If you haven’t yet delved into the world of awesomeness that isStrawberry Hedgehog, you need to get on that shit STAT! What I love most about SH is that everything is free of gross, ass-nasty chemi ingredients, and all the yummy pamperin’ goods are super natural (not to be confused with supernatural), 100% vegan, and are made by one of the sweetest and craftiest ladies on the planet (word up, Tracy!)
My current faves:
Lemon-Jasmine Whipped Body Creme: Now, you might be anxiously searching SH’s site looking for this deluxe blend of whipped heavenly body crème, but you won’t find this particular scent! This is a tease for Strawberry Hedgehogs’s US Crème Club. For just $48, you can pamper yourself with 3 months of freshly made organic vegan whipped body crème (4oz jars) delivered straight to your door. This crème is made with the purest, most nourishing ingredients (organic, fair trade shea & cocoa butters with organic sweet almond & apricot kernel oils)—your skin will be dying to drink this yummy concoction up!
Cooling Blemish Spot Treatment, $12: Pre my eco/green beauty conscious days, I was all about Clearasil… nevermind that it sometimes bleached my clothes or zapped any bit of moisture out of my skin. Now that I’m all about incorporating more natural and organic beauty goods into my daily regimen, this blemish treatment is my savior. Btw, I ♥ that it’s a roll-on and I ♥ that it’s tingly! Sweet birch and chamomile essential oils decrease inflammation while tea tree essential oil kills bacteria to aid healing plus a proprietary blend of oils to minimize the appearance of pores. Just apply before beddies and allow it to do its thang.
Neroli Hydrating Facial Mist (orange blossom), $9: This multitasking refreshing spray is wunderbar! You can use it as a toner (which I’m all about—it spritzes so evenly, provides the perfect amount of moisture and has a delicate, relaxing aroma), a pillow spray, a pick-me-up aromatherapy boost, or you can use it to help set your mineral makeup. Badass, huh? This particular blend is calming-soothing-sensual which beautifully complements my bedtime routine to a T.
Bdellium Tools has an ultra fab Green Bambu line of high-quality, professional, eco-friendly makeup brushes with sustainable bamboo handles that are gonna rock your world (for realsies—and I’m not just saying that because the kind peeps at Bdellium hooked me up with a complimentary set). Not only are these brushes planet-friendly, they’re animal-friendly and human-friendly, too! You’re gonna fall in love with their super soft, synthetic (shed-free), vegan bristle-y love, and to top it off—the price of this 5-piece bad boy set is only $35.53. SCORE!
5-Piece Green Bambu set includes the following makeup brushes: powder blending, slanted contour, precision concealer, duet fiber large tapered blending, and large shadow
5 Reasons I ♥ Bdellium Bambu brushes:
They are green—eco/sustainabilty-wise and literally (they add a li’l oomph to my otherwise bland makeup bag)
The bamboo handles are über light and easy to work with (now if I could just find a hair brush that is as light as air, too!)
This set contains 5 of the most important makeup brushes a gal could have (sers, I use every single one of these on a daily basis)
The synthetic bristles are crazy-redonkulously soft … it’s a relaxing treat to apply my powder foundation, na mean?
They’re hypoallergenic for all y’alls with sensitive skin (also, did you know that animal hair makeup brushes are a haven for bacteria?—mega ew!)
All right all you DIY holiday gifters *high fives*, these bath salts are guaranteed to woo your friends and fam—without breaking the bank.
Seriously, I can’t think of a better prezzie than a long, relaxing, anti-stressy yuletide-y soak… I’m gettin’ all warm and fuzzy just thinkin’ about it. Let’s get to work!
DIY Bath Salts
3/4 cup Epsom salts
1/2 cup sea salt
1/4 cup baking soda
6-8 drops of your fave essential oil(s)
Optional: dried lavender or rose petals
Combine all the ingredients together, and store in a jar with a lid. (Kind of too easy, right?)
Are y’all ready for some proper holiday pampering and TLC? Me too!
VBR has teamed up with derma e, one of my all-time favorite vegan skincare companies, for a special holiday gift basket giveaway! Yahooooooooey!
Get excited ’cause the derma e beauty products in this deluxe gift basket are sick! Seriously, I’m totally jels that I can’t enter to win myself.
The pamperin’ goodies up for grabs ($84.40 value):
Fruit Enzyme Facial Scrub
Cleansing Enzyme Mask
Intensive Therapy Foot Crème
Lavender Hand & Body Moisture Therapy
Peptides Plus® Wrinkle Reverse Eye Crème
To enter to win this holiday gift basket from derma e, simply “like” derma e on Facebook, and comment below with your favorite way to pamper yourself during the holiday season. All entrants must be residents of the US to enter to win. The winner will be chosen at random and notified on Friday, Dec. 9th, 2011! Good luck! xx
All right, Lushies, get ready to swoon over the latest and greatest vegan LUSH goodies. Yahooooooey! Since ChristmaHanukkahHanzFranz&Kwanzaaka is just a hop, skip, jump and booty slap away, there’s no time like the present to hook yourself up with some supa-fab beautifyin’ gifts to make you look über hawt!
My faves:
No Drought Dry Shampoo, $12.95: The older I get, the more I realize I can can get away without washing my hair for longer periods of time (shhhh, that’s privileged information). Sers, between waking up at the butt-crack of dawn for work, sleepy nap times, slavin’ away at the gym, and straight up laze-itude, washing my hair is often not a priority (unless it’s crazy stank-nasty and so greasy you could fry tofu on it). Enter my beloved dry shampoo. I have been waiting eons and a satchel of dried flower petals for LUSH to come out with a dry shampoo, and they finally have! The key ingredients in No Drought—corn flour and talc—absorb excess oil and leave hair soft and clean-lookin’. The zesty fruity scent of lemon, grapefruit and lime leaves hair smelling to die for, too. LOVE.
Latte Lip Tint, $6.95: I’m a lip tint-y kind of chick. I’m all about subtle, soft (and tasty) lip color, so I can go all crazy wild with my eyes (without lookin’ like a clown). This Latte shade has a soft golden (slightly sparkly) coffee hue, and it smells like powdered coffee, sugar icing and vanilla. YUM—try not to eat it! It’s also packed with jojoba and Japan wax for mega moisture for super soft smoochable smackers! xx
Lustre Dusting Powder, $14.95: Being a former glitter addict, I now reach for pretty-smelling shimmery fairy dust aka body powder when I wanna be a sparkling princess. Lustre provides a subtle, golden bronzed glow with all the jasmine-y sexiness of LUSH’s Lust perfume (one of my fave scents, for realio). Get your shimmer on and smell and look like the sex goddess that you are!
Soulstice Spa, a vegan and cruelty-free company, has an exquisite line of natural body products andnon-toxic nail polishes (i.e. free of toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate) that you’re gonna wanna get your hands on!
I’d like to quickly say that I’ve been rockin’ their concrete grey-blue Manchester shade (btw, I ♥ how all of the colors are city-inspired), and I luuuuuuuurve it! I have to admit, I’ve gone a li’l nuts over every and all shades of grey polish lately, but the blue-y hue of this one really sets it apart from the rest (it reminds me of a romantic, overcast, fall evening sky). It’s also been almost 2 weeks since I applied this beauteous color to my nails, and it’s holding up quite nicely.
Soulstice just launched five new nail shades for fall (LA, Dublin, South Beach, Ibiza, and Telluride), and to celebrate, we want YOU to win ‘em all ($40 value)!
To enter to win this set of 5 Soulstice nail polishes, simply “like” Soulstice on Facebook, and comment below with the name of your all-time favorite nail color. All entrants must be 18 years and older and residents of the US or Canada to enter to win. The winner will be chosen at random and notified on Wednesday, Dec. 7th, 2011! Good luck! xx
When it comes to makeup brushes, I have such a hodge-podge of not-so-great to OK brushes—all from different companies and stores (mismatched & messy!). I’ve always wanted a deluxe set of vegan & cruelty-free brushes that included everything I could ever want and more (lip brush, fan brush, foundation brush, angle brush, eye shadow brush—you name it!)
Nika to the rescue! Her new line of Taklon makeup brushes are über soft and floofy, high-quality (as in fast-drying and zero bristle fallout), cruelty-free, and they work like a dream—seriously, I’m talkin’ flawless application every time.
You have to hook yourself up with The Pirouette Glam Collection 18 Brush Set (currently on sale for $139.95 with free shipping; $1 from each sale goes to WSPA.). There’s also a 10 brush set ($89.95) if you’re lookin’ for just the essentials (but who can live without a fan brush and retractable lip brush!? Just sayin’.) Each set comes in a convenient and stylish black fold-up case. X-mas is right around the corner, so go ahead and treat yourself (or have your boo hook it up)!
Here’s Nika in action giving the 411 on her supa-fab brushes. Enjoy!
As much as I wish I had gobs of cheddah to spend on fancy schmancy, high-end, exclusively vegan beauty brands, I don’t (and I know I’m not alone on this). I’ve compiled a list of must-have beauty products (many of which you can find at Walgreens, Target, Trader Joe’s, etc.) which are not only vegan and cruelty-free, but also affordable.
Here are some of my fave (and fab) vegan beauty finds for under $20:
e.l.f. Cosmetics ($1-5): All of their items are vegan-friendly. Woot! I love everything in their line (especially their bold, colorful eyeshadows), but one of my all-time faves is their nail polish remover pads. The have a really pleasant smell, they work amazingly well, they are conveniently packaged for travel and easy storage—and they are only $1.
Dr. Bronner’s Castille Peppermint Soap ($9.99 for 32 oz. at Trader Joes) – This mega versatile soap is pretty powerful (and tingly!)—you can dilute it and it’ll last you forever.
St. Ives Apricot Face Scrub ($3.59): You can buy this scrub at Walgreens or Target and it’s heavenly! It also comes in a travel size. Yay!
Trader Joe’s Lavender Body Oil, Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner, Tea Tree Pure Vegetable Soap, Fennel Toothpaste, Pure Castille Soap, etc. (all in the $3-10 range). For a list of VBR’s fave vegan beauty products at TJ’s, click here!
What are some of your favorite affordable vegan beauty products?
I wanted to share this delectable pumpkin body treat with you guys—not only because it’s seasonal and YUMZ, but it works wonders for dry skin. As soon as temps begin to drop, I usually develop gnarly scales and become a dry, crusty ogre. True story. ←Guess I won’t need to buy a Halloween costume this year.
DIY Pumpkin Body Moisturizer
What you’ll need (for anti-ogreness):
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (naturally loaded with exfoliating enzymes and vitamin A)
1/2 cup coconut oil (moisture-rich with lots of essential fatty acids)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (anti-microbial and delicious-smelling!)
Mix all the ingredients together until you have a super smooth consistency.
Apply the mixture as you would lotion.
Leave on for about 10-15 minutes
Rinse and dry.
Keep any leftover moisturizer in your fridge—it should keep for a couple of weeks.
I’ve been painting my nails since I was teensy weensy—I mos def rocked peel-off Tinkerbell nail polish back back back in the day and LOVED it! Nostalgia!
Now that I’m all growned up and shit, my tastes have changed but I remain a die-hard fan of pretty nail colors. I could be lookin’ all homeless and janktified to the max, but if my pinkies are sparkly and cute, I’m havin’ a good day.
While there are a ton of cruelty-free and vegan brands of polishes to choose from, I like to especially rock the ones that have the fewest ick ingredients. And by “ick” I mean stuff like toluene, formaldehyde, DBP, camphor, etc.
Enter Zoya. I’m become smitten with this fabu line of polishes, not only because they’re less toxic than conventional brands, but they also come in the most beautiful shades ev-ah. These lovelies are available online and at Whole Foods and cost $8 each.
The shades that stole my ♥: Dree (olive green), Dove (light grey—FAVE) & Jana (mauve)
Can’t decide which shade to wear? Wear them all like I did.
• You'll save lives
• You'll live a lot longer
• You'll have more energy
• You'll reduce your risk of cancer
• You'll reduce your risk of heart disease
• You'll have lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• You'll get better nutrition
• You'll lower your chances of getting food poisoning
• You won't be ingesting growth hormones and antibiotics
• You'll get sick less often
• You'll fit into your old jeans
• You'll give your body a spring cleaning
• You'll have healthier skin
• You'll make a strong political statement
• You'll reduce waste and air pollution
• You'll earn good karma points
• You'll save money
• You'll help save the planet
Famous Animal Friendly Quotes
"Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends."
~George Bernard Shaw
"You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car."
~Harvey Diamond
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
~Immanuel Kant
"I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."
~Abraham Lincoln
"To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana."
~Buddha
"To consider yourself an environmentalist and still eat meat is like saying you're a philanthropist who doesn't give to charity"
Cooling Blemish Spot Treatment, $12: Pre my eco/green beauty conscious days, I was all about Clearasil… nevermind that it sometimes bleached my clothes or zapped any bit of moisture out of my skin. Now that I’m all about incorporating more natural and organic beauty goods into my daily regimen, this blemish treatment is my savior. Btw, I ♥ that it’s a roll-on and I ♥ that it’s tingly! Sweet birch and chamomile essential oils decrease inflammation while tea tree essential oil kills bacteria to aid healing plus a proprietary blend of oils to minimize the appearance of pores. Just apply before beddies and allow it to do its thang.
Neroli Hydrating Facial Mist (orange blossom), $9: This multitasking refreshing spray is wunderbar! You can use it as a toner (which I’m all about—it spritzes so evenly, provides the perfect amount of moisture and has a delicate, relaxing aroma), a pillow spray, a pick-me-up aromatherapy boost, or you can use it to help set your mineral makeup. Badass, huh? This particular blend is calming-soothing-sensual which beautifully complements my bedtime routine to a T.
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