Vegan Make Up Brushes By Flawless

Since becoming a Vegan earlier this year I have been slowly but surely replacing my make up kit with cruelty free products. As a qualified make up artist I take my make up brushes very seriously so have been looking into which ranges are Vegan (including the glue used) but hadn't found any that seemed to tick all my boxes.

PETA approved make up brushes

When Flawless approached me to see if I would be interested in trying out their new range of Vegan make up brushes I was very excited (PETA approved make up supplies have that effect on me)  but also nervous that they wouldn't pass my exacting standards.
Sure I want products that don't harm animals (that's a no brainer)  but I also want soft brushes, no shedding, quick drying and hey if they look good too that's a bonus.

Absolutely Flawless

Flawless very generously sent me their entire range of brushes, everything from buffing brushes, foundation brushes to more detailed shadow and hard angled brushes.This allowed me to really put the collection through its paces.

 I've used this set for the past four weeks doing my entire face and am happy to report I absolutely love them.

Beautiful and sustainable

Looks wise these remind me of my Bobbi Brown  brushes.The handles are made from sustainable sourced bamboo (no nasty plastic) so feel really sturdy in your hand and are easy to grip. The ferrules used are made from recycled aluminium too so the environmental footprint of these brushes is far less than your average. The brushes are classically ombred so you can see at a glance what colour product you are dipping into.

The brushes are synthetic and incredibly soft. Being synthetic rather than animal hair they are very porous so a little product goes a long way (rather than going into the brush) this ensures make up application is really smooth and they are incredibly easy to clean.

Buff, Buff

I spot cleaned the brushes after every use and have deep cleaned them twice. I've experienced no shedding and they dry really quickly (good to know if you are considering these for your professional kit) 

The Base Set

I thought that all the brushes performed well but particularly loved the blending brush,buffing brush and powder brush, all of which are contained in the base set which is a very affordable £19.99 My foundation is definitely going on better and looking much smoother when I use this duo.
Price wise the brushes individually start at £8 but there are some great sets available staring at £15-perfect if you are slowly replacing your make up brushes or just need to replace a few.
I really loved these brushes and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them if you are looking for high quality, Vegan make up brushes. Buying cruelty free make up products is such an easy way to ensure that the joy of painting our faces is not contributing to another creatures suffering and who wouldn't want to be part of that.
You can shop for Flawless brushes here-free UK P and P on all orders.

*I never lie to you dear readers-I was gifted the items in this review, but my opinions are not for sale.

Check out my Youtube Channel for lots of reviews, vlogs  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

The Vamp Noir Makeup Kit

For me October is definitely the month where pastel lipstick and neutral shadows are set aside and an altogether more dramatic make up look takes over.

The lead up to Halloween is usually just the excuse I need to start playing with glitter eye shadows and pigments too. Anything with sparkle looks so good under candle light.

Vamp It Up

I am obsessed with all things vampire so when I saw that Freedom make up had brought out a kit called The Vamp Noir claiming to contain everything you need to be a beautiful creature of the night, I had to try it. 

  At £8 this is an affordable Halloween make up treat and contains some lovely products. Red eye glitter, a quad eye-shadow containing a red, purple, brown and granite shadow, a red gel eyeliner, red lipstick and matching lip-gloss. 

     

Everything you need to become a glamorous creature of the night

I've never used Freedom make up before so wasn't sure what the colour pay off would be with the eye-shadow and was pleasantly surprised. I tried it over some Urban Decay eyelid primer and found it was surprising pigmented. 

Freedom-A lovely Gothic treat

For the look I've created for these pictures, I used the red on my lids, the purple on my sockets and the darker grey colour at the outer colours. It blended well and was quite long lasting. 

The red lose glitter is a beautiful colour and worked really well on my lids for a magical intensity. You can use glitter fix or clear mascara to keep the glitter in place.

The red gel eyeliner is very smooth and worked brilliantly as an under-eye liner to give me a vaguely other worldly look. 

The lipstick is a classic blue toned red and is very creamy in consistency. The matching gloss worked well over the top and really gave my vamp look the finishing touch it needed. 

I loved the look I created with this kit and if you are looking for an inexpensive addition to your winter party make up kit its definitely worth the price of admission.

My Cruelty Free Halloween Make Up Picks

Check out my Youtube Channel for lots of reviews, vlogs  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

6 Ways To Banish Negativity

For those of you who are particularly affected by the cycles of the moon you may have found the last Libra moon very intense. I for one felt like I was encountering  lots of negativity and people were giving out all kinds of aggression on the roads, on social media, even in supermarkets.

The good news is tonight's Aries moon is going to push through it all like a ram with its horns and should give us all a fiery boost to move forward with our plans, hopes and dreams.
Dealing with negativity can sometimes feel like an impossible task so I thought I would share some of my tried and tested approaches which never let me down.

Tip # 1 Listen To An Uplifting Podcast

getting my Pod Cast On

Sometimes I find when the negativity hits, social media only exacerbates it. When I feel like this I download some of my favorite podcasts, busy myself with some tasks which don't require a screen and allow myself to take on a another perspective. Right now I'm loving Everyday Awesome by Alice Walker, Big magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and Happier by Gretchen Rubin.

Tip #2 Give Yourself Permission To Hide

None shall cross here

I'm  bad ass grown up woman, witch mama and all round warrior queen. I feel I have a duty to bear witness to what is going on in the world  and to this end I read all the news, watch all the videos but sometimes its too much and I need a break. There is a saying you can't pour from an empty cup and  I can feel when I am hitting the reserve tank and need to go to ground. For me this means switching off the news, leaving the paper unread and losing a few hour watching something magical and escapist on Netflix (Charmed anyone) it usually takes less than 24 hours for me to be back on fighting form, ready to don my wonder woman cape and get back to the business of being a feminist thorn in the side of the patriarchy.

Tip #3 Advocate For Yo Self

If someone in your life is forever leaving you drained, encouraging the negative glass half full part of your temperament to thrive, or takes tiny swipes at your state of well being,do yourself a favour and be your own best bitch. 
If they are a social media buddy hit mute, a work colleague who is the resident psychic vampire, keep dealings with them brief. Women throughout history have got themselves into a pickle by being just too god damn polite. Advocate for yourself and give those Negative Nora's the swerve.

Tip #4 Use Some Crystal Healing

When I get that feeling, I need Crystal Healing

I find wearing certain crystals or even putting some by the side of my bed or in my car can drastically alter my mood. When I'm feeling particularly negative I use Selentite, smokey quartz and Red Aventurine, I've also recently really been feeling the power of Sungite and have taken to wearing one during this turbulent month-wow it works.

 Tip # 5 Make A Pilgrimage

Yes I'm paddling in freezing cold water in  leopard print coat

The idea of visiting a holy place is as old as time and there is a reason why. Travelling to somewhere famous for its healing powers is quite literally a tonic for negativity. I visited the Chalice well at Glastonbury last year and found it incredibly healing as I recovered from a year of absolute fuckery. I paddled in the freezing waters, drank from the lions head fountain and allowed my tears to mingle with the freezing stream. Since then I've made it a regular part of my well being MOT. I visited Glastonbury in the summer and am thinking of tootling over to St Winifred's well before Christmas.


Tip # 6 Dive Into A Good Book

Book Worms Are Sexy

When negativity comes a knocking its often a sign that you have been a bit too much "Netflix and Chillin" and not enough "reading and thinking" Binge watching TV can be relaxing (see my earlier admission of mainlining Charmed) but to really get your head screwed on right I recommend losing yourself in a book, and no not on your kindle, I mean go to Waterstones or better still the local library, get all giddy at the prospect of what to buy and walk out laden with a bag full of ideas, dreams and adventures.

I hope these tips have helped offer you a few action plans for when the "mehs" have got a grip of you. of course often the simplest way to change your mood is to connect with another human, so if you can, reach out to the person you know has always got your back (hello Leanne) and take them for a coffee. 

Check out my Youtube Channel for lots of reviews, vlogs  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

You Are Important

Today I want to tell you something you may have forgotten. A tiny wisp of information that might have got drowned out by all the noise created by modern life.

You are important 

Its so easy when you view your life through the distorted optics of social media, television and magazines  to feel that your life is small. 

Looking at other peoples worlds can be inspiring, but can also leave you with a feeling that the things that make you happy, your day to day existence isn't that interesting and you are not really very important.

I'm here to call bullshit on that idea. If the popularity of blogging, vlogging and social media influencing has proved anything, its that one persons ordinary, is another persons inspiration.

Just because your day to day existence isn't peony filled, candle lit and Instagram filtered doesn't make it any less wonderful. Why? because your messy, imperfect, reality contains you and you are one of a kind.

I'm sharing these pictures to accompany this post because they illustrate a recent event where I decided that my "small,local" life was actually more wonderful and inspiring to me than something that might well be more social media worthy.

Last month I attended a local event called "EarthFest" 

I go every year, its really special to me. Its about my local community coming together to pledge a gentler approach to this world we inhabit. Its a day of folk music, art, food and gathering. 

This year it clashed with a major plus size fashion event, an event that is considered pivotal in any plus size bloggers calendar, a glamorous, wonderful event that should probably be a priority on any plus size bloggers agenda.An event that even a year ago I would have attended in favour of a glorified village fete.

The last few years have seen me prioritize where I put my energy, who I invest time with and I've started to realise that the small, not very glamorous, unbragworthy things in my life are often where the magic is.

Attending Earthfest in a dress by Oxfam, catching up with friends, being with my family, watching the dog be silly, these things  are important. Its the unstaged, un-photoshopped, everyday experiences that give us meaning and substance. They are interesting and yes important.

So if you catch yourself feeling that your week hasn't been really very exciting, especially when compared to the photos and videos you have seen from others on social media, remember you are important and wonderful and what you do is awesome.

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