Monthly Archives August 2012

Beauty

Essentials: Make Up #1

Well I’m not a make up junkie but there are some basics that I cannot live without, as most girls – I suppose! A really good kohl pencil and an under-eye concealer, that is all I need to get out of the house. But of course, as years go by, your make up collection starts to grow and you actually end up discovering really good products that do miracles for your looks. Here is my top 5 make-up essentials, all vegan and not tested on animals.

Essentials: Make Up #!

1 / Everyday Minerals Multi-tasking Concealer – I wasn’t really a fan of mineral concealer until I found Everyday Minerals.  This little tube of magic dust covers up blemishes, corrects under-eye circles and camouflages imperfections, doesn’t look cakey and lasts almost all day. Good thing is it also comes in a travel size rollerball stick – no need for a pencil – so you can just carry this in your bag for an instant perk up.

2 / Inika Organic Kohl Pencil – This certified organic eye pencil has a super creamy texture which stays all day without smudging. I’ve only tried it in black and I can assure you it gives you a true black tone.

3 / Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner – I absolutely love this eye liner. It dries almost instantly, and doesn’t smudge or wear off, no matter happens – one of the wonders of waterproof make up. Urban Decay is my favorite brand, never disappointed me.

4 / Urban Decay Lush Lash Mascara – This mascara gives the lashes fabulous length and helps them grow as well, as it is enriched with a growth serum that also conditions the lashes. Now the cherry on top, it doesn’t clump or flakes off. Probably one of the best mascaras I’ve ever wore, even non-vegan products.

5 / Urban Decay Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint – Whoa, I know this colour is so intense it almost hurts your eyes! But don’t be fooled, you won’t look like a circus clown. This is a ultra creamy, very sheer and silky cheek tint that you can easily rub onto your skin with the tip of your fingers. I always turned my nose up at cheek tints, but since UD gave me a sample of  their Quickie cheek tint, I am a die-hard fan. Caution, there are two shades that contain animal derived products, eg Score and Fetish.

What are your favorite make-up products?

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Food

Vegan Food Swap: August’ 12

It’s official, this month I’ve become a food swapper and loved it! ‘Now what the heck is that?’ You might be asking. It is pretty similar to a penpal program but for foodies, in which you share local food items or goodies you’ve cooked/baked yourself.

To Happy Vegans organised the first UK vegan food swap in July, where every month you are assigned a partner to send a parcel of vegan goodies to and in return you receive your own parcel of surprise delights! Sound exciting, right? There’s only 2 conditions: the spending limit is £10, and all items must be vegan and must take into account your partner’s allergy requests – there must be no cheating!

My partner this month was Paul Maxwell ( @veganmonkey ) and this is the amazing stuff I’ve got:

Vegan Treats

Getting a surprise package full of vegan treats felt just like Christmas in August, except you don’t have to pretend you liked your aunt’s gift – you actually love everything in it. Amazing. Wasabi popcorn and peas, ginger truffle slices, smoky chipotle sauce, caramel bonbons and organic blueberry and chamomile teas – ermahgerd, drooling all over this!

If you want to participate in next month’s food swap, it’s super simple. Just sign up with one of the lovely ladies at To Happy Vegans by 5th of September.

Happy swapping (and eating)!

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Food

We Are What We Eat

We Are What We Eat

It’s no surprise that more and more people worldwide develop diet-related diseases which most of the times are fatal. Serious diseases that are linked to what we eat kill an estimated three out of four Americans each year. Wow. These diseases include heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. Not to mention others that aren’t directly fatal but will definitely reduce your quality of living such as osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, obesity, sexual dysfunctions, you name it…

“People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are healed by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.” – Wendell Berry

How many of your family members and your friends’ family members have a disease already, or have died already from a disease? I will leave that unanswered.

Doing a shift in the diet by eating less meat, dairy and eggs (or none at all) increasing the intake of fruits, vegetables and grains is not even on many people’s radar screens.

But common sense is if a doctor prescribes you pills to lower cholesterol, lose weight and/or reduce your blood pressure, people will take that in no second. Health practitioners work for the health industry, most of them will only try to fix the problem and not the cause. It’s like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole – a very expensive one.

When was the last time you turned on TV and saw a commercial for shiitake mushrooms? Quinoa? Nuts? That’s right. The stuff we should all be eating isn’t ever advertised, instead we’ve got cheap government subsidized food products that will damage your body and make you ill. And to cure you, we then have adverts about calcium supplements, miraculous diet pills, vitamin tablets, yogurts that even lower your cholesterol and our doctors prescribing expensive and noneffective pills that lots of good people can’t afford.

A healthy diet is no doubt the way to go. It doesn’t mean sometimes you can’t have a chocolate bar or a yummy dessert – it’s not a sacrifice, just a way of rethinking habits. But constantly damaging your body with overly processed, saturated fats, trans fatty acids, harsh chemicals, casein and antibiotics present in animal-based foods, not to mention the really nasty stuff, is simply suicidal.

On the other hand, plant-based whole foods can provide all of health-protecting nutrients and vitamins the human body needs, with no negative side effects attached. We should be eating what comes from the earth. Every vitamin, mineral and nutrient that exists, protein, calcium, potassium, iron, all the B-vitamins, they come from the soil.

It’s illogical and irrational to filter your nutrients through somebody else’s body and adding in the nasty harmful stuff on top of it. Go to those sources directly, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes.
Trust me, there’s an exciting whole new world of food endeavors out there! You should give it a try! Go vegan, for you, for the animals and for the environment.

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