My Best Veggie-Friendly Buys of 2013

Happy 2014, everyone!

I did want get this post up in the correct year but procrastination is one of my talents. So here is a round-up of my favourite new finds and purchases from 2013 that you should definitely get your mitts on in 2014!

e.l.f. Cosmetics

A while back, I wrote of my discovery of the cosmetics brand e.l.f. (or, eyes lips face). I started off with just the few items I reviewed at the time but now I have all of these!

On top of those, I also have a bunch of nail polishes as well as make-up brushes, eyelash curlers and blotting sheets. I am addicted.

With prices starting from just £1.50 for eyeliners, lipsticks and bronzers, it’s insanely good value. But before you write them off as ‘cheap’… the company sells exclusively online so they don’t pay for advertising or merchandising. And we consumers reap the benefits. Hooray! Unlike most high street brands, their products are vegan-friendly and not tested on animals.

It’s a tough choice but my top three products are:

1. Mineral Moisturising Lip Tint in Cherry – £3.50 (I’m obsessed with the colour!)

2. Waterproof Lengthen & Volumise Mascara in Black – £3.75 (So, so lengthening!)

3. Mineral Infused Face Primer – £6.50 (Goodbye, pores!)

In the interest of a fair review, I’ll be honest… The one thing I’m not sold on yet is foundation. I’ve tried the Mineral Personal Blend Foundation (£8) and the oil-free HD Mattifying Cream Foundation (£7). Unfortunately, I have very oily skin and found neither product gave me enough coverage, nor shine-free skin without building with other foundations and powders on top.

At least when the products are so inexpensive, you don’t feel like you’ve thrown money away when something isn’t right for you. And believe me, I’ve thrown an awful lot of money away trying to find the right foundation in the past!

Vegan Doc. Martens

I’ve always loved the grungy look of Doc Marten boots but being rather pricey and made of leather, I’ve never owned a pair myself. That is until they released their vegan range and I fell in love with the purple pair.

I bought mine from the Dr Martens store in Covent Garden for £125 (It was my birthday! I’ve never spent that much on shoes before!) but if you’re in London, you can also get them from awesome vegan shoe store The Third Estate in Camden.

They’re comfy and warm and waterproof and they look flippin’ awesome. Enough said.

Omniblend

When I visited Vegfest London in October, I finally caved and bought an expensive blender. Not quite the Vitamix of my dreams but at a fraction of the price (I paid £240), the Omniblend comes pretty damn close!

I was a bit scared of it at first – worried I’d break my baby but it’s since created many-a delicious smoothie, juice, ice cream, frozen yoghurt and soup in just seconds. Like this delicious Raspberry Orange Juice…

The blades cuts through ice cubes like they’re cubes of butter and gritty fruit pulp is no match for this guy. On top of this, it’s the easiest thing ever to clean. No more scraping fingers against the blade or getting banana stuck in the grooves. Just put a little bit of warm water and a squeeze of dishwashing liquid in the rounded square jug and blend on low for a few seconds. Voila! Clean!

I’m seriously in love with it.

Cookbooks

I have a slight cookbook addiction. Another tough one to sort through but I decided that my top three additions to the collection in 2013 were:

1. Prashad* by Kaushy Patel

An absolutely beautiful book full of great traditional Indian recipes from the owner of vegetarian restaurant of the same name. The book design is gorgeous and it’s filled with photos that make me want to eat the page. If you’re willing to hunt down a few non-staple spices, the recipes are well worth it.

2. The Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour at Home* by Brian L Patton

Okay, so I got this book for Christmas and haven’t actually used it yet but I love the unique idea behind it. The book is all about creating snacks and cocktails for your Friday evening ‘Happy Hour at Home’ for you and up to three friends (but no more than three because that would be a dinner party and that’s a whole other book…) so the recipes are set out in menu format with dishes and drinks that complement one other. I’m looking forward to trying the “Papadilla Don’t Preach” and “Nothing Rhymes with Citrus” menus. My only complaint is that there are no colour photos in the book and as a food perve, this was a little disappointing.

3. The Green Kitchen* by David Frenkiel & Luise Vindahl

From the creators of the award-winning Green Kitchen Stories blog, this book is filled with surprisingly simple recipes using fresh, seasonal ingredients. It features absolutely beautiful photography (if you follow their blog, you’re probably already in love) that makes me want to go out and pick berries or leap through fields in the countryside.

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Here’s to many more discoveries in 2014!