My cruelty-free winter skincare routine

Lately, I've put together a winter skincare routine that I'm really happy with, so I just wanted to share a little review of the products. 

First, the lovely Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser by Pai is super fresh-smelling. My skin is not particularly sensitive, but having the central heating on for several months is a sure-fire way to dry it out.  This cleanser always feels incredibly smooth and comforting on parched skin. 

I don't wear make-up every day, but when I do, I currently use the Lime and Coconut Cleansing Water by White Rabbit to take it off.  Although it's described as a water, it contains oils which make sure it doesn't dry out the skin too much.  There's no need to rinse, but I sometimes use the Mount Purious Rosewater Facial Toner to finish if my skin feels a little bit oily after cleansing.

(I recently found out that you can return the empty metal containers to White Rabbit and receive a 50p discount on your next purchase from them, which is a great idea.)

For moisturiser, it's my favourite Monoi Oil and Gardenia Anti-aging Moisturiser by PHB Beauty.  This is so luxurious, with a subtle yet exotic scent that makes me think of far-away summer holidays (of the kind I can't afford, but what can you do...)

Finally, a new favourite!   The Rosewater Mask by Andalou Naturals was a Christmas present from my partner's sister.   Luckily, she's great at choosing presents, and this has been an instant hit.  I really don't like the feeling of masks that dry out on your skin, and then take an age to scrub off.  The Rosewater Mask is the first one I've tried that doesn't dry out, so it feels very calming on the skin, and washes away very easily.  I've used it a couple of times, and it has left my skin feeling extra soft. 

These products are all cruelty-free and vegan, and I find them to be very gentle and soothing now that my skin is feeling the ill effects of winter. 

Have you tried any of these products?  If so, what do you think?





T K Maxx - cruelty-free (small) haul

I went to Edinburgh recently for a day trip to meet up with an old friend.  Whilst I was waiting for her bus to get in, I nipped into T K Maxx for a little stock up. I've run out of Dr Bronners, and normally they have loads in, but not this time.  Never mind,,,!

What I did get was...

... a lovely big bottle of shampoo by Alba Botanica, who are certified by Cruelty Free International.  There were a number of different scents available, but this is the gardenia version - it smells quite pungent and floral, but not to the point of being unpleasant.  It is free of artificial colours, parabens, phthalates, and harsh sulphates.  This is a 946ml bottle for £9.99, so pretty good value. 

I like to buy a litre or so at a time so it will keep me going for ages.  The only small concern is that, if I've not tried the product before, it might not be good for my scalp.  This has happened before - I got a lovely big bottle of shampoo home, only to find that it made my head itchy.  The answer was just to use it as shower gel instead.  It did a great job, and none of it went to waste. 

I also got the Deep Sea Spearmint toothpaste by Jason,  Again, I haven't used this product before, but I like it.  It tastes less sweet than my usual Superdrug own brand toothpaste, but it's still minty and fresh.  I can't get used to toothpastes that don't taste of mint - just seems wrong somehow.  It cost £3.99, which isn't cheap, but this is a 170g tube, so it's quite a but bigger then the Superdrug stuff.  It's certified bunny friendly, and is also free of a long list of undesirable ingredients. 

 



Finally, I got three pairs of bamboo socks for £4.99 from a brand called Glenmuir.  At my local health food shop, the bamboo socks can be pricey, so I was happy to find these!

Hopefully, the Dr Bronners will be back on my next visit...

FatFace achieves cruelty-free certification

This week, fashion store FatFace has received leaping bunny certification for its whole cosmetics and toiletries range.  I have to say that I didn't know they had cosmetics or toiletries, but nonetheless, it's great to know that one more CF option will be easily accessible and available on the high street.  I noticed on their website that they do not use down in their clothing, which is another plus. It's true that every little helps... :)

Review - PHB Beauty

There was great excitement in my house today when my PHB Beauty parcel arrived in the post.  Daisy loves cardboard boxes, so she was happy, and I was super pleased with my purchases...

The Monoi Oil and Gardenia Anti-Aging Moisturiser (£18.95) is one of the best I've ever tried.  The texture is quite heavy and it takes a while to rub in to my skin, so I use it as a night cream.  But the scent is absolutely exquisite.  It's fresh and exotic without being over-powering.  It's one I'll be repurchasing for some time to come.

The All In One Natural Mascara (£15.95) is plain black.  It has won a number of awards, and gets featured in the press a fair bit.  Honestly, it's not the best performing mascara I've ever had.  It takes a while to build up the colour and the results are less than dramatic.  But it doesn't matter!  It's cruelty free, it's natural, and it does the job.  It doesn't irritate my eyes, and it comes off pretty easily. All this is good enough for me, hence my repurchase.

The white object is the Avocado & Olive Sugar Scrub (£4.95).  I haven't tried this before, but it has a subtle, sweet small.  As a scrub connoisseur, I'm looking forward to trying it out.

In the centre are two little samples of their Pure Skin Liquid Foundation (75p each).  I've never tried these, but I am on the hunt for a good foundation, so will report back...  Finally, at the front are two free moisturiser samples.  PHB send a couple out with every order, and I find them useful for travel.  These are Argan & Immortelle, and Shea Butter & Apricot.

PHB do discounts and offers on a regular basis, and with 40% on this occasion, this order cost around £28.  The little flier drew to my attention the Monoi de Tahiti Hair Conditioning Mask, which I've never tried.  If it's anything like the moisturiser, it will be amazing, so it's on my list for next time.

The Vegan Kind Beauty Box - August 2017 - review

My TVK (The Vegan Kind) August beauty box arrived a week or two ago, and here are this month's goodies.   This box is quarterly, which works well for me as I don't get through the products any too quickly.  In fact, I'm thinking of stopping the subscription for a bit, as I've got quite a lot of stuff piling up now.

 

Of this box, my favourite is the little Eden 10ml perfume sample of 'Daisy'.  It's fresh, floral, and smells quite sophisticated.  I don't use loads of perfume, so 10ml will last for a while. 

 

The tin on the far right of the picture is Figs and Rouge Hydra-Activ 3 in 1 Hero Cream.  Unfortunately, I had to give it to my partner as I didn't really like the scent.  However, the cream had a good, rich texture, and I'd imagine it would do the job pretty well.  no feedback from my partner as yet...

 

In the centre is Chirp Body Softnest 100% Natural Hair Mask - it smells lovely, but I haven't tried it yet...

 

The Zerreau Waterless Body Wash is a foam that you apply to yourself, and then towel off again to, as is suggests, have a wash without water.  It smells pleasant, and produces quite a lot of foam which seems to work pretty well.  I wouldn't want to rely on it for too long, but it would work well in an emergency situ.

 

And lastly, the little Tisserand Happy Aromatherapy Roller Ball.  This contains bergamot, lemon tea tree and nutmeg oils, and it's quite a strong,earthy scent.  It's the sort of thing I would use at work, just to have a little rub on your wrists for quick burst of fragrance that won't overpower everybody.  I think it'll be a nice thing to use coming into the autumn months. 

 

(There was also supposed to be a little sachet of Faith in Nature shampoo, but it didn't make it into the box.  Never mind...)

 

This month's chosen charity is Animal Free Research UK, which I'm happy to see supported. 

 

Like I said, I may not get another box for a while - I need to prioritise using up the stuff I have already, but I'll be reviewing products in more depth as I get through them.  A TVK subscription is a lovely way to find new cruelty-free delights, so I'll be looking forward to my next one, whenever that might be.



 

Aldi achieves cruelty-free status

Good news today - Aldi has achieved Leaping Bunny certification from Cruelty Free International for their own-brand range of household cleaning products.  They will be following up with certification for their beauty and personal care products, by all accounts.  So more good news on the way for the furry ones!

Good Day Organics - new BUAV approval!

I like to check out the latest BUAV leaping bunny certifications, and Good Day Organics were approved last month.  I'm especially excited to try them as they are based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which is just down the road!  The products are called Mt. Raw Skincare - a tiny bit confusing that the name is different to the company's, but maybe that's just me.  The packaging looks great, with dark, moody tree graphics, and the cold pressed natural oil ingredients sound impressive.

The product range is quite small, but for a first look, I've ordered the Body/Face/Hair gift set, which contains:

MT. RAW HEMP BODY MOISTURISER (1OOML)
MT. RAW JOJOBA MILD FACIAL MOISTURISER (100ML)
MT. RAW ARGAN HAIR CARE (50ML)

I'll review as soon as I've tried them out!

Oh, before I go, I've just checked out the latest BUAV approval, which is called - erm- Yes! Nurse.  Their thing is hand cream, a product I don't often use, but nonetheless, I may well check them out at some point...

Cruelty-free goodies from TK Maxx

It would be lovely if more BUAV-approved products were available on the high street, but one thing I've discovered is that you can fairly regularly find bunny-friendly brands at TK Maxx, and at budget prices too.  So I thought I'd run through some of the highlights I've bagged in recent times:

1) Bellapierre skincare

I got this set for £29.99, a real bargain as it's pretty expensive to buy each item separately.  The eye gel (on the right of the picture) alone costs £55!!  So I saw it as a good opportunity to try a range I wouldn't normally buy (and probably won't again unless another discount comes along).  This is definitely very good quality skincare.  The moisturiser (in the foreground) was very luxurious, it smelled like sweet cream.  The toner (blue bottle) is particularly good - smells very high-end and feels great to use on the skin.  The cleanser (white bottle) is good, but I would not repurchase (even if I could...) as it was a little on the thin side. And the eye gel? It feels wonderful as it goes on, but I'm not sure that it made any great difference to my eye area. 

2. Saaf

Saaf is the Persian word for 'pure', and this is the Organic Complexion Boosting Serum.   Unfortunately, the barcode got stuck over the ingredients, but from what I can see, the oil contains  rosehip, jojoba, vitamin E and juniper (and some other stuff).  It has quite a botanical smell - not too sweet - and it feels and smells like a very high quality blend of oils.  You can feel your skin just drinking it in.  Again, this was a good discount, from £29.99 to £9.99.  The packaging on Saaf's website has been updated, but I'm quite happy to take a good product in an older box for a third of the price!

3) EcoTools brushes

These brushes are so pretty with the decorated handles.  The set contains the conceal brush (round), the bronze brush (angled), the contour brush (domed), and the buff brush (flat top).  The bristles are synthetic and the handles are recycled aluminium.  And price? £7, reduced from £14 or so.

These brands were all new to me, so it was a great opportunity to try them at bargainous prices. 

Other bunny-approved products I've spotted at TK Maxx are Dr Bronner's, Paul Mitchell and Melvita.  So it's always worth a rummage!