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??