DIY: Pastel Pink Hair

Ever dreamed of having mermaid hair? I did! With a new pastel hair trend hitting up the runway, red carpet and the entire internet-I got a little envious and decided to try it out for myself! Here is my how-to guide!

*For this to work properly, your hair has to be very light blond so the colour really shows. Dye your hair first. Manic Panic carries a vegan bleaching kit called "Flashlightening"

http://www.manicpanic.com/

1. I bought Manic Panic (a vegan company) semi-permanent color cream in shade Cotton Candy Pink.

2. I made a strand test by taping three small  sections of hair too aluminium foil on a board

3. I mixed a bit of dye with conditioner in a bowl and continued to add a bit of both until I got the desired colour and amount of product to saturate my hair. For the strand test I painted each hair section and added 10 min to each one to what was the appropriate saturation time. Mine was 30 min.

4. I separated my hair into 4 sections and evenly saturated each one. Then, I left on for 30 min! 

5. I ran my hair under cold water and let it run until clear..then gave it a blow-dry!

Voila! My sister was freaking out...I felt like a rockstar.

Thanks for reading,

xo ;)

Purple Lip Love: Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color by Urban Decay

Big summer trend: The Purple Lip. I love the look and wanted to try it out for myself! I found the greatest lip colour: Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color by Urban Decay. I bought the shade "Apocalypse" to get some awesome purple lips!

All Urban Decay makeup is cruelty-free and the one's that are vegan friendly have a little purple pawprint beside the label-so cute. All of the colours in the Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color line are vegan friendly except for "LoveChild".

I bought mine at Sephora for about $22 Canadian. You can also buy it online here: http://www.sephora.com/super-saturated-high-gloss-lip-color-P292016?skuId=1435098.

I love the colour lots, but the only downfall is it doesn't stay on as well as I'd hoped. Must re-apply after eating!

Enjoy! xo ;)

Chilled Raw Tomato and Mint Cucumber Soup

Ok so I may have a small obsession with raw cucumber soups...enjoy!

What you will need

v  2 Cucumbers

v  1 avocado

v  Juice from 2 limes

v  ½ cup fresh mint

v  2 tbsp green onion

v  2 garlic cloves

v  One tomato

v  1tsp salt

v  ½ tsp pepper

  

   Instructions

   Roughly chop cucumbers and tomato. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Allow to chill in the fridge before serving. Yum.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

I’m not kidding, this chickpea salad tastes sooo good, not to mention it's super easy to make! An awesome main or side dish for those sizzling summer days we seem to be experiencing in Ottawa lately! 

What you will need

• v  2 tbsp chopped onions
  v  2 tbsp olive oil
  v  Juice from 1 lemon
  v  Can of chickpeas
  v  2 tomatoes
  v  2 ½ tbsp fresh mint
  v  ½ tsp pepper
  v  ½ tsp salt

Instructions

Drain chickpeas, dice tomatoes and put all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for 10 min for maximum flavor absorption! Enjoy, yumyum! 

Chilled Raw Cucumber and Avocado Soup

Looking for a refreshing meal on a hot summer day? This soup is where it's at. Made from fresh raw ingredients, it will not only taste absolutely delicious but make you feel awesome too!

What You Will Need

v  2 cucumbers

v  1 large avocado

v  2 limes

v  ¾ cup water

v  2 garlic cloves

v  1 tbsp fresh chopped mint

v  2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

v  1 tsp salt

v  ½ tsp pepper

Instructions

Chop up the cucumbers, avocado, mint and cilantro and place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Garnish with fresh mint if you're feeling fancy!

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Quinoa with added Tomato

What you will need

v  1 cup quinoa

v  2/3 roasted red peppers

v  ¾ cup fresh basil

v  3 garlic cloves

v  1/3 walnuts

v  ¼ olive oil

v  1 tomato chopped

v  Salt to taste

v  Pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup quinoa and cover pot. Bring down to medium heat and let cook for 12 minutes. Once cooked, fluff the quinoa, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. While quinoa cooks, put all remaining ingredients except the tomato into a blender and blend until smooth. Once quinoa is ready, stir in pesto sauce and fresh tomatoes. This dish can be served hot or cold!

Monster Vegan Pita

Things you will need

v  1 large pita

v  Roasted red pepper or regular hummus

v  Dijon mustard

v  Mayonnaise alternative (Nayonaise, Vegenaise)

v  Salt

v  Pepper

v  Dried oregano

v  A couple tomato slices

v  A pickle

v  ¼ avocado

v  A couple long slices of cucumber

v  A handful of chopped parsley

v  Spring salad mix or romaine lettuce

      Instructions

(Optional: heat up pita bread in a toasted oven-just until warm though, not toasted or it will crack when you fold it!). Spread roasted red pepper hummus, Dijon mustard and “mayonnaise” on pita. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt, pepper and oregano. Put all the other ingredients in the pita and fold it up!

(out of toothpicks!)

Baked Oregano Sweet Potatoes

Things you will need

v  2 tbs olive oil

v  3 sweet potatoes

v  dried oregano

v  salt

v  ground black pepper

Instructions

 Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and slice sweet potatoes into medium sized pieces. Lightly coat  medium sized pan with olive oil.  Place each sweet potato piece on the pan and turn them until all sides are covered with olive oil. 

Spread them out evenly on the pan and sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano with desired amount. Bake for 60 minutes. Sweet potatoes should be soft. Let sit for a minute and eat away!

Really Awesome Vegan Pizza

What you will need

v  1 large pita bread

v  10 tbs of pizza sauce (or use pasta sauce like I did ;) )

v  1 cup chopped avocado

v  1 cup chopped tomato

v  1 cup fresh basil

v  ¼ cup chopped onions

v  2 tbs crushed garlic

v  ¼ cup black olives

v  Daiya mozzarella shredded cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Lay out the pita on a pizza sheet and cover it with the pizza sauce. Add the fresh basil, avocado, tomato, onions, garlic, olives. Lastly, sprinkles desired amount of “cheese”. Place in oven and let cook for 8 minutes. Your cheese should be melted and the sides of the pita slightly browned. Let sit for a couple minutes, then enjoy!

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich

 Things you will need

v  English Muffins

v  Mayonnaise alternative (Nayonaise, Vegenaise)

v  Cheese alternative (Daiya, Earth Island)

v  Tempeh “Bacon”

v  Mustard (I prefer Dijon ;) )

v  Tomato Sliced

v  Lettuce/ Spring mix

v  Olive oil

v  Salt n’ pepper

Instructions

v  Put a bit of olive oil in a pan, turn on the stovetop. Once it is really hot, put a couple “Bacon” strips in the pan. Allow to cook for about two minutes on each side, It should be a nice brown colour

v  Toasting the English muffin is optional. Put in a toaster oven with the “cheese” on it until the cheese is melted and your muffin is toasty

v  When the muffin and bacon are ready, Spread the mayonnaise, and mustard on the muffin. Then top with lettuce, tomato, “bacon” and a bit of salt n’ pepper.

v  Place the top of the English muffin and you’re good to go!