Overall Beauty Review-- Vegan and Cruelty-free Eyeshadow

      
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by the lovely Kim of Overall Beauty. She asked if I'd be interested in trying her vegan, natural and cruelty-free eyeshadows. Of course, I jumped right in with both feet. If you know me, you know I not only love new products to try but also love reviewing them for my wonderful audience.

Kim let me pick out 6 different shades I wanted to try. They arrived extremely quickly, even though I am up in the frosty wintry land of Nova Scotia.

I opened my parcel to find bright and colourful eyeshadows packaged just perfectly. In a sweet little pouch I received not only the 6 sample colours I wanted but a bonus full size shade of her most popular product, champagne.

I love that the sample shades were even in little pots. Many other companies send them in plastic bags. This is much nicer. I even love the labels. 

The shadows are very much the colours you see in photographs. True to the image. I had a tough time choosing the colours I wanted but settled on these six: Make it Rain, Flamingo Strut, Star Powdered, Bronze Turquoise, Gray Sapphire and Ginger Bear. As well as being vegan and cruelty-free, Overall Beauty does not use talc or bismuth oxychloride, cosmetic dyes, ferric ferrocyanide or carmine in their makeup. That's right, bright purple and pink eyeshadows that are VEGAN! That's not always easy to find.

I have a love for all things shimmery, especially when it comes to eyeshadow, so I stuck to mostly those that sparkle. Since I am far from a makeup artist, I like that the shimmery ones are easier to apply and I think they highlight my eyes nicer. Overall Beauty's are some of the prettiest shimmers I have used. The colours go on easily, without any clumping. I love every colour I received and actually have a hard time deciding which I want to use for the day because I love them all so much.

Overall Beauty offers quality products at fair prices. You can purchase from her website or Etsy shop. She also offers a nail polish line, skin care and other makeup products. If you are looking for vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics, look no further, Overall Beauty has what you need!

A big thank you to Kim of Overall Beauty for giving me this opportunity.

                               Also check out my video opening Overall Beauty's package.

A Review of Samana Naturals w/ Discount Code

Samana Naturals is a cruelty-free and vegan skincare/cosmetic company based out of Toronto, Canada. They strive to be a truly environmentally-friendly company, creating products that not only benefit your body but are fully biodegradable and using plastic that is also recyclable. To learn more about the ethics of Samana, click here. 

Samana offered to send me 2 products free of charge so that I could review them for you. I received their rosewood geranium daily light vegan lotion and the mocha face scrub.

Rosewood Geranium Daily Light Vegan Lotion: Like the name suggests, this is a light lotion. It leaves your skin smooth and moisturized without leaving a residue. The only down side for me was I wasn't overly fond of the scent. I am not a fan of floral type scents because of my allergies but I didn't have an issue with an allergic reaction, it was more of a personal preference. Scent aside, this lotion works great and really helped my dry winter skin.

Mocha Face Scrub: This product is one in a million. I have used several scrubs that I love but this one hits it out of the ballpark. The smells is incredible and it leaves your skin like silk or smooth as a babies bottom, whatever you'd prefer. ;) High-end ingredients such as shea butter, sunflower oil  and ground coffee is what makes this product so effective. Your skin will love you for this one. See below for a tutorial video from me using the scrub.

 

Samana also offers vegan lip balms, soaps and other lotions as well. All their products can be purchased from their website. Thanks so much to Samana Naturals for this opportunity to share my thoughts with my followers. 

Also take advantage of a chance to save 10% with the code TAKETEN

                                                          Mocha Face Scrub Tutorial

A Review of Merry Hempsters

The Wonderful folks at Merry Hempsters was kind enough to send me a selection of their vegan products to try. I have previously used their lip balms and muscle rubs, so I am honored to get the chance to review their products properly.

As the name suggests, Merry Hempsters uses and promotes the benefits of hemp seed oil. They create products that are not only vegan-friendly but environmentally friendly, including using organic ingredients.This is not only the product itself but the packaging and process as well. Read straight from them here: "We strive to be responsible for the entire life span of all of our products from start to finish. Environmental sustainability, from the creation of the lip balm tubing we use (including all who take part in its creation) to the disposal of that tubing, is of utmost concern. We use only tree-free paper produced from hemp stock, soy based inks, and post-consumer recycled content in our correspondence and packaging. Our ultimate goal is to one day use only tree-free hemp stock for all our paper and packaging needs."

Their products are naturally effective and 100% cruelty-free.

They offer 7 unique vegan lip balm flavours and 6 vegan salves. I received all 7 lip balm flavours and 5 of the salves.
The only salve I did not receive is the tattoo balm which is quite alright with me since I don't have any tattoos and it would end up going to waste.

Their lip balms are featured on my Vegan Lip Balm Reviews post. It is one of my favourite vegan lip balms I have tried. They are effective, smell great, non-oily or drying and long lasting. The variety of scents offers something for everyone as it comes in vanilla, orange, peppermint, cinnamon, lemon-lime, spearmint, and natural. I am particularly fond of the mint varieties as I enjoy the cooling tingle of mint balms.

Organic Cannabis sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Euphorbia cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Organic Essential Oil of Citrus sinensis (Orange), Organic Calendula officinalis Flower Extract (Organic Calendula officinalis Flowers Infused in Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Oil), Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Organic Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Non-GMO d-alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

I am also extremely impressed with their vegan variety of healing salves. They come in 6 varieties to treat and relieve wounds, irritants or pain. Including rubs for hot and cold muscle relief, bump and bruise salve, cut and scrape salve, baby salve and tattoo balm.

Organic Cannabis sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Euphorbia cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Organic Olea europaea (Olive) or Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Oil), (Essential Oils of : Melaleuca minor (Cajeput), Cinnamomum cassia (Cassia), Eucalyptus globulus (Eucalyptus), Mentha piperita (Peppermint), Betula nigra (Sweet Birch), Eugenia caryophyllus (Clove ), Thymus vulgaris (Thyme), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)), Mentha arvensis (Menthol) Crystals, Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor) Crystals, Non-GMO d-alpha Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract

Organic Cannabis sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Euphorbia cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Organic Olea europaea (Olive) or Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Oil), (Essential Oils of: Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor), Mentha viridis (Spearmint), Eucalyptus globules (Eucalyptus), Mentha piperita (Peppermint), Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Leaf, Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen), Eugenia caryophyllus (Clove), Thymus vulgaris (Thyme), and Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)), Mentha arvensis (Menthol) Crystals, Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor) Crystals, Non-GMO d-alpha Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract

 Hot and Cold Muscle Rubs: Even though I am still young, I have been prone to muscle aches my entire life. I try now to limit the amount of oral medication I consume when it comes to body aches. When I originally found Merry Hempsters, I was ecstatic to find their muscle rubs. It's actually one of the best products I have used ever for body aches. I work on my feet all day and many times I come home with sore legs, back, knees, etc. I rub a liberal amount of either rub on my affected area and within seconds my pain is relieved. It doesn't burn like some of the highly medicated stuff you find in the drug store. That was one thing I was worried about since I have sensitive skin but this stuff is mild and non-irritating. It has a nice light scent as well. This is one product I highly recommend to anyone who has been looking for a vegan and cruelty-free alternative to your drugstore products.

Organic Cannabis sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Euphorbia cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Symphytum Officinale (Comfey) Root and Leaf, Organic Arnica montana (Arnica) Flowers, Organic Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Infused in Organic Olea europaea (Olive) or Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Oil), (Essential Oils of: Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf and Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)), Non-GMO d-alpha Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract

Hemp Bump & Bruise: I thankfully didn't need to use this very often (actually that's kind of amazing considering my clumsy history) but I did receive a couple of bruises from work and put a little of this on and the pain immediately disappeared. This product also has a light scent and doesn't feel waxy on the skin. It helps to reduce aches, sprains, strains, shin splints, and bruises.

Organic Cannabis sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Euphorbia cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, (Certified Organic Lavandula officinalis (Lavender) Flowers, Certified Organic Calendula officinalis (Marigold) Flowers, and Commiphora myrrha (Myrrh) Gum Crystals Infused in Organic Olea europaea (Olive) or Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Oil), (Essential Oils of: Eugenia caryophyllus (Clove), Lavandula officinalis (Lavender) and Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)), Non-GMO d-alpha Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract

 Hemp Cut & Scrape: This balm can be used for multiple things including, insect bites, cuts, abrasions, skin irritations, hemorrhoids, and open wounds. I actually tried it on allergic reactions, cuts and other such irritations. It really relieves any pain or itch you have in the area. Non-waxy just like their other balms and has a nice light scent.

Organic Cannabis sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Euphorbia cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, (Certified Organic Lavandula officinalis (Lavender) Flowers, Certified Organic Calendula officinalis (Marigold) Flowers, and Commiphora myrrha (Myrrh) Gum Crystals Infused in Organic Olea europaea (Olive) or Organic Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Oil), (Essential Oils of: Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree), Lavandula officinalis (Lavender) and Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)), Non-GMO d-alpha Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Extract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hemp Baby Salve: This is one salve I didn't get the chance to try since I don't have a baby but I think it may come in handy for the summer when I get hot and chafe, so I shall save it til then.

Merry Hempsters is definitely one of my favourite cruelty-free companies and I adore that they offer so many effective vegan products. You can purchase their products from their website at affordable prices, as well as places like Vitacost and other online retailers.

Thanks so much Merry Hempsters for this great opportunity!

The Raw Chocolate Company Review

The Raw Chocolate Company makes pure raw chocolate bars, raw chocolate bagged treats such as raisins, goji berries and more. And raw superfoods such as acai powder and cacao powder. All of their products are vegan and most are fairtrade and organic. Hailing from the UK, they offer a unique award winning taste of new and old favorites. Their products contain zero cane sugar as well, which means not only healthier but diabetic friendly. Who doesn't love a treat you don't have to feel guilty about? I was lucky enough to be sent 4 of their raw chocolate bars to review for you all. 

mint with xylitol

Mint Raw Chocolate Sweetened with Xylitol: Just 4 ingredients, that's right, 4! Cacao, xylitol, virgin cacao butter and mint oil. Being 70% cacao it does have a bit of bite. Dark chocolate lovers will delight in this smooth rich treat. The mint adds a smoothness to it that is indescribable. It's hard to believe these bars are raw. I had raw chocolate before and it was very gritty, these are not. As mentioned, they are smooth and melt in your mouth just like any "normal" chocolate bar would. In case you aren't familiar with Xylitol, here's what the company has to say:
"Xylitol is a sweetener made from Birch Trees in Finland. The name comes from the Greek ‘xylos’ meaning tree and ‘tol’ denotes that it is a sweetener – so literally xylitol means tree-sweetener. It has a low GI and has been proven to actually be beneficial to teeth."

 

 

 

 

organic pitch dark

Raw Chocolate Pitch Dark: Dark chocolate lovers rejoice, you will love this beauty. Extra smooth and rich. I am personally not a huge dark chocolate lover so found this a little bit bitter but that's to be expected. I will most likely add this as a vegan ice cream topping or something of the sort, don't worry, this baby won't go to waste. Only 3 ingredients in this bad boy: cacao mass, coconut palm sugar and virgin cold pressed cacao butter.

organic vanoffe dark

Raw Chocolate Vanoffe Dark: I can't even begin to describe the love I have for this bar. This was my favourite of the quartet, it's a flavour I have never really had before. My husband described it as "Glossette raisins." Creamy, smooth and full of flavour. The ingredients in this one are as follows: virgin cacao butter, coconut palm sugar, cacao mass, lucuma, vanilla.  I believe the lucuma may be the flavour I loved so much.
"Lucuma is a wonderfruit from Peru adding a biscuity, malty sweetness."

goji berry and orange

Raw Chocolate Goji Berry & Orange: The orange and goji berry added a nice flavour to the chocolate. Extra sweetness with the rich cacao flavour. Ingredients: cacao, coconut palm sugar, virgin cacao butter, goji berry powder, orange oil.

Sometimes simple is best. Simple ingredients, delicious flavours and nutritionally value is even better. The Raw Chocolate Company is the whole package when it comes to vegan decadence. If you love chocolate, why not eat it in the most nutritious form possible? They use no additives, no preservatives and none of that nasty stuff that you would find in conventional chocolate. What's not to love?

Just because they are based in the UK doesn't mean you can't enjoy your little piece of paradise, all their products can be ordered directly from their website and they ship internationally! Visit www.therawchocolatecompany.com

Thanks so much to The Raw Chocolate Co. for giving me this amazing opportunity to try and review their products and of course for sharing it with my audience. I need to get my hands on those chocolate covered raisins next!

Vegan Cuts Beauty Box-- August 2014

 This was my first ever Vegan Cuts beauty box. This box was curated by My Beauty Bunny and included items from Pacifica, Zabana Essentials, Emani, Enfusia and Balanced Guru. Let's see what I think of the items:

 

Pacifica  Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream: This was my first time using a BB cream but I constantly hear about them in commercials and magazines. Truth be told, I wasn't even sure what it was and honestly, I still don't haha! That being said, I love this stuff! It matches your skin tone perfectly and is not heavy and gives you a nice colour and glow, as well as moisturizing the skin. This could easily become a new must have in my makeup bag. 

  

Zabana Essenstials: French Green clay facial cleansing bar. I automatically liked the idea of this. Clay is so good for the skin and this seemed like a convenient way to add some to your daily routine. I have been using my bar for a few days now and really enjoy the way it feels on the skin. It has a nice light scent which I love but my skin has unfortunately started to breakout again. I have uber sensitive skin and I fight with acne daily. I can't say I'd repurchase this as I don't think it's agreeing with my skin but recommend it to people that don't suffer from acne like I. It's really affordable to order on their website!

 Enfusia: All-natural spa bath salts and soaks. I love baths and I love bath salts because they are fantastic for sore muscles after a long day. These ones from Enfusia smelt divine and left my skin feeling great and my muscles refreshed. This is definitely a product I would buy again.

 Emani: Mineral Hybrid Cream for brighter eyes in Speechless. When I first opened this I wasn't sure what it was even for but I absolutely loved the colours. It's breathtaking. I figured out it was for your eyes and have used it everyday since. It is so gorgeous and you honestly don't need to do anything else to your eyes but use this. I am lazy when it comes to make up, so this is perfect for me. This is also my favourite item from the box. I love love love it! 

Balanced Guru: Energy mist in Intuition. Basically this is sort of like a perfume or air freshener but it tells you to inhale it when sprayed in the air or spray it onto a scarf and inhale it. Really neat concept but this scent is a little strong for me. I am scent sensitive so inhaling it was a bit too much but I am going to use it as a air freshener instead.

Thanks Vegan Cuts!

Watch my unboxing video

The Healthy Bug-- A Vegan Review

 

The Healthy Bug is located at 3514 Joseph Howe Drive in Halifax. A few weeks ago, the owner Lou asked me to lend a hand in expanding their vegan section of the store. I was thrilled and honored to play a part in not only helping this store expand business but also get more vegan products available in HRM. We discussed lots of possibilities and I think made great progress. So to all of my vegan and vegetarian homies in the Halifax area, prepare your boots for great things coming to the Healthy Bug. 

That being said, they already do offer some awesome vegan products and I want to do a small review of the products I purchased and was given (I was handed a 50 dollar gift card for helping which was unexpected and greatly appreciated). Many of these products I have not found anywhere else in the HRM. The Healthy Bug also has very reasonable prices and actually many identical items that other local stores may carry are either cheaper here or identical in prices. 

So here are my reviews: 

Green Cuisine tempeh burgers: It took me a long time to like tempeh I have to admit but now I finally love it. These were awesome. Huge and very filing, great flavour and easy to spice to how you prefer.

Sol Cuisine's new meatless chicken in Tangy Korean BBQ, Spicy Chipotle Tinga and Ginger Lime Teriyaki. I had been anticipating trying these since their announcement and they did not disappoint. These are gluten-free, that's right GLUTEN-FREE vegan chicken strips. And they are incredible. I honestly can't pick a favourite flavour because I loved them all. I tried them in both wraps and stirfry's and wish I had of had more to try many other ways. The options are truly endless. They are also super easy to cook and perfect for a quick, easy and delicious meal.

Rawkin' Cakes & Creations is a local business that makes vegan and raw sweet treats. Where do I even begin? Her creations are incredible. I tried both the macaroons and peppermint patties. The macaroons remind me so much of Hail Merry, who is another vegan company but they don't sell in Canada, so this was a real treat! Rich, sweet, pure decadent deliciousness. When I bit into the peppermint patty I nearly cried. It tasted exactly like a York patty. I haven't had one of those in over 3 years. Absolutely amazing. I can't rave enough about her incredible products.

Late July sweet potato chips. These are gluten-free, organic crispy sweet potato chips. Lightly salted and full of flavour. They are great with salsa but I like them as is as well. I love crunchy snacks and this was a perfect combination of flavours and crunch.

Nutribiotic long lasting deodorant in mango melon scent. I was out of deodorant and saw this and thought I would give it a try. Finding effective deodorant as a vegan is probably one of the trickiest tasks. You see, natural deodorants aren't antiperspirants because the things they used to stop sweat are harmful to your body and sweating is technically natural regardless of how irritating it can be. I love the smell of this stuff, it's like a tropical paradise but unfortunately, it hasn't been too effective for me. It's a game of trial and error when it comes to trying not to stink up the place by noon. :)

Sencha Naturals green tea leaf mints in tropical mango. I love tea and I love mango, what is not to love? These mints are refreshing, taste amazing and leave your mouth tasting sweet.

Pur gum in their two new flavours coolmint and cinnamon. What's so great about Pur? Well first off, they are aspartame free which is almost unheard of in the gum world. Aspartame is really icky for you. They are also non-gmo, vegan and gluten-free. The coolmint is a great new addition to the Pur family. I love anything minty. Cinnamon is my husbands and I didn't try it as I have a sensitivity to cinnamon. I love Pur!

Coconut Bliss in mint galactica. This is a very rare occasion. I tend to be the goddess of sweet things in that I love them but for some reason, I just can't get on the Coconut Bliss wagon. I want to love it but I just don't. Almost all my vegan friends love this stuff and it's actually the majority of their favourite vegan ice cream but I will stick with my So Delicious. I find the texture to be grainy and non-smooth. For this flavour, the mint was so strong my whole mouth was cold and I could taste nothing but the mint. I guess we can't love everything. Sorry Luna & Larry.



I want to say a big thank you to The Healthy Bug and Lou for giving me such a great opportunity and for letting me try out some products I have been wanting to! Until next time, ta ta for now little peaches.

Local Vegan Eats-- Heartwood- CLOSED

After visiting a second time to Heartwood, I feel I have enough experience there to give a proper review. First off, entering the restaurant, it's a warm inviting atmosphere. This time I arrived in the evening, you get to see the lovely mood lighting with candles on each table and dimmed overhead lights. The restaurant itself has lovely decor with a really inviting atmosphere. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive. The menu is fairly large, all 4 of us took quite awhile to decide because everything sounds so delicious. The menu is quite extensive offering everything from pizza, burgers, to healthier wraps and salads. They also have a quite extensive dessert selection of cheesecake, cookies and bars and the best part is, it's all vegan except when "cheese" is listed on the menu description. They also offer a full organic menu which is quite rare.

I admit, I'm a fussy vegan. I don't like kale, green peppers and a slew of other veggies. So sometimes it can be hard eating out even in vegan-friendly joints because many of the places use a lot of things I don't care for. When scanning the menu at Heartwood, everything sounds extremely appetizing. To the point I actually want to order several meals.  Tonight we opted for nachos as an appetizer and beet burgers for our main course. The nachos were delicious. The dipping sauces were both flavourful and accented the nachos perfectly and I loved that they had mushrooms with them as I love mushrooms.

 

When the main course came out, my initial reaction was, "this looks good but what a small portion size". The burger is very small and the steamed greens it came with were also extremely small and of course, happened to be kale with 3 small piece of broccoli and some carrots topping it. The burger was delicious and satisfying. I did leave full but I believe that's mainly because we had the nachos first. I honestly think if it wasn't for the appetizer, I would have been very hungry when I left. I got a cookie for dessert and was also extremely disappointed by the size. It was very small especially for the cost.

 

Overall, I think Heartwood makes tasty food but I can't justify spending the amount of money they want for their dishes. Yes, I understand they are organic but when you are strapped for cash and on a serious budget, it's just not worth it. If you are someone that can spend a little more, Heartwood may be the perfect place for you. It's just a shame they couldn't at least give you a little more for the side dishes. Offer the roasted potatoes for no extra charge with the burgers or pile on a little more salad. We need a little more bang for our buck. Just saying. :)

Spicy peanut bowl

Another photo of the vegan nachos

Bean burrito

Portobello mushroom sandwich