How I Became a Vegan

I first heard the word "vegan" a couple of years ago. I learned that, unlike vegetarians, vegans did not eat any animal products at all. That means no meat, no dairy, no eggs, etc. I didn't look into it that much for the simple reason that I had absolutely no interest in the matter. Me? Give up milk? And cheese? What do you think this is? It's safe to say that veganism did not resonate with me. Even until the very day I became a vegan, it wasn't even thinking about it. It just happened. 

What I was all about. 

Food was my drug. For as long as I can remember. And not the good nutritious food that fuels your body and makes you happy to be alive. Junk food. Sweet foods, fatty foods and everything in between was what I ran on. I wasn’t a fat child, though. I started getting bigger at around 10 years old. From there, however, it only got worse. When I hit puberty and went through tough times, as we all do, food was my solace. When I turned sixteen, I picked up jogging. I also started to control what I ate and how much I ate. By doing that, I lost about 30 pounds in roughly a year. Before you start speculating, I’d like to say that I wasn’t starving myself. Not at that point. Anyway, I was doing great. Until I got a knee injury. Long story short, I had to stop jogging for a while. 

Well, I got comfortable again, slowly incorporating foods that I had not been allowing myself to eat. Since I wasn’t exercising, I gained back all the weight I had lost … and then some. It hasn’t stopped ever since. Like so many girls, I fell into the vicious circle of yo-yo dieting. To be honest, I was starting to worry that I was developing diseases like diabetes and cholesterol.

The starting point

My vegan story started when my cousin, who wanted a lifestyle change, told me that she was going to start a new meal and exercise program. I was on board! I desperately wanted to lose weight, and following a plan with her seemed like a good idea. The program was customized to her specific needs, and since she had been having digestive issues, it restricted lots of foods, and were gluten and lactose free, to see if she had any allergies. It was a pretty strict plan, but we agreed to do it together. In the back of my mind, though, I couldn’t get over how restrictive and time consuming it was. Who has time to weight their food? Not me! Instead, I figured I would ease into it by eating the foods on the plan, but not to hurt my head with measurements. I also decided to give up dairy.

Wait, what? Everyone that knows me even just a little knows that dairy was my favourite food group. The best memories of my best friend and I pretty much all include a big bowl of mac & cheese. I could down a 2L milk carton in less than two days. I sprinkled a shameful amount of Parmesan on everything that I ate. So obviously, when I decided to give up dairy, no one took me seriously. Even I didn’t think I could pull it off.

A guilty conscience will make you do things.

But, after a week of successfully doing it, I researched the benefits of going dairy free. Hmm, I remember thinking. Less bloating? Clear skin? Increased energy? Why the hell have I been eating this stuff? After a bit more digging around, I stumbled upon veganism. That’s when I discovered that vegans were not just a bunch of animal-loving hippies. To my disbelief, I learned that animal products could be quite harmful to our health, that animals were treated horribly, and that factory farming was absolutely not ecological. With all that new information, I felt uncomfortable keeping my current diet. It was not only about weight loss anymore. It became much deeper. I figured that, since I had already ditched dairy, it wouldn’t be that hard to stop eating animal products altogether. So I did.

Are you insane?

I was reluctant to tell my close ones that I had decided to become a vegan. I didn’t want them to think that it was some desperate diet that made you restrict random foods in order to lose weight. In my mind, it was clear: health, ethics and environment. Arguing my case, however, wasn’t going to be easy. If I wanted to sound minimally credible to my meat-eating family and friends, I had to know my stuff. I watched mandatory vegan documentaries such as Food Inc., Forks over Knives and Vegucated. I subscribed to vegan Youtubers. I read articles about the benefits eating plant-based until I felt like I had a good grasp on what veganism was about. Only then could I convincingly defend my point of view.

The reactions I got were mixed. Some were supportive. Others, as is often the case, became nutrition experts and worried about all the deficiencies I could be having without animal products in my diet.   Where else are you going to get protein? You need protein! And what about calcium? And B12? I better not hear that you fainted because you were nutrient deficient! Funny enough, the people “concerned” about my health are not that healthy themselves. They also weren’t worried when I was eating all that junk food. So I took their advice with a grain of salt.

Overall, I had a somewhat positive feedback. My mom even started cooking vegan meals for me when I went over to her house. My dad is now buying meat alternatives when he goes grocery shopping. It’s really heart warming to see them take me into consideration.

The Aftermath

I’m not sure if I can really call this an aftermath, considering I’m only two months in. From what I’ve read, it takes a good while before you can reap all the benefits of a vegan diet. But I do feel much better. I have more energy than I used to. I make better food choices overall. I am slowly developing a taste for foods that I used to dislike. I had a very difficult palate and wouldn’t eat a bunch of things. I’m thinking of beans right now. I used to hate them. Last Sunday, my mom made this awesome bean stew, and if it wasn’t so filling, I probably would have gone for seconds.

I am having so much fun discovering new recipes. Since becoming a vegan, I have really developed a liking for cooking. I love to experiment with ingredients et techniques to create flavors that I've never had before, but also to recreate some old favourites that are not cruelty-free.

This is not some crazy transformation story. Not yet, at least. I haven’t lost much weight from being a vegan. I feel like I’m still in that weird transition state where I veganize junk foods and make it a little healthier. I eat a lot more fruits and veggies that I used to, but I still have a long way to go in terms of health. One thing I’d like to mention, though, is that I haven’t felt the need to cheat since embarking on this journey. I can owe this, in my opinion, to the fact that I firmly believe in the reasons behind veganism.

I can predict great things to come from this lifestyle, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me as a new vegan.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer Review

As you may know, I'm an avid fan of face products. I have this intense desire to get my face to a perfect state. Every product that promises me a flawless-looking face attracts me like a magnet. I own way more foundations and concealers that I need. But that's okay.

When I heard about Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer (through Fleurdeforce's YouTube channel), I went on a crazy hunt to find it. I knew for a fact that they didn't sell it in any stores near me, so I actively searched the Web. I had a lot of trouble though, because very few websites carry it, and most of the ones I found don't ship to Canada. Frustrated, I abandoned my quest.

A few months later, my desire to obtain this supposed miracle product, that was described as pure pigment able to conceal your every flaw using the tiniest amount, resurfaced. After long and hard research, I was finally able to find it on www.strawberrynet.com and promptly ordered it. 

Now that my little story is over, let me enlighten you on this little gem. I paid 54$ (of my own money) for it, but I know you can find different prices depending on the website and on where you live. The little jar contains 0.63 oz, which may sound like an itty bitty amount for the price you pay. I thought that too, but I think the phrase "a little goes a long way" absolutely applies to this product. It will most likely last you as long as your other face product if you use it the right way (which is sparingly). According to their website, it is a " versatile skin-perfecting enhancer used to achieve a youthful, dewy complexion". they also claim that it "provides maximum coverage to hide imperfections, compliment skin tone, and to create a flawless canvas". Sounds promising if you ask me! No wonder everyone is talking about it; it practically promises you perfect skin! They say it is suitable for all skin types, and that application methods vary from fingers to brush to sponge! Amazing! After trying it out, I have to say I agree with most of these claims!

It was very hard for me to pick my shade. I did a lot of research before purchasing and still wasn't too sure while making the transaction. I settled for SX05 based on some pictures that I'd found on Google from differents blogs. I ended up being quite satisfided with the color I got. For reference, if you're around a MAC NC20, the shade SX05 should match you. It has strong yellow undertones which I always like because it helps covers up the redness on my face.

There are many ways to use the Sensual Skin Enhancer. This product if very thick and, as many have said, a little goes a long way. I originally bought it to use as a foundation, even though most of the I've encountered used it as a concealer. What I like to do is to take half a pea-sized amount and mix it with the foundation I plan to use that day. It amps up the coverage by ten and give a natural finish (the claims say that the finish is dewy, but I don't agree). After that, if you still need to, you can go back with a very fine pointed brush and put a little of over the remaining unconcealed spots and then blend with a warm finger. Do not put to much; you will waste a lot! Another way to use it is to mix it with your day cream for a natural and sheered out "tinted moisturizer" effect. I also plan to get a ligher shade, as well as a darker shade, in the next few months to do some highlighting and contouring. I saw a few people mention this technique and I think it looks absolutely beautiful.

 Overall, I think that Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer is an amazing and, most of all, versatile product. It is right up my alley, as I quite fond of full coverage products. In my opinion, it lives up to most of its claims (except for the dewy finish and the "more youthful" ones). It's uniqueness makes it worth the $, and I would definitely repurchase it once I run out of it. I recommended to everybody!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder and Palette

I remember that, about three months ago, everybody (including me) was going nuts for the "new" Hourglass Ambient Light powders. Obviously, they were not new at all, but it seems like the launch of the palette threw them in the spotlight (pun intended!). As you can imagine, the palette was very hard to get a hold of. It was Christmas time, and this little beauty was a limited edition product, so you had to be very lucky to get your mitts on one of them, as they were selling out like hot buns. I happened to be fortunate enough to grab the very LAST ONE at my Sephora. I probably never would have forgiven myself, had I missed the chance to try out this palette.

 

This palette retailed for 67$ CAD and includes two shades from the regular line as well as one limited-edition shade.

Hairspiration: Update

It has now been around 6 months since I published my first Hairspiration post. Today, I thought I would share with you my results following my Biotin use.

I first started using Solaray's 5 000 mcg Tangy fruit biotin lozanges. There were 60 lozanges in the bottle. I was usually taking 1 a day, but they tasted so delicious that some days, I would cheat and have 2. They do sell 10 000 mcg Biotin pills so I knew this was safe. I would not recommend at all taking any dosage higher than 100 mcg. Obviously I would make sure to drink extra water on those days. The bottle lasted somewhere between a month and a half and 2 months. I'm a very bad pill popper, so sometimes I would forget and skip a day. Once I was finished with the Solaray bottle, I switched to Now Foods 10,000 mcg Extra Strength Biotin. There are 120 veggie caps in that bottle and I am currently still on it (about halfway).

I'll start with the nail results. As I mentioned it the first post, I'm a nail biter, and I wanted something that would help me grow them out and make them less brittle. After about two months of taking biotin, I started noticing that my nails would grow much faster than they usually would. It also helped a little bit with the brittleness. However, my nail biting habits did not go away, so the results didn't last that long. But it works. If you are consistent with it, and you don't have a major nail biting problem like mine, you should be satisfied. It really make your nails grow stronger and faster. You just have to help yourself a little as well.

Now, as for the hair, the results were definitely more subtle, but definitely real. Maybe I should have measured my hair, before I started all of this, because now I have nothing to compare with. After about two months, I started noticing more length in my hair. Obviously, it was hard to tell because of the fact that my hair was already long. But it just looked longer. I was pleased! That's when I decided to trim about two inches off it. My hair was in  a really bad state, so this was the best thing to do. And another two to three months later, I felt like my hair was back to the length it was before I trimmed it!

So, yeah, I don't have any formal results. From the looks of it, though, this product seems to be working quite well! I will definitely keep using it and I recommend it to anyone who would like to grow their hair out quickly. I must warn you, however, to be careful with the dosage. Talk to a health care professional, or slowly build your way up to a higher dose. The best tip I could give you if you decide to start your journey on Biotin, is to be patient. It takes a while to see results. But I can almost guarantee you that you won't be disappointed.

I will probably post another update during the summer. I am thinking about cutting my hair short for the warmer months. I'm still not sure. I'll see how long my hair is by then, and make my decisions accordingly.

So, I hope that this update on my hair growth with Biotin was helpful to you! If you guys have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below :)

Talk to you soon!

PS:I buy my biotin and all my health products on IHerb.com. Use the code QMH361 to get 5$ to 10$ off of your order!