My First Year As A Vegan aka My Veganniversary

Wow! Has it really been a year already?! That has absolutely flown by. At first making the transition was hard and I am still on a journey of transition. But when I think of the reasons why I decided to go vegan, giving up is not an option.

People go vegan for various reasons. At first for me it was because I wanted to feel healthier within myself. But once I made the change and started to research more and more about all the barbaric mistreatment of animals, it spurred me on to keep on going and not look back. I just couldn't be a part of the suffering that is caused any longer. Some people don't realise that being vegan isn't a diet, but instead a way of life. It's not just about what you eat but what you put on your skin, in your hair and even what you wash your clothes and dishes with 

When I first went vegan I only focused on the food and clothing side of it. But as the year went on I started to look at all the other aspects of veganism. As a previous Avon representative, I had accumulated quite a back log of product. And unbeknown to me, they are not cruelty free. However, as I don't like waste I chose to finish the products I was using and give the rest to family and friends. Otherwise, if I threw this stuff away, then the animals would have endured all that pain for nothing. But once I had rid myself of these products and any other non vegan items, I am trying my hardest to live a more ethically conscious life. Here are some my favourite products for...

Keeping my skin silky soft

The winter usually leaves my skin feeling brutally rough but these organic hand and all over body creams that I bought from Holland & Barrett is so luxurious and keeps me skin feeling super silky.

Keeping things clean

I started to look for vegan friendly handwash and household cleaner and found that Method did both. The household cleaner has a gorgeous citrussy scent to it which lingers on long after cleaning. The handwash has a distinct sweet pea aroma that I just can't get enough of. And unlike other chemically ridden products it doesn't dry out my skin or do damage to the environment. Win, win

When I started looking for shower gel, I thought I would have to spend stupid amounts. But then I found out that Superdrug own brand products are vegan friendly and super cheap too. So obviously I had to go and get myself one of their shower gels. I was also gifted this Hempz body scrub which is infused with hemp seed oil and smells yummy. Teaming these two together leaves me smelling super scrumptious and feeling velvety soft.

Washing dishes and clothes

These Ecover products are all natural and leave my clothes feeling and smelling absolutely divine 

Smelling good

So I recently found out that So..? are vegan friendly which was music to my ears as I have always loved their fragrances. They are simply scented and perfect for day fragrances. The middle 3 are slightly stronger as they are more concentrated and the other 2 are lighter. If you want a mysterious scent, then Dark Romance is perfect. For more feminine, summery scents you should choose Sheer Illusion and if you prefer fresh, delicate scents then you'll Floral Crush. Sweet Pea is a sweet girly smell and I am So...? is a fresh girly scent. These are just some of their fragrances. To see the full range, go to their website

For night time fragrances these Eden perfumes are great. They are based in Brighton so if you are nearby you can go in and custom build your own fragrance. If you prefer you can go on their website and enter name of your favourite designer fragrance and they'll send you their own version of it for a fraction of the cost. I chose fragrances "62" which resembles DKNY Be Delicious and "21" bears a strong likeness to DKNY Woman. They both smell so good and I am elated to have found this company. I can now still have all the fragrances I loved before without causing any harm to animals or the environment 

I also wanted to find a deodorant that was not only vegan but also environmentally friendly and I found just that with this Salt of the Earth spray on deodorant. It's melon and cucumber scent is so fresh and keeps me smelling great all day long. It takes a little longer to dry than roll on deodorants but I don't mind that as it doesn't dry out my skin or go flaky like other non vegan spray on deodorants

Make-up

Every fashionista wants to look good, but every vegan fashionista wants to do good.  Well you can look good and do good at the same time. Here are a few of my make-up items which enable you to do so

I recently stumbled upon the fact that Elf are cruelty free 🐰so I had no choice but to buy a few items (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) I am yet to use these products, but be sure to check back for a review soon 

These matte liquid lipsticks from Nyx are so dreamy. They go on creamy but dry super matte. The colours here are Embellishment - a sultry greyish purple, Confident - a gorgeous chocolatey grey brown and Scandale - a chic khaki grey brown. They have a wide range of lipsticks to suit every skin tone - all cruelty free

These products from Urban Decay are all vegan. I love rose gold so this rose gold eyeshadow is perfect for me. I usually use it as a focal point colour with darker reds and nudes to make it really pop. This quick fix prep and prime spray spray is awesome. It contains coconut water so it smells so gorgeous. I usually use it when priming my skin before putting my foundation on but it also works a treat when my skin feels dehydrated to give it a nice refreshing boost

I love this colour from Superdrugs own beauty brand B. Brown lipsticks are bang on trend right now and this one gives me a throwback to the 90's kind of vibe. It has red undertones which gives it a warm feel to it. They have a wide range of hues to suit every skintone. 

This foundation from Deciem makes my skin look flawless and is ultra moisturising. I recently mentioned this brand in my winter skincare post and I have slowly discovered more and more about their products. I am totally obsessed with them

Bathroom toiletries

Toiletries are every day products which make a world of difference to the environment depending on which products you use. This Cheeky Panda toilet roll is a prime example

Last but not least is this feminine hygiene brand, Masmi. It wasn't until recently that I thought about the impact plastic has on the environment. Funnily enough, it was an episode of Total Divas where Brie Bella and Daniel Brian took a trip to a landfill site in the lead up to her giving birth to their first child that really struck home to me how much waste plastics do damage. This is when I thought "I have to take responsibility for my part in this" and researched non plastic and biodegradable sanitary products. That is when I came across these

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