At the beginning of my plant based journey, food was my main focus. Always picking up vegan cookbooks, reading the labels at grocery stores, and of course asking servers “Are you sure they’re using olive oil and not butter?” During those beginning months (who am I kidding? — I think it was a year or two!) the thought never dawned on me that this was just the tip of the iceberg. I guess I thought at the beginning veganism was about not eating animals until I had an ah-ha moment and realized I must change my entire lifestyle and not just my eating habits. I started watching and reading more about testing products on animals and the weird and inhumane animal ingredients they put in our beauty products and household cleaners.
I meet an awful lot of people who say they just don’t think they can take the plunge into veganism. My goal is to show them that we don’t have to lose any of our special loves, such as a terrific handbag or a high-end beauty product, leather-look pumps or jackets. We can live the same lifestyle we have at this very moment: all we have to do is veganize it! I have been buying, testing, and reviewing products for years, and here are just a few of every sort that I love most!
1. Pacifica Natural Minerals – I will go nuts for some Pacifica products! They make some of the most lovely vegan makeup I have tried. They also have many other vegan products such as hair care, skincare, and candles.
2. Owl’s Brew – Owl’s Brew is a new product I have recently added to my arsenal for parties. This hand-crafted tea is actually a drink mixer! I’m completely obsessed! Don’t drink? No worries: it’s great over ice too.
3. Nicora Johns – Nicora Johns is a newcomer to the world of vegan shoes — handcrafted and lovely.
4. Vaute Couture – The first vegan clothing line to have a show in the new York fashion week. Vaute makes some of the most luxurious jackets I have ever gotten to wear. I love them and all the people who work there are amazing.
5. Opal & Wonder– Opal & Wonder is a small etsy shop that sells vegan candles, wax melts and aroma defusers. There candles have some really cool names such as honey suckle, wild nomad, and beautiful people and they smell lovely!
6. Ecos– earth friendly products for your home. They are all natural products free of many nasty chemicals that are great for you and your home!
7. Matt & Nat– Matt & Nat have been around for years, creating beautiful vegan handbags for women and possibly top the previous one.
Margo Morrill, VLCE has been interested In vegetables since she was a child picking and eating straight from the plant on her family farm in Pennsylvania. She naturally became vegatartian and later vegan. On the completion of culinary school Margo started her career as a vegan personal chef. She loves sharing her plant based journey through food and lifestyle blogging at Chef Margo.