LIMECRIME VELVETINE REVIEW

Limecrime is a vegan, cruelty-free make-up brand that offers an array of unique shades from rainbow brights and unicorn pastels to witchy autumnal hues. I love their velvetine range of lipsticks that go on as a liquid and dry completely matt. I get so many compliments when I wear it and at least a dozen people a day ask me where it's from - strangers will even stop me in the street!

The application is a little trickier than normal lipstick as you have to apply it right first time, any error around the lip line will result in a smudge on your face that's hard to remove without taking the rest of your face off! However it's worth spending a bit of extra time getting that outline right as the result will be a perfect lip that lasts all day. Saying that I can still apply this on my bumpy tube journey to work every morning, it just needs a bit more concentration than your bog standard lippy.

Left: Wicked, Right: Red Velvet

Above: Wicked, Below: Red Velvet

As you can see in the pics above the colours are so bright, it's this pigmentation along with the liquid to matt formula that makes the velvetine really stand out from the crowd. I've also previously tried the Suedeberry shade which is a lovely orangey red and perfect for the Summer months. I'm totally in love with this brand and won't stop until I've tried everything they have to offer! I'm contemplating the black velvetine next, which would also be ideal for Halloween. Have you ever tried Limecrime make-up? If so what's your fav product and shade?

FAUX FIX: DESIGNER PICKS

L:R: Falabella Bag // Faux Fur Coat // Vinyl Pencil Skirt // Cotton Shirt // Leopard Slippers // Lip Print Sweater

When I tell some people that I'm a vegan I think they are a bit taken aback, as though it's not a normal thing to be. So I want to show the world that us vegans are 'normal' too and can enjoy everything that meat eaters do! In fact I'm more convinced than ever that the vegan diet should be what's considered normal, having recently watched the documentary Forks over Knives, which examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

While my ideals of what's ethical may have changed, my love for fashion has always remained, I've just made a few adjustments to my wardrobe (as well as my diet) along the way (see post). I've been interested in fashion since my early childhood, I would spend hours playing with my fashion wheel game (we didn't have iPads back then) and even went on to pursue my dream of becoming a fashion designer at College and University. 

Most of the time designers like to use real leather, fur and silk, after all that's where your money is going (or so they would like you to believe) so when you pay a designer price tag you would expect it to be the 'real' deal. Therefore it's often harder to pick out higher end items that are vegan friendly. Stella McCartney is probably the most well known for being an ethical designer, as a lifelong vegetarian her collections contain no leather or fur. However some garments are made from silk and wool so not all items are vegan, but for vegan shoes and bags Stella McCartney would be my first designer of choice - if only I could afford it! 

I've taken the liberty of painstakingly (yeah right) searching through Net-A-Porter to find the most on trend (vegan) designer picks of the moment. It's just annoying that there's no 'one' designer company that does all vegan items with a sustainable ethos to match. At the minute the best we can do is pick and choose our peices but hopefully with more people buying these items and shunning the skins we are persuading them to make more and forgo the unnecessary cruelty...

The pic above is what I like to call the 'tough yet cuddly' look, that you could wear during the day, to work or even dress up in the evening with a different top and some heels. You can also get the Falabella bag in a fold up version that works as a clutch too, so that would be a worthy investment if ever I saw one ;). Personally I'd would wear all of these items together as I love the contrasting prints and textures of the faux fur and the shiny vinyl. The sweater over a pencil skirt look was seen at Jonathan Saunders and seems so perfect this winter. On colder days I'd wear the shirt underneath the jumper so the crisp white collar is poking out (my favourite look at the minute). Overall a versatile and layered Winter look that's cruelty free! Now who wants to sponsor me to wear it?... anyone??

Can you recommend any other ethical/vegan designers?

SKINCARE: BOOTS BOTANICS

With the air getting colder and my skin becoming increasingly dryer, I've been on the lookout for some natural, or as close to natural skincare products as I can get. Online is probably your best bet when trying to scour something truly pure and vegan, alas I was down to my last make-up wipe and needed a replacement quick so I headed down to my local Boots.

Doubtful I would find anything I was happy with on the high street I had a look anyway and was pleasantly surprised to see the Boots Botanics range has had a makeover and offering skincare that's between 80 and 100% organic.

Hand Cream // Cleanser // Day Cream

The products were all great to use, I put them on before I went to bed last night. The initial application of the moisturiser made my skin feel slightly tightened but I awoke to find my skin soft and clear this morning. I believe they must have changed the formula, that or the organic one is the only one that agrees with my skin, as I tried the normal botanics moisturiser last year and broke out in a nasty rash! 

The cleanser removed my makeup really well, quickly and easily - which is exactly what I was looking for, being a self confessed lazy makeup wipe abuser. I'm glad I made the change to cleanser as my current brand of make up wipes were actually beginning to sting my eyes. I won't name names but they're a VERY well known brand that claims to be natural (in a round about way) with 'no chemicals, no alcohol, perfume or colour', so I was surprised to find the ingredients listed as Methyparaban and Propylparaben, you can read more about these controversial ingredients here. 

As I was weighing up which products to get in the store (I frequently spend hours in stores doing this!) I googled Boots products and their statement to someone who enquired was:

"Thanks for your enquiry regarding our Botanics range.

I am pleased to confirm that all of this range will be suitable for vegetarians, as it does not contain any animal ingredients.

None of the Boots branded products are tested on animals."

Which led me to believe they were ok for vegans too, however I did notice when I got home that the Botanics day moisturiser does contain beeswax which is considered by some to not be a vegan ingredient. Being a transitioning vegetarian, I am still on the fence about this one, I definately don't eat honey anymore as I'm aware of the damage this causes to the bees (read: here) however the beeswax extraction seems like a non-harmful process. While it is still an animal by-product, the bees don't need the wax and the collection of it doesn't harm them in the process (that I'm aware of). Please correct me if I'm wrong as I am still forming opinions about this...

What natural skincare products do you use?

FAUX FIX: BIKERS

The weather can't make up it's mind from one day to the next and it's not quite winter coat weather just yet (except when venturing out in the evenings brrr!). So for Autumn I'm craving a vegan friendly, faux leather biker jacket to layer up with cosy jumpers, hats and scarfs. 

L-R: Nasty Gal // Topshop // Miss Selfridge // River Island // The WhitePepper at ASOS

Above is my selection of the best bikers around at the moment. I've been wanting the cropped Nasty Gal jacket since well forever so I'm glad they're still stocking it but I haven't plucked up the courage to order it yet since it has to be shipped from the US. I've tried the Topshop biker on and since it's now gone down to £40 I may have to purchase it. I love the quilted sleeves and the lining is really quite warm so you would get some wear out of it in the winter too. 

The White Pepper is a really cool brand to watch at the moment, they're doing exceptionally well, having started out as a marketplace seller on ASOS and now being sold as a concession in Topshop, so I predict great things to come. They also do a killer (with no killing involved) PU skirt available here.