Cruelty Free Skincare Routine

I have been cruelty free for 4 years now and more recently I have been trying to reduce my plastic usage, especially in my day to day skincare routine. Products I would usually buy that are in plastic packaging I have invested time into looking for alternatives in glass or reusable containers. I keep my routine simple and natural trying to steer clear of harsh chemicals on my skin. I use a lot of Lush and always make sure to return my black pots for the store to reuse for future products to save throwing them away.

Morning 
1. I first splash my face with cold water when I wake up and then use the Aqua Marina cleanser from Lush on my face, an all natural cleanser with extracts of seaweed and calamine which helps to reduce excess oil build up meaning it is perfect for oily skin. I then wash this off with a warm face cloth or reusable cotton round.
2. I then follow this up with a facial oil and the one I am currently using is Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil that does not leave me feeling greasy but hydrated.

Nightime
1. If I have been wearing makeup that day I tend to remove it using plain old coconut oil that you can buy from regular supermarkets. I grab a bit and rub it on my face, then take a reusable cotton round to rub off the excess makeup.
2. I then go in with a gentle scrub, my favourite for years now has been the Ocean Salt by Lush. This again is great for oily skin, with sea salt, seaweed and avocado extracts helping to buff away the dead skin whilst still leaving your skin feeling nourished.
3. Sometimes (if I remember) I will do a face-mask, this is usually once or twice a week. I tend to go for a Lush one, like Cup O' Coffee mainly because I love the smell. But I also love how it leaves my skin feeling and looking rejuvenated.
4. I will finish up with some form of a night moisturiser to make sure my skin is kept hydrated overnight. I again tend to go for a more natural one that is not to harsh on my skin, and often find myself using the Sukin Moisture Restoring Night Cream that I can find in TKMaxx a lot of the time.

Vegan Skincare Routine

I never used to be that into skincare, I was more into my makeup. But as time has progressed I wear less makeup and spend more of my time looking at skincare in shops that I do eyeliners and mascaras. I think it is all about growing up and finding what you truly feel comfortable in and for me that is quite minimal makeup most of the time. Because I got more into skincare I have been doing more and more research on the products that are best suited to me and found the benefits of using more natural products opposed to cleansers filled with parabens and chemicals that are not great for the skin and have been linked to skin cancers. So,  after a lot of product switches I have finally fine-tuned my skincare routine to what works best for me, with all of the products containing mostly natural ingredients and of course being vegan and cruelty free.

Cleanser
The first step is cleansing and in the morning the cleanser I have been using for many months now is the Safa Cleansing Milk. It is a lovely gentle cleanser that I use every morning to wash away any residue that may have gathered over night. It doesn't dry out the skin as there are no harsh chemicals in it, I have found it one of the few cleansers I have tried that does not break me out either!

Scrub
In the night time I like to use a scrub and my scrub of choice is Lush's Ocean Salt, this may be no surprise to you if you read my Lush Vegan Favourites post. I adore this scrub with its natural ingredients packed full of benefits for your skin. The salt crystals exfoliate your skin leaving it feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. This is a definite top recommendation of mine.

Toner
After washing my face I use a toner, again no surprise here that the toner I use is Lush's Tea Tree Toning Water. This again is a lovely natural toner that refreshes the skin and helps to combat any spots you have with its antibacterial properties.

Moisturiser
I tend to switch between two moisturizers, the Yes to Tomatoes Daily Balancing and the Sukin Oil Balancing, Mattyifying one, which is a recent purchase. Both are made up of mostly natural ingredients without SLS, Parabens and other harsh chemicals. I prefer to go for a moisturizer targeted for my oily skin but these brands do offer other alternatives for different skin types.

Tea Tree
This is the only product I ever use to treat my spots. It's natural and simple which is the best approach to take when it comes to your skin. I also find it is very effective in reducing the redness on my skin, which is what tea tree is best suited for as it is a great anti inflammatory and anti bacterial, making it perfect for spot treatment.

Oil
Sometimes before I moisturise I use an oil and my favourite is the Rejuvenating Coconut Body Oil by ArgaNaturals. I do this about once to twice a week when I want my skin to have that extra little boost.

Mask
My favourite face mask to use is an old favourite of mine and one of the first Lush products I purchased. It's Lush's Cupcake, that is targeted towards problematic skin. I use this up to three times a week when I feel that my skin needs it and apply it after I have cleansed my skin.

Makeup Remover
To remove my makeup at the end of the day I use coconut oil or Superdrug's B Micellar Water. They both do a really great job, but if I am feeling lazy I will often just use the Micellar Water, as then I may skip my scrub and just go straight into my toner and moisturiser.

SPF
It is really important to protect your skin every day against harmful UV rays. This is my last step before putting on makeup and at the moment I use the Safa Organic Sun Lotion. This is good for protection and is affordable but it can sometimes be hard to rub into the skin without leaving little white balls but all in all it is a great sunscreen to go for.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my current skincare routine that works for me. I would love to do more vegan routines, such as my haircare bodycare, so keep a look out for those coming soon!

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Lush Vegan Favourites
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Lush Vegan Favourites

I love Lush products, I mean what is not to like? A company that protests against animal cruelty very openly. If I am honest, initially I thought that a lot of, if not all Lush's products were vegan but after looking in store at the ingredients I found this wasn't the case. So I thought I would share with you my favourite Lush products that are vegan and that I use on a daily basis. Even though not all Lush products are vegan, a lot actually are and where they can they do substitute the animal products for alternatives. But milk and honey are still in some of their products. You can find the vegan products on Lush's website here

Tea Tree Toning Water
I use this toner religiously twice a day. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and also helps to combat spots by calming down any redness with its antibacterial properties.

Cupcake
I used to love the Mask of Magniminty by Lush but after finding it wasn't vegan I was on the hunt for a new face mask. I remembered when I first started getting spots when I was 12 I used cupcake and loved how it made my skin feel. After trying it again I have fallen back in love with it. It's cooling on the skin due to the mint and also after removing the mask my skin is left feeling moisturized and clean.

The Comforter
This has been my top favourite Lush product for a while now. When I first got into Lush this was the first item that I bought and I have just kept on buying it throughout the years. The smell of this product is amazing, it reminds me of Vimto or Ribena so it makes me feel quite nostalgic!

Dragons Egg
This is another old favourite of mine. The scent of this is very refreshing and citrusy from the lemons, so it is a great one to wake up to in the morning.

Avobath
This is my favourite bath bomb by Lush. Again it is a very invigorating scent with the lemongrass that makes it another bath bomb that is great to use in the morning. I love using avobath when my skin is feeling dry as the avocado and oils leave my skin feeling smooth and hydrated after I get out of the bath.

Floating Island
This is a great Lush product if you are suffering from dry, tight skin. It's a bath oil that will melt in the bath and sink into your skin leaving it feeling nourished. I love the sweet scent of floating island and I find it really relaxes me when I'm in the bath.

Rock Star
I don't often use the Lush soaps but when I do it is often this one. I mainly picked this one because of the gorgeous scent it has, but Lush soaps are lovely and gentle on the skin so don't leave it feeling tight or dry after use.

Mechanic
Another soap, however what is different about this is that it is cold pressed. Mechanic has the scent of godmother if you are familiar with that. The benefits of the cold pressed soap is that none of the nutrients are lost like they usually are when the soaps are heated and also it is a great exfoliant for the skin.

Sophisticated
Lush's cream eyeshadows are some of the best I have tried. Often cream eyeshadows crease on me after a few hours but these ones from Lush stay put all day. Admittedly I have only tried sophisticated but it is a gorgeous, everyday champagne/gold colour. It is super easy to use as you just apply it onto your lids and blend it a little with your finger and you are good to go!

Ocean Salt
You know how I said that the comforter was my favourite Lush product, well this is a VERY close second. Ocean salt is another old favourite of mine that initially my mum used, which got me into using it later on. At first I thought it was too abrasive for my skin but less is more with this product. It is a great exfoiliant for anywhere on your body and leaves your skin feeling rejuvenated and refreshed after using it, not dry at all because of the coconut oils and shea butter that are within the scrub.

Sakura
I can't really explain the scent of this bath bomb but it contains jasmine oil along with mimosa and lemon oil, I guess I am a fan of citrus scents. I love this little bath bomb and when I use it in the bath I feel uplifted and relaxed.

Rub Rub Rub
The purchase of this product was initially inspired by my mum, again, who uses this religiously. You can use this scrub anywhere, even in your hair! (I haven't tried this yet). When I first used Rub Rub Rub, I found it a little weird because when you put it onto dry skin it is quite an abrasive scrub however step into the shower and it melts into your skin leaving it feel nourished and beautifully smooth.

Dream Cream
Last but certainly not least of my Lush vegan favourites is a moisturiser. I don't often buy Dream Cream because I do feel like it is a little pricey for a moisturiser but it does wonders for my skin, oh the struggles! I suffer from KP on my arms and this really helps to combat that by reducing the redness and it being anti inflammatory from the chamomile oil. It also feels lovely and cooling on the skin, so I use this product sparingly.

That's it! I know it was a long list but I just so happen to love a lot of Lush's products. When it comes to it I would much rather spend my money on products from a company who support the same message as I do rather than someone who supports cruelty. It is your money and where you spend it that makes the true difference.

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Lush Dark Angles Review

I was on the look out for a new cleanser that I could really feel cleaning my skin. There are those cleansers out there that you can't feel doing anything. But, after doing some research I found that Lush's Dark Angles may just be what I was looking for. It is a mix between a cleanser and an exfoliant and because of that it is great at brightening up your skin and removing any dead skin cells without being too abrasive.

As you know all of Lush's products are natural provide your skin with amazing benefits compared to cleansers packed with chemicals. The little beads of sugar and charcoal really help to exfoliate you skin and when I first used it I noticed a dramatic difference in how bright my skin looked the next day. Like I said before this is one of those products you can really feel working on your skin as you use it. Unlike so many other cleansers after using it my skin didn't feel tight or dry, instead it felt nourished and moisturized even though I was yet to apply my moisturiser, that is from the essential oils that Lush always has in it's products to soothe your skin after using the cleanser. One of the main ingredients in Dark Angels is charcoal. Charcoal is great at deep cleansing the skin and also helps to combat spots and other impuritities on your skin. I really noticed a difference in my skin after using this product for a few days. My skin looked brighter, I found that I had less spots so I was really impressed with the overall look of my skin and would recommend Dark Angels if you suffer with blocked pores or tired looking skin.

One downside I will say to this amazing product is that be careful when you are using it. I have found that when I use the cleanser the black charcoal tends to stain my face and requires a tough rub with a facial cloth to get it off. That is my only negative though as it can be an inconvenience.

Have you tried Lush's Dark Angels and have you suffered the same issue I have? I hope you enjoyed reading this post and  maybe even sparked a little trip into your local Lush.

Vegan Dupes

There are so many products out there that aren't by cruelty free brands or that contain unnecessary animal products. I am constantly on the look out for vegan/cruelty free dupes for some of my favourite products, so I thought I would share some of my current favourites that I have found. Not only are these dupes cruelty free and vegan but a lot of them are highly affordable. A lot of these dupes are Mac eyeshadows or lipsticks because they are such great products however do come with the downside of animal cruelty.

Mac Velvet Teddy - Wet and Wild Bare it all
Mac Whirl - Wet and Wild Mochaliscious (not vegan) - Elf Praline
Mac Retro - Wet and Wild Spiked with Rum
Mac Cyber - Wet and Wild Vamp it up
Mac Soar - Colourpop Brink
Mac Shroom - Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma
Candy K - Wet and Wild Bare it all
Mac Satin Taupe - Makeup Geek Prom Night
Mac Tempting - Makeup Geek Pretentious
Revlon Stay Matte - The Balm Sexy Mama Powder
Benefit They're Real - Two Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

I hope this post will help you to make better decisions when it comes to choosing where your products come from, especially perhaps your favourite Mac lipstick.

Cruelty Free Brands 2016

It has been a while since I posted a blogpost on here, blame my exams. But now I am finally exam free (almost) I thought for my first post back I would do an updated cruelty free brand list with 100% cruelty free brands.

I have been doing a lot more research on different brands and their animal testing policies. In my opinion I don't want to buy products from companies that are owned by parent companies who test on animals as I feel that a portion of my money is therefore going to that industry. The choice is up to you however. In these lists I have included 100% cruelty free brands and those owned by parent companies who test on animals.

Cruelty Free Brands

The Balm
Two Faced
Lush
Original Source
Natural Collection
Barry M
Gosh
Wet and Wild
Colourpop
Make up Geek
Charlotte Tilbury
Cover FX
OCC
B. By Superdrug
Becca
First Aid Beauty
Inika
Lime Crime
Milani
Paul Mitchel
Physicians Formula
PIXI
Zoeva
Yes To
Sleek
Alba Botanica
DR Organic
BH Cosmetics
ELF
Illamasqua
Hourglass
Soap and Glory

Parent Company Tests

Kat Von D (Kendo owns brands who aren't cruelty free)
Urban Decay (Loreal)
Body Shop (Loreal)
Nars (Shiseido)
Tarte (KOSE)
NYX (Loreal)

The brands I have included in this list I have researched and this is up to date as of June 2016. If you have any updates for me they would be appreciated. But I hope that this list will help you be more conscious of the brands you are giving your money to in regards of sponsoring animal cruelty. There are many brands as seen above that are much better options that the testing companies. Always keep checking for updates by just searching in google or visiting Cruelty Free Kitty

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Natural Cruelty Free Skincare Routine

After attempting to become cruelty free for a few weeks now I have finally accumulated a number of  cruelty free skincare items but most of which are almost 100% natural. Some people say that it is hard to find cruelty free products but you just have to know the right places to look. My favourite places are Holland and Barret, Amazon, Lush and Tk Maxx. Also sites like Peta are good for lists of cruelty free brands and that is really how I started out.

Makeup Remover
To remove my eye makeup I have been using coconut oil. I rub it between my hands until it dissolves and becomes an oil and then massage it around my eyes and it remove all of my eye makeup. It even removes my waterproof makeup and also it moisturizes your eye lashes. To remove my face makeup I used the Safa Cleansing Milk. I massage it into my skin and then use a flannel to remove the excess. Its lovely and gentle on the skin.

Scrub
At night I like to use a gentle scrub on my face, the one I am currently using is the Yes To Tomatoes Daily Scrub. Again it is really gentle on your skin and contains almost 100% natural ingredients. Its great at removing any excess makeup and residue from the day.

Cleanser
For my morning cleanser I like to use the Yes To Tomatoes Daily Gel Cleanser. I had previously never used a gel cleanser before but I quite like it. The consistency is a little odd at first but you get used to it and it leaves your skin feeling clean without being left tight.

Mask
I couldn't do this skincare routine without mentioning a Lush product. I think Mask of Magniminty is my all time favourite Lush product! I love how it leaves my skin looking illuminated. It also calms any spots that I may have on my skin without being too harsh.

Toner
I recently picked up the Lush Tea Tree Toner as I know it is great for spot prone skin. In the morning it leaves my skin feeling rejuvenated and awake and at night I feel like it is really cleansing my skin deeply and removing any left over dirt.

Oil
This way a recent find in Tk Maxx and it is a Argannaturals Argan Body Facial Coconut Oil. It's an all natural product and I like to use it several times a week to give my skin that little bit extra moisture boost. Often I find that oils tend to break me out but this one leaves my skin feeling glowy and also I have noticed helps to reduce scarring. I apply it before moisturizer to really make sure that it sinks into the skin.

Moisturizer
This is an old favourite of mine. I have been using the Yes To Tomatoes Daily Balancing Moisturizer before I even considered becoming cruelty free. Its a great moisturizer if you suffer with oily skin and leaves my skin feeling hydrated all day.

Spot Treatment
I don't really go all out with spot treatment. What I find works best is just plain old tea tree oil. It works great at targeting spots and scarring. I am not sure if this one is cruelty free, I was just using up what I had but there are many cruelty free ones out there.

Are you cruelty free or trying to incorporate more natural products into your skin care routine? Let me know some of your favourites?