Jesus, what a title. Let's brake that down a bit.
It sounds like I am asking for a lot here. And after spending a couple hours researching through Paula's Choice and blog recommendations, it was becoming more apparent that maybe this is a lot to ask for. There are of course a lot of products that tick all the boxes except cruelty-free. Then some that are cruelty-free but don't have high enough SPF. Or are marketed as a beauty balm, not a sunscreen. Or marketed as a moisturiser with SPF rather than a just pure and simple sunscreen.
Putting an all-call out on twitter did yield some results. Bless you, Twitter. So here's what I've narrowed my options down to.
- cruelty-free? Made by a brand that does not test on animals (ingredients & final products), does not sell in the Chinese market (where it is required by law to test), and is not owned by a parent company (L'Oréal, Shiseido, Kosé) that sells in China or might test for other "reasons"
- UVA? From Hirons: "UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, gradually destroying elasticity and causing premature ageing." I'm 23 and getting older. I want my skin to look like it does now when I'm 43. I want this stuff in my skincare regimen. If a product contains SPF, it protects for UVB but not necessarily UVA (source).
- SPF30+? I need a sunscreen that has a protection factor of 30 or higher because I am pale-ass-pale. Also I have a family history of melanoma so the more I can do to ward off that, the better.
- facial? No, not the one where I get pampered sitting in a chair. I want a sunscreen product that's formulated to be used on the face. Or at least claims to be suitable to both body and facial use.
It sounds like I am asking for a lot here. And after spending a couple hours researching through Paula's Choice and blog recommendations, it was becoming more apparent that maybe this is a lot to ask for. There are of course a lot of products that tick all the boxes except cruelty-free. Then some that are cruelty-free but don't have high enough SPF. Or are marketed as a beauty balm, not a sunscreen. Or marketed as a moisturiser with SPF rather than a just pure and simple sunscreen.Putting an all-call out on twitter did yield some results. Bless you, Twitter. So here's what I've narrowed my options down to.
Jesus, what a title. Let's brake that down a bit.
It sounds like I am asking for a lot here. And after spending a couple hours researching through Paula's Choice and blog recommendations, it was becoming more apparent that maybe this is a lot to ask for. There are of course a lot of products that tick all the boxes except cruelty-free. Then some that are cruelty-free but don't have high enough SPF. Or are marketed as a beauty balm, not a sunscreen. Or marketed as a moisturiser with SPF rather than a just pure and simple sunscreen.
Putting an all-call out on twitter did yield some results. Bless you, Twitter. So here's what I've narrowed my options down to.
- cruelty-free? Made by a brand that does not test on animals (ingredients & final products), does not sell in the Chinese market (where it is required by law to test), and is not owned by a parent company (L'Oréal, Shiseido, Kosé) that sells in China or might test for other "reasons"
- UVA? From Hirons: "UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, gradually destroying elasticity and causing premature ageing." I'm 23 and getting older. I want my skin to look like it does now when I'm 43. I want this stuff in my skincare regimen. If a product contains SPF, it protects for UVB but not necessarily UVA (source).
- SPF30+? I need a sunscreen that has a protection factor of 30 or higher because I am pale-ass-pale. Also I have a family history of melanoma so the more I can do to ward off that, the better.
- facial? No, not the one where I get pampered sitting in a chair. I want a sunscreen product that's formulated to be used on the face. Or at least claims to be suitable to both body and facial use.
It sounds like I am asking for a lot here. And after spending a couple hours researching through Paula's Choice and blog recommendations, it was becoming more apparent that maybe this is a lot to ask for. There are of course a lot of products that tick all the boxes except cruelty-free. Then some that are cruelty-free but don't have high enough SPF. Or are marketed as a beauty balm, not a sunscreen. Or marketed as a moisturiser with SPF rather than a just pure and simple sunscreen.Putting an all-call out on twitter did yield some results. Bless you, Twitter. So here's what I've narrowed my options down to.
Short hair is in. At least in the YouTube-world I reside in. It was Ingrid and Estée and Sanne, and by jove Zoella's followed suit (kinda sorta) only yesterday. The last time I got a similar chop was back when I was trying to rehab my bleached platinum hair.
I was undoubtedly partially inspired to cut off all my hard work by the ladies linked above. But I also have to credit Anna Karina, my forever girl crush. Ever since first seeing her in Alphaville in my first year at film school in LA, I've been mesmerised by that woman's style. And having moved to London, though she is not pictured, some credit has to go to the glorious Brit hair icon, Alexa Chung. Just look at the picture below and you'll see what I mean.
The above pictures were what I brought to my hair stylist. My instruction were: give me Rebecca's fringe and colour, Emma's length and angle, and if I come out as Anna Karina after the many hours in this chair, you've done a good job.
Short hair is in. At least in the YouTube-world I reside in. It was Ingrid and Estée and Sanne, and by jove Zoella's followed suit (kinda sorta) only yesterday. The last time I got a similar chop was back when I was trying to rehab my bleached platinum hair.
I was undoubtedly partially inspired to cut off all my hard work by the ladies linked above. But I also have to credit Anna Karina, my forever girl crush. Ever since first seeing her in Alphaville in my first year at film school in LA, I've been mesmerised by that woman's style. And having moved to London, though she is not pictured, some credit has to go to the glorious Brit hair icon, Alexa Chung. Just look at the picture below and you'll see what I mean.
The above pictures were what I brought to my hair stylist. My instruction were: give me Rebecca's fringe and colour, Emma's length and angle, and if I come out as Anna Karina after the many hours in this chair, you've done a good job.
LUSH Eau Roma Water Toner Water ◇ £4.25
I've been using this product a little over two years now and always find myself going back to it whenever I've strayed. I do the Hiron's regime so this baby gets used in my morning and night time skincare. I do three or four spritzes directly to the face and let the soothing hydration commence. Heads up—this does have parabens in (methylparaben). My skin has never been bothered by it; like I said, this is a product that calms my skin, not aggravates it.
LUSH Eau Roma Water Toner Water ◇ £4.25
I've been using this product a little over two years now and always find myself going back to it whenever I've strayed. I do the Hiron's regime so this baby gets used in my morning and night time skincare. I do three or four spritzes directly to the face and let the soothing hydration commence. Heads up—this does have parabens in (methylparaben). My skin has never been bothered by it; like I said, this is a product that calms my skin, not aggravates it.
I don't think I've said this explicitly here on the blog, but roughly around April this year, I decided to go cruelty-free. Basically what that means, for me at least, is that with all new cosmetic and skincare purchases, I'm pledging to only buy products not tested on animals.
Since creating derpinaMODE, a beauty and fashion YouTube channel I share with my friend Sanne, my interest in makeup and skincare has skyrocketed. What first got me thinking about the effects my new-found hobby had on animal testing was a video made by my friend Lex.
I've been a vegetarian for nearly five years. I never considered this dietary lifestyle choice of mine exclusively for the sake of animal welfare. It was a balanced combination of that, the environmental impact of the meat industry, personal health and just not enjoying the taste of meat. I'm by no means judgemental of people who eat meat, fish, or what have you. And I'm not offended by going out for a meal with a friend and them ordering a steak. I'm of the opinion that you do you and I'll do me. You respect my decision and I'll respect yours. Right, so vegetarian morals aside—I began looking into the realities of animal testing in the cosmetic industry. Bottom line, it brings unnecessary suffering upon a living creature. A living creature that is never going to wear that kissable balm stain. There are alternative methods to testing the designer toning water on rats, rabbits, and dogs. Makeup, skincare, body wash—yes, this is stuff I use every day. But it is a luxury. I don't need these things to keep me alive. They are nice to have but I could live without them (contrary to the popular beauty blogger tag :P). So I'm voting with my money. And with my voice. Here's how I've approached the cruelty switch in my life:
Since creating derpinaMODE, a beauty and fashion YouTube channel I share with my friend Sanne, my interest in makeup and skincare has skyrocketed. What first got me thinking about the effects my new-found hobby had on animal testing was a video made by my friend Lex.
I've been a vegetarian for nearly five years. I never considered this dietary lifestyle choice of mine exclusively for the sake of animal welfare. It was a balanced combination of that, the environmental impact of the meat industry, personal health and just not enjoying the taste of meat. I'm by no means judgemental of people who eat meat, fish, or what have you. And I'm not offended by going out for a meal with a friend and them ordering a steak. I'm of the opinion that you do you and I'll do me. You respect my decision and I'll respect yours. Right, so vegetarian morals aside—I began looking into the realities of animal testing in the cosmetic industry. Bottom line, it brings unnecessary suffering upon a living creature. A living creature that is never going to wear that kissable balm stain. There are alternative methods to testing the designer toning water on rats, rabbits, and dogs. Makeup, skincare, body wash—yes, this is stuff I use every day. But it is a luxury. I don't need these things to keep me alive. They are nice to have but I could live without them (contrary to the popular beauty blogger tag :P). So I'm voting with my money. And with my voice. Here's how I've approached the cruelty switch in my life:
Use up what you've got.
I haven't thrown out every single product I own that comes from a company that tests. Because if I did, my makeup and skincare and haircare collection would be pretty much gone. I already spent that money. And I'm not made of money. Throwing it out on principle is wasteful. So I am using up what I have and will replace it with a cruelty-free equivalent when I run out. I also won't honour the product with a review. And if I do mention it, on whatever platform, it'll be prefaced by the fact that it is not cruelty-free.
Don't cut the parent company any slack.
There is debate within the CF community about brands like Urban Decay and NARS. They themselves are cruelty free. But their parent company (often big names like L'Oréal, Shiseido, Unilever) do test. My thought process is that the money that goes to the smaller, cruelty-free brand benefits their parent company. And a benefit to the parent company allows it to continue testing. So I'm choosing to not buy from these companies – parent or subsidiary – period.
And in the future? I want to buy vegan products when possible. I want to integrate buying cruelty free beyond simply my makeup collection. With continued research, I'm looking for alternatives for toiletries and household goods as well. Last month, I attended the LUSH Prize Conference in London. Scientists from all over the world gathered to present research and discuss the state of toxicology and how far we still need to go to eradicate animal testing in the cosmetic industry. Basic takeaway from that day: the technology is here. Bureaucracy and laboratory politics is holding us back.Try to give brands the benefit of the doubt.
Just like with my vegetarianism, I don't want to spiral into militant cruelty-free whistleblowing, on a crusade to expose all companies as bad. The golden CF hallmarks are generally: 1. brands that do not sell in China, 2. brands not owned by a larger, testing parent company, or 3. brands circulated in the EU (where there is a ban on testing of all ingredients and finished products on animals). When a brand ticks those three boxes but don't reply to emails, or perhaps have unclear answers on their website, I still want to believe they aren't testing. I want to believe they just haven't picked up on the cruelty-free movement and the transparency it seeks.
I don't think I've said this explicitly here on the blog, but roughly around April this year, I decided to go cruelty-free. Basically what that means, for me at least, is that with all new cosmetic and skincare purchases, I'm pledging to only buy products not tested on animals.
Since creating derpinaMODE, a beauty and fashion YouTube channel I share with my friend Sanne, my interest in makeup and skincare has skyrocketed. What first got me thinking about the effects my new-found hobby had on animal testing was a video made by my friend Lex.
I've been a vegetarian for nearly five years. I never considered this dietary lifestyle choice of mine exclusively for the sake of animal welfare. It was a balanced combination of that, the environmental impact of the meat industry, personal health and just not enjoying the taste of meat. I'm by no means judgemental of people who eat meat, fish, or what have you. And I'm not offended by going out for a meal with a friend and them ordering a steak. I'm of the opinion that you do you and I'll do me. You respect my decision and I'll respect yours. Right, so vegetarian morals aside—I began looking into the realities of animal testing in the cosmetic industry. Bottom line, it brings unnecessary suffering upon a living creature. A living creature that is never going to wear that kissable balm stain. There are alternative methods to testing the designer toning water on rats, rabbits, and dogs. Makeup, skincare, body wash—yes, this is stuff I use every day. But it is a luxury. I don't need these things to keep me alive. They are nice to have but I could live without them (contrary to the popular beauty blogger tag :P). So I'm voting with my money. And with my voice. Here's how I've approached the cruelty switch in my life:
Since creating derpinaMODE, a beauty and fashion YouTube channel I share with my friend Sanne, my interest in makeup and skincare has skyrocketed. What first got me thinking about the effects my new-found hobby had on animal testing was a video made by my friend Lex.
I've been a vegetarian for nearly five years. I never considered this dietary lifestyle choice of mine exclusively for the sake of animal welfare. It was a balanced combination of that, the environmental impact of the meat industry, personal health and just not enjoying the taste of meat. I'm by no means judgemental of people who eat meat, fish, or what have you. And I'm not offended by going out for a meal with a friend and them ordering a steak. I'm of the opinion that you do you and I'll do me. You respect my decision and I'll respect yours. Right, so vegetarian morals aside—I began looking into the realities of animal testing in the cosmetic industry. Bottom line, it brings unnecessary suffering upon a living creature. A living creature that is never going to wear that kissable balm stain. There are alternative methods to testing the designer toning water on rats, rabbits, and dogs. Makeup, skincare, body wash—yes, this is stuff I use every day. But it is a luxury. I don't need these things to keep me alive. They are nice to have but I could live without them (contrary to the popular beauty blogger tag :P). So I'm voting with my money. And with my voice. Here's how I've approached the cruelty switch in my life:
Use up what you've got.
I haven't thrown out every single product I own that comes from a company that tests. Because if I did, my makeup and skincare and haircare collection would be pretty much gone. I already spent that money. And I'm not made of money. Throwing it out on principle is wasteful. So I am using up what I have and will replace it with a cruelty-free equivalent when I run out. I also won't honour the product with a review. And if I do mention it, on whatever platform, it'll be prefaced by the fact that it is not cruelty-free.
Don't cut the parent company any slack.
There is debate within the CF community about brands like Urban Decay and NARS. They themselves are cruelty free. But their parent company (often big names like L'Oréal, Shiseido, Unilever) do test. My thought process is that the money that goes to the smaller, cruelty-free brand benefits their parent company. And a benefit to the parent company allows it to continue testing. So I'm choosing to not buy from these companies – parent or subsidiary – period.
And in the future? I want to buy vegan products when possible. I want to integrate buying cruelty free beyond simply my makeup collection. With continued research, I'm looking for alternatives for toiletries and household goods as well. Last month, I attended the LUSH Prize Conference in London. Scientists from all over the world gathered to present research and discuss the state of toxicology and how far we still need to go to eradicate animal testing in the cosmetic industry. Basic takeaway from that day: the technology is here. Bureaucracy and laboratory politics is holding us back.Try to give brands the benefit of the doubt.
Just like with my vegetarianism, I don't want to spiral into militant cruelty-free whistleblowing, on a crusade to expose all companies as bad. The golden CF hallmarks are generally: 1. brands that do not sell in China, 2. brands not owned by a larger, testing parent company, or 3. brands circulated in the EU (where there is a ban on testing of all ingredients and finished products on animals). When a brand ticks those three boxes but don't reply to emails, or perhaps have unclear answers on their website, I still want to believe they aren't testing. I want to believe they just haven't picked up on the cruelty-free movement and the transparency it seeks.
I got acquainted with Charlie Kaufman at the beginning of this year. If you don't know who he is, just know that he is one of the trippiest screenwriters in Hollywood. To his name he has Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (often cited as my favourite film), Being John Malkovich, and Synecdoche, New York. Bro has a monopoly on flipping reality upside down. All I want for Christmas is another Kaufman/Gondry collaboration please. I can't remember what got me to watch Adaptation. Probably a nudge from one of my friends. Naturally I was reluctant because I'm pretty prejudiced against Nicolas Cage films. But holy crap. This film was fantastic. Definitely something to be owned and studied. Definitely stressful and at times hard to follow. Definitely is meta as fuck. Definitely a must watch.
I have a bit of a girl crush on ScarJo. And the promo around Under the Skin made it too good to pass up. So my friend Emily and I went on a little cinema date way back when. And man were we shaken up after those 108 minutes. Walking through Leicester Square to catch our separate trains home, we both kept looking over our shoulders and hardly exchanged any words. I read the book first which I felt helped me understand the film better. But I think it would be an equally rewarding challenge to watch the film first and then visit the source material. Also northern Scotland has never looked better.
Boyhood is the most satisfying film I have seen in a long time. For me, the hype was deserved. It warmed my heart that it kept selling out at my local cinema. The film was one big nostalgia bomb, especially if you were born in the 90s in the US. Also, how boss is it that the director actually made The Black Album, a post-Beatles mixtape Mason's father gives to him as a present.
I got acquainted with Charlie Kaufman at the beginning of this year. If you don't know who he is, just know that he is one of the trippiest screenwriters in Hollywood. To his name he has Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (often cited as my favourite film), Being John Malkovich, and Synecdoche, New York. Bro has a monopoly on flipping reality upside down. All I want for Christmas is another Kaufman/Gondry collaboration please. I can't remember what got me to watch Adaptation. Probably a nudge from one of my friends. Naturally I was reluctant because I'm pretty prejudiced against Nicolas Cage films. But holy crap. This film was fantastic. Definitely something to be owned and studied. Definitely stressful and at times hard to follow. Definitely is meta as fuck. Definitely a must watch.
I have a bit of a girl crush on ScarJo. And the promo around Under the Skin made it too good to pass up. So my friend Emily and I went on a little cinema date way back when. And man were we shaken up after those 108 minutes. Walking through Leicester Square to catch our separate trains home, we both kept looking over our shoulders and hardly exchanged any words. I read the book first which I felt helped me understand the film better. But I think it would be an equally rewarding challenge to watch the film first and then visit the source material. Also northern Scotland has never looked better.
Boyhood is the most satisfying film I have seen in a long time. For me, the hype was deserved. It warmed my heart that it kept selling out at my local cinema. The film was one big nostalgia bomb, especially if you were born in the 90s in the US. Also, how boss is it that the director actually made The Black Album, a post-Beatles mixtape Mason's father gives to him as a present.
So I'm in love with a little thing called Instagram. And it is undoubtedly one of the contributing factors to the neglect the poor marionhoney blog has experienced as of late. So let's resuscitate some content here with a little some'in'-some'in', yeah? I present to you Fourth Meal – a recurring roundup of things I've been eating in London. Where should you go and what should you get? This.
So I'm in love with a little thing called Instagram. And it is undoubtedly one of the contributing factors to the neglect the poor marionhoney blog has experienced as of late. So let's resuscitate some content here with a little some'in'-some'in', yeah? I present to you Fourth Meal – a recurring roundup of things I've been eating in London. Where should you go and what should you get? This.
These are the second round of Stourhead photos I took on my T3i. Just remembered I brought and took shots with a cheap little disposable camera from Boots – I still need to get that developed. For the Pride and Prejudice junkies out there, we got bridge, gazebo thing, and statue.
These are the second round of Stourhead photos I took on my T3i. Just remembered I brought and took shots with a cheap little disposable camera from Boots – I still need to get that developed. For the Pride and Prejudice junkies out there, we got bridge, gazebo thing, and statue.
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