Pawprints of Happiness

I have found that nothing cheers me up more than being around animals - especially dogs.  So I have tried to do what I can to be around dogs more often, learn more about dogs and prepare for one day owning my own!

This weekend was particularly dog-filled.  On Saturday night at a friends house I met my first ever Basset Hound.

She is the dog of my friend's sister and her name is Heidi.  She is a 3 year old purebred Basset Hound and having seen many photos of her I was dying to met her.  I thought she would be laid back and docile - but she was the complete opposite.  Despite having sad eyes she was so energetic, running about greeting everybody and was just delighted for all the attention. She ended up sitting beside me and letting me pamper her and shower her with affection.  Later that night when going home she sat at my feet while I stroked her (she doesn't like cars and was moaning).  Her owner said when I leave she will howl for me as she will miss me.  Couldn't cope.

The next dog is the only boy dog I met this weekend.  His name is Alfie (named after Alfie Moon from EastEnders).

This is my cousin Lauren's dog.  Alfie is very hyper and can be a little mad when you are with him!  When we take him out on walks he does explore but stays very close walking beside us off the leash.  He also travels very well, absolutely LOVES affection and is never aggressive (unless his friend Lucy tries to steal his food!)  He is a rescue dog and is either mostly or purebred Yorkshire Terrier, he is about 7 years old.

Onto the oldest in the bunch we have Lucy, at 12 years old.  She is a crossbreed rescue dog which we think could be a crossbreed between a Labrador and a Pointer.  She is very very laid back, docile and calm.  She will sit beside you and be happy being stroked all day long.  

She and Alfie are like a married couple and can't be without each other.  She is very good with travelling and walks very close.  Neither her or Alfie bark at other dogs and are good with cats also. :)

The next one is one I met of a website called BorrowMyDoggy.  It is for people who own dogs, but are willing to let non dog owners take their dog out for day trips, walks and even stay with them for some weekends.  Through this website I met a beautiful 3 year old Belgian Malanois, and her owner Pia who is a very active German marine scientist.

On meeting Rua (meaning Red in Irish) she was quite shy but warmed quickly to me.  She let me cuddle up to her and stroke her, but did not move a lot.  Pia suggested that we play in the garden and as soon as my hand hit the doorknob her excitement immediately went up. Her ears perked up and she was running about wildly excited.  I played fetch with her, and did some light training with her and she was very good.  She LOVES to play,  She also has a tug rope which is her absolute favourite and she loves pulling it wildly.

After she became more used to me we took her on a walk where we just kept her on her lead until we reached the forest walk.  She was so full of energy!  She ran on ahead but kept in our sight and picked up every branch she seen...  she LOVES branches, especially big ones.  Many times she would try to pull trees and roots from the ground.  Rua is a very happy active dog who would walk and play all day.  I look forward to seeing her again and watching our relationship grow. :)

Lovelove.

x

Cruelty Free Hair Care

As my journey continues on the quest to become Cruelty free with all the products I buy I wanted to tell you of some of the products I have used, or have been using for a while which are cruelty free.

I have had to give up brands like Herbal Essences, Dove, Garnier, L’Oreal Paris, Head and Shoulders, Pantene, VO5, Aussie, TresEmme, Nivea and the list goes on and is endless.  All these brands test on animals or fun companies who do.

Hair Dye

Searching for a CF (Cruelty Free) hair dye is HARD! Especially as 99.9% of those available in Superdrug/Boots are definitely NOT cruelty free. So I went on the hunt for a new one.

I know LUSH do offer hair dye for brown/black/red/marron but none for blonde.  My quest continued and I found Naturtint.

I am actually no stranger to this brand as my Mum has used it for years, due to her allergy to parabens.  They sell a range of hair dyes free from Ammonia, Parabens and Resourcinol.  As far as I could see this brand is 100% against animal testing - but please correct me if I am wrong.

These hair dyes are £10.99 RRP but are frequently part of the ‘Buy one get one half price’ deal in Holland and Barrett.  They work exactly as a normal hair dye except they do not have that strong ammonia smell.

Their website; http://www.naturesdream.co.uk/naturtint

Shampoo

There has been a lot of talk around the blogasphere about the new range ofLUSH’s solid shampoo bars.

This are all £5.75 and can last up to 80 washes! There are a whopping 13 to choose from which are all different colours, scents and made for different hair types.  I would really recommend these as in addition to them being CF they arepreservative free, packaging free and portable.  They are excellent value for money.

Have a look; https://www.lush.co.uk/products/shampoo-bars or in store!

If you can’t get into solid shampoo bars or like to have a liquid shampoo to mix up your routine LUSH offer many liquid forms.  However these are less valuable for money.

I have tried Daddy-O (£5.50/100g) which is a purple shampoo formulated forblonde hair, BIG (£12.25/330g) which is a sea salt shampoo that comes in a tub and gives mass volume, and I Love Juicy Shampoo (£5.50/100g) which is very clarifying (but not ideal for everyday use)

These can be found here; https://www.lush.co.uk/products/shampoo or in LUSH stores!

Other widely available CF Shampoo includes; Soap and Glory(http://www.soapandglory.com/ or in Boots stores Nationwide) Shampoo and Conditioner and Superdrug (http://www.superdrug.com/ or in store!) own brand Shampoo.

Conditioner

Again after having to give some of my favourite brands I have had to find some new favourites.

Honestly I do love LUSH liquid conditioners, but I like to lush a lot of Conditioner and their liquid conditioners are very expensive.  

Instead I use Superdrugs own which is £2.29/400ml, and is currently on offer at £1.50.  It is a big bottle which lasts ages and is of course is CF.

I use this on the majority of my hair and use the LUSH Jungle Solid conditioner (£3.50/55g) on the rest of my hair and it is AMAZING and smells great, but I find it hard to use to completely cover my hair.  I massage this over my hair to further condition it before washing it out.

Does anybody know of any further good haircare products that are CF and are worth trying? I’d love to know!

Lovelove.

x

A Quide to LUSH Samples

Another LUSH post? Mon Dieu! Je sais…

Whether you are new to LUSH or stalk their shops you may ormay not know about free samples.  I hear the word “free sample” and LUSH in the same sentence and I am very keen to find out more.  Most staff that work for LUSH are very helpful and friendly so don’t be afraid to ask for samples.

NB; All pictures are pictures I have taken of samples I have received in store or online.

Reasons why you would ask for samples;

· To see if you have a reaction. Many people have sensitive skin, and want to make sure the product does not break them out, give them a rash or cause unwanted side effects.

·  To try out the scent/product.  Many products smell differently in the bath/shower/on the skin than they do naked or out of the packaging.  If you like the sound of something, but hate the smell ask for a sample – then make your mind up.

·  Can’t/don’t want to spend the money on full products.  If you love a product but can’t wait until pay day – just ask for a sample.

·  Try before you buy.  Many products cannot be used in store comfortably like deodorant or toothy tabs.

Generally I want to try ALL LUSH products but obviously I cannot afford all of them, so anytime I am in store I ask for a sample of something I want to try.  That way I can afford to eat.

I am going to spilt this guide into two sections – online and in store.  As they work slight differently which will be explained.

All liquid/gel samples are given in small black pots with a label, and solids are given naked or in greaseproof paper.

As far as I am aware you cannot get samples of;
- Bath Bombs
- Bubble Bars
- Bath Melts

In Store Tip and Tricks

1. The best advice I can give is go in when it is NOT busy.  If you go in early morning or a week day lunch time you are likely to get more and BIGGER samples.

I went in the day the Easter collection was out and bought a few things.  Funds were low so I asked for a sample of the two new soaps, and they gave me massive blocks of both of them for free. Look;

2.  If you’re not sure what to ask for – just say you want to try some new things.  Say “I want to try out your skincare stuff, do you have any samples?”  They will most likely give you a good few things to try out. Once I went in because I was sending a package overseas I was speaking for ages to the sales person and asked if there were any samples she could give me to send – and she gave me 5!

3. In store - ask for soap.  Online, they do give you it - but considerably less.

4. Ask for samples of Fresh Face Masks.  These are beautifully displayed on ice.  They are fresh and last for a few weeks, therefore you cannot get them online.  If you do get them online they would definitely not be at their best.  They will give you it in a tiny sample pot which can last up to 2 masks!

Online Tips and Tricks

First of all this is how you order samples online – took me ages to figure this out. When going through the order at the end there will be a big empty box entitled Gift Details.  Just write in that “Can I have a sample of…” In all my orders they have given me a max of 4, so I usually ask for 5 to try my luck.

1. Ask for solid shampoo bar samples. In store they will not give you these, but they do online! They will give you a quarter of the full bar, lasting you up to 20 washes!

2. Ask for samples of solid perfume, make up, toner etc (things that are awkward to package up in store!)

Hope this helps!

Lovelove.

x

February Review

Books; Death Note Episode 3 

Still really enjoying this series.  I am enjoying the transition of the plot, and the way it thickens and involves more characters.  The series is steadily getting darker and this episode actually really brought my interest back.

Movies;

Disney’s Big Hero 6

This was an incredible film by Disney showing they are not losing their touch with animation.  I went in with low expectation and came out very humbled and inpspired.  Baymax is adorable, loving and quite dopey - exactly how I want my future dog to be.

The Theory of Everything

This movie was a masterpiece.  From the beginning to the end it was painful and heartbreaking, but also very warming and humourous.  This is the story of Stephen Hawking and his first wife Jane Wilde, their tumultuous relationship and his health deterioration with ALS.  A must see. Eddie Redmayne captures Hawking perfectly, so much so that on watching it Hawking declared at times he thought he was watching himself.

Fifty Shades of Grey

On writing the title I could sense the judgement of those who will read this.  I did want to see the film as I had read the book.  Despite the book obviously being trash, I wanted to see a trashy movie with a friend - and I did.  I have to say that Jamie Dornan is very hot and carried off the character well.

Now for the bad stuff - it was so cringeworthy it was difficult to cope watching it.  Lines like; “I don’t make love, I fuck. Hard” made the whole cinema laugh.  It was very embarrasing and the lines where delivered very awkwardly.  There did not seem to be much chemistry between Grey and Steele either.

Obviously this film was trash, but I have to say it was entertaining to watch, albiet for the wrong reasons.

TV

Really enjoying Season 4.  Episodes have got somewhat depressing though, might need to pick up a bit.

American Horror Story; Freakshow

The end of this season was fitting to the show.  Overall I did think this season was good but lost it’s way at points.  Not sure about the next title of Hotel with Lady Gaga.

Special Events

Haircut - I get these so rarely.  Good to get some weight off and a fringe back in!
Massage - 45 minute neck and back massage.  Quite painful as he worked out some of my knots and tension spots.
Craft Fair - got many ideas for the upcoming wedding!

Learning 

Got to Level 10 in Duolingo

Overall this month has been more of a getting things sorted for the wedding and saving money for the many events upcoming.  Re-started my job and got back into my routine.

Lovelove.

x

Cruelty Make-Up and Cruelty Free Make Up

Disclaimer; All of the information below I have researched and believe to be true.  Legislation and individual company/parent company policies are changing daily and please let me know if any of this information is incorrect.

As my obsession with LUSH and dogs grows, I have started thinking and researching a lot about animal testing.

The law states that in the EU it is illegal to test on animals, or market companies that have been tested on animals. (http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/cosmetics/animal-testing/index_en.htm)

Knowing this I always felt like I was safe to use whatever I want as it hasn’t been tested on animals, and I was not supporting animal testing in any way – but I was very wrong.

Although the products we use may not themselves have been tested on animals, the companies that sell these products have parent companies who do.  This is where it gets a lot more complicated.  

For instance, in China it is illegal to sell cosmetics if they have NOT been tested on animals – forcing companies to test on animals.  Therefore any companies that sell products in China support animal testing.  Sadly this means most of the household cosmetics companies put millions of pounds into animal testing.

Therefore if I buy products from Rimmel I am funding an organisation that actively carries out animal testing and plays a part in killing thousands of animals to create and market their cosmetics.  I realised that after doing this research I was not okay with this, and I am making the effort (starting with cosmetics) to be cruelty free.

For the sake of this post all the companies I will focus on will be mainly a make-up/cosmetic suppliers that I use, or I know are popular amongst people I know.  It is important to note that many that I did not mention also do test on animals. This is purely focused on make-up cosmetics and does not include other product categories.

It is also important to note that many companies will hint and lead you to thinking that they definitely do not test on animals, but by reading the small print it has been proven that that do.

Popular Companies that DO Test;
(http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdotest.pdf)

Johnson & Johnson/Aveeno, Revlon, Estee Lauder,  Avon, Benefit, L’Oreal, Bobbi Brown, Clairol, Clarins, Clean and Clear, Clearasil, Clinique, Coach, Crest, Dove, Durex, Elizabeth Arden, Febreze, Garnier, Gilette, Head and Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Jo Malone, Kiehls, L’Occitane, Lancome, MAC, Maxfactor, Maybelline, Nair, Nice ‘n’ Easy, Olay, Origins, Pantene, Pearl Drops, Sensodyne, St. Ives, Tresemme, Vaseline, Veet, Venus, Vicks, The Body Shop*.

Popular Companies that DON’T Test:
(http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdonttest.pdf)

Avalon Cosmetics, Barry M, Co-Op, Beauty Without Cruelty, Liz Earle, LUSH, Nails Inc, Neals Yard, Paul Mitchell, Pureology, Superdrug, ELF.

Sadly the list of those that do is much greater than those who don’t.  I want to make a huge effort to try and from now on only buy from cruelty free companies. Which does mean I have to give up some of my favourite products and brands, but I think this is important to send the message to these companies that we do not support animal testing in any way.

This blog was greatly inspired by these videos;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjfgLBRQ6gk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zcGrHYfDdM

This is all food for thought for me, and it is an issue I cannot get out of my mind.  Obviously there is a LOT more information online and you can e-mail the companies individually to ask what the policy is on animal testing.  Be aware that many will tell you they don’t when they do. More specific questions to ask are; who is your parent company and do they test on animals?  Are any of your ingredients or finished products tested on animals?  Do you sell in China?

I hope this didn’t come across as too preachy.  I am not lecturing, I am just learning and wanted to spread the word.

Lovelove.

x

*I also noticed that The Body Shop is not cruelty free as it is owned by L’Oreal who absolutely test on animals.  See this articlehttp://naturewatch.org/campaign/the-body-shop-boycott