Vegan and Cruelty Free Nighttime Skincare Routine

I have been slowly switching over to vegan and cruelty free beauty products. I thought I would share my nighttime skincare routine with you!

I did a bit of research and read a lot of Facebook group conversations, like the Organic Bunnies Facebook page. Then I decided to e-mail the lovely Alexandra at Organic Bunny who helped me pick out the FitGlow Calm Cleansing Milk and the Kypris Clearing Serum.

My skin issues include: wrinkles, cystic acne (especially while PMSing), dryness in the winter, and some pigmentation from acne scars.

Pictured from left to right:

• Derma-E Makeup remover - I purchased this at Whole Foods and I love it. I would totally repurchase. The price is right and the formula is great. It also removes waterproof mascara. 
• Fitglow Calm Cleansing Milk - Alexandra from Organic Bunny recommended this for my adult acne. This is the second bottle I have purchased. I don't mind the scent, but I know some have said they don't like how powerful it is.
• Kypris Clearing Serum - This is the other item I purchased from Organic Bunny. It also works really well when I use it consistently. It is quite drying in the winter, so I have eased up on the frequency of use. My chin has broken out pretty badly since I stopped using it as consistently. It is quite pricey too. 
• MyChelle Remarkable Retinal Night Cream - I apply this on my deeper wrinkles, mainly on my forehead. I started using this cream in winter since retinal can increase sun sensitivity. 
• Acure Rosehip Oil - I recently purchased this at Whole Foods because I was in desperate need of a face oil. My skin was feeling quite dry! I kept hearing good things about rosehip oil in general and this Acure brand one was under $10. It seems to be leaving my skin moisturized so far. Rosehip is also good for fading dark spots and hydrating dry, itchy skin. It can reduce scars and fine lines. 
• evenhealy Wild Carrot Nourishing Eye Balm - I have been trying to use this product up lately. It is great for my dry eyelids in particular. It was included in a Whole Foods beauty bag I purchased last spring and I honestly forgot I had it until recently! I am in need of a new eye cream, so if you have a vegan and cruelty free one you love, please leave a comment below. 

After listening to a few podcasts about skin chemistry and skincare, I am a little concerned about mixing products by different brands. I may get a facial and see what an esthetician recommends. Skincare can be so mystifying to me sometimes!

My Everyday Life [Week 7]

Here's what week 7 of 2018 looked like!

It was Valentine's week. I spent the whole day and evening working. Boo!

I did purchase these adorable v-day themed coasters for 70% off at Target.

Pema continued to be challenging for us. He's been bullying the other cats, but especially Tanzi.

 Winter is beautiful, but I miss warmer temperatures.

We were big fans of the Netflix show "Making a Murderer" so it was no surprise that we went to see local lawyer who was on the show. He did a great job talking about law and being a lawyer.

I am more and more disappointed by Lily Lolo mascara. It sucks when you try a cruelty free product that is well loved, but doesn't quite do it for you. It clumps and flakes! Yuck. If you have recommendations, send them my way.

 Always watching these gorgeous hawks in our backyard.

I had to coordinate salad club at work at the last minute, but I pulled it off! I love being a member of the wellness committee. Having salad for two days was wonderful! 

I played heart bingo at work this week and the proceeds benefited a non-profit. I was not lucky though. :(

 Craig bought this on Amazon with the hope that it will calm our bully cats down.

 Here's what it looks like.

 Dinner with my buddy.

 Loved this episode of Freakonomics radio!

 Before my haircut!

After!

 My valentine. :)

The naughtiest little kitty and me. I look tired in the photo below. We got up early for a pancake breakfast and I was sleepy.

Reminds me of my dad. We always tease him about napping, but that's because he does it every single day after lunch.

I finally did something I have been wanting to do for ages--I saw a personal stylist at Nordstrom. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything I liked or that fit me well. I'll do a review of the service with more photos like the one below soon. This is my French girl outfit!

Girl scout cookies finally arrived! My favs are the PB patties. I tried the s'mores because they're vegan, but I did not love them.

I'm back--my everyday life lately

I didn't mean to take a break from the blog. I have had the flu twice since the holidays, plus I've been working two jobs and studying commercial insurance information. Basically, life got in the way but I miss the blog and I'll try to get back on here when I can. Here's what life has looked like for the last month and a half. 

New years day. I was still sick with the flu, so it was just a relaxing day at home with books, kitties and tea. I am still reading the book below and it's a slow one to get through.

I passed two insurance exams in December and now I am onto studying for another. 

Finally upgraded my phone! I had to get the huge one for the better camera.

 My boys. :)

Took some time around the new year to clean the fridge out and wipe down everything. It has stayed fairly clean since then. I am trying to buy less on my shopping trips, but it's hard.

 Tried this plant based yogurt finally and it was really good!

My dad unexpectedly ended up in the hospital in January. This was the view from his hospital room. He's ok now, but it was pretty frightening to not know what was going on for a while. 

This was my book club's January pick and while it was a pretty strange book, we had an amazing discussion. I left there thinking "these women are smart and so inspiring to be around." Sadly, I have to work during the February club so I'll be missing it.

Craig's co-worker brought back some tea and a lovely bird gift from her trip to Iran. The bird says "life is great" on it. It sure can be pretty great!

Finally finished this book and it was a fun read!

Yummy homemade vegan pizza. Wasn't keen on the vegan cheese though.

The third book I finished in 2018 was Beartown. Such a good read! It took a while to get into, but once the story got more complex, it had so many important and timely messages.

I had Friday afternoon off because my work offers a flex program. I read Ikigai, shoveled, and relaxed with the cats. It will be so nice to have every other Friday afternoon off to look forward to.