A few of my favourite things - no.2

Hello friends! I thought I'd start this Sunday off in a positive light with a small post about things I've been loving lately and my thoughts on them.

Davroe Colour Senses Shampoo & Conditioner - 
After colouring my hair from almost-black to having light blonde to brown ends, my hair definitely needed a stronger conditioning and something to help lock-in the colour so when I stumbled across this brand on veganbeauty.com and I picked these two up straight away. It's a little more expensive than my usual Sukin or Lush hair products but the results are worth it. I've had trouble with vegan shampoos never foaming up the way I like or making my hair feel almost like straw but this foams up wonderfully, I massage it into my scalp and it leaves my hair feeling incredibly clean without being stripped! The conditioner is equally as good, giving (much needed!!!) moisture to my incredibly dry ends and not making the colour dull. Did I mention both of these products smell amazing?! Definitely worth looking into!

Models Prefer Infinite Colour Foundation - Shade: Shell
A vegan foundation that is affordable, easy to buy from the drugstore and has a shade light enough for me?! Give it to me right now! After receiving an email reply from Models Prefer about their glycerin (it's vegetable derived) I headed straight to Priceline to pick up a bottle of this and I have not been disappointed. It provides medium coverage, isn't drying and lasts quite a long time on (although not the full 12 hours that it claims!) - I even wore this to a wedding and it looked great!

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
I'm already a huge fun of the RT brushes so when I saw this and a few reviews saying it compared to the beauty blender, I picked it up from Iherb.com to try and I love it! I've tried a few beauty blender "dupes" and they've never created the same effect as the original but this Real Techniques one is definitely on par with the beauty blender! It's the same concept, you put it in water until it expands and apply your foundation with it, it has a flat end unlike the beauty blender and I find the tip makes it easy to get into the little places around the nose and eyes. It's a little stiffer than the beauty blender but I enjoy it more and this sponge with the foundation I just mentioned applies beautifully and smoothly. With it being half the price of the beauty blender, you definitely can't go wrong with it!

Elf High Definition Undereye Setting Powder
I love this stuff, a tiny, tiny bit goes a long way and ELF is already more than affordable so you would not be wasting any money testing this out! It does have some shimmer in the powder but I find it to be unnoticeable when applied and it just really helps to smooth and lock in any undereye concealer and help it from creasing!

Aromi Beauty Liquid Lipsticks - Shades: Electric Orchid & Preppy Red
I know, I know. If you've been following me for a while on Instagram or my other blog where I post small posts/answer questions, you would have heard all about these a million times but I honestly cannot recommend them enough. If you're a fan of Lime Crime velvetines and do not feel comfortable supporting the brand, these are perfect for you and of course if you're a fan of opaque, long lasting and smooth lipsticks (who isn't?!), these would be perfect for you too! I've barely worn any other lip products since purchasing these a few months back and I'm constantly receiving compliments when I wear them! Even my boyfriend comments on how long the colour lasts so you know it must be something good if even he is noticing!

Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque
A brand I haven't really tried but have seen absolutely everywhere is Aesop and on top of that, this cleansing masque so finally I decided to give it a try and I'm beyond happy with the results. It's a clay-based masque that is suppose to deeply cleanse and refresh most skin types especially those with dry skin and it does exactly like that, my skin looks and feels noticeably softer and cleaner after I use this and I find it definitely lives up to the claims. It smells delicious (lavender!) and I find it incredibly easy to remove to unlike a lot of masks that you always feel a lot of left over residue.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favourite things, let me know some of yours!

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Swatches!

 This is an incredibly overdue post but here it is finally, my swatches of the Makeup Geek eyeshadows I own. MG is often compared to MAC, they offer a range of "dupe" colours, are cruelty free with most of their eyeshadows being vegan and are super affordable. ($6 dollars a shadow!) I use these eyeshadows almost 80% of the time (and when I'm not, I'm using the wonderful Silk Naturals shadows I swatched here!) All shades I have are pigmented especially the shimmers which are extreme, they all apply smooth, non-chalky, last without a primer and do not crease on me. On to the swatches and my opinions on them!

White Lies (matte) & Ice Queen (shimmer) -

Perfect for inner corner highlights and under the brow bone
Bling (frost/shimmer)
Vanilla Bean (tiniest shimmer but appears matte on the eyelids)
I use all over the lid almost every look,
Shimma Shimma (frost/shimmer) -
Similar to Bling but is more champagne coloured and intense, another shade I use frequently. ***isn't actually vegan! Beaches And Cream (matte) -
Nice beige shade with peach undertones and nice as a transition colour!
Peach Smoothie (matte) -
Deeper than Beaches And Cream, great for the crease

Cinderella (shimmer)
Purely Naked (slight shimmer)
A frequently used shade of mine
Glamorous (shimmer) -
The name absolutely speaks for itself, this shade is beautiful and incredibly pigmented!
Creme Brulee (matte)
Another nice transition, crease or blending colour!
Cosmopolitan - (shimmer)
Gorgeous rose with gold flecks shade
Frappe (matte)
Another favourite and frequently used shade, perfect to darken any look
Latte (matte)
Like Frappe, great medium brown shade!

Gold Digger (shimmer)
Speaks for itself!
Bleached Blonde (shimmer)
A lot paler than Gold Digger and it looks so good for a night out!
Homecoming (shimmer)
I don't use this that often but absolutely beautiful shade and I love it every time I wear it
Hipster (slight shimmer)
Another good shade to darken any look or in the outer v!
Taupe Notch (slight shimmer)
Same as above
Prom Night (shimmer)
Good for a smokey eye, incredibly smooth with silver/grey reflects

Pretentious (shimmer)
Metallic bronze which I barely use
Brown Sugar (shimmer)
Warm copper brown, another love of mine!
Burlesque (shimmer)
Deep burgandy, so pigmented but also barely used

And that's all of them! I can create just about any neutral based type of look and love these for every day wear especially the lighter shades, I'm constantly reaching for this palette and even the shades I don't use as often, I still absolutely love!

If you have tried MUG eyeshadows, which ones are your favourite?

As always, thank you for reading! XO

Haul/Swatches: Powder Perfect Nail Polishes

Recently I stumbled across this brand through instagram which is Australian, hand-made, vegan, 5 free and has a range of beautiful nail polishes to offer (as well as lipsticks that will be back for sale soon!) and I picked up a couple for myself.
 

The first one I picked out and that I'm currently wearing in the picture (ignore how horribly I painted my nails!) is Raspberry Whorl, a beautiful deep pinky-purple with no glitter and paired with the matte top coat looks great!

Next is Aquitaine from the Troubadour Collection, a light beige shade with a creme finish, perfect nude!

Also from the same collection, I got Tristan a lovely mint green shade with a creme finish and it's my favourite shade of them all. 

Isolde is a soft pink with small glitters throughout (and my least favourite if I'm honest, I haven't worn this yet so maybe that will change my mind!) 

Lastly I picked up the Mad About Matte top coat which is does exactly as it describes, makes the nail polish matte! I've used it with both Raspberry Whorl and Tristan on my fingers and swatched it with all 4 colours on the nail wheel and it works perfectly.

All 4 shades I picked up are true to colour, opaque in two thin layers and the polishes themselves apply evenly and smoothly, I've worn Tristan (mint green) and Raspberry Whorl (pink/purpley) and they have lasted 2-4 days until chipping slightly and at $10, I think these are definitely affordable, great polishes that are worth buying.

And as always, thank you for reading! xo

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