Friday 4 December 2015

You wouldn’t pull your hair out so why pull out a rabbit’s?

Those wonderful-looking fur garments look fabulous and cosy on the hanger but those fabulous-looking coats and scarves aren’t so fabulous. Most people don’t know how many rabbits died so you can have that fashion piece.

A whopping 90% of Angora fur which is used for clothing originates from China. Due to the lax Chinese law and regulations of animal cruelty, this prohibits the horrendous ordeal Angora rabbits have to go through at farms which rip out their fur while still being very much conscious. There are no penalties for this cruelty imposed on these bunnies being trapped in these condition with nowhere to hop until their heart’s content. 

In 2013, PetaAsia exposed these farms using undercover filming which revealed the hard to watch, genuine horror these rabbits, as young as 8 weeks old, are put through. Whilst being restrained by having both their front and back legs tied down, their fur is plucked straight from the skin in huge handfuls at a time while being fully conscious.

Sometimes scissors or trimming tools are used to cut off the fur but this doesn’t rule out their injuries and pain. As the rabbit struggles to escape, their movements will cause wounds from the tools. The farmer’s use the excuse that plucking produces better quality fur than cutting it but this doesn’t justify their actions.

Once bleeding, raw skin has been left behind, the rabbit is then put back in its cage. The cages are tiny – barely enough room to stretch their torn bodies never mind run around or interact with the other rabbits. The cold, unprotected metal causes irritation to their paws and skin. About 2 or 3 months later, the rabbit’s fur will grow back. When it’s grown back, the terrifying ordeal is repeated. Again and again until they are several years old. If the animal has managed to survive this torture without suffering from heart attacks due to shock, they will be murdered to sell their meat.

With more than 50 billion rabbits being held prisoner in these Chinese farms, this is 50 billion animals suffering. The endless torture doesn’t stop. Such large numbers of animals being affected by this endless torture is because the female angora rabbits have more fur than the males do. In other words, the males are likely to be killed at birth.

The fur is then transported to other countries where it is then used on garments such as coats, scarves, gloves, sweaters and accessories. Since the exposure of the cruelty behind the scenes of the animal farms in 2013, consumers became more aware of how fur, such as angora, is attained.

Some clothing companies came under fire for selling angora products. A particular instance was when Topshop were selling angora sweaters in December 2013 for a measly £36 when the price of a life is worth so much more. After customers complained, Topshop recalled the jumpers and apologised after coming under scrutiny because of the ill treatment of the rabbits.

AmyLiddell, fashion blogger and student, says “it's absolutely barbaric. In this day and age there are so many alternatives to using real fur and faux fur can look just as luxurious and feel just as great without hurting or killing any animals in the process”.

“It's absolutely needless to inflict such suffering on animals, especially when faux fur looks so much like the real thing”.

“I own so much faux fur from hats to coats to scarves. My favourite at the minute has got to be my new coat from Topshop. It's the fluffiest, cosiest coat I've ever owned and it just looks so chic, even when it's just paired with some jeans and a tee”.

The exposure of the rabbit farms brought to light by Topshop saw an end to many other popular clothing brands from stopping selling angora products such as H&M, Forever 21, ASOS, Zara, New Look and Calvin Klein are a handful of brands that have also stopped the selling of angora fur. The Kooples is the most recent brand to be pressured into re-thinking their fur products.

PETA director, Mimi Bekhechi, states on their recent press release that “it’s shameful for a brand that celebrates love to sell the fur that was ripped out of or peeled off sensitive animals’ bodies”.
“PETA is calling on The Kooples to have a heart and break up with cruel angora and products for good”.

The Kooples will be feeling the tension from the many other high street stores which have followed the wishes from PETA and customers to recall their angora products. Demonstrators took to Manchester streets outside The Kooples store on October 29th to protest their opinions against their support of animal cruelty.

There are many products which are faux fur but feel very real. A quick way to know the difference between faux and real is that products from reliable companies should have their real fur labelled on the item. A real angora sweater can cost an average of anything between £200 and £500 but a faux duplicate can be picked up on the high street for a fraction of the price.

Kendal Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora and Rihanna are only a handful of celebrities that have been spotted wearing real fur garments. It’s not only celebrity clothes that we take notice of as with the recent rise in popularity of fashion bloggers, there is more exposure and attention to the clothes we wear than ever before. Winter is slowly turning into full swing and we love to wrap up warm and cosy but this doesn’t mean it should come at the price of a life.

Angora is not always the first animal we think of when it comes to fur in fashion. Rabbits are suffering just as much as cows, foxes and minks all being slaughtered for the cost of leather, fur coats and jumpers. A life is a life just as much as yours.

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Friday 7 August 2015

Mini Shoe Haul

With summer in full swing and autumn coming up. I thought this would be a great opportunity to buy some new shoes!

I was in desperate need of some smart, casual flats that I can wear with any every day outfit. I'm loving the pointy flat trend and so what a perfect opportunity for some new shoes! I was expecting to be paying about £30+ for a good pair of flats but when browsing ASOS I found these beauties for just £18! 

I was a bit wary of being such shoes online because I have this issue where every single pair of shoes give me blisters so it was a surprise when the material turned out to be a lot softer than I imagined - they're so comfy!


The next pair of shoes are some cute peep toe ankle boots from Boohoo. Again, super comfy shoes and I'm secretly super proud of myself for picking such comfy shoes with such a bad track record! With a 4inch heel they can be worn during the day or dressed up for the evening. They have a nice gold zip detail on the outside of the boot for show and there's an actual zip on the inside for easy wear and removal! A pair of comfy boots for just £30 - you really can't go wrong!


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Thursday 23 July 2015

Ego Official Lace Up Heels

Following the lace up trend, which I'm loving at the moment, my next purchase was a pair of lace up heels to combo with my ASOS playsuit! 

I came across Ego Official which is a very similar online shoe store to Public Desire - similar shoes and similar prices. Their website is full of lace ups if you want a fab, affordable pair!

My Laila Black Lace Up Heel Sandals (£24.99) are a lovely, basic lace up heel which go great with so many outfits and it's a great divergence from plain old boring heels! 

This shoe comes in either Faux Leather or Faux Suede and in a variety of colours - white, nude, tan and even rose gold. When deciding between the leather or suede (I love both), I opted for the leather style because I find it difficult to keep suede shoes in good condition. I always end up scuffing them and once the material is ruined there's no going back! 

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Saturday 18 July 2015

ASOS Lace Up Playsuit





I'm totally lace-up loving these season - especially with this ASOS number. This playsuit is jersey-like material with an elasticated waist and flippy shorts for that flattering look.












The lace ups are suede-like material which is a great contrast to the material. The sleeves are bell shaped which gather again at the wrist still leaving a flare sleeve. 







Coming in a range of colours, it's a great summer steal at just £25! 

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Wednesday 8 July 2015

Review: MUA Highlighter

I feel like I could go on forever about this product but I'll try to keep it short and sweet!




This most-wanted highlighter comes at the bargain price of just £3 and is available in most Superdrug stores - it's shelf is almost always empty so keep your eyes peeled. 

I got the shade Iridescent Gold because the champagne undertone is the most flattering shade for pale skin. Even with a tan it still looks great - if not better! There is one more shade available, but this one has a pink undertone and I think that on pale skin it would just look like like a blush rather than a highlighter. 

I love this product so much and I use it most days because it gives such a lovely summery glow. It's definitely easy to go overboard with this - I know I'm guilty and I know other people are, too! Even if your face looks like there isn't much on there, turn your face so the light catches your skin and I guarantee there's plenty there! 

I simply apply the highlighter with a brush, The Real Techniques Setting Brush is good for this (you could even use a blush brush). I sweep it over the top of my cheekbones, up along my temple and if I'm not wearing eye shadow then I'll sweep it across my brow bone and lid. If I want to look extra dewy then I'll sweep some down the centre of my nose, my cupid's bow and a tiny bit on my chin. 

It really is the best product I have purchased for a long time! If you've never used a highlighter before then this is the perfect one to start off with. For a measly £3, you'd be crazy not to!


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Friday 3 July 2015

Boohoo OOTN


Last weekend, I wore this Boohoo dress from their new Petite range. I didn't particularly intend to buy from the petite range, but it definitely fit me a lot better being petite myself! I think it's great that more and more brands are introducing new specific ranges - whether that be plus size or petite. Anything that makes us feel better in our clothes is okay by us! 


I've never really gone for off-shoulder dresses before but I fancied something a little bit different this weekend so what better way to switch it up.


Boohoo does claim that it is in fact a "white" dress so when this dress arrived, the first thing I thought is "Oh heck this is not white". It's not - it's cream! I was a little disappointed seeing as I was after a white dress (gotta make the most of being tanned) and probably wouldn't have bought it if I knew it was cream but after being ready and putting the dress on there wasn't anything not to love! 




Also note, that the material has a slight croc/snake effect going on which worked perfectly with my black croc heels. I bought these heels a few months ago from a random shop in Preston as a last-minute lunch-break purchase before heading out that evening. It was really hard to photograph but you can slightly see it here. (Apologies for the bad photos - I'm moving house in 2 weeks hurray!) There are so many black croc effect heels around at the moment like these and these, also from Boohoo.

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Wednesday 1 July 2015

June Favourites

Here's everything that I have been loving this month - from fashion to Netflix!

So, I need to start with Pretty Little Liars. I've not been this obsessed with a TV show since Gossip Girl. I'm hooked - WHO IS A?! I don't even know...

If you have Netflix and you don't watch this show, you need to! Basically, it's about a group of girls who are being tormented through their high school years and they group together to find out who is ruining their lives. It's thrilling and addictive! Netflix is currently up to date with the airings in America. Go watch! 

Onto fashion - summer means sunglasses. I usually add a new pair to my collection every season and my most recent ones are these ASOS Cat eye glasses. I bought these new in stock a couple of weeks ago so they must be out of stock now as I can't find them! They're black and simple so they go with every outfit. I'm wanting to add a big, chunky pair next!







I have two beauty favourites this month which I have been loving so much. First up is this Tresemme "Perfectly Undone" Salt Spray. This basically gives your hair that "beachy" look which is dreamy in summer! This is the first salt spray I've used so I can't really give a good comparison to other similar products but this does work quite well! 


What you have to do is, spray into damp hair and basically rough your hair up, plait it, curl it, anything you like, and it will give your hair that "beachy" look. I've used half of this bottle in a couple of months with about 3 uses a week. I have a lot of hair so that's pretty good going! I bought it in Superdrug for about £3-something which is a bargain. If anyone knows of any similar, or better, salt sprays be sure to leave it in the comments!


My next June beauty fave definitely reflects these summer months. It is the much sought-after MUA Highlighter. Yes, it really is as good as everyone says! I got mine in the shade Iridescent Gold which suits paler skin, which is what I am naturally, but to be honest I think it looks even better on tanned skin! A full review will be coming soon. 





The next thing I have been loving this month is Essie Button's Youtube channels - both her vlogs and videos! She has really good product reviews and I've been enjoying her recent travel vlogs so much. Plus, she has the cutest and funniest dog. Go check her out if you haven't already.

The last thing on my June favourites list is Pinterest. I've only recently been getting really into it - how did I live my life before this?! Feel free to give me a follow and I'll be sure to give you a follow right back! Find me here @ ellaprobert




What have you been loving this June? 

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