Unboxing: Vegan Cuts - Beauty Essentials Kit

 

Purchased: Vegan Cuts

After seeing reviews of Ipsy and Birchbox which is a subscription service where you pay monthly to receive sample beauty products to try, I went on a search for a vegan version and stumbled across this brand. I had seen a couple blogs post about them before (veganbeautyreview.com - one of my favourite blogs being one of them!) and decided to give them a try.

I purchased the "essentials kit" which came with a limited edition makeup bag (not going to lie, the polka dots had me sold!) and 10-15 (depending on the bag) items, just to get a feel on what type of things I would be getting if I signed up for the month-to-month service.

Face products:
- Two cleansing face wipes from La Fresh which was kind of disappointing as a full pack of 10 is less than 6 dollars, I don't think I'll be able to see if I actually enjoy these but oh well.
- Hydrating gel from Lotus moon that I'm looking forward to trying!

Body products!
- Black soap body wash by Soapbox (excited for this!)
- A natural deodorant by Death By Lavender which the smell is a bit off putting but maybe it will end up alright!
- Sunscreen by Sunology
- Hydrating body lotion by Weleda which smells so delicious. I've recently tried a facial oil from Weleda and I'm so in love with it so hopefully the quality of this is good too!

And lastly beauty/hair care products!
- Nail polish from Rainbow Honey cosmetics that I wasn't too keen on in the bottle but it applies so smoothly and the glitter applies evenly, it's definitely a perfect accent colour!
- Creamy lip butter in the shade "Lava" by Pacifica, another brand I've recently tested out and I'm loving. They have a range of candles, lotions, perfumes and cosmetics that is all 100% vegan!
- Lip and cheek stain by The All Natural Face in the shade "Dusky Rose" - swatched nicely and I'll be seeing how it works.
- And lastly, a detangler and shine booster by Nu Style, I have tested this twice and although I'm not keen on the smell, my hair was noticeably softer and shinier so maybe I'll end up purchasing the full size after I've tested this more!

*Not pictured - another soap and a body tonic which has been misplaced somewhere.

My verdict? I'm really glad I decided to try out this company, there's so many brands I hadn't even heard of that I'm now aware of, some brands and products I'm excited to test out and try and only one or two disappointments that could turn end up being great however I don't think it is worth the price I paid and I would have liked to seen a couple more "deluxe samples"! Hopefully I end up loving all the products.

Let me know if you're signed up to a beauty box and what your thoughts out or if you've tried vegan cuts before.

As always, thank you for reading! XO

I No Longer Support Tarte Cosmetics

*Apologies about the picture, posted from my phone.

I definitely did not think I would ever be writing a post like this on my blog as Tarte is and has been one of my all time favourite brands especially since going vegan. I have recommend this brand to anybody that will listen, I personally use most of the products pictured on a daily basis and through my encouragement, a majority of my friends (and followers on my blogs!) have tried Tarte themselves.  However, I say this with an extremely heavy and sad heart that Tarte has been bought out by Kose Corp, a japanese company that tests on animals and although the brand claims they will be keeping their "cruelty free" status, I believe they have lost that and sold out for a higher pay cheque.

I do not and will not ever support a brand that has a parent company that tests on animals as I don't feel comfortable with my money going towards supporting animal testing in any way and that means once I have finished all of these products, I will not be giving a single cent more to Tarte. I highly encourage anybody reading this that feels the same way as I do to email them with your disappointment and boycott yet another brand that has fallen down the same road as Mac, Urban Decay and the likes.

As always, thank you for reading XO

Haul/Swatches: Silk Naturals Mineral Eyeshadows

Purchased: Silk Naturals

Vegan eyeshadows that are cheap and claim to be a dupe of Urban Decays naked palettes? Don't mind if I do! when I first saw these reviewed, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them and when I came home to find them at my doorstep today and swatched them myself, I had to share them with you all.

The first "set" I picked up was the supposed dupe of Urban Decay's Naked Basic palette which has 6 neutral, matte based (with one satin/shimmer shade) eyeshadows to create every day looks. I've never owned the UD version and I was skeptical about these matte shades by Silk Naturals especially with my experience with any type of mineral makeup let alone eyeshadows but I am absolutely blown away by these! The eyeshadows are incredibly soft, super pigmented and blended so nicely when swatched and I can't wait to create some everyday work-suitable looks with them to test them out!

The other set I got was the supposed dupe of Urban Decay's original Naked palette, I own the Naked 2 but I decided to pick this one to try it out first (maybe now I'll buy SN version of Naked 2 to do a comparison video side by side!)

Again, I was absolutely stoked on how pigmented these are! The picture of the first 4 shades I swatched do not do the actual eyeshadows justice and the rest speak for themselves. I'm most excited for the Caliber shade - look at that colour pay off!

The only downside to these are the packaging as it can be quite messy and isn't exactly that travel friendly but so far, I'm super impressed with them and I'll be doing a follow up post on these!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

A Visit To Rubyfruit

I couldn't start writing restaurant reviews without beginning with my favourite place to eat which is Rubyfruit that is located in the beautiful town of Leura, my boyfriend and I made the trip on the train this morning and as always, it was 100% worth it.

Rubyfruit is a 100% vegan cafe with a range of breakfast & lunch meals, baked goods (just look at that wonderful cabinet full! I could eat them all!) delicious drinks and they also sell a range of both refrigerated and non-refrigerated grocery items, I don't think you could ask for anything more. The cafe is owned by two wonderful ladies who are always welcoming and show such a great passion towards vegan food and a vegan lifestyle in general.

I've done a couple of posts about Rubyfruit before and I think I've recommended them to just about every single person I've ever talked to and once you see what I ate today, you definitely won't question why!

Let's talk about the drinks first, Andrew got a Green Goddess smoothie which is packed full of kale, super greens, coconut water, banana & frozen mango and I had an Iced Coffee with soy cream & ice cream (I usually have the nut cream which is god damn amazing with it!) which we both enjoyed, a little too much on my end as my straw was making that awful slurping sound when it was finished but I just wanted more!

As we were there before 12pm, we got to have the breakfast menu (which is personally my favourite) and I had my meal of choice which is the pancakes that is topped with banana, pecans, pure maple syrup & ice cream and Andrew had the special fruit bowl which was filled with banana, strawberries, blueberries and coconut yoghurt & then topped with goji berries, almond flakes and chia seeds. (Pick who is the healthy one out of us?!) we shared and tasted both meals and trust me when I say they taste even better than they look, if you could believe that's possible!

Saving the best until last, (I'm talking about the cheesecake, sorry Andrew!) was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted in my life and not even Andrew could try and hide his satisfaction from the camera! I'm not even sure what the name of it is but it's absolutely delicious and tastes like topdeck chocolate, added with the ice cream and it's PERFECT. I would travel the 3 hours+ from my house just to have this alone. 

I'm sure after reading this you're ready to head there right now and I don't blame you, check out their Facebook for opening hours and support this absolutely incredible cafe!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

FOTD: Quick, bold lip & neutral eye look!

Hello! As per request, I'm doing a quick FOTD and even though I didn't use the same products as the previous post, I thought it would be fun to share anyway!

1. Elf's Mineral Infused Primer - 

I placed a small amount on the back of my hand and used my fingers to apply it all over my face. I've been reaching for this primer again recently after using a Tarte one for quite some time and I find this to be a lot lighter in consistency and cheaper too!

2. Hourglass Veil Fluid Foundation - Shade: "Porcelain"

This is only my third time using this foundation as even though I love how it applies, looks and lasts on my skin, it has quite a yellow tinge to the colour which is great for cancelling out any redness around my nose but I didn't think it suited me that well altogether - however after using it today, I think I have sparked a love affair with it and once the rest of my make up is put on, it ends up looking alright! (Plus, I am ridiculously pale, I doubt I'm ever going to find a vegan, non-drying, long-lasting foundation that matches my skin perfectly)

3. ELF HD Blush - Shade: "Headliner"

I've had a few different shades of these blushes for a couple of months now and haven't used them once so when I saw this in my cupboard, I decided to use it today. I pumped a small amount on the back of my hand and used a stifling brush to blend it into my cheeks and I have to say, I really enjoyed the look this gave! It's really smooth and doesn't settle into any pores and lasted all day. I'll try to do a full review of the rest of the colours I have of these!

4. Makeup Geek Eyeshadows - Shades: Vanilla Bean, Shimma Shimma, Cinderella & Latte

After taking off all my make up, I realized I hadn't taken a picture to show how the eyeshadow looked, luckily for you I am completely basic with eye looks and it was just the two lighter shades swept across the lid, Cinderella in the crease and a tiny bit of Latte to darken the look. I absolutely love Makeup Geek eyeshadows, a majority of them are vegan and they just apply, blend and look so great!

5. Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

My absolute favourite mascara, I've repurchased this twice already! My natural lashes are short and quite sparse but this really helps to lengthen, curl and create the look of thicker lashes for me. I definitely think it's worth trying if you haven't already!

6. Shanghai Suzy Lipstick - Shade: Fire Engine Red

I did a review on the 3 colours I own from this collection in my previous post and I honestly love them.

I didn't fill in my eyebrows today as I'm missing my ELF eyebrow gel and I didn't use any setting powders or concealer today (I usually do, have you seen the bags under my eyes?!) but as I'm still trying out the Hourglass foundation and used the ELF blush for the first time, I wanted to see how they would stay without too much extra help from other products! 

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the products I like to use and as always, thank you for reading! XO

Review: Shanghai Suzy Lipsticks

Shanghai Suzy Lipsticks | Purchased: Here

Hello and welcome to my review of a few Shanghai Suzy lipsticks I recently picked up. I'm extremely excited to share these with you as I think they're absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend them. I got 3 colours, Fuchsia, Watermelon and Fire Engine Red which are all matte finishes.

 

Miss Sanja is described as a Fuchsia shade, it's not as bright as I expected but this colour is beautiful and unlike any pink I have, it's more of a pinky-purple and I really enjoy it.

Miss Sally is described as Watermelon and I think it could be my favourite of the 3, it's a coral based pink and it's another shade I don't have anything like in my collection.

Miss Claire is described as a Fire Engine Red and I wore this all day yesterday and got a compliment about it! It's an orange based red and applies smoothly just like the other 2 shades.


I've worn these the last few days in a row and they haven't dried out my lips and have lasted quite long, I haven't used a lip liner and I didn't have too much issue with any feathering or smudging either. You can apply them sheer or a couple swipes will give you full, opaque colour and they apply super smoothly! They're so cheap ($12.95) and they smell exactly like grape hubba bubba which is just a delicious bonus. I love that the packaging has both the name on the bottom and the colour of the shade on top so it's easy to pick out when it's stored. I literally do not have one complaint about these except that I don't have more!

Which shade did you like best or would you like to try?

Also, I just wanted to quickly add a nice shout out to Veronica who runs the website where I bought these lipsticks from (veganbeauty.com.au) I've ordered two packages from her now and each time there has been a handwritten, personalised message which I think is such a lovely touch and it's very appreciated, I definitely recommend checking out what other vegan makeup goodies she has to offer!

And as always, thank you for reading! XO

Sunday Love - Sukin Natural Deodorant

  Sukin Natural Deodorant | Purchased: Priceline

Hello and welcome to my sunday love, each week I'm going to aim to post a little review on one product I've absolutely been loving throughout the week (or longer!) I hope you've all had a wonderful week and you're sitting down relaxing while reading this.

I decided I couldn't start off this little "series" without beginning with this product. Let's begin with a little story beforehand, after going vegan, I tried a range of different deodorants and just haven't been ever been that impressed with them and my body likes to do this neat trick where it decides it will start randomly having a reaction to a certain product. Over two months ago, my body performed it's trick with a deodorant I was using and it hasn't stopped since, I've had (tmi) a horrible, itchy red mess underneath my left arm and nothing I did ever helped. Changing deodorants, not using deodorant, whatever! I tried 3 to 4 different deodorants and my under arm either remained the same (itchy) or even worse in some cases.

On a whim, I picked this up from Priceline thinking it might help at least cool down my underarms as it was a spray not a roll on and I didn't have any high hopes for it to begin with but after the first use, I was entirely impressed. Like all Sukin products I've tried, it smells absolutely delicious! I spray two or three pumps on my under arms and it seriously works. I work long days in childcare, I still smell wonderful afterwards AND it has helped clear up the reaction underneath my arm. It contains no aluminium, no parabens and no harsh ingredients.

Sukin is an Australian owned and made brand with completely vegan and affordable products found at Priceline or other health stores and I just could not be happier with this deodorant and this brand in general. I highly recommend checking this out especially if you have sensitive skin.

And as always, thank you for reading! XO