Toiletries I'm Using at the Moment

Trying to ensure that the products that I use on a daily basis are as ethical as possible is still very important to me and a process that I will continue to work on.  Whilst I was in New Zealand there was a lot of research I needed to do as I wasn't familiar with the products there, but now I'm back in the UK it's been a little easier as I've been able to go back to the items that I knew whilst researching others.  These are what I'm using at the moment.

Dental Care

This hasn't changed much since the last time I wrote about the toiletries I'm using.  My toothbrush is the beechwood toothbrush from Georganics, along with their refillable dental floss (old packaging).  I've been able to go back to toothpaste tablets now for my toothpaste, which is not only less wasteful but I actually now prefer using them.  The tin is actually from Eco Living, which we originally got the tablets from and which I would really recommend, but I've refilled them with tablets from Georganics as it was the only place we could get 6 months worth in one go at the time (everywhere else was sold out).  We're not as keen on the Georganic ones, so we'll probably go back to Eco Living once these are finished.  I'm quite happy with how my dental care is at the moment, so I don't see myself needing to change anything any time soon.

Body Wash

I've used soap as my wash of choice for quite a while now, going for companies who produce cruelty-free, vegan, SLS free, and hand made products in recyclable packaging whenever I can.  Right now I'm using the Faith in Nature Lavender Soap.  It's a really nice product and I will buy it again, but really any soap that fits into this criteria would suit me.  I can't see me using anything other than soap from now on. 

Face Wash and Moisturiser

When I'm not wearing makeup I just use the bar soap for my body to clean my face.  I know that's not something people usually recommend, but my face tends to be quite dirty after work so the bar soap is what's needed.  When I do wear makeup I use jojoba and avocado oil with a flannel to remove it, and then second wash my face with the soap.  I can't see me changing this any time soon.

As for moisturising, I still use the oils that I make up myself (my recipe contains jojoba oil, avocado oil, rosehip oil, and a few drops frankincense essential oil).  I mostly get these oils from Naturally Thinking as I like the ethos behind the company (vegan, paraben-free, cruelty-free, grown local products) and I can't see me changing this anytime soon.  I have been finding that I need some extra moisture for my face at the moment, which is not unusual for this time of year.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find exactly what I looking for right now (mostly due to lack of stock), so I just picked up this face cream from Aldi whilst I was shopping.  It will help my skin until I can find something else, but it's not really something I would normally choose - though it is cruelty-free.  I'm thinking of something like the Pixi serum I've used before, but we'll see what I can find.

Sunscreen

This tends to change all the time and is based on what I can find with the finances I have at that moment.  Right now I'm using the Holland & Barrett Nature's Block 100% Natural Mineral Sunscreen.  It's vegan, cruelty-free, and (very importantly when it comes sunscreen) reef safe as it doesn't contain Oxybenzone and Octinoxate.  My face hasn't reacted to it, which can sometimes be a problem when I'm using a generic sunscreen on my face, but it is quite thick and does need to be rubbed in quite well.  It also leaves a bit of a white cast on your face.  Otherwise, it's pretty good and I would think about buying it again when I need to get more sunblock in the future.

Lip Care

Right now I'm still using the Ecostore beeswax lip balm I got from New Zealand, and my Mum got me a Burts Bees lip balm for Christmas, so I'll use this next.  Once these are both gone I'm going to look for a lip balm that's in more sustainable packaging.  I don't really put lip balm on during the day, usually just before I go to sleep, so having to use my fingers isn't really going to be a problem for me and means I could probably go for something in a metal tin.

Shampoo and Conditioner

I've now used up the shampoo and conditioner that I brought in NZ and have been looking for products with a lot less packaging.  However, I still want them to be SLS free, hopefully vegan, made in the UK and are cruelty-free.  I had gotten a shampoo bar from Gruum, which I wanted to try once my liquid shampoos were gone, and really liked it.  It cleaned my hair without drying it out and hasn't left that weird waxy layer that some bars do.  So, I decided to order the conditioner as well to see how that works (I've actually never used a conditioner bar before) and it does seem to be working pretty well.  I don't see me changing this any time soon and, even if I don't use these particular products, I think I'll stick to shampoo and conditioner bars rather than liquid versions.

Body Moisturiser

I had started looking for a more ethical moisturiser once mine had begun to run out, but then I realised that I still had quite a bit of jojoba and avocado oil left for items I was going to make but never actually got round to.  These oils do go off so I decided it would be a good idea to use them up.  These were the same oils from Naturally Thinking which I use to make my face oils.  So, after mixing them together into one bottle, I am now using it to moisturise my body.  If I'm honest, it doesn't really give me the full amount of moisture that I need for these winter months, but that has just meant that I have to moisturise much more often than I normally do.  Once this is used up (which might be a while - it's a big bottle) I'll start looking for a thicker moisturiser, similar to the body bar I got and really liked from Lush.  I do have a separate hand moisturiser (also thanks to my Mum), but once that's gone I probably won't get another one straight away and just use my body moisturiser.  Whether I stick to that will depend on how my hands fair, as they do sometimes need something thicker.  In which case I might just get the Welsh Lavender Ltd Farmers' Hand Cream I had before.

Deodorant

At the moment I'm still using a normal deodorant for when I'm at work as I just can't find a natural deodorant that works when I'm doing this amount of physical exercise and I'd rather be able to wash my clothes less.  I do have a more natural deodorant I like by Bull Dog (it's a man's deodorant), but I only wear it on my days off.  This one is still a work in progress and I'll keep hunting until I find a good one.

Hair Removal

Waxing is my usual method of hair removal, but that isn't really an option at the moment, so for now, I'm using wax stripes to remove most of my unwanted hair.  This really isn't the most waste-free way of doing it and I'm hoping to be able to change this as soon as I can by buying a pot of wax with re-useable stripes (once we have a place of our own).  I do also use a razor and, for this, I've been able to be a lot more sustainable as I use a safety razor where I only need to change the blade.  I've recently brought this blade container by the Zero Waste Club that should take up to 300 blades before I can put it in the recycling with all the blades safely inside it, which is an additional plus.  I do want to look into laser treatment for something more permanent (and with a lot less waste), but that will need to wait until our finances are a bit more stable.  

And that's it.  My toiletries are very close to being where I want them to be, with only just a few changes in the future to have a fully functioning, as sustainable as possible 'beauty' /hygiene routine.  I'm hoping it won't take me too long to get there, perhaps just one more cycle of some of the items I'm using, so this time next year I should be able to show a complete routine.  Apart from the deodorant, I think we might still be a little while on that.

Project Pan 2019

This will be my third year of actively working through the products that I own and I'm going to go back to calling it panning as it is mainly make-up products this time around.  In fact, this year is going to be the year of lip products and once they are gone that will be all the lip products (in my makeup) I actually own gone.  All the items on this project are long lasting products so this year is going to be a bit of a stretch, but it'll be worth it.

To start with I'm rolling over three products from last year that still have a bit of work to get rid of and that is the NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale (15 g), the Living Nature eye liner in Midnight (7.1 cm), and the Argan Oil hair treatment (that I'm now using as a moisturiser) (3.4 cm).  

I'm also adding in The Body Shop black liquid eyeliner (10 g) I got in a Christmas advent calendar to this as I'm trying to reduce the amount of liquid products I have in my make up bag.

Now for all the lip products.  They are the Urban Decay lip liner in Ozone (2.3 cm), the Barry M lip liner in Red or 3 (6.2 cm), The Body Shop lip liner in Hot Date (10.7 cm), Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lipstick in 714 (I can't wait to wear this, I love the colour) (2.9 cm), and lastly The Body Shop Matte lip liquid in Tahiti Hibiscus (15 g).

The two face products I have in here are the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe (20 g) that I use as a contour product and The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer (55 g).  I'm not intending to pan these completely as that would be impossible, but I would like ti hit pan on them.  I haven't touched the highlighter at all so this should be a good way of seeing how it looks on me.

Lastly it the Buxom eye shadow palette in Dolly's Wild Side (120g).  This was given to me as a gift many years ago and I just haven't given it the use it deserves, so whilst I will still dip into the other palettes I own as well, this will be the one I concentrate on.  The colours are beautiful so it should be pretty easy.

I've updated my 'Getting rid of stuff' page so I can see where I still need to do some work, but it's looking much better this I started all this.  The one category that hasn't changed much is the body moisturiser category and that's because when I was asked what I wanted for Christmas I said moisturiser as I will always need some.  That supply should last me for most of the year when I will probably ask for it again to stock up for next.

Are you doing a project pan this year?  If so what are you panning?

Project Pan 17 Update #12

So this is my last post for 2017.  I had hoped that as my traineeship was over and I was waiting for a job in the field I would have a lot more opportunity to wear makeup regularly, using up much more product than before.   Unfortunately I got ill and was in now mood for putting time into applying the makeup or touching my already soar  and red nose.  I did make some progress, just not as much as I had  hoped.

Let's start with the Urban Decay original Naked palette.  I had hoped that there would be more obvious change in these shadows.  However, apart from more of a dip in a number of them there isn't any obvious changes here.  I'm doing something different with my palettes next year so this won't be part of my next project pan as such.

There's more of a dent in the Barbara Day eye primer but this is still not complete yet, so I'm rolling it into next year's project pan to use up.  It works pretty well, though not great, but as I can't find out if Barbara Day is cruelty free or not I want to use it up and I won't buy it again.

As the never ending story of this year the MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre still look like they haven't been used, despite using them every time that I wear makeup.  These products are both quite old and I'll now be getting rid of them.  Both MUA and Bourjois are cruelty free (though I will be checking Bourjois' status again in 2018 as I've heard mixed things).

Now for the products I've added in for this last month.  The Pacifica perfume in Tuscan Blood is now finished.  I liked the smell a lot better than I thought I would, but it doesn't linger for very long and I prefer more simple scents.  Pacifica is cruelty free though.

I've managed to get through a lot more of the Zoya Pixie Dust nail varnish in Dahlia then I thought I would this month.  There's still a bit to go so I'll be rolling this into next year's project pan to finish off all my nail varnishes and then my nails can breathe.  Zoya is a cruelty free company.

I've managed to make some more progress in the Neal's Yard lipstick in Persimmon despite not wearing it regularly.  Lipstick is the one bit of makeup I definitely don't wear when I have a cold.  This product is also being rolled over into next year's project pan as one of the four lipsticks I want to get through.  I do quite like the colour and texture of this lipstick (and Neal's Yard is cruelty free), but I don't think I will buy this product again as I'm thinking of only having one lipstick in my makeup bag in the long run.

The Living Nature eye pencil in Midnight may be a very soft pencil which is easy to use, but it's still taking a long time to get anywhere.  In fact, it doesn't seem to have gone down at all.  I'm glad that I've started this early as I think I'll be lucky to even finish this by the end of 2018.  Living Nature is a cruelty free company, but this product isn't the longest wearing eye liner I've ever used, even when it is set with an eyeshadow.

So that's the end of my project pan for this year.  I didn't use up as many products as 2016 and I decluttered quite a few (something I haven't done before).  I will be doing another project pan next year as an incentive to reduce all my beauty products to the bare minimum. 

Thank you for coming along for the ride and I hope you have a great New Year!

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5
• Project Pan Update #6
• Project Pan Update #7
• Project Pan Update #8
• Project Pan Update #9
• Project Pan Update #10
• Project Pan Update #11

Mini Film Review: Earthlings

Just like Food Inc I've been putting off watching this documentary (probably more so) as I knew it was going to be a really difficult watch. And it was.

Released in 2005, it was made by filmmaker Shaun Monson, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, and using footage predominantly shoot using hidden cameras it looks at the suffering animals go through in factory farms, puppy mills, the entertainment industry, research labs, and more.  It even draws parallels between the issues of racism, sexism, and what they have called speciesism.

Separated into sections which first looks at how we treat animals we see as pets, and then looks at animals for food, animals in entertainment, and animals for research purposes.  The documentary didn't show me anything I wasn't already aware of, but there's something about actually seeing it that really brings the reality home.  Perhaps the most disturbing part wasn't just that a person could be so indifferent to the pain of the animals under their care, but that they were actively enjoying inflicting even more pain on them.  Knowing what psychologists say about this type of behaviour and its connection to how these individuals actually treat other humans, it doesn't bode well for the human race.

They do also make some valid points about the connections between factory farming and the spreading of some very deadly disease, as well as the fact that positive results in animal testing doesn't necessarily mean positive results in humans (in these cases they start the tests on 'lower' mammals and work their way up which is meant to make them certain of the medicines safety).  

Whether you believe that all animals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity for their own right or that it's all about the health implications it has for humans, the one thing this documentary does make obvious is how absolutely dependent we are on the animals we show such little respect to.  It has definitely given me more impetuous to carry on becoming more cruelty free in my lifestyle.

Reduced Waste Period - the Mooncup

Okay, so I get that this might be a sensitive subject for some people, but as a woman I have to accept that every month I will receive that little gift we are so lucky to have.  These have rarely been easy rides for me but the thing that bothered me the most was the amount of waste I was producing each time my period appeared.  I had made the transition to organic cotton pads and tampons a while ago (my favourite brand is Natracare organic), but while that reduced the amount of pesticide going into the environment it hasn't actually reduce the amount of waste my period sends to landfill or end up in the sea.  So I started looking at alternative reusable products and, after researching a few including reusable material pads, I decided to give Mooncup a go.

The cup is made up of a medical grade silicone, is latex free and contains no dyes or bleach.  It is also cruelty free and vegan.  It does normally have a long neck (which you can see in the first picture), but I've cut it down for comfort.  It does take a little while to get used to using it, they recommend around 3 months, but once you get used to inserting and removing it properly, it's very comfortable and reliable.  Mooncup recommends that you empty your cup every 4 to 8 hours, but I've found that it can last longer then that with out any trouble.  Which is useful as it can be almost 10 hours between being able to get to a proper toilet.

This half fold seems to be the method most people use and the one advised on the website, but even though I've tried it multiple times it just doesn't seem to work for me.

So I go for the push in the middle technique.  I've worn the Mooncup for a few years now, but did have a break for a few years (I'm not entirely sure why).  When I decided to start wearing it again I decided I should go for the larger size A, as recommended on the Mooncup website for someone over 30.  This is the first time I've ever had any real problem with the cup.  It was uncomfortable to wear and I was very aware of exactly where it was in my body.  It also leaked regularly, especially when I was volunteering outside.  As I knew I was going to be getting a manual job I decided to contact the company to see if I could get any advice from them.  I have to say Mooncup has amazing customer service.  They recommended some techniques to help with the comfort and leaking, but when these didn't work they then sent me the smaller size B.  They also gave me a follow up email to check that everything was okay.  

Since getting this smaller size I've had no problems at all and have gone back to having a relatively comfortable period, despite digging ditches and rolling stones.  

It comes with a little bag to store when not in use and a couple of leaflets to let you know about the cup and how to use it, but no other packaging other then the recyclable cardboard box it comes in.  To top it all, the cup is pretty easy to look after and store.  I know for some people using the cup might seem a bit unpleasant, but it's good to remember that it is only your blood and your not bothered about changing a plaster.  You will also get used to it, along with inserting and removing the cup quickly.  Best of all, the waste I produce during my period is practically zero.

If you're looking for a more sustainable alternative to pads and tampons I would definitely recommend looking at the Mooncup.

Project Pan 17 Update #10 and Other Products

It turns out that October has been a good month for finishing off products. I was beginning to finish that I would never see the end of some of these, so it's been feeling good.  I've also decided to add in some products to see if I can get them completed by the end of this year.  The products are a little bit ambitious, but I thought I would give it a go.

The first product I finished first was the Natural Collection eyeshadow is Sable.  This is a lovely colour and it really like the texture of this shadow, but I don't need any more eyeshadows at the moment so I won't be buying it at any point in the near future.  However, if I ever get to the point where I'm completely out of eyeshadow I will think about repurchasing the duo this comes from.  The research I've done shows Natural Collection is cruelty free.

The second item is the Barry M Nail Paint in Bright Red.  Unlike the other nail varnishes which got too thick to use at the end, this one lasted right until the very end.  I really loved this colour and I think if I do decide to have one nail varnish once everything else is finished, this is the type of colour I would like.  Barry M is cruelty free.

There are some very small dents in a few of the shadows in my Urban Decay Naked original and there is actually a very small pan in Toasted.  It's probably because I use this everyone I wear makeup underneath my lower lash line.  Now that I don't have Sable I've started using Virgin and Naked as my all over lid shadow.  That should hopefully make them go down quicker.  Urban Decay is cruelty free.

The Barbara Day eye primer has finally started to show real progress with product visibly moving away from the side tube.  It's very satisfying to finally see this going and, though I know it won't be finished by the end of the year, it'll definitely be finished next year.  Then I'll either look into having no eye primer or finding a more natural alternative.

The MUA powder foundation in Shade 4, and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre are still going strong and not really showing obvious signs of the amount of use they're getting, though the blusher is now looking a little flatter then before.

So, the products I have decided to add into this project are the Zoya Pixie Dust nail varnish in Dahlia, the Neal's Yard lipstick in Persimmon, Living Nature eye pencil in Midnight, and the Pacifica roll on perfume in Tuscan Blood Orange.  I'm being a bit optimistic with these, but I think I will get at least the perfume finished by January.  All these brands are cruelty free.

There are two additional products I have finished this month.  The Lavera Intensive Care hand cream.  I brought this when my hands were getting dried out by some soap at work and it worked pretty well.  It's not the richest moisturizer, but it was good to use before typing on a computer (tacky keys are never good) and has been pretty effective with the drying I now get with my work gloves.  Lavera is cruelty free and I company that I really trust.  I've also finished the Organic Glam base coat.  This is a very good base coat for a more natural alternative and I do think that its claims of preventing yellowing of the nails is true, but not sure about the protection from nail breakage.  Organic Glam nail varnishes are three free and cruelty free.

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5
• Project Pan Update #6
• Project Pan Update #7
• Project Pan Update #8
• Project Pan Update #9

Project Pan 17 Update #9 and Other Products

This month has definitely been a month where I haven't been wearing makeup as much as I should have been to use it up for a project pan.  I have made some progress, but it's been really slow.

It almost seems pointless showing this photo as there really isn't much obvious change.  There is a dip going on in Toasted probably because I use it every time I do my makeup as an undereye shadow.  Other than that, everything is moving quite slowly as I'm trying to use all the shades equally.  Urban Decay is a cruelty free brand.

This shadow is the one that has gone down the most.  This is the Sable shadow from a duo eye palette by Natural Collection and is a really good shadow for both setting your eye primer and under the eye to set my concealer.  Both of the sides are now gone and the lower section should be used up within a week.  I might actually be able to complete the top section by the end of October, which would be great.  It is beginning to crumble a little bit now that the side sections have gone, but hopefully it won't fall out before I've finished it.  Natural Collection is a cruelty free brand.

I finished the Black Barry M Nail Paint in the first week of September.  Since then I've been working on Bright Red.  I haven't got a far as I had hoped or expected, but I think I'll definitely get it finished by the end of October.  That will leave me with one last nail varnish by Zoya to finish to be nail polish free.  Barry M is cruelty free.

And now for the world of the never ending makeup.  Here are the Barbara Day eye primer, MUA powder foundation in Shade 4, and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre.  All of them are going down, but not fast enough for it to be obvious on the photo.  I'll be very lucky if these are finished by the end of this year.

The last product is not part of my project pan but is something I finished this month and it's The Neal's Yard Organic Eye Make-up Remover.  I really wanted to like this product but unfortunately it didn't really work out.  Because I have watery eyes I regularly wear waterproof mascara.  Despite it saying it's for waterproof mascara and me holding a cotton pad dampened in the product over my eyes before wiping I still had to rub my lashes quite hard to get the makeup off my lashes.  It also made my eyes a little bit soar.  However, I do have sensitive eyes and so it might not be the same for someone who doesn't have this and who doesn't wear waterproof mascara.  It's a shame but that's how it goes.

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5
• Project Pan Update #6
• Project Pan Update #7
• Project Pan Update #8

Project Pan 17 Update #8

As with around this time last year progress on my project pan has slowed right down.  In fact there are no completed items to report.

I use the eye shadows from the Naked 1 palette every weekend, but as I don't use it everyday there isn't much progress to see.  The Natural Collections shadow in Sable has gone down a little, but I use it for more then just a base shadow.  Both of these companies are cruelty free.

My Barry M nail paint in Black has gone down a fair amount in August and is now beginning to thicken up.  It's not finished yet but I'm expecting it to go at the beginning of September and then I'll move onto the last varnish in my project pan, Barry M nail paint in Red.  This colour is already well used so I'm not expecting it to take too long before it is gone as well.  Barry M is a cruelty free company.

The Barbara Day eye primer and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre 48 are still showing no real signs of progress.  It's unlikely either of these will be finished by the end of the year, but I am still getting use out of them.  The MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 is now finally beginning to show a dip in the middle, yay!  This has made using it a lot more satisfying and the change is probably due to me now using it as one of the colours in my crease when applying my eye makeup.  It's also highly unlikely I will finish this by the end of the year, but if I get pan on it I'll be happy.

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5
• Project Pan Update #6
• Project Pan Update #7

Project Pan 17 Update #7 and Other Products

It's definitely getting a lot harder to use up products now that I'm not wearing makeup every day, but I'm still doing my best to get through all the items and it's much better now that I've decluttered a few items.

I have finally managed to finish off the Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum.  I've been wearing it everyday, even when working out in the field.  Even so, this perfume does last a very long time to get through, especially as I never had to reapply it during the day.  It is still one of my favourite perfumes and actually my signature scent, but I'm trying to find more natural perfumes and one that I can be certain is cruelty free.

The Barry M nail varnish in Black is also going a long quite quickly.  It's not as opaque as I thought it might be so I've had to put on thicker layers then normal.  This has helped get through it quicker then my previous varnishes.  I'm hoping it'll actually be done by next month and I can move onto the Red colour.  Barry M is a cruelty free brand.

On the eyeshadow front it's difficult to see any changes in the Urban Decay Naked palette, probably because I am only using it on the weekends, but I am still making good progress on the Natural Collections shadow in Sable.  I'm using this product every time I wear makeup as a base eyeshadow over my primer and under my eyes on top of my concealer. Both of these companies are cruelty free.

As always, the Barbara Day eye primer, MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and the Bourjois blusher in Ceidre 48 are still showing little progress compared to last time.  There is some progress from when I first started using them at the beginning of the year, but I won't get these finished by the end of it.  I am starting to use the foundation through my eye crease as well as to contour my face.  It's hardly going to make a huge difference, but every little counts.

The other products I've finished this month are the Bellapierre Cosmetics lipstick in Cat Walk (a cruelty free company) and the Butter London Hardwear P.D. Quick Topcoat (also cruelty free).  I really enjoyed using this lipstick.  It's not a long lasting lipstick, but it's not bad and comparable to other more mainstream lipsticks, but the texture was great and it smelt amazing.  Apparently the colour really suited me, but it's a little too pink for my liking (I prefer the tea rose colour).  However, I was impressed with the lipstick and might get another colour from them in the future - once I've used up all my other lipsticks.  I really liked the Butter London topcoat.  It was a little pricey at £15 (they don't actually make this anymore but I think you can still get this product in some retail stores) but it really did dry really, really quickly, made my nail polish last a long time, and lasted a lot longer than other topcoats I've tried in the past.  I would actually buy it again if they still had it.  Butter London is a cruelty free company.

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5
• Project Pan Update #6