The Organic Shop Body Desserts: Beauty With A Sweet-Toothed Twist

COMING SOON: Gobsmacked Lipsticks (The New Brand You NEED To Know About)

Back when I started this blog, I was obsessed with lipsticks. Anything bright and bold was adored, and I loved the way a sassy colour on my lips could make me feel instantly confident. Pinks and reds were my main choice, however, fast forward a few years and (although I do love a red lip from time to time- who doesn't!?) it's mainly understated nude tones that I wear more in my day to day life, if I wear any at all! When Sophie Ebeling, founder of Gobsmacked, emailed me regarding her new lipstick brand I was so intrigued. I'm very fussy about the quality of lipsticks that I wear- anything other than nourishing, long-lasting, true-to-colour and comfortable and it's chucked aside. On my first try of this stunning new product I knew this was going to be a brand to watch.

Timeless Scent, Organic Formula: Meet Dr Botanical's New Moroccan Rose Range

Whether you love it or hate it, there's no doubting that rose is a classic fragrance. Conjuring images of romance, elegance and quintessential English-ness, rose is one of those scents that can be both delicate and overpowering if not used sparingly. There's a good reason this flower has been used for centuries within fragrance; not only does the scent of roses awaken those feminine, minimalist sentiments, but the ingredient itself bears highly potent benefits for skincare. It seems as though many brands are capitalising on the benefits of Moroccan Rose at the moment, and Dr Botanicals is one to join the club. Their new Moroccan Rose range combines this classic, simple ingredient with a passion for cruelty-free and organic skincare. Sounds like a winner in my books!

Skincare That Makes A Difference: Naobay's Natural & Organic Products

Greetings again, everybody. Apologies for my brief blogging absence; dissertations and exams are so inconvenient, eh? Today I'm back with a good ol' skincare review for you all. Naobay is a brand that I have been familiar with for a while (having tried their toner in the past) and one that I wanted to introduce to you. An acronym for 'Natural and Organic, Beauty and You', this brand focuses on ingredients which are in no way harmful to you or the environment. Strong ethical commitments within the beauty industry regarding organic ingredients, animal testing and environment protection are an incredible and increasingly recognised stand, but the products still have to live up to a great quality too. Having been trying their calming toner, milk cleanser and oxygenating moisturising cream for the past month or so, I can confirm that these products are not only great for those who look out for 'certified' products, but are well worth trying out if you're a beauty lover in general.

Vegan Beauty: Sukin Skincare Which 'Doesn't Cost The Earth'

The beauty industry has expanded so much in recent years; an expansion which mirrors our developments as consumers. We have different demands and needs, and brand are reflecting this. There is such a variety of products available that anyone with specific requirements are now catered for. An increasing number of brands are recognising our call for cruelty-free, natural, organic, vegan and vegetarian products by providing a wealth of different products for us to try. Sukin is another brand who does this, an Australian company offering natural, sustainable and cruelty-free products without the cost which usually comes with these demands.

Priming Waters: Efficient, Multifunctional And A Huge Trend To look Out For

When the new year rolls in, one thing that many people are keen to hear about it what will be predicted to be the next big trends for the upcoming 12 months. Will it be a new secret ingredient that we see in all products? Will there be huge influence from one particular country? Will we start incorporating a new step in our skincare? Beauty trends come and go just like fashion, and we're already seeing brands picking up on our interest for something new and innovative. One thing that has started to appear recently is a range of priming waters from a few brands. By now we know that we should be using primers over our moisturiser and underneath our foundation to smooth out the texture of our skin, even out our skin tone and allow base make-up to last all day. However, by eliminating the need for working in any cream primer, these waters could well make our morning routines even more efficient.

Vegan Beauty: Inika Primer & Liquid Foundation

A while ago, I started a feature on vegan beauty (you can read all the posts so far here), and after taking a short break over Christmas, I'm back with loads of great products I want to share with you cruelty-free fans! First up is this Pure Primer and Liquid Foundation combo from Australian brand, Inika. Selling all kinds of beauty products, the ten year old brand ships worldwide and has a long list of credentials under its belt. This week, I'm putting their primer and liquid foundation to the test in order to show that vegan, organic products does not necessarily mean a compromise on quality.

Little Ondine: The Magical No-Fumes, Peel-Off Nail Varnish (That's Cruelty-Free Too!)

Innovation is one of the most exciting things in the world of beauty. It's those moments when something is created and you think, 'why did nobody do that before?!'. My love for nail varnish has been a fraught one. When I lived in my parent's home, I adored painting my nails and trying out all forms of spangly nail art- it was a bit of creative 'me time'. However, it used to drive my Dad (an ex-paint sprayer) absolutely mad- the strong, nail varnish fumes gave him a headache and I was banished outdoors to decorate my talons. The smell of nail varnish is a bit like marmite; some don't mind it, others can't stand it. So, it's strange to think nothing had been done about this fumy scent...until Little Ondine came about.

The Best 3 Places To Buy Vegan Beauty

Today's guest post is by Helen Burdett and is all about her favourite places to buy vegan beauty. Enjoy!

Finding vegan make up in the UK can be a massive challenge. Researching vegan make up brands reveals many in the US but far less in the UK or even that mail here without extortionate shipping costs. Just last night I spent over an hour trying to find a mineral foundation sold by a vegan brand that I could buy in a shop in order to test shades. I was unsuccessful and eventually ordered some travel sized samples from Barefaced Beauty. So on that note, I thought I would share my top three vegan brands easily available in the UK. 

Betty Lou, Brighton: The Vegan Salon That's Perfect For Vintage Lovers

Just traipse around Brighton for five minutes and you'll realise one thing: this is a town completely obsessed with all things retro. This expression and love for anything quirky, kitsch and vintage has moved from being reserved for subcultures to exploding into Brighton's mainstream culture. There are shops brimming with retro clothes, jumble sales filled with quirky hand-me-down accessories, and restaurants aimed at giving you that 1950s experience. Now, Betty Lou helps to add to this vintage-fest with their 1950s/1060s inspired salon.

Confusing and Hypocritical? The Difference Between Cruelty Free and Vegan Beauty

Today's guest post is written by the lovely Helen Burdett. In light of our beauty-buying habits becoming increasingly informed in the ways of animal testing, Helen discusses the differences between labels such as Cruelty Free, Vegan and Vegetarian; can a lipstick that uses animal by-products really be considered cruelty free? Can a brand be cruelty free despite its ownership by a renowned animal-testing business? There's far more to it that you'd think...


The hypocrisy of ‘Cruelty Free’ labelling is something that has bothered me for a long time. While, yes, a labelled product is free from animal testing and certain types of cruelty, the irony is that a product can be deemed cruelty free while still containing ingredients that an animal was killed for. One of the most common examples of this is Carmine; a product of boiling dried Cochineal beetles to extract carminic acid. Not something that sounds cruelty free but nevertheless found in Cruelty Free labelled lipsticks, glosses and blush. The fact that a company can label a product as free from cruelty, with a certified label to boot, when an animal, even one as seemingly insignificant as a beetle, has died for it, is, to me at least, extremely misleading.

5 Cruelty-Free Beauty Products That I Swear By

Welcome to the first of many new posts on my new feature on vegan / cruelty-free beauty! There will be a new post either every week or every other week, so keep 'em peeled! Today, myself and Helen (who will be helping out with the new feature) have racked our brains (mainly hers- I'm still not sure if I even have one) and have come up with our 5 favourite beauty products which are totally cruelty-free. The brands here are vegan or vegetarian, so hopefully there is something for everyone and will reassert the fact that you can have amazing beauty products without having to test on or harm our animal friends.