Cruelty-Free Skincare for Dry & Sensitive Skin

Proof I'm sticking to my new year's goals.

I've spoken a handful of times about the topics I studied at college (aromatherapy and massage being my favourites) but I've never really applied any of my knowledge to the ol' blog. When I was at college I ran a different blog and shared a series of posts all about skincare - how to determine your skin type, the best corresponding products to use and how ~professionals~ perform a facial routine. I really want to brush up on my knowledge and skills as I've moved away from them over the past few years and I think they're a real asset. This also falls in nicely with one of my new year's goals, which was to get back into my skincare routine! Now that I've finally figured out the type of make-up I like to wear, having clear, soft skin as a base has made all the difference.

Lush Think Pink Bath Bomb

Did you know that Lush recently re-invented their classic Think Pink bath bomb?! I didn't until I spotted it in-store yesterday. Needless to say I snapped one up real quick. It was one of the few left in stock so I'm glad I got there when I did! I also got my hands on the glorious limited edition tote bag - finally using the gift card my Nan got me for Christmas!

Current Cruelty-Free Favourites

It's been a while since I shared some favourites with you so today I'm gonna talk about a few of my current favourite cruelty-free beauty bits. Four of them I received for Christmas and have used pretty much every day since and two of them are items I've been using for a while but haven't gotten around to raving about yet.

 

Let's Talk About The NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

{  B l o g m a s :: day ten }

These days is make-up isn't matte then I'm not interested in it. Matte lipstick, matte nail varnish, matte bronzer, matte highlight... you name it, I love it. But one of the things I'd been craving the most was a matte red lip, especially for the festivities, so I placed a Boots order for two of the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams. I chose the shades Madrid and Copenhagen.

Barry M Nudes for Pale Skin



I love a good nude (in the make-up sense, you naughty minxes) but I'm very conscious of the fact that a shade that would popularly be considered 'nude' isn't necessarily a nude for every skin colour. As I'm a -10 on the paleness scale I've always found it difficult to find neutral shades that aren't too dark and brown-toned for my skin, but today I'm here with a little collection of Barry M varnishes that do the job!

My Cruelty-Free A/W Lip Kit



Following my extreme make-up declutter and in the name of minimalism, I thought I'd put together a little lip kit to see me through the most wonderful time of the year. (Too soon?)

Lush Avobath Bath Bomb

Well, well... it's been a while since I posted a Lush bath bomb review hasn't it?! This is mainly because up until about a month or two ago, I was still trying to make my way through all of my Christmas bath bombs and I didn't see the point in reviewing them in March and April! BUT I do miss posting my Lush reviews as they're always a lot of fun to photograph so today I thought I'd review a bath bomb I used a little while ago: Avobath. 

Lush T'eo Deodorant

I'm sure you guys are aware of my fascination with Lush's solid products. I've used their shampoo bars exclusively since 2013 plus I'm more than partial to their bubble bars. I recently made the decision to branch out a little more and to try products that I'm not as familiar with (which is what led me to pick up the Sugar Scrub) and this time around I decided to try the T'eo deodorant.

Current Skincare Routine (Cruelty-Free)



Considering I'm professionally trained in skincare, you'd think I'd invest a little more time and effort into my skincare routine. I should do the routine I was taught, with all of the right products and skin cleansing massage techniques. But alas, I'm v lazy and you'll more often than not catch me wiping away my make-up with a face wipe. I'm trying my best to change this, though, because my skin isn't enjoying it and to be honest I don't think 'I'm lazy' is a very good excuse to neglect my skin. So today I thought I'd show you the products I'm currently using in order to banish the face wipes, the laziness and the not-so-nice dry flakiness from my skin.

4 Cruelty-Free Mascaras Under £10

If I could only use one make-up item for the rest of my life it would undoubtedly be a good mascara. I don't feel quite myself unless I have thick, dark, fluttery eyelashes and I certainly look a hell of a lot prettier with them, too. Unfortunately it's proved difficult to find a cruelty-free mascara that is vegan but that also gives my lashes the length and volume that I require, generally because there are hardly any vegan mascaras out there. Today I thought I'd share with you four of the mascaras that I've tested out on my cruelty-free journey so far.

4 Cruelty-Free Blogs You Need To Read



I realised that I haven't been sharing much love for my fellow bloggers on What Lauren Did Today recently - not since I wrote up my 'Blog Roll' master list. So today I thought I'd sprinkle some dazzling cruelty-free highlight onto a few of my current favourite cruelty-free bloggers! If you're just beginning to delve into the cruelty-free lifestyle then these four blogs are the perfect starting point. Not only do they share cruelty-free beauty posts (including collections and reviews), they all talk a little bit (or a lot) about vegan food!

 

What's In My Makeup Bag (Cruelty-Free)

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT TIME: My entire make-up routine is now completely cruelty-free! I had been using a non-CF foundation up until recently, purely because I couldn't find a vegan foundation that was within my budget, offered a shade that was light enough for me and worked well with my skin. But the day has come and I'm now safe in the knowledge that everything I apply hasn't brought a single ounce of pain to any animal. (P.S Thank you to Brianne for the recommendation!)

3 Cruelty-Free Body Scrubs Under £5



A good body scrub is something that should be in everyone's beauty collection, so today I'm going to share with you three cruelty-free options that come in at under £5!

Vegan Concealers from B. at Superdrug

 

B. Flawless Long-Lasting Concealer in Light. ||  B. Radiant BB Under Eye Concealer in Light.

 

Exciting announcement time: the entire contents of my make-up bag is now completely cruelty-free! I have one product that isn't vegan, but aside from that one the rest of it is. And two of my favourite vegan make-up products are my B. concealers. I decided to pop them both into this post together, as I feel like they're both great for different reasons and they both make up for what the other lacks. I also find that they work really well together if I need something more heavy-duty for my dark circles that day.

Lush So White Bath Bomb

 

BLOGMAS DAY NINETEEN.



So White appears to be a real Cult Classic for Lush at Christmas Time, yet it's a bath bomb that I'd never tried before this year. I feel like the reason I never picked it up is because of it's innocent white exterior - it looks especially plain when stood next to something like Golden Wonder or Father Christmas. But I was determined to try all of the Christmassy bath bombs this year so I got Luke to grab me one whilst he was in town a few weeks ago.

The Library of Fragrance Perfumes

 

BLOGMAS DAY FOURTEEN.

If there's one part of my beauty stash that was completely depleted when I decided to become cruelty-free, it was my perfume collection. I've never really been an avid wearer of perfume - I was always more of a body spray/mist kinda gal - but I have to admit, I have missed the option of spritzing myself with something a bit more special. So when I was given the opportunity to review a few perfumes from the Library of Fragrance, I jumped at the chance.

Lush Yog Nog Bath Bomb

BLOGMAS DAY FOUR.

Last year, I fell in love with the scent of Lush's Yog Nog soap. It's very unlike anything I usually like (I'm a sucker for anything sweet), but it's warm spiciness drew me in. I didn't pick up any of the soap because I knew I'd never use it, but when Lush released a bath bomb this year with the same name and scent I couldn't say no!

Lush Star Dust Bath Bomb

Fiiinally I've gotten around to talking about some of the Lush Winter 2015 range! I did review the Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar a couple of weeks ago, but as it was part of the Halloween collection I don't really feel like it counts. I just felt like talking about the two bath bombs I'd bought in October was a bit too early. So here we are in late November!

Makeup Revolution Advent Calendar 2015

I feel like this post marks something very important in my life: my very first non-chocolate advent calendar! And more specifically, an advent calendar that I actually bought for myself... Wow, much adult.  

I've been toying with the idea of getting myself a beauty/lifestyle advent calendar for years. But aren't they just so expensive?! I could never justify it and was always happy enough to eat my Cadbury's one. That was until,a few weeks ago, when the Makeup Revolution Advent Calendar was on offer for half-price on the Superdrug website! Not only was this advent calendar desirable for me because I'm a huge fan of Makeup Revolution and their cruelty-free and sometimes vegan products, but also because when I decided to become cruelty-free I rehomed 90% of my make-up and I've been living on the bare necessities since then. This advent calendar seemed like the perfect opportunity to not only re-stock my make-up stash, but to add a little excitement to my life!

How To Use: Lush Bubble Bars



If there's one thing that confused me about Lush when I first discovered them, it was how their solid products worked. Bubble bars, shampoo bars, deodorant bars, massage bars... you name it, Lush has probably got it. Out of everything, the one thing that confused me the most were the bubble bars. According to the sales assistants in Lush, you're supposed to crumble a chunk of bubble bar under running water. But I don't have fancy taps that spout warm water - I have a hot tap and a cold tap and I didn't fancy sticking my hand under either of them. I've since worked out a few ways to use the bubble bars, and today I thought I'd share them with you!