Christmas Gift Guide

Shopping is perhaps admittedly my favourite hobby, if it can be called that! Although, as soppy as it sounds, buying for others is even more fun that buying for myself.
The one thing I do hate about shopping, however, is spotting that special something and must-have purchase, only to read the label to find out that it's made of leather or contains another animal ingredient.
I've been putting in the leg work to find some nice vegan and vegetarian goodies which are of great quality and sure not to disappoint. Read my Christmas gift guide to see what I've been buying this year and hopefully get some last-minute inspiration for yourself!

For Mum

The fashion world is unfortunately full of fur and skins, but I absolutely love these vegan friendly loafers from Asos.com. They're 100% textile and polyurethane and you'd never be able to tell that they weren't leather.  The metal clasp is gorgeous and oh-so-subtly Gucci-esque while the nude grey colour is perfectly in vogue and will go with everything.
My mum is also a horse lover and this rodeo cowboy trend is going to be huge next year (trust me).

Asos Marshmallow Loafers with Metal Trim
£25.00 now £12.50


 For Dad

My dad is officially the world's hardest person to buy for, but as a music fan and collector I couldn't go wrong with this new live album from Coldplay. Music and books are always nice gifts and are, I imagine, produced in a largely cruelty-free industry. I know the link here is tenuous, but Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, has also been voted the world's sexiest vegetarian.

Coldplay Live 2012
£10.00 from Amazon

For The Boyfriend

Me and my bofriend recently graduated and started our first jobs so I have spent many hours searching far and wide for a nice satchel-look briefcase that is not leather and I think I have found the perfect one. This designer number from Tommy Hilger comes with the big name, but without the big guilt. It's rare to find a designer who doesn't always use leather and this product is 100% polyurethane, but looks the real deal. It's also smart and youthful at the same time. A nice investment piece.


Tommy Hilfiger Mace Messenger
£85

For The Teen Brother

 My younger brother is not afraid of a bit of man-pampering and I have often bought him Cosmetic Lad from Lush before, a lavender honey moisturising and shaving cream, which he loves. This year I've got him Whoosh Shower Jelly which is one of those great Lush products which are innovative and fun to use. It literally is a wobbly jelly which I can't resist prodding and poking when I'm in a Lush store. You simply break off a piece which foams up like magic. This shower jelly is made with seaweed and fresh lemon, lime and grapefruit juice - perfect for smelly boys. 

This product isn't vegan as it contains honey water, made by bees, but it will certainly wake you up in the morning!

Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly
£3.50 for 100g
£6.50 for 250g

For Friends

I love these  lollipop gift sets. This Born Lippy set from the Body Shop features five juicy lip balms in Strawberry, Raspberry, Satsuma Shimmer, Passionberry and Watermelon - ideal for Christmas kisses under the mistletoe! They do contain beeswax so are again not vegan, but the Body Shop is a fantastic company to support. They are agaisnt animal testing, part of Cruelty-Free international and support community fair trade, defend human rights and protect the planet! Superheroes!

The Body Shop Born Lippy Fruity Lip Balms
£10.00

Stocking Fillers

Last but not least, what's not to love about this great selection... 

 

The Body Shop Mango Buter Up Duo
£6.00

 

Lush Sandy Santa Sugar Scrub
£2.

Lush Melting Snowman Luxury Bath Melt
£1.95

 Merry Christmas and happy shopping!

Top Ten Tips for a Green Christmas

Green Reviews, www.greenreviews.co.uk, is a new website which offers tips and advice on eco-friendly products and living like a green machine! I look forward to them branching into beauty and food as I think it's the small lifestyle changes that really make a difference. Although with only 10 days until Christmas Eve, I thought I'd share their recent top ten tips on wishing for a green, not white, Christmas...

 

1. Choose a Christmas tree with roots so it can be replanted

Just one acre of real Christmas trees can help remove 13 tonnes of airborne pollutants each year. Rather than buying an artificial tree this year, buy a real tree with roots. After Christmas you can replant it in your garden and it could even be used again the next year. If you can’t find a tree with roots take it to a local recycling centre when finished with it where it can be chipped for mulch.

2. Low power Christmas lights with timers

Lighting accounts for around 15% of household electricity. Switching your Christmas lights to LEDs can knock lots off your energy bill as LEDs are 90% more efficient than incandescent lighting. LEDs are safer as well as they won’t overheat, lowering the risk of fire. They last about 30x longer than traditional Christmas lights and if one bulb goes the rest will still work. Setting them on timers will save energy by ensuring you only have them on when they need to be.

  
3. Recycled wrapping paper
Around 85 square kilometres of wrapping paper will end up in our rubbish bins this Christmas. Where possible used recycled wrapping paper and when on the receiving end, make sure you are careful when unwrapping presents so you can fold away and save for next year. When giving, use only a small amount of tape to make it easy for receivers to recycle as well.

4. Eco-friendly Christmas cards
An estimated 1.7 billion Christmas cards are sent in the UK each year, this is the equivalent of 200,000 trees! Try making your own or sending recycled Christmas cards this year, and after Christmas Day take all your cards to a recycling point. Even better, how about sending an e-card? This reduces landfill waste and is a fun and eco-friendly way to spread the Christmas cheer.

5. Decorate your home with natural materials
Rather than spending money on expensive artificial Christmas decorations why not let nature decorate your home or use recycled materials. Try decking your halls with real holly and ivy or have that Christmas kiss under some real mistletoe. Adorning your tree with homemade decorations is not only eco-friendly and green but is a great way to involve the whole family in a creative activity and ignite that Christmas spirit.

6. Organic turkey and vegetables
Try buying your Christmas dinner from local farmers markets. Locally-reared organic turkeys will not only be tastier and fresher but will reduce food miles and CO2 emissions. Supporting local farmers is far cheaper than buying at the supermarket and you’ll be helping to boost your local economy in the process.
 
7. Rechargeable batteries
UK families get though millions of batteries at Christmas time. Unfortunately, batteries are very difficult to recycle as they contain toxic chemicals and do not biodegrade. Switching to rechargeable batteries will not only mean less batteries going to landfill but will also save you money in the long run.

8. Buy sustainable/charity gifts
Why not buy a gift that gives back this Christmas? Some great present ideas that help to make a difference include bicycles, solar gadgets and perhaps a Christmas jumper to encourage the receiver to turn down their heating. Charities such as Trees for Cities offer gift donations which allow trees to be planted on city streets. If you receive a present that you do not want consider giving it to a charity who will be delighted to receive them.

9. Spend Christmas at home
Rather than driving all those miles to see the relatives this Christmas, why not spend Christmas at home? You avoid all the emissions caused by travelling and you can still catch up with the family through Skype on Christmas Day.

10. Use candles to decorate the home
Decorating your house with candles is the ideal way to create a perfect festive atmosphere. If you forego the electric light bulb and opt for candles for a few hours you could drastically reduce your energy usage this Christmas. Soy or beeswax candles are the best eco-friendly options as they are smoke-free and biodegradable.

www.greenreviews.co.uk/2012/11/19/green-reviews-top-10-tips-for-a-green-christmas

I'm obviously not one for turkey at Christmas, but if it will always be a big part of your day I would urge you to buy free range. Everybody can still do their little bit so following just one of these tips is a good start. We pot our Christmas tree outside each year and it's fun bringing it back inside and wrapping the pot up with Christmas paper. I'm also a fan of eco-friendly gifts and as a vegan driving a gas-guzzling truck is greener than a meat eater driving an electric car (due to the carbon emissions of meat production and the miles travelled between rearing, slaughter house and supermarket), I'll also be sharing a vegan and vegetarian Christmas gift guide so stay tuned!

Lush Haul

I don’t have a Lush store near me so when I get the chance to go I tend to go a little crazy and my last visit was no exception. I topped up on a couple of favourites and also thought I’d try out some new products. Please read on to find out about the line-up of goodies which filled my shopping basket.

Big Shampoo

If there was one Lush product I would travel far and wide for, it would be Big shampoo. It’s a sea salt shampoo which gives hair volume as if it has been ‘lifted on a sea breeze’.  It is made up of coarse sea salt (which itself is a natural preservative so no added synthetic preservatives are needed!), seaweed, coconut (for softness) and fresh lemons and limes (for shine) – a sumptuous mix! Fragrance of neroli, mandarin, orange flower absolute and vanilla are also added – yum! 

After I’ve played with my hair until it does what I want it to, it’s hard to tell how much volume is achieved. However, my hair always feels squeaky clean without greasiness plus it smells amazing! I also enjoy the experience of lathering up with a shampoo with a salt base as it gently gives my scalp a healthy scrub. It’s a little strange at first, but once you get used to it you’ll never look back. Give it time to get a good lather and then just enjoy!

Furthermore, as it’s a Lush product, you can guarantee that it is cruelty-free and not tested on animals at any stage. Big is also suitable for vegans and is even Vegan Society approved. The pot is also made from 100% recycled plastic (and if you bring back 5 full-size tubs or tubes you get a free mask). What’s not to love!

£11.25 for 330g
https://www.lush.co.uk/product/50/Big-Shampoo

Volcano Foot Scrub

My favourite me time is my bath on a Sunday afternoon after a busy week. I light a couple of candles, fill the bathtub with bubbles, get a good book and treat my hair, feet and face to a mask while I soak. Volcano is a foot mask made of kaolin (which cleans and repairs), pumice (to tackle dead skin), papaya (to loosen dead skin), tomatoes (which deodorise) and menthol, lemon and cinnamon (which cool and stimulate circulation). The professional pamperers at Lush recommend applying the whole pot to your feet at a time and then wrapping them in plastic clingfilm. However, I can get at least five or six good treatments out of mine. I apply a good layer to the feet, specifically focussing on my tough areas, pop my spa socks (cheap little cotton numbers available from Tesco) over the top and let Volcano do its magic. After about ten minutes I rub the mask into my dry spots before washing off to reveal gorgeous ever-so-soft tootsies! 

This one is also Vegan Society approved and is especially fun when used with a friend or partner as it will get to work as you perch on the side of the bath and enjoy a natter. 

£5.75 for 125g
https://www.lush.co.uk/product/468/Volcano-Foot-Mask

Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water

After becoming a vegan and educating myself on the beauty industry, saying goodbye to my Clinique three step programme was a difficult one for me. I decided not to rush into buying a new skincare routine as getting the right facial care is very important to me. I asked for a few samples and Lush’s Breath of Fresh Air was an instant winner for my toner category. This toner water is made of sea water (which hydrates the skin), seaweed and organic aloe vera gel (which soothe and lock in moisture). The real beauty of this product, though, is the blend of essential oils, including rose and patchouli, which work to brighten the skin and enhance your mood. Breath of Fresh Air is therefore what Lush call ‘aromatherapy in dilution’. It smells delicious and feels great on the skin. It comes in a spray so either spritz a generous amount onto a cotton pad (or directly onto the face for a refreshing boost) or ask for a complimentary pot from Lush and pour some toner in over some cotton pads so they soak up the toner water and are ready to use at a moment’s notice.

I use this product (another Vegan Society approved goodie) as part of my morning routine and also whenever I get a craving! You really must try this, really.

 

£7.25 for 250g
£3.95 for 100g
https://www.lush.co.uk/product/60/Breath-of-Fresh-Air

No Drought Dry Shampoo

No Drought is a new one for me. I love a dry shampoo as I don’t always have the time or energy to regularly wash my hair. This one contains cornflour, which absorbs oil well and also has a fine consistency, as well as lime and grapefruit which give it a nice refreshing scent. I tried a sample of this and wasn’t amazingly impressed. I also found the powder went everywhere. But I was determined to give it a go as I know lots of lovelies who swear by it, so stay tuned to find out what I think…

Vegan Society approved, preservative free and 100% natural.

£6.50 for 115g
https://www.lush.co.uk/product/5669/No-Drought-Dry-Shampoo

I also got offered a free sample from the staff at Lush. They gave me a pot of Fair Trade Foot Lotion to complement my Volcano foot mask. I’m not a huge fan of foot lotions as I either end up slipping and sliding around my slippers or smearing it over my sheets in bed. I tried this underneath my spa socks overnight and it did dye them a little pink. The smell, peppermint and spearmint, is also quite strong and the consistency is very runny. I don't think I'll be buying this product, but my feet did feel super gorgeous when I woke up and I always appreciate a free sample - thank you Lush!

This lotion contains lanolin, a waxy fat secreted by sheep to protect their wool, so it is not vegan, but it’s still Vegetarian Society approved so it’s worth a go!

£8.95 for 225g
https://www.lush.co.uk/product/146/Fair-Trade-Foot-Lotion

Although I enjoyed a big haul, my bill only came to £30.75 – a price I would previously spend on just one premium cream. Bargain!

Please note, I am not working for lush in any way or form, I am just a HUGE fan.

Happy pampering!