January – 2015 – Hellbent for Lipstick

Vegan Pear Crumble

January 30, 2015

Whoever believes that Vegan’s eat nothing but “rabbit food” and lead strict healthy diets are wrong, as are those who believe we miss out on all the good stuff. One of my most favourite Winter-esque deserts is a crumble – primarily made with lot’s of sugar and margarine, but with one teeny tiny switch, you won’t even notice the difference and will have probably helped to save a cow somewhere along the line.

My vegan crumble recipe also features not one but two ingredients which I discovered through The Vegan Kind Lifestyle box and it’s a great way to get started if you want to open up your mind to other cruelty free products, stay on the Veganuary band wagon and continue into February, or just love snacking on amazing treats! This is definitely one of the easiest recipes to make and it serves two. You can easily double up the ingredients as required to make more though and if you remember that you use double the quantity of flour to your fat and sugar, then you’ll probably need never look for a crumble recipe ever again.

What you’ll need:

2 small oven proof dishes, I used 9 inch ramekins
1 pouch of Clearspring Pear Puree or the equivalent in fruit – tinned or fresh.
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
80g Plain Flour (you can also use Gluten/Wheat Free)
40g Vegan Margarine – I used Pure Soya Spread (which FYI is cheaper than most leading brands of margarine in Supermarkets and always on offer)
40g Coconom Coconut Sugar – You can use any other sugar if you don’t have Coconut Sugar

Method

Start by pre-heating your oven to roughly Gas Mark 5/6 or 190/200 degrees. If you are using a fruit puree, you can simply squeeze this between your two ramekins or oven proof dishe(s), add a teaspoon of Cinnamon to each and mix well. If you are using fresh fruit, I tend to boil this with a little water and a teaspoon of sugar until it’s soft and sticky. Once it’s softened, share it between your ramekins.

Add your flour, vegan margarine and sugar to a blender and turn it on. If you don’t have a food processor then all you need is a bowl and a little bit of elbow grease. (I made all my cakes and puddings by hand mixing prior to the arrival of my new food processor last Christmas).

Divide your crumble mix between your two ramekins and pop into the oven on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve with some yummy vegan custard, vegan cream or on their own. Delicious!

Are there any puddings you love to make and eat during Winter? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

Totally hellbent for not missing out on anything ever

– Pants

Fragrance

Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple EDP

January 28, 2015

My very first Glossybox contained an adorable mini-sized bottle of Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple, and I’ve been lusting after a bottle ever since. Luckily Amie is amazing when it comes to picking me presents directly from my cosmetics wish list and she very kindly bought me a bottle for Christmas. As you can see I’ve already made a tiny dent in it, and honestly I’m such a fan of this fragrance I can’t see it lasting long at all!

So Elixir Purple is described as “an infusion of tuberose, essential oils of vetiver, bergamot, patchouli and benzoin extract“, conjuring thoughts of an incensey deep dark scent that fits very much with the feel of the packaging, however I think it’s a much lighter fragrance; fruity – and very heavy on grape/berry notes at first, and it takes a few hours to settle from the initial burst of sweetness.

There is something quite deep and mysterious about So Elixir Purple – oriental undertones and certainly some woody notes – yet on the surface it’s a very feminine and wearable scent.

The inner-geek in me lives in delight that the bottle looks a little bit like a magic potion, and is small and sturdy enough that I feel like I can put it in my handbag without worrying about it breaking. Not that I really have to though, because the scent is pretty long lasting in truth, and I could still pick up hints of it after a long day at the studio.

Yves Rocher were one of the forerunners in banning their cosmetics from animal testing, use no animal products in any of their ranges (with the exception of honey and bees wax) and go out of their way to try and keep their products as organic as possible, so I’m happy knowing I can indulge in their gorgeous fragrances without worrying my conscience.

So Elixir Purple is currently half price direct from the Yves Rocher website at only £16.75 for the 30ml bottle.

Totally hellbent for getting those gifts that you really really want!

Gem

Beauty Boxes, Lifestyle, Vegan, Vegetarian

Birchbox January 2015 – Women’s Health Edit – Review

January 22, 2015

I’ve been waiting for this box to come for a while now, ever since I found out this month’s box Birchbox would be in collaboration with women’s health. Gem and I are both gym nuts and I was hoping there would be some exciting products to get me back into the groove after a few weeks of sheer gluttony during the festive season. Because my box was so late this month, I’d already sneaked a peek at what was in the box, something I usually try to avoid, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise when it finally arrived.

In the box:

This month’s little booklet was filled with lot’s of great bite size challenges and tips which I really enjoyed reading! They certainly motivated me to get off my Christmas behind and back to the gym.

stila – lip glaze | £15 | full size product

This is the second lip glaze I’ve had from stila now, and I’ve not even opened the first one. I’m not a gloss person, it annoys me, my hair sticks to it and colours like this really don’t do much for my complexion. As glittery as this is, I don’t think I’ll be taking it for a spin on my lips any time soon. Not to mention there were talks about stila no longer being cruelty free a few year’s ago and it had been heard on the grape vine that they were potentially involved in some 3rd party animal testing. Despite their claims against this, I’m still not 100% sure I want to trust the brand.

Green People – Intensive Repair Shampoo | £11.95 | 30ml sample

This is actually a fairly decent sized sample as far as Shampoo goes, thankfully this intensive repair shampoo is for coloured hair which is great news. I get so many samples that I can’t use and my other half ends up with (he does have hair longer than mine!) because I almost exclusively use sulfate-free Shampoo on my vibrant locks. This is also Vegan and approved by the Vegan society which makes me one happy bunny. If it’s any good, I’ll definitely be looking at switching brands again.

Caudalie – Vinoperfect Radiance Serum | £45 | 10ml sample

I’ve literally just finished a massage oil from Caudalie which was truly spectacular and has lasted me month’s! This seem’s a fairly standard serum, to be applied pre moisturising. I’ll be adding it to my collection then! I can confirm that Caudalie state they do not test on, nor use animal products and in scouring their website, as I have to do when checking all products I came across this little snippet from their FAQs;

Also, please be aware that we continue to defend our Cosm’ethics and are always seeking to go one step further in our commitments. Hence, in 2012, Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas, the founders, decided to donate 1% of Caudalie’s turnover to ecological associations for the protection of the planet and the preservation of plant and animal species.

I definitely have no qualms about slathering this serum over my face morning and night now.

Korres – Citrus Showergel | £8 | 50ml sample

I actually have some Korres body lotion hidden in my enormous stash that I’m yet to use. It was clearly waiting for this showergel to come along so they could be used together. I really like the subtle scent to this though, although labelled as Citrus, it’s not too overpowering and has a fairly subtle sweet scent. This is another product that I believe is cruelty free, I know that there were huge issues with Korres and China some years back and they pulled out of various deals due to concerns about animal testing. Their customer service team also seem relatively happy to answer queries and have confirmed and provided lists of their alleged Vegan products to other people (widely available on the internet after a little searching) which includes their shower gels.

activbox – Cooling Finish Lotion | £12 | 20ml sample

As a sucker for piling on the weights in my Body Pump class, or trying out classes that involve way too many squats for my liking, this is definitely a welcome gift. I’m a huge fan of the Nip + Fab post workout fix and this is pretty similar by the looks of things. A menthol packed lotion for massaging into clean skin. Just what I need when I’m struggling to walk up and down the stairs the morning after the session before! After checking out some of their other products online, they come with a pretty friendly price tag so I’ll be trying this lotion out and perhaps spending some more time in Boots picking up the others.

Embrace Matcha – Green Tea | £24.99 | 1 sachet

I’m afraid, as English as I am, this is completely wasted on me. I really don’t like the taste of Green Tea and as much as I’ve tried, I just can’t get into it. The instructions do say that this can be added to a smoothies as well which I might consider – If I’m not feeling brave enough I know a few people who will welcome this though, but at a price tag of £24,99, I don’t think my circle of friends or I will be rushing out to buy any more. Pukka tea bags all the way!

Birchbox Pilates Band | £7.99 | Lifestyle Extra

This is pretty cute, and pilates has just been introduced as a new class to our Thursday gym time table, which we’ve been thinking of going to. Great for improving muscle endurance and it can be used at home! There are lot’s of tutorials and youtube videos should you fancy taking a peek and trying out a resistance band in the comfort of your bedroom whilst watching your favourite show.

Writing this review and really looking at all the products, I’m more impressed with this box than I was when first opening. There’s a great selection, albeit the stila lip glaze and I’m looking forward to trying out a few new brands. I think the collaboration with women’s health has been a great idea for January and has given me a little more motivation to pick up my gym back and get my behind back into gear. My subscription for Birchbox run’s out in March and I’m still not sure whether I’ll be renewing it. Not because the past few month’s haven’t been good – because they have been absolutely amazing and remained top of my list for beauty boxes, but I do find it a big effort to check every single product before using it.

If you feel like you want to take the plunge and subscribe to a box this month, I’d definitely recommend Birchbox. It’s just £10 a month plus p&p or you can opt to buy a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription which works out slightly cheaper. You also receive Birchbox points for completing surveys on the products you have been sent, which can be used to purchase lot’s of extra goodies from the Birchbox shop! To subscribe, just visit their site here.

Have you had this month’s Birchbox? What were your thoughts? If not has there been anything that’s kick started a new routine from to help with the transition from Christmas couch potato to spritely and enthused January go getter?

Totally hellbent for products to help with aching post squat thighs

– Pants

Vegan, Vegetarian

The Vegan Kind #TVK15 January 2015 Review

January 20, 2015

Both Gem and I have had a pretty terrible lead up to Christmas and New Year in terms of subscription boxes. From hoards of products we can’t use because they aren’t cruelty free and contain animal products to terrible customer service. One box I haven’t lost my lust over yet though is The Vegan Kind. I’ve been looking forward to the first box of the year landing on my doorstep for a good few weeks now and it finally arrive a few days ago – albeit a little late than usual.

This month’s box donated to Veganuary – a worthy cause. You may have friends and family who have taken the pledge to try Veganism for this month which I have to admit has been pretty inspiring to see on various social networks as some of my friends have attempted this. Although we are coming to the end of January now, it’s not too late to give it a try. You can head over the the Veganuary website where they have loads of tips and recipes to help you on your way.

Here’s whats in the box this month;

Hectares Sweet Potato Crisps – Sea Salt and Black Pepper Flavour – 35g (RRP £1)

Whoever said all Vegan’s are skinny was a very stupid person. These are so yummy, yet so full of things that make me fat! (Albeit natural things). I’ve had Hectares crisps in a past Vegan Kind box, and as yummy as they are I have to admit the guilt of my post Christmas gut set in as I munched my way through this packet – which incidentally I had to spread across two days because they are verge on 200 calories per pack! Great for snacking on though, providing you’ve been to the gym beforehand!

Hectares Sweet Potato Crisps

Power of … Superfoods Cereal Pots – Sreawberry, Goji & Beetroot Flavour – 65g (RRP £2.29)

This is actually the only new product for me in this month’s box. It’s a breakfast pot that just so happens to be gluten free. You simply add hot or cold water, pop the lid back on and wait for your delicious cereal to, well, erm, become even tastier? Pots like these are a brilliant little convenience food, especially when on the go (and something I must remember to put on the “on tour” supply list) and I always find something wholly satisfying about having hot cereal on a cold winter’s morning. With 265 calories, 7g of fat and 38g of carbs, this is pretty similar to most leading porridge oat brands however there is zero cruelty and all the ingredients are mostly super foods as opposed to the usual preservatives and sweetener so despite it’s slightly pricier tag, is definitely worth it.

Of The Earth Superfoods

Greenfrog Soap Nuts – 250g (RRP £3.99)

Greenfrog is yet another brand I’ve experienced through The Vegan Kind. I’ve previously tried the washing up liquid and have literally just finished a packet of soapnut detergent tablets from another box so I’m more than happy to receive more. This time though, instead of tablets, there is a bag of actualy soap nuts and instructions on how to use them. It contains enough shells for around 25 family washes – and for £3.99 that’s pretty barganous when you compare it to the likes of Bold and Persil. Soapnuts are an environmentally friendly way to power through your washing an they are 100% biodegradable. I can’t wait to try these out.

Greenfrog

Pulsin Raspberry & Goji Raw Choc Brownie – 50g (RRP £1.79)

Another treat I’ve had in a past box – these are absolutely delicious though and great for breakfast on the go. The bar I’ve tried previously was an oat based bar, so I’m intrigued as to how the choc brownie will taste. Definitely another snack to be had on gym days though at 200 calories per bar. But as I said above, although high in sugars and pretty calorific for such a small snack, it’s packed full of zero nasties.

Pulsin

Clearspring 100% Organic Fruit on the Go – Pear – 100g (RRP £0.89)

I really like pears, and I’ve also had the pleasure of trying a few Clearspring products out too and have yet to be disapointed. I’m already planning on turning this little packet into some adorable singular Vegan crumbles, so I’ll be sure to post that up when I get round to it! My favorite thing about this product though, is it’s ingredient list – “Pears” – that’s all. 100% pears, with no added anything. Perfect.

Clearspring

Creative Nature Tropical Treat Bar – 38g (RRP £0.99)

Wow! It’s happened! After a year and a month or two, I’ve finally received a product I’m not bothered about. That’s only because this is yet another product I’ve received in a past box and wasn’t really that keen on it. I’m sure my other half will be delighted though as unwanted Vegan snacks are always given a welcome home in his tummy.These bars are kind of like, pressed flapjack and fruit bars, something I’ve never really enjoyed. Especially as they tend to have more of a raisin texture and flavour to it (eurgh), still I don’t mind having one snack I’m not that interested in as it’s probably far better for my waist line.

Creative Nature

This month’s recipe card is from Fresh Heather over at Big City Dreamer. It features the most scrumptious looking homemade almond milk and brownies. Definitely one I’ll be trying out once I’ve lost some Christmas belly! You should definitely check out more stuff on their blog though, including their amazing Mcapple Fries!

This month’s box has been full of some great products. Despite this I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed for once, but only because almost all the products are ones I’ve already had in previous boxes. I guess though, having been subscribed for so long now, I’m bound to revisit some old products, which I really don’t mind. Another thing I’ve reminded myself of, is the sheer work that the guys at The Vegan Kind are faced with when it comes to finding suitable products to go in their monthly boxes.

Have you been trying out Veganism for Veganuary? Are you thinking of making changes to your diet to incorporate a more crulety free lifestyle? Let us know how you’re getting on below, and of course to discover a great range of Vegan products, you can sign up to The Vegan Kind box here for just £10 a month plus p&p.

Totally hellbent for eco friendly housework and delicious Vegan blogs

– Pants

Beauty Boxes

Why I’m cancelling my beauty boxes

January 19, 2015

After what feels like forever, I’ve finally decided to cancel my Glossybox.

Glossybox was my first subscription box, and to be honest I’ve had a good run, but lately I’ve found myself getting less and less excited by the service, and after one too many disappointing boxes I’ve decided to take a break from not only Glossybox, but also Birchbox, Love me Beauty and You Beauty Discovery.

One of the main reasons is that my subscription beauty boxes were racking up to nearly £50 a month, and although you generally get far more for your money how often do you really end up with things that you actually want or need? That £50 is a new Urban Decay palette with change left over for the MUA counter, or a half-decent trip to MAC.

I think there has just been one too many lipstick shades I’ll never wear, far too much by way of skincare samples that I’ll never get around to using, and worst of all a stash of dreaded perfume vials.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my last Glossybox was actually pretty good, five full size products that all look very nice, however I would never have gone out and purchased any of them individually, so really I’m just bulking up my already overwhelming cosmetic stash with things I could probably live without.

There have been plenty of times where I’ve found wonderful products and brands that I now absolutely couldn’t live without – Laura Mercier Primer, HD Brows powder and Ciate nail polishes all come to mind right away – but they’ve certainly been outnumbered by perfume and skincare samples that I’ve got absolutely no interest in.

I don’t think I’m off the subscription box bug completely though, I’ve decided to keep my Pink Parcel subscription (mostly because of how handy it is – check out my review of this month’s PMT busting box here) and I might order the odd one-off box here and there, but having five or six boxes a month has really taken away the fun of it for me.

When I first started blogging about beauty products, it seemed that I could never get enough new things to try out but in truth it’s all just gathering dust (hypothetically…it’s all organised meticulously in Alex drawers of course…!) and taking up space that I could have filled with things I really really wanted.

If money and storage space weren’t an issue I’d probably keep them all, but both need a serious overhaul in truth so for now it’s bye bye boxes.

How do you feel about beauty subscription boxes? Have they become a bit jaded for you, or do you still wait by the postbox eagerly for your monthy surprise box of treats?

Totally hellbent for deciding what to spend the saved money on!

– Gem

Hauls

January Sales Haul

January 9, 2015

You know when you probably shouldn’t go shopping but you do anyway? Well Pants and I decided that a touch of retail therapy would be the perfect pick-me-up when we went into the city to send my lovely boyfriend back to university in Holland after the winter holidays, in fact the proximity of Debenhams to the coach station means it was all sort of meant to be.

I knew right away that Christmas money would almost certainly be sent to the Urban Decay stand, but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted. Luckily Pants is the best friend in the world and already bestowed the gift of the Electric Palette on me for Christmas (as well as Naked 3 for my birthday last year – spoiled I know!) so it was a toss-up between 1 and 2. The extremely lovely and helpful lady at the UD stand swatched practically every colour in both palettes, despite the fact we must have poured over swatch posts for hours, and eventually we both left with a shiny new Naked 2 palette [£37.00] on the premise that we simply couldn’t live without the matte black shade. I also picked up this adorable Beauticology set [£2.50] at the counter which smells delicious and I want to eat it all right now.

I remembered I had some money left on a Boots card, so we went to take a peek there where I snatched up this Soap & Glory minis set for £5 [sold out online]. I already know I love all the products, and they will be stashed safely away for my next jaunt to the mainland saving me lots of precious bag space!

I’m a true bargain lover at heart, so no trip to town would be complete without a a perusal of Poundland where we found a nice stash of Rimmel Apocalips! I already owned the other shades on the shelf so I thought I’d give Nude Eclipse [£6.49] a try . I’ve also been really impressed by the new Make-Up Gallery range, and have really loved a few of the nail products so I went for this cuticle oil as mine are an absolute state after a Christmas full of construction work (more on that ambiguous statement in another post soon I’m sure!)

Finally the lure of Primark called out to us, where I composed myself like a proper grown up and definitely didn’t squee with delight at finding a My Little Pony T-shirt for only £3.00. I followed that with a little strop because I saw the The Beatles shirt for the same price, yet only in a size six…so I did what any experienced band t-shirt wearer did and bought it anyway with plans to alter it into a halter shirt.

Opperation: Shopping-trip-to-fill-the-space-my-boyfriend-leaves-with-pretty-stuff was a resounding sucess and hardly damaged my post-festive-season bank balance at all. From this point on thought there’s going to be a serious cosmetics/clothing spending ban whilst I try to recover from going a little overboard with spoiling my friends and family this year!

Did you find any amazing bargains in the sale, or treat yourself to anything particularly nice with Christmas money?

Totally hellbent for shopping with my bestie always and forever

Gem

Beauty Boxes

Pink Parcel Review

January 5, 2015

There seems to be a new subscription box popping up every five minutes these days, but I’ve yet to see anything else as genuinely useful as Pink Parcel. There’s no point in trying to dress it up into something coy or fancy – this is a period survival box and it is fantastic! You choose from your preferred type and brand of sanitary products (including most of the familiar names – Lilets, Tampax, Always etc) and they send you enough to cover you for the whole ordeal, including varieties in absorbencies and the choice of night-time specific products.

When you sign up you enter the dates for your lady cycle so the box is delivered a few days beforehand…you know…right around that time where you really do need to eat all the chocolate in the world-

-which is handy because as well as the actual essentials, the Pink Parcel also includes lots of treats that should damn well be counted as essential. The “for you” box contains different treats every month that should help lift the veil of rage/emotional distress/need to eat chocolate that comes with the ever charming time of the month.

My box contained six little treats; first up a Divine Caramel Milk Chocolate bar [£1.00 – 40g] that is genuinely divine and a Pukka Detox tea bag[£2.49 – 20 bags] which I LOVE. I’m a huge fan of Pukka teas and I always love the chance to try a new flavour! The Balance Activ PH Balances Feminine Wipes [£1.97] are an obvious but welcome addition, perfect for throwing in your handbang (and they are flushable!). I was super excited when I saw (or rather smelt!) the Flamingo Candles Pomegranate and White Fig Scent Melt [£2.00], it’s a really unique fragrance and I can’t wait to stick it in a burner – a perfect pick-me-up for PMT really!

Finally the really good stuff – the Max Factor False Lash Effect 24hr mascara [£11.99] is worth more than the standard monthly subscription alone, and although I can’t say I’ve ever been particularly drawn to this particular mascara, I certainly won’t turn down the chance to give it a try! I’ll admit that Made in Chelsea can be a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, so I was vaguely aware that Binky had released her own make-up rage, however I wasn’t expecting it to be priced so lowly! The Binky London lipstick in Romance [£2.95] is a gorgeous glossy and very pigmented red, the exact sort of shade I would choose for myself actually, and so was the perfect addition to this box of treats.

I’m definitely very pleased with my first Pink Parcel, and I think it’s totally worth every penny. The first box is only £5.95 including P&P, and further boxes are £9.99, also inclusive of P&P. When you consider what you would usually spend on “lady products” and then factor in the extra treats, I think it’s fair to say that you are definitely getting your moneys worth!

If you’d like a Pink Parcel of your very own you can subscribe at PinkParcel.co.uk.

Totally hellbent for a well timed and much needed monthly treat!

Gem