Neal's Yard Remedies Give-away

I was very excited to find out that I would be receiving an orange flower skin care kit as part of a social media give-away. I don't actually tend to use anything on my face apart from moisturiser and mineral power so have always been reluctant to start  using face washes and toners etc. I have very dry, sensitive skin that is pretty happy to be left alone. The problem for me is dry skin and peeling skin on my face so was super excited when I found out this skincare set is specifically for helping with dry skin.

The set came in a really cute cotton bag which has been very useful as storage for this set and also all my other Neal's Yard oils. The picture above shows the bag with the moisturiser, facial wash, toner and facial oil. 

Facial Wash and Toner

This was all new to me. I've never used toner before in my life and occasionally face wash when I was at high school. The best thing was that they were both very light products. The facial wash didn't leave any residue and wasn't at all 'slimey or soapy'. I didn't get that tight skin feeling that a lot of people with sensitive skin get with normal soaps or washes.

The wash only had a light orange fragrance but the toner was more fragrant and it was very refreshing. I read on their site that Neal's Yard get the orange flowers from the Atlas Mountains. I really recognised the smell as orange flower is a key in most Moroccan pharmacies that produce oils and skin care products. I have visited Morocco three times and it really took me back to the smells of those pharmacies.

Moisturiser

The moisturiser was very light and easily absorbed after the toner. It didn't lave my face feeling oily or sticky, just smooth and soft.

I normally go for thick moisturisers because my skin is so dry and light moisturisers have no effect. However I did feel like this worked well especially if the oil is also used.

Facial Oil

The oil just smells amazing. Like I said earlier it took me straight back to the smells of Morocco. It's not a sticky fruity orange kind of smell, more subtle and floral (probably because the flowers are used and not the fruit!).

The oil was definitely my favourite thing and probably the one I am most likely to buy. I can imagine it being very good in winter at preventing and soothing dry skin.

This set has been lovely to use and I am pleasantly surprised that my skin hasn't become irritated or more dry after using it. It actually did the job! Also the ingredients are all natural and are organic and it's vegan, eco-friendly and cruelty free. The main thing is I don't feel like I need to wear make up on my skin because the set has worked so well. So thank you Neal's Yard!

Vegan Health and Beauty: Travel Toiletries

I have just come back from a five day trip to Morocco. It was my first holiday as a vegan and I have learnt a lot that's for sure! As it was a short trip I didn't have a suitcase in the hold so all my liquids had to be 100ml or under and it all had to fit in a tiny clear plastic bag. This blog post includes my personal recommendations of vegan/cruelty free toiletries that a small enough for travelling!

Deodorant

Finding a deodorant that I liked was pretty tricky. I have very sensitive skin and find most things irritate my underarms. However I needed to find one because I was going to be sweating a lot in 27 degrees C in Morocco! The one I took with me was this Faith in Nature Chamomile and Aloe Vera Deodorant.

It is certified as cruelty-free and vegan and is free from any nasty chemicals. It's made from essential oils and the fragrance is natural. I got my one from Holland & Barrett and got it an sale for only £1.50. Being cruelty free doesn't have to be expensive. Also there are Holland & Barrett shops pretty much everywhere.

Shower Gel 

The shower gel I used was also from Faith in Nature. It was the lavender and geranium scent and is part of their minis collection. I got it as a gift for christmas so am not sure how available the mini bottles are at the moment. I know they can be purchased as a set.

Photo: Faith in Nature

This is an image from their site of their full-sized bottle. The scent of this is amazing and even if you can't get a small one you could decant some into a smaller bottle left over from something else. It is certified vegan and cruelty free.

Shampoo

The shampoo that I took with me was the Rehab Shampoo from LUSH (in the smallest bottle).

 I have tried their shampoo bars and 'I love juicy' shampoo but this is what works the best for my hair which is quite thick and gets dry. However, for travelling, a shampoo bar would be perfect because you wouldn't have to try and fit it in the tiny plastic bag! (First photo from: LUSH)

Moisturiser

The moisturiser I had was also from LUSH. It was the Dream Cream in a small pot. However if you wanted SPF protection in the cream also, LUSH do a sesame suntan lotion (as well as solid sun block).

(Photos from: LUSH)

Make-up Remover

I decided not to take liquid make up remover so opted for some Superdrug own make-up removal pads. Although they say they're for eye make-up, I have no issues with using them for my whole face. They come in a tiny packet so was perfect for traveling. And they're only 99p!

Photo: Superdrug

Antibacterial Hand Gel

The hand gel was also from Superdrug's own range and was the one with Aloe. I love the scent of this hand gel and it is, handily, 100ml. They also do a smaller 50ml strawberry one.

Photo: Superdrug

Toothpaste

The toothpaste that I took with me was the Kingfisher's fennel (fluoride free) toothpaste. It's the toothpaste that I normally use and is 100ml. I had already used a lot so could fold the tube to make it smaller to fit in the bag. However if you do want a smaller one, the strawberry flavour comes in a 75ml tube.

Photo: Kingfisher Natural Toothpaste

Hopefully you're now set for cruelty free travelling! Happy holidays!

 

  

Nutrition and Recipes: The Magic of Chickpeas

Crazy cheap, low in fat, zero cholesterol and high in iron and protein; the chickpea is pretty magic! Plus you can use them to make a huge variety of yummy foods from the classic falafel or curry to chocolate mousse and meringues! Here's some quick recipes using under 5 ingredients!

100 grams (about half a can - easily edible in a day) of chickpeas contain:

38% of your daily protein 

68% of the fibre you need

34% of your iron

28% of  your magnesium

25% of your potassium

and

10% of your daily calcium

They are a very sufficient meat replacement in a veggie/vegan diet. It is also a less resource intensive way of getting protein than meat and produces less green house gas emissions. Replacing a meat dish with a chickpea dinner will reduce your carbon and methane footprint!

I am now going to share a few chickpea recipes that are low hassle and don't have many ingredients!

Number One: Chocolate Mousse! 

This chocolate mousse recipe uses TWO ingredients. The water from a standard tin of chickpeas and 240g of dark chocolate. The water from chickpeas is called aquafaba and it's made from similar proteins in an egg white. Its a much cheaper, vegan and zero cholesterol version of egg whites plus it's pretty much finding a use for waste! 

So here's what the mousse looks like

What I did was slowly melted 240g of orange infused dark chocolate. I then set it aside to cool. Whilst the chocolate was cooling I drained the water from a can of chickpeas into a mixing bowl and whisked it. If you have a an electric whisk please use it unless you fancy a 20 minute arm work out (aka working for your food!).

Whisk until the mixture is stiff and forms peaks that stay upright. When it is fully whisked (don't worry it can't ever be over-whisked!) slowly and bit-by-bit fold it into the chocolate mix. The best time to do this is when the aquafaba and chocolate are the same temperature so leave your melted chocolate about 30mins to cool and work in a warm kitchen so the aquafaba isn't too cold!

Set in the freezer smaller containers for at least a few hours and tahdah!

Number two: Cheat Falafel!

It's cheating because I use Just Wholefoods Organic Falafel Mix which only costs me £1.30 from my local Co-op and wholefoods shop.

I love this mix! It's got partly cooked chickpeas in it and means you don't have to buy all the seasoning plus it's ready so quickly. It makes between 6-8 individual falafels and you can store the mix in the cupboard forever so perfect for an emergency, forgot to go shopping dinner. 

So you add 225ml of water to your mix that is sat in a saucepan. You also add a table spoon of any vegetable oil and, if you fancy, a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice (although they don't particularly need it). 

Heat the pan slowly on a low heat with the lid on for about 5 mins. Make sure you stir it regularly. Once its thick and gloopy, take it off the heat and leave it to cool. 

Once it's cool roll into falafel balls and fry in a pan with a few tablespoons of hot oil. Fry until they're golden and crispy all over.

Then you can put them in a pitta or eat with a side of couscous!

This is how I eat mine: 

Number three: Simple Chickpea Curry

You can make this using the left over chickpeas from the chocolate mousse! This is super quick!

All you need is:

• A tin of chickpeas
• 600ml of tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1-3 tablespoons of curry paste (depends on how spicy you like you curry!)
• Spinach!

Put the chickpeas and tomatoes and curry paste into a sauce pan and mix well. Put it on a low-medium heat and let it simmer with the lid on for around 15-20mins. Keep stirring and if it's getting dry add a bit of water and turn down the heat. In the last couple of minutes stir in a few handfuls of spinach.

Serve on a bed of whatever rice you fancy. For extra protein try a rice a quinoa mix!

Here's mine anyway: 

I hope you enjoy my simple, magic recipes! There's so much more to so with chick peas. I am yet to try chickpeas 'aquafaba' meringues but many people have so google it. I'll let you know when I make some! 

My Ethical Bee Shirt

I ordered a bee shirt from Olive Clothing and was so excited when it came in the post today! I wanted to get one last year but they sold out so I've been patient and waited and they're now back in stock!  Olive is a British based company who focus on contemporary clothing and strives to be an ethical company.

The reason I chose to shop at Olive was because I love their designs but also because the company is an ethical choice. Their ethics page is in-depth. According to this page they don't manufacture any of their products in developing countries and they do not use cheap labour. They also mention they're against fur farms and do not use animal fur in their clothing. However, they do still use wool and leather but their site seems to suggest they would like to move entirely away from animal products in the future

The shirt I chose is made from 100% cotton and feels extremely durable and of high quality. I believe that I will have this shirt for a very long time and it's certainly not something you'd throw out after a season.

The order was shipped to me in a DPD carbon neutral courier. DPD use alternative fuels to minimise emissions and offset any carbon by funding renewable energy schemes.  

I'm really happy I found this company. I love their designs and their ethical mindset from source to delivery.

Eco-Friendly Aromatherapy

After getting a spa day treat after my exams last year I became a bit obsessed with everything 'spa'. I did a google search of aromatherapy and was introduced to the world of essential oil diffusers. I came across a sustainably sourced, low energy diffuser from madebyzen.

It's made from hand picked bamboo in a sustainable way so that the shoots keep growing. This has the least impact on wildlife. I couldn't resist getting it as having a diffuser is the easiest way of bringing a bit of spa back home with you. The diffuser also has a LED lamp option which makes a dim, warm glow that I've always found relaxing if I've struggled to sleep. 

The essential oils I chose are from Neal's Yard which are mostly organic and are made in England. I was really happy to hear that you can bring empty bottles back to the store and they re-use them. 

The oils that I have at the moment are women's balance and fennel. I find the women's balance really calming and the smell reminds me of being in a spa. I'm addicted to everything that smells or tastes like fennel so I couldn't resist getting the fennel oil. I found my experience in the Neal's Yard shop really friendly and they can give so much information on all the different oils and products. I'm going to try a new oil when one of these runs and give back the bottle! 

Sustainable Textiles: My Banana Fibre Scarf!

My favourite present from Christmas has to be my scarf made from recycled banana fibres. My Granny got it for me off a craft fair stall and one of the reasons I love it so much is that she pays attention to the things that are important to me: sustainability and ethics.

The amazing thing is that you would have no clue the scarf was made from a banana plant! Recently I have come across articles discussing other sustainable fibres.

A little list of plant based fibres:

• Sustainable vegan leather made from mushrooms
• Sustainable vegan leather made from pineapple (Piñatex™)
• Linen made from flax seed
• Thread and textile made from banana stems
• Thread and textile made from bamboo
• Yarn from eucalyptus pulp called Tencel/ Lyosell
• Organic or recycled cotton

Where can I buy plant based fibres?

People Tree - Fair-trade sustainable fashion using organic cotton and sustainable Tenecel

H&M Conscious - Recycled cotton \and Lyosell

BAM Bamboo Clothing

Goodbye Plastic Bottles!

In summer I got myself a SIGG aluminium water bottle in an aim to reduce my use of plastic. I've now for 8 months and it's still looking as good as new and just as white!

I believe that switching to a reusable water bottle, and remembering to fill it up before you leave the house, is one of the easiest ways to reduce your plastic waste and use. What I love about SIGG bottles is the range of different designs, colours and styles to choose from. They are available in glass as well as aluminium. Both are more hygienic than plastic as there is less chance of scratches forming inside the bottle where bacteria can grow. Cleaning these bottles are super easy and I have successfully cleaned mine a minute before rushing out of the house in the morning!

Why go plastic bottle free?

There are many reasons why plastic is bad for our planet, us and wildlife:

• Plastic bottles can't be hygienically reused very many times. They get crumpled up in our bags and start stinking after not many days of reusing.
• Throwing them away or leaving can lead to plastic pollution in the oceans and on land. Plastic can travel many kilometres with the ocean currents and pollute places far away from where you chucked them. They litter some of the worlds most beautiful spots and harm local wildlife

http://earthjustice.org/blog/2015-november/national-parks-go-toe-to-toe-with-big-water-over-plastic-bottle-waste

• Even if you recycle plastic bottles, a huge amount of energy is required to recycled the plastic into new things. These new things are often of worse quality than the water bottle. Quality degrades over the process of recycling.
• Having one bottle that lasts many many years is more sustainable and uses less resources than using a different plastic bottle each month, week or even each day. 

Where to get a re-usable bottle

There are lots of different metal and glass reusable bottles on the market. SIGG bottles are super durable and come in a lot of unique designs. BKR glass bottles are elegant and chic and have featured in magazines such as Vogue. Celebs such as Jessica Alba and Natalie Portman have been seen carrying them as part of their look. It's fashionable to be sustainable.

https://uk.sigg.com

https://mybkr.co.uk