I have a problem. It's to do with living here too.
I thought I'd treat myself to some perfume. I'm 50 this year (YAY!) and what's more, I appear to be living in the PARFUM capital of the world.
Malheureusement, I'm not much of a girlie though, and I'm so far from being a "fashionista", that I'm firmly rooted on the exact opposite side of that particular planet.
But, as we get older, I can't help noticing, on a daily basis, that we get smellier. Not in a good way.
I've also recently started a fitness plan to fight disability, which involves swimming twice a week, so when not smelling of old lady or biscuits, I smell of chlorine, however long I spend in the shower at the piscine.
So I plan to spend the next 50/40/30/20 or so years, making a concerted effort to cover up the granny scent with whatever nice pongs nature provides. As long as it stops me smelling of rich tea biscuits in the morning, I don't mind.
I find it a dilema here, because I do mind, big time, about animal tested cosmetics.
I don't even do cosmetics much : a bit of nail varnish on the old tootsies, lipstick & eyshadow once or twice a year for a wedding or some such event, body lotion, suncream, my best friend's handmade soap and lip-salve and shampoo and I'm done. With a list that small it's not hard to find cruelty free stuff and it's pretty much everywhere in Blighty. All the major supermarkets have several choices.
The only thing I know I use, that is probably tested or was many years ago when it was first lauched, is the same brand of eylash dye kit that I've used for 20 years. I justify this to myself because I have dry eye syndrome which results in a kind of pinky red conjuctivitus eye appearance, which turn into blotchy sore messes in all dry weather and dry indoor heating. So that's almost always. The sad, non-girly result of this is, that I can't do mascara and I really hate my puffy, blotchy, red eyes. So once every 2 months, I allow myself the guilty, girly "luxury" of poking myself in the eyes with a stick coated in black dye and hydrogen peroxide and I suffer a couple of hours of stinging redness followed by tiny dark eylashes and eybrows that don't look non-existent (blond) for the next 6 weeks. I suppose the irony of this is that at least I'm suffering sore eyes as much as the poor bunny that they probably tested it on 15 years ago.
At this point some of you might be thinking "hypocrite, she's banging on about cruelty free but giving herself a get out clause for her vanity, so what a holier-than-thou numbskull is she?" Mmmm. I suppose I assess my moral compass around a kind of 'means tested' level of culpability, where one small transgression is sanctioned by taking the whole view of the thing. Generally speaking I have a cruelty free attitude, as far as is reasonably possible. If someone brings out an eylash dye kit that isn't tested on animals, I'll absolutely buy one.
I tend to buy most of my miniscule bathroom shelf contents, from a selected few outlets in the UK, partly to save money, but mostly because I find it disgusting that it seems all French companies apparently have no interest in the subject at all and continue to feel the need to create new products, with total disregard for the fact that animal testing in cosmetics is both barbaric and obsolete.
I find it bad enough that it's still something you need to actively seek out in the UK, even. Why on earth hasn't animal testing on cosmetics and bathroom products been banned?Where is the EU regulation on this? I want one!
I tend to come home from visits home, with a good sized box full of co-op shampoo and conditioner, Sharon's "NANNYS SILLY SOAP" and her gorgeous peppermint lipsalve, CO-OP or Sainsburys toothpaste and several bottles of co-op mouthwash. I've even ordered online from Boots who also do a cruelty free range, and I once did one of those ex-pat "deliver to a town near you" services, where you but 150 quids worth of shopping and they bring it to France from Sainsburys who often pop the little bunny logo on their stuff,...a special treat during our first 3 years. They were our "good life" days, without running water and EDF electric.
Well, I thought, I'm not to be outdone. Where there”s a will there's a chemin. I set out, on the setee, this evening, with my trusty netbook and my fabulouse wifi, to search this fine French land for supplies of perfume, available in most large retailers, who declare cruelty free formulas. The exhaustive list is a s follows;
yves rocher, thierry mugler, nina ricci
Phaa! Rubbish. Is that the best they can do?
Any comments appreciated, French or British, PETA supporters, or even from those who are totally in favor of animal tested cosmetics.
I'll challenge you to a cross channel cross attitude cruelty duel and I guarantee, I'll come up smelling of roses (or something by the above companies) !!!