Veganuary Days 15 & 16

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you've all had a good week and 'Veganuary' is still going well for you. I added something different to my lunch this week... 'Alpro' soya yoghurt's, of which I have a few flavours. The vanilla ones are my favourite.

I had a really random dinner yesterday because I had noodles from 'Lidl' that I was desperate to try and my baby corn was going to go bad if I didn't eat them quick and also the rest of my tofu wieners which I had opened a couple of days ago. Anyone would think I was a student trying to make do with what was left in the cupboards. The noodles are a bargain 18p each and states on the back of the packaging that they are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They're not bad but a little bland but worked well with the tofu wieners.

Today's dinner consisted of more noodles but Chow Mein style. I used 'Fry's' thick cut chunky strips which I enjoyed with 'Blue Dragon' sauce. Now I could literally explode from eating too much.

Veganuary Days 12, 13 & 14

So I'm still going strong and we are nearly half way through 'Veganuary' now. A few new products sneaked their way into my diet over the past few days so I'm here to share my thoughts on them. I will start with 'Asda's' new tinned veggie bolognese which had vegan ingredients but afterwards I had wondered if the red wine it contained was vegan or not, apart from that I didn't have a problem.

It didn't exactly have the wow factor but it was edible with some 'free from' pasta. I slightly smothered my pasta bolognese with 'Bellissimo' dairy free, hard sprinkling cheese which I had mixed in and then couldn't taste it at all. 

I have been sneakily snacking on 'Party Rings'. I was so excited when they were announced as veggie. I hadn't had these for a long time and now I want to make the most of them.

Yesterday's dinner consisted of the chicken style nuggets that I love, spaghetti and mash made with 'Smash' (available in 99p stores). The spaghetti was gluten free and vegan but to be honest it wasn't great. I have really taken a dislike to gluten free foods, I try to avoid it but I find that a lot of vegan products are also gluten free too.

I wanted something even quicker and easier this evening so a microwave meal was in order. I purchased this vegan meal from 'Waitrose' and it wasn't too bad.

Yesterday I finally managed to pick up my TVK box ('The Vegan Kind') from the delivery office. It's always a nice surprise and I look forward to receiving it every month.

Gearing Up For Veganuary

I have spent the last couple of days stocking up on vegan items ready for the start of Veganuary tomorrow and I think I'm just about sorted. I don't get much time to prepare meals from scratch so I've opted for products that are quick and easy and that I can just bung in the oven when I get home from a busy day at work. Most of it is vegan junk food so if you you are looking for healthy this probably isn't the place for you. During the whole of January I will be blogging about the meals I eat and the products I use and hope that I don't slip up anywhere.

Until now I have maintained a mainly vegetarian diet with some vegan products thrown in. I already use almond milk on vegan cereal's and in tea and I use dairy free butter and spreads. Already being vegetarian has it's advantages as now all I have to do is cut out the dairy consumption and that's not something I tend to eat a lot of anyway although I must admit I had gone a little down hill during Christmas eating dairy chocolate.

While I'm here I'd like to say how excited I am to finally find 'Vegan Life' magazine in a branch of WH Smiths... I had been looking for it in the shops for ages after I had bought a one off copy at Vegfest. I think my quiet New Years Eve is going to be spent having a good old read.

Lastly I would like to share with you a great find, and if you are lucky you might still be able to get your hands on a copy in 'The Works.' It's the fabulous book by Ms. Cupcake called 'The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town' (bargain price of £5.99) which I intend on actually using. I'm terrible with cook books of any kind... I buy them but then they sit gathering dust but I definitely must make the effort with this one after sampling one of Ms. Cupcakes delicious cupcakes in her Brixton shop this year (one of my highlights).

Enjoy your New Year celebrations and I'll see you on the other side.

Weekly Round-up #5

Firstly, apologies for my absence over the last few weeks, things had started to get a little hectic so I decided to take a little time out from all activities that required my thinking energy. Fortunately everything is starting to slow down now and I am just about ready for Christmas and a much needed break. I have missed three weekly round-ups so I'm hoping to get back on track.

Cosmetics transition complete
I can now proudly announce that my entire make-up collection is cruelty-free thanks to my new found obsession with Marks & Spencer's own brand range 'Autograph' replacing the last few items that I had remaining. I hadn't really taken much notice of their products before but now I've discovered them, I'm hooked.

Not only have they got a fabulous make-up range but they also stock other brands that are cruelty-free, you've only got to look for the leaping bunny. They have some gorgeous cruelty-free bubble baths, moisturisers and body spritzers but also what excited me the most were their selection of cruelty-free perfumes which I tried and tested in the store. I managed to restrain myself as the only thing stopping me from buying some was the fact that I still had a load of perfume at home that I need to use up before I even consider buying more. Anyway, I bought foundation, bronzer, pressed powder and a concealer stick.

I was rather interested in the eye shadows but I still have my 'Barry M' palettes that I have barely used so I had better start with them first.

Usher's Hat

While tuning in to watch 'The Graham Norton show' on Friday evening to see one of my favourite cruelty-free advocates Ricky Gervais, I was horrified to witness that their choice music act Usher was wearing a fur Davy Crockett type raccoon hat, as well as it making him look ridiculously stupid it made me feel physically sick to know that some poor creature died for him to flaunt that on his head. On researching his head wear, I discovered that PETA had already given him stick about it and he had been wearing it since last winter so he can't have learnt anything about it's origin and how much pain and suffering that the animal would have endured in the whole entire year that it's been in his possession.

Some people have no compassion whatsoever and I really hope that Ricky had pointed that out to him back-stage if he had the opportunity. 

Christmas Wishes

Lastly I would like to wish my readers a very Merry (and relaxing) Christmas and a happy, healthy and successful new year.

Weekly Round-up #4

Well my week off came and went pretty quickly and unfortunately I didn't manage to do half the things that I had planned but I did relax which was the main thing. I have just finished re-creating my C.V which I haven't had to do in 5 years so that's why I'm a little late with my weekly round-up. Another short one as I had already posted a couple of things (in more detail) that caught my interest during the week.

As Nature Intended

I had been meaning to visit this lovely little shop for a while now so I used my week off to my advantage. It was my first trip to Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford and that was overdue too. As Nature Intended is a little ethical health food store that sell a range of toiletries and cosmetics as well as organic food. This store is not entirely vegan but they do sell a range of foods that are. You can also find brands such as 'Faith in Nature' and 'Pacifica.' I took a couple of sneaky photo's for you.

Unfortunately I didn't need anything from here this time but I did buy a few products from other stores which I shall be reviewing shortly. If you would like to know more about 'As Nature Intended' go to their website HERE where you can also shop online.

Cruelty Free YouTuber's

As you know from last weeks post I have been on the lookout for cruelty free UK YouTuber's that review cosmetics. This week I found Rachel from 'All Natural Aspirations' who has a blog HERE. She has lots of very helpful video's reviewing many different kinds of products that aren't tested on animals. Here's one of her video's for you to check out.

SUN Perfume by Lush

This eau de cologne hand-blended with fine essential oils comes in a little 10ml bottle which is perfect for storing in your handbag but at the price of £10 seems a little bit pricey for what it is. Despite the price I was desperate to try out one of their perfumes so I snapped it up. The bigger bottle (which is not really that much bigger) is a whopping £40 and there was no way I could justify spending that amount of money on such a small bottle.

The 10ml bottle is less concentrated than the bigger bottle, therefore you will have to apply more for it to have a greater effect. In theory that does make the bigger bottle better value for money but I still wasn't convinced about the price. I have mixed feeling about this perfume. When I tried it out in the shop I didn't mind the smell but when I started using it at home I took a gradual dislike to it. However after using it for a while it started to grow on me again. It smells exactly like I've just been peeling a strong zesty orange and I think it's the bitter after-smell that I have trouble getting used to.

I would definitely recommend that you try before you buy because each perfume reacts differently to each person. I don't think I will buy this particular perfume again as I prefer sweet, fruity scents and this is far too bitter for my liking. This product is labelled vegan.

Weekly Round-up #1

Welcome to my first weekly round-up post inspired by the lovely Kelly over at 'The Vegan Taff'. This is something that I would like to keep up if possible. After considering the fact that I have got far too much to blog about in individual posts I thought I would put it all together in one big post so you don't miss a thing. It also adds a more personal element to my blog which you don't often get when I'm just posting product reviews. It acts as a type of diary entry and I really like that concept so here I go.

Raw food diet update:
As you may of seen from one of my previous posts 'Making Changes'  I made the decision to try and maintain a half raw food diet by including fruits and vegetables into one of my meals I eat per day. This was easier in theory than it was in practise. I spent at least two hours (or more) preparing the produce to be put into salads to take to work with me for lunch. I got a little bored with chopping, grating and shredding and by the time I had finished I was rather frustrated at the fact that I had just spent all that time in the kitchen when I could have been doing other things.

My time is very valuable to me at the weekends as I work long hours during the week and I'm too tired to do anything of an evening other than watch the odd film or two and chuck something together that is quick and easy for my dinner. Don't get me wrong, I would still like to maintain a healthier diet but I may have to re-asses the way I go about it. However the salads went down a treat and I felt much better for doing it.

Book Purchase:

I bought my first vegan recipe book from Amazon called 'Keep it Vegan' by Aine Carlin and it includes over 100 simple recipes which are ideal for beginners and students and perfect for someone like me who has a short attention span and gets impatient with long-winded recipes.

The book contains an introduction to the author, the health benefits of a vegan diet and a list of store cupboard essentials. It is broken up into 6 chapters, 'Breakfast, Brunch and More,' 'Midday Meals & Simple Suppers,' 'Something Special,' 'Sides and Sauces' and 'Sweet Treats.' I haven't tried out any of the dishes yet but I have been recommended the strawberry vanilla cheesecake and the macaro-no cheese by John Pellegrini (@ei8htyei8ht on twitter).

Holland & Barrett haul:

I originally went in to buy some 'Plamil' egg free mayonnaise as my friend told me that it's the best vegan mayo around, so while I was there I had a nosey in their refrigerator section and gave in to temptation. I hadn't been to Holland and Barrett for a long time so I had forgotten what products they sell. As I am currently trying to replace all my 'Quorn' products with dairy free alternatives I was delighted to have discovered the VBites range so I threw a few things into my basket.

I am excited to try the 'Cheezly,' it looks so much more appealing than the 'Tesco' free-from fake cheese. I also thought I would give 'Free & Easy dairy free cheese flavoured sauce' a try with a pasta dish but I was a little bit disappointed with the bland taste. Stella (@VeganStella on twitter) suggested that next time I should try livening it up a bit with a dollop of English mustard and vegan bouillon powder.

Blog Post fail:

I was all set to write a review of one of 'Treaclemoon's' bath and shower gels, (well I was half way through it) when I realised that they are owned by another company. I noticed on their website they state that they are owned by 'Blue orange Brand Management' which also owns various other brands that aren't cruelty free. I personally try not to buy products from brands that have parent companies that don't have a cruelty free policy.

Even after I had emailed them with concerns over one of their ingredients they proceeded to ensure me that none of their products are tested on animals and do not contain any animal derived ingredients so I was very relieved until I researched their parent company. If you have any views regarding this issue I would love to hear from you. I seem to be constantly fooled by companies that I think are cruelty free but really aren't.

The search for alternative milk continues:

I thought I had found the perfect alternative milk for me in the form of 'Almond Breeze' but @pudding4brains on twitter brought to my attention a very important article written by 'Oh She Glows' about the ingredient Carrageenan in some alternative milk including the one that I use. Now I'm on the look-out for a new brand that both works on cereal and in tea. 

It took me a while to find 'Almond Breeze' after trying out a few different alternatives. I'm not keen on Alpro, plus I don't want to consume too much soya based products as I've heard that they are not good for you. I don't like anything coconut based and the ones that I have already tried are not very nice in tea. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know in the comments.

Hooray for HURRAW

I have noticed that Hurraw lip balm is proving to be very popular lately judging by other beauty/cruelty free blogs, so here I am jumping on the band wagon with my post about these little sticks of amazingness. Hurraw balm contains premium organic, vegan (which means no beeswax) and raw ingredients and come in a luscious array of scents (I was going to say flavours as it's confusing when something smells good enough to eat).

I purchased mine from 'Whole Foods,' Piccadilly, upstairs beside the till which obviously proved to be the best selling point. I have also noticed a few displayed in 'Planet Organic' too but alternatively you can buy them on-line at the official US based website of 'Hurraw' or 'My Pure' if you are looking for a UK retailer.

I have the 'chai spice lip balm' and the 'vanilla bean lip balm.' Both are great products but the chai spice has to be my favourite... I just love the smell. I have to remind myself not to walk around in public with my lips turned up to my nose in the effort to get a whiff of the balm. Not a good look at all.

This balm goes on smoothly and isn't sticky but may have to be reapplied a little more regularly. They should most certainly be on everyone's winter essentials list whether it be for yourself or bought as a stocking filler for a family member, part of a present for a friend or even included in a secret Santa present for a work colleague. Do you think I have given you enough idea's!?!

The balm comes in an oval shaped stick which apparently is less likely to work it's way out of your back jeans pocket but I'll be keeping mine in my coat pocket or handbag. The stick also displays the leaping bunny logo which indicates that the product is cruelty free. more information can be found about the packaging and ingredients HERE.

What ones do you have? I'm interested to know what the night treatment balm is like if anyone has tried it.

Cruelty Free Shopping - It's not as easy as it seems.

When it comes to toiletries and cosmetics I like mine cruelty free and I assume that as you are here, you do too. I thought I knew everything when it came to cruelty free shopping but I continue to make mistakes in my choices. I have come to realise that when a label states that a product is cruelty free the background of the company may indicate otherwise. 'Superdrug' for example have a complete own brand range that is cruelty free but their parent company has no fixed cut-off date animal testing policy in place and owns other subsidiaries that contribute to environmental destruction on an industrial scale.

Another example is 'The Body Shop' who have been a subsidiary of L'Oreal since 2006 and been fooling everyone with their campaigns to end animal cruelty when L'Oreal continues to profit from animal testing outside Europe. 'Urban Decay' another cruelty free brand is also a subsidiary of L'Oreal. I have no idea what makes a cruelty free company want to merge with another that is going to tarnish their reputation. It's disappointing to say the least, especially when you think you are doing right by animals by steering away from brands that test on them.

My latest mistake being the purchase of the popular brand 'Jason Natural Cosmetics' made me re-asses the way I go about shopping. If I see a certain brand advertised that I like the look of, I will do a little more research into the company's background. Normally they wouldn't display any negative press on their websites so you may have to search else-where. A good place to start is at leapingbunny.org where you can find lists of different brands that don't test on animals and whether or not they have a parent company that may be involved in animal testing in some way. Unfortunately it doesn't state whether companies don't have fixed cut-off date animal testing policies  (like Jason) so that may require a little extra research. I normally type into my browser something like... is such and such cruelty free and more often than not it will provide the information your seeking.

You should also be aware of the product ingredients. Some companies may claim that they don't test on animals when they have animal derived ingredients. Look out for non-vegan ingredients such as 'Glycerin' (which can either be synthetic or derived from plants or animals), 'beeswax,' 'honey,' 'Carmine' (the red pigment produced from some scale insects), 'Casien' (the main protein present in milk), and 'Guanine' (a compound that occurs in guano and fish scales). A list of hidden animal fats can be found HERE.

If all else fails and you are still unsure then contact the company directly. There is so much to learn but at least I know that I am on the right track, I may still make mistakes but at least I will learn from them. I shall use up all my unwanted products and move on to true cruelty free ones. If anyone has any useful information to share regarding this issue then please leave a comment below.

Vegan Product of the Week: Whole Earth Smooth Organic Peanut Butter

Before I started doing some research I had no idea about the range of products on the market suitable for a vegan diet. I didn't think it would be possible to substitute my favourite foods but I was surprised to find out that I can literally buy or make every product or dish that I have previously enjoyed following a vegetarian diet. To make a change from the usual cereal I eat during the week I like to indulge myself at the weekend with toast and spreads. As I searched the isle with the jarred products in Tesco I managed to find a few different spreads suitable for vegans.

I limited my choice to two spreads, one of them being this delicious organic peanut butter by 'Whole Earth.' It tastes and looks no different to regular peanut butter but it contains natural ingredients suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The fact that it's free from any animal derived products makes it even more tastier and guilt free. It contains roasted peanuts (96%), sustainable palm oil (100% RSPO certified) and sea salt and contains naturally occurring sugars. Both the jar and the lid are fully recyclable for those of us that like to do our bit for the environment. All products in the peanut butter range are vegan but others (including the chocolate spreads) may not be so always check the label. I will continue to use this product and I highly recommend it to others. 

The Vegan Kind Beauty Box

I had already subscribed to 'The Vegan Kind' before I met them at 'Vegfest' last month so I already knew what they were all about. For those of you who don't know, I shall explain. 'The Vegan Kind' send out monthly vegan lifestyle boxes for a fee of £10 plus postage and packaging. The box usually contains about six food items and one non food item, all Vegan and cruelty free. You shall hear more about the monthly subscription boxes after I have received my next box but this time I want to let you know about their beauty box which is updated every three months and costs £15 plus postage and packaging. I picked mine up for the reduced price of £13 at 'Vegfest'. Now I'm probably a little late with this one but it gives you an idea of the sort of items you can find.

So in this box I received six cruelty free beauty products and a description of each one. The first product I tried almost instantly on opening my box has to be my favourite out of all the items and that is the 'White Rabbit Lime and Coconut Cleansing Water' (RRP £4). This is very gentle on the skin but does it's job well. The lime essential oil contained within it has antiseptic, antibacterial, astringent and toning properties. It has a subtle citrucy smell which I like because it's not too over-powering when I apply it to my face. This now has pride of place in the bathroom cabinet with all my other favourite products.

My second favourite item in the box would have to be 'Simply Soaps Orange Cocoa Bath Melt' (RRP £4.50). It's made from raw cocoa butter and pure plant essential oils which soften the skin. I can't pinpoint any one particular scent with this but you can definitely detect the citrucy notes. I was hoping that it would smell a little stronger once in the bath but that didn't put me off. I love bath products that contain cocoa butter so I couldn't wait to give this a try. I placed it in the bath and swished it around until it had fully dissolved. I climbed in and out of the bath with care as the bath melt had made it extremely slippery but it left me feeling moisturised and very relaxed.

The 'Furless 'must have' Pro Stippling Brush (RRP £8.50) is suitable for applying liquids, mousses, creams, primers and powders. I stupidly haven't used it yet as it feels so soft and I don't want to ruin it. I know, I know... what's the point in having it if I don't use it! I will, in time but for now I just like looking at it in my make-up bag. 'Furless' are an Australian company that sell an array of different high quality synthetic make-up brushes, cruelty free make-up and nail polish. I looked up their WEBSITE and was very impressed.

Now I don't normally use eyeliner pencils, I prefer liquid eyeliner for ease of application but I was pleasantly surprised with 'Inika Black Caviar Eyeliner' (RRP £13.50) as I didn't have to press as hard as I normally have to with a regular eyeliner pencil. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, maybe I'm just extra sensitive or weird. I think I will actually give this a go on occasions so this product gets to stay in my make-up bag... lucky thing!

Last but not least I received not one but two fabulous 'Beautiful Movements Cosmetics Beauty Eyeshadow' 1g sample (RRP £3.50 each) which are apparently available nationwide at 'Holland and Barret.' These mineral eyeshadows are free from parabens, synthetic dyes and fragrances, fillers, bismuth, oxychloride, nano particles and animal products. The shades I received were 'Platinum Tiara' and 'Dusty Road' (so a gold and silver) ideal colours for the autumn and winter months, 'Dusty Road' particularly so at Christmas. I tried out both and really liked them but 'Dusty Road' was definitely my favourite out of the two because it seemed to stay on for longer and was more vibrant. Although I hadn't applied any primer beforehand which I will next time.

So for a £13 box that's usually £15 I didn't do too badly with all the products totalling to £37.50... a real bargain if you ask me even if you purchase the box at full price. They may have introduced the next box by now with new products so please don't purchase it expecting to get these items but I'm sure the next one will be just as good.

October Lush Haul

I get excited every time I plan a trip to my local Lush store. I like Lush because it's a whole different shopping experience. More often than not I get chatting to the very helpful and friendly sales assistants. There's one rule I have when shopping in Lush and that is never dismiss their help as you may just discover your new favourite product through watching one of their demonstrations.

I hadn't planned to venture out at all this weekend but once I had heard that the release of their Christmas range (the fact that it's still October is irrelevant) had hit the shelves I didn't exactly have to drag myself out to go and explore their products. I was due a re-stock anyway.

'Snow Fairy' was the first item to find it's way into my basket. I have never tried this shower gel before but after hearing rave reviews and having to wait an entire year to get my hands on this special edition product I wasn't going to hang around this time. This stuff literally flies off the shelves and I had noticed that there weren't many left but I should imagine, being the most popular Christmas product in the shop they must stock up quite often but I wasn't taking any chances. 

'Snow Fairy' has a sweet bubblegum type smell and has a slight shimmer to it. I bought the medium sized bottle at £7.50 as the larger bottle is a little pricey and I had planned to buy several items, so I refrained myself from getting it. However I did decide to get the 'Magic Wand' bubble bar to go with it which is priced at £5.25 and smells like 'Snow Fairy.' You may think that it's a bit expensive but apparently you can use it multiple times making it better value for money. Just hold it under a running tap for a couple of minutes and you have bubbles.

Hot Toddy was next on my list. I'm a big fan of anything with Cinnamon in it so I knew I would love this. It smells like Christmas in a bottle and I can imagine using this in a nice hot bath on a cold Christmas eve. I didn't want to go too mad so I bought a small bottle priced at £3.95 but I have a feeling I might be returning to buy some more. This product also contains glitter to add that extra Christmas sparkle.

'So White' was the third and final shower gel on my list. This seems to have a more subtle smell compared to the others, more of a pure, fresh scent and I could definitely pick up a slight hint of apples. Having picked this up, I thought I should at least try the 'So White' bath bomb to go with it which has a stronger scent. This is a bigger sized bath bomb priced at £3.50.

Steering away from the Christmas range now, I thought I would purchase some regular products. The block at the front of my photo is the 'Buffy' body butter, I've used this before and love it. It's a body scrub that moisturises when you rub it all over the body. Another great way to get moisturised while still in the bath or shower. This is more suitably used in the evening just before you get into your jim-jams as it leaves a slight greasy film on your body.

'Sakura' (the more colourful bath bomb in the photo) is new to me so I look forward to trying it out. This is a large citricy bath bomb with mimosa and Jasmine (inspired by Japanese cherry blossom) priced at £3.35. Lastly I bought 'Butter Bear' priced at £1.95 which was recommended to me by Lush Customer Care via twitter and smells exactly like the 'Butter Ball' that I love so much but comes in the shape of a cute bear.

This little lot should keep me going for a good while.

Vegan Product of the Week: Pacifica Perfume

Since I stopped shopping at 'The Body Shop' I had been on the hunt for some decent, gorgeous smelling perfume and I found that in 'Pacifica.' After such a short space of time it has fast become my favourite perfume brand. I'm a big fan of sweet smelling perfumes and these smell good enough to eat.

Pacifica perfumes are 100% vegan, cruelty free, free of parabens and propylene glycol. They are usually priced at £19.99 but you may find them on offer at £15.99 on occasions. I purchased mine at 'Planet Organic' but I've noticed some on 'Amazon' and obviously Pacifica's main WEBSITE which is US based. The range of scents also come in the form of body butter, body wash, soap, difusers and soy candles.

The perfume can be layered or worn alone. I layered 'Island Vanilla' with the 'Tahitian Gardenia' and they smelled divine. The only downside is that it tends to fade after a few hours and needs to be topped up but the bottles are the perfect size for your handbag.

Barry M Haul

Now I'm not usually one to write about make-up and beauty products, I leave that to people who know what they are talking about but I thought I would give it a go no matter how bad it turns out. I don't tend to wear make-up that often, mostly at the weekends if I'm going out. Normally work require us to keep make-up to a minimum so I don't bother at all, especially when I have a lot of early starts to contend with. Over the past few months I have been trying to replace all the make-up I have with cruelty free brands. I thought I was doing well until I did a bit of research.

I began buying products from 'The Body Shop' but realised that they were owned by L'oreal who continue to profit from animal testing outside Europe. So when I have used these products up I shall be on the hunt for some new ones. One main company that I am aware of that is both cruelty free and affordable is Barry-M so I went into 'Boots' to buy some of their products.

I came away with their Ivory 1 Flawless Matte Finish oil free foundation, Smokin Hot Shadow and Blush Palette, Lip Gloss and two lip-sticks including the Genie which I'm really intrigued by.

So first up is 'Absolute Burgundy' in the stain paint range . I was worried that this would be a bit dark for me, I used to wear this kind of colour years ago and I had stopped wearing lip-stick for a long time but I thought I would give it a go again and I liked the result. It's a great colour for the autumn months and will look fabulous on nights out (not that I get many of those). Apologies for the extremely dodgy photo's you are about to endure.

Genie is a clever little invention and I have to admit I bought it purely because of it's magical qualities. The lip stick appears green but when you use it on your lips, it leaves them pink.

I really like the shimmery dark smoky colours in the 'Smokin Hot Palette', I used my own brush for application but I found that a lot of excess dust fell under my eyes. Unfortunately I couldn't get a good photo of my eyes once I had finished. The palette has a mirror on the inside and the flap stays shut using a magnet

The foundation was a little disappointing. The consistency isn't thick enough to cover blemishes or freckles but it's ideal if you want a subtle, more natural look. You can feel the moisturising qualities so it's reassuring to know it's not going to dry your skin out too much. It works well with powder but it's just not compatible with my complexion.

I haven't worn lip gloss for a long time either so I thought I would treat myself, I went for a nice neutral colour for everyday use (well not everyday as I won't be wearing it at work). All in all, I'm pleased with my purchases but I will continue my hunt for the perfect foundation.

Lunch at VBites, Brighton

It's been a while since I last visited Brighton but as I was returning especially for an event I thought I would look up some Vegan friendly restaurants before I went. I was surprised to discover VBites, an entirely Vegan restaurant in East Street, so I suggested it to my meat eating friend who gladly agreed to try it out. In fact she was more than happy to accompany me as she had recently found out that she has an intolerance to some dairy products. After the event we headed to VBites which was conveniently only two minutes away from where we were. I must admit I was more excited about this than the actual reason why we were there in the first place.

We found ourselves a seat by the window (additional seating upstairs) and carefully scanned the menu. I had never seen so many amazing choices. There were Burgers, Pizza's, wraps, jacket potatoes with a range of toppings, fish and chips, hot dog, soup, ice cream and cakes. I had trouble deciding because I wanted to try it all, but in the end I went for the classic VBeefy (burger) with sweet potato fries, washed down with an organic pear juice. my friend chose the Hickory Chick which consisted of smokey glazed chicky pieces in a toasted bun. You take your table number and go and order at the counter. The staff seemed very friendly and enthusiastic (just what I like to see) and the service was fast.

In the refrigerated area at the back of the shop where you can choose your drinks, they also sold a variety of vegan products such as cheese, butter, squirty cream, substitute milks, oven meals etc. There was also a little freezer filled with little ice cream tubs.

My friend and I enjoyed our meals very much. I would definitely return (hopefully in the near future) just to try out other dishes. I was completely stuffed by the time I had finished but the cupcakes that I had been ogling since I had walked in had been calling me so I purchased a peanut butter one (which was fantastically scrummy) and a chocolate milkshake to take away.

Veganuary

While I was at 'Vegfest' at the weekend one stall in-particular caught my eye so I went over to investigate. 'Veganuary' is set up to raise awareness of Veganism and living cruelty-free and urges people to go Vegan throughout the month of January 2015. After being reassured by a lovely lady who spent time explaining everything to me, I quite happily signed up. My only fear is slipping up, but I was told that it doesn't matter as long as you try to maintain a vegan diet as best as you can.

If you are a vegetarian looking for a challenge or even a meat-eater looking to change your eating habits I suggest that you sign up to 'Veganuary.' You will receive email's with information and recipes to help you. I am looking forward to finding loads more amazing Vegan products and blogging about my experience throughout January. Please follow me if you want to keep up with my posts.

Vx, Vegan Boutique

This impressive little vegan boutique literally has everything packed into it and I was interested to see how they utilised their space. Located on Caledonian road, it's a short walk from Kings Cross station. Directly to the right of me on entering the shop were a range of alternative vegan clothing items and shoes.

In front of me on the other side of the shop was a refrigerator full of drinks, next to that were shelves packed with vegan snacks and produce such as egg free mayo and dairy free cream. they also had a small selection of books.

In other refrigerators they had a good range of faux meat and cheese products which I plan to try next time I return with a cool bag. A selection of sweet and savoury take-away food (hot and cold) as well as sandwiches and cakes can be found at the other end of the shop.

The guys in the shop are very friendly and chatty. We must have talked for about 15 minutes at the counter about Vegfest (which I plan on attending this year) and other Vegan events before I finally payed for my goods. Unfortunately they won't have a stall at Vegfest London this year but you can check out their website HERE as they take orders on-line.