Cozy Drinks

http://vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=2702&catId=7

Vegan Cosmetics

I work for one of the US's major cosmetic retailers where I have access to so many different lines of makeup and skincare that it is overwhelming to our clients, and to me even after 8 months of exposure.  I wanted to share a few of my favorites :-)
URBAN DECAY!!!! http://www.urbandecay.com/   The pigments are vivid, you can use it for day or night, wicked packaging and they are always expanding their line.  The tinted moisturizer is great as well as the makeup remover and I love the packaging it comes is, looks nice on the vanity! http://www.urbandecay.com/categories/CleanandSober.cfm
They have a vegan pallet and advertise in my favorite veg mag  http://www.vegnews.com/web/home.do

A more grown up line from one of the original creators of Urban Decay is HOURGLASS.
http://www.hourglasscosmetics.com/  It is pricy, I use the foundation and the primer for special days and occasions, and the cruelty free #2 foundation brush is totally worth it. http://www.hourglasscosmetics.com/index.php?type=face&item=face_primer
http://www.hourglasscosmetics.com/index.php?type=face&item=face_fluidMakeup
http://www.hourglasscosmetics.com/index.php?type=brushes&item=brushes  The Film Noir mascara is my favorite, I am fortunate enough to receive gratis at work and I have tons of mascara, but I will but more of this.
http://www.hourglasscosmetics.com/index.php?type=eyes&item=eyes_filmnoir

Smashbox is another cruelty free brand http://www.smashbox.com/
I am not a huge fan of this brand, but that does not mean it will not work for everyone.  They have great products, but the pigments of the shadows aren't stong enough for my taste, I love bright color!

I am going to start looking in to skincare next, but for now I really like Fresh http://www.fresh.com/
I LOVE the shampoo and conditioner, the serum is great as well as the clay mask, soy cleanser, black tea eye cream and soy scrub. 

How could I forget!!!!!!  LUSH!!!!!! I have been a customer for years, still my fav for bath and body!
http://www.lush.com/

OK, I will stop now, I could go on and on on this stuff...

Urban Decay Cosmetics - Clean and Sober Makeup Remover

Urban Decay Cosmetics - Clean and Sober Makeup Remover

Good Reads

A few books on my bookshelf, Skinny Bitch and Skinny Bitch in the Kitchen are excellent.  Skinny Bitch was the first book that got me thinking about being Vegan rather than Vegetarian.  It is well written, hilarious, and very matter of fact.  Skinny Bitch in the Kitchen has amazing recipes that I always use and are easy to make.  My favorite one is for the Stuffed Shells!
http://www.skinnybitch.net/

I kept eating dairy and eggs, but it had planted a seed in the back of my mind.  Let me tell you, I LOVE BREAKFAST TACOS!  I even fell off the veggie wagon for a few months this past year, just to see if I was really missing anything.  I started gaining weight, feeling lethargic, and just plain guilty about what I was eating. 

Ellen had the author of Eating Animals on her show and something just made me want to read this one.  This book goes in to where our food is from, what "Free Range" and "Organic" actually means when it is on the label for meat and eggs and dairy.  I want no part in what happens to these animals for dairy, there are so many more options and I don't want to ingest the energy that is created while harvesting these things.  I urge everyone to read this book:
http://www.eatinganimals.com/

PS, I feel better than I have in YEARS by cutting out the dairy and eggs and jumping on the Vegan Train ;-)

Vegetarian vs. Vegan

I grew up eating meat.  No questions, ate out most nights, never thought about where my food came from.  As a teenager in the 90's, I thought being a vegetarian was cool, I tried it, I thought that only eating fish made me a vegetarian.  That got boring, I went on to the next fad, still not thinking about where my food actually came from.
  I moved to London England, and let me tell you, the food was amazing.  England has a horrible reputation of having horrible food, but I bet most of the people who tell you that have never even been there.  Especially London, you can get any type of food from any country in the world made by people FROM that country.  Even British food is amazing, Guiness Steak pie, oh man, nothing like it.  Paella in Spain, full English Breakfast with Bacon, Fish n' Chips, Vindaloo Chicken from the neighborhood Indian retaurant, I could go on and on.
  I came back to the US, the first time I went in to an American grocery store in 4 years, I was freaked out by how HUGE the produce was, i.e., genetically modified.  The US is so far behind when it come to organic and until very recently, no one even thought about the anti biotics and hormones injected in to the meat most Americans consume.  So, I started to think.  And research. And read and read and read.
  The first book I ever read about food was Fast Food Nation, and I read that while I was still living in the UK.  I did not eat fast food for 5 years after finishing that book.  5 years.

Four years ago, I was done, I became a vegetarian.  I rescue animals, I have 4 dogs and 3 cats, I love pigs and think they are intelligent and cuddly, why the HELL would I eat something that I want to pet and love.  Just ask yourself that, if I see an animal as a baby and think it's cute, see fish that are beautiful to you, why the hell would you eat it?