Earthlings

Has anyone out there watched the documentary Earthlings? I'm sure many vegans out there have. I couldn't make it through the entire thing, it was so heart breaking. I hope everyone watches it- perhaps it'll make us as a society think about our actions.
They just came out with these and I want one. http://www.earthlings.com/0/earthlings-store/test-product.php

Green Beaver

I love this all Canadian and affordable beauty company. All the products are hand made by a husband and wife team and so pure you can eat them! They began their company when they saw that their newborn son would swallow his bath bubbles. Yuck. Not only are they vegan but they also use as many local organic ingredients as possible, and are free of harmful chemicals such as: dyes, preservatives, petro-chemicals, mineral oil, stabilizers and sulfates. It doesn't get much cleaner then this.

Each bottle ranges around $11 for a full size lotion or body wash, right now they have a combo of cranberry wash and lotion for $12. They make body wash, scrubs, lotions, an entire winter and gardening  line and even toothpaste and lip balms. Check em' out they can be found at any health food store that carries beauty products ( at least in Ontario).

Right now I am loving their winter skin face cream. It comes in a glass jar and is so nice and thick and creamy. It took me a little bit to get used to the blend of essential oils such as cinnamon and fennel, but now I love the earthiness of it. I am also using their organic locally farmed cranberry lotion and body wash ( which are sold as a duo combo for the price of $12 for 250 ml I might add).
http://www.greenbeaver.com/

Buyer beware

I just read about this on a web site. L'oreal just bought up Pureology. L'oreal is known for testing on animals so there is no guarantee that this line will remain vegan and cruelty free. I just emailed them to ask them about the animal testing, we shall see if they reply. But again Pureology is known for being a high end line with a hefty price tag. Here it retails for about $30/bottle and with so many other guaranteed vegan lines that are just as good- ex..ABBA ( also a salon vegan line that is half the price), why take the risk.

http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/05/16/another-one-bites-the-dust-loreal-buys-pureology/

New Inspirations.

I am no stranger to blogs, having kept a livejournal for several years now, but I felt that I needed something new, a place where I can store and share my ideas on specific areas of life particularly being a vegan and the lifestyle that it encompasses. I wanted to meet people who share the same ideals as myself and that could inspire me to not give in to apathy, which I admit I have been prone to at times.

Recently, I just read the cutest book called the Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by: Melisser Elliot. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Vegan-Girls-Guide-Life-Cruelty-Melisser-Elliott/9781616080921-item.html?ikwid=vegan+girls+guide+to+life&ikwsec=Home

It is totally the cutest book on a lifestyle choice that I have read in a long time. My only complaint about such books is this: firstly I am Canadian and the majority of the companies mentioned are American. There are so many lovely and affordable vegan companies out there that get skipped over. So I want to mention them here in the event that I ever have fellow readers. Also I find that it is wonderful that there are vegan designers out there and I agree that they should be able to make a good living promoting something so wonderful. But having said that I sometimes think that some companies that charge so much for haute couture could scare away people considering a potential lifestyle change. It makes something seem unattainable for those that don't have $600 extra to spend on an animal free winter coat. To me it can reduce an ideal to something that is simply a trend. And I am not just talking about clothing. There are types of food that people buy into needing that are pricey and again it makes this particular lifestyle come across as being too pricey and therefore gives people the excuse they need to slough it off as simply some new fad.

Being a vegan doesn't need to be expensive nor do we all need to look like "hippy crunchy" types either.  So this is my rant and my inspiration. Bringing the best of my knowledge of bargain hunting, cooking, and my 10 years of experience in the cosmetology beauty industry to other penny pinching vegan's out there.