Last-minute vegan and gluten-free gift ideas

By Giselle Wedemire

So you've waited until the last minute to grab gifts for your loved ones this holiday season. No worries, I won't judge you. 

Maybe you've had a lot going on in your life this month and gift shopping fell on your list of priorities. Or maybe you're one of those weirdos who thrive on the adrenaline rush that shopping on Christmas Eve provides. Like I said, I won't judge you.

What I will do is help, because just the thought of someone having to face the massive crowds packing into the malls this time of year gives me hives. If you find yourself at a loss for easy gift ideas that require no trip to a Calgary mall, I've got you covered. Here are some simple, budget- and time-friendly vegan and gluten-free gift ideas for when you've waited until the last minute:

Chocolate bark

Cruelty-free curls that are smooth like BuhTah

By Giselle Wedemire

About two years ago, I made the decision to go au naturale with my hair. It took a few stops and starts -- and a whole lot of soul-searching and self-acceptance -- to completely kick my flat iron habit to the curb and embrace my naturally curly hair.

But I can now say with complete confidence that I regret nothing and I am 100 per cent in love with the curls I once fought so hard to hide from the world.

On my natural hair journey, I've learned that my curl pattern is 3b, which means I have defined ringlets that are prone to frizz if left to dry without any product in them. It also means that if humidity gets anywhere near my hair, it turns into a fantastic ball of fluff. So, naturally, anti-humectants are my best friends because they help to block humidity's brutal effects from ratcheting up my hair. 

I've been looking high and low for a great all-natural, vegan, and cruelty-free miracle product that'll allow my hair to dry faster, and transform it into well-defined, healthy-looking, frizz-free spirals. After all this time, I think I've finally found that product.

BuhTah All Natural Shea Mix is a miracle-working product created by an independent startup company based in Georgia, USA. Made of all-natural shea butter, and jojoba, coconut, castor, and avocado oils, Buhtah is a sealant rather than a moisturizer -- which means it'll keep any and all frizz at bay. In short, it's a curly girl's dream come true.

How cute is that packaging, though? Love it!

Warm your bones with new winter brews from DavidsTea

By Giselle Wedemire

Temperatures are dipping, and mitts and toques are starting to make their annual return to Canadians' outfits. With this increasingly nippy weather, snow is inevitable, so I've got my winter jacket on stand-by just in case I wake up to a blizzard one day (which, truth be told, is always a terrible sight to behold first thing in the morning).

Softening the blow of winter's return is the allure of warming and comforting beverages of any kind. Whether your poison is a mug of hot chocolate, a pot of tea, or a gigantic thermos of coffee (no judgment), there's plenty of choices out there for those of us who constantly need to warm our bare hands against a hot mug of something in the winter.

I'd make a predictable Game of Thrones joke, but instead I'll say this:
just looking at this picture is making me crave a hot cup of tea.
Picture via Pixabay

Homemade beauty remedies for the lazy vegan

By Giselle Wedemire

The new Neal's Yard Remedies store in Southcentre Mall will be opening its doors today. It's a very exciting time for both the NYR team and Calgary's NYR fan base, and to celebrate this new store, the good folks at NYR are running a contest for shoppers to win prizes.

While we discussed the rules for the contest here yesterday, it's worth repeating: starting today, NYR will post a weekly remedy on their Instagram and followers are encouraged to share their own favourite at-home remedies (and the hashtag #MyNYR) to the company's Instagram for a chance to win an exclusive prize.

I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring for this prize because I love all things free, and also because I love spreading the gospel of homemade beauty products. So, without further ado, here are my favourite at-home remedies:

Disregard the terrible lighting in this picture and focus instead on these everyday
pantry items that make some of the best (and easiest) DIY beauty products.

New NYR store means Calgary just got a little more beautiful

By Giselle Wedemire

Neal’s Yard Remedies, the British purveyor of all-natural, organic beauty products, is expanding its reach in Calgary. 

On Oct. 28, it was announced via press release that the chain will branch out of the trendy Mission neighbourhood (where its first Canadian store is located) by opening its second shop in Calgary in Southcentre Mall, thus marking the second phase of CEO Lisa Costello’s plan to expand the brand and open 10 new locations of NYR across Canada over the next five years.

Screen shot via Neal's Yard Remedies' Instagram account

 

The new store will open its doors on Oct. 30 and, while it won’t have spa treatment rooms like its sister store in Mission, it will be stocked with its usual, full selection of natural and organic essential oils, skincare, cosmetics, etc. (much of which is vegan and gluten-free, HOLLA!). 

Tea-infused hand creams are your dry hands' BFFs this season

By Giselle Wedemire

My hands are almost reptilian in nature: unnaturally cold, sometimes scaly (depending on the outside temperature), and impressively dry. This only gets worse as temperatures drop and the cool fall air starts demanding that I dig my mittens out of storage. 

I have no idea why my hands are that way since the rest of my body doesn't resemble a dinosaur's hide at all, but such is my lot in life. The best I can do is moisturize them as often as I can to curb the problem before my hands go all Jurassic Park on me.

On June 13, Bare English & Co. announced on their Facebook page that their brand new hand cream had just hit their online store. I am a huge Bare English & Co. convert ever since I reviewed their lip balms last winter, so I immediately got in touch with them to see how and where I could get my (dry) hands on this new product.

Each Green Tea Infused Hand Cream retails for $8.99 on their website, and they are currently available in three scents: lavender, vanilla coconut, and juicy peach. While you might guess from the name that it contains green tea (which acts as an antioxidant), the ingredient list also boasts a slew of fantastic moisturizers like oat protein, aloe juice, coconut oil, almond oil, and shea butter. 

Bare English & Co.'s Lavender Green Tea Infused Hand Cream. The only thing better than the hand cream itself is the packaging. I love that the cruelty-free bunny is right on the front of the tube!

Fall-tastic fare for all at Wild & Raw

By Giselle Wedemire

While most may think of fall as a time to indulge in assorted sinfully sweet pumpkin-spiced delicacies, one Calgary entrepreneur is setting the bar high for healthy autumn treats. Jenn Silver, owner of Kensington's Wild & Raw Superfood + Juice Bar, is aiming to complement sweater weather with delicious lattes, elixirs, milkshakes, and smoothie bowls that'll warm you from the inside out.

"We're taking an alternative approach to the fall drinks that they do at Starbucks," Silver said. 

And that's exactly what it tastes like!

Wild & Raw has changed up its menu to feature two regular items and introduce four brand new offerings that are all perfect for autumn. From Sept. 18 until Dec. 21 (the first day of winter), these fall-themed items will be available. And best of all: they're all 100 per cent vegan and gluten-free (much like the majority of Wild & Raw's menu).

On a cold and windy day earlier this month, Silver invited me out to her store for a complimentary sneak peek of Wild & Raw's fall menu, and it was absolutely fantastic. Everything I tasted was delicious and packed with fresh, subtle, and warming flavours that made me feel at home in the little store. They also had the added bonus of perking me up and fortifying me with the strength to better cope with the nippy air and frigid rain I faced on my walk home. 

A few of the fall-tastic offerings available at Wild & Raw as of Sept. 21.
From left: the Pumpkin Milkshake, the Pumpkin Parfait, and the Golden Guru.
Photo by Jennifer Brazil, courtesy of Wild & Raw.