10 Things I'm Loving This June

This has been a hectic month with trying to pack and get ready for a big move, plus getting ready to travel for a wedding, not to mention how bonkers work has been! Thank goodness I had some things that kept me sane and happy this month, and as per my monthly tradition, I'm sharing 10 of these things with you below. This monthly practice encourages me to reflect on things I'm grateful for this month as well as sharing some of my favorite things with you! And I always love to hear about items you are digging this month, feel free to share them with me in the comments!

Here are my 10 Things I'm Loving this June:

Spooky Summer Goth Essentials to Survive the Sun

With Memorial Day behind us, I can't believe summer is almost here! I'm already in shock of how long the days are stretching and I am already dreading the warmer temperatures. Summer is the last season before the glorious return of fall, and all we need to do is survive summer to get to the best season, autumn! And of course, summer can be fun if take the time to stock up on some necessities that make it so much more pleasant for us darklings...

I have to say that summer is usually a struggle for me (and many other fellow fiends who wear black year-round), so in preparation I've rounded up some spooky summer goth essentials to help me and my fellow spookies survive the summer. Below I'm sharing clothes, accessories, pool floats, parasols, swimsuits, makeup, sandals, and more with a spooky twist to make summertime more bearable.

Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Coffee Scrub

My sister gave me a recipe for a DIY coffee scrub several years ago, and I love making it to this day! I use it in the shower and not only does it make my skin silky-smooth, but the coffee perks me up and I swear it firms up my behind! With pumpkin season upon us and pumpkin spice coffee so readily available, I had a lightbulb moment and thought to make a pumpkin spice coffee scrub based on my sister's recipe. All I did was replace regular ground coffee with pumpkin spice ground coffee and it came out incredible!

I love everything pumpkin spice, so I usually end up buying pumpkin spice coffee this time of year, despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of flavored coffee (the cute packaging always gets me!). With this recipe, I can use up the pumpkin spice coffee I buy and continue using it all year to make this recipe.

I love how this Pumpkin Spice Coffee Scrub smells and how it moisturizes and exfoliates my skin. Plus, this is such a quick and easy recipe, and you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Check out how to make your own Pumpkin Spice Coffee Scrub below:

Halloween 2018 at Lush

Halloween has returned to Lush with lots of fearsome, fizzy, and frothy bath bombs, shower gels, soaps, and more to keep your suds spooky this Halloween season! There are a few old favorites that have returned, along with some eerily exciting new products, including a neon-green ectoplasm shower gel, glow-in-the-dark ghost soap, Lord of Misrule bath bomb, pumpkin bubble bar, and more! Lush's products are always cruelty-free, and I'm happy to say their entire Halloween collection is vegan!

The Spooky Vegan Shop Now Open On Amazon

Do you ever wonder what kind of things I shop for on Amazon? Do you like discovering new products that I personally recommend? Looking for that spooky something to get yourself or that special someone? Are you interested in what cruelty-free and vegan products I use daily? Wanna check out my favorite vegan snacks? Have you ever wished to get your hands on the black nail polish I use or get a peek at what movies and books I'm into?

Well, fiends, lucky for you I've curated a spooky shop on Amazon full of product recommendations so you can find all of these eerie items collected for you in one place! I thought this would be a fun way to show off some of my favorite things and show you what items I use regularly (for example, what hair dye or face wash I use, which I get asked about a lot!). Also, when you purchase items via my Amazon shop you are helping me earn referral fees, which go toward keeping this blog running, especially since I do not use ads, only Amazon affiliate links.

So take a look at my spooky shop, filled with treats like Halloween decor, horror movies, books, accessories, cruelty-free and vegan beauty/makeup/skin care products, and even some of my favorite vegan snacks and food!! You just might find some must-haves or new favorites! I'll be updating the spooky shop regularly with new and old favorites, so check back often!

Visit The Spooky Vegan Shop on Amazon!

Stay spooky!

Goth Essentials for Surviving Summer

I can't believe summer is already here, it feels like the spring went by so fast! Thankfully here in Orange County it is still relatively cool due to June Gloom (swoon!), but warmer weather has been creeping up on us (it will be in the 80s the rest of the week) and as soon as July hits temps will be shooting up to the 90s and 100s (ugh). I hate hot weather so I do all I can to stay cool while still keeping it spooky during the unbearable summer months.

Below I've collected some summer goth essentials to help you keep creepin' in the summer heat, including pool and beach accessories, some dark but gauzy clothing (I don't care how hot it is, I'm still wearing black), items that will protect your skin from the sun, boo-tiful bags to keep all these ghoulish goodies in, and much more macabre merch to add to your wish list!

Schmidt's Charcoal + Magnesium Mineral Enriched Natural Deodorant

Whenever I want to switch it up from using my own homemade vegan deodorant, I turn to Schmidt's! Besides my own DIY deodorant, I find that it is only vegan deodorant that works to keep me feeling and smelling fresh all day, even through hot days or hard workouts. I adore their Cedarwood and Juniper deodorant (and they have many other scents!), but I was excited to try their brand new Charcoal + Magnesium Mineral Enriched Natural Deodorant they gave me at Expo West this past March. This, like their other products, is vegan, cruelty-free, and free of aluminum, propylene glycol, parabens and phthalates and does not contain any artificial fragrances. I am a sucker for charcoal anything, so I couldn't wait to try this out! I also love the scent itself, which smells like fresh, clean air after a thunderstorm in spring.

Samhain Scents That Will Make You Smell Like Halloween

In Type O Negative's song "Black No. 1," Peter Steele sings "Her perfume smells like burning leaves," and I've been forever searching for a scent like that which evokes the spirit of Samhain! What do you picture the autumn season smelling like? For me it's a woodsy, smoky scent of autumn leaves with a bit of candy corn sweetness, apple orchard tartness, pumpkin patch earthiness, and a sprinkle of brimstone. Who knows if a scent like that actually exists, but I'm on a quest to find it!

In my search this year I've come across a few small, independent companies who are making perfumes, bath bombs, lotions, and other potions in lovely autumn and Halloween scents that I'm absolutely drooling over! I've compiled some of these for you below, all of which are vegan and cruelty-free (note: always double-check ingredients since formulations can change, though most of the businesses listed below are themselves vegan and cruelty-free!).

Hopefully this year I can find some scented treats that will keep me smelling like Halloween long after all the jack-o-lanterns have been blown out on October 31st.

Beauty Review: Pacifica Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash

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I have used Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash religiously for about two years now, and I still highly recommend that cleanser (read my full review). However, when Pacifica released their Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash specifically formulated for oily and/or acne-prone skin, I knew I had to try it!

Pacifica is a 100% vegan and cruelty-free line, and all of their products I've tried have been of the utmost quality. It is a brand I trust, and a brand I return to time and time again. Not only do they have face cleansers and other skin care products like moisturizers and makeup remover wipes, but they also have a full makeup line, perfumes (they make some of my favorites!), and they have also recently announced they are releasing more skin care products as well as hair products! The Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash is one of their newer products in their expanded skin care line.

Beauty Review: Pacifica Dreamy Youth Day and Night Face Cream

I am always on the lookout for an awesome vegan moisturizer, and since the weather has been warming up here in SoCal I decided to look for a new, lighter one that can be used day and night. Many people recommended Pacifica's Dreamy Youth Day and Night Face Cream, so I decided to give it a go!

I already love Pacifica's cruelty-free and vegan products, so I couldn't wait to try their Dreamy Youth moisturizer! This anti-aging moisturizer contains peptides, antioxidants, floral stem cells and natural extracts along with Pacifica's Fleuracell Complex with ingredients shown to improve the overall appearance of skin.

Product Review: Cellar Door Bath Supply Co.'s Halloween Soaps

When I saw a friend post about Cellar Door Bath Supply Co., I knew I had to check them out! They make cruelty-free and vegan bath supplies like bath salts and soaks, candles, and soaps, complete with a full line of Halloween-inspired soaps!

I had a tough time deciding what to order, because I wanted it ALL! They have spooktacular scents like Halloween Hootenanny ("tart poison apples. overripe pears. hard luck candy. bags upon bags upon candy spilled across the dance floor at your neighbor’s Halloween garage party."), Pumpkin Chai ("warm pumpkin puree. spicy chai. freshly roasted coffee. the perfect marriage of two of fall’s most warm, cozy, and downright delicious seasonal drinks"), All Hallow's Eve ("pagan spices. preserved orange. ceremonial woods. the things that happen late at night that fill your heart with fear and fright."), and many more, all of which sounded so terrifically tantalizing! However, after much debate I ended up ordering the five scents below:

Beauty Review: SoapyLayne Vegan Perfumes

I discovered the coolest vegan and cruelty-free company at Vegan Faire this past July called SoapyLayne. Their witchy signage first caught my eye, and when I investigated I found that they had some lovely perfumes and other body, bath, and makeup products. By the time I checked out their booth at Vegan Faire I had spent the majority of my cash on food, but I still had enough money to pick up two scents that I was swooning over, a solid perfume called Moonlight Butterfly and a roll-on perfume oil by the name of The Woods.

Product Review: Good Clean Love's Vanilla Chai Body Candy

I've been familiar with Good Clean Love's intimacy products for quite some time now, as their products are vegan, cruelty-free, safe, and effective. In fact, their personal lubricant was named one of the safest on the market! Not only that, but the company is woman-owned and socially responsible, committed to promoting sexual education and awareness while supporting green, sustainable love. How can you not get behind something like that?!

Beauty Review: Savvy Boheme Tall Americano Bath and Body Oil

I received a sample of Savvy Boheme's Tall Americano Bath and Body Oil in a Vegan Cuts subscription box I purchased, and have been obsessed with this body oil ever since! At first glance, I didn't really think I would like it, and it sat on my dresser for quite a while before I decided to try it. I instantly regretted not using it sooner, because this stuff is amazing!

It is made with nourishing oils including grapeseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, sweet almond oil, apricot oil, and vitamin E oil, and infused with scents from the essential oils of coffee, sweet orange, and vanilla. It reminds me of a sunny Italian coffee bar with its strong scents of espresso and orange peel, and a subtle hint of vanilla. The scent is both invigorating and centering, and it has the ability to both wake me up and calm me, if that makes any sense! To be honest, I didn't think I would care much for the scent, which seemed a little too sunshine-y for this ghoulish girl. However, I now find the scent to be delightful and uplifting!

Beauty Review: Acure Argan Oil

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Lately I have been embracing my hair's natural curl and letting it do its thing instead of straightening it. The switch came about a month ago, when I decided to give my hair a break since it was becoming damaged from all the heat styling (blow drying and using a straightening iron at least 3 times a week) I was subjecting it to. Without blow drying and straightening, my hair is naturally curly, but it is also really coarse and thick with some frizz. I needed a product that tamed my hair, made it softer, but also one accentuated my curls, all with minimal styling (I refuse to spend more than five minutes on my hair in the morning).

Beauty Review: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter

The glorious return of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter!

Last year, Trader Joe's came out with decadent Pumpkin Body Butter, which sold out in like 2.5 seconds. I bought two tubs last year, and by some miracle I made them last until this September. Smelling like Halloween year-round was pretty fricking incredible, but I was in despair when I used up the last tub.

Luckily, Trader Joe's just stocked their shelves again with this magical Pumpkin Body Butter, so the day it came out (September 29th) I rushed to the store and literally made them go into the back and pull out the box of pumpkin body butters! I grabbed four tubs, because the employee who was nice enough to fetch them from the back said they only get one small box for the season, so when they sell out they don't get any more. When I got home I realized I should have just bought the whole box of 50 or so tubs and sold them on the black market to make a small fortune...oh well!

DIY: Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioning Hair Rinse

Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar 

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I know that using apple cider vinegar on your hair might seem odd, but trust me, this stuff is incredibly effective at conditioning your hair and balancing the pH levels of your scalp, resulting in shiny, smooth, well-conditioned hair and a healthy scalp!

I have been using this treatment about once or twice a week for over a year now, and have gotten multiple requests to share this easy, cost-effective method, so here goes!

Tricks and Treats to Beat the Heat (Guest Blog on Cowgirls and Collard Greens Site)

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

When the adorable vegan cowgirl Kayle Martin of Cowgirls and Collard Greens asked me to guest blog on her site, I jumped at the chance! I have been a long-time admirer of Kayle, adore her site, and even got to meet her in person at Expo West (yes, she is as sweet in person as she is online!). I was truly honored/excited to guest blog on her site, so please giddy-up on over to Cowgirls and Collard Greens to read about my tricks and treats to beat the summer heat.  

Please check out my article on Cowgirls and Collard Greens or continue reading below. And in the immortal words of the vegan cowgirl herself, Yeehaw!!  

Beauty Review: Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I am always on the hunt for a face wash that can multi-task. I need something that not only removes my makeup (including lots of dark eyeliner) and cleanses, but is also gentle on my face and tones and moisturizes. I've never seen a cleanser than can handle all these tasks, and I generally end up using different cleansers for different tasks – I use makeup-removing wipes to get rid of makeup, then a cleanser to wash my face, then toner and/or moisturizer.

Beauty Review: Mystical House Organic Skin Care

I am always thrilled to find new vegan options for skin care. It is always great to see more companies who believe in offering cruelty-free and compassionate products, and while there are a lot of larger companies doing this, I still love supporting the smaller, independent companies who offer vegan products. Companies like Mystical House, who specializes in handmade, organic, and good-for-you skin care!