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?

 

Why I love To Travel

 

 

Living and experiencing new and different cultures always manages to always fascinate me. I love walking around the areas and just seeing how people go about and live their daily life. I love travelling and it is something I aspire to do more and more of every time. I have so many places on my bucket list that I want to visit and experience but honestly I would go just about anywhere.

 

Each country, city, or town is different in its own unique way. The cultures that thrive in often forgotten small corners of the world are what draw out my wanderlust the most. I am the type of person who would rather spend their money on experiences than materialistic items because to me nothing is more valuable than a memory. My favourite thing to do when I am traveling is capturing photos, little aspects of each place I have visited that encapsulate the culture. Looking back of images with that sense of nostalgia and longing is what makes me crave travel more and more.

 

Although a funny thing you probably didn't know if that yes I do love to travel, but I am not the best flyer. It is a price I have to pay to archive my travel aspirations. I hope soon to go Inter-railing around Europe, and I one day want to go country hopping down to Australia. I couldn't pick my favourite type of holiday because they are al so different, but I am more of a get up and go girl when it comes to the activities. After all it isn't much fun bathing in the sun when you go as red as a tomato each time not matter the factor you put on. Each type of holiday have their own little aspects that make them their own. I love the hustle and bustle of a city scape, the historic buildings of countries and the beautiful houses of little villages. I am yet to visit a snowy landscape, but it is definitely on my list.

 

 What places are on your bucket list to visit?

 

A Cassandra Clare Haul

This haul may seem a little bit extreme considering I have purchased nearly all of Cassandra Clare's books in the space of a week. But after hearing so many people go on abut how amazing these books are and how good a writer Cassandra Clare is I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the whole lot. If you are a lover of urban fantasy novels then you should definitely check out these books I am about to mention

The Mortal Instruments
I wasn't going to purchase all the books I one go however I was searching for them all on Amazon and found the box set for all of The Mortal Instruments and all of the Infernal Devices for just £35!  I couldn't pass up getting a total of 9 books for under £40, so I purchased them all. The Mortal Instruments is a series consisting of six books set in the Shadowhunter world.

The Infernal Devices
This book series is a prequel to The Mortal Instruments set around the Shadowhunters. It follows Tessa Gray, an orphaned teenage girl who discovers she has the power to shape shift. I have been told so many times to read these books and I cannot wait to pick them all up and start reading.

Lady Midnight
This is one of the most anticipated releases of 2016, because there is a whole lot of hype behind it. It is the first book in Cassandra's new series The Dark Artifices, part of the Shadowhunter chronicles. I managed t get my hands on this beautiful edition with blue pages and I can't get over how amazing the cover is.

Rebel of the Sands
I know I said that this was a Cassandra Clare haul but I recently purchased this book by Alwyn Hamilton. It follows Amani in the town of Dustwalk a dead-town, who wants to escape its walls to experience the life she'd heard about in campfire stories.

So yes it appears that I have quite a few books to read and I'm trying to hold off reading them until Summer so that I can blast all of the Shadowhunter Chronicles in one go. I don't know how well I will do at that but I'm going to see how long I can hold off for... Are you a fan of Cassandra Clare's work, if you are what are you favourites of hers?

My Top Cruetly Free Brands

 

 

In my recent attempts to become more cruelty free I have been scouring the web looking for what bands are cruelty free ad what isn't. Those people that say if you are cruelty free you can't use any products are wrong. There are many great brands that are cruelty free that I actually found I already use.

 

Yes To

I love this brand and I already used the moisturizer in my skincare routine. I have now started using the shampoo and conditioner, as well as their cleaner and scrub. Their products are lovely and are made out of up to 98% natural ingredients. Yes to is a great affordable cruelty free option that you can find online or in Boots.

 

Two Faced

I was surprised to find that such a highly acclaimed makeup brand was cruelty free and although I have never used any of their products I thought it would be worth a mention because so many people do love it.

 

Barry M

This is another great affordable brand and are renowned for their nail polish.

 

Lush

This has to be one of my favourite brands. I love their products and how they are completely natural. They stand by their morals to be cruelty free and are amazing quality.

 

Alba Botanics

This is another brand that I haven't tried out yet but it is a great alternative for cruelty free, natural skincare. You can find their products in Holland and Barrett and also online.

 

Original Source

I love this brand for their body washes. They are natural and smell amazing! Not to mention their products are also vegan.

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills

This is another brand I was surprised with and again I'm yet to try out their products. These are a great high end makeup option if you are trying to be cruelty free.

 

Eco Tools

This brand is my favourite for makeup brushes and I previously used them before I realised they were cruelty free. They use synthetic bristles so are also vegan!

 

Palmers

I've spoken about this brand so many times before on my blog and I love them. They have amazing quality moisturizers that leave your skin feeling nourished, lovely and soft.

 

Real Techniques

These are another great alternative for makeup brushes. They do every brush you could possible need so you wouldn't even need to use a animal hair brush again.

 

Dr Organic

I've seen their products on the shelves of Holland and Barrett and have been really intrigued to try them out. They offer a range of different skin care items that are tailored to a wide range of skin types.

 

I hope this post as helped you out if you are trying to become cruelty free or are interested in trying more natural products.