The operant word in that previous sentence being need.

Because somehow, at some point that whizzed past my eyes, we’ve arrived at a time where corporations are making products for, get this:

Consumer Stereotype Novelty.

I know. I know. I must be mad for thinking that a company — a natural care company at that — would ever stoop so low as to produce products simply because it matches the stereotype of their consumer and, as a result, creates a novelty, rather than being based out of desire or necessity.

But here I am, about to tell you how Weleda have done that; and what’s worse, they’ve gone ahead and made a product which is not only novel in the most banal sense, but will also go ahead and give you mouth ulcers. Hurray.

So, as I’m always on the lookout for new vegan/natural body/oral care products in my local Waitrose (they now have half 7 vegan-safe haircare products, where previous there were 2!), I noticed a few weeks ago that they had begun to stock Weleda’s Salt Toothpaste.

My curiosity aroused and my teeth awaiting a try, I came home to try it out.

The taste is in the name, and whilst table salt (sodium chloride) is only the 13th ingredient, the taste was not all that pleasant. Admittedly, I did get accustomed to it after my sixth brush, but by this point the salt toothpaste had begun to unload its adverse effects. And adverse they were.

Indeed, by the sixth brush (I brush my teeth twice a day, sometimes three times if I’ve eaten particularly sugary foods — I take oral hygiene very seriously) an ulcer had begun to form in my mouth. Awesome.

Thinking nothing of it (ulcers can be attributed to citrus fruits, which I’d eaten the previous day), I cut my citrus fruit intake and continued to brush my teeth with the stuff. Not only did it sting like a BITCH, but the next day that forming ulcer had become a real nasty one (like, you have no idea) and another had formed. Both in close proximity to my teeth. Oye.

The next day I checked the ingredients and discovered, to my shock, some serious questionables. Suffice it to say, Weleda’s Salt Toothpaste is not the natural! Gentle! Loving! Ecological for your being! deliciousness that I had been promised. Not. Happy. Between the denatured alcohol and parfum (= perfume, and isn’t specified if it has assface chemicals in), I couldn’t help but be left behind feeling a little bereft.

I’m not happy. Whatsoever. And Weleda’s Salt Toothpaste is the exact reason why. I can’t enjoy my weekly hummus binge and I most certainly can’t have my usual Thursday night colourful vegetable binge. Yeah, I’m a sad health freak, but dude? Seriously? Uber huge ulcers in my mouth are the shits.

And that’s why, after much frustration and wincing in pain, I give Weleda’s salt toothpaste an unsightly:

]]> http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/why-i-threw-weledas-salt-toothpaste-in-the-bin-fast/feed/ 1 http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/yves-saint-laurent-touche-eclat-worth-it/ http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/yves-saint-laurent-touche-eclat-worth-it/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:36:31 +0000 Lauren http://www.thedailywiggle.com/?p=628 To be honest, £23 does seem like a lot for a highlighter pen.

No, I don’t mean a highlighter for hightlighting your key points, because that really would be extortionate.

But after receiving one of these babies for Christmas, I wondered whether or not I would actually buy it myself, or whether I would just stick to Aldi’s own brand. Classy bird, I am.

Arguments for Touche Eclat.

• It seems like Yves Saint Laurent’s version adapts to your skin colour ridiculously well. I’m pretty sure that you could buy basically any colour for caucasian skin and it would blend with ease. I’ve never had one for darker skin because I’m quite fair-skinned, but I’m guessing that it would do exactly the same.
• It stays put for days. With any other version, it comes off in a matter of hours. But with the real thing, you could literally put it on in the morning, go to work in the day, party at night and when you wake up with a hangover the next morning, it’d still be there.
• The container itself is really, really pretty. I know this shoudn’t be a deciding factor, but one look at the shiny, gold outer layer and you’ll be mesmerized.
• It’s Yves Saint Laurent. Therefore, it makes like you can afford Yves Saint Laurent purses and shoes, when really you can only afford the 20 quid that makes you look like you can.

Arguments against Touche Eclat.

• The amount that you get appears to be significantly less than other supermarket brands. Less product means less coverage and less uses. Not good.
• Did I mention that it costs £23?! To be honest for most people, money is a deciding factor: it just depends on how much money you have and what you can afford at the time. So really, it’s not so good because of this.
• Although it lasts longer, you can’t really tell the difference when you initially put it on. I’m sure some make-up freaks who worship YSL would be able to tell, but to the untrained eye, there’s not much separating the two.

Overall, although there are no major differences between them, the ’staying put’ factor really does it for me. No one wants to put make up on when they’ve just returned home from an all-nighter and this little gem does all the work for you.

Rating (out of 5):

But anyway, this is a book review, not just me spouting a load of Menopause facts at you.

Though I could do that instead if you like…

First things first,‘The Secret Pleasures of Menopause’  is written by bestselling Author and general all-round Menopause know-it-all Christiane Northrup.
(She’s even been on Oprah to talk about it for goodness sake!)

But, ahem, yeah…. She knows her stuff basically.

Her book covers all aspects and problems assosciated with Menopause, from a range of common symptom to ways to beat the blues.
The overally feeling from this book has to be, as Dr Northrup says, “It’s not over!”
She tells readers how they can be healthier, happier and engage in the best sex ever.
Wow, right?

More than just a feel-good read for the Over 50s, to remind them that there’s nothing wrong with getting older.
In fact, if a woman turns 50 and hasn’t had any problems with heart diesase or cancer, she can apparently expect to live until the ripe old age of 92.
Now that’s impressive.

Now, without giving too much away, all that can be left to be said is that ifyou’re struggling to cope with Menopause then this book might just be the answer.

I say, give it a read.

And remember, “Practice makes pleasure!”

I mean, after all, the stuff we use has to be both free from animal products and not-tested animals! What type of vegan would settle for anything less? :]

And let’s not forget the fact that finding vegan shampoo without a bazillion crazy ingredients is like finding an un-awesome recipe in Vegan With A Vegnence (thanks Isa!). It’s very hard to find.
Luckily for us vegans, we have Green People.

If you didn’t know, Green People is bodycare product company that specializes in organic, chemical-free formulas. The company started initially by a mother who wanted to treat her daughter’s excema, and soon found that her daughter’s problems were being caused by the harsh chemicals found in the bodycare products she was using on her daughter.

What started as something tiny has blossomed into something fantastic. Heck, just check their mile-long testimonial page!

So, as I’m sure you can expect, because of how much I’m singing the praises of Green People, I’ve naturally tried a selection of their products. Namely of which a few of their haircare products (including deoderants).

Now, let me preface everything by saying that Green People products aren’t cheap. In fact, you’d probably be hard-pressed to find yourself bodycare products in your supermarket that cost more than theirs.

Yet in this case cost most certainly equals quality. And, for once, quantity.

As far as I can tell from my testing, every Green People haircare product is highly concentrated, and indeed they even label on the back of each bottle that it’ll last generally last up to 3 times as long as your regular shampoo. This is most certainly true.

If you consider the fact that Green People donates 10% of its profits to charity, has products which are almost always fully organic, products which are never tested on animals and gives full disclosure on its ingredients list, you can start to see why their prices are a little steeper than that of other green bodycare companies.

So why should you shop with Green People?

• They are an extremely ethical company which devotes 10% of its profits to charity.
• Most of its products are organic or mostly organic.
• Their products are never tested on animals and a high majority are approved by the Vegan Society.
• None of them contain harsh chemicals in, true to their brand, and they list every ingredient they use (perfect for people like me with sensitive skin).
• Very few of their ingredients are synthetic. In fact, to a large degree you’ll notice that the ingredients tend to be essential oils and naturally-derived agents.
• Most of their products are highly concentrated, meaning that they’ll last easily 3 times as long as your average bottle of shampoo (a 200ml Green People bottle = approx. 600/700ml of normal shampoo).
• All of their packaging is either recycled, reused or biodegradable.

However, some points to take into consideration:

• Because of how concentrated the products are, and that they use mostly organic ingredients, the prices are a little higher than most.
• Their products can lather quite extensively (I personally love this), and so if you’ve only got 2 minutes to shower, they aren’t going to quickly strip your hair like most conventional shampoos (though they will do their job with a good shampoo massage and leaving it for a couple of mins).
• Because they are sensitive, if you are prone to dandruff build-up or more than gentle sweating, you might want to get their more intensive products, as their ’sensitive’ range of products really are for very sensitive conditions.

Overall, I love Green People. They’re a company with a solid ethical foundation and I’m always impressed by their products living up to the claims they make.

If you’re a conscious consumer, this company is the one for you.

I happily give Green People:

Okay, first things first, here’s a little info about my hair.
It’s naturally pretty straight, and in generally good condition.
I don’t straighten all that often.
Oh, and I condition every two washes (generally every other day or more frequently).

Right, let’s get started then.

The Positives:

• It smells all sweet and yummy and reminds me of being a kid.
• If you’re in a rush, it’s much quicker than actually conditioning.
• A couple of squirts into wet hair, quick brush and that’s that.
• To be honest, for how long a bottle of it lasts an average of £3, depending on where you buy it from, is really really good value for money in my opinion. (That price is for 250ml by the way).
• It seems to detangle my hair. Seriously, the brush glides through my hair when I use it soooo much easier than when I just shampoo.
• Even after swimming (and the terrors of chlorine) I used this instead of normal conditioner, which is something I would never normally do, and my hair was actually absolutely fine. Soft and smooth and knot-free. YUM.

The Negatives:

• Okay, so it’s not the same as a normal conditioner, and personally I don’t think any spray-in can be as good for your hair as the real thing.
• Erm, that’s it actually….

So yeah, to sum all this up, alright, it’s not quite as good as a proper conditioner.
But in all honesty, it’s the best leave-in I’ve ever tried.

Therefore, I would give this product a 4.5/5.

Fo’ shizz.

New Year = Drunk times with friends/family right?

But you know where I spent New Year ‘09 and ‘10?

That’s right, a health spa.

Ragdale Hall – Health, Hydro and Thermal Spa to be precise.

For this review I’m going to split it up into a few catagories.
(This is my attempt at being organised.)

 The Welcome:

• A warm welcome to say the least, porters collect yor bags for you and park your car whilst you are swiftly checked in by friendly receptionists. After being stood for 5 minutes at the most you’re then taken to sit in the Garden Café (don’t worry, it’s not actually outside) where you’re served complientary coffee or tea. A relaxed but organised atmosphere all in all.

The Accomodation:

• My room was very spacious, with a large bathroom (including his and her sinks). Plenty of hanging space for clothes, as well as space to put your suitcase while unpacking. Two comfortable sized armchairs, a footstool and table were placed by the large french window, which was of course complete with a balcony. A large flat-screen TV came complete with a wide choice of channels, and as it was attached to a movable bracked, it could easily be seen from whichever seat (or bed) you chose. The beds themselves had the thickest, comfiest matresses I have ever slept upon, and you had a choice of the ‘normal’ pillows on the bed, or duck feather, normal feather or v-shaped pillows if you so desired. Also, as I was part of a party of six, I discovered that each of our rooms was individually decorated, and each with a different, but equally as appealing feel about them.

The Facilites:

• A gym - Complete with all the exercise equiptment you could desire.
• Two exercise studios – With classes ranging from Pilates to ‘Seventies Boogie’.
• An extensive range of treatment rooms, including nail salon.
• Thermal spa – Including Sauna, multiple steam rooms, Thermarium, under-water cave pool and more.
• Large swimming pool – Equipped with comfortable loungers, whirl pool and yet again, a sauna and a steam room.
• Three shops – One dedicated to beauty products, one for various lovely gifts and one which sold clothes as well as any essentials you may have forgotten to bring.
• Two café areas – Each well-decorated and with a large choice of delicious drinks and snacks.
• Many rooms perfect for sitting and reading a good book.
• The Retreat – A perfectly silent room, complete with day beds, futons, comfortable armchairs, and even a swing.

The Food:

• Ragdale Hall has a ‘window’ system on it’s menu, which means that if you’re being careful you can choose a low-calorie dish (one window), however, if you want to splash out more you can choose up to three windows. However all of the food was extremely tasty and of restaurant standard. At lunch time you can order either soup or a cold starterto start, followed by a buffet consisting of a large range of hot and cold food. This is then followed by either a ‘comfort pudding’ or a much lower fat yoghurt and fruit option. Breakfast however, is served in your room, with a wide choice of food and drink which you order the day before. All of the food was sufficient for an appetite even as large as mine, as well as being very, very tasty.

The Treatments:

• My first treatment of my stay was a manicure, usind Leighton Denny products. This was relaxing and left my nales looking amazing and my hands feeling nourished. 4 days later and still not a single chip.
• My second treatment was a back, neck and scalp massage combined with a facial. All I can say is it was posibly the most relaxing experiences of my life.
• All the therapists were nice and chatty without being inrtusive. Basically, the treatment were definitely one of the highlights of the whole stay.

 Overall, I have to say that this was a very relaxing and enjoyable stay.
However, Ragdale Hall is expensive.
Mind you, as I wasn’t paying, this really didn’t bother me.

I know, I know, there’s thousands of lip balms out there.
And yes, I know you like to go for whatever’s cheapest.
Or whichever tastes nicest.
And you’re sure that this one can’t be any different to all the others you’ve used, so you don’t want to waste your money trying it.
But that’s why I try these things out, so you don’t have to.

The Positives:

• It smells scrumptious. Whilst wearing it I had no less than three people ask “What’s that I can smell on you?”, and sure enough, it was this beauty.
• It has a slight pink tint which I thought made my lips look nicer without any lip gloss (which I tend to find annoys me very easily because it’s so God damn sticky).
• It’s proud to not be tested on animals. Woohoo!
• The packaging’s cute, definitely nicer than that of cheaper brands.
• It’s 100% natural, so you’re not going to put any nasty chemicals on your lips. Always good I find.
• It’s super dooper moisturising. As in “Oh my god, my lips are so soft, I’m gonna go around kissing strangers just to show off how nice they feel now.” *Ahem* And that’s not just my opinion. I have a friend, we’ll call her S. Johnson (because that’s her name), and she had nasty chapped lips, so she saw my lip balm, asked if she could borrow it, used it ONCE and that was all it took. The next day they were soft without a hint of dryness.  Results like that speak for themselves don’t you think.

The Negatives:

• It’s not exactly the cheapest lip balm on the block at around £3-£3.50

The Verdict:

Having tried many, many lip balms in life I’d have to say this is probably my favourite. With a yummy smell and clear results, it’s worth the price. It’s give this product 4.5 out of 5.

As always, Sopho’s doing the testing so you don’t have to. This time it’s a much talked about MOUSSE foundation.
“MOUSSE?!” I can hear some of you cry.
Yes mousse.
And no, not the tasty chocolatey kind either.
So hey, let’s see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be….

The Positives:

• It comes in a wide variety of shades so chances are you’ll find one to suit your skin. (I’m very pale so I favour ‘Ivory’. Yes, I know, I’m realllllly pale.)
• It’s not as heavy as a liquid foundation so it doesn’t feel caked on, which was a definite selling point.
• As a result of it not being heavy, you don’t get that nasty edge-of-your-foundation line around your jaw.
• Personally, I found that it lasted a long time, unlike some foundations that run out quickly.
• It’s about the average price for a foundation, so not as pricey as a lot of high-quality foundations can be.
• Very easy to take off at the end of the day, and doesn’t leave your skin feeling horrible afterwards.

The Negatives:

• Due to it not being as heavy and thick as many foundations I found that it didn’t neccessarily seem to stay on as well as some. However, I’m not saying that it wore off straight away, and I’d definitely rather use a make-up that wears off gradually than something thick and horrible that you have to chip off at the end of the day.

The Verdict:

This really was my idea of a good foundation, not orange, gloopy or too pricey. Definitely a 5 out of 5 as far as I’m concerned.

“Body gloss? What’s that when it’s at home then?”

Have you ever felt like your skin’s dull? Moisturised and soft, but doesn’t look anything special? Well that’s exactly what this product’s here for.

All you do is spray it on to bare skin before you get dressed and apparently you’ll be left with glowing skin.

As usual, I tried it out for you, and here’s what I found:

The Positives:

• It smells divine. This almondy vanilla scent means you just can’t stop sniffing yourself all day. And, as guys will appreciate this smell too, you might find others giving you a little sniff as well.
• The packaging  has a nice, retro twist which means you won’t be embarrassed to leave this on show.
• The glitteryness does make yous skin look nicer and shinier, and it did actually make me smile and generally feel like I was getting ready to go out which was a definite bonus.

The Negatives:

• It’s quite pricey at around £5 for 150ml.
• As it’s a ‘dry oil’ it can feel slightly greasy at times, especially if used under clothes as opposed to on bare legs with a dress for example.
• It’s not a moisturiser, so skin does need to be moisturised as well.
• As you have to rub it in with your hands (due to it being in an aerosol rather than a pump bottle), so you will end up with glittery hands, as well as other things you touch sometimes.

The Verdict:

A good product to use if you’re getting ready to go out for the night, but probably too much bother and too expensive for everyday use. Overall, I’d give this product a 3 out of 5.

This product claims to remove even waterproof mascara without leaving a greasy residue or irritating your eyes. But does it live up to expectations?

The Positives:

• It’s not expensive, so you won’t feel like you’re breaking the bank.
• It contains Vitamin B5 so not only is it not harsh on your skin but it’s actually nourrishing.
• It comes in either 50ml or 125ml bottles, so it’s easy to carry around if you’re staying away.

The Negatives:

• Although it claims to remove waterproof mascara I felt it struggled a little in doing so.
• It did leave my skin feeling slightly greasy, even though it contains no oil.

The Verdict:

A good eye make-up remover, especially if you have sensitive eyes.  Good value as well, definitely worth a try. Overall, this product earns a 4 out of 5.