July Life

HOW I'VE BEEN FEELING

Generally pretty hot and bothered! Haha! It has been a warm month though hasn't it? I don't cope too well in really hot weather and I definitely feel as though the heatwave has impacted on both my motivation and productivity levels this month. I think July has been the first month in a while where I have found myself feeling a bit down in the dumps and a tad grumpy. I've noticed myself saying "I feel fed up" more this month and i've generally felt quite restless with life. I'm not sure if it's just the weather or something else is going on but I am hoping it passes soon! 

Summer (un)Loving

Over the past couple of weeks Twitter has been overflowing with people complaining about Summer and the recent unexpected heatwave we have been (un)fortunate enough to (not)enjoy. As much as I don't like to complain about hot and dry weather, because it is indeed a rarity in this country, I couldn't help but find myself silently agreeing with them and hitting the heart button on their tweets.  

Vegan Eats In Cambridge

Last week I attended an iPhoneography workshop in Cambridge and I decided to use my spare time beforehand exploring some more of what Cambridge has to offer in terms of vegan eats. 

My Bedside Table Essentials

I always find myself really interested in what other people keep on their bedside tables so I thought I would share with you all the essential items which I keep next to my bed.

Suffolk Glamping Trip

Last week my husband and I decided to book a very last minute glamping trip and we found a really good deal with Dawn Chorus Luxury Glamping Holidays in Suffolk. We usually tend to stay in the UK during the warmest months and for the past 3 years we have enjoyed small glamping mini breaks at this time of year. I guess you could say that we've become pro glampers having stayed in a yurt and a cargo pod in the past. Lets just say I am much more of a glamper than I am a camper!

My Current Skincare Routine

I have to admit at the start of this post that I never started paying attention to any skincare routine until about 6 months before I got married back in 2013. Until that moment I basically only ever used makeup removing face wipes (*holds head in shame) and hot water with a flannel. 

What I Eat In A Day - Vegan

I've wanted to write a 'What I Eat In A Day' blog post for some time now but I just haven't got around to it - until now that is! A lot of people often question what I eat on a daily basis as a vegan so I thought it would be a good idea to share with you all a very standard day for me and offer an idea of the regular meals and snacks that I enjoy in a daily basis. 

Mental Health Recovery

This week i've been reflecting on my mental health and how far I have come in my recovery.

The Garden of Eden Beauty Salon

A little while ago, and on the Facebook grapevine, I heard that a new vegan beauty parlour had opened in Colchester, Essex, and as you can probably all imagine I was really curious to find out more. Essex is pretty sparse to say the least when it comes to vegan friendly hair and beauty salons and it's not something I ever see advertised locally so this really did catch my eye. This is also another reason why I can't bring myself to leave Facebook (as much as i'd like to) as i'd definitely miss out on finding out about things like this! 

I was so happy when The Garden of Eden Beauty owner Dionne Bartlett contacted me out of the blue to see if I wanted to visit the salon to try out one of her treatments. Of course I was quick to say yes and I was excited to experience the salon for myself.  

The Garden of Eden Beauty is in fact located in the same space as the Lucky Rose Clinic who also happen to specialise in vegan friendly tattoos and permanent makeup. Once inside the clinic it was really great to see that these small vegan friendly businesses have combined forces to offer something quite original - a one stop shop for all of  your cruelty free and vegan beauty needs! There's even a resident hair stylist who uses all vegan friendly products. It's hard to believe this exists let alone it existing in Essex. Time really are changing!  

Dionne showed me around her beauty salon whilst also filling me in on more about herself. As a long time vegan herself she really understands the importance of using cruelty free and vegan friendly beauty products but it wasn't her initial intention promote her business as being 'vegan'. Dionne happened to see  a request on Facebook for a vegan friendly manicure and she soon realised that this is in fact a great selling point and something which sets her apart from all the others. With the rise of Veganism in Essex, and particularly Colchester which has recently seen numerous vegan friendly cafe's open, the word 'vegan' has definitely become a big selling point. And it's definitely paid off as Dionne has been inundated with bookings so far and business is going well which is great to hear.     

Dionne offers a wide range of beauty treatments including facials, gel manicures & pedicures, Jamberry nail wraps, eyelash tinting & extensions and aromatherapy massages. I opted to try out a hydrating facial as my skin felt quite dry following my recent holiday to Ibiza and where it had seen a lot of sunshine. This facial lasts 35 minutes and is priced at £35. It's designed to nourish and hydrate dry to normal skin leaving it feeling plumper and glowing.

Dionne uses products by a brand called Kaeso who use only naturally derived ingredients. They are of course also vegan friendly and cruelty free!

The facial itself was such an enjoyable experience and so relaxing. I never usually opt for facials as it always seems like too much hassle to have all my makeup removed and to then have to walk around in public bare faced! So this really did feel like a special treat. As Dionne worked her magic on me it felt so comforting to be in the hands of a fellow vegan. She made me feel so at ease, we chatted about vegan living and the whole time I could rest safe in the knowledge that the products being used were all animal friendly. I felt sad once the treatment had ended as I could have easily continued to lay there for another half an hour at least. My skin also looked amazingly brighter and firmer. I was impressed!  

As well as treatments Dionne also offers gift vouchers for her services which I think is an excellent idea as I know of a few people who I could spoil with a pamper treatment for their birthday. It also gives me another idea for what to ask for for my own birthday! She also hosts occasional vegan social and promotional events at the salon so be sure to like her Facebook page to stay up to date with all the goings on.

Next time my hair is due for a re-vamp I am definitely going to book myself in with the stylist here. I took a few minutes to explore the hairdressing area and I was interested to find these Maria Nila hair products which I have to say are completely knew to me and i'd never heard of them before. It was great to see that they are both Leaping Bunny and Vegan Society registered so i'm really excited to see what they can do for my hair in future. I love discovering new vegan friendly products!  

I really enjoyed my experience at The Garden of Eden Beauty and I left feeling so relaxed and with much brighter skin! I often don't really enjoy the experience of visiting hair or beauty salons as it can at times feel a little intimidating but I'm pleased to say that I didn't get that feeling at all here. Instead it has a really lovely laid-back atmosphere and all the ladies I met were very friendly and welcoming. There was no pretentiousness at all and I felt very at home which I think is so important when having treatments of any kind carried out on you. 

I personally can't wait for my return visit and it's so great to know that somewhere like this exists. I now have a one stop shop for all of my hair and beauty needs and the best part of all is that I can be confident that no animal has had to suffer for me to look and feel good! I would definitely recommend a visit and it would be great if all of the Essex vegans could show this brilliant small business some support. 

Have you experienced The Garden of Eden Beauty yet? 

To make a booking just call 07943 955 396 & don't forget to mention my blog!   

* The treatment received in this blog post was in return for a blog review.  All views and options expressed within this post are completely my own. 

Award Winning Haircare By Tints of Nature

Tints of Nature were recently awarded the 'best haircare' range at the Natural Health International Beauty Awards 2016 and now their Hydrate Conditioner and Hydrate Treatment have both been awarded as 'Best Buys' in The Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards 2016. The Green Parent are the UK's leading lifestyle and natural parenting magazine and their annual natural beauty awards are voted on by a panel of testers. 

You may recall that I recently tried out and reviewed a dry shampoo by Tints of Nature and I was so impressed by it that I was keen to try out some other products from the range, particularly the recent award winners!

I was sent both of the award winning products and the accompanying Hydrate Shampoo in order for me to be able to experience the best results possible from using all of the products together. I was really excited to use this haircare range and experience the impressive results for myself.  

Tints of nature pride themselves on being a natural, cruelty free and vegan hair colour & haircare range. Where possible they use completely natural and organically certified ingredients which makes them a great choice for anyone who cares about not putting too many damaging chemicals on their hair and body. All of the Tints of Nature products are also made right here in the UK and I personally love to support the homegrown smaller independent brands, especially when their ethics are in line with my own. 

The Tints of Nature Hydrate Conditioner not only nourishes and moisturises your hair but it has also been specially formulated to keep coloured hair locked in for longer. Where as a lot of other conditioners may contain silicones which can coat the hair and cause product build up, this conditioner is made from completely natural and certified organic ingredients. It therefore really couldn't be any better for your hair! Among the ingredients it contains aloe and camomile flower which are both natural scalp soothers and moisturising. 

The Tints of Nature Hydrate Treatment is designed for anyone who suffers with dry and damaged hair. It's also advised to use on hair before colouring for even more outstanding results. Just like the regular Hydrate Conditioner, this conditioning treatment also locks in hair colour and reduces colour fade which is great for anyone who has coloured hair and works even better with the Tints of Nature hair colour range. 

When using this Hydrate Treatment you have to apply to clean towel dried hair, comb through and leave in for fifteen minutes. Afterwards you simply rinse the treatment out and finish with the hydrate conditioner. This obviously means that your usual hair cleansing routine may be prolonged in order to use this treatment but for me it's proven great for occasional use and in order to give my hair that extra conditioning boost it so often needs. 

The results were pretty impressive and I can firmly say that my hair felt noticeably softer and shiny after using. I have recently suffered with a dry and itchy scalp and I was surprised by just how soothing this treatment was when I applied it to my hair. My scalp felt instantly relieved and cooler. Another unexpected result from using this treatment was that my hair felt a lot thicker once I dried and styled it. I am always striving for thicker fuller hair so this made me very happy. This is definitely a product I can see myself using as part of a relaxing pamper evening in the bath tub or just before a special occasion when I know i'm going to need a good hair day. 

  

I'm really pleased to have had the opportunity to try out all of these products as they really are quite special and it's great to be introduced to a new cruelty free and vegan friendly brand which I can share with all of you on my blog. 

Have you tried anything from the Tints of Nature haircare range yet? 

* These products were sent to me for review purposes. All views and opinions expressed within the blog are my own.