Lush Henna//Caca Rouge

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of posts lately; it has come to that time again where exams are occurring and also, as some of you already know, I am working at Lush again. Following on from that last point, now that I'm at Lush again it is likely that I will be posting about the company and it's products more often. Luckily I managed to squeeze a bit of 'me time' in and today I'm going to tell you all about it. Let's talk about Henna! 

I finally took the plunge, and after a few months of attempting to grow my hair out to it's natural colour, I dyed it. I decided that I didn't want to use bottled hair dye anymore as firstly, my hair is in awful condition & the chemicals would do it no good and secondly, I wanted something that was cruelty free & suitable for vegans. As I work in Lush, Henna seemed like quite an obvious option for me but I then struggled with the decision of which colour to go.

Lush Henna comes in four different colours, Caca Rouge (Red), Caca Marron (Red/Brown), Caca Brun (Brown) and Caca Noir (Black). Initially I was considering going for Caca Marron as my hair had already been that browny/red shade before so I knew it would look okay however, for some reason recently I have been so drawn to a firey ginger/orangey hair colour and it seemed to pop up everywhere and I just loved it. My final decision was to take a risk and go with the Caca Rouge; I was not disappointed.
So, I wont lie to you, the Henna application was rather messy and definitely a two person job; if you are thinking about trying it, make sure you have an extra pair of hands to help you.

I left the Henna on for a good couple of hours; it may have even been closer to 3 hours and the whole time I had my hair wrapped in a carrier bag (I didn't have any cling film) with a
shower cap over the top.

After washing, I dried my hair straight away as I wanted to see the result. I can honestly say that my hair felt the softest and looked the shiniest it has in a very long time. It was the best condition my hair has ever been in after dying it and it still has that shine and softness to it even after a hair wash. The base of the Henna blocks is cocoa butter therefore the colouring actually works as a conditioning treatment at the same time.

You can see my results here: (Apologies for the different lighting, I forgot to take a before picture at the time)


Before

After


















And you can purchase the Henna online here:

https://www.lush.co.uk/products/colour

Also, you can watch Mark Constantine's (Lush Co-Founder) Henna masterclass video below...

BB

For The Oceans

Boolie debates: Should we support charities that test on animals?

Controversial subject alert....DUN DUN DUUUUUN!

Being vegan can often leave a person with lots of personal choices to make and these choices can open you up to a lot of ridicule from others. I am questioned about my veganism almost everyday and people will often find my beliefs strange and a lot of the time they never truly understand.

Charities that test on animals for medical research is often a subject that causes lengthy and in depth debates. Of course everyone knows that animal tests are conducted all over the world for cosmetics and household cleaning products and of course everyone thinks that it is disgusting - although they still buy the products but this is an entirely different subject so I wont ramble - but what a lot of people seem to turn a blind eye to is the fact that animals are still put through these awfully painful and horrific tests for medical purposes.

There are various medical charities such as the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research that do use animals in their labs - I wont go into detail as you can find it all online - and I spent a long time going over it in my head but I think the answer for me was always there it just needed confirming.

As a vegan, I see animals and humans as equal; we are all earthlings and I do not for one second believe that humans have priority over animals on this planet. It would be hypocritical of me to have these beliefs and agree with animal testing. Whether it is for cosmetic or medical purposes, it is not acceptable for us to use animals in this way.

I will not support or donate to charities that test on animals as I do not believe that we should torture animals for our benefit. Why does a human being have more of a right to live than an animal? All animals are beautiful, intelligent creatures and we should not exploit them in this way regardless of whether we may be saving human's lives. An animal should not die or be put through pain for us to live; that's not how life works.

Now for something really controversial; Have you ever thought that perhaps if we cured all of these illnesses then there may be too many people in the world and we would in fact be attempting to 'play god'? (Side note, I'm not religious as such, that was just a figure of speech.) Not at all am I saying that people deserves these illnesses that cause pain and possibly death but at the same time neither does an animal, therefore I will never tolerate animal testing in any form.

I am very interested to hear what other people have to say about this subject, drop me a comment below.

BB

For The Oceans



Like British Heartless Foundation on Facebook for more.

Votes for Animals

Following on a little from my last blog post about the opening of Lush on Oxford Street, I wanted to also speak to you guys about the Votes for Animals march I took part in and the campaign we are running at Lush. 

When I attended a team meeting at work I was informed of the VIP Press opening day at Oxford Street and was also told that I could put my name down to take place in a march which runs alongside the campaign we will be running in Lush stores through to election day.

The campaign is called Votes for Animals and it is about encouraging people to consider animal welfare before voting; we want people to check out party policies on animal rights before making a decision. There are obviously certain parties who are more in favour of protecting animals and we want to ensure that people know where to find the information needed to choose a party that also speaks for animals who do not have a voice or a chance to vote for their own welfare. 

This year has seen the return of the May Day bath bomb which is designed as a cute little badger with fennel, rosewood and bergamot oils for an uplifting, refreshing scent. The money from May Day is split between three animal charities, The League Against Cruel Sports, Save Me and Animal Aid. Each one of these charities are also promoting the campaign. So just by popping into a Lush store and purchasing one, or even online, you will be helping.

You can purchase it online here ---> May Day Bath Bomb

In support of the campaign, on the day of the VIP Press opening on Oxford Street, Lush employees & members of the above charities were invited to take part in a March from outside the new shop all the way to the Houses of Parliament where we then listened to speeches from various passionate people including Brian May and Peter Egan.

 

During his speech Brian May said: "We need a different kind of society, I believe we need a radical shake up.

 

"For the last five years and even beyond that we have been in a situation where there is no compassion for any other species apart from humans and believe me, there's very little compassion for humans either.

 

"I believe we are worthy of a better government and we will vote on May 7th for animals and for common decency!"

On the march people were encouraged to dress in the style of suffragettes and we wore Votes for Animals sashes & rosettes. It's safe to say that the march had a huge impact with extensive press coverage and many leaflets handed out.

I felt so overwhelmed by the turnout; it made me feel so proud to work for a company that are so dedicated to protecting our planet and those who reside here. 

You can check out the Votes for Animals website to gather some more information here: Votes for Animals

It is such an important campaign; we must speak up for these animals. Animals do not have the privilege of voting therefore we must be a voice for them and consider their welfare when placing our own votes.

BB

For The Oceans

Vegan Butternut Squash Pie Recipe

I've never posted a recipe before but I think it's something I would like to do more often and to start off I wanted to show you all a vegan butternut squash pie recipe passed on from my mum's cousin, yum.

You will need:

1 butternut squash
2 cloves of garlic

1 thumb size chunk of ginger
half an onion (red or white)
150g mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
half a teaspoon of paprika
400ml of coconut milk

A pack of Jus Rol Shortcrust pastry/or your own pre-made pastry

Method:
Peel, cube and roast butternut squash.
Chop garlic, ginger, onion, mushrooms and pepper and fry in a little olive oil until soft.
Add spices and the coconut milk.
At this stage you can add any other vegetables you may want to use like broccoli.
Once the squash has started to soften, add this to the mixture and simmer.
Add a little plain flour to thicken the sauce.
Line a pie dish with the pastry (about the thickness of a pound coin) and bake blind for 15/20 minutes.
Remove pastry from the oven and add pie mixture and cover the pie with the leftover pastry.
Eggwash the top with a substitute mixture of soya/almond milk and maple syrup.
Prick the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake until golden brown.

And there you have it, a yummy pie that goes perfect with a roast or even some new potatoes and roasted veg for a lighter, summery dish.

Any questions then feel free to leave them in the comments below.

 BB

For The Oceans

VEGAN FOR GOOD

I have been vegan for almost a year now and I feel that it is time to explain my choices and my journey.

Enjoying vegan lemon sorbet at the beach

So my journey started back in 1994, when I was born. My parents were already vegetarians when I came into this world and they decided that, like my brother, they would raise me vegetarian. When I reached an age where I had a vague idea of what meat was and where it came from, my parents gave me the choice as to whether I wanted to try meat and I just couldn't understand why I would want to eat meat. At the time, I wanted to be a vet and save animals, I had no desire to ever eat an animal.

I have always loved animals and being around them, and I don't just mean your typical child who loves puppies and kittens. If you asked me at the age of 10 what my favourite animal was, I would reply with 'sharks' and would then go into detail about different types of sharks and their attributes; I was especially fascinated with hammerheads and tiger sharks.

As I grew up I continued to love animals and tried to support animal rights charities; this became a lot easier when I was in my teens and was able to use social media to raise awareness of animal cruelty.

When I was about 15, I was living in Cornwall and wanted to be the outcast of Bude (this tiny town where I lived), I met Nina, who very quickly became my best friend. We were two angsty, scene girls (and yes we were scene and VERY proud teehee) who stood out like sore thumbs in a town made up of surfers and 'normatrons'. It was amazing to meet someone who had quite radical beliefs and was just as opinionated as myself. Being a little scene kid I was obsessed with Bring Me The Horizon at the time and followed them all on various different social network sights; this was when I discovered that Jona Weinhofen, the band's guitarist, was a vegan. Jona had shared a video on Twitter and the footage showed what happened to chicks that are born to lay eggs and I was especially horrified to see that the male chicks were thrown, still alive, into a grinder. I then investigated into how dairy cows are kept and how they produce milk which again, was horrifying. I felt so naive; I couldn't believe that there were even more dark secrets to be uncovered about the food industry and the way it used animals. I immediately told my parents that I wanted to go vegan and they were surprisingly supportive. My best friend Nina also followed in my footsteps which gave people something else to taunt us about, not that it bothered us! 

I lasted as a vegan in Cornwall for 6 months; Nina had given up veganism and it was so hard to find any good food as we lived in a farming town which often held meat markets. There were no Holland and Barretts' and the local health food shop was so over-priced. I eventually had to give up being vegan but this led to a guilt that I didn't shift for a very long time. 

Sheep are friends not food or clothing

Up until last year I continued being vegetarian until once again, I came to the decision that I was going to attempt being vegan again. There was no specific moment where a lightbulb went off or anything like that, I was just being eaten up with guilt and although I knew that by being vegetarian I was doing something, it wasn't quite enough. 

By this point I was living in Essex and I have found vegan food much more accessible and half the price. I have met like minded people who have helped me along the way and have discovered that there is such a welcoming vegan/animal rights community in the Essex/London area; people have been a lot more supportive this time around. 

I have rambled on for quite a while so I will finish it up but, I feel so lucky now to be surrounded by people who are supportive of my decisions and are open to trying things themselves. Since turning vegan last year, I have known 8 people around me to also turn vegan which I think is so incredible. I don't think I could ever go back to being vegetarian; once you immerse yourself into the vegan world, you learn so much which makes it almost impossible to look at things the way you used to. I no longer look at a block of cheese or a pint of milk as food or drink, I now look at it as animal exploitation. 

I am determined to continue to fight for the rights of these animals and I will strive to be a voice for them.

If you are reading this and are not vegan or vegetarian, I just hope that you can come away from this with understanding; it is not impossible to be vegan. We are so lucky in this modern day to have plant based replacements for almost everything and it does taste good! I discovered the other day that after being vegetarian for 20 years, I have saved 4,040 animals, so who knows how many more I have saved by being vegan! 

I would love to hear your thoughts or journeys in the comments box!

 BB

For The Oceans

Lush Blogger Event//26.02.2015//Easter Range

I was lucky enough to be invited to Lush Chelmsford's first ever blogger event on Thursday to take a sneaky peak at the new Easter products which became available in stores the next day. 

I worked in Lush Chelmsford over christmas so it was lovely to be back and to see some of the old team! As always, the staff, Wendy, Sam, Nathan and Ross were extremely welcoming and supplied us with snacks including Oreos, Rainbow Drops & Pringles for the Vegans, although I was surprised that I was the only Vegan there! 

During the event we were invited to take a look around the store, take photos and generally mingle & meet other bloggers from the area. I was really pleased that this gave me a chance to take a look at the new Mother's Day products too which were just as spectacular as expected; I may have even made a little purchase! 

Once we had settled in, the Lush team went through a show and tell about the new Easter collection, they included demonstrations and product info. We were able to smell and even try some of the products. The range included three bath bombs, a bubble bar, two soaps and a brand new shower jelly! Lush have certainly kept up the high quality of their products and everything from the new range looked & smelled amazing!

The team even got us to have a 'Jelly race' where we all took a bit of shower jelly and lathered it up, the person with the most lather won....My girl Hannah at HannaTalks won! 

The team then introduced us to some of their new perfumes which was a nice bonus as I had been meaning to check them out anyway! I think my favourite was All Good Things as I loved the woodiness of the Cedarwood oil. 

After this we were invited to make our own Butterball bath bombs which I was overly excited about as it is something I had never done before; I can't wait to use mine! 

At the end of the event, Lush were super generous and allowed us to pick two products from the new Easter range to take home and try. I chose the Pot o' Gold shower jelly as I love a good shower jelly & I was drawn in by the glitter, which also explains why the other product I picked was the Golden Egg bath bomb! The Golden Egg has a very uplifting scent with Bergamot oil and Sweet Wild Orange oil. The outer layer of the egg is also a bath melt so it will make the bath water gorgeously creamy and moisturising. The Pot o' Gold shower jelly is a sweet scent, almost like butterscotch, with orange peel, pineapple juice, Fair trade vanilla and Myrrh Resinoid. I'm really excited to use these products & will let you all know my thoughts.

Finally, I brought myself a cheeky little gift; I know I'm not a mum but it was too cute to resist. I picked up a Mother Superior bubble bar from the Mother's Day range, which shares the same scent as the all year round bath bomb, Sakura. I have heard really good reviews about this product so am eager to try it out! 

I would just like to say a final big thank you to the team at Lush, you're all so fab and were excellent hosts! Thank you for inviting me and being my favourite Lush store! 

Pop into a Lush store and check out the new range! What are your favourite products?

If you don't have a Lush store nearby then you can pop over to their website: https://www.lush.co.uk/

BB

For The Oceans

Is Morrissey Vegan Yet? Iceland Show Cancelled After Venue Refuses to Turn Veggie for a Night.

Morrissey has cancelled his show in Reykjavik, Iceland after the venue refused his wishes for the concert hall to be meat-free on the night. 

In a statement he said: "I love Iceland and I have waited a long time to return, but I shall leave the Harpa Concert Hall to their cannibalistic flesh-eating bloodlust"

As many will know, this is not the first time Morrissey has attempted to make venues comply with his Vegetarian beliefs and he has previously succeeded however, will this be the last time or should we expect similar situations to occur on his upcoming UK tour? 

I am indeed a Moz fan myself but, my real question in all of this though is one that many have pondered upon; If Morrissey's beliefs about vegetarianism and animal rights are so strong that he is willing to disappoint so many fans by cancelling a show, then why is he not a vegan?

He has previously worked alongside PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on many campaigns and has made his feelings about animal cruelty very clear in the past; even his merchandise reflects his opinions:

Of course this is on my wishlist! 

Personally as a vegan, I appreciate the message that Morrissey gets out there regarding animal rights and I think it's great that he does not shy away from speaking his mind however, this latest step may be a step too far in my opinion. I myself have got a ticket to see Morrissey when he plays Birmingham and I am extremely excited therefore, I cannot help but feel sorry for the fans that are now missing out due to Morrissey's ridiculously high expectations! 

We still love the work you do though Moz! 

I would really love to know whether there are any specific reasons why Morrissey is not Vegan, perhaps he just loves cheese too much?! 

You can catch Morrissey on tour in the UK in March:

13th Nottingham Capital FM Arena 
14th Bournemouth International Centre
18th Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
20th Leeds First Direct Arena 
21st Glasgow SSE Hydro 
27th Birmingham Barclaycard Arena