I remember trying Crazy Rumors Lip Balms when they were always stashed in my local Holland & Barrett but they haven’t been around in the UK for quite sometime as far as I am aware. Then I found The Beauty Vault, a small, family run company that stock cruelty free independent brands including Crazy Rumors.
The brand was created in 2003 by Edie and Brian Himmel after trialling and experimenting many different creations to provide customers with something new, different and exciting. Crazy Rumors’s award winning 100% natural and vegan formula was born and has been a long term favourite for many of their customers.
The lip balms are made with super moisturising shea butter that is then infused with natural flavours and slightly sweetened with natural stevia. I thought it is about time I replaced my beloved Peppermint Twist lip balm with some new favourites. I’ve treated myself to Black Cherry and Cancer. If you have dry and cracked lips, I cannot recommend one of these enough! They are so moisturising and leave you lips nourished and soft. They are perfect for prepping your lips before applying lipstick but are also brilliant for the added extra moisture during the evening.
The packaging is very colourful and fun. I love how they have clearly displayed the leaping bunny logos and states that they are suitable for vegans so you don’t need to spend half an hour trying to double check on the internet whether they are cruelty free or not.
Next on my list is most definitely: Mint Chocolate as I have heard that one is really nice and Cola.
Have you ever tried the Crazy Rumors Lip Balms before? Let me know which scent is your favourite.
♥
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When was the last time that you bought makeup and checked that the brand was cruelty-free? When buying groceries most of the time it is easy to determine what is suitable for vegetarians and what isn’t, however, it is much harder to get this information about beauty products. Certain brands widely advertise that they are cruelty-free and do not test on animals, but others do not.
Brands that are widely known for their cruelty free products include LUSH and The Body Shop. These brands market themselves as being ethical in their approach to beauty products so people know what they are buying. The problem is that other than these brands how do you know if your make up was tested on animals?
Big name beauty brands are not required to advise if they test on animals or not which makes it much harder for people like us to determine if they are ethical or not. In the UK, animal testing by cosmetics companies has been illegal since 1998 but with global corporations creating their products outside the UK it is difficult to know for sure about any product – just look at the situation with SLG who creates the Zoella Beauty products. They are usually sold in Superdrug stores but when you look on their website there is an office in China where they are required to test on animals. I have put together four brands that you should definitely take a look at buying from this Christmas so that you can avoid those who test on animals.
Barry M is my go-to budget friendly cosmetics brand that has never tested on animals and a lot of their products are vegan. They are well known for their humongous nail varnish collection, however, it’s worth having a look at their other makeup too because it’s just as good. My favourites have to be That’s How I Roll Mascara, Afterglow Light Bronzer and their Matte Me Up Lip Crayons.
GOSHis another cruelty free cosmetics brand that doesn’t test on animals. Similar to Barry M most of their products are vegan too and you can easily pick them up in Superdrug stores across the UK. I don’t hear them being talked about as much as other brands from the drugstore but their X-Ceptional Foundation is a god send if you’re wanting something that is full coverage. I have recently tried their lipstick too and the lasting power is amazing. They are so creamy and moisturising. My favourite at the moment is this lovely dark red toned lipstick called Raisin.
The Body Shop is one of the biggest well-known brands that does not test on animals although owned by L’oreal. They have a lovely range of makeup, skincare, and products that men would love too. If you’re an O2 customer than you are able to pick up many deals with money off coupons. Other favourite products of mine include their Camomile Cleansing Butter, Seaweed Oil Balancing Toner and Vitamin E Night Cream.
What are your go-to cruelty free brands? Let me know if any of these are your favourites in the comments.
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Anyone who has been following my little corner of the internet for a while will know that I am no fashion blogger. I am so awkward in front of the camera that I don’t actually know how Alice manages to put up with me posing in front of a camera all afternoon. However, if there is one thing that I do love, it is talking about all things fashion and in particular Autumn/Winter fashion. There is just something about layering up and keeping warm that makes me want to get in selfie mode.
I have recently re-found my love for pinafore dresses. They are just so simple to dress up or down with a pair of boots and a printed top underneath. I think this particular one is from New Look and was super affordable from what I can remember. Denim pinafores just remind me of when I was a little girl jumping around in puddles with odd wellies on because I didn’t want to be different from my cousin, Matthew. Fun fact: we used to switch wellies so we both had a red one and a blue one each.
My top is from H! by Henry Holland and I just love the autumnal print. I think it looks really nice underneath the pinafore as well because the print stands out from the denim. I have paired the outfit with a lovely cable knit cardigan because we don’t all walk round pretending it is Summer in the middle of November. Seriously, I take my hats off to the girls who can walk around with bare legs and knee high boots, and still look all glam!
The cardigan is so lovely and warm but it goes with absolutely everything! Are you looking for something to just throw on to pop round for your milk on a Sunday morning? This will keep you warm. Wanting a cover up for a cold date night but don’t want to take your 27lb parka? This will more than likely do the trick.
The cardigan was actually gifted to me by the lovely people at Lovethesales*. They present sales from hundreds of online shops so that you can shop them all in one place, including a Converse sale and a perfume sale too. Not only does this save you rummaging through the sale racks in your local New Look and getting pushed here, there and everywhere but it also saved a lot of time and money too. It was nice to do it from the comfort of my own bed on a Sunday morning rather than having to get dressed to go out in the freezing cold. The service was incredible as the garment arrived within a week of ordering which makes it a brilliant site to turn to for any last minute Christmas present ideas as well. As for the brand, Anna Field, I have never heard of them before but I would love to try a couple more pieces from them including this lovely Dark Rose Backpack for any adventures to the Christmas markets.
You can have a browse at the Lovethesales website here or follow them on Twitter to keep up to date with all their latest sales.
What’s your go to staple outfit during the Autumn/Winter months? Are you a pinafore gal or do you prefer the casual jeans and a hoody?
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I have been a pet friendly blog for a year now but the one thing I have never touched upon was parent companies and animal testing. For anyone new, I started researching into buying cruelty free skincare, makeup, haircare etc. a random Summer’s night when I was in bed watching a film and Sunney was right next to me. I discovered the pain and torture that animals go through just to check whether our foundation will okay on our skin and I started crying. From that moment I knew I didn’t want to support those brands. I wanted to find more cruelty free friendly brands to support, however, little did I know how tricky and confusing it can be and I still struggle to this day.
With this week’s announcement that Too Faced has now been brought by Estée Lauder, I think it is important that I talk about parent companies. Gemima wrote a very helpful post last year, Animal Testing & Parent Companies, which I think is important to mention as this really helped me to get a better understanding myself.
There are also so many helpful content creators that have helpful posts on blogs and Instagram that I regularly turn to when I am looking for a specific product. They all work so hard in staying up to date with the latest information that I take my hats off to them. Some of my faves are: mo’adore, Cruelty Free Kitty, Ellie, Logical Harmony and Vegan Beauty Girl.
A parent company is one that owns another or multiple companies, otherwise known as a subsidiary. The parent company has control over management and operation. In terms of animal testing, a parent company may have identical or completely different views on animal testing policies. For example, Jason is owned by the parent company Hain Celestial. Both the parent company and Jason are cruelty free and Leaping Bunny approved. Whereas, Urban Decay are Leaping Bunny approved which means they never test on animals, however, their parent company is L’Oreal who is one of the greatest offenders of animal testing.
Now the big question, and one which is divided amongst the cruelty free blogging community is: “what if a parent company tests on animals?”
This all depends on you as a person and the values and ethics that you follow. It also raises arguments and concerns amongst the cruelty free community. Some think that if the brand is owned by an animal testing company, that brand will not be cruelty free. This in itself can be confusing for people who are just beginning to look for cruelty free brands and I know that this is something that can put many people off researching into where they buy their makeup and skincare from especially when you are feeling overwhelmed standing in the middle of Boots with all the makeup stands around you and you are just wanting to pick up a mascara to replace the one that ran out this morning.
Another point to mention from Gemima’s post is that when a brand is owned or brought by a parent company, the brand will often remain independent of the parent company in certain ways. This means that their products can be made separately and without being tested on animals. For example, the likes of The Body Shop, Urban Decay and NYX Cosmetics are all owned by L’Oreal however many people within the cruelty free community remain to buy from all of them companies. Liz Earle clearly prints the Leaping Bunny logo on the back of every product however they are owned by Avon and of course, Too Faced is now owned by Estée Lauder.
When asking on social media what other bloggers thought about parent companies, I received a mixed response. I’ve included some below which may help you come to a conclusion too. Many people agreed with Sarah, that is is important to still buy from the brand itself to show there is still a demand for cruelty free products.
as long as the brand itself remains cruelty free I'll still shop from it because I think it's important to show demand for CF!
Personally, I think it is a really hard decision to make especially as a beauty blogger in an ever growing community. You could say that you are supporting a cruelty free brand, whether it is owned by a testing parent company or not, therefore you are sending a message to them that a large number of consumers don’t want products tested on animals. However, others state that we would be funding animal testing because the parent company is still performing certain actions that harm animals whilst reaping the profits from its’ cruelty free brand.
Overall, I believe it is completely down to you. I am not going to be the one to judge anyone for their decisions. Buying from brands with parent companies that test on animals will, of course, give you more options. However, if you decide to only use products from brands with cruelty free parent companies then you may be limiting yourself to the products that are available to you and how easy it is to get them. Whatever your stance is when it comes to animal testing and parent companies remember that it is your opinion and don’t feel upset or bothered if someone else’s opinion is different. It’s a similar discussion as the vegetarian and vegan argument. You should feel proud for contributing to the community, even if it is a simple decision as to which company you are gong to buy your next facial wash or eyeshadow palette from. Personally, I care about the welfare of the animals and this is something I’ve grown passionate about especially since doing my research but I do also want to share the availability of products that we have around us and raise awareness that the smallest difference can make a big change.
What are your thoughts on brands with parent companies? Do you buy from them?
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When NYX came to my local Boots everyone went crazy. No seriously, everyone and their cats had probably picked up one of their Soft Matte Cremes. Last month, I finally managed to reach the stand without having to push through all the 17 year old girls who are all taller than me. I thought I would make the most of having a crowd free stand and pick up a lipstick option from the different types that NYX offer. I feel like I am now ready to give you a mini review of each.
From left to right: Doll, Cranberry Biscotti and Teddy
Round Lipstick in Doll – Firstly, I picked up one of their basic lipsticks in a lovely pink shade. I wasn’t expecting great things from it apart from the shade is lovely if your wanting an inexpensive lipstick that you could wear day-to-day. The texture on the lips is lovely and velvety, however, it smudges really easily. One thing I do quite like about the packaging is that it clearly states that NYX is cruelty free which a lot of brands don’t do. It saves so much time when browsing at the makeup counters too. Would I buy this one again? Probably not because I prefer the other lipsticks from NYX more as they last longer and are a lot more pigmented.
Butter Gloss in Cranberry Biscotti – Now I am no lipgloss fan but as soon as I applied the Butter Gloss I fell in love! Of course, it is quite sticky as it doesn’t properly dry but I love it for when I am wanting to break away from wearing a matte lip. At first, I thought it would be really sheer with it being a lipgloss but the colour pay off is lovely and so autumnal. I find that the Butter Gloss moisturises my lips more than the others which is something that I wasn’t really expecting.
Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Teddy – I really wanted to pick up one of the Liquid Lipsticks because I have a slight obsession with them at the moment. Teddy is extremely pigmented and is a lovely natural, chocolate brown shade. I think this would look lovely if you’re wanting a break from the dark reds that come whizzing into all the makeup looks this time of year. It dries down a lot quick than the other two, however, it definitely didn’t last as long as the Butter Gloss. It’s a nice one to wear during the day when your wanting something quite neutral.
The only thing about NYX that I don’t particularly like is that they don’t live up to Colour Pop’s Lippie Stix standards as far as the lasting power is concerned but they do last longer than other lipstick brands I have tried from the drugstore within the same price range. This certainly won’t stop me from using them because they are more accessible than Colour Pop and the shades I have are unlike anything in my collection at the moment. My current favourite out of the three is Cranberry Biscotti because the colour is such a lovely shade for the winter months and it is unlike anything that I usually wear on the lips.
Have you tried any of the NYX products? What should I pick up next? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
♥
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