Vegan Beauty: Vegan Cuts Beauty Box vs. Petit Vour

Welp, it’s officially November! That means that I am now getting up at 5:00 a.m. every weekday until the month is over. My dog woke me up at 4:40 this morning as if to jump-start the process, so I didn’t have much of a choice 🙂 It was a pretty productive morning at least: I paid bills, cashed in some Birchbox points, and made a purchase for the first time ever from NewLook with some items that have been hanging out in my cart for over a week.

Vegan Cuts and Petit Vour are both subscription boxes that send out monthly beauty goodies, but in this case, they’re both vegan! What did I think of both boxes? Keep reading to find out 🙂

Vegan Cuts Beauty Box
$19.95/month
The box: monthly box with 4-7 100% cruelty-free products “ranging from unique cosmetics to luxurious skincare.” It consists of mostly organic and natural products, ranging from sample-size to full-size products.
Brand sample: Pangea Organics, LVX, John Masters Organics, Sevi, Goddess Garden Organics, Lauren Brooke, Skinagain
Extras: one-time themed boxes available for purchase in their Beauty Shop

Floss Gloss nail lacquer ($8) in Picnic is a 3-free “weathered cranberry creme” color. When I saw they were including one of three colors in every Vegan Cuts beauty box for October, I was actually hoping for Donatella, a pretty pumpkin-color with a lot of gold shimmer, since I already have so many burgundy/reds in my polish collection. Despite the brightness of the bottle, it actually goes on a gorgeous dark, dark burgundy, much darker than the rest of my reds. I would show you a picture of my feet, but I’m not all about putting that on my blog 😛 I’ve been wearing it over a week with zero chipping!

This coffee bean-illa scrub by Lovinah is exactly what it sounds like. I haven’t figured out the best use for it yet, though I did apply it to the back of my hands in the shower. It feels exactly like wiping damp coffee grounds on your skin. With a scent as strong as coffee, it may work best as an occasional facial exfoliator. Overall, I’m not quite sure what to do with this product as the sample size is plenty big and I’m not going to use it all that often.

This pure energy serum by Lotus Wei ($10) is another favorite from the box. They’ve got an entire line of serums and elixirs designed to do everything from quiet your mind, to give you energy, to inspire action. My only wish was that the scent was slightly stronger. I have an addiction to lemon and orange-scented products, and this is so light you almost can’t even smell it (which is maybe the point…). I like to do one pump on my wrists and dab some on my cheekbones for a dewy glow!

This deluxe travel set from Hylunia ($35) makes up a whole line of their paraben and phosphate-free skincare. The collection is designed to “fight aging, acne, redness, and dryness without clogging your pores.”

I’m not a big fan of bar soaps (because they make such a mess on the counter to clean up!), so when I received this watermelon hand soap from South Side Soaps as an extra in my box, I wasn’t overly impressed, though the skull was appropriate for Halloween’s timing.

Overall, the box’s contents (over a $60 value) were pretty impressive. I was happy not to receive any foil packets or single-use samples, as you can never really gauge a product’s qualities with just one use. However at $20/month, and with 6 subscription boxes for October (6? 7? I can’t even keep track), this one will not be making the November cut. Were money not a factor, I would continue my subscription because I think the value is absolutely worth it, and come on, cruelty-free? All the time if I could.

Petite Vour
$15/month
The box: monthly box with 4-5 luxurious and vegan beauty products. Goodies range from sample size to full products.
Brand sample: Ellovi, Forager, Harvey Prince, Lotus Wei, Pacifica, LVX, California Naturel, Everyday Minerals
Extras: earn points for reviewing, purchasing, and friend recommendations; redeem points for $ off in their shop
This Pacifica Devocean natural lipstick in Firebird ($14) is a vibrant orange-red, that goes on much more like a balm than a lipstick. It’s not heavy at all and lasted for over 4 hours w/o reapplication. The container is also 100% recyclable! 🙂

Body butters are tricky. This wild mint body butter from flo+theo (sample size; full-size is $28) is no exception. My main problem is that I have a really hard time sitting still. I’m constantly touching things, which leaves a greasy residue behind after application. The smell is perfectly paired with the butter without being too strong. I found the best time to apply is right before going to bed.

This natural eau de parfum from Forager Botanicals in Heaven Scent (sample size; full size is $98) has notes of “succulent florals, citrus and honey” (though there is no honey in the formation of the perfume), though to me it just smells kind of woodsy. Not bad, but I think I’ll stick to my Molecule 01. I’m pretty picky in my choice of perfume.

My initial thought was “another day, another argan oil.” However, upon closer inspection, this argan oil from Lavina (sample size; full-size is $20) is actually sourced from a woman’s cooperative in Morocco to help support economic and social welfare! How cool is that?

Unfortunately, this natural deodorant from Schmidt’s in Bergamot + Lime (sample size; full-size is $10) is just not doing it for me. The instructions: “[u]sing the fingertips, apply a pea-size amount to each underarm.” Sounds simple, right? The problem is, its packed into the jar like a balm and you have to dig it out to get it to work, try to rub it around on your underarms, and then use a nail utensil to scrape out the gunk under your nails. It’s just way too much work, and I didn’t find the deo to be particularly effective.

Overall, the box had a decent selection of products to sample, and its on the lower price range of Vegan beauty boxes. That being said, I think I still preferred VeganCuts over Petit Vour. Too bad I was only sampling these boxes in October and have since canceled my subscriptions. I may pick back up the VeganCuts BB subscription at some point, but for now I’ll be sticking with Ipsy (tomorrow’s post!) and Birchbox.

XO Ali

Montreal: Days 3-5

If you missed my first post about Montreal, you can visit it here!

Day 3: Cafe Imagination, Biodome, Notre Dame Basilica & the Metro

Cafe Imagination – Breakfast and Deli-Style Fare

This was a convenient location as it was adjacent to our hotel, and I would highly recommend it. We were expecting just your average cafe food, but their menu was quite extensive and the food was chock full of flavor and fill. I had a delicious chai tea latte w/ an open-faced avocado sandwich and salad.

Biodome – Indoor Aviary, Fish, Amphibians, and Other Critters of the Americas

Pictured above: Northern Rockhopper Penguin, Common Sea Star, Atlantic Sturgeon (giant fish), North American Porcupine (sleeping/hiding his face), River Otter, Southern Two-Toed Sloth (hanging behind the V-shaped branch), & Yacare Caiman (reptile)

When we went to Montreal, I knew I wanted to go to at least one of the following: Montreal Tower (tallest inclined tower in the world), Olympic Stadium (1976), Botanical Gardens, or Biodome. We chose the Biodome as it was still a bit chilly (the gardens had not bloomed fully) and we both are creature-lovers. It was C$18.75 ea. The entire place is not huge, but it was simple enough to leisurely walk around and take pictures. Also, I love otters, they’re so stinking adorable, especially when they show off!

Because we took a taxi to the Biodome, we were several miles from where we wanted to go. We found a metro station close by, and I rode the subway for the first time ever! It was actually quite simple once we got on. I was nervous we would end up on the other side of Montreal, but we checked a map and made our way to the Notre Dame Basilica, and then back to the hotel!

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

The Notre-Dame Basilica…what to say? There aren’t really words to describe the astounding beauty when you walk through the door. For a mere C$5 each, we were able to walk about freely for as long as we wanted. There is an optional tour as well, which is included in the cost. We hopped on our tour about half-way through, and I’m glad we did. I didn’t even know there was a separate chapel in the back.

A couple of things I found interesting:

• the stained glass windows actually depict religious history from Montreal, instead of scenes from the Bible
• the main organ, dated 1891, has over 7,000 pipes and 92 stops
• the original chapel (the lighter-colored room) was burnt down via arson in 1978, and was rebuilt w/ old drawings and photographs, with an enormous bronze statue front and center
• Canadian singer Celine Dion was married in the main hall in 1994 (a little bit of pop-culture for you)

If you do nothing else in all of Montreal, visit the Basilica. I promise you, whether you’re religious or not, it’s beauty is nearly unmatched.

Dinner @ a Nearby Hotel & Poutine

Ryan and I were so exhausted from walking around nearly all morning and afternoon, that we decided to stop at a nearby hotel’s restaurant w/ classic cuisine. Ryan finally got to try poutine, which is a classic Canadian dish. It’s basically french fries, with gravy and cheese curds on top. Being a vegetarian, I only ate the fries that were untouched (few), but Ryan loved it! We got gelato for dessert.

Day 4: Nocochi Cafe, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Underground Shopping District, and Bellagio Ristorante

Nocochi Cafe – Known for their Weekend Brunches, Pastries and Art-Gallery Environment

I have to say, I was looking forward to this place all week long. Weekend brunch, who doesn’t think that sounds amazing? I knew the prices were going to be a little steeper than I am comfortable with, but since it was our last day, we decided to splurge. I wish I could say that the portions made up for it, but they were actually pretty small. The service was very slow too for the amount of people that were in this narrow restaurant. Regardless, the food was still tasty, and I finally caved and had a dessert-like item for breakfast: chocolate, hazelnut, and banana crepes, w/ a mimosa.

Sorry the picture is a little gross, but it definitely made up for it in flavor. Mmm!

Museum of Fine Arts (Musee des Beaux-Arts)

This was about a block away from Nocochi, and is free of charge (apparently the policy has changed and now it’s only free of charge to those less than 30 years old…strange). They had a mix of contemporary and classic art, with some personal favorites of mine being their Picasso collection.

I wasn’t really sure if I was allowed to take any pictures, but I managed to snag one colorful one:

^^Us posing outside the museum on our last day 🙂 I’m sporting my tourist-y Montreal zip-up (since I forgot to bring my coat).

Underground City – 20 miles of underground shops, businesses, apartments, hotels, banks, universities, etc.

I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted from the underground city, but I knew we had to go see it. It has a ton of entrances, both from the street and from the metro stations, with one of the most popular shopping areas’ access points near our hotel: Place-des-Arts. We spent the majority of the day touring the various shops and restaurants/cafes, and I did buy a few things at the store called Reitmans It has come out of my “spendable money,” but it was a decent chunk: $80. I got a minty-green sweater, a pair of dark gray jeggings, and a super cute pastel flower necklace. I wore it the day we got back:

Bellagio Ristorante – Italian Fare

We finished off our last meal in Montreal w/ a fancy Italian dinner at Bellagio Ristorante. We even got dressed up for the occasion 🙂 The food was pricey, but good. I feel kind of neutral about the recommendation, you could go, but you could probably find several other Italian options at a better price. I got one of my favorite desserts, however: tiramisu!

Sorry about the quality of the pic. We didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves by using the flash.

Day 5: Flew Home

The only thing worth mentioning about the flight home was the Montreal airport. We didn’t get a chance to truly appreciate its size when we landed, but man is it huge. Also, if you are flying back into the U.S., you actually go through customs IN Montreal. You fill out your declaration forms, go through the customs agents, and when you land back in the U.S., you are free to go wherever–no long wait lines.

All that being said, I’m glad we got to the airport 3 hours early, as it took a little while.

That’s my trip, in a (sort-of) nutshell 🙂

XO

Montreal: Days 1-2

First off, I have a small victory to share: I reached 50 followers! I am thankful for each and every one of you 🙂 I never thought people would be that interested in what I had to say, but every day you inspire me to share more and more. I would like to do a fun giveaway when I reach 100, so stay tuned!

Montreal Overview

Now onto Montreal! I always have a difficult time figuring out how to sum up a trip. Ryan and I were originally looking to have a “relaxing” vacation. We almost just rented a small cabin in Central Ohio, but the travel-bug in me always thirsts to experience new places. We settled on Montreal because of proximity, renowned culture, and affordability. I’ve also never been to a French-speaking location before, despite having taken 3 years of French in high school. I could not believe how every. single. person. seemed to be completely fluent in both French and English. That was really a wow-factor for me. I was able to recognize some phrases and vocab, but was thankful for the bilingual convenience.

Day 1: Flight, Martinis, and Lola Rosa Cafe

It started off w/ a pretty normal travel day. We bought 1-day bus passes on arrival and were taken to the drop-off location “near” our hotel, which ended up being a half mile of suitcase towing and no phone data to assist. Once we settled into our hotel, we got half-priced martinis in the hotel restaurant/lounge.

I will start off my description of our trip with the word tasty. Wow, I seriously had some of the best food of my life. I’m not a full-blown foodie, but I love trying new things. Everything was delicious. Everything. I am not one to take pictures of my food and post it all the time, but I am going to make several exceptions in this case.

Lola Rosa Cafe – Vegetarian Cuisine

If I had one recommendation of where to eat in Montreal, it would be this cozy little place about a block from the heart of McGill University. It serves all vegetarian food, with vegan options if you don’t consume milk or eggs. There is NO lack of flavor or fill though. I left completely stuffed after consuming this bad boy:

This burrito was about 3+ inches in diameter and was full of black beans, corn, tomato, cilantro, mozzarella, sweet potatoes, spicy sour cream, green onions and jalapenos, all washed down with L’Alchimiste Pilsner Blonde. Whether or not you’re vegetarian, this is a place you simply cannot miss, with plenty of options for everyone. In addition to the amazing food, our table was actually a little desk with drawers on either side stuffed with love-notes, math homework, jokes, poems, etc. It was a fun little treat to find (and I’m assuming the other tables have the same). We didn’t have a pen to add to the collection though…

Note: make reservations if you do go, as we got one of the last unreserved tables for the evening around 5.

Day 2: Pikolo Cafe, Acropolis Ouzerie, and Casino de Montreal

Please ignore my uncoordinated scarf/sweater combo. It was around this time that I realized I forgot to bring my coat, and so I suffered for a day or two until I bought a little fleece zip-up in a souvenir shop.

Pikolo Espresso Bar – College/Hipster Cafe

Nothing crazy special here. Ryan and I stopped in here on Thursday morning to get a cappuccino and some croissants. I was immediately uncomfortable because it was like standing in a hallway. It was shoulder-to-shoulder and there were no tables available, even in their little alcove-section upstairs. Everyone had computers or study materials out, and as we left I wondered how they would get anything done. They also dropped our ticket on the floor, so we ended up waiting 10-15 minutes before they realized they had not got us anything. I guess it happens.

Acropolis Ouzerie – Greek/Seafood Cuisine

This little gem was completely empty when we went in for lunch. The place had a very authentic vibe w/ beautiful natural lighting and additional seating in the upstairs alcove. The owner was our waiter, and while we enjoyed talking with him at first, he became increasingly chatty throughout the meal, passionately going-on about politics, the economy, family, religion, anything. He was a sweet man, but it made for a slightly distracting lunch.

The food, however, is another story. It was delicious! I got a veggie-pita w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, and big herb-covered blocks of feta cheese. It also came with Greek potatoes, rice and a salad. The price is a little higher than I like paying for Greek food, but the portions are enormous. I made it through about half of my meal and a Mythos beer.

Casino de Montreal – 100’s of game tables & 1000’s of slot machines

Call me a newb, but this was the very first time I have ever set foot inside a casino. We read a lot of bad reviews calling the place outdated, workers rude, the food bad, etc. Because of all this negativity, we almost didn’t go. I am SO glad we did though, because it was a blast and completely worth it. We didn’t have one bad experience with a worker, the food was fine, and as far as I could tell, the place was completely modern.

The casino is 6 floors, with a big opening in the middle so you can see onto almost every other floor. There are several bars scattered throughout and four sit-down or a-la-carte style restaurants on the top floor, each with views of the city/water. A live band was taking requests for both French and English songs, and the lighting/hum of the slot machines was exhilarating.

Ryan dabbled in the live roulette-tables, while I favored the slot machines. Neither one of us are big gamblers, so we did it mostly for fun. I gambled no more than $20 (call it the conservative-accounting side) and Ryan $40. I ended up being down $10 towards the end of the evening, made it all back in one pull, called it quits, and walked away $0.34 richer…though we spent about $80 between the drinks and food. Ha. Only on vacation…

Note: the casino pic is a stock picture.

Sorry for the loooong update. More coming soon 😉

Back in the States

Well folks, I’m back! The first post is always the hardest once you’ve been out of your blogging routine for a while, so, I decided to get it over with tonight!

I will be blogging about various aspects of my trip to Montreal as the week progresses, but for tonight–just random stuff.

First off, the only outfit of the day captured last week:

Purple waffle-knit cardigan: H&M
Gold belt: Forever 21
Pink v-neck tee: Target
Black jeggings: Target
Black pumps: Target
Gold bracelet and earrings: DSW

Next, some furniture-posing:

Ryan (my bf) and I also managed to get some furniture browsing in last week. We are looking for a sectional, but haven’t purchased anything yet. I love this cream-colored tunic from Forever 21, but it’s got that recurring problem I have with so many items in my wardrobe. 1. It’s too short to wear to work, and 2. it looks silly with regular pants. Leggings have their time and place in a professional environment, but it has to be done carefully and comfortably. I wouldn’t be comfortable in this case.

Lastly, spring cleaning has hit my group of girl friends, and my dear friend Toni gave me THREE brand new pairs of jeans from American Eagle! Thanks love!

There are two pairs of boot-cut jeans and one pair of skinnies. The skinnies don’t exactly hit her and I (5’2″ and 5’8″, respectively) the same, so the last one will have to be rolled into capris 🙂 But hey, I’ll find a way to make a free pair of jeans work. I brought one of the pairs with me to Montreal and wore it at least half the time while I was there!

XO

Oops

Ick…this is the post I’ve dreaded doing since I failed three days into the 100 Happy Days Challenge. Sorry for being a failure…I will still instagram what makes me happy, possibly even cheating with the 100happydays hashtag…but for now I am accepting defeat. It’s not that I am too busy to be happy, but more so that I am too forgetful to post my happiness every day on the internet? I like a little bit of wiggle room. I hope some of you are able to make it further than I did! Sorry readers.

Let’s get back on track now…

I bought a camera! Yes, I actually finally got around to doing enough research that I invested in a Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR!

My wallet hurts, but isn’t it sexy? I also got a little accessory package with it that comes with a ton of both useful and useless items. I can’t wait to play with it when it gets here, hopefully before I cross the Canadian border next week into Montreal! Yes, that’s right: V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Finally. Can you tell I’m a little wound up? 🙂

Now onto some OOTD’s (bathroom backdrop soon to be retired):

Mmm mmm, this warm weather means the unpacking of skirts and dresses!

Striped top: Forever 21
Mint-green cardigan: Target
Pleated navy/mint bird-skirt: Forever 21 (one of my fave pieces in my closet)
Blue heels: Target

Not one of my favorite outfits, but it was one of those bad-hair days where you just didn’t really care about the rest of your ensemble. I do love the nude heels though. Sorry the pic is so blurry, the lighting is in the bathroom is so bad.

Boyfriend beige cardi: Target
Black floral/dotted top: H&M
Khaki-green skinnies: H&M
Nude pumps w/ bows: DSW

All of my pics of this outfit turned out blurry unbeknownst to me. But I got to wear a dress and it was 65 out yesterday so I am happy!

Navy/floral dress: Old Navy
Red cardi: H&M
Basic navy flats: Target

Have any of you been to Montreal or Canada before? I could use some tips! What are the foods/beers/places to try? Where do I shop? What do I see? If you only have one day in Canada, what would you spend it doing?!

XO