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Lifestyle

Lifestyle is a regular feature of Viva!LIFE – Viva!’s quarterly colourful supporters’ magazine.

Viva!life issue 49 Spring 2012

Viva's self-professed 'Veganorak' Kat Himmel takes the strain out of cruelty-free product spotting!

It’s the Boom Balm

Talking of obsessions, I am guilty as charged when it comes to skincare. I am forever searching for the miraculous elixir that will undo any flesh-based besmirchment.

When Weleda kindly offered me a sample of their new Pomegranate (apparently the word originates from the French pomme-grenade) Firming Face Serum, I greedily accepted and was aghast at the results.

My skin responded extremely favourably to the simple, fuss-free formulation which was absorbed immediately, allowing for rapid application of my sun cream.

Morning and night, it’s a multi-tasking dynamo. At £34.95 for 30ml, the serum’s a luxury – but my tiny 5ml sample lasted just under a month so it’s economical.

Find it online at www.weleda.co.uk or ring 0115 944 8222 for stockists.

Health Explosion

Pomegranates are all the rage, don't you know?

Not only do they power up your skin care routine, when taken internally, they ameliorate your health from the inside out, it seems.

Research shows that they contain three times more antioxidants than red wine or green tea; can lower LDL cholesterol and can protect against cancerous cells.

Organic Village produces the purest pomegranate juice you'll find.

It's organic, not from concentrate, contains no added water, no sugar nor any artificial sweeteners.

Available online from www.organicvillage.org or independent health food stores. You’ll pay £1.39 for 200ml or £3.99 a litre.

Seek Eco

We’re not obsessed with hygiene or owt, but new but new earth and animal friendly cleaning products caused quite a stir at Viva! towers.

Philip helped me to assess the Eco2Life range of green household de-pongifying magicians.

He secreted away the Bath & Shower spray, put it through its paces and then reported back to me – glowingly – that it cleaned everyday dirt and stubborn stains quite impressively, whilst filling the air with a clean, fresh, unobtrusive scent that doesn’t just scream ‘pine!’ or ‘lemon!’ in your face.

Whilst Philip was slaving away, I was busy with the floor cleaner. Highly economical, no water bucket is required – you just spray it on your mop, or directly on the floor and swish away.

I asked Eco2Life what they used to create their fragrance, so charmed was I. It’s a blend of 10 essential oils including lime and ginger. Adore!

Now, the thing that really is notable about Eco2Life is their system. The 500ml spray bottles are designed to be refilled indefinitely using the 50ml bottles of cleaner but every bit of the packaging is, nonetheless, recyclable.

Available from independent health food shops and online at www.biggreensmile.com. £2.99 gets you the starter pack and refills cost about £2.29. Unbeatable value!

Choose from Bath & Shower, Multi-Surface, Floor or Glass.

Please Cheese Me

There’s a new product for vegan cheese lovers and it’s made by an Austrian company called Vegourmet.

Weighing in at 400g and costing £6.25, it isn't cheap but it’s in cooked dishes and under melting conditions that Vegourmet really comes into its own.

The flavour bursts forth when grilled or added to hot foods. I made pizzas with the Santeciano (a firm, fairly strong cheese) and was delighted with it.

It was a divinely melt-y mélange that did not sacrifice flavour and didn’t turn to plastic when it cooled.

Other favourites were tomato-laced Paradiso; smoked Montenaro; Mexican-inspired Volcano and Herbario.

Vegusto also produce a range of deli meats and sausages and I had the pleasure of making a pie with the Kornkrainers – no, they’re not our neighbours but a spicy, cheesy sausages to which words cannot do justice. Undoubtedly delicious, they are firm but not rubbery… just perfect.

A 240g packet will cost you £4.85, but each sausage is encased in a sealed cellulose wrapper, so you can use as few as you want without fear of wastage.

You’ll find the widest range of Vegourmet products online at Alternative Stores (www.alternativestores.com) or ring them on 0191 236 8519.

Pop in and see them if you’re Newcastle!

Pure Halal Beauty (PHB)

Helen's vegan beauty review

A luxurious brand of make-up and cosmetics have also been gaining popularity in the last year, promoted as offering the world’s largest natural halalcertified beauty range.

Pure Halal Beauty (PHB) products are made by hand using natural ingredients – comprising 80 unique high-end cosmetics – from lipsticks and eye shadow, to face masks, moisturisers and shampoos.

My slightly dry skin was grateful to receive the benefits of PHB’s Awaken and Revive Moisturiser, which is fragranced with oranges and lemons and left me with a definite ‘zesty’ glow before I applied my foundation.

It is rich in antioxidants and vitamins, including vitamins C and E.

I moved onto my eyes with the PHB Mineral Miracles Eyeshadow, which applies a rich, even and deep colour.

Karen used PHB’s Awaken & Revive Face Wash – and said her skin felt noticeably smoother and clear after just one use.

Their Clean & Clear Boost Shampoo was left in Kat’s capable hands – and she said it lathered easily and had a very invigorating and luxury feel to it.

Rhiannon took home the PHB Elixer of Youth Conditioning Eye Treatment, which is a subtly cucumber-scented clear gel, which is easily absorbed.

It is gentle on your eyes and does not sting. Once rubbed into the eyelids it has a cooling, soothing effect which feels powerfully refreshing.

We were left with the impression that to all the senses, PHB products – although more expensive than some high-street alternatives – make you feel like you are using something really special and beneficial to your skin and body.

PHB’s Awaken and Revive Moisturiser is priced at £10.99 for 50g.

PHB Mineral Miracles Eyeshadow is priced at £8.99.

PHB Awaken & Revive Face Wash is priced at £8.99.

PHB Clean & Boost Shampoo for Normal Hair is priced at £9.99.

For more information about PHB and to see their full range, visit their store in The Pavilions Shopping Centre, Birmingham, or online at www.purehalalbeauty.com.

Outback Organics

Helen's vegan beauty review

Make-up, cosmetics and hair care products, which weren’t hiding nasty animal ingredients or tested on poor defenceless creatures in laboratories, used to be hard to find. And when you did lay your hand on any, quite often they cost a small fortune.

But times have changed. The savvy vegan shopper now knows where they can buy vegan goodies in several places across the high street and throughout the internet, and at Viva!, we are always keen to hear about the latest discoveries.

So I was delighted to learn that a company based near my hometown of Taunton in Somerset is selling a range of vegan-friendly hair and skincare items.

Outback Organics have a complete range of tea-tree products, which contain nothing but natural, organic plants and are ethically sourced from a company in Australia who financially support the indigenous people who plant and harvest them.

I’ve had the pleasure of using their Organic Tea Tree Shampoo and Organic Tea Tree Conditioner on my rather long and troublesome blond hair, for the last month.

I found them refreshing, smoothing and effective. The shampoo lathers well and left my locks looking really shiny, healthy and smelling amazing.

It is enriched with tea tree oil, Australian bush mint and peppermint oil which leaves the scalp feeling revitalised.

My hair is slightly dry from bleach, but I found just a small amount of the rich conditioner covered and soothed the ends well, leaving it glossy and manageable.

It also contains Tea Tree Oil, Citricial (a natural antimicrobial ingredient from grapefruit pith) and Australian bush mint Oil that restores lustre and de-tangles the hair.

Both the Organic Tea Tree Shampoo and the Conditioner are priced at £7.65 each for 250ml.

I have quite sensitive skin and am loathe to use traditional soap on my face and body, so I’ve started using their Skin Wash twice a day instead – which leaves my pores feeling squeaky clean and clear.

The Outback Organics’ exfoliating Face & Body Scrub has also done wonders in helping to remove the winter blues from my skin, with the help of jojoba micro-beads, which buff away dead skin cells and leave the skin feeling silky soft.

Organic Tea Tree Skin Wash is priced at £5.99 for 100ml, and the Face & Body Scrub, £8.99 for 100ml.

To read more about Outback Organics, to see their full range and to order, visit www.outbackorganics.co.uk.

Go Co Yo!

Here’s something that has set a lot of Viva! hearts a-flutter. Fresh from Australia, nutritionist Bethany Eaton has brought Co Yo coconut yoghurt to the UK, where it is being produced in Hastings, East Sussex.

Uniquely different to its soya-based counterparts, this delight is made from coconut milk and is free from added sugar, lactose, dairy, gluten, soya or additives. Much tangier, less sweet and thicker – more like a Greek yoghurt, I guess – than that to which we’ve become accustomed, Co Yo melts away magically on the tongue and is decadently rich. In fact, it rather resembles ricotta cheese.

One caveat: of the 10 taste testers, seven loved it and three did not. In my opinion it offers more versatility than the soya-based yoghurts. Launched this February in John Lewis’ food halls, it is also available in selected health food shops. Plain or mixed berry flavours come in 250g (£5.49) or 400g (£6.99). An ice cream will follow soon!

For a full nutritional profile, see Co Yo’s website: www.coyo.co.uk

Lifestyle is a regular feature of Viva!LIFE – Viva!’s tri-annual colourful supporters’ magazine.