Pixi Glow Tonic – Heavenly or Harsh?

January 23, 2020January 23, 2020 / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / Leave a comment

I have the type of dry-combination skin which doesn’t naturally exfoliate itself very well. It gets duller and duller, produces sebum and then gets clogged up and crappy. Help!

Pixi Skintreats Glow Tonic £18 contains 5% Glycolic Acid so it gently strips off dead skin cells and excess sebum as well as removing general dirt and light makeup. Glow Tonic also contains Aloe and Red Ginseng to sooth and protect skin, which my skin found beneficial. However, I would not recommend if you have very sensitive skin or (even mild) rosacea or eczema and applying a good quality moisturiser and/or oil afterward is essential.

I’d cleansed my face in the morning, gone makeup free all day and yet, this is the amount of dirt Glow Tonic removed in the evening.

As for the ‘glow’ it promises, I can attest it’s true! After using this once a day for a week my skin feels smooth, it absorbs products much more efficiently and looks much healthier. It’s also the easiest way to cleanse and refine if you’re tired or in a hurry.

Rating 5/5

🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤

Is Greggs Vegan Stake Bake any Good?

January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 1 Comment

The Bloke surprised me with this the other day and I HAD to share it with you!

First off, Id never know the flakey pastry was vegan, in fact it holds together much better so you don’t get covered in it. More importantly, it tastes EXACTLY like meat in a thick savoury gravy.

One thing to mention is The Bloke cheated on me and ate one without me! Seriously though, he said his was “…a bit more chunky, like proper little steak pieces.” My two bakes where more mince meaty; you could have had the filling in a (vegan) Cottage pie. Hmmm, not sure what to make of that inconsistency!?

I’m sure all three were vegan though, otherwise our tummies would have let us know very quickly!

Verdict Amazing! 5/5

🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤

Best Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Products & Places 2019

December 28, 2019December 28, 2019 / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 8 Comments

Best Meat Free Options

Oumph! Kebab Spiced (soya based, gluten free) Incredible flavour, very filling, really easy to stir fry or grill, chunky and chewy!

Like Meat, Like BBQ Chicken (soy based, gluten free) Ah-maze-ing! Similar taste and texture to a BBQ thigh but nicer. Another very versatile replacement but this time not as chewy.

Quorn Fishless Fingers (Vegan, Not gluten free) Better than the fish fingers that I remember; these are lovely on a butty with citrusy or vinegar flavoured crisps or on a plate with beans and chips.

Aldi No Sausage Rolls (Vegan, Not gluten free) If I didn’t already know these were vegetarian I would never have guessed. My only complaint is that the filing only fills 2/3rds of the width.

Best Dairy Free Ice Cream

Perfect World, Caramel Pecan Ice Cream (Vegan, gluten free) This is full of flavour and vitamins and minerals. Personally, I’d have made the pecans chunkier but I’d still buy it again.

Cornetto Vegan (Vegan, gluten free) The only noticeable difference between these and the usual ones are that they’re quite a bit smaller.

Ben & Jerry’s, Coconutterly Caramel’d Ice Cream (vegan, gluten free) Gorgeous! As good as Chunky Monkey, almost as good as Cookie Dough :op

Bouja – Bouja, Caramel Pecan Praline Ice Cream (dairy free, gluten free, organic) Very strong – almost smokey – flavour, really creamy consistency but the pecans and pralines are too blended. I add broken up digestive biscuits for more texture.

Snacks and Treats

Manomasa, Tortillas (gluten free, dairy free) – Full of flavour and perfect for scooping up dips.

Bouja-Bouja Chocolate Truffle Collection (dairy and gluten free) – Vanilla and rhubarb, cherry, salted caramel, caramel, hazelnut, ginger, rum, Champaign, espresso are the flavours in these truffle selections. Possibly the best dairy free chocolate in the world.

KIND Snack Bars Caramel, Almond & Sea Salt (gluten free, NOT dairy free). Dark Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt (gluten free, dairy free). Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate (gluten free, dairy free). These are expensive at £1.50 each (!) but they are full of complementary flavours and really substantial.

Genius Double Chocolate/Blueberry Muffins (gluten free, dairy free) Nommmmmm, that’s my breakfast and supper, right there.

The Coconut Collaborative, Banoffee Pots (dairy free, gluten free) If you are getting these teeny pots of joy for your kids, you’ll want to buy a second lot for yourself – believe! Similar to creme caramel that’s been stirred around but with the addition of banana.

Gu, Strawberry & Rhubarb/Lemon Cheescakes (gluten free, dairy free) Not quite as solid as traditional cheesecake but equally delicious, these two flavours are both sweet and refreshing.

Manchester Vegan Takeaway/Dinner

V Revolution This is the place for an incredibly creative take on traditional American junk food. Vegan mains, sides, milkshakes, cocktails and cake. The atmosphere is pop-culture with a twist. In the photo above my expression is a mix of excitement and wondering how the hell I’m going to fit this burger in my mouth!

Zad’s Vegan with very little gf options but incredibly well thought out food. The ZFC (rather than KFC) fried cauliflower is an utter revelation, the pizzas and burgers are well balanced and not too sweet and they sometimes give away free cupcakes. Hardly any remote customer service but lovely and friendly in person.

Vegan Shack This is the place to order from if you are either dairy free or vegan and gluten free as they have gf options of pizza (including the above topping) and one of their kebabs (on request). Their online customer service is fantastic and delivery times are reasonable. My only complaint is that the cheese is on the sweet side as is the sauce. More salt please!

Pizza Express They have many gf, df and veggie option for mains, sides and deserts and can be flexible (up to a point) with changing food to suit dietary needs. It will be such a shame when they cease trading late next year.

Bonus

Aside from the Gu, these are free-from items I like but don’t absolutely love. Clive’s gf pies are surprisingly good microwaved (like a chip shop Pudding); This Gosh! falafel is the best falafel I’ve tried; Dragon fly make small but substantial gf burgers; Soulful pots make two wonderful nut curries/meals that I would happily pay for in a restaurant. Their other options have the usual veggie/bean tangine flavours.

I hope you found this helpful and it gave you food for thought – sorry!

🍔Chrissie🍔

My Cruelty Free Beauty Awards 2019!

December 24, 2019December 26, 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!

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.

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

December 23, 2019December 23, 2019 / 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.

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.’

_____________________

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

December 19, 2019December 20, 2019 / 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🎄

Zad’s Vegan Takeaway Manchester

December 7, 2019 / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 3 Comments

Last Saturday I treated myself to Zad’s takeaway in Chorlton; it was a treat because the minim order for delivery (even if you are only a mile away) is £15 which is expensive for me. Still, I’ve had their wonderful food before and thought it was worth it.

I ordered a 9” vegetable pizza, curly fries, ZFC – spicy fried cauliflower instead of chicken – which tastes weirdly like KFC and a salted caramel cupcake.

I ordered using their app at 8.00pm and selected delivery for the earliest available 9.00pm as I was starting to feel hungry. By 9.50 I had to make a snack as I was getting really bad hunger pains. I’d tried to phone several times but it just rung out. My food arrived at 10.10pm! No apology or acknowledgment that it was over an hour late .

The pizza was hardly warm, the fries were cold and soggy. I was so hungry and gutted! The ZFC was amazing as was the cupcake. I didn’t have the energy to reheat the pizza and bake the fries in the oven so I had to save them for the next day. They were both awesome once heated/cooked again but that’s the opposite of why people get a handy takeaway.

I left a polite complaint via email but that as well as two other phone call attempts have been ignored.

I really want to give Zads a great review but I can’t because of how late the food was, how soggy the food was and how non- existent their customer service is.

🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤

Yaoh! Mini Haul

December 6, 2019December 5, 2019 / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 1 Comment

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❤

All of Superdrug Own Brands Are Cruelty Free!

November 30, 2019November 30, 2019 / 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.

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❤

Vegan Shack Review Manchester

November 21, 2019December 2, 2019 / Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 2 Comments

I first heard of Vegan Shack from the Manchester Vegetarian and Vegan Group on Facebook. MVVG are a friendly bunch and so helpful (anyone who gets arsey and argumentative, rather than constructive, get called out by moderators or other members) they are worth checking out.

Menu

Vegan Shack provide all of our vegan junk food desires, including kebabs, pizzas, burgers, ‘chicken’ poppers, frickles (fried pickles) garlic dough balls and loaded fries. They deliver around a large radius of Central/South Manchester so Chorlton is included and I think they just about cover Denton, I’m not sure about North Manchester, sorry!

The five gluten free offerings on the menu are three pizzas, basic fries and on request kebabs too! I chose the Chick n’ Chunk with a 10″ stone baked base (my fave) tomato and herb sauce, ‘cheese’ and strips of ‘chicken’.

Ordering

I used the website on my iPad and it kept saying there was something wrong and to try ordering something different (even though what I’d chosen wasn’t ‘sold out’). I gave up in the end and asked the online customer service person. They were incredibly helpful and told me to give them my order and they would do it for me. My food arrived so fast, I’d not even sat down on the couch and got settled for the evening!

The Pizza

The problem I’ve always had with vegan cheese is that it’s too sweet and when paired with a fairly sweet (but tasty) tomato sauce you have a very un-savoury pizza. The ‘chicken’ strips had a realistic texture and really balanced out the overall flavour. I ended up scraping off half of the cheese (which they were almost too generous with) and adding a lot of salt. Then it tasted awesome!

Verdict

I would say Vegan Shack is up there with V Revolution and Zads when it comes to creativity but a hot dog option and some deserts would be great additions.

❤Chrissie❤

Vamp It Up Manchester

The alternative blog. Cruelty free beauty, urban style, veggie & free-from food

cruelty free

Pixi Glow Tonic – Heavenly or Harsh?

🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤

Is Greggs Vegan Stake Bake any Good?

🖤✨Chrissie✨🖤

Best Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Products & Places 2019

Best Meat Free Options

Best Dairy Free Ice Cream

Snacks and Treats

Manchester Vegan Takeaway/Dinner

Bonus

🍔Chrissie🍔