To test or not to test? That is the question...

Hello lovelies! 

Today I thought I would talk testing, and no, I don't mean swatches. I'm talking animal testing. I am strictly against animal testing. I'm not naive, and I do realise that a lot of cosmetics do still test on animals, however I do not condone it, and where I can, I always try to go for brands who don't test on animals. I've gotten together a little collection of brands who don't test on bunnies and pooches for you, so without further ado...

(Apologies for the creased sheets! - Oops!)

The Body Shop 

The Body Shop have been against animal testing for as long as I can remember, and are always a safe bet if you want naturally sourced ingredients too! 

Lush 

Not only are Lush against animal testing, they actively fight it, and even have 'against animal testing' printed on their bags. Lush's ingredients are sourced ethically, and are all handmade. They may be a little more pricey, but by paying that little bit more you get so much more in quality. 

Good Things 

Good Things are a brand that are aimed only at young skin, and pride themselves on using no animal ingredients, SLS or parabens. Good stuff, Good Things! 

Sanctuary Spa 

I was actually surprised to find Sanctuary in this list, however when reading the back of a gift set I received for Christmas, there it was in black and white; 'Not tested on animals'. Hurrah!

Sleek
I only own a sirum from Sleek, however since finding out that they are cruelty free, I have my eye on a few blushes! 

Jergens 

Jergens are a new found love for me, I received the Aloe moisturiser for my birthday and love how fresh and clean the scent is, so I was very happy to discover that I can slather this on with no guilt! 

Soap and Glory 

Another brand I was actually very surprised with. Soap and Glory can be found in Boots stores and feature some of the greatest smelling products in the world! 

REN 

Ahh REN, my new love. The 'Invisible Pores Detox Mask' is a firm new favourite of mine, and boasting no nasties as well as no animal testing, my conscience is as squeaky clean as my face! 

Liz Earle

I recently ordered the 'February Favourites' and have to say, I'm seriously Impressed with this range! 

Urban Decay

I'm so happy that I can add Urban Decay to this list. Apparently they were in talks with a company in China about selling the brand, however pulled out as they found that selling would go against their beliefs and morals about testing. Good on yer, UD! 

Rimmel 

I was utterly shocked to hear about Rimmel - I have a feeling it was a recent change with the new laws that have forced this brand to find alternative methods. I may be wrong, but I always presume that make up brands automatically test...I know, I need to move with the times! 

Barry M 

I guess you dont really think about mainly nail polish brands testing, but I guess they have to. Thankfully Barry M have taken a stance against testing on the furry ones and have found other ways! 

Bourjois 

Again, another popular high street brand I'm happy to report are cruelty free!!

Bumble and Bumble
Possibly one of the most hyped brands of 2013, I highly recommend you try them out if you haven't already, especially now you know their products come without a side order of guilt! 

Illamasqua

Finally, Illamasqua. I own one of their blushers, and absolutely love the formula and pigmentation, so i'm over the moon that I can colour my cheeks without thinking about what else might have had a makeover in the process!  

Obviously, this list is only naming a few, as animal testing in Europe has been banned (Yay!), and generally, only brands who's products are made outside of Europe are still tested (MAC, I'm lookin' at you!) But we now have a much wider variety of non tested choices and can now shop safe in the knowledge that no animals were harmed in the making of our appearance! 

Dainty Doll Blusher in '004 You Are My Sunshine' | Review

I have fallen in love. As a matte lover, I never thought I could love a shimmery blush so much, but obviously a girl can change as here I am about to rave about one! 

Dainty Doll is a make up brand by Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud. It's aimed at pale skinned girls, and since I sit somewhere in between pale and not pale, I was intrigued to try something from the range. I bought the shade 'you are my sunshine' last year in a fragrance direct haul, received it and was utterly shocked at how bright and shimmery it looked, so put it in my 'I don't use this often' make up box and that was that! 

After Christmas, I just felt like none of my blushers were doing it for me as they're mostly peachy summery colours, so before automatically buying a new one, like I'm prone to doing, I thought I'd get all my make up out and have a bit of a shake up. That's when I found 'you are my sunshine' again. 

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of the packaging, although it looks lovely in the photo, it's actually quite cheap looking plastic. Buuut, it's what's on the inside that counts, and cheap plastic and dodgy clouded mirror aside, the product itself is beautiful! 

Without flash. 

With flash. 

Now I know what you're thinking, it's slightly reminiscent of a certain offering from Nars. And extensive researching and checking online swatches has proved that this little baby is pretty much a perfect match to the infamous Nars 'Orgasm' blush. For a £1.99 fragrance direct bargain I'd say that's pretty good going! 

Left-lightly swatched. Right-heavily swatched. 

The formula of this blush is very soft, you do need to apply with a fairly soft hand, and accept quite a bit of product fallout, but other than that, I have nothing but praise! It blends beautifully and gives a warm glow to the complexion, a perfect pick me up for those cold days and, as it's intended, a perfect match to my winter pale skin! I've been wearing it none stop over the past month and my love is still going strong into February! 

Favourites | January 2014

I don't know about you, but after all the craziness of Christmas and new year, January always leaves me feeling deflated and seems to drag like no other month. 2014 has been no exception and I'm actually glad the month of blues is reaching it's end! 

Nevertheless, I have been using this month to get well aquainted with some beauty products. Here are my January best picks! 

Soap and Glory 'Lid Stuff' Eyeshadow Quad

I've forgotten to photograph this, but you find it on the Boots website here. I bought this quad back in the summer last year and I have made a serious dent in at least two of the shades! If you're a neutral palette kinda gal, you NEED this in your life. For £10 you get four gorgeously pigmented shades, perfect for creating a variety of nude looks. The size of each colour is almost exactly the same as a Mac Pro Palette refill but for a fraction of the price, and in my opinion, it's a serious contender quality wise as well! The shades are butter like and apply like a dream, definitely one I'm glad to have in my collection. 

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in 'Peach Blossom' 

This little baby was on my Christmas list and since excitedly opening it on Christmas morning it has been a firm favourite and has lived on my lips through the majority of this month. The perfect sheer peachy nude goes with, and has been going with EVERYTHING!  

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker XL Lip Gloss
Other than my MAC lipstick, this gloss from S&G has lived in my handbag and is perfect for a quick fix throughout the day. I'm quite partial to a gloss at the minute and this smells like caramel, and plumps your lips (Be prepared for immense tingling). The bubblegum pink shade is so cute too and has been pairing quite nicely with my cold flushed cheeks! 

REN Invisible Pores Face Mask

Oh my. When I first used this mask, I must admit me and REN had a bit I a moment, I actually thought I'd fallen in love! We all know what a clay mask does;  draws out imperfections, tightens pores, leaves your skin feeling smooth albeit a tad tight? Well this little beauty does all that except my skin doesn't feel tight, rather it feels soft and just...clean. The best part? REN is against animal testing (something I try to steer clear of as much as I can) and doesn't contain any of the nasties that were all trying to keep away from out skins! 

Sleek Zuri Brightening Night Sirum

Who knew sleek did skincare? I certainly didn't, not even when I bought it! It wasn't until I perused the labels that I noticed the brand discreetly on the back of the packaging! I'm fairly new to sirums but the 'brightening' aspect had me sold. I'm not sure if the effects actually brighten my skin, but it certainly feels plump and injects extra moisture into the skin, which makes for an overall brighter appearance! 

Barry M Nail Polish in 'Berry Cosmo' and Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 'Caramel Cupcake'

I have worn nothing but these two shades throughout January, you know you love a shade when you remove it, just to reapply! The Barry M offering is the most gorgeous deep berry, which lived on my nails throughout the first half of January, whilst the Rimmel beige/caramel is the perfect nude, perfectly polished but barely there colour! 

Jergens Natural Aloe Soothing Moisturiser 
I got this for my birthday back in September, and had used it here and there, favouring thicker body butters, however this month with the short days and hectic schedule, I just haven't had time, so I've been reaching for this thinner cream for a quick injection of moisture, and have barely touched any other body moisturiser. It has such a clean scent and leaves me feeling thoroughly moisturised. 

Soap and Glory 'Hand Food' 
I wasn't in the market for a new handcream, however in the 'Yule Monty' set I received for Christmas, there was hand food. I have been having a slight love affair with its marshmallow scent ever since! 

Dainty Doll Blusher Shade '004'
I bought this last year from Fragrance Direct and was thoroughly disappointed when I opened the packaging as I didn't realise it would be so shimmery. It was put into a box and forgotten about. I decided after Christmas to have a make up shuffle, and came across this again. I gave it a go, and with a light hand, it has easily become my go to blush for an everyday make up look. The shimmer is actually perfect for these cold, winter days as it injects some life into my pale skin. It reminds me a lot of the Nars Orgasm blusher, which is a cult favourite, however never appealed to me. After rediscovering the Dainty Doll blush, I may have to rethink... 

Empties | January

Wow, yet another empties post, these come around so often, which is weird a January has dragged so much for me! 

Anyway, I'll crack on, these are the products I've used up during January! 

Herbal Essences Uplifting Volume Conditioner

I can't say that this conditioner really gave me much volume, even paired with the shampoo, however it smells lovely and left my hair feeling soft. 

Would I repurchase? Probably not as a volumiser. 

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter 

This stuff is amazing! I wasn't overly bothered at first, but once you actually start using this, the smell is incredible. If you like smelling like frubes and having super soft skin, this is the body butter for you! 

Would I repurchase? I was lucky enough to receive this as a birthday present in full size so I won't need to for a while! But I definitely would in future! 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Exfoliating Pads 

I am absolutely gutted that TBS have discontinued these, I have rationed them like nobodies business but finally used the last one up. This was such a great little product and I just wish that I could repurchase! 

Fake Bake Rough To Buff Body Polish 

I got this in a Fake Bake set, and I have to say, I hate it. I don't like the smell or the texture, as I like my scrubs to have more of a gritty texture to them, so I can actually feel them doing so good. 

Would I repurchase? Safe to say no. 

Rimmel 5 in 1 clear Top/Base Coat

I loved this when I first bought it, however after a few months it's just gotten gloopy and sticky to the point where I cant use it anymore. 

Would I repurchase? Probably not. 

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover 

I'm devastated to let this one go as it's just a miracle worker. It's lasted about 8/9 months which I think is really good going, and I'm pretty sure there is still some remover left, but the sponge has gotten tattered and my nails come out covered in little grey bits so it's time to say goodbye. 

Would I repurchase? Definitely! 

Rimmel BB Cream in Shade 'Light' 

This was a little light for my skin, however for lazing around at home, this was great at just covering enough to make you feel a little more fresh faced. The formula was a little thick, however, and took a lot of buffing and blending into the skin. 

Would I repurchase? No. I'd probably go for a tinted moisturiser in future. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 'Soft Beige'

Oh my I love this foundation. I've heard that it's a dupe of the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, which is on my wishlist, so i'll be interested to see how it compares. It's a satin finish foundation which smells quite fruity and has just enough coverage to hide blemishes yet still look natural. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

The Body Shop Mango Body Mist

This body mist is perfect for summer. It's fruity yet floral with a slight hint of musk, and the smell lingers really well for a body mist. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Garnier Ultra Dry 48 Hour Deodorant 

I know deodorants aren't all that interesting, but I think I've found my perfect one. I love everything about this, down to the scent. I wouldn't agree with the 48 hour claim, but a full day at work/Uni is more like it. 

Would I repurchase? Yes 

There we have it, another month of empties, what have you been using up this month?