Weekend Roundup: The Vegan Edit

It's World Vegan Day. Let's celebrate!

Hello, Gorgeous!

It’s World Vegan Day today which is exactly what it sounds like, a day to highlight the vegan lifestyle in all things.

Let’s head into the weekend by appreciating our furry and feathered friends, Mother Earth, and the plant-based lifestyle many of us embrace, if only some of the time.

Cruelty-free and vegan beauty products

If you’re not quite ready to give up your cheeseburgers but want to commit to a change for the better, consider supporting cruelty-free brands.

Look for the Leaping Bunny certification on products stating that neither the ingredients used to make a product nor the actual product are tested on animals. Important to note that while the majority of vegan brands are cruelty-free, not all cruelty-free brands are vegan.

Here are a few notable cruelty-free or vegan beauty allstars:

• CoverGirl. The global beauty brand is one of largest brands to gain Leaping Bunny certification. I love the way Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara really is smudge-proof.

• KVD Vegan Beauty. Well, it’s literally in the name! Even with new owners and a rebranding, the tattoo waterproof liquid eyeliner is still fantastic.

• Milani Color Fetish Matte Lipstick. I just ordered Peony. While I love the brand committment to being cruelty free and this lipstick gets tons of raves, I was tempted by the Made in Italy part. I’ll let you know what I think of it!

• Love Beauty and Planet Volume and Bounty Thickening Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower Shampoo. My baby fine hair tends to get tangled, this helps a LOT.

• Gilly’s Organics Gilly's Organics Organic Body Butter. If you love supporting brands created by incredible people, you’re really going to love Gilly and Gilly’s Organics. A few weeks back the nonprofit I co-founded hosted a fun lunch event for Holocaust survivors, their adult children and caregivers. The extremely beautiful inside and out Gilly Stollwerk Garrett didn’t just show up, she also used this incredible rich and heavenly smelling body butter to give hand massages to the survivors.

What’s cooking?

If you’re seeking vegan recipe inspo in advance of the holidays, you really need to check out Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes by Joe Yonan (he’s the James Beard Award-winning food and dining editor of The Washington Post) This massive volume has over 300 plant-based recipes covering every meal element and was blurbed by Yotam Ottolenghi and other food industry icons. I’ll admit that there’s so much in this magnificent cookbook that I became a bit overwhelmed trying to decide what to cook first.

Revisit your favorite brands

Don’t write off a brand if they’re not entirely vegan. By finding and supporting products that fit your green or greener lifestyle, you’re letting companies know what you are willing to spend on.

Compartes chocolates has a massive mouthwatering variety of vegan chocolate. Yes. I’m actually drooling right now!

Vionic shoes has a primer on what makes shoes vegan, so you know what to look for and what to avoid.

Or find a vegan role model

If you’re curious about embracing a vegan or vegan-inspired lifestyle, find a role model.

My dear friend Jason is a gifted bassist in a metal band. He spends his off time finding ways to be kind to all critters, and a portion of his weekends cleaning up public spaces and waterways. Jason is definitely my vegan role model!

Do you have any favorite vegan products, companies or tips to living a more plant-based lifestyle? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋