Cruelty free 1, 2, 3 SKINCARE

People are always asking me for various recommendations, especially when they are interested in cruelty free products. So I thought I would make a set of short posts taking about products that I love!

Coconut oil!

This product has so so sooooo many functions; I mainly use coconut oil to remove my make-up. I just take a small lump (coconut oil starts to melt at body temperature) and rub it over my face. I let it sit on my face for around 30 seconds before I wipe it off with a flannel. I find that unlike any other make-up removers that I have tried this one seems to melt away the make –up and doesn’t require me to tug on my face. I buy my coconut oil from the cooking oil section of any supermarket (rather than a fancy health store); just make sure that its 100% coconut oil. A tub like the one pictured lasts me ages; so I feel that it’s cost effective too!

Lush face masks

I am a huge fan of lush in general but, I do absolutely adore their face masks, they have many different types to suit your skin needs. I just really think that they are amazing, my favorite is ‘don’t look at me’ and it’s a crazy ass bright blue colour!

Yes to tomatoes moisturizer

I have very combination skin , I feel that not only have a notice a massive decrease in the amount of spots that I have now I use this it also makes my skin feel great. Sometimes I believe that less I more when it comes to skincare and I prefer skincare that uses more natural ingredients rather than chemicals.

This isn’t everything I use as part of my skincare routine, but I hope you found these recommendations insightful.  

Always,

Lauren

Twitter- @LaurenCats7

Instagram – redhairedcatlady

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27290164-lauren

lperry176@gmail.com

Starting University?

Starting university is possibly one of the most exciting and nerve wracking experiences of your life to date! So here are a few pieces of advice to get you through your first year!

First and most importantly please remember that FIRST YEAR DOES NOT COUNT! In many English universities your first year of uni does not count towards your final degree classification. This is great because it allows you to settle into the whole idea of being a student which is so different to being at a college or at school!

So the next thing piece of advice that I would give someone starting their first year of uni is to TAKE SOME RISKS , this could mean trying  new things in an academic sense. So maybe studying a module on something you have always been interested in but, not sure if you will like it or, even if you are good at it. This could broaden your horizons quite a lot. Another way of taking risks could be in a social way, join an unusual society or even find a new hobby or activity that you have never tried before. Going to university is a chance to almost reinvent yourself if you want. A drastic change in your life like going to university can be a catalyst massive amount of personal change in your life, I suggest you embrace this.

 THE SOONER YOU MASTER THE BALANCE OF WORK, UNI WORK AND SOCIAL LIFE THE BETTER! Yes, first year doesn’t count but it’s a pain in the arse to resit if you fail it and pretty expensive!

MASTER THE ART OF REFERENCING, getting the Harvard, Oxford or Hogwarts system of referencing wrong can cost you stupid marks which can be prevented if you pay some attention.

YOU WILL SOON LEARN THAT FREE FOOD IS THE BEST FOOD , enough said you will soon become a hunter-gatherer seeking out the best that the Sainsbury’s reduced section has to offer, you also never turn down the chance to get free food.

Another thing you may notice during the first year of uni is that YOUR CHOSEN SUBJECT IS NOTHING LIKE YOU HAVE IMAGINED! Alas, doing Archaeology is nothing like time team and doing a Physics degree is nothing like ‘The Big Bang theory’. However, whatever degree you pick you will soon see that EVERYONE ON THE COURSE SEEMS TO KNOW MORE THAN YOU. Undeniably yes, some people will already be of doctorate standard when it comes to your degree but to be honest most people will be pretending that they know stuff , Just so they don’t look like an idiot. I suggest you do the same, pretend that you know more you do and have some confidence. Soon you will see that the most important part of any degree is learning to bullshit.

My final piece of advice for starting university is, MAKE SURE THAT YOU LIKE THE SUBJECT THAT YOU’RE PLANNING ON STUDYING FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS. You’re expected to do lots of independent reading as part of your degree, if you like your subject (even just a little bit) you have far more chance of success than if you couldn’t care less. You won’t enjoy every single module that you do, but try to enjoy yourself.  

Always ,

Lauren

Twitter- @LaurenCats7

Instagram – redhairedcatlady

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27290164-lauren

lperry176@gmail.com

Going Cruelty free

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT 100% CRUELTY FREE, NOR DO I GO OUT OF MY WAY TO FIND VEGAN COSMETIC OPTIONS. I DO WHAT I CAN AND PLEASE RESPECT THAT.

So in March last year I decided that I was going to start going cruelty free. This meant that I was going to stop using and purchasing cosmetics that are tested on animals.

How did you go about this decision?

I was first introduced to the idea of animal testing in my ethics lessons at school, ever since then I had felt guilty for using products which have been tested on animals. Every day I would put on my make-up and feel intense guilt because I know that potentially animals have been harmed for the sake of my vanity. In addition, I was also influenced by a number of vloggers such as Laura Lejeune and Kiera Rose who were discussing the benefits of going cruelty free and their messages really resonated with me!

My first port of call was make- up, as personally I do not think that is it appropriate for an animal to die or suffer for my vanity. Make up does not benefit the human race in any distinct way; we just use it to please ourselves. There are many lists on the internet which will tell you which brands are cruelty free and which ones are not. Below is a list which is really useful especially when you start out being cruelty free.

http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/list-of-cruelty-free-brands/

Although, I would rather animals not be used in clinical trials when testing for medicine, I do understand the importance of developing new drugs and how they can help people who are in need. I hope that in the future we can develop a way of testing drugs without harming animals but I’m not a scientist so I don’t even know if that’s possible.

But wait … Isn’t animal testing illegal in the EU anyway?

Yes my friends it is, however unfortunate this isn’t the case across the globe! China is just one example where animal testing is still required by law on all of their products. As a result if a brand sells to china it will still is testing on animals as it develops new products.

Where can I get more information?

So, I’m going to put a shit ton of links here where you can find out about going cruelty free and which brands do and do not test. I plan to make a more in-depth post about many more aspects about going cruelty free in the future!

http://www.leapingbunny.org/guide/brands

http://www.peta.org.uk/living/easy-way-go-cruelty-free/

Always, 

Lauren

Twitter- @LaurenCats7

Instagram – redhairedcatlady

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27290164-lauren

lperry176@gmail.com

Just a few things that my first year of university taught me

So I just finished my first year of university, here is some stuff that I have learned from the experience. This is not an extensive list, just a snapshot.

Nobody cares about your appearance when you turn uni , in fact most of the time they don’t even care if you turn up at all. During fresher’s week we decide to look presentable, I at least tried to do my make-up and wear nice clothes.  This ritual lasted a fair amount of time if I am being honest but in the second semester of my first year I came to the realization that, nobody cares if your eyeliner is on fleek in your biblical studies class. Nobody really judges you; it’s just in your best interest to turn up. That could be in your pajamas, sweats or a ball gown, nobody really cares!

You can never do enough reading. I do a humanities degree and basically you can never have read too much about a subject. I mean, how long is a piece of string?

Always back up your work. Loosing valuable work causes heartache, so email your works of wisdom to yourself, put it on a memory stick, whatever you need to do so it won’t get lost.

The word count given to you in your essays is never enough. Most of my 1st year essays were 2,000 words long, this friends is not enough words for you to provide relevant theory, evidence and your explanation, first year is about summarizing and getting to grips with more academic material.

Staying hydrated can make or break your concentration, especially in a long mind numbing lecture.

If you are about to start university and you are worried about making friends, don’t. I am awful at making friends and starting at university was the easiest friend-making process ever.

Overall, your first year of university is an amazing one, so make the most of it and learn from your first year experience.

Always,

Lauren

Twitter- @LaurenCats7

Instagram – redhairedcatlady

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27290164-lauren

lperry176@gmail.com

What it’s really like to stay at home for university.

We hear many things about people’s ‘uni experience’ while living away and studying but I just thought that I would give you my ‘uni experience’ as I stayed at home to study!

I guess it’s pretty cheap- I mean, I personally, did not take out a maintenance loan , which I guess means less debt for me in the future (it is pretty much a given that your student loan is the cheapest loan you will ever receive) but, I will still be in substantially less debt at the end of my time at university.

I don’t have to ‘find' a place to live- When I applied for university I did not have to apply for accommodation because  I was living at home. Furthermore, I do not have to look round places to rent in my subsequent years at uni.

Independent living has pretty much gone out of the window- For many uni is a chance to live independently however, because I stayed at home little has changed. For the most part I still have my meals cooked for me and I don’t do my own washing! For some that would be pretty restrictive, but for me it’s quite comforting that after a long day of whatever students are meant to do I can go home to food cooked for me!

I wouldn’t call it a lack of freedom but – If you want to go to uni to experiment, pull, meet new people and have some crazy drunken nights out them maybe life at home is not for you. I personally wouldn’t dream of bringing my new gang of club friends to my house! I am quite the opposite inexplicably boring!

I always get a good night’s sleep -Never do I hear a massive party down the road or my housemate getting lucky in the thin walls next to me. Living at home for me at least is a quiet experience!

But what about your social life?- I have managed to make an amazing group of friends at uni , it’s a given that I probably have not interacted with as many people than if I would have gone away to uni but, the friends I have are amazing , just because I have stayed at home it has not meant that I have no social life!

The commute!- Now most people when they move away to uni have to accept that may not live seconds from campus. My commute to uni is a 20 minute drive I’m pretty lucky because I live close to university. However, even when people move away for university they experience living a reasonable commute from the campus they are studying on , that my friends is something to  consider.

All in all I’ll never know if I would have benefited from moving away for uni , part of me regrets that decision when I see my friends have an amazing new experience. On the other hand I seem to relinquish those claims when I come home to a nice hot cooked meal , and get into a nice quiet comfortable bed and I go to sleep!

Always,

Lauren 

Twitter- @LaurenCats7

Instagram – redhairedcatlady

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27290164-lauren

lperry176@gmail.com

E-book Vs physical book will the paperback become a thing of the past?

They are lightweight, convenient and cost effective the e-reader has become a household item to many ,but will they ever completely force the standard paperback into extinction?

When I am travelling, I absolutely love me e-reader because it saves weight and space. For example on the standard beach holiday of 7 days I can read quite a large amount of books. So an e-book is overly convenient because you don’t have the internal battle of if you should pack the latest Stephen King novel or your straighteners.  Neither weight nor space is an issue. Furthermore, an e-book gives me the freedom to pick and choose what I am reading depending on my mood, without having to worry about running out of reading material while I am away gallivanting. 

 It also seems as though e-books are considerably cheaper than a physical book some best sellers can be purchased for as little as 99p when the physical copy can cost you up to £10- one online store also offered a wide range of books for absolutely nothing everybody loves free books right?

In addition, e-readers most definitely save one space, if I don’t like a book when I’m reading it electronically it’s no biggie, I can just delete it. If it’s a physical book, I am burdened with the book until it either bins it, sell it or give it away. The book will sit there on my shelf taking up space and collecting dust!

I can see all of these positives to having an e-reader, I even own one myself but , I will nearly always pick a physical copy of a book over the electronic version and this is why …

The artistry of some books is extraordinary, the feel of a book, its cover they type of pages it has can all contribute to the reading experience. I can appreciate the work that has gone into a book to make it a beautiful and marketable product something that is lost when you encounter a book electronically.

That book smell, I think this one speaks for itself – I bloody love the smell of books.

The feeling of a book in your hand is incomparable to anything else. The weight of a hardback on your wrists, the crisp pages all contribute to the reading experience for me. With a physical book it is also possible to see how far along you are and how much left of the book you have left to complete. Even though e-readers give you a percentage it can often be hard to visualize how far into a book you are from a digit this is something I like to feel physically, something that only a physical book can offer.

The books themselves can tell stories and not just the stories that lie within their pages.  That battered copy of ‘Harry Potter’ that you took to school. Possibly the coffee stain on that classic you read on a cold Sunday afternoon? For me some books remind me of a specific time and place they trigger blissful memories!

For me books are a comfort , they spell home for me, even the physical act of opening a book can make feel lost in a beautiful story.  Some of these physicality’s are lost when you read a book electronically. I love to collect books, see them displayed on my shelves it is like being surrounded by 100’s of friends who I can hear the voices of anytime that I like their voices etched into the crisp pages and ink. This is why I prefer physical books over e-books. 

Always, 

Lauren

Twitter- @LaurenCats7

Instagram – redhairedcatlady

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27290164-lauren

lperry176@gmail.com

Magical mystical dating advice for first dates.

Right, so let’s get this straight , I cannot successfully date, when I do got on dates things tend to go slightly pear shaped .But considering it Valentine’s Day in just a few days I thought I would share some tips and tricks which I have picked up over the these past few months. *some of these are subject to sarcasm and should not be taken literally*

One – Make sure you smell good, I’m telling you to douse yourself in frankincense and at least have a bloody shower, spray your pits and have a mint.

Two - Make and effort with your appearance, but not too much effort; the aim of the game is to look like you have made a considerable amount of effort but, you don’t want to look like you have tried too hard. This applies to you folk to wear make-up, keep it subtle but enhance your best features. Furthermore do not show up to your Nandos date in a full blown cocktail dress , you will look like a bit of a prat, dress for the occasion and activity.

Three- Know how far you want to go and how far you feel comfortable going *wink wink* you know this means ,(bedroom department) .Think about how much sexual activity you may want to invest yourself in. This means you can be prepared and plan ahead of things. Make sure you don’t have your Bridget Jones knickers on and you have a condom at the ready if you want to get that sexy- this is presupposing that you date wants to get down with you , ALWAYS remember to ask for consent. Equally not wanting to get sexy on a first date is absolutely okay , do not give away your goods all in one night my friend.

Four- Be on time for your date!! I once had a guy show up two and a half hours late for a date needless to say I was not impressed, being late just starts things on the wrong foot and kind of tells the person that you can’t be bothered in the first place.

Five – It is not the blokes calling to split the bill. Ladies ALWAYS offer to pay half. Nobody wants to seem like they are just being for a ride, paying shows that you’re genuinely interested  in getting to know a person and not wanting to only be wined and dined.

There are probably 101 more tips I could give you if I really thought about it but the best way people learn is from experience. If you’re single and feel ready to mingle go out a casually meet and date people, the more practice you do at meeting new people the more confident you may get. Just be yourself , relax and be wonderfully you. Good Luck.

Always, 

Lauren

Twitter- @LaurenCats7

Instagram – redhairedcatlady

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27290164-lauren

lperry176@gmail.com