Cruelty-Free & Vegan Autumn Make Up Essentials!

It's officially Autumn... the leaves are turning, the days are starting to cool down, oh and it's my birthday tomorrow! Therefore it seems like the perfect time to share my cruelty free and vegan autumn make up essentials. 

Kat Von D Serpentina Eyeshadow Palette

This palette has the perfect fall inspired shades! Think orange/red leaves and pretty colourful fireworks! Read my full review and swatches here. 

Avril Cosmetics Single eyeshadows in the shade Marécage and Terre.

Slightly more subtle autumn inspired shades with their beautiful earthy tones. The pigmentation is incredible and these two eyeshadows would look amazing with a dark berry lip! 

Barry M Nail Polishes in the shades in Sprint Finish and Slip Stream 

Is it really autumn if your nails aren't painted either dark red or purple? Nope, thought not! These are quick drying, vegan and inexpensive, so no excuse! 

Kat Von D Lolita 

Everyone loves this liquid lipstick. It's the perfect dark mauve nude and a great alternative to your berry and bright red lipsticks! 

Lippy Girl Lipsticks in the shades Boss Lady and Snog Me

These lipsticks are not only the perfect shades for autumn, they are incredibly creamy, pigmented and long lasting as well! And not to mention they're vegan, organic and eco-friendly, what's not to love?! Check out the full range here. 

Left to right: Single eyeshadow in the shade Marécage and Terre, Kat Von D Lolita, Lippy Girl Lipsticks in the shade Boss Lady and Snog Me. 

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DIY Facial Wash

I've been trying to transition to a chemical free and zero waste lifestyle recently, which includes trying to make more natural alternatives to some of the beauty products I own. Whilst the facial wash I've been using is actually organic, it still contains a lot of ingredients that I have no idea what they are! By making your own, you're in control of what you're putting on your face, whilst reducing waste and saving money at the same time. 

Both me and my dad have been using this facial wash, and we absolutely love it! My dad even wants me to make a whole load of it for him!!

You will need: 

A bottle with a pump (remember to reuse, rather than buying one)

1 cup of Dr. Bonner's Unscented Pure Castile Soap

1 tablespoon of organic Rose Water

1 tablespoon of Sweet Almond Oil 

5 drops of tea tree oil

5 drops of lavender oil

Distilled water 

Pour the Castile Soap into your reused bottle, and then add the rose water and the almond oil. Next add the tea tree oil and lavender oil. Shake it all up well! Your bottle at this point will be about 3/4 full, simply fill the rest up with distilled water and shake it all up again!

Also make sure to shake well before use, as I found the ingredients would separate when left.  

Let me know if you give it a try!!

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Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palettes | Swatches

If you didn't already know, Wet n Wild are an American cruelty free and budget friendly make up company. Whenever I travel to the US, I make sure I find a CVS and stock up! I own two of their eyeshadow palettes and I thought I would share my opinions and include some swatches of them. 

Petal Pusher - $4.99

Petal Pusher is a stunning palette made up of mostly cool tone purples and pinks. The shadows themselves are extremely pigmented, although I do find they can be slightly powdery. This palette is great if you want to introduce a subtle pop of colour into your eyeshadow collection! 

It's not that practical as an everyday eyeshadow palette, but if you want to achieve a heavier smoky eye then you need this palette in your life! 

 Swatches left to right (from top to bottom)

Comfort Zone - $4.99

Comfort Zone is my personal favourite out of the two, and has to be one of my favourite drugstore palettes! Again, the shadows are extremely pigmented and buttery. I actually found the formula of these shadows is better and less powdery compared to Petal Pusher. 

I love all of the shades in this palette and you can create so many different looks! My favourite shade definitely has to be the bluey/green/copper shade in the right hand corner!!

 Swatches left to right (from top to bottom)

Which one's your favourite? 

NEW YORK CITY PHOTO DIARY

I was lucky enough to spend a week in New York City with my mum at the end of last month for my 21st birthday. I'm not actually 21 until the end of this month, but we had to work the holiday in with the school holidays (my mum works in a school). 

Anyway, I had the most amazing time and it was the best birthday present EVER. NYC is my favourite city in the world and this was my 3rd visit there, so I kind of knew where I was going! The subway system is so much easier to navigate compared to the London Underground, and the street system is really simple to get your head around.

Here's some pictures from my adventures in New York! 

The view from the Empire State Building. 

Greenwich Village.

Fun fact, I'm a massive John Lennon fan!

View from Liberty Island.

We were lucky enough to go up in the crown!!

View from One World Observatory. 

Brooklyn. 

PHB Ethical Beauty | First Impressions

Since transitioning to cruelty free at the beginning of this year, my make up collection has definitely shrunk, but it's still larger than average. A couple of months ago I decided that as well as using only cruelty free and vegan products, I wanted to make the switch over to natural and organic products. Now this was definitely more difficult. Whilst pretty much all of my skincare and other beauty products are more natural and don't contain the usual harsh ingredients, my make up collection is a different story. I would love to have only organic make up, but I know in reality that will never happen as I have too much to use up.

ANYWAY, I thought I might as well at least try and incorporate more organic make up into my collection... it's better than nothing!

LoveLula (my favourite website for anything beauty & organic related), stock a brand called PHB Ethical Beauty. I've also seen this brand advertised in Vegan Life so I thought I'd try out a couple of their products! Also 20% of the profit that PHB make goes to charity, which is amazing. 

Pressed Mineral Eye Shadow - Forest - £9.95

Left swatch applied wet, right swatch dry

Now one thing I will say is their products (like most things that are organic), are more pricey than say an eyeliner from Barry M. But it's no different to high end make up, and I personally think it's worth paying a bit more for. 

On the PHB website, it claims that the key benefits are:

'Free from nano particles, parabens, bismuth oxychloride, talc, formaldehyde, mineral oils, fillers, gluten, fragrance, preservatives & GM ingredients. 

Long lasting 

Pure ingredients that are gentle to eyes 

Water resistant  

Buildable colour- sheer or intense 

Use wet or dry 

100% natural - great for sensitive skin 

Vegan, Cruelty Free and Halal'

So it's basically free from all the nasties that are in the majority of eyeshadows. The eyeshadow itself is extremely pigmented and applies beautifully, especially when wet. The colour is quite bright, but is still a wearable green and can be dulled down if mixed with a brown. 

Natural Organic Pencil Eyeliner in Black - £10.95

Left swatch one line, right swatch one line when smudged

This eyeliner is also free from 'nano particles, parabens, bismuth oxychloride, talc, formaldehyde, mineral oils, fillers, gluten, fragrance, preservatives & GM ingredients', which is important, especially if you're like me and put eyeliner on your top and bottom water line. I also have a habit of getting eyeliner actually in my eye, which means countless harsh ingredients are going directly in my eye. 

This eyeliner didn't budge throughout the day, and is just as good as my waterproof eyeliners. I also like that it can be smudged when first applied to create a subtle smoky eye. 

You can have a browse of their full range here!

Have you tried any of PHB Ethical Beauty's products? What should I try out next? 

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LoveLula September 2016 Beauty Box

My LoveLula September Beauty Box arrived earlier this week and I'm so excited to share what's inside! 

If you love trying out both cruelty-free AND natural beauty products, then this box is for you. At just £12.50 a month, it's extremely good value, especially as the overall value of this box is over £45! There are 4 products included, and 2 samples to try out. You can sign up here for October's box. 

Balm Balm Rose Floral Water Hydrosol - £7.50

I was so happy to see this product in this months box! Balm Balm are one of my favourite skincare brands, and I actually already own two of these floral waters. I replaced my usual toner which contained unnecessary harsh ingredients in, for this product that contains only one ingredient and is so gentle on the skin! 

FOM London Hydra Plump Serum - £15

I'm really excited to try this facial serum out. It claims to 'promote even, smooth, luminous complexion', so I will of course try it out and report back!

Ooh! - Oils of Heaven Organic Baobab Rejuvenating Face Oil - £19

Another one of my favourite organic skincare brands! I already own and love the Ooh! Natural Cacay Face Oil , so I have high hopes for this oil. It states that 'Organic Baobab oil is rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9, making it ideal as a rejuvenating oil for maintaining healthy skin'. Sounds good to me! 

Madara Active AHA Brightening Peel Mask - £4.95

I've been on the hunt for a natural face mask for a while now so I was really excited to receive this one! So many face masks contain ingredients that do your skin more harm than good, so finding a natural alternative is really important (in my opinion). 

There were also two samples from Madara and Kimberly Sayer!  

Head over to LoveLula to sign up! 

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