The Vegan Kind Box #TVK17

The Vegan Kind Box - Feb 2015 #TVK17

Every month I receive a box full of vegan goodies from The Vegan Kind. They are a subscription service which costs £10 + £3.15 P+P, and each month 5-8 vegan products arrive on my doorstep. 

These range from food,drink, beauty and household.

Each month TVK donates 10p from each box to a charity of OUR choice - you can vote via their Facebook page.

In addition to the products in the box, every month they said a vegan recipe from a blogger. After 6 months you als receive a TVK recipe binder to keep them all in.

So lets dive into this months box of goodies:

• This months recipe is from Vegan Lass who teaches us how to make a Tofu Pad Thai. Which looks really yummy.

• The charity of the month is The Trusty Paw Clinic helping homeless dogs in Glasgow.

Ananda Round Up - RRP £2.50

A gelatine and dairy free wagon wheel cake, using the finest dark Belgian chocolate. Of all the items in this months box, I was most excited to try this. As mentioned in my previous blog for TVK16, I have not had marshmallows in 15 years, so this was a treat.

Whilst I loved the concept, and the chocolate taste, unfortunately for me, the marshmallow was not as good as the vegetarian Freedom marshmallow. However still super yummy and it reminded me of childhood!

Emily Fruit Crisps Crunchy Banana - RRP £1.99

I had never heard of this brand before opening TVK17. There are no preservatives, additives, added sugar, e numbers and no gluten. The all only full of fruity deliciousness. I am really into dried fruit at the moment, and these banana crisps are a great idea. I happily ate the pack on its own although great to top cereal or yoghurt  (vegan of course!)

Rebel Kitchen Chai Mylk - RRP £1.89

A dairy free coconut drink with only natural ingredients. Rebel Kitchen is fighting against refined sugars to bring back freshly made food.

I personally am not a tea drinker, so this drink didn't go down to well with me. However the packaging is wonderful and the brands ethics really stand out. I will be looking at trying other products from them.

Angelic Gluten Free Sea Salt Biscuits - RRP £2.59

These sea salt biscuits are created using only the finest natural ingredients.

Again another brand I hadn't tried, and the biscuits are melt in your mouth gorgeous. I have had them on their own, but they are perfect to be dipped in hummus or cream cheese(vegan!)

The VeganKind Tote Bag - RRP £3.00

I only use reusable shopping bags these days, so another to add to the collection is welcomed. They are made from 100% cotton in the UK and have a vibrant print on each side of the bag. 

Another success - a good mix of items and brands the I have now become aware of. Looking forward to March's box.

Check out The Vegan Kind and see what little treats you could get......

Lily Lolo - New Customer Review

I have a never ending list of problems when it comes to buying foundation, and with my recent change in lifestyle I decided now was the time to see if "natural" makeup could help my skin.

I suffer from adult acne, oily skin, and have quite large pores on my nose and chin in particular. The first problem I have with foundation is that even when using a primer, after a few hours the foundation disappears leaving only very noticeable orange dots over my nose and chin, where the foundation has soaked into my pores.
I had previously gone to all the big makeup counters - Clinque, Elizabeth Arden etc, explained my problem, and of course they all had the miracle foundation for me. £30 later, and a week into using them I was always back to square one.
The second problem I have is that without fail you can always see the foundation line, even after blending upon blending.
The third issue is that I dislike the consistency of the liquid foundations, they feel heavy and clog up pores and makeup brushes.

I had noticed that mineral makeup was featuring quite heavily in blogs/YouTube videos and decided to investigate what the best brand for me would be.
After researching Lily Lolo, I found that their ethics were the same as what I am trying to achieve.

Lily Lolo is a British brand launched in 2005 which produces and sells high quality mineral makeup ranging from foundations, eye shadows, blush, and concealers. All of their products are free from parabens, synthetic perfumes and dyes. They are a vegan brand with sustainable ethics.
They claim to "give you a light, flawless and seamless finish without clogging or irritating".

Unsure of the shade I required, I decided to start with their Mineral Starter Collection in Light - £13.49. This came with 3 samples of foundation - China Doll, Barley Buff and Blondie, and also a sample of their flawless silk finishing powder. The collection also boasts a baby buki brush which was perfect as I didn't have any kabuki brushes in my collection.
I also opted for a full size concealer in Barley Beige at £7.99.

Lily Lolo does offer the option of purchasing just single foundation samples at £1.49, but the starter collection was the way to go for me.

Two days later my box arrived and the packaging really stood out (see top picture). Maybe this is just me, but when you open a package and it has beautiful packaging, it instantly makes me feel excited and happy with my purchase.

I started using my Starter Collection the next day. I could tell that China Doll was going to be too light for my skin, so I started testing Blondie and Barley Buff.

As mentioned, I have never used a kabuki brush before, so I watched the Lily Lolo tutorials on YouTube to start.

You tap a small amount of mineral into the lid of the pot, swirl the brush around and then tap off the excess (back into the lid).

I was initially concerned that this would be no where near enough coverage for my skin type however I was surprised at how far a little went. I built the foundation up by a couple of layers and was impressed by the results. My face looked covered but you really couldn't tell I was wearing foundation, it looked like the perfect version of my natural skin tone. I topped it off with the finishing powder as staying power has been an issue in the past with liquid foundations.

On the first couple of days I used the mineral foundation with my old liquid concealer. However you could clearly see that the concealer did not match and it had started to feel heavy compared to the lightness of the minerals.
I was unsure about how to apply the concealer but I have found that a soft eyeshadow brush works well for me. Again like the foundation you can build up layers, however it is highly pigmented so it really doesn't need more than one layer I would suggest.

I am now a month into my new makeup and I have already purchased a full size foundation in Barely Buff and a full size finishing powder. I decided to buy Flawless Matte in the finishing powder just to ensure any extra shine is kept at bay. I also dust my face with the flawless matte to start with as well as after applying makeup, just to ensure everything stays put! In addition I have purchased a Lily Lolo lipstick which has a beautiful creamy texture and stays put for quite a few hours.

Since using this makeup I have had comments about how clear my skin looks, and how fresh faced I appeared. I think these comments are better than any review!

From my own point of view, I am amazed with the results. I feel confident in my new foundation, it doesn't clog my pores, it stays put for the day (I have tested in all weathers!), and most importantly it looks natural and feels like I am not wearing any makeup at all.

Lily Lolo has won me over!

Check out their website at lilylolo.co.uk

Water Wipes VS Pampers Sensitive

I have been using baby wipes for years now, for a variety of uses (ironically never for a baby!). The main use is removing makeup and cleaning our dogs paws when he comes in from a walk.

Until recently I have always used Pampers wipes, the standard and sensitive versions, and whilst they do the job perfectly, since changing my lifestyle I have started to question most of the products I use.

I first came across WaterWipes whilst shopping in Boots, I was drawn in by the 99.9% water quote on the front of the packaging. When looking at the ingredients I was impressed to see that there was only two - water and grapefruit extract. When I compared this to the Pampers ingredients I was shocked. Look at the pictures below to see the difference.

WaterWipes Ingredients 

Pampers Sensitive Ingredients

The first thing to point out is that I can not pronounce over half of the Pampers ingredients, which is always a warning sign for me. The truth is that these wipes are designed for babies, their skin is 5 times thinner than adults, do they really need all of these 20 letter worded ingredients touching their skin?? It seems shocking to me that these over manufactured items have become our "normal", with no-one questioning it.

WaterWipes stand up to every test compared to Pampers. Starting with price, Pampers retail anywhere between £1.00 -£2.00 per pack, which is exactly the same as WaterWipes.

The quality of these wipes is surprising, you become convinced that your products NEED all these extras in, and the simple truth is they don't. The WaterWipes removed my makeup in one easy wipe, even mascara, and they cleaned up the dog a treat. There is no left over "perfume" smell which you get with Pampers, and other brands, and they are moist enough that you only need to use one.

WaterWipes are the only baby wipe to EVER be approved by Allergy UK, and doctors and midwives are now recommending them from birth.

Again, I am happy to have found a new brand which I will certainly be sticking with.

Be sure to check out WaterWipes website for further details.

Earth Rated Poop Bags

I am trying to ensure that my "Living Green" ethos doesn't just encompass food, cleaning and beauty products.

There are many things that we/I do on a day-to-day basis which could be made a little more eco friendly. 

One thing that I certainly do a few times a day is "poop patrol". 

Meet Link, our gorgeous 6 year old Jack Russell who acts more like a cat than a dog. I am trying to ensure his lifestyle is as "green" as possible, this will including trying new foods soon, but of course he is still a meat loving dog, and I am not going to stop his meaty food, even though I live a vegetarian / sometimes vegan lifestyle. 

His favorite activities include playing, rolling in fox poop, running, cuddles on the sofa and the big one....FOOD. Of course, food leads to poop....which is where this review of Earth Rated comes in.

I have seen Earth Rated in local pet stores, but I happened upon a good deal on these at Home Sense. I picked up the box of 120 handle bags (lavender scented).

Earth Rated is an ethical company based in Canada. The roll cores and packaging are made from recycled material, and their bags are 100% corn based - therefore no plastic.In addition to this, any bags which aren't 100% suitable for sale are donated to dog shelters. 

I have been using cheap nappy bags for a while, and firstly without too much detail, they don't always hold everything they need to, and sometimes...dare I say it...leak!!

In addition to this, the cheap plastic bags will be in our landfills whilst we are all using hover cars and living like The Jetsons!

I have tested the Earth Rated bags on our little Link and two dogs I walk which are a tad larger....introducing Roly and Benson.
You may have guessed, but Roly and Benson have a larger contribution to the bags than Link.

Having used these bags for about a week (approx 20 poops!), I can confidently say they are the best bags I have ever used. 

The bag is larger than average and the lavender scent covers the nasty smell of the bags contents. They tie easily and show no signs of leaking, they are alot thicker than other bags.

The only downside is the price, depending in where you purchase they can be a tad pricy. However buy them whilst on offer and you and your 4 legged friend will be on the way to leading an eco friendly lifestyle.

Check out Earth Rated today.

The Vegan Kind Box #TVK16

The Vegan Kind Box - Jan 2015 #TVK16

Every month I receive a box full of vegan goodies from The Vegan Kind. They are a subscription service which costs £10 + £3.15 P+P, and each month 5-8 vegan products arrive on my doorstep. 

These range from food,drink, beauty and household.

Each month TVK donates 10p from each box to a charity of OUR choice - you can vote via their Facebook page.

In addition to the products in the box, every month they said a vegan recipe from a blogger. After 6 months you als receive a TVK recipe binder to keep them all in.

So lets dive into this months box of goodies:

• This months recipe is from Fresh Heather who teaches us how to make a super green smoothie with bananas shaped as love heart - great for valentines day.

• The charity of the month is Mino Valley Farm Sanctuary which is based in Northern Spain.

Freedom Mallows Choc Dip -RRP £2.49

I can not wait to try this naughty little treat. I have not eaten marshmallows in 15 years so I am super excited for these to be in TVK16. Not only is there marshmallows, but also included is a  pot of vegan dipping chocolate.

Fitbites -RRP £2.30

These little bites are made from 100% natural and raw ingredients. They are super healthy and delicious. A great little pick me up which I will be buying again.

White Rabbit Skincare Toning Eye Cream - RRP £8.00

White Rabbit Skincare hand makes high quality skincare items at an affordable price using natural ingredients. This eye creams works wonders. I have never bothered with eye cream before but thought I should really give it a go as it was included, and I love it! The smell of the sweet almond oil and chamomile work wonders in the morning. It leaves the skin under my eyes feeling firm and awake, and the cream feels like silk as you dab it under your eye.
DISCOUNT CODE: WRSTVK16 for 16% off orders over £10.00 until 28-02-15. www.etsy.com/uk/shop/whiterabbitskincare

Eat Real Sour Cream and Chive Quinoa Chips - RRP £1.79

CO Fresh produce a range of snack products and this is the latest from them. As far are crisps go, they are pretty good for you.... suitable for vegans, free from GMO, gluten free, no artificial colours, free from MSG and no preservatives. 

I am currently going through a massive quinoa phase, however these "chips" weren't to my liking. However the good thing about this household is that I have a Husband who is always hungry!!

Supernutrients Banana Powder - RRP £4.00

The last treat to come out of TVK16 is this Banana Powder. Supernutrients is a thriving family business set up in 2006. This organic red banana powder is carefully prepapred to retain the unique and delicious taste of wine ripened Ecuadorian bananas. Whilst yuo can use it in smoothies as well, I have found this is great for dusting over a fruit salad after dinner to give it an extra boost!.

Beyond Skin Discount Voucher

Beyond Skin is a beautiful vegan shoe shop, and this month TVK have giving us a discount code for 25% off our first order!! Use code VEGANKIND25.

Check out The Vegan Kind and see what little treats you could get.......

Greenfrog Soapnuts Review

About Greenfrog:

Greenfrog is a family run business based in Brighton (my favourite place in the world!). They discovered soap nuts whilst living in India and upon moving back to Brighton set up Greenfrog.

Greenfrog focus on product quality, eco friendliness, affordability, sustainable, natural ingredients and impact of aquatic life.

In addition to soap nuts, their range has now grown to an all purpose cleaning spray, washing up liquid and a handwash - all natural of course!

Soap Nuts:

Greenfrog's soapnuts are ethical sourced from the Himalayas, and are certainly one of the most natural ways to wash your clothes.
Soapnuts have been used for hundreds of years as they contain a natural detergent called Saponin. Once they have been used they can are biodegradable, you can simply put them in your compost bin.
As they are free from any chemicals they are especially suited to those with eczema or sensitive skin.

So, do they work?

Greenfrogs soapnuts come packaged in a 100% unbleached cotton bag with all the information printed onto it. Inside this bag is a minigrip biogradable polybag which holds the soaps. 

            

The soapnuts could not be easier to use. Simply place 6-8 half shells in the smaller cotton pouch provided and tie to close. The pouch then goes directly into your machine. To be completely natural you could use a few drops of essential oil instead of fabric conditioner. Currently however, I am using Ecover fabric conditioner.

The pouch can be used for 3 washes and after the third wash the shells can be composted.

I have been using Greenfrogs soapnuts for over a month now and the first thing I notice is the money I have saved. A bag costs around £3.99 and it should do 25 washes. However I personally am finding it does more than this.

The real test for me was how the clothes looked/smelt after using the soapnuts. I had a variety of stains on our clothing ranging from tomato to coffee. All of these stains were removed and I couldn't even see where the stain had been. 

All of our laundry was soft and had that "freshly washed" smell. The soapnuts passed the biggest test of all...... my husband didn't even notice the difference between these and regular detergent.

I love the fact that the packaging through to the product is biodegradable and I love the companies ethics.

I have already convinced a couple of friends and family members to give them a go. I certainly will not be going back to mainstream detergents.

For more information please visit Greenfrogs website

Big Green Smile Shopping Haul

As mentioned in my previous post on Ecover products, a lot of my cleaning products where coming to an end. I took this opportunity to shop around online. I am still new to all the online stores selling ethical products and after much searching I decided to try biggreensmile.com
At first glance it is a well laid out and easy to navigate website. It has a huge selection of cleaning,beauty,baby and healthcare products and a great page on "green tips".
I had a rough idea of which products I wanted, but no clue what brands to start with, so I took a gamble, and purchased a mini haul.

 My parcel arrived only 2 days later and I was impressed to see even their packaging was recycled. All items in the box were well packaged and had all arrived in one piece!

My parcel of goodies contained:

• Bio-D Furniture Polish
• D2W Refuse Bags
• Bicarbonate of Soda
• Borax Substitute
• Ecover Washing Up Liquid
• Method Bathroom Cleaner
• Badger Tangerine Breeze Lip Balm
• 2 free samples - Jason Sea Kelp Shampoo and Jason Toothpaste

  

My shopping came to a total of £21.34. 

A big argument people have against "going green" is the cost, and I have to admit some items can be more expensive than the big brand non eco-cleaning products. 

To this I personally believe any extra money (if you do wish to spend it) is an invest in your health and the environment. 

Having said that, when purchased at the right time, these eco-friendly products don't need to cost more that what you currently pay. The Ecover Washing Up Liquid 1L was £2.25, Fairy Original Washing Up Liquid 870ML is currently £2.00 at Sainsburys. 

My biggest spend was the furniture polish at £3.93. I would usually pay between £2-£3 for this in the supermarket, however I have seen such great reviews I just had to try it.

BigGreenSmile also offer anyone who spends over £10 of more (before shipping) 2 free samples to choose from, which I think is a great way of trying before you buy. In addition to this, you can currently find BigGreenSmile on Quidco.

I will certainly be using BigGreenSmile again, I can not fault the service.

For more information please visit Big Green Smile