Two of these posts in less than 1 month? I’m on a roll. Spring, I love everything about you.
Let’s get right down to business!
1. Desert Essence Body Wash. This is my new favourite body wash – well, I can’t decide between the Vanilla Chai and Almond scents because they are both delightful. The lather is quite foamy too which is a big plus for me. It’s 100% vegan, cruelty-free and free of parabens, SLS, phthalates, artificial fragrances or colors, silicones, EDTA, glycol, or petroleum-based ingredients. Bravo, Desert Essence.
2. Frozen Chickpeas. Lately, I’ve been looking for alternatives to canned goods and I came across this line of frozen legumes and vegetables from Stahl Bush Island Farms. Cooking from scratch is always the cheaper option, but let’s face it; sometimes we need something ready in a flash. I just thaw the bag in the fridge overnight and they are ready to be added into dishes or made into hummus. This company has a variety of frozen products from butternut squash to lentils as well.
3. Theobroma Chocolat – Mint Leaves. This is a new-to-me chocolate and I’m hooked. Some days I have to hide it from myself which works for about 3 minutes. If you are a chocolate + mint fan, you will love this bar.
PS- Don’t you love when one square of chocolate is double the size of normal squares? I’m betting a woman designed this bar.
4. Strawberries. Topped with Coconut Whipped Cream for dessert. I’m also playing around with a strawberry vanilla and strawberry orange chia seed jam recipe. Yum, yum, yum.
5. Gabriel Mascara. When I had a nasty skin reaction earlier this year, I really had to overhaul the chemical-laden products I was putting on my skin each day. Luckily, there are so many choices out there these days, but it can be overwhelming trying to navigate it all. Gabriel Cosmetics is a line of vegan and gluten-free cosmetics using 100% natural ingredients that are fragrance-free. This mascara is what I would call a basic, no frills mascara. It gives a very natural, light feel without being heavy or overdone – perfect for what I’m looking for in my normal life. It almost looks like an eyelash stain and while it lengthens, it does not build much volume. I can get a tiny bit of smudging here and there, but it’s minimal and I haven’t noticed any flaking yet. I might explore other natural mascara brands in the future (have any to recommend?), but I can see myself coming back to this one for sure.
6. Sephora Eyelash Curler. I love this pretty curler! It gives a great curl that lasts all day and it comes in a wide range of fun colours. I love seeing the pop of colour in my make-up bag…never gets old.
7. PLAYOFF HOCKEY! Ahhhhh. I’m a hockey girl through and through thanks to growing up with a fanatical hockey fan for a father. It’s in my blood. Can I just say how happy I am to see the Leafs in the playoffs after nine painfully long years? The last time we watched the Leafs in the playoffs was during undergraduate university times. Crazy. I just can’t get enough of the playoffs this year and I’m following as many different series as I can find on TV. Oh, the drama that’s going on! It’s intense. I don’t know how these guys do it. The only thing better would be to score some tickets to see a playoff game in person, but sadly I don’t see that happening any time soon unless I can bribe someone with a home cooked vegan meal. Other things on TV I can’t get enough of are: The Mindy Project and Chicago Fire, but I think the season is winding down quickly.
8. Lightened Up Summer Granola. I’ve been on a big Vegan Overnight Oat kick lately and I love topping it with my favourite light summer granola. Nothing like a 2-minute breakfast.
Other things I’m loving lately? Neon clothing of any kind (I’m an 80’s child, what can I say?), wearing a t-shirt and shorts outdoors for the first time in months, and baby geese (goslings) by the water.
That’s a wrap. Hope your week is off to a great start!
Totally back in the overnight oat kick myself! Loving trying new varieties all over again! Love the hockey top! :)
I love mascaras by Honeybee Gardens, 100% Pure, Arbonne, and Jose Maran, if you are looking for suggestions. I also have a list of non-toxic beauty brands on my blog. :)
http://thegrassskirtblog.com/2012/02/07/updated-list-of-non-toxic-brands-to-try/
Hi Erin, Thanks for the link! I’m loving the list and will print it off to keep handy. I find it so hard to keep track of all the various brands!
I loooove these posts! As for skincare, I had one at home which isn’t strictly vegan (it has beeswax) but it is still natural and it’s the best natural mascara I’ve tried so far. No clumping etc. and it gives more volume and length than I had expected. It also doesn’t smear or anything which happens to me very often. However I’m not sure if it’s available in Canada: Annemarie Börlind’s “Long Lasting Volume Mascara”.
When it’s empty, I’ll have to watch out for a new one which IS vegan because it don’t want to use bee products anymore, so thanks for the great tip!
Mascaras I sadly can’t recommend are those from Lavera. They give me panda eyes within 1 hour.
I’m very happy to read that your skin has gotten better! So do you already know what caused the trouble? :)
Love, Lara
Hey Lara!
Thanks :) I still have no clue what caused the skin issues! The problem is, I changed so many things in my diet and with my skin products (plus, we switched to natural cleaners/detergents!) it could be one of many things. I don’t know if I will ever know. I still haven’t re-introduced soy and gluten yet and a couple other suspected foods, but will have to at some point! I was also going through a stressful time so it could be stress related too. Oh the body is a mystery isn’t it?
At the risk of answering a rhetorical question: Oh yes it is! I had a LOT of stress recently with school and final exams and things that I suddenly wasn’t able to breathe properly anymore. That was scary! When inhaling, my breath just suddenly stopped before my lungs were filled and I couldn’t do anything against it. But since those exams are almost over now and I started doing Yoga, it’s slowly getting better again.
However, good luck for your search for clues! ;) I recently cut out wheat (only wheat, not gluten) and that makes me feel way better, too.
I’m a hockey girl too!
I have the vanilla chai body lotion and I just bought the body wash! As far as the mascara goes, I just bought an Ecco Bella one off amazon. They are vegan and cruelty-free, it’s on it’s way so I haven’t tried it yet but I’ll let you know how it is! :)
I literally just bought the Vanilla Chai scent from Marshall’s at a discounted price! I was super excited to see that it was vegan and couldn’t resist. I was so surprised when I saw it on your blog – which I am addicted to by the way, thank you! – and now I can’t wait to try it even more!
Hope you enjoy it!
I recently bought mascara and a lip/cheek stain from the 100% Pure line and I like them. They brand is fairly inexpensive. It’s all natural and uses fruit pigments for color. The physicians formula organic line is good too. I’ve used the mascara and eyeliner. Honeybee gardens is another natural brand, I haven’t tried their stuff but it’s pretty cheap! I would also recommend swansonvitamins.com. They have natural cosmetics, face creams, hair products, etc. I recently bought face cream and witch hazel toner from them and I like both a lot so far. They have a ton of great products and really good prices. Woo lost post! I’ve been getting into more natural products lately so I just thought I’d share :) Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for your suggestions! Will check them out soon :)
I love the Desert Essence sweet almond scent! The body lotion smells so good that I almost want to eat it — and I probably could with all those great ingredients! I’m also loving Gabriel cosmetics lately, though I’m not big into mascara. I might give it try, though. Thanks!
When I cook beans, I make a huge, HUGE(!) pot of them and then I freeze them in batches in their cooking liquid. It’s so easy to just pull a tub out of the freezer the night before I need it. And very cheap!
-Emily K.
Hi~
I made the potato black bean nacho plate yesterday…oh my! My family (esp my dad) gobbled it up.
Thanks for the make up tip – please keep sharing!
I love the baby geese- so cute and fuzzy.
Maybe I am living under a rock, but I had no idea that they even sold frozen chickpeas!! Thanks for the heads up! :)
If you are looking for other beauty/body products, I love Soapwalla’s deodorant and face serum. I am amazed how well the deodorant works and the face serum has really helped reduce the redness in my face. I’m going to try their soaps next as they look great. I use a lot of Origins makeup and really like that line.
What was the cause of the skin reaction on your face? I am dealing with a similar issue.
Hi Katie, I still haven’t figured it out to be honest. Not sure if I ever will because I changed so many things in my life (beauty products, foods, detergents, etc). I still haven’t added soy or gluten back into my diet (aside from spelt that is) and a couple other suspected foods, but I will be doing that eventually. Should be interesting to see if I have any more reactions from something I was eating. It’s so hard to figure out the root cause of an allergic reaction! And stress can cause anything too…
I hope you resolve your issue soon, I know how frustrating it is to deal with :(
All such great things! I am definitely going to check out the Desert Essence body wash in the two scents you mentioned because they sound amazing! Did you find them at Whole Foods? I think the Leafs making the playoffs is a great excuse for a hockey party… with those spiced bar nuts you make perhaps?! ;)
Choc mint = ultimate combo for sure. Yums :)
GO LEAFS GO!! :)
I love seeing some cosmetic brands you are trying! A post about vegan apparel/shoes would be awesome:)
This is a great, natural mascara made by a Canadian company (I think from Manitoba). AND it’s very affordable. It took me about a week to get used to it – I feel like it goes on a little differently than what I was used to but now I love it. Everything I look for in a mascara: http://www.pureanada.ca/makeup/eyes/luminous-mineral-shadows/
Awesome, thanks for sharing Hannah!
I just found your blog via the Vida Vegan feed – and it’s been a while since I bought it but I love the Dessert Essence vanilla moisturizer. I’d forgotten all about the brand.
Glad you found my blog! I’ve found quite a few through that feed too. So glad they put it together :) Hope to see you at the VVC!
Ive been using one of Desert Essence’s moisturizers and I’m really happy with it so far.
No need to buy frozen chickpeas! :) Once a month I do a chickpea, black bean etc. “session” were I soak and cook them and then divide them into ziplock bags for freezing (choose your prefered serving size). To defrost just put the bag into hot water- and of course reuse the bag :) Kind Regards from Germany, Deedee
Cruelty-free and free of parabens body wash? Yes, please!
I am loving everything Spring too! I am on a mission now to find that chocolate bar – you can”t go wrong with the combo of chocolate and mint. Where did you find it?