For most women, makeup is an essential and something that has to be factored into regular expenses. However, some cosmetics are way overpriced, many test on animals, and some contain some seriously toxic ingredients. Become knowledgeable about these things and your wallet and health, will thank you.

Get Schooled

Have a Compassionate Kisser

There are a growing number of cosmetic companies classifying themselves as “vegan-friendly” or at least clearly marking their products that are considered vegan. Companies like LUSH, and Urban Decay have paved the way for other businesses to feel comfortable doing this.  The term “vegan” when it comes to cosmetics means that it is not tested on animals and also does not include any animal products. Cosmetics regularly include Carmine (crushed up beetles!), beeswax, tallow, lanolin, and elastin, just to name a few. I recently found a wonderfully well researched list of vegan makeup companies from My Makeup Mirror.

Toxic Makeup

The beauty industry is completely unregulated. That means that any company can put anything they want in the products you slather all over your body every single day. Scary? It is. These toxic ingredients range from proven endocrine disruptors (they attach to your estrogen receptors and disrupt your own estrogen from working naturally in your body) to neurotoxins ( toxic to brain and nervous system) to carcinogens (cause cancer) to ingredients directly linked to causing cancer and birth defects. Check out a partial list of the most common toxic ingredients here.

Obviously, you are not going to memorize a long list of chemical names to help you shop for makeup. However you can look up any product you would like to buy on the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

Buying the Perfect Products

Now that you are schooled on what to look for in an ideal beauty product: how do you get a product that encompasses all of that, easily and for a reasonable price?

Sales

One of my favorite brands is Physician’s Formula Organic Wear. This brand goes on sale 4x a year for 50% off, and that is when I stock up! Sign up for mailings from your local drugstores and companies that you like. Wait for a sale and then POUNCE and buy enough to last you a few months to a year.

Ebay & Etsy

Mineral cosmetics are a dime a dozen on Ebay and Etsy. Search out a company or seller that has wonderful ingredients (Thankfully, minerals are easier to decipher). Sometimes you can get bulk offers on mineral cosmetics or pigments. See if a friend (or 5) wants to split the lot with you.

E.L.F. Cosmetics

E.L.F. Cosmetics are not tested on animals, their brushes are synthetic and their makeup is unbelievably cheap. I’m talking $1 a pop. They frequently run free shipping deals, so you can seriously get a years worth of cosmetics for around $20..tops.  However, I must note that not all of their products are safe on the toxicity scale and not all are 100% vegan. Some products are perfectly fine and others are downright frightening. So please use your discretion while ordering. My recommended purchase? The nail polish! Goes on beautifully, takes forever to chip and is free of  Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP). It is also a Dollar!

Make your own

My mantra has now become.. “when in doubt, make your own!” Isn’t it much more comforting knowing exactly what is in your makeup, because you put it there? There are plenty of wonderful DIY makeup tutorials online, like: here and here. There are also many books available on the subject. It may take a bit of time, but in the end, it is worth it to save the money and ensure good health.

Further reading

Creating a Perfect Face <– cruelty free makeup from prep to lipstick!

Cruelty Free Face <– makeup tutorials using vegan products. Hooray!

The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics

Skin Deep Cosmetics Database

Not Just a Pretty Face <– a must read!

The Caring Consumer

Photo by miss_blackbutterfly

Yellow Cloche, $30

Bolero Air Force Jacket, $45 (vintage)

Knee High Socks with Bows, $8.90

Sweater Skirt, $28 (vintage)

Wildberry Cowl, $25

Mod, Tan Handbag, $16 (vintage)

Soft and Cuddly Shawl, $39

70′s Clog Platforms, $49 (vintage)

Falling Twig Necklace, $24

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg gnocchi
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp rosemary, ground
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Whip it up…

• Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions. It generally only takes about 2-3 minutes to cook.
• Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt the margarine over medium heat. Then add the garlic and let it get tender and brown a little… about 4 minutes.
• Grind dried Rosemary with a mortar and pestle. (I wouldn’t recommend not using ground, otherwise the whole leaves get stuck in your teeth and overall it’s just not a pleasant texture.)
• Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and stir up for about 20 seconds.
• Finally, add the nutritional yeast. It will absorb most of the liquid and flavor and begin to clump up. Don’t worry, this is supposed to happen.
• Add the gnocchi into the pan and stir up. You will see that the heat and moisture from the gnocchi help the sauce melt a little and coat all the gnocchi. Keep stirring until you feel it is completely coated well.
• Feel free to garnish with more salt and pepper and nutritional yeast.

Recipe and photo property of  Vegan Pandemonium.

Are you guys tired of hearing about my month of raw yet? Well, this is the last post about it, I promise!

Yesterday was officially my last day of eating raw and guess what I ate for breakfast today?  Tempt Ice Cream! I am a complete maniac. Needless to say my stomach hurt for a good portion of the day. What is wrong with me? (By the way, the ice cream was delicious.)

What I Learned

30 days of raw food taught me to really value persistence and willpower. Every single day I was tortured with the possibility of warm hearty food.( Burritos… I heard you calling my name.)  I literally took one day at a time and sometimes even one hour at a time. This made me realize the power that I let food have over me.

Needless to say, food is an important part of my life. I cherish it and enjoy it’s nurturing goodness. I relish in the occasional goodie or not-so-good-for-you meal. But never did I realize how much I let food and the idea of it control me. Sadly enough, in 30 days my willpower failed me a few times, but all in all I am proud of my accomplishment and would endorse a raw diet to just about everyone.

The Benefits

Weight loss – My intention of doing a raw food adventure was not to lose weight, but it was an added bonus! I lost a great deal of weight the first 2 weeks – 8 lbs to be exact. I was kind of nervous because I didn’t want to shed too much weight. I love my muscles and curves! But my body knew exactly what to do and after I lost those initial pounds everything regulated and I remained (and still remain) at this ideal weight. This was quite amazing considering the fact that I was consuming at least 2,000 + calories a day.

Mental clarity – My thoughts were extra clear and I felt an increased sense of well-being. I would fade in and out of “zen” moments. This was all very nice and unexpected. I didn’t realize how scattered my thoughts were until they were calm and collected.

Energy – I had tons of energy! I kicked ass at the gym and in aerial class. I didn’t have bouts of sleepiness or “crashes” during the day anymore. I also needed less sleep. Unfortunately this was not a constant occurance during the end of the month. (See: “the pitfalls”)

Lightness – It might have been the weight loss or the extra energy, but I felt incredibly light during my time eating raw. I’m not really sure how else to explain it, but my body and mind felt light and airy.

Bye bye PCOS – Remember when I said that something really exciting was happening? Well, almost all of my PCOS symptoms disappeared during the last month. For those of you unfamiliar, PCOS (short for Polcystic Ovarian Syndrome ) is an endocrine disorder. It is closely related to female infertility, diabetes, obesity and a long list of other symptoms and side effects. I initially cut gluten out of my diet to control the symptoms of PCOS and that worked really, really well. However during this month I noticed that many of my annoying symptoms like hair growth, cramps, and breakouts completely disappeared.  I really believe that if I keep eating gluten free and high raw that I can naturally get my period again! (I haven’t had my period naturally in a few years… don’t be jealous, you actually start to miss it at a certain point.)

Bye Bye Migraines – I typically get 6-7 migraines a month. The type of migraines I get leave me in bed for hours and sometimes whole days. This past month I had 2. And I was able to take an Excedrin, a nap and get on with my day. This fact alone makes me want to be raw all the time!

The pitfalls

Weakness – Towards the end of the month I started to have “funky spells” where I would feel light-headed and weak. Some people suggested that I might have been detoxing. It also may have been completely irrelevant to my raw diet.  I’m not sure what it was, but it was not fun!

Constant cravings – {insert KD Lang joke here} I was constantly craving non-raw foods. Even food that I didn’t typically eat anyway. These cravings continued for the whole…entire…month.  This was totally due to my personal food addictions/obsessions.

Not enough diversity - After a while, everything started to taste the same. After two weeks my tastebuds started to get a little bored.  It might be because I was not exploring enough diverse foods or recipe But is could also be because there is only so much you can do with veggies and nuts!

Future Plans

I am so happy I completed The Raw Food Adventure. I think that it helped me grow and come to grips with my food hang-ups and obsessions. It also helped me become more in tune with my body and what it needs. I am now able to easily feel my blood sugar rise and fall and then eat accordingly. Pretty cool!

From here on out I am planning on eating high raw, gluten free and alkaline (80/20). I would like to avoid refined/processed foods, soy, sugar, and caffeine. My main goal is to eat to cure my PCOS and get the hormones in my body regulated on their own. I really feel like I am on the right path. However, I do know that I am human and really love food (and sweets!). I am not going to beat myself up about slipping up and having unhealthy food once in a while. What is the point of eating crap unless you can enjoy it?

Thrifty Grocery Shopping Addendum

There were some wonderful comments on part one of this article which made me realize I missed a key budget shopping point!  Comparison shopping is probably the best way to save money while grocery shopping.  Check out your weekly circulars or email updates from your favorite stores. You can also only buy produce that is on sale and flex your culinary muscles by developing new recipes with the random items you have bought.  And did you know that there are these magical places called salvage grocery stores? They are kind of like food outlets and you can find some wonderful bargains.  (A special thanks to Miss Molly Horn for these additions. )

Now, on to some fabulous  fashion tips for all of you busy (and broke) collegiate ladies!

Reduce, Re-use, Up-cycle!

Before you toss the clothes you haven’t worn in years, stop and evaluate them closely. Why are you going to get rid of this?  Is it too big for you? Too small? Is there a rip, burn or stain? If there is some aspect of this piece that you still love, be it the fabric, the cut, or the buttons – Save it and turn it into something else. Turn an old pair of jeans into a skirt, a sweater into a tote bag.. use your imagination and learn some crafty skills along the way!

Go to a thrift store and consider what the clothing can become instead of what it is. $30 and a bit of time can give you a whole new season of clothes. Plus you’ll be known as “that cool indie chick”.  Check out this girl who is making totally adorable clothing from $1 thrift dresses that most people would typically turn up their noses.

If you are not the crafty, sew-y type, just learn to embrace the amazing world of vintage shopping. And I’m not talking about buying a tacky 80′s prom dress on Ebay for $200. I’m talking about down and dirty second-hand shopping. The frustrations! The endless searches! The questionable odors!  But working for that perfect (super cheap!) item is worth the feeling of satisfaction you get when you find it.

Adventures In Shopping

Evaluate every purchase -  Every time you go to make a purchase ask your self – “Do I really need this?”  Most of the time you don’t.  An easy way to  squash impulse buying is by doing the 48 hour test. Wait 48 hours after finding something you “have to have” and see if you still want it badly.

Buy off season - A $300 winter coat for $60? Yes, please! At the end of each season, every store has a blowout sale. This is when you should buy your clothes. I have solemnly promised myself to never purchase anything at full price (unless it is from an indie business, but that is a story for another time). If you have the patience to let new items sit in your closet for a few months, you will save loads of money!

Don’t buy trendy nonsense - Don’t buy any trends that you know will only last a season. Sometimes these trends are obvious (trucker hats, ponchos) and sometimes they are not, but just try to use your best judgement. If it is a trend that is popping up in every teen boutique.. it probably wont last too long. The best way to save time and money is to develop your own unique and timeless style. That way you are not heading out to stores every season to stock back up on clothes.

Buy quality staple pieces – You should probably fork over a good amount of cash to purchase staple components of your wardrobe, like blazers, the little black dress, white button up, and jeans. This may seem counter-intuitive, but these timeless pieces should remain just that – timeless. They should be quality items that will last for years to come. The initial investment will be worth avoiding the stress of purchasing these same items over and over.

Budget! - You shouldn’t be buying anything unless you have it budgeted in every month. When I was in college, I had all of my expenses planned out except for clothing purchases. I would then randomly go on shopping excursions and blow my whole budget! Or I would put it on a credit card. Bad news. Don’t ever put anything other than emergencies on a credit card. Ever. You will regret it.

Quick Dress Tips

Did you know Einstein wore the same outfit everyday so he wouldn’t waste his precious mental energy deciding what to wear? You may not be developing the Theory of Relativity but you have a lot going on!  Getting dressed every day should not be stressful or time consuming.

Opt for comfort - Everything you own should be comfortable.  I personally cannot concentrate on anything if I am wearing something that is uncomfortable or restricting. When trying on clothing, be sure to move around a lot – sit down, bend over, do jumping jacks.. whatever. And only buy shoes you can comfortably walk in….even heels, ladies.

Develop a core wardrobe -  Most of your closet should contain items that can easily be worn with each other. This is another post in itself, and thankfully Megan over at Charade has covered this beautifully.

Mis-match – I randomly go through phases where I will throw on random things in my closet without giving it much thought or consideration. Those are the days I get the most comments. Have fun and play!

Plan out your outfits for the week -  Or at least the night before. There is nothing better than getting dressed and going! This is also a great time management tip if you find yourself getting lost in your closet every morning and then getting to class late.

Stay tuned next week for Part Three of A Thrifty guide For College Bound Vegans covering cruelty free  beauty and makeup!

Photo Cred : This stunning lady.

This week I proudly concocted this raw “pasta salad” with basil cream sauce. It has been a while since I have broken out the mandoline to pasta-fy my veggies!  The marinated mushrooms in this recipe are good for pretty much anything. I’ve added them in salads, on top of pizza and in wraps. Right now Doodlebug is obsessed with them and we constantly have a batch marinading.

So below is how you can make this delectable dish for yourself. You can pretty much just use any veggies you have lying around. If you make enough zucchini noodles, mushrooms and sauce to last a few days, you can make this dish in under 2 minutes!

Ingredients

• 2  large Kale leaves, ripped into bite sized pieces
• 1 spiralized zucchini (if you don’t have a spiralizer, a mandoline works fine.. and so does a vegetable peeler.. which gives you “fettuccine”! )
• Marinated mushrooms (see below)
• Chopped veggies of your choice. I used:
  Avocado
  Tomato
  Red pepper
  Summer squash
  Broccoli
• Basil cream sauce (see below)

Marinated Mushrooms

• 1 cup of mushrooms (any kind)
• 1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tb Apple cider vinegar
• 2Tb Olive oil
• 1Tb Oregano

Mix all ingredients together and let mushrooms soak, covered, overnight, stirring once or twice.

Basil Cream Sauce

• 2 cups of basil
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 4 Tb olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp  black pepper
• 2 Tb nutritional yeast
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 Tb water

Mix all ingredients together in blender or processor. Add more water if you need it creamier.

Put it all together!

• Place kale on plate to make a “bed”
• Pile Zuchinni “noodles” on top
• Throw chopped veggies and mushrooms on top of that
• Add Basil Cream Sauce
• Enjoy!

As The Raw Food Adventure draws to a close I have realized how my gratitude and diet have been so closely intertwined. Without having such readily available and delicious raw food, supportive friends and loved ones, and a wonderful community of like-minded people (you guys!) I would have never been able to do this. And for that I am grateful. Lets see what else deserves props this week:

Vegan Las Vegas - My last visit to Las Vegas was filled with disappointing meals and mornings crying over the fact that fruit was my only option at the expansive breakfast buffet. I would like to give a huge thank you to (supposed) new vegan, Steve Wynn and his decision to make it mandatory for all of his restaurants to have a few vegan choices on the menu.

Fall Fashion -What is more exciting than fall fashion? Nothing! The layers. The patterns. The possibilities!

Mini Notebooks – I recently bought myself a set of cute striped mini notebooks to harbor my various obsessions. So Far I have the following notebooks designated: Happies (gratitude), Inspiration/Ideas, Words (word I like or don’t know the meaning of), Dreams (for my lucid dreaming project).

Trapeze Boots – Look at these things. They are boots.. for aerials. Problem is I can only find them in leather (boo!). Any of you crafty hotties want to make me a vegan pair? PLEASE!

Raw Food Adventure Recap: Week 4

I’m almost there!  There is officially only a few days left of The Raw Food Adventure and I am already planning out all of the non-raw food I want to eat. Eating raw has been incredibly beneficial to me and my health and I plan on eating high-raw from here on out.. but sometimes a girl needs her quinoa.

This week I made an incredible dish: Raw pasta salad with basil cream sauce. Recipe coming next week! I have been religiously drinking smoothies with hemp seeds, blueberries and banana. I have eaten enough kale and avocados to feed a small tribe for a year.

Next week I will be doing a special recap of the whole entire month! I know you are excited!

I currently have a few consults who have the same exact problem: They are vegan, in college and broke. The general consensus is that these 3 factors lead to dinners of freezer burnt Morning Star patties, a wardrobe that hasn’t changed since 11th grade and quite a bit of nights out, staring in admiration at your friend’s food. Darlings – I have been there!

Whether you are at the University of Oregon (vegan options galore) or community college  in the middle of Nebraska, it is VERY possible to eat vegan and healthy on a minimal budget. While your at it, you can dress like the compassionate hipster you long to be and show all of the naysayers how fabulous being vegan really is.

While these tips are targeted at college students, they can be incredibly useful to anyone who lives on a strict budget or who is looking to save some money. I use most of these tips every day!

I broke this post into two parts. This first part is about eating vegan and healthy, even when it seems like all odds are against you. The second will be about staying fashionable and fabulous even if you are beyond broke and have 2 minutes to get to class.

Eating Out

Only eat out twice a week, tops. I understand that in college it is almost impossible to have every meal at home. Going out to eat with friends is a huge social event, and sometimes you just don’t have time to eat and then you get stuck in the middle of your bustling day, starving.  Try to plan out your weeks so you can have the majority of your meals at home (or take them with you).  However, when you do go out to eat try to make your meal under $10 and healthy. How do you do this? Research and trial and error. You can find menus online to almost every eating establishment in existence. Research what is offered on your campus and go try it out. Make a list of each business and what they offer. You could even put your list online and share it with other vegans on your campus! Eating out is actually not so bad once you do your research.  Here is a list of vegan items at chain restaurants and Happy Cow allows you to search out veg and veg-friendly places in your area.

Eating at Home or in a Dorm

Not many people have the option to  cook big elaborate meals everyday. While in college, you may be able to do this once in 4 years. If you are lucky enough to have an apartment or still live at home, your task is relatively easy.  To save time and money, make things in bulk. Make a huge pot of chili, soup or stew and store in the fridge or freezer. Now you have at least one meal a day covered for 7-10 days, for relatively cheap. Chop up veggies and store in bags or containers in the fridge so you can quickly make salads if needed. If you like big fancy meals, cook one once a week and invite some friends over. Or even throw a monthly potluck. It is much cheaper than going out to dinner.

If you live in a dorm, things can get tricky depending on how your building is set up. If you have a “floor kitchen” then you can just try out the ideas listed above.  If you do not, then your task just got a bit harder! You can purchase a portable stove top and a small refrigerator (with your college logo on it!) for cheap on Amazon. If you feel like getting really gourmet you can get a George Foreman Grill.  But please, please, please try not to burn your dorm down! For some easy and dorm-friendly recipes check out The Vegan College Cookbook.

If you purchased a meal card and your college does not offer sufficient vegan options, then you need to make a huge deal about it. Petition, write letters, and perhaps talk to the person in charge of your school’s meal plans about how important it is that EVERYONE has something healthy to eat. If they know the demand is there, they will deliver. Another option is to tell them you have serious food allergies.. if it is something that might lead to a potential emergency situation, they will probably go out of their way to accommodate you.

Grocery Shopping

Do not buy prepared and pre-packaged foods. Buy limited processed food. (You should actually not buy any processed food, but I’m thinking about what I ate when I was in college and I’m being realistic here.) Pre-packaged food is WAY too expensive for what you get. I know, it’s quick and easy, but if you cut it out of your shopping list, you will save loads of money.  Processed food is at times, a bargain but not worth it for the nutritional content. A bag of chips may be 99 cents and a bag of spinach may be $3, but the bag of chips has absolutely zero nutritional value and you will just end up being hungry again, soon after. Try to buy primarily produce, grains, beans, legumes and nuts. Grains, beans and nuts in bulk are typically the cheapest. You don’t have to buy all organic produce as long as the dirty dozen always is. Only buy enough produce to last you a week.

Figure out a budget and calculate exactly how much you can spend a week on food. Make sure you stick to this figure. After a few weeks of shopping you will be able to figure out how to get the most bang for your buck. Farmers markets are a great place to find cheap produce. You could also sign up for a CSA share and split it with a roommate or friend.

Do you have any tips for eating vegan and healthy on a college student’s budget? Let me know if there is anything else you would like covered and I’ll add it in part 2!!

Stay tuned for Part Two of this post that covers staying fashionable and beautiful with $3 in your bank account and no extra time!

I know you love my stock photography

Dark Chocolate Cherry Balls

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Almond Butter Cookies (flattened balls?)

Chocolate and Coconut Snowballs

Donut Holes

Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Holes

Bonus:

Caramels!

Happy Friday, cats and kittens! Lets kick off another fun-filled weekend with recapping our gratitude filled weeks.

Summer mornings. There is something extra special about early morning during summer. The crispness in the air. The emerging sun peaking over the top of buildings.  This is what is all about, people!

Having clear goals. Usually, I’m very vague and passive about the direction I am going in life. Having concise and achievable goals takes away a certain amount of underlying stress. Now that the hard part is over, finding out how to achieve those goals is the easy part. Figuring out my goals led me to write about it earlier this week. Now hopefully I follow my own advice.

Friendly coffee shops. I love spending time working on my laptop in coffee shops where employees and patrons alike are wonderfully nice and kind. It turns my time there into a big warm hug!

New Desert Essence. My absolute favorite beauty product brand in the world has re-branded and re-formulated itself into absolute perfection! Aesthetically pleasing packaging? Check. No more parabens and better quality ingredients? Check. Hooray!

What are you grateful for this week?

Raw Food Adventure! Week 3

My knight in shining armour

This week the whole raw thing became somewhat second nature and I didn’t have to think about it as much. I made some delicious wraps which consisted of tons of veggies and tahini dressing thrown inside a collared green “wrap”. I had a lot of salads and I have been giving my juicer a real workout.  However, I have a confession to make: I cheated!  Sometime during the beginning of the week I started to feel a little weak and woozy and started to crave rice and beans like no other. I’m not sure whether this was mental or physical but needless to say, I caved. And honestly, I felt much better after!  We are all human, right? Looking back I have a theory that my body might be too alkaline and was craving some healthy acidic food to keep a balance. Would anyone know if this is true? Is there a way to keep a healthy PH while remaining 100% raw? I’m new to this whole alkaline thing!

Have a beautiful weekend!