Beauty Favourites December 18
[Vegan + Cruelty Free]
This year I’ve made it my mission to find high performing vegan and cruelty free beauty products to replace the ones I was using previously.
Here are some of my favourite pampering products found so far:
My hair got into a terrible state a few years ago. It was dry and brittle and I ended having to have a chunk of it chopped out. I’ve managed to get it back into healthy shape but then found out that my trusty nourishing hair mask wasn’t cruelty free. Nuts.
I’ve tried quite a few brands now and the one I’ve ended up sticking with is the Banana Hair Mask from The Body Shop. It’s easy to apply and rinses out well, leaving my hair free from tangles and frizz with a nice shine. It also smells like Banana Munch Bunch yoghurt and the sweet scent lingers in my hair long after I dry it.
Treacle Moon‘s bath and shower gels have the most delicious ingredients that smell good enough to eat. I’m currently finishing off Sweet Strawberry Dream before I head back to Marshmallow Hearts, which smells of sweet candy. My favourite over the summer was one Ginger Morning as its zesty smell was a really cheerful and refreshing pick me up in the morning.
Note that although everything in the Treacle Moon range is cruelty free, not all of it is suitable for vegans. Some products contain honey for example. However there is still lots of choice and the packaging very clearly labels the ones that are vegan. I also love the fact that Treacle Moon is available in supermarkets, which makes it easy for me to make an ethical choice.
My skin was feeling pretty grotty a few weeks ago thanks to the cold from hell. I’d been cooped up inside with the heating on full blast and my skin overreacted by going extra oily and spotty. It was delightful!
Daytox (a new beauty brand available at Waitrose) had kindly sent me some products to try a while back and it seemed like the right time to put them through their paces.
The Active Charcoal Peel Off Mask did wonders for my skin and halted a few angry spots in their tracks. However I probably won’t buy this in future as I really didn’t enjoy peeling it off again!
This is because it sinks in deep to give your pores a very thorough cleanse, so when you take it off you can feel it clinging to your skin as it draws all the impurities out. My skin felt wonderful afterwards though, so if you’re less of a wimp than me and have trouble with blackheads this one’s for you.
The Detox Clay Mask, was a big hit however! It’s formulated with natural clay and an alkaline deep cleansing treatment designed to remove impurities and sooth stressed skin, so it does a similar job but is much more relaxing to use.
I really like it because it’s not too heavy and it dries fast, meaning that I can stil have a mini pamper session even when I’m a bit pressed for time. My skin feels clean, fresh and noticeably less oily.
I quite often treat my boyfriend to a pamper sesh so I’m chuffed to have discovered Bulldog, a vegan and cruelty free skincare range for men. It’s another one that you can find on the shelves at pretty much any supermarket as well as Boots and Superdrug now.
So far, we’ve tried the face wash, beard oil and an anti ageing moisturiser, all of which have been a success. The range has been on sale recently so I’ve been picking up bottles here and there for around £4 a time. In our opinion these are really good quality for men’s skincare so this seems like a total bargain to me!
The botanical scents are subtle and fresh and I’ve actually been nicking the face wash when I have a shower as I find it really gentle on my skin!
So there you have it, my vegan and cruelty free beauty recommendations for December ’18.
I’m always on the lookout for affordable, high performing ethical beauty products so if you have anything you think I should check out please let me know in the comments below!
*Disclaimer: Items marked with an asterisk are PR samples which I have received in exchange for providing an honest review.
