Elemental Beauty Mineral Make Up

 

Recently I was sent a selection of mineral make up by the brand Elemental beauty to review. Handmade in Kent, the company ethos is that all the products are made with love,contain no nasty additives and are only tested on humans.
I'm always looking for vegan and cruelty free make up so was excited to see how they worked.

Wearing my full face of Elemental make up 

Pure Mineral Foundation Buy here

Having not had much success with mineral powder foundations in the past I wasn't sure how well I would get on with the range. I wondered if they wouldn't sit under the fine lines under my eyes but decided to give them a whirl anyway. You can purchase samples of their foundations for just 99p to ensure you get the exact right shade which is such a nice touch. I'm wearing shade English Rose

The main ingredient in the mineral foundations is Titanium Dioxide which apparently offers better coverage than other brands that use a large quantity of Mica. So if it's coverage you're after this is the mineral foundation for you!

I was really surprised by how much coverage this mineral foundation gave me. It also left my skin feeling so soft which I hadn't expected and didn't have any of the dreaded powdery finish I have encountered with other mineral make ups. I love that this product is free from preservatives, dyes, oils and bismuth oxychloride yet gave me really good coverage. This makes it a great choice if you suffer with sensitive skin or breakouts.

Close up in natural light-no filter

I did mix it with a little bit of Lush illumination cream for under my eyes. I was conscious I needed a little more smoothness, but other than that it went on straight after primer with no problem. The coverage is medium on first application but covers more if you layer it. In this photo I've applied two applications.

Mineral Eyeshadow Buy Here

My biggest gripe with a lot of cruelty free eye shadow is the lack of pigment. having to build up layer after layer to get decent coverage is a bit tedious. I demand a lot from my eye make up so have worn this one a few times to see how well it performs.

These eye shadows are designed to be used dry or if you want more intensity you can use a damp brush. This also means you can use them as eyeliners. 

I'm wearing shades Seashell (pale) and Define me (the brown) and just used them dry and was very happy with the pigment quality and blendability. At a fiver each these represent such good value and there are some great colours to choose from.

Mineral Eye shadows photographed in natural light with no filter

Blusher And Illuminator Buy Here

The mineral blush in shade Sugar mouse gave me a really nice rosy glow and can be built up for more intensity which I liked.yet again at £6.99 this is a really well priced product. I cant claim its anything particularly special but it did exactly what it promised and made me look as if I had a healthy flush.

I really loved the  Opalescent Illuminator and its probably my favourite product from the range. This is a really subtle highlighter which can be built up to give some lovely light on your cheekbones and temples.

I really loved the glow the illuminator gave

Overall I was really impressed with all these products by Elemental Beauty Its great to find some more Vegan Cruelty Free make up produced in the UK. The range is brilliantly priced and nicely packaged too, so great for gifts.

Cruelty Free Wish List

Check out my Youtube Channel for lots of cruelty free beauty reviews and tutorials

   

Brand New Witch Designs  over at  Nicky Rockets

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Perelandra Beedles unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

What is worn bears the sweet and irrefutable memory of hands

 Recently I've become really interested in upcycling and reusing clothes. I used to believe that anything that looked a bit worn or shabby had to be replaced. 
If I went out to an event, even if I had an existing outfit that made me feel amazing, I would feel I had to wear something new, regardless if the new outfit wasn't actually as nice as my other one.
I guess being a fashion blogger made me feel that every photo worthy event was an opportunity for me to buy something new and shiny (sometimes actually shiny which I make no apologies for)

 Over the last year as many of you regularly read my blog know, I've been trying to change my approach to style. 
I still love fashion but don't want to be on the treadmill of buying, buying, buying. I don't want to add to landfills or exploit workers in poorer countries just to satisfy my need for new things.
 I am increasingly drawn to second hand clothes or items made by independent designers and I've also been exploring recycling my existing clothes. 

My Old Jacket Given New Life

Earlier this year you may remember I screen printed onto my denim jacket (instantly giving it a whole new lease of life)  and this weeks outfit is another well loved item I've given a makeover.

I've had this linen mix dress from Next for years. Its a perfect shift shape, with a drawstring waist and pockets but almost as soon as I got it, it faded. Although I loved the cut I always felt a bit scruffy and washed out when I wore it. 

Ready for a revamp

I decided to freshen it up by dying it with some Dylon eco reactive dye. I simply popped it in the washing machine, and an hour later it looked like new.

No more fade to grey-now its as black as my eyeliner

I'm so pleased and have worn it lots ever since. The dye only cost a few quid and it feels like I have a new dress.

I'm not the only one taking this approach to style, my friend Justine from the Wild Dyery met me for lunch the other day wearing a beautiful dress which featured a gorgeous patch of Sashiko stitching, a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery) from Japan.

It made the dress look so unique but was actually to cover up a tear. What a clever and creative way to keep on wearing something you love.

An antique Japanese Boro kimono

This approach is nothing new. The ancient Japanese textile tradition of Boro Translated to ‘rags’ in English made an art form of upcycled clothes.

Developed by the poor, rural population of Japan who couldn't afford to buy new they would create items by piecing and patching discarded cotton onto existing clothes, forming something slightly different each time they did so. 

Generations of Japanese families repaired and recycled everything from fishermen’s jackets to futon covers, handing them down to the next and weaving their own sagas and stories through the threads. Boro was born of forgotten values of ‘mottainai’ or ‘too good to waste’ and a quick google of the term (as recommend by Justine who is my go to for this kind of loveliness)  reveals some stunning textiles.

Revived, Reloved

So if you have something in your wardrobe that you love but its faded, redye it, if something has a stain on that wont come out? iron or sew on a cool patch, favourite cardigans gone bobbly? Take a razor to it and with a little gentle defluffing it will look like new.
 Lets buy new things that are unique, hand made, hand printed, and make the rest of our wardrobe work that little bit harder. Debt isn't cool, slave labour isn't cool, owning your own style and embracing a few more ethical fashion habits definitely is!
I will finish with this beautiful poem about Boro (author unknown) which gave me chills.

   

New 'Colour Me' Tshirt boxes - For Kids, and adults up to 5XL. Each item comes boxed with fabric pens,practice sheets & instructions. 
Available  only  at  Nicky Rockets

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Perelandra Beedles unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

Vegan Indian, Thai & Pizza Restaurants In Merseyside

Its always nice to discover new places to eat locally when you are a Vegan. 
Over the last few months I have visited a few restaurants that serve options for all us plant based  diners and thought I would do a quick round up.

 Sanskruti Restaurant Lombard Chambers, Bixteth Street, Liverpool

Its always such a treat to visit a restaurant that serves nothing but vegetarian and vegan options. Sanskruti specialises in Indian street food with dishes from Southern Indian, Punjabi and Gujarati and its all meat free. I've been a couple of times and really enjoyed the food and lovely service.

For my last visit we tried the Vegetable Jaipuri which is a mixed vegetable dish cooked in special Sanskruti gravy with aromatic rajasthani spices, a mushroom dosa which was a thin rice and lentil crepe filled with spicy mushroom Masala and a Kathal Lazeez which is a North Indian style Jackfruit curry. It was all delicious and at around £7 for a main incredibly affordable.

They also offer a great range of drinks including Nicks favorite Thumbs Up cola and have one vegan desert option which is ice cream.

Pepper Sauce Market Street Hoylake Wirral

I have eaten at Pepper Sauce in the past when I was vegetarian but never as a vegan. It came highly recommended from some vegan pals so we decided to go to celebrate Nicky's birthday and it was great. 

For starters we had the tempura which just looked so pretty and for mains we tried a Vegetable Thai Muslim Curry which had onions, potatoes and peanuts with coconut cream, the Vegetable Thai Green Curry which included French beans, bamboo shoots and coconut cream and Baba had Vegetables in a mild Cleared Soup. 

At around £8.25 for a main its fairly affordable and they took our request to make everything vegan totally in their stride. I was particularly impressed by the desert of deep fried pineapple with caramel syrup. It was so lovely.

Pizza Express Cheshire Oaks

Pizza Express have been advertising vegan options for a while so to celebrate Baba completing her 11+ exam we decided to put it to the test. 

All Pizza Express bases are completely free of animal and dairy products and the Pianta introduced in spring 2014 is the chains first ever dairy free, vegan friendly pizza. It combines spinach, chestnut mushrooms, pine kernels and artichokes, on a spicy arrabbiata base and is really good. Baba just had her usual marinara with olives which was also yummy. Bravo Pizza Express.
Have you discovered anywhere in the Merseyside area that offers good vegan grub? let me know in the comments.

You might also like my review of vegan cafes on the Wirral here

I also have a Youtube channel which features all our adventures as a vegan family. 

   

Brand New Witch Designs  over at  Nicky Rockets

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Perelandra Beedles unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog