Cruelty-Free Favourites: Bath & Shower Gel

I admit it: I'm a shower gel hoarder. I get that little glint in my eye the second I turn the corner into the aisle in Superdrug. I just have to have it, whether I need it or not. As you can imagine, my bathroom shelf is very 'busy' as a result (although I tidied it up for the sake of this post). I have it stuffed into cabinets and drawers. Since I've been exclusively vegan and cruelty free with my product purchases, my habit hasn't eased. In fact, it's got worse! As I made it my mission to find *all* of the amazing cruelty-free options, it also became my duty to try them all. So, I thought I'd give you all the benefit of my addiction and share a few of my favourites with you... 

 Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash

Come on though, who doesn't love Soap & Glory products? Certainly not I, and I was ecstatic to discover that the products are 100% cruelty free with a long list of vegan options (check them out here). Pretty much all of their body washes, and some of their scrubs, are vegan-friendly and my current favourite of the bunch is Sugar Crush. It's just got that zing. It's also wonderfully lathery and lasts a long time, which is just as well as, at £6.50, it's the most expensive of the bunch. And the packaging... Oh, the packaging!

Organic Surge Super Fresh Awakening Body Wash

Organic Surge have some gorgeous products. They use natural ingredients and are eco-certified. I'm currently also using their lemongrass facial scrub. I was first introduced to Super Fresh in one of my The Vegan Kind boxes and it's one that I have since repurchased. It contains mandarin, may chang and bergamot essential oils so it's a thoroughly uplifting experience. Perfect as a morning pick-me-up. 

Superdrug Shea Butter & Bamboo Shower Gel

If you're a seasoned vegan like myself, you'll know that Superdrug is pretty much a fail-safe for affordable, cruelty-free, vegan products. If in doubt... head to Superdrug. I think I've tried most of their shower gels to date, but the one that's sitting in my current stash is Shea Butter & Bamboo. Nothing not to love about them at all. Cheap and cheerful (99p) and get the job done. 

Original Source Vanilla & Raspberry

Original Source are another 'ye olde faithful' brand for vegans. Whilst not all of their varieties are vegan-friendly (honey is the main culprit, if I remember correctly), there are plenty that are, and that goes for shower gels, shampoos and their new range of scrubs and creams. Vanilla & Raspberry is my ultimate favourite. Like washing yourself in pudding. 

Treacle Moon Marshmallow Hearts

I don't buy Treacle Moon very often as I can only really get them online with my Tesco shop, but they're a lovely treat once in a while. I tend to use these more as a bubble bath than a body wash as they are a little bit on the sickly side, but they double up wonderfully. That said, they have some lovely, fun, girly fragrances. I often go for the apple pie variety but I spotted this recently and had to try it. Treacle Moon label their vegan products clearly and are 100% cruelty-free. 

Those were my current favourites but, no doubt, I'll be skulking back into Superdrug very soon to feed my habit. I just want to put it out there that there are so many amazing, quality, cruelty-free products to be had, and maybe some you might have assumed were off-limits to those living a compassionate lifestyle. Not the case, I can assure you. I'm probably going to be doing more of these kinds of posts. I haven't even begun to tell you about my body scrub collection... but I'll leave that for another day.

Do you rate these cruelty-free brands? What's your current favourite product to lather up with? 

Lush Easter Haul 2014

Well HELLOOOO world!

May I just say a big, massive, whopping SORRY for over a month's absence from my blog! I've been working so hard on University projects and revision that any time I had set aside for blogging and photography has been thwarted. I thought I'd attempt a comeback today and sneak this little Lush haul post in seen as I didn't get to post any of my other Easter shenanigans, although if anybody would still be interested in an Easter post I may still post it. 

Since I've been Vegan I've been driving myself bonkers with the cosmetics and other beauty products I've been using, trying to decipher ingredients and sending countless emails to check animal testing policies. There are so many products and brands that I used to adore that I have had to foresake. I just can't believe the amount of animal ingredients that go into products these days. Some of them are downright GROSS! One brand that I know I can always rely on, however, is Lush. The majority of their products are Vegan and the ones that aren't are very clearly labelled. Seen as though I'm going without my Cadburys for the first time this Easter, I decided to make a sneaky order. Ironically, it didn't arrive until Tuesday but the joy I experienced whilst unpacking it more than made up for that...

Bunch of Carrots

It's going to be a shame to see these melt away. I guess you'd expect these to smell like carrots but they're actually infused with a gorgeous mix of buchu, lemon and grapefuit oils for a more tropical scent. I believe Lush did a carrot bubble bar last year so these may have evolved from that. The idea here is that you run these under the tap and swirl them in the water so they are extremely reusable. You're likely to get several bubbly baths out of these badboys!

Fluffy Egg Bath Bomb

I had to get an egg really, didn't I? And this one has the coveted Snow Fairy scent to it so I was immediately sold. Who doesn't want to take a sweetie-scented bath?? I'm kicking myself for not getting more than one of these because, at just £2.95, they're super affordable. 

Brightside Bubble Bar

Usually I'd go for The Comforter when purchasing a Lush Bubble Bar but the colour of this new version just gave me the biggest HAPPY. This may have something to do with the fact that it was inspired by the Monty Python song. I'm glad I chose it too. It has the most gorgeous, juicy, sherbet-like citrus fragrance I've ever come across with bergamot, mandarin and tangerine. I'm slightly concerned what colour my bath water might turn with this one though. Yellowy-orange isn't exactly an inviting hue when it comes to bathing haha. 

The Olive Branch Shower Gel

As much as I love my Original Source and Superdrug shower gels for everyday, I really fancied something a bit special and I've always fancied The Olive Branch so I decided to pick it up in a small size to see what it's like. Lush shower gels aren't exactly cheap and I need to know that I like it if I'm going to pay top dollar for the large size. It smells wonderfully fresh with olive oil, bergamot and mandarin. Can't wait!

Jungle Conditioner Bar

My first foray into solid conditioner. I'm not entirely convinced that it will be able to penetrate my ultra-thick mane. I have so much HAIR! I've been struggling a bit lately to find a shampoo and conditioner that really suit me and my hair can get extremely tangled so I just thought I'd try something completely different and see if it works better. Plus, to be honest, it's just a relief to find haircare without the words 'cetyl alcohol' in the ingredients list. That stuff has become my nemesis. 

Some products from the special edition Lush Easter range for 2014 are still available via their website (I haven't been into a store recently so not sure what the stock situation is like there). Obviously not all of my purchases were from this range and so those products should be readily available. Check out what's left of Easter at

lush.co.uk 

Do you go mad for Lush?? What are your favourite Easter products?? Any other recommendations??

Cruelty Free/Vegan Superdrug Beauty Haul

Thought I'd do this little post today as a follow on from yesterday's post on Cruelty Free and Vegan Beauty. I did a bit of browsing around Superdrug today and picked up a few animal-friendly bits. I was really impressed at how well labelled everything was and truly amazed at how little I spent. Everything in this post came to just over £5! I thought I'd share my buys with you and give you an example of cruelty free labelling in action so you know what to look out for. Superdrug actually state on the back of the products which ones are Vegetarian/Vegan as well as showing the Leaping Bunny logo so completely stress free and no need to read through every ingredient.

Superdrug Revitalising Raspberry & Macadamia Nut Shampoo/Conditioner 400ml - 2 for £3 (£1.99 each)

I've been in the market for a new shampoo and conditioner for a little while now. Not least because the products I was using before were L'Oreal, who I have now lost faith in somewhat with regard to animal testing. I like to think that I'm not a product snob but I'd never really considered Superdrug as a brand in their own right until recently. I've heard some great things about their stuff from Vegan beauty bloggers and on YouTube so I thought I'd give these a whirl. My hair has been feeling very dull and tangled lately so I'm hoping these will brighten it up a bit. 

Original Source Vanilla & Raspberry Shower Cream - £1.13 (Half Price)

I'd spotted this shower cream on the Original Source Facebook page and had to grab it when I spotted it today. This is a new variety in their shower range and smells sweet and comforting. It is a moisturising formula and I can't wait to try it out. I'm running low on my Creightons Argan Body shower cream (which I love but I'm not 100% sure how Vegan friendly it is) and a moisturising product is really important for me. I love how clearly labelled their products are and I definitely think this will become a go-to brand for me. 

Superdrug Cherry & Almond Shower Gel - 99p

I didn't really NEED two new shower gels today but, after smelling this one, I had to add it to my basket. It smells gorgeous! A really fruity fragrance with natural extracts. It contains added skin conditioners, is Ph balanced and soap free. Winning!! 

Here are a couple of examples of the logos I mentioned in my last post in action. Labelling like this really takes the hassle out of cruelty free shopping for me. I'm also going to give Superdrug body moisturisers a chance once I've used up all the yummy Body Shop butters I got in the January Sale. 

The other thing I picked up today, although not really beauty related as such, was the Superdrug Total Care Sensitive Whitening toothpaste. I've found it difficult to figure out which brands of toothpaste are cruelty free due to parent companies etc so to find this one clearly labelled AND vegan I knew I had to try it. The other brand of toothpaste I know to be Vegan is Beverly Hills Formula but at £4.99 it's a bit pricey, as toothpaste goes. This one was just 59p so I thought I'd give it a chance first. Superdrug also carry a range of Vegan/Cruelty Free mouthwashes. 

I'm definitely going to report back on how I get on with these products, particularly the haircare. I wanted to do this little haul just to show you how readily available cruelty free beauty can be. I know they're not the current must-have brand names but they seem to be very good quality and so well priced! Other cruelty free brands include Sainsbury's and the Co Op (own branded products), Amie Skincare, Liz Earle, Lush and The Body Shop. 

Is cruelty free beauty important to you?? Do you check ingredients before you buy?? Are you a Vegan beauty addict??

TLC's Last Minute Christmas Crackers Pt1: Radox Bath Therapy Gift Sets

I leave my Christmas gift posting as late as I leave my Christmas gift SHOPPING! There is a reason for this. I've discovered some lovely gift sets this year and I've got several to show you all this week. The beauty of all of these items is that they are super easy and quick to snap up for even the most behind of Christmas shoppers. I thought I'd get the Christmassy ball (or should that be bauble) rolling with these fantastic sets courtesy of Radox, who are the UK's number one washing and bathing brand with over 100 YEARS experience in producing the best products.

The products in these sets are all old favourites that are loved and used by many, but they've been given an extra something special for Christmas 2013. The 'Love a Duck' and 'Relax Ducky'* (pictured above) sets are great fun. You get two lovely, BIG 500ml bottles of two gorgeous varieties of Radox along with everybody's favourite bathtime companion... The flashy rubber ducky!! Seriously, no bath is complete without this little chap. He brings me so much JOY haha. The set that I have is just perfect for me. I adore Moisture Soak. It's like having a bath in moisturiser and leaves my skin so silky. It will always be a favourite. I'm looking forward to trying out Radox Relax too. It smells divine. Love a Duck is the more masculine of the sets (having said that, Muscle Soak has been a staple for me for some time with my dodgy limbs haha). It also contains the Original Radox bath formula. 

They also have an extra indulgent Home Spa gift set consisting of Spa Soothe Bath Soak and Spa Radiant Shower Cream wash. It also comes with a massager to work that lather right in for a real treat. 

These sets are all available from Superdrug and Boots and other Radox Stockists

Love a Duck - RRP £7.50

Relax Ducky - RRP £7.50

Home Spa - RRP £10

Do you leave it all until the last minute at Christmas?? Are you a Radox devotee?? Is there anything better in this world than a flashing, purple rubber ducky?? 

Sneak Peek: BeneFit 'Bathina' Body Oil Mist

Afternoon my lovelies!

I've got a couple of fabulous new BeneFit releases to show you this week! I popped along to their Christmas Blogger party last week to have a peep at what they've got up their sleeves for this year's Festive season and also to have a nosey around their new Carnaby Street Boutique. Well, what can I say other than OMG? If you are in London or visiting London then you must pay them a visit. It's a haven for products, pampering and treatments (there's even a Champagne bar). Anyhoo I had the opportunity to take home a few of their new releases to have a little play with and share with you lovely people. One of those products is Bathina Body Oil Mist* which launches later this month...

I'm pretty sure this is BeneFit's first foray into bath and body products. Their makeup and facial skincare products have always been immaculately packaged and fantastic quality so I was really looking forward to giving this a try. The packaging on this little beauty really is gorgeous and would look amazing on anybody's bathroom shelf. Not that this affects the performance of the product in any way but it's everything I've come to expect from BeneFit in terms of products that make my vanity look pretty. 

Here's what BeneFit have to say about it...

"It's lust at first touch! Bathina's lightweight body oil gives immediate hydration, a seductive sheen and a touch of tempting fragrance. Mist it on for silky smooth skin that's impossible to resist. Your sexy secret... it doubles as a seductive massage oil."

I've been doing as suggested and misting this on straight after my bath/shower. I love the fragrance. It's really clean and fresh as well as being slightly floral. As my skin never really seems to need dense creams and moisturisers after bathing I really like how lightweight this product is and that it doesn't feel too greasy. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave too much residue. Those with dryer skin types may find they need a more heavy duty product but it's still worth popping into a counter and giving it a try. It does leave my skin feeling soft, although I'm not completely convinced by the 'sheen' it's supposed to give. Maybe it's just the light in my bathroom though haha. One thing's for sure it makes me smell yummy!  The spray bottle also makes for a quick and easy application with no spillage or waste which I often find to be the case with other oil products. I've ended up looking like something out of 'Magic Mike' before after being over zealous with moisturising body oils. 

Bathina launches on 26th October and will retail for £26.50 for 75ml.

 Perhaps a little steep but it's a big bottle and not a lot of product is needed. I'd say that it's definitely one for your Christmas list (oops, there's that C word again) if you are looking for a lightweight product and a fast and fuss-free application. 

How do you finish off your skin after a bath/shower?? Do you prefer a lightweight product or something more intensive?? Are you excited that BeneFit are branching out into body care??

Watch out Lush!! Here's My Soap.....

There's a new soap obsession on the block ladies.....

One of the reasons i adore Twitter so much is the fact that you get to discover and interact with so many FABULOUS independant companies which you would never have heard of otherwise. My Soap are one of these companies. Their products are AMAZING and every bit as good as big names such as Lush, plus they're LOVELY! So lovely, in fact, that they offered to send me two of their soaps to try... Errrrrrrrmm YES PLEASE!!

Bit of company and product info for you girls before i show you what i've been smothering all over myself lately...

These Soaps are made entirely by hand using natural plant oils, plant extracts, and essential oils and ALSO retain the natural skin conditioner Glycerin which is very often removed from commercially produced soaps. 

There are 5 lovely ranges to browse which are...

Fresh Butter Soaps £4.75 for 100g

These contain GORGEOUS Cocoa and Shea Butters and pure essential oils, topped with lovely things such as flowers, rosebuds and herbs

Earthly Delight Soaps £4.50 for 100g

A veggie/vegan DELIGHT, these soaps are infused with dried flowers and herbs and contain anything from Aloe Vera juice to green clay or rosehips. 

Naked Soaps £4.50 for 100g

Ideal for troublesome, sensitive skin or skin which reacts easily to products AND beneficial to dermatitis/eczema/psoriasis sufferers. Unscented and uncomplicated, containing anything from  cocoa butter and goats milk to hemp oil and honey.

Open Air Soaps £4.50 for 100g

Decorated with anything from Sea Salt Crystals to Sunflower petals and contain Japanese Seaweed. Great for a super skin detox!!

My Soap are veteran traders of Camden Lock Market. I haven't been to Camden for a few years now but i'd hazard a guess that you could sniff your way straight to them!! Excitingly. they are launching their NEW Website on 17th October 2011 so that non-Londoners can benefit from these GORGEOUS products!! Gotta love mail-order!

So here is what i have in my bathroom right now.....

This is the Fresh Rose Butter Soap

And here's what My Soap say about it..... 

A gorgeous Rose bud studded soap bar with a superbly rich and creamy recipe containing dollops of moisturising Cocoa Butter and regenerating Shea Butter with palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, corn oil, cocoa butter and castor oil. Perfumed with a heady flowery blend of Rose Geranium, Petitgrain and sexy Ylang Ylang essential oils and speckled with Ground Rosehips to exfoliate your skin.

For a sample product this is a GREAT size!! I was expecting to recieve a shaving off one of the corners of a full size bar haha. But here i am with this MASSIVE chunk of loveliness!! It smells soooo pretty!! Like being outside on a sunny day. If you don't like floral scents then maybe this isn't the best in the range for you but you would be converted after using it, i guarantee!! This product leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft and it lasts a long time which makes it great value for money. 

It was almost a shame to use it!! Hence the lateness of this post.... (I was still using up my stockpile of Lush Rockstar Soap when these arrived and i wanted them to be special so i stashed them away for a little while). The rosebuds which decorate this soap are just too CUTE and i was enjoying just LOOKING at it for quite a while and not wanting to ruin its beauty haha. But now that i am using it i'm really pleased with it. 

The other product i received, but haven't taken it out of the packaging yet (same reason, I don't wanna wreck it) is the Open Air Lemoniser.  I am going to wait until i have used up the Rose Butter soap before i crack that baby open. That way i can write another post for you and really enjoy it. 

So where can you get your grubby mitts on these lovelies??

Well, as i said before, this company are resident in Camden Market BUT..... From Oct 17th this year they will be launching www.my-soap.co.uk/ 

They're also DEFINITELY worth a follow on Twitter and are happy to answer any questions and provide information to anyone curious. 

What's bathtime been like for YOU lately??

Lush: Flying Saucers & Therapy Massage

So this is the first review of some of the products I received from the LOVELY people at Lush. 

I posted my mail order haul on Tuesday. I had asked for their advice and recommendations on which products would best help my symptoms (I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia for those who are new to this blog). They went one better than that and sent me some WONDERFUL samples and i have now started trying them out!! 

So tonight the products i decided to try out tonight were the Flying Saucers bubble bath and the Therapy Massage Bar. 

(The photos i have used are those from Lush's website as the products i recieved were mini sample sizes - Click the links below the images to view/order direct from Lush)

Click to Order from Lush

Flying Saucers was a discontinued product which is now ONLY available via mail order.

Lush says....

This works like a reassuring embrace from a friendly, furry creature. Flying Saucers is for when you're feeling emotional, but you've been acting so scarily that no-one will come near you. It's designed as the antidote to smashing the crockery and we recommend it for PMT. It has one of our favourite fragrances: honey and ylang ylang. Palmarosa is both calming and refreshing, and vetivert, the oil of tranquility, eases stresses, depression and tension. Take a Flying Saucers bath when you're feeling alien.

The first thing that hit me about this product was the STRONG smell of Honey.. I don't think i could pick up on any of the other ingredients, but I have had a cold so i may not be the most reliable sniffer today. I almost found it too sickly in the pot but Becky from Lush had said in her letter that it would help me relax so I was fully determined to give it a chance. 

 I'm glad i did and i can see why she recommended it for me. The smell really mellowed out once it hit the water and I found the honey scent REALLY comforting and I eventually picked up on the herbal undertones. Even though it was a little sample pot it still made a good amount of bubbles. Don't know if you're like me, but when i get a big bottle of bubble bath i tend to slosh it in and make TONS of bubbles. So a little went a long way.

I don't know if it's helped me RELAX as such (not on it's own anyway) but i found it VERYcomforting and it gave me a lovely bubbly bath :)

Click to Order from Lush

So the Therapy Massage Bar..... I'm unfamiliar with the concept of a massage BAR. I've heard of massage OIL but never in a solid form. When i picked it up and had a feel it was kind of a vaseline-y texture. Not quite like a soap bar. Almost like the bath melts.

Here's what Lush say about it...

Euphoria-inducing bar with uplifting neroli. Therapy is a wunder-bar, which we make to help your hard life get softer. First, it moisturises with cocoa and shea butters to make your hard skin get softer. Then, it softens your tensions with lavender and neroli oils - neroli is the one which gives you a feeling of euphoria, especially when you have someone massaging it into your shoulders. Give Therapy a try and you'll feel better in no time. 100% certified organic.

The scent isn't a sweet, pretty scent... it's very herbal and smells like it's fresh out of a spa and VERY good for you. I used it while i was in my lovely honey bath and honestly didn't expect it to go on how it did. It went on just like a massage oil or when you use baby oil after a bath on wet skin. The only thing i have tried that is like it is the solid Palmer's Cocoa Butter you get in a pot. It was VERY rich and i was worried it wouldn't all absorb and i would end up greasy. 

 But i had a lovely time massaging it in. The chunk they had cut me off wasn't very big but it really went a long way. I still have at least half of the piece they sent left to use another time. I think the massaging, in itself, helps relax achey limbs like mine and i feel like it has boosted my circulation. 

When i got out of the bath and dried myself off my skin did NOT feel greasy, but VERY moisturised. If i didn't need to put a layer of tan on tonight i would not bother with another moisturiser. My skin feels and looks lovely and smooth as well. This does a great double-act as a bath product and mousturiser in one and would definitely save you money on a seperate body moisturising product. I can imagine the full-size product would last a LONG time as well so seems VERY economical. I can't imagine the smell being to everyone's taste but there are that many different Massage Bars on Lush's menu that i'm sure there's one out there for everyone.

I still have some other products to try out. They also sent me shower gels designed to wake me up and give me energy, a Sore Labours Massage Bar sample and another bubble bath. This almost feels like a science project with all the potions i'm experimenting with! Can't wait to let you know how i get on on my next bath!

Do you have any Lush products you can't live without, or that you think might work for me?? Let me know...