Vegan Lipsticks - Axiology and Neek Lipstick Review

I was so excited to finally get my hands of these, the Axiology and Neek lipsticks.

I recently sold my M.A.C lipsticks on depop.

M.A.C claim to be working towards a cruelty free world which is positive, however they also state that before they are able to import into China, their government may conduct animal testing as part of its safety assessment. 

I didn't want to continue using them but I also didn't want to just throw them away, so I sold them.

And I spent the money on these two little beauties.

 Both Axiology and Neek are vegan, cruelty free and natural lipsticks. 

The Neek lipstick comes in this lovely wooden tube. Whilst Axiology cases their lipsticks in this gorgeous matte golden case, with a click to pop the lipstick in and out of the tube, that is so satisfying. And with the unique triangular cardboard box it's some very luxurious packaging.

I purchased the colours Pash (Neek) and Noble (Axiology) and both are fresh, pretty, everyday kind of colours. 

Noble is a soft peachy pink colour with a hint of a brown hue, I feel this shade would suit most people and Pash is a pretty dusty-pink with a mauve tone.

Both lipsticks have a nourishing, moisturising feel. Pash (the Neek one) is much more creamy in constitency. Whereas Noble (the Axiology one) is more of a glossy finish, it feels similar to a lip balm. 

So finally let's get on to staying power and cost....

 If you eat then both of these lipsticks will come off but apart from having to reapply after meal times, they stayed on pretty well. 

The Neek lipsticks retail here in the UK at £15 and the Axiology lipsticks are slightly more of a splurge at £24, however the packing is just stunning and will make your friends very envious. 

Just buy an Axiology lipstick just for the satisfying click. 

Have a fantastic day and stay kind xx

Vegan Fish and Chips

 

I can honestly say I don't miss eating meat at all but I do miss going for fish and chips. I live on the south west coast of England and there's Chippies galore.

So this June's front cover of Cook Vegan magazine got my taste buds so excited.

 

And let me tell you this recipe by @avantgardevegan did not disappoint. Oh my goodness it was heaven on a plate.

The recipe is quite straightforward, put it this way if I can do it, you definitely can!

So for the chips;

Maris Piper potatoes and vegetable or sunflower oil 

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunky chips (or fries if you're from the US) 

Place the chips in a pan of water, add a little salt and bring to the boil for two minutes and then drain. 

Heat your oil or deep fat fryer, alternatively you can bake them in the oven but I wasn't trying to be healthy with this dish. 

And cook the chips in the oil or oven. 

For the batter;

50g of plain flour

50g of corn flour

Pinch of salt

75ml beer 

75ml soda water

I added more flour or soda water until I got the right consistency. A thick batter.

For the 'Fish' (Tofish or Tofush);

1 x 400g firm block tofu

1 large sheet of nori (sushi seaweed sheet)

Juice of a 1 lemon 

Drain tofu and remove excess water (I placed it on some clean kitchen roll with a plate on top) 

Cut the tofu into triangles, cut the nori to fit on top of the triangles and brush with lemon juice to make nori stick to the tofu.

I did this on both sides for a more seafood taste.

Then dip and coat with the batter and shallow or deep fry until golden and crispy. 

For the mushy peas; 

Frozen peas 

Vegan margarine 

Handful of chopped fresh mint 

Good squeeze of lemon juice

A little sea salt

Cook the frozen peas, drain add the vegan margarine, lemon juice, mint and salt. Mash the ingredients together. 

For the Tartare sauce; 

Some Vegan Mayo (I used a small bowl full) 

2 small pickles/gherkins

1 tsp of English mustard 

A squeeze of lemon juice 

Chop the gherkins into tiny pieces/chunks and mix all the above ingredients together.

I cooked the Tofu Fish in batches and placed in a warm oven whilst cooking the rest. 

Seriously guys this was so delicious that I'm making it again this weekend! 

 

I can also really recommend the Cook Vegan magazine for its variety of recipes and tips. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, leave a comment with your instagram name so I can see your photos and don't forget to follow me too.

Enjoy, have a beautiful day and stay kind.

Chloe xx

Vegan Cat Food

So I had a fantastic time at VegFest in Bristol last month but I was so saddened to find out that due to Bristol City Council's rising costs, it would be the last one!

I met some amazing people and received some great freebies, as well as purchasing lots of vegan goodies too.

One of the freebies I received was a sample of Benevo Cat Food, actually it wasn't free, I think it was a £1 sample. Some people think its cruel to feed cats a plant based diet and my two cats enjoy their usual cat food, so I haven't given it too much thought until now.

There are stories such as 'Kitten nearly dies on a vegan diet' and debates like this one here argue that it's extremely cruel.

Peta states cats need a high level of Vitamin A, taurine and protein and most feline nutritional experts say 'No' to cats eating a vegan diet. As a lack of taurine can lead to heart problems, blindness and even death - very scary statements for any animal lover.

 

However when I saw these cat food samples at VegFest, I thought I would get some, as Vegan Cat food is not cheap and I could taste test my cats without the wasted expense if they didn't like it.

So the results of the taste test! Well I have to say both cats went to the Vegan sample of cat food in the white bowl, over the one containing meat in the other. Does this mean my cats are vegan?

I know that if I had placed a third bowl containing wet food (meat) they would have gone for this option. But then my cats only have wet food as an occasional treat.

So am I going to swap to Vegan cat food? I'd be really interested to hear your views on this or your experiences of feeding cats in this way.

The conclusion I have come to, is that I'm going to combine the Vegan Cat Food with their ordinary dry complete food. That way it's not as expensive, they still get a balance of meat in their diet but it's cut down by half, so I figure it's a compromise for now.

You can purchase Benevo Cat Food here...

Benevo Vegan Adult Cat Food, 10kg

The 10kg bag works out at £3.80 per kilogram which is a lot cheaper than the 2kg bag (£7.50 per kg).

To be totally transparent and honest with you guys, this is an affiliated link and I just get a tiny percentage, should you choose to purchase through this link, which as your guys know helps to keep blogs going.

Have a fabulous day and Stay kind.....

Chloe xx

Vegan Sweet Potato Dahl

To me, dahl is the ultimate comfort food and it's so easy to make.

So today I'm sharing my sweet potato dahl recipe, the sweet potatoes add a lovely sweetness to this classic dish.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• a little drizzle of oil
• 50 grams of green lentils
• half a medium sweet potato
• half a tsp of ground cumin
• half a tsp of ground turmeric
• half a tbsp of tomato puree
• a little sprinkle of salt and pepper
• some water

These small amounts are enough for one portion or one adult and a little one. This is usually enough for my youngest daughter and I. 

To make enough for two people double the ingredients, for three people triple and for four quadruple and so on, you get the idea. 

Just add a dash of oil to a pan and gently fry the garlic for a couple of minutes.

Next add the lentils and sweet potato and cover slightly with water.

Add the cumin, turmeric, tomato puree and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for approximately 40 minutes.

You may need to add a little more water to prevent the mixture drying out. So keep an eye on it.

Once the sweet potatoes and lentils are soft, add salt and pepper, seasoning to taste.

Serve with some flat breads or chapatis or whatever takes your fancy. Rice goes so well with this dish. 

And all thats left to do is enjoy!

Have a fantastic day and stay kind :)

Vegan Hot Cross Buns

There is no greater smell than that of warmed hot cross buns filling your house. Since going Vegan, I have missed that smell, so this year I decided to make some.

The recipe is broken down into parts and will make 6 Vegan Hot Cross Buns, to make more just double or triple up on the ingredients.

To make the dough you will need ......

• half a cup of dairy free milk (I used hemp milk)
• half a teaspoon of yeast
• 1 tbsp of sugar

Gently warm the milk until it's lukewarm, in a bowl add the yeast, the sugar and milk, mixing well together. 

In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients below. 

• 250 grams of plain flour
• half a teaspoon of salt
• half a teaspoon of ground ginger
• half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• half a teaspoon of ground or grated nutmeg
• 50 grams of sultanas
• finely grated zest of 1 orange

Make a well in the centre and add ......

• 1 tbsp of oil
• 1 tbsp of orange juice 
• and the yeast mixture

Bring all the ingredients together with your hands, you may need to add a little more flour or water (if  the dough too wet or too dry)

Knead the dough for 10 minutes, yes your arms will ache but it will be totally worth it. 

Cover the dough in cling film or a clean damp tea towel and leave it to rise in a warm place (put your heating on if the room is cold) for an hour. 

Knead for a further 10 minutes, just think of the guns you'll get, your arms need this workout. 

Divide the dough in to 6 equally sized balls and place them on to a baking tray.

Again cover with the cling film/tea towel and leave in a warm place for a further 35 minutes.

Heat your oven to 175C

To make the crosses on top

• Just mix 1 tbsp of flour with a little water to make a thick paste.

You can use a piping bag, if doubling or tripling the mixture to make 12 or 18 hot cross buns. To make 6, I just used a small spoon and a knife to create the crosses. 

Place your buns into the pre-heated oven for approximately 20 minutes. Keep checking on them, until they look golden brown and smell delicious. 

Whilst still warm, you will need to add the glaze.....

• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of orange juice (or water)

Gently boil the sugar and juice together in a small pan until you create a syrup. Remove from the heat and brush the syrup over the buns.

We were extra naughty and added sugar crystals too.

You could eat these straight away or serve toasted with vegan butter and a little dash of salt on top, to recreate a butter taste. 

Your house will smell amazing each time you toast some under the grill. Enjoy :)

Have a wonderful Easter and Stay kind....

Veggie Prêt - Just Yes!

What more is there to say? Other than Yes! and Go Pret!

So if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, the chain Pret a Manger are about to open their second 'Veggie Pret' shop in London, selling only Vegetarian and Vegan food.

Originally this idea started as a pop up shop but after being so popular it remained opened in Soho last year. And now a second shop is due to open in Shoreditch on the 4th of April and I'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that more will follow.

There are so many Vegan menu options such as my favourite Avocado & Chipotle Chickpea Salad wrap, Cucumber and Humous on Rye, Falafel Mezzo and a Cacao & Orange pot. It's absolutely fantastic news for us Vegans.

But don't worry, if like me you don't live close by to London, the usual Pret's offer many of the delicious vegan options too. It's just super exciting to see shops serving only veggie options beginning to pop up.

And hopefully this will lead to more chains realising they need to be offering more veggie options too.

Stay positive and stay kind.

Follow your heart - Vegan Eggs

So it's mother's day here in the UK and I received some Follow your heart Vegan Eggs. I wasn't sure what to expect as it comes in this cute little egg box. But basically inside you will find a bag of yellow powder.

I decided to try the scrambled egg recipe, so I followed the instructions, mixing two tablespoons of product to 115ml of ice cold water. 

Mixing the powdered egg substance and water together made a yellow thick liquid.

The instructions stated that you need a lightly oiled pan on a medium heat and that the mixture should sizzle as it hits the pan. 

As I poured the mixture into the pan it immediately started to form together like scrambled eggs. 

I followed the instructions to cook for 6-8 minutes, however it began to burn and stick to the pan at around 4 minutes. Maybe my pan was too hot or it was too lightly oiled, I don't know.

After about 7 minutes this was the amount of Vegan scrambled egg I was left with. So what did it taste like, well my youngest daughter said 'It tastes like rubber' and it did have an unusual taste with a rubbery texture. But when we added a generous dollop of ketchup and ate some with a mouthful of toast, it had the texture of egg, blind tested I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between real egg and this with the added toast and ketchup. 

I personally don't miss egg, so this wasn't for me. However, I am excited to try this product for baking or as an egg replacement in other recipes. 

Happy Mother's Day and Stay kind xx