Easy Vegan French Toast

Nothing quite makes your Sunday sparkle like a little champagne brunch. While I may enjoy a glass of libation or two, brunch just isn’t brunch without a towering plate of french toast.

vegan, plant-based, french toast, brunch, breakfast, food, eats

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I created a quick and easy recipe that everyone can enjoy together. Vegan, dairy-free and easily made gluten-free.

vegan, plant-based, french toast, brunch, breakfast, food, eats

1/2-1 cup Plant Milk (my favorite are vanilla flax or soymilk)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp mixed spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

1 Tbsp Energy Egg Replacement Powder (approximately 1 egg worth mixed separately)

1 Tbsp chai tea mix (optional for extra flavor)

Bread (4 slices.  The “staler” the better)

Top with your favorite fruits, nut-butters and maple syrup

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Just dip your toast into the liquid mixture for a few seconds each side and place in an oiled, heated pan on medium heat. Turn once crispy and top with your favorite fruits, nut-butters and maple syrup.

vegan, plant-based, french toast, brunch, breakfast, food, eats

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Let cool, eat and enjoy 🙂

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10-Minute Spring Makeup Tutorial

too faced makeup look-1002

During the change of season from winter to spring, I’ve been wanting to infuse some color into my makeup look. But, with dry winter skin, I want to go as minimal as possible with just a hint of fun to it.

makeup, vegan, cruelty-free
This “10 minute” look will get you out the door quickly in the morning with a hint of spring color and enough neutral tones that it can pair with any outfit. I also only use cruelty-free products and vegan, when possible (I will make another post on this topic in the future!).

 

I always start out with freshly washed and moisturized skin and then apply concealer in a triangle shape underneath my eyes. My go-to concealer for quick makeup application is the Illusionist in shade 010 by Vapour.  It comes in a metal tube for easy, on-the-go application.

makeup, vegan, organic

Next step is the eyes; the secret to this look is so simple and one of the star products, in my opinion, from the brand E.L.F.  I used the Smudge Pot, in the shade “Wine Not,” and lightly tapped the cream onto my eyelids and “smoked” it out slightly with my fingertips. It is a slightly shimmery cream eye-shadow that glides on a nice light wash of color and is surprisingly affordable at $3.00 a pot (I’ll take one in every color, please!).

makeup, vegan, organic, green

green, cruelty-free, makeup

With this look, a coat of mulled berry toned mascara is the light touch of color that I was looking for. The 100% Pure Maracuja Mascara has a soft blackberry/plum color with a gentle formula which separates the lashes nicely for a causal look. It is packaged in a nice, silver tube and it smells amazing!

vegan, 100%pure, cruelty-free

100% pure, vegan, green beauty

Next, I just run some light reflecting powder eye-shadow along the brow bone and inner eye corner. I used the Physician’s Formula “Natural Nude” palette.

too faced makeup look-1011

It’s time for cheeks! A very light contour with my Lily-Lolo “Contour Duo” blended with a small fluffy brush and then it’s blush time.

Lily-Lolo, makeup, vegan

My new blush obsession is the product of collaboration of Aspyn Ovard and Pixi by Petra. When she promo’d the product on her YouTube channel, I knew I needed to have it (she being about as fair-skinned as I am). This blush blew me out of the water! I got the shade “Rome Rose” and it is a highly pigmented, sparkling rose gold-pink. I never wear sparkle, but this is subtle enough for daytime looks with a natural flush of color. Plus, the bright lime and gold packaging is adorable and the formula is perfect for my Lily Lolo Blush Brush!

Aspun Ovard, Pixie, YouTube, Makeup , Vegan

Aspyn Ovard, Pixi, YouTube, cruelty-free

Next up is brows.  I do a simple sweep of brown with the E.L.F eyebrow powder set in “Medium” and smooth them out with an old mascara spoolie.

e.l.f, Cruelty-free, makeup

e.l.f , makeup, vegan

Finally, the Piece De Resistance of this look: Liquid Lipstick. I may have a slight (ok, not so slight) addiction to finding the perfect liquid lipstick and this one comes pretty darn close!

Too Faced, liquid lipstick,cruelty-free ,

I used the Melted Matte by Too Faced in the shade “Cool Girl” and a lip liner by Afterglow Cosmetics. This is almost the perfect nude lip, in my opinion; not too peachy with a subtle hint of rose pink tones.

Afterglow Cosmetics, makeup, Vegan

Just line the outer part of the lip line (I promise it won’t look strait out of the 90’s) and fill it in with one coat of the liquid lipstick! That is all!

Too Faced, Makeup, cruelty-free

This completed look is “glam,” without being weighed down by a ton of foundation or heavy products, and can get you from fresh-faced to out-the-door in ten minutes!  Please be kind to animals when purchasing makeup (keep an eye out for a leaping bunny logo!).

makeup, spring , cruelty-free

Springtime never looked so good!

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Brand Spotlight- Lily Lolo

brand spotlightlily Lolo

Let’s talk makeup.

I have always been attracted to wearing makeup; it is such a fun way to express your personality and the mood you want to emote to the world. Since my early teens, makeup has been a daily part of my morning ritual, but as a conscious consumer, what I have in my makeup bag has drastically changed since the days of wearing the infamous little pink tube of mascara.

vegan, makeup , green beauty

Non-toxic, cruelty-free and vegan beauty products have changed my life, and my skin (but that is a story for another day). Today, I wanted to shine the light on a clean beauty brand that I have tested out, to save you from the hassle and expenses of trying a new product without any real review to help you make an informed decision.

Lily Lolo Mineral cosmetics is a London based company that specializes in mineral-based cosmetics. They are a cruelty-free company and are Leaping Bunny Certified. I have yet to try all the products from their line, but I will review for you the ones that I have gotten my hands on.

vegan, makeup, green beauty

My first overall reaction to the brand is positive. They have chic black and white packaging and one of the most notable features they have is mirrored tops to their compacts (which is surprisingly uncommon in the green beauty community). They also have a number of pressed powders, which I find extremely convenient.

vega, makeup , green beauty

vegan, makeup, green beauty

The first product that I ordered was the Sculpt and Glow Contour Duo ($26). I was soooo ecstatic to find a pressed-powder highlighter and bronzer in travel-ready packaging, but sadly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The packaging is great; it comes with a mirrored top and two pressed-powders. The thing that I was the most disappointed by was the more ashy-tone to the otherwise warm looking palette. The highlight color is a matte cream shade for a subtle look.

Brand Spotlight- Lily Lolo-1015

The contour shade looks like a warm, chocolate brown, but came across really ashy on my pale skin. I think, for someone with a more tan complexion, this would be a winner of a product, but unfortunately, even though I liked the consistency of the pressed powders, the color was not flattering on my skin tone.

vegan, makeup, green beauty

The next item that I was very excited to get my hands on was their Eyebrow Duo ($15). I ordered it in the shade Medium. This one comes with a creamy wax and a matte brown powder. I have used this product much more, since it is a great on-the-go brow kit.

Brand Spotlight- Lily Lolo-1017

The problem that I had with this product was the same as with the contour color.  The brown just came across muddy and ashy on my skin tone. Between the Lily Lolo eyebrow kit and my trusty E.L.F eyebrow kit, I’d rather save a few dollars and go with the latter.

vegan, makeup, green beauty

The third item I ordered , was actually a mistake. I had planned on purchasing the mascara, but accidentally ordered the Natural Eye Pencil in Black.

vegan, makeup, green beauty

This was a pleasant surprise. It is a creamy formula in a true black wooden pencil and it comes with a sturdy plastic cap. It can create a thick or thin line with ease and is so much more convenient for traveling than my everyday powdered mineral eyeliner.

vegan, makeup, green beauty

The next two items are from their vegan brush line. I ordered their Blush Brush ($21), which is a super soft-angled brush. I honestly prefer brushes with shorter handles than the Lily Lolo brushes, but they have soft and easy to clean bristles.

vegan, makeup, green beauty

The other brush I picked up was the Angled Brow Spoolie ($11), which has a thick spoolie end and an angled brush tip on the other end. The spoolie is great, but the brow end is too thick for my taste and doesn’t stand up to the brush’s price point.

Brand Spotlight- Lily Lolo-1016

Brand Spotlight- Lily Lolo-1004

Overall, as a brand, I would rate it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. I love the branding, packaging and travel-ready nature of the line. The flaws for me were mainly the color selection and formulation being unflattering on my light skin tone.

Have you tried Lily Lolo? If so, what are your favorite products from the line that I’ve got to try?

xoxo,
Hepburn Hippie

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Snow Ball Cookies : Vegan and Gluten-Free

snow-ball-cookies

Holidays are just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, bringing a healthy (ish) treat to all the parties and family gatherings is a must!

vegan gluten-free chocolate snowball cookie

In my family, we have some gluten-free as well as vegan members, but the treats have to pass the “normal” eater’s taste-buds, and it can be a tricky task to satisfy all the different taste palettes.

vegan cookie

First off, let me put out a disclaimer: I am not a baker. I have made banana-muffins-explode-in-the-oven kind of not-a-baker. Cooking is a whole different beast (a beast I really enjoy!). I think it has to do with the left verses right brain thing.

vegan cookie

vegan cookie

Baking is more of a science and you can probably guess by now how good I was in biology.  This is what I finally decided on making for a Thanksgiving treat to bring to one of my (three , yes three) get-togethers.

Chocolate Snow Ball Cookies!

vegan snowball cookie

Now, since I am not a baker, I took inspiration from a Pinterest recipe  from crazyforcrust.com: “doubleChocolateSnowball”

I personally prefer the gluten free and vegan version that I created better than the original recipe ( I made both).

So let’s get started

Gluten free and vegan snowball cookies

Ingredients:

I ended up doubling the recipe and making a ton of cookies!

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used the Ghirardelli dark ones that don’t have milk) But here is a 100% vegan alternative Enjoy Life 🙂

1/4 cup cocoa powder ( I used dark cocoa…I like real chocolate!)

2 1/4 cups flour (2 cups oat flower and 1/4 cup tapioca)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs vanilla

1 cup vegan butter (I used the Smart Balance flax)

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Heat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

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Mix (slightly melted) butter and powdered sugar together and add vanilla.

gluten-free baking

I did this by hand but an electric mixer would make it go faster.

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vegan cookies

Add in your flours and the pinch of salt.

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vegan cookies

vegan baking

It will get really thick, quickly.

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vegan baking

Add in that cocoa powder.

vegan baking

gluten free

Stir in the chocolate chips, lightly.

gluten-free baking

vegan dessert

vegan chocolate

I took a spoon and made a rough glob of dough, rolled it into a ball shape and lined them on a parchment paper-covered baking tray.

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vegan desserts

Each tray held about 12 cookies.

vegan baking cookies

Now it’s time to bake! I accidentally baked my first batch a little long….they just didn’t look done, but they were. Bake about 8-10 minutes until the top is not so shiny.

gluten-free dessert

I would dive into one with a fork or toothpick just to make sure it is not goopey. A little underdone, more brownie texture is better than overcooking them.

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vegan baking

Once they are all baked, roll them in a bowl of powdered sugar to cover the cookie. I found that keeping them on the warm side while coating them in sugar helped the sugar stick.

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vegan chocolate cookie

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Now plate them up (don’t forget to save a few for yourself, girl, you earned it!) and get ready to party!

Vegan Cookie

Gluten Free Cookie

Gluten free and vegan snowball cookies

img_9566  Vegan Glutenfree Snow Cookie

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