"It's all about hydration" - Bargain Cruelty Free Moisturisers!

I poke at my skin in the mirror, complaining that I have too many blackheads and that I may be getting lines across my forehead. "Zoe, it's all about hydration," my sister tells me after I ask her advice on skin care; her skin is looking exceptional right now. "Jo's grandma used Nivea creme everyday and she didn't get wrinkles til she was in her 70's!"

I have previously written about my skincare routine, which went completely out of the window when I went backpacking. I still really love the Burt Bee's scrub and Liz Earle cleanser, but they're a bit out of my poor person price range now that my lifestyle is more focused on saving for travel and wanting to go back to university to do my Masters degree.

My sister tells me that Jo, who also has beautiful skin, just uses regular soap to wash her face but makes sure she applies moisturiser twice a day. Of course, drinking plenty of water is essential too, which she assures me cures everything including, but not limited to: headaches, spotty skin and period pain.

Her stand on buying expensive cosmetics? "They all do the same thing. These fancy products have not been proved to make you look younger at all." Well, she has good skin and I'm fed up of paying expensive prices when maybe I only need what she uses: a cheaper scrub, cleansing wash and a twice daily slathering of budget moisturiser (and that means less than £5 for 100ml).

Marks & Spencer's Formula Light Moisturiser

At £4 for 100ml this bargain moisturiser contains chamomile extract. It is fragrance free and hypoallergenic, great for those with sensitive skin.

Superdrug Vitamin E SPF15 Moisturising Day Cream

Superdrug have some great reasonably priced facial moisturisers, however this is their cheapest at only £2.99 for 100ml. On the website it has many positive reviews from satisfied customers, proving cheaper products can be the better products. I think this is the moisturiser I will be going for as I am fond of protecting my skin from the sun and Vitamin E is also meant to be good for scarring.

Honesty Geranium & Ylang Ylang Moisturising Lotion

Honesty, based in my home county of Derbyshire, have produced a huge range of animal friendly cosmetics for many years. At £6.15 for 200ml. This lotion is suitable for facial and body use. It also comes in a larger size for more frequent use.

All moisturisers are from companies approved on the Go Cruelty Free website.

BUAV: The End of Animal Tested Cosmetics in Europe!

11th March 2013- a date which is a huge turning point in the abolition of animal testing on cosmetic products. Thanks to BUAV  after 40 years of campaigning they have now put an end to the testing of cosmetic products on animals in Europe.

What does this mean?
No new animals experiments for cosmetics can be conducted for products which are going to sold within the EU. However, companies who have previously test the ingredients of their products on animals will still be able to sell these in the EU- so its always best to look out for the leaping bunny logo for company's who embrace being cruelty free.

BUAV are now turning their attention globally for other governments globally to end animal testing on cosmetics in their country too.

Read more here!

My Favourite Ethical Skincare Products

Over the past few years my aim in life has been to, bit by bit, make my life more ethical by having less impact on the planet and to be more environmentally friendly, animal friendly and human friendly. This has manifested itself in many ways, such as with ethical clothing, the source of my food, even the amount of things that I buy and own.

It is no secret that I am firmly against animal-testing, particularly when it is so cruel and unnecessary such as in the testing of cosmetics and household products. I think animal testing is an issue for veggie's and meat-eaters alike, so if you would like to know more about animal testing, please read more here at Animal Aid and BUAV.

One of the things I have found most challenging and would to start sharing more on this blog is finding animal friendly cosmetics- which are as natural as possible. There are more and more products coming onto the market and I find the BUAV Go Cruelty Free website particularly helpful in identifying brands to use. However, as I seem to have awkward skin and hair which seem to manage to be dry and oily, even at the same time, finding products which suit me has not been an easy job!

My most favourite product to use, that I now could not live with out is Burt's Bees Peach and Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub. It is a coarse scrub which leaves your skin feeling beautifully soft and the willowbark has cleansing properties for keeping your skin clear. There has been some controversy over Burt's Bees being bought by Clorox, but I urge you to read this article at Ecosalon before discrediting them!

I absolutely love Liz Earle's Hot Cloth Cleanser. It is gentle on my skin, while having good cleansing properties, it can even be used to remove make up!

I have really struggled finding a daytime moisturiser that did everything I needed. I want it to moisturise my skin, but not to feel greasy; to contain SPF to protect my skin from the sun and a little bit of tint, as I am not an everyday make up wearer. After trying many, I have found that Dermalogic Sheer Tint Moisture SPF 15 works best for me (you can also get it without the tint). It is so light and makes my skin look beautifully even.

And for night time, to soothe my tired skin I use Neal's Yard Remedies Rose and Almond Night Cream. You only need to use a tiny amount and it moisturises my skin after cleansing to get rid of all the dirt from the day. I wake up in the morning with lovely soft skin.

You may also may see pictured a little bottle of Tea Tree Oil. I swear by pure tea tree oil for spots, whether dabbing a little of it neat onto a spot to dry it up or adding a few drops to water to use as a great spot-clearing toner. This is my saviour as my skin is prone to breakouts.

I will be posting more about my favourite animal-friendly cosmetic brands and products! Such as, hair care brands (which has been very tough) and let you have a peak in my make up bag!

An evening in Leeds

Yesterday afternoon/evening, my friend, L and I went to Leeds for shopping, Wagamama and to see John Ford's play 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore. It was such a wonderful evening and the play, which I hadn't read or seen before, was amazing! Very dramatic and tragic.

L took some snaps of me in Millennium Square when we went for a drink, today's outfit is particularly ethical and it got me thinking that I am going to make sure that all my outfits have at least one ethical piece I can talk about in these posts and avoid outfits that are all high street, which I bought before this year.

My shoes and sunglasses are both purchases I made on the high street before 2011. My shirt is from Howies, they have a shop in London and they sell wonderful clothes made out of organic cotton. My skirt is one my favourite things to wear! It's from American Apparel. I love how swishy it is and how elegant in makes me feel. My belt is a simple one from Bourgeois Boheme, who do great vegan shoes and accessories. My tapestry bag is also one of my most treasured items, it's vintage.

As you may be able to very subtly see, in this windy photo above, I am wearing eyeshadow- very strange for me in the daytime when I usually just wear mascara and usually save eyeshadow and glitter pots for the evening. I got this eye palette from Marks & Spencer, it is BUAV approved and therefore cruelty free, for only £6. I am fairly impressed with it and the colours are so bright and beautiful for summer.

Nail Polish S/S 2011

I love the trend of bright colours this season! As I am warming up to them, I am really trying to embrace brighter colours into my wardrobe, not just this season but for life. I think bright colours are so fun and they make such a bold statement. I have been thinking though, why just restrict this to my wardrobe? Why not brighten up my beauty products too! Starting with...

Nail Varnish

I love the Barry M range, it is reasonably priced and has so many colours it is unbelievable! Best of all, they're vegan friendly and they aren't tested on animals! These are my favourite 6 that I will be wearing all spring and summer. From left to right: Tangerine, Coral, Shocking Pink, Turquoise, Spring Green and Cobalt Blue.

This week I've done my toes Coral, they are so summery and happy now. Feet are so much prettier with painted toe nails. My nails are in cobalt blue, which I have had a lot of admiring comments about, some people thinking it is the new MAC Wonder Woman nail polish.

Whats your favourite colour nail polish at the moment?

TIGI: Love Peace Planet Products

 For the past few years I have very slowly been turning to using all animal friendly products and to also try and use products that are kind to the environment. I have for a while now been using cheaper hair products, any that are animal friendly that I can get my hands on. They are fine, don't get me wrong, but they don't make my hair feel great! Like when you have been to the hairdressers and your hair feels amazing, soft and bouncy, at the moment my hair feels unhappy by the end of the day.

My hairdresser has introduced TIGI Love, Peace and the Planet Products into its salon and I got some testers of the shampoos, which were absolutely fantastic and made my hair feel great! I am currently ordering things from the range (which is more than just shampoo!), they aren't tested on animals, organic products, read the website for more information. Great right? I am so glad to have finally found a professional hair product I can use which is kind to animals and the environment. Hello great Hair!!

Rainbow Nails

I am not the neatest person at painting nails, but here is my attempt at rainbow coloured nails with Barry M nail paints.

VG Gift Idea #1

It is fast approaching Christmas and this is the time of year that everyone is starting their Christmas shopping, or if you're my friend, H, finishing it. I love Christmas and I am starting to put some bits together so I thought from now on I will share my finds and Christmassy loveliness with you!!

So my Vegetarian Girl Gift Idea #1 for a Veggie/Ethical Christmas is!!

Urban Decay Vegan Palette

This great palette includes an eyeshadow primer and 6 eyeshadows, all vegan! Also, all of Urban Decay's products are BUAV approved. I saw it while flicking through the Boots gift catalogue and thought: 'what a great idea for a veggie girl's Christmas present!' I am going to write a letter to Santa asking for one myself!

They are available to buy from: Boots, Debenhams and House of Fraser!

Body Shop: New Rainforest Hair Care!

Body Shop have a new range of Hair Care called "Rainforest". I don't have a shampoo & conditioner I consistently use because I struggle to find anything that suits me. I have coloured hair, usually with a lot of red pigment in it, so I need something that will maintain the colour, keep my hair moisturised but my fringe sometimes goes 'greasy' looking by the end of the day, I'm not sure if this is my skin or hair. It is a real pain really, because you can get products for combination skin but not combination hair!

I got given a sachet of their new Rainforest Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner in a goody bag because I have the Body Shop loyalty card. So I thought I would give it a go!

My Verdict! It is reasonably priced at only £2 per bottle. The only thing that I don't like are the Body Shop bottles, the same with shower gel, they look pretty but they are hard to squeeze the last bit out of the bottom which is not economical. I found that they both had a pleasant scent and the shampoo lathered up up really well even though I live in a hard water area. The only thing was that the conditioner didn't feel that thick and moisturising for saying that was meant to be its purpose. My hair did feel nice afterwards and styled well but I feel that the moisture one was not for me. I think I will try the Balance and Radiance shampoos and see how they go. I think I'll perhaps have to alternate between three sets of shampoo and conditioner: for coloured hair, for oily hair and to volumise hair (I like my hair big) as they don't seem to do multi-purpose hair care.

Animal Friendly Deodrant Test

One thing I have struggled to go animal friendly with is deodorant. I do like to use BUAV products wherever possible, but I struggle to trust anything but Sure Deodorant as I want to be guaranteed that I will smell good all day. However, although they do not test their finished product on animals, it does not mean that the ingredients aren't tested on animals. I have chosen deodorants which are easily available on the high street.

Body Shop have recently brought out a new range of deodorant called DeoDry which is in three different scents. I thought I would give it a go! I got the DeoDry entitled 'Cool & Zesty' in the 'Stick' variety because I prefer this to a roll on. I want to really test this deodorant, so I used it on a warm day in which I was fairly busy and would be travelling about on my bike.

My verdict: It wasn't bad and performed better than expected. It isn't a 24 hour deodorant and I didn't feel it was quite as good as Sure Deodorant but very close! As long as you didn't mind reapplying the deodorant half way through the day then you'd be fine with this. I definitely didn't smell while using it, it's just it didn't have quite as pleasant a smell when I sweated as my old deodorant. I didn't seem to sweat an awful lot either, however a) it was warm and not hot on this day; b) I do not sweat a lot, so it may not be the same for everyone.

I have bought another Body Shop product to try: Aloe Anti-Perspirant Deodorant. I have high hopes for this as it has good reviews on the Body Shop website. Just a little put off my it being a roll on as you have to wait for them to dry before you can get dressed.

To also really test this, I chose another busy day to try it, just to be fair to the other deodorant! No cycling today, but lots of places to visit, carrying luggage and an hour train journey.

My Verdict: It had a pleasant smell when I put it on and didn't take that long to dry which I was impressed with. I felt fairly dry throughout the day, but I felt by the end of the day it hadn't quite protected me against sweat smells as my usual deodorant.

To give another shop a chance, I then went to Superdrug to try their own brand range as it is cruelty free. I tried the 'Crystal' version as it promises to minimise white marks on your clothes.
I tried this on a warm day where I had lots of cleaning to do, a workout, so basically a fairly vigorous day. It says 24 hour protection on the label so we'll see how it goes.

My Verdict: I think this performed better than the two previous deodorants. By the evening I was very dry and fresh. Hardly any sweat smells.

I wanted this to be a fair test, so I thought it would only be right to test my usual Sure Deodorant, to see if this really did perform better, or if it was similar to the others but I didn't really notice.

My Verdict: When I actually tried this I found that it did perform really well, but only actually marginally better than the Superdrug deodorant.

I think it is going to take a little while longer and some more experimenting to choose what I would is going to be my permanent deodorant.

Can anyone recommend a BUAV approved anti-persprint deodorant?

Ethical Nail Polish

Despite being awful and untidy at it, I love to paint my nails. And for the past year or so, I have turned to only buying animal-friendly nail polish, replacing old ones along the way.

This is a few of my ethical nail varnish's from my collection. To the left is Marks & Spencer's Essentials range nail polish, it is really good and cheap (£2.50 a bottle). Also, all of Marks' cosmetics are BUAV approved. To the right is Barry M nail paint, they have a fantastic amount of colours, it goes on well and is hard wearing. This is Barry M on my fingers and toes, in gold and purple, very regal colours. I did them like this for my holiday in France.

This is Barry M on my toes. Absolutely loads of people I know have this exact nail polish! People are loving this turquoise/blue colour for summer to show of their piggies in their new sandals. I have pink Marks Essentials collection on my finger nails.

This is Marks & Spencer's red varnish, again Essentials range. They do a few ranges of nail polish, including: Per Una, Autograph and Perfection.

Final Note! Best places for animal-friendly nail polish:

Marks & Spencer

Barry M

Urban Decay

For advice on who is selling completely animal-friendly cosmetics look at the Go Cruelty Free website!

Anyone else got any animal-friendly nail polish that they can recommend?!

Mini Body Shop Shower Gels!

I got bought lots of different mini shower gels from Body Shop off my little sister for my birthday. This is a picture of each of the different varieties I got: Mango, Satsuma, Coconut, Strawberry, Shea and Pink Grapefruit! They are are so yummy and 100% animal friendly!!

It is so lovely and I would recommend them to everyone! It is so nice having such a variety as well because I get to choose which one I feel like using each morning!

Shopping at L'Occitane

Popped into York town today for a spot of shopping and discovered York's own L'Occitane shop! I knew there was one from the website, however I hadn't actually managed to find it in all the little cobbled streets. Anyway, a woman who worked there was publicising their limited edition unisex fragrance Verbena Summer Secret outside the shop. It was absolutely yummy smelling, all lemony and fresh. I put some on and it carried on smelling great. RB also loved it, so I am tempted to soon go back and buy it!

I haven't ever bought products from L'Occitane because there has never been a shop near me but I have looked at their website and admired it. Especially because it is all natural and also BUAV approved! I always try and use BUAV cosmetics because it is really important to me to use animal friendly products, I can't stand the thought of the product that I am using having been tested on a poor animal.

There was an offer on this gift set: Summer Travel Hair Care Collection for £15 and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have a try of their products, especially since it is a little above my usual price range. I also haven't found an animal-friendly shampoo and conditioner that I find real suits me and my coloured hair, so I thought this also would be a good time to try and search for the perfect shampoo and conditioner.

It contains a miniature Aromachologie Repairing Shampoo and Conditioner which I got advised was the best product they sold for coloured hair. Also a Summer Protection Sun Hair Mist which I thought would be good for when I got on holiday again later this summer. I am very much looking forward to using it!

Barry M Glitter Pots

Barry M produce a brilliant range on animal-friendly cosmetics, my favourite being their glitter pots! They do them in more colours than you could dream of and look brilliant for when you want to make your eyes look a bit more special! I always finish off my eyes with loads of black mascara and I usually damp my brush before applying them as it gives better results.

In this picture I have simply used a purple on the top lid and a silver under my eye.

Here I have used my purple colour to line my eyes and then made the line much thicker on my eye lid. I then added 'over the top' flicks from the outer edges of my eye before filling in the rest of my eye lid that was blank with silver. I lined the inside of the bottom lid with white eyeliner.

Here I have used a black silver for the main colour and then used the regular silver on the inner corners of my eyes and underneath them.

Here I have lined my eye with a black liquid eye liner and used a white eye liner on the bottom rim of my eye. I applied silver black to my entire lid and then used Barry M's glitter liquid eye liner to finish off.

Here my lid is covered in purple with small flick shapes to the sides and then I used black underneath my eyes for a smokey look.


Here I have lined my eyes with black liquid eye liner and used white eye liner on the bottom rim again. Covered the entire eye with silver black but then added dramatic flicks at the outer corners of my eyes.

Best Ethical Cosmetics

Over the years since becoming a vegetarian I have turned to cosmetics from animal-friendly brands. I actually became vegetarian fairly young because I felt it was cruel and I did not become aware of animal testing and that they may be animal products in my cosmetics until I was a bit older. At first I struggled to find products that I liked but I have eventually found cosmetic brands that I am happy to use and recommend.

The biggest help I found when turning to animal-friendly products was the BUAV Go Cruelty Free website. It lists approved products by the HCS, so the products or the ingredients in them have not been tested on animals. However, if you are searching through this make sure you tick the boxes that it is also approved by the vegetarian or vegan society as the cosmetics could possibly contain animal products.

My most favourite brand is The Body Shop! It seems to sell every kind of cosmetic that you could ever need, including make up, haircare, skincare, body and bath products. It is also very convenient as they have stores all over the world, including my local town so I don't have to order over the Internet. It is BUAV approved, so none of their products are tested on animals and all of their products are now 100% vegetarian.

For make up I also like Barry M and Urban Decay. Both of these brands products are not tested on animals, they are vegetarian and they also have vegan ranges. I use Body Shop make up for foundation, concealer, etc, but I like the glittery eye shadows and things from these brands for going out. In the UK Barry M products are available from Superdrug and Urban Decay products are available from Boots.

For bath, body and haircare I also like Lush and Burt's Bees. Lush products aren't tested on animals, their products are vegetarian and they have a clearly marked vegan range. Burt's Bees products aren't tested on animals, they are vegetarian and on their website they have a list of their vegan products available to download. I like these brands as the products are made out of natural ingredients. From Lush I LOVE the Bohemian everyday soap, I could not live without it! In the UK Lush is available on the high street and Burt's Bees is available from Boots and Debenhams.

I also like Marks & Spencer for skincare and make up products. They are BUAV approved but some of there products contain animal derivatives, such as lanolin, which are technically vegetarian but some vegetarians would prefer to look out for and not use.

If anyone has any other brands that they could recommend then please leave a comment!