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Lyonsleaf Beauty Balm & Body Butter

Lyonsleaf Beauty Balm & Body Butter


lyonsleaf body butter beauty balm

In my most recent update to my cruelty-free brands lists, I mentioned that I had been having a pow wow over e-mail with Vicky who owns a company called Lyonsleaf about cruelty-free products. This is a company with great ethical credentials - made in the UK, Vicky grows many of the herbs she uses in her products herself as well as not testing on animals and marking out the vegan products. I had also first heard of Lyonsleaf from Sarah's blog who specialises in beauty for sensitive skin and allergy sufferers, and she absolutely raves about them. When Vicky offered me some products to try I certainly got excited.

First off I have the Body Butter*, which made it into my October favourites video as it has now become my go to moisturiser for my legs, arms and torso (it is thin so I still prefer to use something else for my feet). Because if it's thinness I prefer to scoop it up with my thumb nail and melt it in my hands before smothering it onto my body. It's has a texture that melts into the skin and even though it does take a bit longer to absorb than others (maybe a minute) it leaf my skin feeling extremely soft. The smell of the product reminds me of the Lush Henna hair dye which certainly was a bit weird at first (since it contains no henna - the label has both latin and everyday names for its ingredients) but the smell doesn't linger on the skin. It's also extremely gentle and I could use it after shaving my legs.

Secondly I received the award-winning Beauty Balm*, which has made it into my evening skincare routine for nights where my skin is looking parched and needs a pick me up. The Lyonsleaf website has a guide how to use the balm and is designed to cleanse but not be too harsh. I have oily skin and even though it gets banded about to use exfoliant on spot-prone skin I've always found that gentler products have always yielded the best results. I found this product great for removing make-up and doing a bit of a 'double cleanse' because of its gentle nature. I've massaged it though my eyelashes to see if it would remove my mascara (which it did) and it didn't sting or tingle my eyes in the slightest.

These products are great if you have sensitive skin and require gentle products. It's also great for those of us who are cruelty-free and vegan, and love to support independent businesses. I received these products for free but would definitely consider buying something else with my own money.

Vicky was also lovely enough to give me a code to use if you want to purchase anything yourself. Use the code GIFT20 at the checkout to get 20% off orders over £50.

Morag x

P.S. I was gifted these products for free, but opinions are always my own. 
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The Linkables

The Linkables



Halloween has passed but I loved this piece on women's Halloween costume choices.

I'm a firm believer that cheerleading is a sport, and this piece covers it pefectly.

I was introduced to Ali G over the past week (I know, but I was quite young during his prime) and his interview with Tony Benn was probably my favourite, and here's an old Guardian article I found written by Benn a year later.

I can't imagine many of you guys being SeaWorld fans, but here's just something else anyway.

Look, I love that the word feminism is now officially mainstream but that Elle t-shirt thing had me seething. Charlotte of Gin & Ginger explains in a calmer way why it's problematic (and she runs a fantastic blog I'm glad I found).

It's long but this is a very detailed history of Africa prior to Europeans arriving.

For your Christmas wishlist: NYC taxi driver pin-up calendar.

An exhibition that showcases posters which were pivotal in social movements, will be moving away from London and coming to Scotland (specifically Dundee). 

Facebook have now banned 'like this page to see the content' on business pages, but it was never a good thing to do for your brand anyway. 

Something to eat: vegan pumpkin paneer.

The low down on a new art shop in Glasgow!

It's maybe a bit more expensive than your regular paper and print wedding invite but a tea towel wedding invite is cute and also reusable!

For crafty cocktail-fiends: make your own paper umbrellas.

A brilliant piece on Renée Zellweger and older women win Hollywood.

Fat shaming in the vegan community.

The Google Street View images being taken by a camel. Whhaaaaaat?

Psychology Today agrees with me that couples who maintain individuality have a better chance of going the distance.

On that note, how to avoid become 'we' and losing the 'me'.

I've written a blog of some kind for circa ten years...and I loved this list of 50 lessons from ten years of blogging.

You go Rhode Island! High five for transgender rights!

Morag x
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First purchases from the Lush Christmas range

First purchases from the Lush Christmas range


Lush Chirstmas hot toddy snowman yog nog

I am one of those scrooges who refuse to talk about Christmas until Halloween has passed. However, now that it is November my blog is beginning to get in the mood and you'll see a few Christmas themed posts popping up between now and the 25th of Decemeber. And I'm starting it off with my first three purchases from the Christmas Lush range.

Hot Toddy Shower Gel

When I gave this a sniff in Lush my immediate reaction was that it smelt exactly like Christmas. It's a seaweed, ginger, cinnamon leaf oil and lemon oil mash-up with glitter through it (though the glitter doesn't show up on skin). What I love about this is that it's a great zingy fragrance which is fantastic for waking me up in the morning.

Snowman Shower Jelly

This is a much gentler fragrance from the Christmas range, which contains buchu, bergamot and lemon oils and is shaped like a snowman. I've been curious about the shower jellies for a while and only decided to pick this up as I love the smell however I don't think I'll be going for any of the other shower jellies. This was slippy and isn't what I want to be faffing about with at 7am when I'm trying to get ready for work. I might take it in with me during a bubble bath at some point but I would say the target market for a jelly would be children - maybe could be a good present for your friends with kiddies?

Yog Nog Soap

This smell isn't up every one's street - it reminded me of some kind of food and a member of Lush staff said it always reminder her of coffee cheesecake. The Lush site does say it contains soya yoghurt, nutmeg spice and cocoa powder so its no surprising it reminds people of food. This is a very creamy soap and I find it very luxurious - perfect for a weekend soak in a bath! I absolutely love it but do have enough self-awareness that this won't be everyone.

Have you tried any of the Lush Christmas range yet? What's your favourite product so far? 

Morag x
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Halloween 2014 // Medusa

Halloween 2014 // Medusa


Medusa Halloween costume

This will just be a quick one to show you the photos of my Medusa Costume from last night. I spent Halloween in Dundee (and went to Kage, shockingly enough) but only got to my friend's at 7pm so was rushed getting ready (ended up taking my chosen nail polish to the party to do there) and we only took a few quick pics as we had people waiting who weren't too used to my need to document my outfits. So we were out the door pretty quickly.

medusa halloween dress

The black maxi dress I chose was found in the Forever 21 sales rack. I know for most people this is a dress that could be used again however 'black' and 'maxi dress' aren't two words that feature heavily in my wardrobe, so the sales rack was the best place to find something. Maybe I'll wear it again, maybe I won't...

I wasn't able to get a close-up picture of the gold bracelet but it's a wrap around necklace/bracelet/arm cuff. I had originally been looking for a snake cuff for my upper arms and found this one off eBay (similar here) but it wouldn't stay up on my arm or wrist so I ended up using it as a necklace as shown in my Instagram. Though I still managed to drunkenly forget it was on my neck and thought it was lost...

medusa halloween snakes make-up

My snake hair clips came from this Etsy shop and were super easy to put in, even if I had been getting nervous they wouldn't arrive in time. My make-up was my normal base and I added some green Barry M eyeshadow to my natural contours using fishnet tights to add a scaley look. The eyelashes are from Illamasqua and, yes, they are meant to point down. I spent ages twiddling with them but they're definitely pointy down ones. The lip colour is Gosh Boheme lip stick with Sleek Phoenix Rising lipgloss on top. I spent ages going round town trying to find a dark gothic purple for my lips but obviously they sell quite well in October (who would you thunk?) so I grabbed a Sleek one trusting other cruelty-free lists (I've never researched them myself as a disclaimer).

I mentioned that I was in a rush which meant my make-up wasn't that tidy but I decided last minute that Medusa required a messy look as she was a bit deranged.

Did you all have a good Halloween? What did you go as? 

Morag x
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Tips for going vegan on World Vegan Day

Tips for going vegan on World Vegan Day



Today is the first day of November (I promise pointing out the date has a purpose). Which firstly brings upon thoughts of 'holy fuck, when did November happened? Feels like May was last week' as we now enter the month of my birthday and we can now start officially discussing Christmas. Secondly, it also means that it is World Vegan Day.

Which is obviously an important calendar event right up there with Christmas (for vegans anyway).

Whilst I'm snuggled up on a sofa in Dundee with a Halloween-induced hangover nursing myself with a vegan hangover snack, you can read this post pre-written on Thursday on some of the things I've learnt about becoming vegan. 

Which I managed to do last April, after a two year transition (so I've learnt a lot). 

Be patient

As mentioned, it took me two years to transition. Veganism is edging on the side of becoming mainstream however it isn't quite there yet and we seem to be the generation pushing it through. So you'll need to be patient as you explore alternative food shops and not getting set-back by people's comments.

Be realistic on how vegan you can be

It's not entirely mainstream (yet!) so be honest with yourself if you can be 100% vegan or may need to be as vegan as possible. Ignore the vegan police (I do) and admit if your salary, location or a food intolerance might make it difficult. I'll admit that I do falter when I'm out and about and need to eat right that second (to be point where my health may be a risk if I don't) and I'll opt for a sandwich which is almost vegan (it's usually something where there will be milk or eggs somewhere in the ingredients but I won't be able to taste it and don't risk re-developing a liking for the food).

Be organised

I've always been a breakfast person but since becoming vegan I eat a massive breakfast before I leave the house as I know I may not get to eat for a while. And I eat vegan food whenever I can, and have to make going to my favourite health food shop in Glasgow a priority after pay day.

Get the nutrition books out

I said something similar in my going vegetarian post (which feels as if I wrote last month) but I will repeat what was said. You can get everything you need from a plant, however you must read up on nutrition and make sure you know what foods you need to start eating if you're removing certain foods from your diet. 

Which sort of brings me to my next point...

Try foods you wouldn't normally before

There's nothing stopping a meat-eater from buying tofu or bulgar wheat but when you decide to go vegan you kind of need to try new foods. Head down to your local health food store and pick up something you haven't tried before, whether it be vegan chocolate or some kind of dairy substitute. One of the reasons veganism works for me despite its unmainstreaminess is that I have a wide palette but if you think you don't like vegetables ask yourself if you've actually tried all vegetables in existence.

Get yourself a vegan crew

Non of my super close long-term friends are vegan however I do still have vegan people I can brainstorm with and ask for advice. From my vegan blogging pals to the people I know in the vegan meet-up I joined and just random vegans I've met along the way. Join a meet-up, join a message board and whatever other ways you think you can meet other vegans to throw ideas about.

As for meat-eating friends

I've had very few negative reactions from friends when they knew of my decision (probably cause I had been toying with it for so long) however some people didn't believe I was being serious. It could help you realise who your real friends are (hopefully not, but some vegans have had this go down) but open-mindedness is a character trait I've always consider essential for friendship so I had very little drama and all my close friends support my lifestyle choice.

Beauty products are simpler to switch

When you switch your diet it means relatives get annoyed at Christmas because they have to cook a nut roast and ensure the gravy is based on vegetable stock. However when going cruelty-free and then later vegan, I found it was easier because it didn't impact anyone else's life and no one even has to know you're making that lifestyle or consumer choice. Alongside my cruelty-free brands list I also started in the summer a list of brands which are either 100% vegan or mark out their vegan products.

Other lifestyle choices

I've mentioned beauty products as that is something, aside from my diet, I have switched over but there's plenty to think about. Do you want to wear wool? Do you want to only buy plant based candles? What about home furnishings? I've only switched my diet and beauty products so far but I am currenlty working in replacing candles with soy wax versions. Take your time and do it step at a time.

Hold you ground

A lot of people still don't 'get' veganism and this can put people off the switch. Stand your ground and this is a personal lifestyle choice and keep going until it feels natural (which is eventually does).

Morag x
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