Brands Against Animal Testing

This is a picture of my gorgeous English Springer Spaniel, Charlie. He is 12 years old and one of my favourite things in the whole world. I am using him as the picture for this blog post as I couldn't bare to type 'animal testing' into google images as I've seen pictures before of frightened, mistreated animals covered in cosmetics before and it upsets me. It's very easy to remain ignorant to things like this and carry on using brands that test their products on animals- I'm not completely innocent of it myself. Are you a pet owner? My Charlie has never done anything remotely close to harming me so it's horrible to think that humans would harm animals like Charlie. I am really passionate about the environment, animals and all that kind of stuff so try my best to support the against animals testing campaign as much as I can. I do this by buying majority of my products from brands that campaign against animal testing. Here are a few of my favourites...

First of The Body Shop. The Body Shop have lots of values that make them a great brand one of them being that they do not test one animals. In fact they have started a campaign to ban animal testing for cosmetics and over 1 million body shop customers have signed it which is meant that the word is quickly spreading around the world and actions are already taking place. After 20 years of campaigning the sale and import of animal tested products was banned in Europe which is amazing! However in other countries this has not happened so it's very important to keep awareness up. Also The Body Shop products are great quality, and one of my favourite places to shop.

Lush is also one of my favourite brands that are against animal testing. Like Body Shop they also campaign against animal testing. They have now put they're against animal testing logo on their bags as a way to advertise it (and it looks super cute). They have created a way of testing their products using a cell-culture testing company called XCellR8 which uses cruelty-free testing solutions which you can read more about here.
Liz Earle also do not test on animals (can I get a hallelujah!?) and are certified under the Humane Cosmetic Standard by Cruelty Free International (BUAV). Instead they test on human volunteers which is a lot more ethical as unlike animals, these humans choose that they would like to part. They also do not use any ingredients of animal origin (except beeswax and manuka honey). This is great news to me as I love their Cleanse and Polish. 
Michael Todd True Organics also do not test on animals because (and I quote from they're website) "they're just too darn cute" and I feel like I don't have to say anything more about Michael Todd because that quote should be enough!
As a single person I can't stop animal testing but by supporting these brands I feel like I'm doing my bit in the fight against animal testing. If you'd like to join the campaign visit the Cruelty-Free International website here.

What are your thoughts on animal testing?

*This is not a sponsored post, just one that I'm passionate about*

♥

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes

Every now and then we're all allowed a treat and these lemon drizzle cupcakes are definitely that. They're yummy! 

Ingredients:

300g caster sugar

200g butter

Juice of 3 lemons

3 eggs

250g self raising flour

1/2 tea spoon baking powder

Icing sugar

1.Preheat the oven to 160C (fan/gas 3) and line a muffin case tin with your cup cake cases.

2. Mix 250g of caster sugar and 200g of butter together until light and creamy. Tip! If your butters not at room temperature or is difficult to mix, put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and it's a lot easier to mix.

3. Add the eggs and mix before sieving and folding in all the flour.

4. Squeeze 2 lemons (making sure you remove the pips) and mix into the mixture.

5. Spoon the mixture into your cases and cook for 30 mins (until you can put a knife in and it comes out clear).

6. Leave to cool whilst you mix the juice of your last lemon and 50g of caster sugar.

7. Whilst your cupcakes are still warm make 4 small holes (using a skewer) in the cake and pour a small amount of your sugar/lemon juice on top of your cake making sure to get some in the holes!

8. Leave your cakes to fully cool down and using the left over sugar/lemon juice add some icing sugar to make lemon icing (I guess with my measurements for this).

9. Drizzle on the icing and enjoy!

I would love to know if you make these, tweet me a picture @daisyspage or tag me on instagram @daisyslittleblog.

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Bronzer For Pale Girls

When your pale, make up can be hard! I understand that it must be difficult for most skin tones to find foundations/bronzer/blush to match them but for us pale girls, we fall victim to most shades looking orange. For a very long time I avoided bronzer for this reason, but now it's one of my favourite steps of my make up routine (and one I rarely miss!). 

First off lets talk about the product itself, you want to find one that's quite light that doesn't have orange undertones. Great bronzer's for pale skin are Bourjois Delice De Powdre Bronzing Powder 51 this one looks bright but when blended right can look lovely and natural, plus it smells like chocolate..need I go on? Loreal's Glam Bronze 00, The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder 01 Light Matte and Seventeen Instant Glow Bronzing Powder Light are also great. (These are just the ones I have tried and tested, there's loads more out there)

The most important thing to remember when applying bronzer is to blend it. I used to ignore this tip and have seen pictures of myself where it looks like someone's drawn on me with orange highlighter (not a good look). So to avoid this, I lightly swirl my brush, tapping off any excess from the brush before applying to my cheek bones and take it up to my temples then on my neck. I tend to tap my bronzer on to avoid taking off any concealer. I then take a different brush (usually the Mac kabuki brush 182 that I have just used to apply my foundation) and blend it out further. Using a different brush to blend is key to getting it too look natural and not too florescent! 

Hope this helps you fellow pale girls!

What are your favourite bronzers?

♥

Glowing Skin Smoothie | The Acne Diaries

As you can read here, I've been enjoying making a smoothie every day because they are very delicious and very good for you.

This smoothie recipe is one specifically tailored to be great for the skin as it contains lots of vitamin C rich fruits. The recipe is...

1 apple

1 small satsuma

1 large handful of spinach

1 large handful of frozen mango

1/4 cup of water (or squeezed lemon juice)

1 kiwi 

The reason vitamin C is important for the skin is because its an antioxidant that slows down the rate of free radical damage which cause dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. It is also key to the production of collagen, a protein the aids in the growth of cells and blood vessels which gives skin its firmness and strength. Vitamin C also helps the skin repair itself. *science lesson over*

This smoothie also has lots of other vitamins and minerals that are you good for your skin such as iron, vitamin K and copper.

I have noticed a big difference in my skin since drinking one these smoothies every day. So go drink your way to healthy skin!

p.s. I forgot to mention that this smoothie also tastes delicious (the main reason I like making it every day)

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Everyday Spring Makeup Look

So spring is finally here! (How many times have you heard that recently?) and I always take spring as an opportunity to change switch up my routines, including my make up. I have really been enjoying this natural looking, fresh spring make up look for every day.

First off my foundation routine which includes my bareMinerals foundation and concealer. As I am still battling with acne scars I need a base that give me flawless application, natural looking and last all day, read about my foundation routine in my How To Cover Up Acne Scars post using bareMinerals Original Foundation. 

Next up bronzer and blush, which are my favourite steps. I like to keep my bronzer very natural and the best way to do this is to find one that suits your skin tone and BLEND it well. I have been enjoying Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in the shade 51 and I use this to contour my cheek bones, on my temples and my neck which (once blended) gives my a lovely natural bronzed look. I then take my Sleek Blush in Rose Gold and lightly dust on the apples of my cheeks which gives a natural flush of rosey pink to the cheeks with a little bit of shimmer - perfect for spring.

Next up eyes, I don't wear eye shadow on an everyday basis. So to define my eyes I like to draw a line close to my lash line using a pencil liner I am currently using one from The Body Shop in the colour black. I then take my new favourite mascara Maybelline's Lash sensational.

For lips again I like to keep it fairly natural, I am loving Tanya Burr's Lip gloss in the colour I found nemo (Tanya wins the award for the product with the cutest name!) its a gorgeous coral colour with a glossy natural finish.

What products do you include in your spring make up routine?

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How To Get Strong Healthy Nails

Since treating myself to quite a few gel manicures over Christmas my nails are definitely feeling the consequences. Before gel nails I had very healthy nails that where very strong and could grow very long however now they are incredibly weak and visibly unhealthy. So here is guide and product recommendation to getting strong, long, healthy nails.

Firstly I like to cut my nails right back, to get rid of much of the old unhealthy nail as I can. I then like to file them into the shape I like so that they grow nicely into this shape. I then use a nail varnish remover (any old one will do) and a buffing quad to get rid of any old stubborn product and smooth the surface of my nails. 

Next up is dealing with the cuticles.. I use a cuticle pusher backer tool..you know what I mean right? to gently push back my cuticles towards my finger. I then take a cuticle oil, I am currently using Sinful Nails Cuticle Oil and swipe it across all my cuticle bed and gentle massage it in. 

And finally apply a nail strengthener (before I do this I like to wash my hands just to get any debris off). My absolute favourite and one I would highly recommend is Rimmel London Nail Nurse Rescue which is a clear nail treatment polish that claims to leave you with stronger, longer and more resilient nails after the 14 days (and believe me it really does do all these things) it recommends applying one coat on the first day of treatment then a second coat the following day then after a week removing it after 7 days and repeating the process. I follow these guidelines and occasionally add a few more coats depending on how bad my nails are. As well as doing this as a one of treatment I also like to wear it as clear coat when I'm not wearing nail polish (as it leaves a pretty shine) or use it as a base coat as it stops other polishes turning your nails slightly yellow. It's a great affordable product that I really do recommend, it's saved my nails!

Your nails are now good to go, to leave natural or apply your favourite nail polish too either way they are left feeling and looking much healthier than before.

What are your favourite nail polishes?

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Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara | Review

I love mascara's, if I only had to wear one product (besides foundation lol!) it would be mascara. I'm constantly changing up which mascara I use but think I have found my drug store favourite...Maybelline's Lash Sensational.

In my opinion the name does it total justice. I love the way this makes my lashes look, both volumised and long. You can apply one or two layers for a perfect every day or layer it up for a false lash effect.

It has a plastic applicator, which are my favourite ones. The brush is very similar to L'oreal's Butterfly Effect which was a favourite of mine for a long time.

My favourite thing about this mascara is that is stays put all day. I sadly fall victim too the back smudges under my eye after only a few hours of applying make up, I don't know how but I always seem to be rocking the mascara on my face rather than on my lashes look - but not with this mascara (thank god - panda eyes is not the most flattering look haha) this one doesn't budge all day! 

My second favourite thing about this mascara is the price, it's only £5.99!! A bargain and better than a few high end mascara's I have tried. I really do recommend this purse friendly mascara. I think it's one I will be using for a long time.

Have you tried it? 

♥

A Week Away..

I recently took a week off and went away with my family to South Devon, one of my favourite places to go. (The pictures above are taken from Salcombe (left) a lovely little town with lovely harbour and the other two are from a reservoir in Dartmoor with some amazing views. Both a must if your in the area).

We've been visiting Devon since I was a tiny baby so its become and sort of second home for us, we try and go at least once a year. So for me Devon is a place full of happy memories. When I'm down there my stress and anxiety levels go down to almost 0, its somewhere I can go and feel content and happy. Maybe this is because I'm surrounded by beautiful countryside and beaches, maybe its because of all the happy memories that me and my family have created there but I know that when I'm down there I can relax and appreciate life without anxiety.

It was a lovely week away, filled with country/beach walks, pub lunches and cosy nights in in-front of an open fire. Sounds bliss huh?

I think its so important to have a place where you can go and feel you stress and worries blow away in the wind as I mentioned in my previous post 5 simple ways to instantly improve your life. Somewhere that makes you happy, where you can be yourself, whether its 200 miles away (as Devon is for me) or a field down the road from your house. Every so often its good to get away from normal life and take a breather.

Do you have a place that's special to you? 

♥

How To Cover Up Acne Scars | The Acne Diaries

Once you've got rid of your acne, your likely to get rid of scars. You might be thinking (as I did) I don't care about scars I just want to get rid of these spots! Well unfortunatley scarring can be just as, if not more difficult to get rid of than acne and, as I found, really difficult to cover! However I finally feel I have found a foundation routine that covers my scars...

Prime

Priming is an important step when trying to conceal your acne scars, it increases the longevity of your foundation keeping you flawless for much longer. There are lots of different primers out there but if you are trying to conceal acne scars I recommend a smoothing primer as some acne scars can be dipped making your skin look bumpy and uneven, a smoothing primer will help you skin texture look more even. I am currently using The Body Shop Drops of Youth Wonder Blur which I am really enjoying, it keeps my foundation on for longer and does smooth my skin a little too, read the blog post I did about it here.

Conceal #1

This is the first step to creating flawless foundation. I use this step to cover the redness of my scarring. I am currently using bareMinerals Correcting Concealer SPF 20 which is a creamy concealer with medium to high coverage that work reasonably well at taking the redness out away the redness. If your looking for a very high coverage concealer then I recommend the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. However the reason I like this concealer is that it has added skin care benefits as it contains lemon peel extract, a botanical brightener that work to visibly brighten skin and reduce the appearance of dark spots and discolourations over time. Whether this actually is true or not I am yet to find out as I have not been using this concealer that long however I like the idea that my concealer can help reduce my acne scars. 

Foundation

This step creates an even base for our make up, blending the concealer we have already applied and adding more coverage. I am currently using bareMinerals Original Foundation SPF 15 as it works really well at evening out my skin tone and creating a natural, yet pretty high coverage base, check out my blog post where I talk about it in more detail here. Use a foundation that you like and that you can build into a good coverage.

Powder

This is a pretty important step as using powder sets your foundation keeping it in place for much longer. You can use a translucent powder such as Rimmel's Stay Matte which is great for setting your foundation and taking away any shine if you have oily skin. Or you can use this step to add further coverage such as Revlon's Photo Ready Pressed Powder which is one of my favourite powders to use as it helps create an 'airbrush' finish. 

Conceal #2

Your face should be looking pretty flawless right now but somehow theres always a few scars that manage to shine there way through the make up. So this step is to deal with them annoying little blitters! I again use my bareMinerals Original Foundation with a flat concealer brush to tap the product over the scars. With this step you need to use a concealer that will blend easily otherwise it can look cakey. Using your foundation with a concealer brush is a good way to get the extra coverage yet it will blend easily into your foundation (as its the same product!) You can then apply a little extra powder to set the concealer however I often don't.

What are some of your favourite concealers?

♥

Smoothies

I have been pretty obsessed with making smoothies recently. They taste SO good but more importantly are really good for you. Packing 3-5 different fruits/vegetables into one glass means your getting a yummy snack that provides you with at least one of your 5 a day and lots of vitamins and other good stuff! 

I like to buy a load of fresh/frozen fruit, chop it all up and put it into a big tub which I put in the freezer (as it keeps it fresher for longer) then whenever I want a smoothie just grab a hand full of whatever I've got in my tub and blitz it up (you will need to use the ice setting on your blender if your using frozen fruit).

You can use whatever fruit you have in your fruit bowl but my favourite combination at the moment is:

• 1 apple

• a handful of pineapple

• 2 handfuls of mango

• a handful of spinach 

• a few blueberries 

• a big glug of coconut water

Both spinach and coconut water are great to have in smoothies as they don't taste much so don't spoil the taste but have lots of vitamins and minerals in. Spinach is in it's best form when blitzed in a smoothie (apparently?).

Try having one smoothie a day and your skin and energy levels will thank you for it, mine certainly have. 

What's your favourite fruit smoothie combo? 

♥

5 Simple Ways To Instantly Improve Your Life

Lets face it, we all have days where we just want to give up. The days look grey and dreary and you question what your missing in your life? Here are 5 things I like to do when I hit that wall...

De-clutter

De clutter somewhere that you spend a lot of time. Be it your desk and work, your make-up table, your bedroom even the apps on your phone. Throw away everything that you don't use anymore/can't remember why you bought it. De cluttering physically helps you de-clutter mentally.

Take days out

No I don't mean phone into work sick and spend all day watching movies, eating junk food and feeling guilty at the fact that you have phoned into work and spent the day watching movies and eating junk food. I mean every so often when you've got a day off take yourself somewhere where you feel happy. Whenever I feel over stressed or anxious I know that means GET ME TO A BEACH and whether rain or shine, that weekend I will drive to my favourite and spend some time walking around in the fresh air whilst listening to the waves and reboot so I'm ready to go back to every day life.

Change something about yourself

This could be as simple as the colour of nail varnish your wearing. Changing something in your daily routine that usually is the same no matter how simple adds a burst of excitement into your life. I recently had my hair chopped short and it really does make you feel different.

Drink more water

The cheapest, easiest beauty/feel good treatment there is. Drinking more water makes you feel less lethargic, wakens you up and does wonders for your skin. I like to take a water bottle with me where ever I go so that I'm never dehydrated.

Surround yourself with good company

Whether it be your best friend, family or even your pet, spending time with people you love really does improve your mood. Distract yourself with conversation and create memories that make you smile.

♥