Nature • Animals • Beauty
Welcome to a new series Wasn’t Me! Things I’ve seen out that wasn’t me! Evidence of minor mishaps, graffiti, nature’s geometry, human error, unusual architecture, weird stuff I’ve seen out. You get the idea! Photos I’ve been unsure how to share in other posts.
First up are from November to December 2019. Most are taken on my phone out running, cycling, running errands hence the quality on some.
H&M window display Continue reading “Wasn’t Me!”
A while back I shared how I find out which beauty products are cruelty free, a hugely important aspect for me when it comes to beauty products. Today in continuation I’m sharing how I find out if the ingredients are good or bad.
I prefer natural, clean beauty products and I’m learning what’s clean doesn’t necessarily meaning it’s not derived from petrochemicals. Vegan products are a bonus. As many of you know I’m on a mission to reduce the amount of plastic I consume. This too includes what’s in beauty products. The packaging I try to opt for less plastic however I’ve always said beauty products are one of my biggest plastic areas.
Many times looking on online an ingredient says it’s synthetic and has a low rating on ewg.com for toxicity meaning they’re clean and safe. However I prefer not to put petrochemicals on my skin anymore! ewg.com is a great place to start looking at the toxicity rating of products. 0 being least hazardous, 10 being the highest. A few natural ingredients might have a rating of 3-5 based on the allergic reaction but I prefer them over synthetic! I’m no angel some nasty ingredients sip through, I’m okay this time or some I know the brand has sourced the best option of it. I also understand that what is natural can also be processed. On the whole I try to avoid the nasty ones. It’s easier with skincare products than makeup. Makeup I try to opt for the lesser badder ingredients.
The main ingredients for concern are: Sulphates, parabens, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colours, T.E.A, D.E.A, silicones, PEGs. ethoxylates, formaldehydes, phthalates, synthetic preservatives, synthetic glycols. These can all individually cause anything from hormone disrupters, skin rashes to I’m sure polluting the environment. In addition I try to avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. This can be more tricky as like coconut oil (the ‘good’ oil but still has its problems enviromentally) it’s derivatives are used mixed with other ingredients or are the petrochemical Continue reading “How I Check Beauty Products Ingredients”
Happy March!
This was a short and sweet Weekend Friday Favourites this week of things that have made me smile or caught my eye this week. Then I got typing. Uh Oh! This week’s been all over the place however my phone’s cracked screen finally fixed, a tooth’s fixed and a few other appointments over with. And with that, things I’ve been liking this week!
Fresh Ginger Tea
I have P to thank for this! Travelling last month my allergies started playing up, we’d been cooped up in aeroplanes, so P decided in addition to hot lemon in the mornings, fresh ginger tea to help keep our immune systems up. While I put fresh ginger in my salads for the same reason I wasn’t initially keen on the taste. Now I find myself craving ginger tea in the evenings! It’s so easy to make. Chop off a piece of ginger, cut of the skin, chop up the ginger, place in mug, add hot water!
I have a confession. I did get the real deal silk scrunchies from Sephora. Then vegan guilt came over me and I couldn’t find if the company let the silk worm live and accepted broken strands or boiled the worm in its cocoon alive for unbroken silk strands. I felt so bad I returned them. Unworn of course. On holiday swept up in the larger amount of choice available, I found Kitsch scrunchies in Wholefoods, knowing full well, vegan silk means polyester, they’re in plastic packaging and I’m trying to reduce my plastic. That includes packaging, clothes, however I live in leggings and sweatshirts, hello plastic microfilaments in the water system. I can’t always win. I know, excuses! I did intend to taken them back for this reason but didn’t get time. Silk is meant to be kinder to skin and hair. With silk pillows, the silk doesn’t absorb all your night beauty products and doesn’t rough up skin like cotton does, which can help fight, soften, lessen pick your choice, wrinkles. Same with silk in the hair. It doesn’t break strands. I’ve been using scrunchies for a while and appreciate with fine long hair removing them, Continue reading “Weekend Friday Favourites”
Welcome back to another Recycle Less Update! Some items may have been featured in previous Recycle Less Updates however below are improved finds. As some long time readers know I’ve been on a journey for a few years to reduce the amount of plastic I consume and stuff in general. It’s not easy and any plastic free finds, eco environmental finds I find, I share!
Since starting being more conscious buying less plastic I’m actually buying less as well. Double whammy! When you see plastic everywhere you realise just how much there is, sometimes despair now it’s here it’s never going to go away. I’m not anti plastic everything. It has valuable use when used right. I try to avoid unnecessary plastic whenever I can. Food and beauty items are still my number one plastic hurdles. Whenever I can grocery shopping I use cotton produce bags (I even take them on holiday!), go for skincare without nasty ingredients (since starting being plastic freer, it’s evolved in avoiding petroleum plastics and it’s derivatives in skincare, food), do my best to find the plastic free alternatives. I’m no angel, shoes are plastic as I’m vegan too. For example I didn’t know shoe glue can contain animal gelatine for the bonding. What’s that got to do about being plastic free? Sometimes you have to compromise, give and take and do the best you can caring as much you can for the environment.
Kaiapuni Eco Dental Floss and Refills
Previously I was compromising with a silk floss. It came in a glass container however being silk and me being vegan I was never happy about it. But it was better than nylon or ‘plastic’ floss. Even since I saw a photo of a seal with floss wrapped around its neck cutting into its flesh, I’ve been anti plastic floss. An Amazon recommendation was Kaiapuni floss £5.99 plus shipping. A corn based floss making it 100% biodegradable and clumsy friendly container being metal. Refills are cheap, £6.99 for 2 Continue reading “Recycle Less Update: Updated Finds”
Welcome to a long over due Weekend Friday Favourites. Things that have made me smile or caught my eye recently.
Excuses as to why I’ve been absent lately I’m blaming here on Mercury being in retrograde. That’s my excuse! Anyway I hope you’re having a great weekend and lets get into this week’s hopefully short and sweet Weekend Friday Favourites
Jata Hogar Mini Manual Chopper
Out shopping with ChefPaulGuru aka P a few months back he got all excited coming across this mini manual chopper. My face was probably really, you excited over this?! Before he was here for a few months I started making smashed chickpea and avocado salads. He said this would be perfect for chopping them up. It wasn’t that expensive, about €10 and knowing unless I had examples made I probably wouldn’t use it, made a few salads with it. It really is easy to use and I use it about Continue reading “Weekend Friday Favourites”
