that perhaps I do own too many clothes and shoes... And whilst I love having such a varied wardrobe, I have recently been pondering the idea of creating more of a capsule wardrobe. I go through phases of shopping til I drop, or going months without buying a single thing. Let's hope I can stick to the latter, or at least until I make more space in my wardrobe!

#7 Learn to say no
This is probably the goal that I will struggle with the most. I have always found it difficult to say no, and this has often resulted in finding myself in stressful situations, and doing things I don't want to do. Often not being able to say no has made me feel like people have taken advantage of my kindness and caring nature. I really hope I can achieve this one!

I'd love to hear about your new year's resolutions and goals for 2016 - whatever you hope to achieve this year, I hope you have an amazing one :)

 

My Christmas ♥

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! I had an amazing one with lots of food, family time and fun :) I thought I'd share what I got up to over the festive season.

On the 24th December we went to Truro for our traditional Christmas Eve pantomime. This year it was Dick Whittington and his Mousehole Cat. I thought it was absolutely brilliant and the Cornish twist to the story made it even better. After the panto I spent the afternoon with Jamie's family where we enjoyed a buffet of Indian snacks including vegetable samosas, onion bhajis and other little bites. We spent the evening with my family where we indulged in mini mince pies (from the Co-op) and mulled wine (from Sainsbury's).

 

Christmas morning was spent opening our presents. I was truly spoiled this year and I think I have enough chocolate to last me until next Christmas (if it will last that long!). I also received some lovely jewellery, clothes, pyjamas, slippers, perfume, skincare products, makeup, the Harry Potter colouring book and a painting. 

 

 

 

This year I had Christmas dinner with Jamie's family. Jamie and I had the Tesco butternut squash and kale nut roast with lots of veg, sage and onion stuffing and roast potatoes. Jamie's parents cook their potatoes in goose fat so they kindly made us our own separate ones cooked in veg oil (my own parsnip was also cooked with them as everyone else had honey-roasted ones). We really appreciated being catered for so well, especially as they don't always understand veganism/vegetarianism. For dessert I had a slice of Lazy Day Foods rocky road with soya ice cream. We spent the afternoon playing board games which was a lot of fun.

 

On Boxing Day we went to my mum's house for another Christmas dinner which was followed by a Christmas pudding I bought in the Co-op (labelled vegan but enjoyed by everyone!). Like last year, I did a quiz for my family which was really funny. We also played Taboo, and even my gran (who will be 92 in a few days) joined in!
For both dinners I made personalised crackers for everyone. I bought the crackers from the Works and I filled them with an Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate Mint Crisp and a little gift such as jewellery, lipgloss or miniature alcohol.

 

 

The days after Christmas have mainly consisted of watching films, eating chocolate and going walking around the Cornish coast and countryside. We have strolled along the beach at Coverack; climbed Tregonning Hill in the wind and rain; watched a search and rescue demonstration at the Lizard; battled huge gusts of wind on the cliffs at Rinsey and went wave watching in Porthleven. Despite having so many amazing places right on our doorstep, we don't always have make time to visit them, and it's been really lovely walking in different surroundings. I am so lucky to live in Cornwall, and this year I'm going to make sure I visit lots of different places!