Today you are again privileged to read a guest cruelty-free review written by another cruelty-free-blogger friend of mine, the Glamorous Grad Student!  Owner of an AMAZING blog devoted to being a fashionista (in a cruelty-free way!) on a grad student budget.  Seriously, it’s a blog you’ll want to check regularly!

The Body Shop Coconut Shimmer Body Butter (5/5 stars)

I was so thrilled when Emily asked me to do a product review for Living Cruelty Free. Her blog is such a great resource for anyone trying to go cruelty-free and I feel really grateful for the opportunity to contribute.

First off, my Body Shop position statement. I am a long-time Body Shop fan, so the L’Oreal connection is not something I’m enamoured with. But like Emily, I’d rather see L’Oreal stop their cruel ways than see the Body Shop go out of business, so I feel that buying from the Body Shop, which is still cruelty-free, and boycotting the other L’Oreal brands is the most constructive way of sending the message I wish to send as a consumer.

Now, on to the review! The Body Shop has recently added some new additions to its divine Coconut body range in the form of a new Coconut Shimmer lotion and body butter. I got a sample of the lotion recently when I bought some other products, and later bought the body butter for myself.

I really really like this product. As I’m a fair redhead, fake tan just looks strange on me. And besides, there’s something unnatural to me about dying my epidermis, you know? But with summer fast approaching, and bare legs and arms beckoning, I’ve been on the lookout for a product that would be amazingly moisturizing and make my skin look less pasty and more porcelain.

And this is it. This body butter is really thick but absorbs really well, and leaves a long-lasting, subtle sheen on the skin. It’s lasted throughout the day for me. It doesn’t leave gritty, glittery residue on the skin like some shimmer products do, it just glows.

And the fact that it’s coconut, my favourite summer scent, is an extra bonus. I am currently layering with the coconut scrub and perfume oil. My nose must think it’s in Tahiti.

The Body Shop’s Coconut Shimmer Body Butter is £12.20, though when I bought it the combination of a special offer and my store loyalty card knocked something like £5 off the price. That said, I would totally pay full price for this product. As I say, I view it as the paler gal’s fake tan alternative, and I know I’d have saved a fortune if instead of wasting sooo much money on disappointing bronzing products over the years I’d embraced my pallor with a product like this!

Ingredients:Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Lanolin Alcohol, Mica, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Sodium Hydroxide, CI 77891, Caramel.

Hi everybody,

Emily has asked me to share a cruelty-free product review with you, I’m very pleased!!! I like this blog so much, and Emily is lovely, so here it is one of my favorite products — one that you can easily find in the USA.

Dentaforce toothpaste  A.Vogel (3.5 fl oz -100gr) 5/5 stars

If you are looking for a natural and vegan toothpaste, give this a try!  I really think that anybody would like it, it tastes very nice, has a not-too-strong mint flavor that gives you a nice fresh and clean sensation. All the ingredients are good quality.  It does have some alcohol, but you won’t taste that at all.  It also comes in Echinacea, which has a few more ingredients, and tastes a little bit different, but is very good as well! Just one note — mint is not suitable if you are using homeopathic remedies.

A.Vogel (Bioforce Group) is a Swiss company, approved by the Australian Choose Cruelty Free . . . which has a great standard that we can trust (as Emily already told you), plus, the company cultivates its own organic plants – that’s a good thing!

It’s another one of my polls — I love doing them!  Please ask anyone you think might be interested to answer the poll too.  

I’m kind of curious about what people actually feed their pets — please tell me, what kind of pet food do you feed your pet?  (Uh, omnivorous pets, that is — I HOPE you’re feeding your rabbits/guinea pigs vegan food. )

You know how the other day I wrote about how much I love Method almond floor wash, and I wished they had a bodywash in that scent too?  A few weeks after I wrote that, I found Method almond flower bodywash at Target.  And I was thrilled!  However, it turns out “almond flower” smells nothing like “almond.”  And the body wash itself seemed fine — it got me clean — but nothing special.  Sigh.  So I was not too pleased with this bodywash.  It’s okay, but definitely not my favorite scent.  I’m holding out for almond flavored bodywash . . . 

(Method products are 100%-animal-testing-free, vegan, but not organic.)

Method Almond Flower Natural Body Wash
almond flower
rich lather + totally nourishing
olive oil is the key to making this creamy body wash super moisturizing and skin friendly. with natural antioxidants and vitamin E. be warned, skin this soft may inspire spontaneous bursts of nudity.
Naturally moisturizing olive oil, glycerin and aloe vera gel plus gentle cleansers made from coconut oil clean gently but effectively. Free of dirty ingredients like the EDTA and parabens used in many body washes.

$10 for 18oz

Ingredients: water (aqua), cocamidopropyl hydroxysultane, retinyl palmitate (vitamin a), aloe barba
sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, glycerin, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), sodium lauroamphoacetate
guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil.

 Shampoo for normal and fine hair with Artemisia Essential Oil

I picked up a travel sized bottle of this at the L’Occitane buy 2 get 1 free sale at Christmas.  So far I REALLY like it.  It doesn’t leave any buildup on my hair, and it gets it clean.  I’m also impressed by the high quality travel size bottle — it seems very solid, well-made, and easy to open without being so flimsy it douses my luggage with shampoo.  Unfortunately it has two drawbacks — it has the Aromachologie scent that I really don’t care for, just like the Aromachologie deodorant.  It’s not bad, it just smells kind of mens’ cologne-y to me.  Just not my style.  It kind of reminds me of 4711 a bit.  The other drawback is the price.  Kind of expensive for shampoo, I feel . . . 

(L’Occitane is 100%-cruelty-free, and vegan except for bee products, and uses some organic ingredients.)

(This shampoo gets rave reviews on MakeupAlley — average of 4.7/5 stars from 7 reviewers.  Quite a feat!)

L’Occitane Aromachologie Shampoo is available from your local L’Occitane store for $3 (that’s where I bought it!).  Unfortunately it does not appear to be available right now from the or online L’Occitane store.

Ingredients: Aqua/water - disodium laureth sulfosuccinate - tea-lauryl sulfate - laureth 2 - laurdimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed wheat protein - peg-120 methyl glucose duiolfate - cinchona succrubra bark estract - sodium chloride - peg/ppg-14/4 dimethicone - propylene glycol - coco-glucoside - glyceryl olfate - parfum/fragrance - panthenol - polyquaternium-7 - polyquaternium 10 - linalool - artemisia hera - alba/artemisa vulgaris extract - citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) oil - methylchlorodisothlazolinone - methylisothiazolinone

Heavenly Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin.  At last, a vanilla, almond milk, and dove orchid moisturiser for sensitive skin.  Use this to soften and calm an easily irritated face and protect city skin against pollution.

Okay, so first off, I fell in love with this moisturizer at the Lush store and had to buy it.  It smells lovely — very mildly floral, and comforting.  I think it’s the slight vanilla fragrance — I’ve always found  most vanilla-fragranced lotions too overwhelming and kind of earthy — they’re just too strong for my nose.  This one though, just the slightest hint of a delicate vanilla fragrance, it’s very, very nice.  It’s like smelling cookies baking from far away.  

All in all, it’s a very nice moisturizer — very thick, very soothing.  I really like it.  It only has three problems — it’s seriously WAY too moisturizing for me — this would be far better for someone with really dry skin.  Even during the winter months when my skin goes dry it’s just too much for me.  Currently I use it once a week at most — it’s a nice break from my regular routine.  But I definitely would NOT use it any more frequently than that since I don’t have really dry skin.  Also, it won’t protect against skin cancer.  And, it’s a little too expensive for me to use all the time.  So I’m taking a star off for those three reasons.

(Lush products are 100%-cruelty-free, this product itself is vegan, and has some organic ingredients.)

Lush Celestial Moisturizer (1.5oz) is Available for $21.35 from your local Lush store or the Lush Online Store.

Ingredients: water (and) vanilla planifolia fruit, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, glycerin, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, parfum, propylene glycol and dendrobium phalaenopsis flower extract, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, methylparaben, triethanolamine, propylparaben.

I feel a little bad giving this 3/5 stars — it’s not that I don’t think it’s probably an excellent product, but it really doesn’t suit anyone who doesn’t have VERY dry skin.  If you have REALLY dry skin, this might be a 5/5 star cleanser for you.  But for me, which my slightly dry skin (just in the winter — in the summer, it’s oily), this is just seriously wrong.

However — and the reason I bought this in the first place — it smells SO GOOD!  Kind of edible and clean-smelling.  I’ve been using it once a week since I love the smell so much.  And it does make my skin very, very soft.

Why is this a good cleanser for someone with really dry skin?  Basically, It has no soap in it whatsoever — it’s kind of a waxy cream — it’s like smearing oil all over your face.  Not good if you have oily skin.  Repeat — DO NOT BUY THIS STUFF I YOU HAVE OILY SKIN.  And honestly, if you have fairly dry skin, I’d think twice about buying it as well.  On the other hand, if you have severly dry skin, or want a once a week nice oil-cleanser, this is quite excellent . . .

(Lush products are 100%-cruelty-free, and some of their products are vegan.  Lush does label every product with a vegan/not-vegan label, which is convenient.  However, this product is not vegan — it has beeswax and honey in it.  Sometimes Lush uses organic ingredients, but not all the time.)

(I’m a little confused by the paraben preservatives.  Aren’t those considered “bad” by knowledgeable organic-people?  Lush seems to think they are “safe synthetics.”)

Lush Ultra Bland Cleanser (1.5oz) is available for $14.45 from any Lush store.  

Ultra-gentle, thorough facial cleanser

This supreme facial cleanser, with magnificently softening rose water, peanut oil and beeswax cream, takes off everything you’ve plastered on and makes your skin astonishingly soft. It’s a marvel. Ultrabland is not the simplest cleanser to use, but it’s not that hard and it’s definitely worth it. Smooth it on, then remove it thoroughly with a slightly damp cotton pad or face cloth. Gently remove until your skin feels soft and not oily. 

   I thought I’d branch out from my usual Eco-Dent and try Dr. Ken’s floss singles, and am I ever glad I did!  They are the best thing ever!  If you’re a floss-junkie like me, you can slip a few of these in your pocket or your purse, and you NEED NEVER BE WITHOUT FLOSS AGAIN!  Plus they’re very nice — the floss is firmly attached to each end of its little paper container — you rip the paper packet, and you have this built in little holding device for your floss, so instead of wrapping the floss around your middle finger three times till it cuts off your circulation to maintain tension, you just . . hold on!  It’s quite ingenious.  Anyway, these won’t replace your normal box o’ floss on the counter of your bathroom sink, but they are a GREAT travel alternative.  They’re especially a nice alternative to Eco-Dent, because Eco-Dent has this recyclable paper packaging, which is great for the environment and all, but means if you put it in your travel bag you’ll smush it, and you’ll never be able to get floss out of it properly again and it will DRIVE YOU CRAZY.  Plus, the floss singles smush especially well if you’re trying to jam all your belongings into one travel bag, unlike a normal plastic box of dental floss, which takes up a lot more empty space and is more difficult to pack.  Also, Dr. Ken’s is available at Whole Foods.  (Yay!)  

The only slight problem I have with these is that the floss is flat and very glidey.  I realize this appeals to some people, but I’m not sure I don’t prefer thin more-frictiony floss (like Eco-Dent) more.  I think the thin floss scrapes the plaque off my teeth better, but the flat floss doesn’t seem to get stuck as often on my back molars.  I’ll have to think about it.

Why the heck doesn’t my dentist’s office stock these?  I’m always forgetting to bring my travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss with me when I go to the dentist, invariably right after I’ve gone out to lunch (have you noticed how old friends come into town on a day’s notice and can only meet you for lunch right before a dental appointment?  this happens to me all the time) and have huge wads of spinach stuck in my teeth.  And the dentist’s office is always telling me they have absolutely no floss (or toothbrushes, or toothpaste).  It drives me batty.  It’s a DENTIST’S OFFICE, for heaven’s sake.  Wouldn’t it be nicer for the dental professionals who will soon be closely examining my mouth if I’d perhaps brushed and flossed first?  It seems like a common courtesy.  The floss singles also seem like they would solve all those germ issues of using normal dental floss in a place where lots of people might need to use floss.  

Anyway, I don’t think Dr. Ken’s makes boxes of floss, but it does make three styles of floss singles — unflavored (vegan!) “gliding” with candelilla wax and green tea, mint with beeswax and green tea, and unflavored with beeswax green tea and tea tree oil.  

(Dr. Ken’s products are all 100%-cruelty-free, and most of their products appear to be “bee vegan” or all-out-vegan.  However, overall, Dr. Ken’s does not claim to be bee-vegan or vegan.  Dr. Ken’s products are not organic.)  

Dr. Ken’s Floss Singles are available from Veganessentials for $3.95.  (They are also available at Whole Foods.)

Ingredients: green tea extract, beeswax (mint and tea tree floss), tea tree oil (tea tree floss), nylon filaments (mint and tea tree floss), oil of peppermint leaves (mint floss), candelilla wax (100% vegan plant wax) (gliding wax), monofilament fiber (gliding floss.

Update: Stacie Forman, one of the founders of Weruva, has written in to say that Weruva is going to be on PETA’s list of cruelty-free petfood as soon as PETA updates its site, and that all Weruva petfood is free-range sourced.  So Weruva is looking good!  I now recommend buying it.

Here’s my weekly advice column.  Please bear in mind I’m no expert, that these are just my thoughts, and and that I am in no way telling YOU what to think — I am just giving you the benefits of my hours of google-research on you so you can make your own decision  

Hello –

Only 4 weeks into my decision (or should i say awareness) of cruelty free living, I’ve been buying my pets pet food from a company called Weruva.  From what i can see Weruva is cruelty free. Do you have any thoughts about them?  My cats seem to thrive with the food but my reasearch is not yet as indepth as yours so your feed back would be much appreciated.  

Thanks,

Weruva fan

Hi Weruva-fan!

I’m so glad you’re four weeks into cruelty-free living! I took a quick look at Weruva and I have to say the quality of their product looks AMAZING — no by-products at all, and I like the fact that they seem very concerned with food safety, that every purchase of Weruva involves some money going to rescue homeless animals, and they don’t appear to be on PETA’s list of evil companies. However, I wouldn’t buy Weruva products for two reasons — first, they don’t use humanely-raised meats, and second, they are not listed on PETA’s list of good companies, and I’m a stickler for that. If I were to describe Weruva using a 100% scale, I would say Weruva is 25%-cruelty-free — they aren’t known for actively testing on animals, but then again, they aren’t on the definitely-doesn’t-test-on-animals-list, and they don’t use humanely raised meats (though I haven’t factored the whole safety thing into the cruelty-free rating — that really bumps them up in my personal estimation).

If you have the time, I think it would be GREAT if you could email Weruva and tell them your concerns — say you love their products, but you’d appreciate it if they’d consider signing up with PETA to be listed as not testing their products on animals, and you’d also appreciate it if they’d use humanely sourced meats as well. Here’s the link to the website a company can use to sign up with PETA:

http://www.caringconsumer.com/info_companies.asp

If Weruva did sign up with PETA, and used humanely sourced meats, I would wholeheartedly endorse them.  

I would place a bet that the Weruva people already don’t test on animals — they probably just haven’t gotten around to trying to certify that. Though I could be wrong — I’m not entirely sure if establishing something as “human food grade” involves animal testing or not. It might. The Weruva people seem really nice from their website — I suspect they might be interested in signing up with PETA, at least. They also sound like they’d be at least interested in humanely sourced meats — they look like animal nuts (yay!) — though humanely sourced meats may be too expensive for them, I don’t know, and it looks like a lot of their meat comes from Thailand, and I don’t know if they have free-range/humanely-raised certification in Thailand.

In the meantime, if your cats really like Weruva, I would stick with it. It’s heaps, heaps, heaps better than buying food from an evil company like Iams or Purina that is a known animal tester that most likely doesn’t have the safety standards Weruva does, and certainly doesn’t donate money to animal shelters.

I hope that was informative to you! Tell me what you decide to do. (I should also mention that I’m just telling you my thoughts — I am in no way telling you what to think )

Regards,