Beauty

Ohii Pure Stick Deodorant in Citrus Tea

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 3 Comments

I started using natural deodorant ten years ago as I couldn’t find any others that were cruelty free at the time. The salt based ones didn’t really work but the solid cream ones worked really well, even in summer. I thought I’d try this charcoal-based one by Ohii in Citrus Tea £10 from Urban Outfitters to deodorise and care for my skin even more.

This has a fresh, mild scent and one swipe is all I need to stay fresh all day! It doesn’t make my skin dry or itchy either, like some other solid deodorants do by the evening.

  • Cruelty free
  • Vegan
  • Aluminium free
  • Baking soda free
  • Doesn’t leave white marks/dries clear
  • Soothing Aloe

It would have got five out of five if it was packaged in glass, rather than plastic or it was refillable. I also found the labelling extremely hard to make sense of to the point where I missed the brand name completely, ha!

  • Rating 4/5

    • 🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤

    My Cruelty Free Beauty Awards 2019!

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 3 Comments

    Best Liquid Highlighter – The Body Shop Drops of Glow

    This pearlised one is a little too light for me so I should have gotten the more golden option. Still a great product though!

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    Runner up Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Filter. Shite as BB cream or sheer foundation but amazing as a highlighter.

    Best Hair Dye – Manic Panic (Pretty Flamingo)

    The choice of colours are amazing, the consistency is nice and thick so easy to apply and it’s really conditioning. It can last up to six months if you gently wash your hair every 7 – 14 days or it can be nearly washed out after around 5 washes with stronger shampoo.

    Runner up – Nature Tint. Lasts forever but too runny and messy to apply easily.

    Best Lipstick/Gloss/Balm – The Body Shop, Colour Crush Lipstick (Luanda Peony)

    This glides on easily, has a very subtle and flattering shimmer, huge colour payoff and it moisturises!

    Runner up – Charlotte Tilbury Lip Plumping Gloss. Works almost too well!

    Best Hair and Body Care Brand – Yaoh! (Coconut and Lime)

    Affordable, natural (everything is based around hemp seed oil), it smells heavenly and every product delivers results.

    Runner up – Neal’s Yard Remedies. Natural and pampering but too pricey for me.

    Best Nail Polish/Care Brand – Ciate (Nail Super Hero)

    Affordable, an astounding range of colours, textures and finishes, and nail treatments which actually work.

    Runner up – Barry M for very similar reasons.

    Best Facial Skincare – The Body Shop (Vitamin C)

    This Range is strongly scented of oranges, which I find really refreshing. It’s affordable as a little goes a long way and leaves skin clean, smooth and moisturised immediately and clearer and glowier after around five days.

    Runner up – Murad (Age Reform). Incredibly effective and a similar price bracket to TBS these days so this was a tough decision!

    Best Everyday Facial Oil – Superdrug own brand

    I would describe this as a dry oil as it’s non-greasy and works perfectly under primer and foundation (or at least the one’s I use), or on it’s own for a naturally healthy appearance on any skin type.

    Runner up – Weleda. Their facial oils are rich and really nourishing. They all have a very strong (natural) scent and take a while to sink in so best for an overnight treatment.

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    I’ve covered all of the products and the brands that I have used in 2019. So if there is a category or product missing it’s because I didn’t need or use a new a one of those. Above are some products which I loved but didn’t quite make the ‘best of’.

    Have you tried any of these?

    🏅Chrissie🏅

     

    Hangover Prevention and Selfcare Bedtime Routine

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 5 Comments

    In a way, these are general ‘sleep hygiene’ tips, no, not washing your sheets everyday but tips on how to get your head down, get a restful sleep and to wake up feeling (and looking) vaguely human.

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    Beauty Kitchen Products – Oil

    They are an independent UK company who try to be as sustainable and natural as possible. This oil is wonderful for taking makeup off with, to give the face a quick massage with and to nourish skin. No more waking up looking like a dried up Mummy, with curiously puffy eye bags.

    Laptop/Book

    Before I go to sleep I watch an episode of 90210, Lucifer or You Tube makeup tutorials by Wayne Goss, with the screen dimmed. If my eyes aren’t too tired I’ll read a character driven novel. Anything that’s interesting but not taxing.

    Healthy Crisps

    I always find I need salty food to soak up the sugary alcohol I’ve had. It also means I don’t wake up starving but too tired to make breakfast/lunch. I find the crunching really relaxing as i carry a lot of tension in my jaw.

    Oil Based Lip Balm

    Skin needs both oil and moisturiser so I apply this before it’s needed. I’m such a mouth breather at night XoD

    Scrunchy 

    How do people sleep without their hair tied back, how!?  When I do that, it wraps around me like a Face-hugger from Alien and then I wake up with it looking like statically charged spaghetti.

    HYDRATE! (Waiting for my new flask to arrive)

    I always have weak, sugar free cordial (water just goes straight through me) to sip before I go to sleep, throughout the night and before I get up in the morning. This stops me feeling shite, keeps my skin clear and reduces eye bags and ‘desert mouth.’

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    Before I started this routine I used to wake up with a really flushed face, crazy hair, bloating, bone-dry skin and feel more tired than when I went to bed! This has made a significant difference to my morning chronic fatigue and mental health; most days I’ll happily get up at 11.00am, rather than dragging my sorry arse out of bed at 1.00-2.00pm like I used to.

    🥂Chrissie🥂

     

    Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm review

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 2 Comments

    In the early 2000’s tinted lip balms were drowned out by glosses which your hair stuck to, then moisturising lipsticks which were pampering but transferred onto everything  and recently matte and liquid lipsticks which are overwhelmingly drying, so I was delighted to see the return of tinted lip balms.

    Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm is pricey at £8 (for a Balm) but I was desperate for a quick and simple way to get some moisture and colour onto my lips. The colour payoff is intense but at the same time fairly sheer, so you can still slap it on without being particularly precise and then build up the coverage.

    This is a single firm swipe of Ripe Raspberry. It’s not a perfectly smooth line because it dragged a little, rather than gliding (and that was on my arm) so lips have to be super smooth before application. The staying power of this is so surprising, it outlasts all of my moisturising lipsticks by hours. The Shea Butter does mean it’s non-drying but it’s hardly moisturising and the addition of Vit E doesn’t seem to condition lips either. Much better as a gentle lip stain than a lip balm.

    There are seven shades and a plain one; three shades look a little on the grey side (at least on the website) and three are increasingly bright shades of pink, starting with a nice dusky rose, which I’m going to buy next.

    The colour payoff, the size, the slight drag when applying, sound so similar to ELF’s lip balm it would be interesting to compare the two.

    Rating 3/5

    🎄Chrissie🎄

     

    Would You Rather tag (with bonus christmas questions)

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 4 Comments

    I came across this on the awesome Hunida’s blog. It originated with The Newbury Girl  (I think) but I wanted to keep the chain going so I joined in!

    1. Would you rather lose all of your money or all your sentimental items?

    When I first read this question I immediately thought I’d want to keep sentimental items (I do have a giant shoe box as a ‘memory box’) but having no money would take away all of my independence and make me totally reliant on others. So it would have to be the items *sob*

    2. Would you rather experience unrequited love or never love at all?

    I don’t think I’d like to be incapable of love. The guys I’ve loved haven’t loved me back to the same extent and vice-versa. So to never be madly, intoxicatingly in love again would be okay with me!

    3. Would you rather own your own business or work for someone else?

    I don’t have the executive functioning to be my own executive (bad Aspie joke) and I’ve actually liked a lot of my bosses, so I’d work for someone else.

    4. Would you rather give up television (including streaming/YouTube) or reading?

    I get eye strain really easy when reading and I love that I can watch telly with people and chat about it.

    5. Would you rather give up sushi or tacos for the rest of your life?

    I’d give up tacos. The ones in the UK are really hard and crispy and just break in half as soon as you bight them. I love veggie sushi, it’s so refreshing but filing.

    6. Would you rather live in your hometown and never travel anywhere, or live in another country but never visit home?

    I have lived in my hometown all my life and love Manchester but it would be cool to live somewhere else and have my Dad visit me (he loves travelling btw).

    7. Would you rather live in the desert or live in a frozen tundra?

    Hmmm, extreme heat fatigue probs or terrible circulation probs. I’d be unconscious with the heat so frozen tundra it is.

    8. Would you rather eat dessert (but never dinner) or dinner (but never dessert)?

    I’m such a salty person – so to speak. I find a lot of deserts too sickly after a while.

    9. Would you rather run a successful blog or a successful YouTube channel?

    Blog! I hate the sound of my voice as my Dyspraxia means my pitch and tone can accidentally be a bit over the top (too dramatic) or really monotone (too sarcastic sounding), plus when I’m fatigued I sound a bit pissed, ha!

    10. Would you rather give up all makeup/cosmetics products or give up “dressing fashionably”?

    I need skincare but I actively try to avoid wearing anything that happens to be in fashion at the time. So I’d bin fashion (or the idea of things being in or out of fashion) in general actually.

    5 Bonus Christmas Questions!

    1. Christmas jumper or Christmas Jewellery?

    These 5 are my questions so I can cheat and say both jumper and jewellery, and a Crimbo scrunchy and pin badges and socks and…

    2. Classic or Contemporary Christmas Songs?

    Contemporary as in Stay Now by East 17 and All I Want For Christmas by Mariah.

    3. Christmas dinner with ALL of your family or dinner cooked by your fave chef in a restaurant?

    Well seeing as my Dad is going on holiday and he’s my only family, it would have to be a restaurant in this scenario. There’s a really fit Asian chef that was on Celebrity Masterchef this year.

    4. A big surprise present or five things off your wish list?

    As I’m (just about) financially stable and can’t buy my own stuff, I’d love a big surprise! Maybe a trip to see The Northern Lights.

    5. Snowball fight outside or ice skating at a rink?

    I tried to ice skate once, for fifteen terrifying minutes. I’m ace at snowball fights though, tactical and ruthless!

    ________________________________

    Please feel free to join in with this tag and include your own photos of your choices if you want, or just comment instead!

    🎄Chrissie🎄

    Yaoh! Mini Haul

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 1 Comment

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    I use Yaoh! because their products are hemp oil based, which really conditions my skin and my hair, they are BUAV (leaping bunny) approved, they don’t use palm oil and are affordable on a budget; the perfect brand in my opinion!

    The Coconut and Lime scent of the Shampoo is as wonderful as the shampoo it’s self. It leaves my coarse, frizzy hair so soft and shiny it totally transforms the texture. I don’t need to add hair oil afterward either, just curl cream. I’ve bought the body butter to match and I’m going to get the shower gel too next time.

    The Mango Lip Balm is hydrating and adds important oils, while smelling like a Mediterranean cocktail. It’s nice and thick but it does sink in, unlike other brands that are too heavily wax based.

    I decided to try a Tropical Fruits Body Butter (not shown) as the scent sounded lovely and exotic. The body butters feel light on the skin and sinks in easily but it’s still incredibly hydrating. The scent isn’t as strong as I’d prefer but it is pleasant.

    The Tropical Fruits Moisturiser barley has any scent, which I prefer. It sinks in quickly but I think this would be best for dry or possibly combination skin as it is rather rich. Considering it’s slightly scented and rich, it doesn’t

    Because I’d bought 4 items amounting to £25 I got the face moisturiser free!

    Rating 5/5 for everything!

    ❤Chrissie❤

    Guru by Rupaul

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 4 Comments

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    Guru by Rupaul (Sphere publishing £14.99) is 191 page photograph book that is also full of wisdom, insight and and one-linners that slay, proving she’ll never sashay away.

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    I decided to treat myself to this for Christmas and I’m so glad I did! This would make a great little coffee table book for anyone who’s more creative and quirky, rather than pretentious and snobby.

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    A lovely detail I found at the back is a list of Ru’s fave books, films and music!

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    🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤

    All of Superdrug Own Brands Are Cruelty Free!

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 2 Comments

    Five years ago I got invited to Superdrug in Manchester for a makeup masterclass, launching their new collection of cruelty free makeup. Since then I’ve used B. makeup and B. skincare. Now Superdrug have gone one step further and made all of their own brand – not just their B. line – cruelty free and Leaping Bunny (BUAV) approved – hurrah!

    I think this is wonderful because not everyone has the time or can afford multiple postage costs to buy online from different independent brands and not everyone is lucky enough to have Neals Yard, The Body Shop and other CF shops local to them (mine are a 30 minute bus ride into town if I had the energy and the balance to safely ride a bus). Now people can easily pick up everyday items on their local high street with a clear conscience.

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    It was 3 for 2 on minis so I bought these so I could try the Hand and Nail Cream before committing to the bigger 150ml bottle and 2x bottles of Balancing Facial Oil. I need a little bottle of oil to carry around in my bag as I use it on my lips several times a day and this should last me ages.

    Superdrug Balancing Facial Oil (30ml £2.99) has apricot oil and Vitamin E to calm and balance skin, which it does really well. I’ve used many more expensive facial oils that have had an equally good effect and some that weren’t as calming for my skin. It’s also saved my lips from drying up in central heating and is a great base for certain foundations and lipsticks as it’s a dry oil.

    Rating 5/5

    Superdrug Hand and Nail Cream (£1.50 30ml) does exactly what you want a great cream to do; it strengthens nails but also softens hard skin on hands and makes cuticles supple so that they don’t crack. It sinks in easily and doesn’t feel oily and, I’m glad to say, doesn’t have that strong old-fashioned hand cream sort of smell – which I like but find it always conflicts with the perfume I’m wearing.

    Rating 5/5

    ❤Chrissie❤

     

    Halloween Makeup To Get Creative With

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 3 Comments

    Rather than put together a specific look, I decided to find, what I thought were the most versatile items. This way after Halloween you can subtly incorporate them into an evening look, using as much or as little as you want. Creative and budget friendly!

     

    Glow Up – Orly

    Cosmic Cowboy Face Jewels – Barry M

    Glitter Flip Liquid Lipstick in Iconic – Ciate

    18 Hit Wonders Eyeshadow Palette – E.L.F.

    I’ve left off any prices and links as it depends on which country you live in or what your fave beauty halls or websites are. My fave UK places (apart from the brands own websites) are Superdrug, TK Maxx (online), Debenhams and Cult Beauty (online).

    Happy creating! V- -V

    Glow Oil Lip + Cheek by Milk Makeup

    / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 2 Comments

    I’ve been on a never ending quest to find a blusher that doesn’t look too powdery/flat or too sparkly, just something that gives a sheer pinky glow. Glow Oil Lip + Cheek by Milk Makeup £12 is my latest and last attempt.

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    It’s rather small for the price but it is portable and I think that’s the idea. I was very disappointed to find it comes unnecessarily packaged in a plastic box, rather than cardboard.

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    I picked ‘glimmer’ as it looked the right shade for my skin tone online and it does give a sexy flush of realistic colour. However, there’s subtle shimmer or ‘glimmer’ and then there’s full on sparkle with glitter…

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    As I’m not a small child going to a party, I will not be wearing this glittery nonsense on my cheeks. How a brand can even pretend that this gives a sheer, natural glow, I do not know! It does look pretty fantastic on lips though, especially when mixed with lip balm or another lip oil. It’s non sticky, unlike a lot of glosses and it’s not particularly drying either. It also looks good arched over green or blue eyes (along with eyeliner and mascara) as the glitter ensures you don’t get mistaken for just having hayfever.

    Rating 2/5

    I’m going back to applying a moisturising lipstick with my fingers for blush in future.

    ❤Chrissie❤