Berlin Round-Up

As most of you will know, my boyfriend and I recently went on a little long weekend trip to Berlin, Germany. We had an absolutely fantastic time and I wanted to share a couple (a shit ton) of photos with you. Please excuse the photo vomit... but more shall follow when I do my overviews of the two museums we visited on Museuminsel (Neues & Pergamon), and my reviews of the vegan restaurants we went to. 

As I just mentioned, we had a wonderful couple days and really hope to return in the new year! We actually rented an apartment through Airbnb rather than a hotel and do not regret it one bit. I can do a post on my experience with using Airbnb if anyone is interested. We were staying in the Neukölln

 area which is south-east of central Berlin, but we visited many of the historical sites in Mitte such as the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Holocaust Memorial and parts of the Berlin Wall (or what remains of it).

Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Hope that you can spot the baby alpaca... probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Tips for Going Vegan

• Inform yourself. Firstly, ensure that your intentions for going vegan are clear in your mind. Are you an ethical vegan? Environmental vegan? Or just determined to get healthy? Whatever the catalyst, don't forget why you're making the change. Research the benefits of going vegan, the conditions of factory farming, the impact of going vegan on the environment - anything that will keep you on your path. Also, make sure that you're aware of the many hidden animal ingredients such as lecithin (which isn't always soy based), gelatine, casein and propolis. There are apps and websites which go through these ingredients (and others) in more detail.

• Do not rely on substitutes. The pull towards fake meats and cheeses will be strong when you first go vegan. However, such products can be extremely unhealthy, packed full of soy, oil, salt and preservatives. Try to stay as whole plant-based as you can, taking your nutrition from lots of colourful fruit and veg. However, this doesn't mean that you should avoid them completely. When eating out, there's no harm in indulging once in a while.

• Find replacements for your favourites. Missing out on a precious food love can be heartbreaking, but it can be equally as fun to explore and find healthy vegan alternatives for all your favourite meals. For example, vegan lasagne can be made with butternut squash and a cheese sauce made from almond milk and spices. And then same cheese sauce can be altered to create a delicious and healthy macaroni cheese. Research is key and don't be afraid to get cooking! When you're vegan, it's harder to rely on frozen/pre-prepared meals and it forces you in to the kitchen. For ideas: check out Sim's Kitchenette.

• Be well equipped. It's very important that when you first go vegan - and are less familiar with ingredients and whether you can eat in certain places - to ensure that you always carry snacks. This will stop you going hungry if you ever find yourself in an area without healthy vegan options. Don't just settle for chips. Pack yourself a small snack box with fresh fruit, dried fruit, pasta salad, snack bars, whatever tickles your fancy.

• Finally, go at your own pace. People will tell you to take it in stages and others will tell you that the best method is to go cold turkey. I suggest you do what seems best for you. Some people (who have lots of willpower when it comes to food - like myself) will find it easy to cut out meat and dairy overnight. Others will need a little more time. If you do choose the latter, start with meat, then dairy, the eggs. Finally, you can choose to cut out other animal products such as honey.

The Hydrating Mists

It's September - but it's still pretty warm and if I'm honest, you can never have too many hydrating mists, or toners in general for that matter. In this post, I shall be sharing with you something old, something new and something a little bit different within this much loved beauty category. A category that green beauty does rather well.

Something old: Let's kick it all off with my favourite of the bunch. The Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner. The scent is light and floral, the mister is top notch (ever so important) and formula is truly moisturising. This is the only toner that I have come across that really does penetrate the skin and moisturise, rather than just making it wet. This is down to the aloe base and the glorious addition of rose water and rose/lavender essential oils. This one is definitely a winner... and check out that equally awesome price tag!

Somthing new: The Green People Toning Hydrating Mist* is a new release which was generously sent to me by GP. I've been testing out and I've found that it's PERFECT for prepping your face for oils. Nothing ground-breaking, but definitely a useful addition to any collection. The ingredients are great (no alcohol and 96% organic!), and the price isn't too bad either. My only problems with this product are related to the packaging. The mister is down right horrendous (spray in to your hands and pat on to avoid taking an unplanned shower) and the plastic feels a little cheap. However, this makes it a good option to carry round in your bag without risking breakages. 

Something different: Now for something a little innovative. Let me introduce you to the Raw Gaia MSM Beauty Spray* which is actually more of a moisturiser in spray form, rather than a regular toner. This unique blend of floral waters, oils and skin regenerating MSM, smells amazing and leaves skin happy and glowing. MSM (a nutritional form of sulphur) is known as the beauty mineral and I can really vouch for the results that this product provides. This is perfect for giving combo & dehydrated skin and extra moisture boost without entering oil-slick territory. I'll be doing a more in-depth review of this and another amazing Raw Gaia product very shortly. 

Tell me about some of your favourite toning mists...

A Change of Scenery

September has always been the month of change. Whether it's the return of a brisk chill in the air or the turning of the leaves, it's always brought with it a sense of worry and anticipation. For me, September has brought with it many changes, many mundane, but also many personal. On the last day of August, I left the comfort of a stable job with excitement-- ready for the countdown to university and the countdown to a Berlin trip, a couple weeks previous. I had originally anticipated wasting my time with relaxation, blogging and reading. However, I have instead been left busy and tired, having picked up a part time job a lot quicker than I had expected. Both blogging and relaxation has been put to the wayside. Leaving the regularity of the 9-5 for shift work has left me exhausted and frankly, disorganised. Blogging itself has become more of a chore, than a hobby as it once was. Now that I am being sent PR samples, I am finding it hard to keep up with regular postings, and I'm finding it even harder to stay motivated, let alone inspired. 

I have been finding solace in reading, and have once again reminded myself where my true passion lies. The multi-faceted characters and beautifully detailed worlds that I have been experiencing, have ignited an old excitement, one that makes me want to write and share with others. "Booktube" has created a monster within myself, a monster that has managed to acquire a grand total of 12 books within the first week of September. I want to read them, enjoy them and then share them with as many people as possible.

This blog is not going to vanish, but it shall be going through changes, along with myself. Expect less beauty posts, and more posts centred around my life, my loves and my books (with the occasional cleanser and lipstick). Of course, I just want to quickly thank all of the lovely girls and friends that I have met because of the green beauty community. I'm not running away, just developing myself. I'll still be doing the occasional beauty post, but I'm not going to keep myself to any schedule or theme within my blog or Youtube channel (obviously need to do a book haul at some point). In spite of this, I do have some beauty reviews/posts that I need to publish first so look out for those!

Sorry for the ramble-heavy post, but I feel like I sometimes stifle myself within blogging and I just want to write and talk about everything that I love, not just beauty products.