Shave it baby!

Hooray, summer is finally upon us! For me summer is all about short shorts, white vans and smoothie bowls. And bare legged riding my cruiser board. And skinny dipping in the river Lys (this is illegal, I know). And I'm going to stop here because I could write pages and pages about why I adore summer and why I want to marry it and grow old with it. That's not what this post is about. Or not quite. This post is about the bare legged part and my aversion for body hair. And my struggle in finding the perfect shaving materials that are both sustainable and vegan. Quite the struggle. But I managed to solve the problem and wanted to share my solution with you guys.
Let me introduce you to the killer combination of Lush's 'Five o'clock whistle' and the Aesop Razor. Plus shaving brush for my male readers out there!

Aesop Double-Edge Razor

This razor is nothing compared to the crap I used to shave my legs with before. Whichever brand I used, I could use the razor once, maybe twice before starting to get blunt. This razor however can be used up to 7 times before starting to get dull. After that, you could probably still use it but I wouldn't recommend it because bluntness increases risk of cutting yourself and you don't want to hurt yourself with an exposed razor blade. Because of the naked blade, you can shave your legs and leaving them as smooth as a baby's bum. And because you get closer to the skin, the hair stays away for an extra day or two. I will admit that I was a bit frightened at first, never having shaved with a bare razor blade before. But when used with the right shaving cream or foam, the risk of cutting yourself is quite similar to other blades. Just be careful I'd say.
I use this razor with Lush's 'Five o'clock whistle'. This shaving smoothie contains all the right ingredients to keep your skin soft, such as almond- and jojoba oil, and smells amazing. It rinses of quite easily as well and even with my dry skin, I don't feel the need for adding and extra moisturizing cream afterwards. I love this combination. Of course, this razor can be used to shave other parts of the body as well. My boyfriend uses a straight razor for shaving his beard but if you're not comfortable with that kind of razor, this double-edged razor should do the trick. This razor is on the men's section on the Aesop website so I think it would be great for shaving facial hear just as well as legs and armpits.




Aesop Shaving Brush

This brush is a 100% synthetic brush, but is still just as soft as a regular brush. Plus, synthetic hair doesn't absorb any soap and dries faster than regular brushes, therefor having a longer lifespan and being easier in usage. My boyfriend uses this brush with 'Le Baigneur' soap in nr. 1 and is really happy with the results. I don't have a lot experience with beard shaving but if you're interested in reading about this, leave a comment and I'll ask him to write a piece about this subject.


Overall, I'm really happy with this rather expensive purchase. I no longer need to buy a new razor every two weeks and I can enjoy softer legs for a long period of time.

What do you use for shaving?

Skindrink, also known as the love of my life

Skindrink is one of those products I've been wanting to buy since I've first discovered Lush, which was about 7 years ago. And just two weeks ago I finally got my sh*t together and bought the damn thing. The reason why I've never bought this before, really has nothing to do with the product itself, but with my state of mind.

Dirty Cupcakes

Two weeks ago, I was invited to Amsterdam for an event on Dirty Chai. Dirty what? Dirty Chai is a mixture of black tea, black coffee and chai herbs, created by Celestial Seasonings. You know me, all over the place when talking about coffee and since Renilde from Mooi Ding introduced me to the wonderful world of Chai, I was dying to learn all about this new tea blend. You can either drink it pure, with hot, boiling water or go all the way and add some frothed almond milk for the perfect Chai Latte.

One slice of banana bread with maple butter syrup to go, please!

So here I am with the recipe of my, in the mean time, famous banana bread. I had my first slice of banana bread only last summer in Berlin, over at Silo (amazing coffeehouse btw) and I fell in love immediately. I had my doubts about bananas in baking, for me bananas where for eating, smoothies and ice-cream. You didn't use bananas in baking, for real. But I gave it a try and ever since I made different versions and settled with this one as my signature banana bread. And because so many of you have been asking for its recipe I decided to write it down. I added my favourite homemade syrup as a plus. Pour this over any breakfast and you have an instant party. Or throw your apples in it and let them cook for 3 minutes, pour over oats and pretend you're in oats heaven. Have fun with this one!

RainPharma love!

If you've been here for a bit longer, you've probably heard me raging about RainPharma more than once. Belgium based, plant based and cruelty free. What more does a vegan lifestyle blogger need? Maybe something that takes excellent care for her changing skin. Yes my dear friends, the changing has begun. I've turned 26 last year and I can see some major differences. For example I'm more prone to outbreaks, my skin tends to be less dry and less reddened. So a different skincare approach seems to be much needed.

Mousse au chocolat

And the award for the invention of the year 2015 goes to ... Aquafaba! Aqua what? Aquafaba, the brine that's in a jar of chickpeas (lentils, beans, any kind really) that you can use as a replacer for egg whites. Just whip it up, preferably with a mixer, and use it just like you would use egg whites. I've had a fear of aquafaba because I really wanted to make those awesome meringues and as we all know meringues are a hell to make, even with eggs. But last weekend I took up the challenge to make chocolat mousse and it was so amazing I wanted to share the recipe with you guys.

Christmas presents - Santa Baby!

Have you noticed? It's already December 4th! Which means there's only 20 days left 'til Christmas Eve. I am one of those persons who couldn't care less about the food (Okay, maybe this year will be different since I'm making the food and not just warming up some leftovers 'cause 'Yes mom, eating meat for just one night is a terrible, terrible thing to do'). I care most about the presents. Not for the ones I receive, but for the ones I get to give. The look on the faces of your loved ones when they open up a nicely wrapped gift, only for them, with that thing inside you knew they wanted for quite a while now. That's what I love about Christmas Eve.
Now I know, finding gifts suitable for vegans can be tricky sometimes, especially when you want to give them something skincare related, or something like nice socks, or warm mittens, so I'm here to help you figure those things out. Also, I'll be starting a Christmas card swap next week, so if you're interested you can already sent me an email, or wait for the post on that one!

We kick off this Christmas present guide with Lush's Santa Baby. This is a nice little lipstick that not only smells nice and leaves your lips in a nice red colour, it also takes care of your lips. Which can come in quite handy during these cold, dark and gloomy days. There's also a lip scrub available to extra take care of your lips. So if you're considering this as a gift, you can get the person you have in mind the nice combo. Plus, at Lush, they have the nicest gift boxes ever. So do check them out!



Available at Lush

Vegan through winter 101 pt.2 : Shoes

It's been rather quiet around last week. I've been busy, busy, busy. Both for school, since examinations are coming very soon, but I'm also working on some crazy collaborations, so keep an eye out for that. In the mean time, it's getting dark pretty early on and it's getting colder as we speak. Second topic in this winter series is shoes. Those of you who know me, know that my shoe collection is extensive. This is a result of working in a shoe store for about a year. I do still own a lot of leather shoes but I tend to wear them until no longer wearable rather than throwing them out. I haven't bought new shoes since I decided going vegan and that's been going quite well. However, this year I really need to go out and buy new winter boots. Ofcourse, I can go to H&M and buy me a pair of plastic boots and there is nothing wrong with that but I love it when I have shoes that not half of my students have as well.

When shopping for shoes, what do you need to pay attention to?

Brands are obliged to let their customers know what materials they use for their shoes. You can find these labels on the inside of the shoe:



When not available, please ask someone for information.
What about the glue? Most companies abandoned the glue based on animal productions due to too expensive. But if you really want to be sure, you can always send them an email. Most companies really care about their customers and don't want any bad publicity so they'll probably answer your question in a few days.

Where do I look for shoes?
In order to write this article, I went on a shoeshoppingtrip a few weeks ago and found these amazing shoes/brands:

1. Esprit


Esprit has launched a vegan collection a while ago. They have sandals, sneakers and even these pretty booties. Oh god, I want them, I'll buy them when my paycheck comes in.

2. Mustang shoes


Found these while sniffing through a regular shoe store in Ghent. I want them and I'll ask Santa if I was extra nice this year.

3. Online


-NAE Vegan Shoes
-Vegde
-Veggieshop

Those last two are actual shops that have really nice staff, so if you'e ever in Belgium, do visit them.

Anymore shoe recommendations? Leave them in the comments and I'll add them to the list!

My current bathroom situation

So, I haven't been very active as of late, for which I'm sorry. It's just that, those last weeks before a schoolbreak are usually very hectic and stressful. And now, I'm having a week break from all that stress and due to things that have been happening the past couple of weeks, I just don't seem to find the energy to go online and be 'out there'. It was/is my goal to be less influenced by things that are being said online and therefore I chose to stay away a bit from social media and other websites. Not by you guys (you are the sweetest!), but through other organisations in which I poured my heart out in order to promote the positivism veganism is all about. Just because I lost my faith in people all together, doesn't mean that I have been sitting around on my lazy ass. I sure as hell did not. I'm hosting a 'Start to Knit' event this Friday at my place. Please, come over if you want to make your own knitwear from scratch! There will be (gluten free) pie! On Saturday you can find my pastries over at Mieke, where you can buy that perfect dress, or even start looking for the perfect Christmas attire. Also, on Saturday, I'm launching a four weeks series on being vegan through winter, which will also be available in Dutch over at BE Vegan. And, I also have some insights in pretty cool vegan products launching very soon. And last, but not least, I'm working on a Vlog-channel in which I want to tell you all about the difficulties, not only of going vegan, but also of being vegan. So, lot's of things are happening here in those last few weeks before Christmas!

But, first things first, what's going on in my shower? That does sound more dirty than it is meant to sound. I'm going to be inked next weekend (Arrrggg, exciting!!) and therefore, taking those long, hot baths will be out of the question for a few weeks. I already prepped my shower so I can still have those little spa relaxing moments I so need from time to time.



From left to right:

1. Kalamazoo; A beard and facial wash. Not for my beard, but for my boyfriend's. Plus, this facial wash smell so good and is so kind for your skin, I use it on a daily base as well. Available at Lush.

2. Ro's Argan Body Conditioner; a bodylotion for under the shower. After you're done washing, you gently apply this body conditioner, which smells like roses, and rinse it off. Leaves your skin soft and hydrated. Available at Lush.

3. Mineral Peeling Gel; an exfoliater. For those days where you need a deep and thorough rinsing of your face. Bought at Soap & Co, London.

4. A Zest of Happiness; shower gel. This shower gel leaves you feeling refreshed and happy in the morning, especially handy on Mondays. Plus, this a Belgium based brand that has this really pretty shop in Antwerp. Available at Rain Pharma.

5. Hamam Body Mud; a scrub. This scrubs fills your entire shower with the smell of those Finnish saunas. Plus, leaves your skin so soft. I think this is my favourite product in the shower at the moment. Bought at Rituals.

What are your favourite product for your morning shower?

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice: Stuffed Pumpkin anyone?

Last recipe in this year's pumpkin series. This one however, is one you can easily serve at your thanksgiving/Christmas party cause it looks so fabulous. Plus, it tastes awesome. And it is so easy to make. This stuffed pumpkin recipe only has three main ingredients, but served in the prettiest pumpkins, is actually rather festive. We buy our pumpkins at a local organic farm that has this huge range of pumpkins, from big ones to carve to butternuts and even these pretty looking things.
Also, forgive me for my Holiday spirits. Turns out, stores are really early this year in bringing out all the Christmas decorations. Thank god it's the end of the month and my bankaccount is rather angry at me, or my house would be filled with the joy of Christmas already. But first, let's get cooking...




Ingredients: serves 2
2 tiny pumpkins
250 g mushrooms
250 g minced seitan
1 clove of garlic
1 heaped tsp of herbes de provence
2 tsp of hot tamari soy sauce
Black pepper



Method:
Preheat the oven for 180°.
Slice the head of the pumpkins and remove the seeds. Set aside.
Chop the mushrooms in parts. In a pan, fry the mushrooms in a bit of sunflower oil. Add a lot of black pepper and the garlic. After 5 minutes, add the minced seitan, hot tamari sauce and herbs. When your minced seitan is baked brown, remove from fire.
Fill pumpkins with seitan stuffing. I sprinkled some breadcrumbs on top and added some pine seeds. Place in the oven for about 45 minutes.



I hope you enjoy these pumpkins, 'cause they are as good as they look. Let me know if you made them!

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice: winning breakfast combination

As a vegan, I follow a lot of non-vegan food- and lifestyle blogs. For inspiration, for tips and tricks, for the pretty pictures,... Once in a while I fall head over heals for one of these blogs and I do dare to mention them here. Half Baked Harvest is one of those blogs. Those recipes, those pictures, that house! I took the liberty of veganizing her pumpkin spice granola recipe and it has been one of my absolute favourite granola recipes so far. Combine this with the Alpro Cremoso 'Appelstrudel' flavour, some mandarins and maple syrup and you have that perfect heartwarming, delicious breakfast for these colder mornings. Love it!



So, what are your favourite non-vegan blogs?

Gingerbread in the morning

So mornings are getting darker and colder and even though you don't realise it yet, you're skin is already suffering from this change in temperature. What better way is there than to treat your skin with a facial cream that smells like gingerbread? For real, I've had trouble refraining myself from taking a spoon and just dig in te jar. This Elemental Facial Barrier Cream by Aesop is already my favourite winter product. And winter hasn't even begun just yet.

If you didn't know Aesop yet, you're either new to my blog or haven't been paying attention much of late. I have been raging on about their products for quite a while now. Aesop is this Australian brand which uses mainly plant-based ingredients or laboratory-made ingredients and doesn't test on animals. So yes, most of their range is vegan, but let's support them and put some pressure to drop the beeswax as well.

This Elemental Facial Barrier Cream contains three main ingredients: Copper PCA, Bisabolol and Ginger Root. The Copper PCA will help your skin stay firm and works anti-aging, which is perfect since I've now officially reached the appropriate age for using anti-aging skincare. Did you know that most anti-aging products contain collageen, which is derived from fish? No, well this one is a perfect vegan substitute. On top of that the Copper PCA will also reduce inflammation which is perfect for my rosacea prone skin.
Bisabolol is derived from chamomile and takes care of your dry skin and prevents flaking, necessary during the colder months. Bisabolol also makes sure that all the other ingredients of this facial cream are absorbed better by your skin.
Ginger root is a miracle product. Drink it in your tea, use it in your bath or find it as a main ingredient in this cream. Ginger root prevents damage from free radicals, thus preserving the youthful appearance of the skin. It also improves elasticity, making the skin more firm and youthful. Plus, it tackles blemishes.
Aesop's Elemental Facial Barrier Cream is a very thick, nourishing cream. Plus, you really need a very small amount on a daily base. So this little jar will take you a long way down the road.



Available at Fin Du Jour in Ghent.

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice - Stuffed Butternut

Here I am again with yet another pumpkin recipe. Just like the peanut butter recipes, the pumpkin recipes also come in a series of three. Which means that there will be one online next week, and after that pumpkin season is already over. At least on my blog, because in our hearts, pumpkin season is never over. I do however have some amazing articles and collabs coming online very, very soon. So keep an eye out for that. But first, let's stuff some butternut pumpkins!




Ingredients: Servers 2
1 Butternut pumpkin
1 tomato
1 onion
1 sweet bell pepper
200 g rice, brown or wild rice
4 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp agave or rice syrup
Olive oil
Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper



Method:
Preheat the oven at 180°.
Boil 400 ml of water and add the rice. Let is boil until all water is gone. Add some extra spices like turmeric or ras el hanout if you like your food a bit more spicy.
Chop the tomatoes, sweet bell pepper, and onion.
Mix the agave with a bit of olive oil and the lemon juice. Set aside for later use
In a bit of oil, fry the onion. Add bell pepper and rice. Let it fry for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Cut the butternut in half, and remove the seeds. Stuff your halved butternut with the rice mixture and drizzle some of the agave mixture on top of the entire butternut. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
At this point I added some pine seeds and some extra black pepper, but that is up to you!
Place the stuffed butternuts in your preheated oven for about 40 minutes.



I hope you like this recipe and if you made any of my recipes, please let me know!

Pumpkin Spice and everything nice - Soup

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone reading this blog. I love all the support I get from you guys and all the kinds words you send me. It really means a lot to me if someone mentions that they've read my blog, or uses the #deathstaronamission. I might not show it to you in public, because I'm overwhelmed and speachless, but I really appreciate it! So thank you so, so much!

Now, let's get down to business. First one in a series on pumpkins is this easy to make soup. It's a heartwarming, healthy broth that is just perfect for these first cold days. But, when you add a little bit of coconut cream, it's just perfect for the holiday season. As I've said, this is a pumpkin series, so there will be more coming up in the next two weeks. Expect stuffed butternuts, stuffed cute tiny pumpkins, maybe a spaghetti, who knows? I'm not going to spend much words on this one, so here's the recipe. Enjoy! And let me know if you tried this one out!



Ingredients:
1 leek
Half a pumpkin (You can use the other half for making puree, recipe here)
2 potatoes
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp turmeric
Black Pepper
Vegan butter

Method:
Chop the onion, leek, pumpkin (peeled) and potatoes. Mince the garlic.
In a large pot, add a large clump of vegan butter and let it melt. Add the onion, garlic and leek and let them steam for about two minutes. Add the pumpkin and turmeric. Let simmer until pumpkin is soft. Add vegetable broth and potatoes and let boil for 2O minutes on a lower fire.
Take your pot of the fire and mix with a handmixer until you get a nice, thick soup. Add desired amount of black pepper for seasoning.

Let's talk ... deodorant

Once upon a time, I used to walk around with at least one deodorant in my bag. Preferably one of those shiny ones with the synthetic flower smell. You know what I'm talking about. Going vegan has changed a lot in that area. Not only do I tend to sweat less since I threw all animal intake over board, vegan deodorant seems to have the tendency to work better than regular deodorant. Nowadays I stil own two deodorants but that's because I stumbled across them both and was impressed so much that I couldn't decide which one to take home.



I go to work by bike. That means I drive 10 - 15 km before 8.15 in the morning. I'm a teacher, I walk around a classroom all day. I do not need to tell you that I'm an active person, so there are times where deodorant comes in rather handy. I use to stick to spray on deodorants only but after discovering both the Ultekram roller and the Malin+Goetz stick, I completely let go of my resistance towards anything other than a spray.



The first one in my collection is the Urtekram Eucalyptus Roller deodorant. I must admit, this one smell a little bit funny in the package but once it's applied to your skin you literally smell nothing. Half an hour bike ride in 35° outside? No smell, nothing. And no transpiration. Really this stuff is amazing! I already emptied one and immediately bought a new one.



The second one I own is the eucalyptus one by Malin+Goetz. I do have a thing for eucalyptus, don't I? Malin+Goetz is a high-end brand that doesn't test on animals and most of their products are vegan. This one smells amazeballs! Leaving just a little linger of freshness underneath those armpits. Plus, it does the job! No smell after you worked out and still doing that job after 8 hours of working. I love this one a lot.



If you'd ask me to choose between the two, I couldn't do it. I love them both equally and use them both just as much!
The Urtekram is available in most organic stores and the Malin+Goetz is available at Fin Du Jour in Ghent.
What deodorant do you use?

Wintery Waffles

Sunday, fun day! Or in this case, Saturday, euhm..., Caturday? You know where this is going. It's the weekend! Time to relax, chill and stuff yourself with sweets for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I'm here with another amazing, if I may say so, breakfast recipe. These warm, pumpkin spice waffles, combined with maple glazed apples are just sweet enough to get you going and spicy enough to warm you to kickstart your day. I tried making the apples with oats and that was also a huge succes. I will gladly admit that this recipe is anything but healthy. But having a little treat once in a while won't do you no harm. Enjoy your weekend kiddos!



Ingredients:
For the waffles
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 1/4 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp Pumpkin Spice (Recipe here)

For the apples
1 big apple (The ones you use for baking)
1/4 cup of soy butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
A pinch of cinnamon



Method:
For the waffles:
Combine all the dry ingredients really well. While stirring, add all the liquid ingredients. Mix well so you don't get any lumps. Preheat your waffle iron and bake your waffles. These need about 5 minutes each at medium to high temperature.

For the apples:
In a pan, melt the butter. Chop the apple in slices and cover them with cinnamon. When your butter is fully melted, add the apple slices and drizzle some of the maple syrup over them. Bake for about two minutes. Turn the slices, add the rest of the maple syrup and bake until golden brown. You'll see that there is a lot of butter / maple mixture left, you can use this as a syrup on your waffles.



Let me know if you tried these waffles or apples, or both. You can leave me a comment below or use the hashtag #deathstaronamission. Thank you!

Lush Halloween and Christmas 2015

You now, when October comes creeping in, it's that time of the year brands start launching their annual Christmas collection. One of my favourites, of which I've been talking since August (I kid you not), is that of Lush. Year after year, Lush amazes us with these products that not only have the best names, but also look like you never want to use them and fill your bathroom with a scent that makes you want to hide in there like, forever. And, especially, for us Holiday lovers, their Christmas collection comes along with a little Halloween collection.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Now that October is standing on our front door, I thought the time was right to share my pumpkin spice latte recipe with you guys. As some of you might know, or didn't know yet, that crap that Starbucks is pouring down your throat, isn't vegan. Their syrup contains milk. Although, it's not all bad what Starbucks does. A few months ago, I tried the vegan falafel in Berlin and it was quite okay. Plus, in Berlin, the map with all the ingredients stands on the counter, unlike here in Belgium. So, Starbucks Belgium, get your game on.

My morning routine!

Last week I had an interesting talk with one of my friends about skincare. She, admitting, that she doesn't seem to use any products due to a lack of time in the morning. That's when I told her to stop that nonsense and to start taking care of her skin. Okay, we're only 25 and no we don't need all those products to make us look pretty. But really? We do! Taking care of your skin on an early age will pay of once we're old and retired and lying on a sunny beach for the rest of our days (daydreaming is allowed now and then). Keeping your skin (and especially your facial area) clean and well hydrated reduces the amount of wrinkles and other elderly stuff you'll have to cope with eventually. Even if you're not wearing make up all day, you still have to cleanse your face. Our environment is so polluted that we are exposed to nastiness all day long. Please, take care of your skin. It's the only one you have!

Autumn Giveaway! - Ended

Dear readers! Autumn is finally upon us! I can't wait to get all cozy in my blanket with a nice cup of pumpkin spice latte after a long walk through the woods. Yes, I love Autumn. And to celebrate the start of the new season (or to mourn to loss of yet another summer) I'm giving away this big, chunky, hand knit and cruelty free scarf*!