Are you Mistik ?

I discovered, while shopping at Tau, a brand that I now love!

It is quite by chance that I found Mistik Source products.
Since I did not know the brand, I looked at the back of the beautiful green bottles in the hope of finding the information I always want to see, ie products that are not tested on animals.


I was more than satisfied:

You can see the trusted logo of Choose Cruelty Free.

(to see a bunny does not guarantee that there are no tests, that is why I want to see a logo of an independent organization such as CCF, PETA or Leaping Bunny)

We can also see that the product is vegan.
So in addition to not torturing animals in a laboratory, there is no animal ingredients.

So I bought two products:
Volumizing mist and a daily shampoo.

Once at home, I took a look at their website to realize that this company is Canadian.
It's always nice to encourage business from here!

Mistik source presents like this on their home page:

 

''The word mistik means tree in Cree. The Cree people have lived in Canada for tens of thousands years, notably in Northern Quebec.  

The word mistik symbolizes our company's philosophy on holistic and environmentally friendly personal care products.''

We can also see that the products are environmentally friendly because they are 100% biodegradable and there is nothing synthetic in their composition.

All that being said, let's get serious!

Volumizing mist

 The bottle cost me $ 12.99



Volumizing Mist

It has become one of my favorite products instantly!

I keep it with me day and night in my bag.

My hair is heavy.
Despite this, I get more volume when using this product.
I like the result.

It should not be forgotten that the product smells divinely good!
It is made with orchids.

I consider my money is well spent!







Daily shampoo

The bottle cost me 13.99$




Daily Shampoo

There is no other shampoo that smells as good as this one.
Smells kinda like candies.

Must be the blueberries.

However, this shampoo isn't foaming as much as other brands.
But foams enough to let you wash all your hair.

The result is beautiful soft hair, shiny and clean.
24 hours later, the hair is still beautiful.

It is not all shampoos that can brag about that.





I love the products Mistik Source, I will continue to buy them!

 

More than honey

As you know, is not produced by a plant or a tree

Nop, it is the honeybees that take care of that.

But did you ever asked yourself if you have cruelty free honey on your table ?

I know, you will tell me :


"What kind of question is that ?! Of course it is ! Bees can't suffer! Can they ?"

   
It seems they may...Recent studies show it's possible...

Honey production is now an industry.
There's no soul into industries.

Honey producers are so greedy for money, they're ready to do almost anything :

They use pesticides that cause illnesses and stress to the bees.

They cut off the queens wings and kill them every 2 years.
To make sure the hive won't go away.

Thousands of bees die because all of this.

If they were having a great life, they all would live up to 5 years old...

Do they have the same feelings than us ?
I don't think so, their lives are very different than ours.

But still, they have their own lives and "feelings".


Here is a link to recent studies on bees feelings


For me, it's maple syrup only!

You should not miss this documentary!

Bees are disappearing, it ain't a scoop.
That's what this documentary is all about.





references:

scientific info
honey industry 1
honey industry 2

And we have a winner!

So the Soulstice Spa Giveaway is over and we have a winner!

The winner had to be a member of this blog whether it was in english (small rabbit hops) or in french (lapin qui sautille)




The winner is.....

sweet_chikita_

Congrats!!

I sent an email to advise our lucky reader and he/she has 2 weeks to claim the prize!

If I don't hear anything in the next 2 weeks, I'll find another winner.

Valentine's day doesn't need to be commercial!

I asked you on my facebook page and on my Twitter account what the lovers day mean to you.

I was expecting  ''True Love'' or ''Chocolate''

But I was told it's a way too commercial day !!!

It doesn't need to be that way !


You can give love to those who misses it the most
Animals.

By clicking here, you'll have the chance to do so on PETA's website

You may give in the name of someone else if you wish to.

There's many choices :

5$    Straw! It will help a dog living outside
10$  A toy for a lonely backyard dog
20$  Save an animal's skin
35$  Save an animal in need
50$  Save a lab animal
??$   Choose!

So, what do you think about that ?
Different than what you're used to for Valentine's day ?

     

Yves Rocher, naturally cruel ?

Yves Rocher is one of the brands that benefits from misinformation on the web.

Some will tell you the brand does not use animal testing.
Some others will tell you they do.

But who should you believe ?

YVES ROCHER IS NOT A CRUELTY FREE BRAND.
AND I CAN PROVE IT!!

First, you should know there is in China a law that makes animal testing mandatory in order to sell cosmetics in their country.

Usually, it is the Chinese government itself that performs these horrors but it is paid with the money of the brand wanting to do business in that country.
Paying for these tests is complicity.

The only exception to this law is the sale of these products in the city of Hong Kong.

You can sell in HK without testing. But elsewhere in China, the tests are mandatory.

This is the law, no brand as powerful as it is can escape it.

You see where I'm going ?

Yep, Yves Rocher products are available in China, not only in Hong Kong.
Therefore the exception does not apply.

Proof of availability in China

On the Canadian website, they make no mention of the Asian countries where their products are available.

You can see in the bottom of the homepage the few countries they are willing to show.
This is where some people stop their research and I guess that's the goal.


However, it is easy to find the right information.

I just wrote in a search engine ''Yves Rocher in China'' and I easily found.


The information was found in a Yves Rocher website, so it's a reliable source.

I do not know about you, but for my part, I do not know anything about ​​Chinese geography.
I could not tell you where HK is on a map.

So I decided to find a map of China where the city is well shown.

If you look at the map provided by YR, it is clear that they are not only available in HK.

Hong Kong is surrounded by the red oval in the bottom of the map.
I put red x to show where YR stores are installed, far from HK.

I also found their Chinese website. :

Are Yves Rocher employees aware ?

I can not confirm that this is the same for all employees, but I know there are some who are aware.
Here's what a friend of mine wrote on my facebook  page (in french) :

She says she used to work for them and that they bragged about not testing their final products on animals but it's a  setup.
She confirms there are ingredients that are tested.

Also that ''everything is conceived with respect by the creator in a beautiful place surrounded by glass walls with nature all around'' and then says ''yeah right''
lolll

What can you do ?

It's simple, boycott them.
There are so many great options available out there that do not cause unnecessary suffering.

Share how you feel!
You have the right to tell them what you think.

Make it clear that your dollar is your vote!

More information

Mokajo wrote about Yves Rocher, click here to see !  (in french)
She wrote to the company and publishes the received response.

It's worth to check out.

Animals & Intelligence

I believe animals are not beings guided solely by their instincts.

Yes, every living being has an instinct.

This is what makes us breathe.
Nobody taught you how to breathe... You knew it right from the start.

Instincts are essential to our survival.

However, there's more than that.
We think and learn from our experiences.

Human beings often think they are the only animals provided with that ability.

But studies show the opposite.



Here are 2 interesting videos under 50 seconds each :













Now, don't tell me animals don't learn or think!!

It is a medieval concept to think that animals are as sensitive and aware as plants...
They wouldn't survive if they were not aware of their environment...

But no matter whether an animal is intelligent or not, it does feel pain and emotions!

Do you think it is acceptable to do horrible animal testing ?


If you don't see any problem, I guess the same tests on the village idiot should not awaken in you a sense of injustice...

Liebster Award - Cruelty Free edition

Robyn, from Diary of a Disney Diva's blog nominated me for a Liebster Award.   Thank you!!

If you click on the link, you'll see she makes beautiful manicures and uses (as much as she can ) cruelty free products.

Liebster what ?

It's like a chain of letters, with a difference : we share blogs that we love!

But it doesn't mean there's no rules !

Here they are :


1- Once nominated, you have to publish about it on your blog & of course, thank the person who nammed you by linking to his or her blog.

2- In your post, you have to tell us 11 facts about you.

3- You'll also have to answer the 11 questions the person who nammed you left on his or her blog.

4- Choose 11 other bloggers with under 200 followers to nominate (not the person who nominated you), link to their blog and make sure you let them know they are nominated.

5- Choose 11 questions you want to be answered

6- The new nominees have to do the same, so the chain goes on!


Let's begin!

11 facts about me

Everyday, I think about Io
(2000-01-24  -  2011-09-28)

If I had only 1 wish , I would like to have her back into my life. Even if it meant I would have to take care of a diabetic dog once again.

I'm a personal line damage insurance agent

 

And I need a license to work. Every year, AMF renews it curiously...
It's obvious they don't know me!

When you work in the insurance field, you get to hear many weird things...

''Is my house covered by my policy if the wind gets in the house and blows up the roof ?''
Euhhh...

'' Is my house covered if I destroy it in order to build a new one ? ''  What about no ? loll

My parents came from Azores to Canada in the 70's

 

I suppose they were like '' yeah! it will be lots of fun when it will be minus 30!!''
I don't think it's funny... Really...I don't... loll

 

I have a broken finger, did you notice ?

 

But I got lots of karma points in exchange, so I don't really mind.

Guess which one it is !

I'm vegetarian, becoming vegan & here's what I prefer to eat :

sprouts
mushrooms
couscous
chocolate & caroub!!
quinoa
seitan
etc etc etc

I sneeze like a cat, 8 times in a row and gracefully! People ask if I sneeze of cough!

I believe in Karma

 

that's what forbids me from doing a lot of stupid stuff !

I'm an animal trapped in a human body !

And I have more compassion for them than for people in general.

I live at Smarty's place. She's my 10 years old german shepperd.

I'm kinda lucky she lets me sleep in the bed!

As a child, I used to marry my barbies to my brother's GI Joes...

I had no Ken & I couldn't let them single!
I wonder if my brother knows ?!

I dream about Galapagos Islands

 

As long as I don't get bitten by a Komodo Dragon!
Seriously, I'd love to be an amateur Darwin :)

My answers to Robyn's 11 questions 

What is your favourite city?

Since I don't really travel, I'm not an expert
But I can say my hometown Montreal is really nice! There's potholes everywhere!




What is your favourite manicure that someone else has done?

A manicure I really like is this one by Robyn :
Jolly Roger Nails  great for halloween.
Click on the link to see :-)



What is your favourite manicure that you have done?

I'm far from being a pro when it comes to doing my own manicures.
Curioulsy, my right hand is never as well done as the left one! loll
But I'm getting better at it, and now I can do pretty french manicures. : )
I love that look, it's classy and ready for any kind of activity!




What is your favourite film?

Persepolis
This film is based on Marjane's true story.
Raised in Iran, sent to Europe when the war was going on.
She has to face the cultural differences.
Something you should see if you didn't already !

What is your favourite holiday?

I'd say Christmas, since there's always few work days off!
Serioulsy, I also enjoy Easter, but it's only one day off...




What is your favourite book?

Les fourmis - Bernard Werber
Can't tell what was going through this writer's mind!!




What is your favourite Disney character?

Pan Pan, that's his name in french : )
Also, he's a small rabbit that hops!! mouhahahaha






What would your last meal be?

I guess it would be grilled vegetables ! I love that!




What is your favourite Christmas song?

Fa la la - Bundock
Verry 80's!







What is your favourite Disney film?

Fantasia or Petit Âne




What is your favourite nail polish brand?

I'm torn between Spa Ritual & Soulstice Spa :)
Both vegan , cruelty free and excellent products!

These 11 bloggers are nominated !

I decided this Liebster Award would be a Cruelty Free one!
As required by the rules, they have less than 200 members on their blog.
Some of them don't even have a member section (so it's legal!! mouahahahahah)
I suggest you to take a look at their blogs.



Buying Cruelty Free
Dizzy Nicky's Makeup Amusement Park
La végé du quartier ouvrier (in french)
Le monde de Jess - Be nice with the bunnies (in french)
Lilac Lotus
Makeup Matters
Mo'adore
Mokajo (in french)
Nouveau Vegan (in french)
Végétalienne Intégrale (in french)
We don't eat anything with a face

And the 11 questions they have to answer !

1- I'm sure there is a question you wish I'd ask you. What is it & what's the answer to it ?

2- What is your favorite Cruelty Free product ?

3- For what reason did you start writing your blog ?

4- Who's your celebrity crush ?

5- What is your favorite tv show and why ?

6- What are your life projects ?

7- What would be your travel dream  ? ( no budget limit!)

8- If you could meet with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be ? And of course, why!

9- When you were a kid, what was the job you wanted to have as a grown up ?

10- If you could travel time, what would you do ?

11- If you were in charge of the planet & had all the powers (let's say you're a dictator), how would you rule the world & what would be your laws ? Don't forget that with great power comes great responsability!




I can't wait to see the answers of the nominees !!! :-)