NAT Origin Review

A little while ago I was given a few samples from the NAT Origin range. Being a Vegan/Veggie they appealed to me as they are fully approved by the Vegetarian Society. (They are not vegan as some of the products use Beeswax). The NAT Origin products are also especially good if you suffer from allergies. Apparently NAT Origin are currently the only cosmetics and skincare range to hold the Allergy Friendly Product Award.

The products I have used over the past few week are: Pencil Eyeliner, Hand & Nail Cream, Firming Anti-wrinkle cream and Detoxifying Moisturiser.

Both the wrinkle cream and moisturiser felt great on my skin and I had no breakouts at all (I suffer pretty badly from them). I used the wrinkle cream and night and the moisturiser in the morning. The products don't really have a smell which I actually preferred. My skin really did feel moisturised after applying it. The only thing I'd mention is that I would not use it as a lightweight moisturiser as it took a little while to fully sink in. But was great for a more intensive treatment.

The hand cream I have to admit I am a nightmare with handcream. I do really need to use one as being a cake maker I wash my hands a lot but I just forget to put it on! So I only used it a couple of times. When I did I felt it made a difference and soothed my hands.

Now onto my favourite. The eyeliner. I wear eyeliner everyday. I used to be an eyeliner snob paying £20 for one in the past. I was a little sceptical of this one (due to my snobbery) but I love it. I have it in the brown and I can't wait to get a black one. It glides on easily and can be smudged if you want or stays in place if you want it to. Easy to build up if you want it thicker. It defined my eyes well and also lasted pretty well in water. It did not irritate my eyes at all (a few of the high-street brands do).

What's cooking?

Happy Sunday! It's going to be a pretty chilled out day for me here. I'm going to spend some time going through some of my magazines picking out some yummy meals for the next couple of weeks.

I am also super excited because my copy of Chloe's Kitchen arrived!

Ever since I saw Chloe's win on Cupcake Wars with her Vegan cupcakes; I have admired her. Trying most of her recipes on her website I knew this Vegan cookbook was going to be amazing. I'll be posting pictures and reviews of some of the recipes on the blog and cannot wait to go through it properly today and plan the first one's I'm going to try. Check out a quick video below of a great easy recipes from Chloe- perfect for summer with a nice glass of wine :)

Another great resource is Just the Food. Joni is great and on Saturday I tried this recipe and wow! AMAZING! Must make some more asap!!!! They also in my opinion taste extra better the day after.

I  love nothing better than to cook vegan meals for my non vegan friends and family. I love to show people that I'm not missing out! What I can never understand is when you mention it's Vegan people sometimes turn their nose up at it. Now surely it's better to enjoy something delicious and know that in the process not animals were harmed? Do me a favour if your not vegan/veggie try and cook a vegan dish this month. Let me know what you think! I'll post a couple of great recipe resources and tips below so you can choose something yum!

Vegan Recipes

Chef Chloe

Peas & Thank You

The Vegan Zombie

Vegie Head

The Compassionate Cook

Tips for UK 

*Vegan butter- The two main brands are Vitalite and Pure but all the main supermarkets do their own versions.

*Cream Cheese- the brand I use is Tofutti and you can get it in most Holland & Barrett shops.

*Cheese- in the UK we don't yet have the amazing Daiya vegan cheese. The brand I use is Cheezly and they have it in Holland & Barrett and most Tesco & Morrison's stores

*Egg replacer- I use Ener-G egg replacer from Holland & Barrett and I have also used Orgran brand from H&B

*Chocolate- a lot of dark chocolate is vegan, just check the packet. Sainsbury's also sell Bloc chocolate chips which is vegan

Earthlings

It's nearly the weekend! And I can't wait. After all these bank holidays I'm not used to working all week :-)

I'll start this post by mentioning that some people may not like it. The video I'll be posting is upsetting.

Now why would I put an upsetting video on my blog? Well I truly believe people need to see it. So many people shy away from these things. I'm not trying to preach to people to become vegetarian/vegan but It has affected me so much and totally made me look at how I live my life I felt the need to share.  So if this is not something for you I apologise but please come back as not all posts will be like this. It just one post  I wanted to do and if it maybe impacts just one person in a good way then I'll be happy. But some people may watch it and it might not change them but they will be a little more informed and that's ok too.

I urge you to try and watch it, it will be hard but I feel it is important.

Here is the synopsis on their website:



Earthlings is a powerful and informative documentary about society’s treatment of animals, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix with soundtrack by Moby. This multi-award winning film by Nation Earth is a must-see for anyone who cares about animals or wishes to make the world a better place


And here is the link to the film

I'll be back with some yummy recipes soon :-)

Bank Holiday Weekend

Hope everyone is enjoying this amazing weather we are having here. I'm just hoping this doesn't mean the summer will be rubbish!

What is everyone up to this weekend?

Phil and I had a lovely lie in this morning, it was really needed. We have both been ill and mega busy so it was nice to have a good little sleep. We then had a little lunch with the Fam. Right at this moment I am a football widow so thought I'd do a quick blog post and then read a few magazines outside before cooking dinner.

This month I made a major decision. I have become a vegetarian. Quite a few years back I was veggie for 3 years but one day I stopped. But for me as I'm such an animal lover and trying to get involved in as many animal rights things I can I couldn't cope with the guilt any more. So you may see a few vegetarian and vegan recipes on the bloggy. However Phil would never give up meat so there will still be non veggie recipes too :-)

The plants in the garden are coming along nicely. Strawberries are flowering, potatoes are doing well and my little raised bed with carrots, sweetcorn, salad and radishes is flourishing. Hopefully we will get a few more things done this weekend.

Other jobs this weekend is to sort out drawers and clear out the junk and go through all of our clothes.

On Sunday my Sister, Ryan and my Nephew Connor are coming round for a BBQ and Easter egg hunt.

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of Muffin and Poppy my two gorgeous house bunnies xx