Cruelty-Free Beauty Favorites This Autumn (AD)

It's that time of the year again — the rain has arrived, and so has the wind and 4:30pm sunsets. I love the autumn and winter but despise the way it affects my skin and hair. Everything dries out and I end up having to moisturize my face three times a day. Here are a few of my favorite beauty/haircare products that I have been loving as the weather cools down.

Maple Holistics Tea Tree Shampoo
I'm not going to lie, I was hesitant about a Tea Tree shampoo purely because it reminds me of the Tea Tree solution that my mum used to lather all over my hair when I came home with head lice as a kid. But the lovely folks at Maple Holistics offered to send me their Tea Tree shampoo and oh my! It's so great. The smell doesn't conjure up my head lice days at all. It's spicy and invigorating and works up such a good lather. I've been trying it out for a couple of weeks and love the way my hair has looked. It's kept its volume but is much softer and more manageable. Big thumbs up, I'll be repurchasing!

Mario Badescu Facial Spray
I picked this up on a whim at Urban Outfitters this summer, and boy am I glad that I did. I use it morning and night, just a light spritz all over my face/neck/chest. It wakes me up in the morning and soothes at night. It's also great under or over makeup, and smells so herbal and fresh. Plus, it's a bargain at only $7 for the travel size (I have the full size, which is still only $12)!

Liz Earle Signature Foundation
I bought this when I was living in Scotland, and now it's almost empty and I'm really sad because I don't think they ship it outside of the UK. I must find a way! I've never actually enjoyed wearing foundation but did it just because my face was red and spotty. After trying this, though, I love wearing it most days! I only use the tiniest bit on my nose and chin, and it is super buildable so on any given day I can step it up if I'm feeling extra red. It's not matte but feels really hydrating without looking like I'm wearing anything. Ahhh I just can't explain my love for it enough. Need more. ASAP.

Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Mask
I have grown up seeing this brand in most drugstores, but I never tried it out. Last month, though, I was having a really bad breakout and saw this bad boy at the drugstore for only $5, so I picked it up. It's vegan/cruelty-free and uses natural ingredients. It smells amazing, and helped zap away a lot of my spots. I've been using it 2-3 times a week for about a month, and I have to say it has really evened out the redness and splotchiness on my face. It's highly-rated everywhere so definitely worth giving it a try!

Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub
My beautiful friends bought me a Lush package for my birthday in August, and when I opened it up and saw it included Rub Rub Rub, I was overjoyed. I have loved this product ever since I tried it out a few years ago. It's bright blue, smells AMAZING, and really works at scrubbing away dead skin. I feel like a fruity cocktail every time I use it, and am already dreading the day I finish this tub.

If you've tried any of these products, what did you think? What are your go-to items to make the winter weather more bearable?

x B

Life Lately: November

I don't know what it is but the last couple of weeks have left me feeling totally exhausted, and in need of a long (really long) sleep. I think that the lead up to finals has begun, and the weather is getting colder, so now is the time to think about self-care and remember to put my health before my grades. It's something that I always try to do but at this point in the semester it can be so easy to stay up all night working on papers and cramming for exams. It's not healthy!

Hope you are all well, and not too stressed out!
More posts coming soon, I promise! Just need to crank out a couple of papers first.
x B

Favourites: October 2015

This month I've been very busy, with lots of study, midterms, and fun social things too! As such, the things that I've been loving most this month reflect how I've been living lately. Simple things that make my life a little easier, happier and less stressful.

First of all, I've been loving this Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil, which I bought at Sephora. I bought the smaller size, because my skin is quite sensitive and I didn't want to commit to spending $50 on the larger size when I don't know that my skin likes it! I'd been looking for a more natural product to help even out my skintone and reduce hyperpigmentation, and I think this could be the one! It's light, absorbs quickly, and smells great. It's packed full of good things (including Omega fatty acids) that smooth and moisturize your skin. I feel so luxurious when I use it, too!

Next up is this Topshop Glow Highlighter in 'Polish'. I really wanted to buy the RMS Living Luminizer but couldn't justify spending $40 on something I'd never tried before, so I went with the cheaper version first, and I really like it! It's the perfect colour for my skin, and I just dab a little above my cheekbones and I instantly look more awake and lively.

My next favourite thing is tea! It's finally getting cooler in Washington and so when I was at Target last week I picked up this Vanilla Comoro Tea from Harney & Sons. If I'm being honest, it was the packaging that drew me in, but when I opened the tin, it smelled SO good! And it's decaffeinated, so I can have a cup before bed and not lie awake for hours. Next time I'm at Target I'll be checking out this brand again, because I love this one so much!

And I can't have new tea without a new mug to drink it from! I ordered this adorable 'Felix the Fox' mug from Urban Outfitters (still available right now) and it arrived this week. I'm already in love! It's just the right size, and I love the little fox and Scandinavian style. It will be perfect this winter as I drink about 10 cups of tea each day!

I'm also loving this dainty little clover bracelet from Dogeared. I ordered it early this month and have been wearing it nearly every day. It's perfectly simple and makes me feel so lucky! It honestly matches everything, so I wear it all the time.

Two skincare saviours! This tea tree mask from the Body Shop has always been a love of mine (and the whole tea tree range, really) but this month I've used it a few times and my skin has cleared right up! Also, it's bright green so I feel like Elphaba from Wicked when I have it on, and am therefore prone to bursting out in a rendition of Defying Gravity.The Bare Minerals powder is new but I love it! I finally found a powder that matches my super pale skin! The packaging is great (minimal spills!) and I love the coverage: not too much but still enough.

My last favourite is not a thing so much as an activity. While I do adore the journal itself (Leather Sagitta Journal from Anthropologie), I've really been enjoying keeping a journal. I make time a few times a week to jot down my thoughts, what I've been up to, and what I'm looking forward to. Sometimes I include a quote that's been inspiring that day, or something that made me laugh. It's so nice to look back through it and see what I was doing on a certain day and what I was thinking about!

What are your favourite things this month? What have you been up to? Hope all is well!

x B