Veganuary 2026 Survival Guide For Beginners

Remember in 2019, where Greggs released its vegan sausage roll? The queue snaking out of Greggs into Stratford shopping centre. I’d hear the whispered conversations. Of people that weren’t vegan or vegetarian. Wondering whether it would have the same taste. Flaky, buttery, melt in your mouth. I got to the counter, the last vegan sausage roll left. Handed over a £1 coin, wrapping my hands around warm pastry. Bit into Quorn vegan sausage that altered my brain chemistry. The surpised reactions. Some who said it tasted better ‘than the real thing’. I was vegetarian back then, but I brought into the hype too. The launch of Plant Kitchen, with 60 different products. Rushing to buy the Jackfruit pizza and dirty fries. The cauliflower popcorn dunked into buffalo sauce. Neat Burger, revolutionairy at the time. I’d order the cripsy Chick’n burger, and squirt vegan mayo. Pressed between lettuce and tomato. Sinking my red lipstick mouth into its greasy folds. Cram golden brown vegan nuggets, eyes rolled back in ecstacy. There were drinks too that made me stop drinking dairy. Minor Figures and their creamy oat milk range. I tasted it at a food festival and fell in love, still using their ‘milks’ to this day. Folded into decaf latte, sprinkled cinnamon on top. But it wasn’t just food and drink. From vegan health and beauty, to fashion, travel, and home, the number of vegans quadrupled between 2014 and 2019. The Body Shop began introducing vegan offerings. Stating that there was an increase in sales by 7%  across vegan products that year. I remember the Himalyan Charcoal Purifying wash fondly. How it drew out the impurities in my then oily skin. Blackheads reduced, skin clearer. I saw one of the biggest differences in fashion. New Look becoming the first high-street retailer to launch a Vegan Society registered range. London Fashion Week banning animal fur in 2018. The first of the big four global fashion weeks to implement changes. But now in Veganuary 2026? The market has changed drastically. Supermarkets scaling back their offerings, vegan restaurants closing down. Beauty brands that were once cruelty-free now testing on animals. Fashion brands introducing animal materials into their products.

It’s my first January as vegan, and i’m disappointed. Gregg’s legendary vegan sausage roll being labelled as a ‘pork free roll’ to stop confusion. The European Parliment voting to restrict ‘meat related terms’ in favour of new labels like ‘meat discs’ and tubes. Seemingly ignoring that meat eaters eat ‘Hot Dogs’, and somehow don’t have confusion over that. It’s horrifying, and enough to turn my stomach. That there’s been huge propoganda against the vegan movement. Labelling us as ‘unhealthy, junk food addicts’ who eat processed food all day everyday. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m the person who is on a wholefood diet. Who would rather a chickpea burger than a vegan Beyond Meat burger. I prefer the latter. I like vegan junk food, but I also eat healthy too. There’s a balance. This year, i’ve noticed the vegan movement has been quiet. Across fashion, beauty, travel and entertainment, but especially food and drink. The vegan offerings more vegetable focused. Insipid, lacklustre choices that were not creative. Plant Kitchen, reducing their range. No longer in their own dedicated section. Hidden between oozing packages of meat and cheese. As though it was a dirty secret that couldn’t be found. In 2025 some of my favourite restaurants closed. Unity Diner, struggling to pay rent and mounting costs. Later reopened in May 2025 after a crowdfunder helped them break even. What The Pitta closing all its locations in September. Neat Burger closing locations worldwide. Wagamamas removing almost all of their vegan offerings. Eleven Madison Park in New York City introducing meat and seafood in mid October 2025. After being the world’s first three-Michelin-starred resturant to go fully vegan in 2021. Another example of a once vegan business choosing profits over ethics.

The vegan fashion and beauty scene was no less traumatic. In Veganuary 2026, The Body Shop was no longer vegan. Reversing its 2024 commitment to a fully vegan portfolio. Reintroducing non-vegan ingredients like honey and beeswax. It didn’t make sense to me backtracking your vegan pledge for two measly products. MAC, who used to be a prominient cruelty-free brand until 2012, selling in mainland China. NARS, stating in June 2017 that they ‘wouldn’t test on animals, unless stated by law. A 2023 investigation by Collective Fashion Justice and World Animal Protection found brands including ‘Boohoo, Asos, and Selfridges’ had incorrectly labelled products. With items such as faux fur or feathers actually being real animal products. As someone who has been cruelty-free since 2017, the thought of wearing animal materials makes me sick. Matt & Natt another notable example. Who used their image as an ‘animal friendly brand’ to greenwash, using un-sustainable materials like PVC. Previous workers also noted that they prioritized proft over sustainability, often at the expense of the workers, who were treated poorly. So, how do we know what is vegan? What is ethical? When there’s confusion over labelling vegan meat substitutes. When supermarkets are reducing their vegan range. When prices are rising, and propaganda against the vegan movement is growing?

That’s why I created this Veganuary 2026 survival guide. Showing how there are vegan friendly food and drink,  feel good beauty, home, and even pet brands commited to championing veganism. Each brand i’ve selected dosen’t see veganism as an afterthought. Not Subway and its ‘Falafel sub, drenched in mango chutney’. Claiming that vegan food is on the decrease when they put little effort into their veganuary offerings. Not Body Shop, and losing their vegan status. Not all of these brands are vegan, but they show enough effort to be included. East West Pizza, chowing down on their Vegan CTM. A fusion between Italian-Indian cuisine that had me hoping their Veganuary specials would be an ‘all year round’ menu. Jackfruit arancini with addictive vegan parmesan. Nimpubani, infused with lychee. Squeaky Bean who launched in 2019, continously adding new products to their range. Sweet chilli style salmon flakes thrown onto buckwheat soba noodles. I’d stir in sauteed tofu, and shredded cabbage. A splash of soy sauce. Wash it down with Nirvana Brewery’s Cloudy Lemon lager. A taste of sunshine on my lips. It tasted like the sherbet I loved all those years ago at the tuckshop. When things seemed so much simpler. I’d come home from work and prep my skin. AK Pure Skin’s Deep Hydration Gel Mask infused with Hyaluronic Acid. Pulling moisture into hollows I didn’t know I had. As though it had been taken from Icelandic Fjords, cool on my skin. I’d detangle my wild mane with Hairstory Hair Balm, working the cream into calloused fingers. Defining curls I didn’t know I had. The scent of Optima Natura’s Four Thieves fragrance oil poured into my diffuser. Lemon and rosemary clearing my blocked sinuses and nose. There was something for everyone. Vegan or not. To suit all budgets, luxury, budget and in between. The most in-depth veganaury 2026 guide you’ll find. Question is, what will you try first?

Vegan Food & Drink 

Vegan Friendly Restuarants & Cafes 

Ceru Farringdon 

For years I was a prisoner of my own mind. It threw away the key. Left me pacing its hollow hallways, walls breathing in my name. I’d see shadows crawl along the ceiling, their fingers tracing scars I couldn’t see. An iron grip choked my throat, I heard the voices. Crawling from the cracks of all the doors I never opened. Reminding me that I lived in fear. That I avoided because I was scared what would happen next. The unknown had me wrapped around its finger. For I was the prisoner. The jailer. The rust in the lock. Where time dripped like blood. The air tasted like ash. My skin prickled with heat. I block that all out. Put one step in front of the other. I can do this, i’ll be rewarded with something good. At minus one, London bares it teeth. Shaking off my thoughts, I embrace the moment. Burgundy boots on cobbled pavements like thin glass. I run, burgundy gingham skirts swishing. Into Ceru, Farringdon, shrugging off the frost. Blue-tinged hands, we fall into a green booth. Low lights, plants breathing softly at my shoulders. In search of healthy Levantine dishes that would warm our souls. The staff smiley-cheeked, calming, I breathe in a sigh of relief. My veganuary 2026 would be mindful. The Pitta bread arrives first. Dipped into silky-smooth houmous that taints our lips. Hamara, I fall in love. Bruised like the trauma that crawls across my skin. We feast on salads as we thaw. Artichoke with peas and baby onion. Drenched in lemon. Apple and mint, scattered with pomegranate. I expected something more. But the main claws it back. Warm cauliflower littered with walnuts. Healthy comfort food that brings joy. There’s Tenderstem broccoli caressed by nutty tahini. Sends shivers down my spine. But the Bahrat Squash, is bitter. I wash it down with Turkish Apple Tea. My spirits soar, reclaimed by Ceru once more. Sweet heat reddening blotchy cheeks. We sip Pomegranate and Ginger Lemonade. Sugar, spice and all things nice. Finish with a lemon sorbet, that tingles on my tongue. I want a more creative dessert. Desperate for a vegan bakava cheesecake. As I watch the grey skies fade into blue hour.

Looking for healthy vegan plates this Veganuary 2026? Ceru is the healthy start you need.

What We Ordered:

Houmous

Hamara (with Pitta Bread)

Artichoke, Green Peas & Baby Onion

Apple, Mint & Pomegranate

Spiced Warm Cauliflower & Walnut

Pan-Fried Tenderstem Broccoli

Bahrat Spiced Squash

Turkish Apple Tea

Pomegranate & Ginger Lemonade

Lemon Sorbet

Soul Bowl Indian Afternoon Tea 

There was a time when I starved in the shadows of my own hands. Worked my bones to splinters, in debt, I felt like I couldn’t eat. Surviving on one meal a day. At times scared to cook, living with volatile housemates. Scared of what they would do next. So I swallowed ambition like poison. Working hours that weren’t legal. Some paid. Some unpaid. Desperate to have something to focus on. To not work to live. But to live truly. I fell out of love with food at this time. Wondered why my body betrayed me. Hospital visits and blood tests. Food felt like leather down my throat that I couldn’t swallow. I’d rush, barely giving myself time to breathe. Work for 12 hours straight without a break, I was killing myself. A combination of perfectionism, money troubles, and trauma. But then? I found healing. Cooking nourishing meals that were cheap and cheerful. Building up my income. Taking time for myself, and not feeling guilty. Eating out at restaurants and taking my time. No rush, I don’t deal well with pressure. So Soul Bowl’s Indian Afternoon Tea felt like therapy. Calm, quiet. No loud noises startling me. Triggering trauma. It was peaceful. Vegan sweet and savoury treats that tasted like comfort. Comfy booths, green foilage above my head. I ate with abandon. Poured peppermint tea into ornate cups. Breathe in, breathe out. Grabbed a strawberry and cream croissant that smudged my lips. It tasted like forgiveness. A vegan beef wrap with a creamy cheesy sauce. Pressing dopamine into my ribcage. Pani Puri explodes, bursting with rain of tamarind and chilli. I carve out its hollow shell. Break it down in my whimpering mouth. The sandwiches could be improved. Garden Harvest, needs more flavour. The Chickpea good, spices flirting with senses. But it’s missing some punch. The sweets is where they excel. Pain Au Chocolat, rich and indulgent. Flaky, it sinks into my throat with ease. The vegan carrot cake another stand out. My first vegan one, it brings back memories. Of Aunty who bakes. Apple pancakes, and banana bread. Apple crumble and carrot cake. There’s ice cream too unlike anything you’ve seen before. Creamy like clotted cream. Dusted with cinnamon. At Soul Bowl, trauma was left in the past. I felt happy. Reminding myself that Veganuary 2026 didn’t have to be stressful.

This veganuary 2026 head to Soul Bowl, in Leyton for vegan Indian afternoon tea.

What’s Included

Your Choice Of Tea

Middle Tier 

Beef Wrap

Indian Street Chaat Trio  ( Pani Puri, Bhel Puri)

Lower Tier 

Garden Harvest Sandwiches

Chickpea & Veg Sandwiches

Top Tier 

Pain Au Chocolat

Strawberry Croissant

Indian Ice Cream

Extras 

Vegan Carrot Cake

Barbs At Queen Of Hoxton 

I rub my hands outside Queen of Hoxton.The wind is harsh. Dragging its knuckles against my reddened cheeks. Counting my ribs, learning where everything will break. It lifts the hair from my neck as though it is naming me. I shudder, protecting myself with good energy. Vivid images of vegan Bajan small plates hugging me with warmth. Orange boots come up the stairs clumsily. A teddy bear coat burrowed into a whimisical printed trouser set. Trying vegan food inspired by Barbados for the very first time. Barbs, friendly, welcoming. A taste of sunshine battling winter winds. Kind staff, generous owner. The relaxed stupour that veganuary 2026 calls for. The night is thick as mollasses. But here? We are enveloped in 70’s sepia tones. Pumpkin fritters, fried bronzed. Crispy, it melts in my mouth. A touch of sweetness balanced by vegan fancy sauce. I think of all the hands that made them. The rich culture and heritage in every bite. Food inspired by the owner’s grandparents. I smile impishly at the thought. Greedy fingers grapple roti chips. Dunk them into Bajan Guacamole infused with pickled cucumber. My eyes widen almost cartoonishly. The best guacamole I had ever tasted, it haunted my lips. My partner leaned towards the Potato And Chickpea Roti. Grabbed the wrap in two hands and bit into its soft folds. Small bits of chickpea and potato littering his ginger beard. He passes it to me, as though it was a peace-offering. Half-eaten, it feels like survival. I’m surprised the most by the Corn On the Cob. Generously coated in vegan butter. I sink my teeth in ecstacy. Red smeared lipstick staining yellow corn. Charred, I dunk it into hot sauce. The flames licking my tongue with flirtacious abandon. Non-alcoholic rum punch changed my brain chemistry. Captain Morgan’s spiced 0% rum serenading guava juice. Pineapple juice dancing with gomme syrup. I was transported somewhere brighter.  White sand beaches, teal blue waters. Molten sun, and rum dark rivers. Where my mind didn’t wander and twist into something dark. Demons clawing at my skin, imprints on my chest. Breath wheezing, hands clenched. Tears threatening to spill. I’d come back here and feel the same. That impossible happiness that envelops you in joy.

It was my first time trying vegan Bajan cuisine and I loved it. A great place to visit for Veganuary 2026.

What We Ordered: 

Pumpkin Fritters

Soused Guac

Potato & Chickpea Roti Wrap

Corn On The Cob

Fancy Sauce, Hot Sauce & Barbs Ketchup

Non Alcoholic Rum Punch

East West London 

I remember when Veganuary used to mean something. 2019, when Veganism exploded. Long before I became vegan. Vegan tuna in green boxes. Vegan chicken marinated in garlic. Vegan chocolate wrapped in a purple bow. I feasted like I was a Queen. More meat substitutes than I could count. A plant based expo serving vegan steak, and burgers, it felt revolutionairy. Even last year, there was beauty. A vegan chimichurri steak at Tortilla, vegan ham that tasted like rebellion. Vegan Indian curry kits, chicken Kyviv’s and a surge of vegan cheeses. But now, they turn their back on us. Subway, offering half-hearted falafel, drenched in mango chutney. Wagamama’s cutting down their vegan options. Lidl’s plant range reduced, Marks & Spencers putting their vegan range with the meat. I like healthy options just as much as the next person. As long as they are creative, delicious and make me feel good. It’s why I created this veganuary 2026 survival guide. To find restaurants that didn’t neglect vegans. And then, I discovered East-West. Italian-Indian fusion, whose veganuary specials were exactly what Londoners needed. Cozy vegan comfort food that balanced bold flavours with traditional recipes. I shrugged off my pink, green and yellow puffa jacket. A blast of neon pink against brown minimalist interiors. The food? A love letter to Naples and India. The Vegan CTM, a stand out. Vegan tandoori chicken, bold and spiced. Slathered in vegan cheese, that reminds me that carbs are joyful. The jackfruit Arancini, a fusion of two worlds. Vegan parmesan cradling a crispy brown parcel. Bathed in rich tangy tomato. I tear it open, dig my fork into jackfruit, and fall in love. Take a sip of Nimbupani. Tart lime biting at weather torn lips. The Vegan Keema Pow is wholesome. Vegan meat slathered in masala sauce. Green chillies bathed in a mint and coriander sauce. Downside? Red onions, I pick them out. I marvel at the choices. Chilli corn chaat tosseed with fresh chilli. Tamarind chutney tangy sweet. Chana Masala, slow-cooked. I tear coriander foccaccia at home, dunk it into dark brown sauce. Slurp lychee & ginger limeade as though my life depends on it. They have a vegan mango creme brulee that i’m dying to try. But there’s none available. I’m saddened at the thought.

I love fusion plates, so this Veganuary 2026, eating at East West London was a revelation.

What We Ordered:

Vegan CTM

Vegan Keema POW

Chilli Corn Chaat

Jackfruit Arancini

Chana Masala

Drinks

Nimbupani

Lychee & Ginger Limeade

Cafe De Nata

My family comes from Madeira, rugged cliffs that jut over basalt beaches. A ground that remembers fire, footsteps in black sand. Teal blue waters that stretch across the island. A surfers haven, I watched them muddle treachorous waters. Levadas that take you into haunting forests. Mist clouding my view. I climb higher, to Pico Ruivo. Watch the sun leak orange and fade into purple night. I’d plunge into Porto Moniz’s natural swimming pools. The skies turning gray, the ocean roaring in. Shop at the Mercados in Funchal. Buy sugarcane and guava by the plenty. Perhaps it is the food that I remember most. Bacalhau soaked in olive oil and garlic. Espada dragged from dark waters. I’d spread garlic butter on Bolo De Caco and drink Laranjada. Eat Tremocos marinated in parsley. Bolo De Mel made with local honey. A glass of Madeira wine, where they pressed the grapes with their feet. Pastel de Nata made by local grandmas, offering their wares with impish grins. But then, I was vegetarian. Later vegan. My culture meat and fish orientated, I felt left out. But veganuary 2026 feels like a window. News of Plantuguese arriving in Bristol. The first vegan restaurant in the UK. Cafe De Nata expanding their range of VegaNata’s. In Queensway, Cafe De Nata awaits. I feel embraced by my culture immediately. Pastel De Natas blistered with a blowtorch. Creamy, indulgent, I imagine my teeth sinking into them.  I hesitate, trying the original flavour first. Flaky and buttery, custard bursting on my tongue. I almost cried at the nostalgia. But it is the veganuary special of apple and cinnamon that wins my heart. A flavour I gravitate towards, oh so addictive. There’s blueberry, tart and sweet. Strawberry bright and cheerful. Raspberry, it’s tart but sweet. My second favourite, the taste still lingers. The last time I had a custard tart, I was vegetarian. This time, as a vegan, dare I say it was even better. Washed down with a vegan oat latte, that I took to go. Veganism didn’t have to be hard. 2026 was all about supporting and celebrating brands where vegans weren’t an afterthought.

It was my first time trying pastel de natas since I went vegan and it was amazing to celebrate my heritage. A lovely veganuary 2026 treat.

What We Ordered: 

VegaNata (Original)

Blueberry VegaNata

Strawberry VegaNata

Raspberry VegaNata

Oat Decaf Latte

Brigits Bakery Afternoon Tea 

I have a best friend that is obsessed with afternoon teas. We’d go once a month, pre-covid. Toasting champagne and nibbling on egg cress sandwiches. Pour peppermint tea into mini china cups. Cheese and tomato, a hint of relish. Soft buttery scones laced with sultanas. Pop open the jam, spread the clotted cream. There would be broccoli and stilton quiches. Pain au chocolat that quenched our sweet tooth. There were sad ones too. Where we’d review hotels who saw vegetarian food as plain. Scones that were stale and dry. Cucumber sandwiches, and carrot sticks as though we were 5. As a vegan it was even worse. Turned away from places that said they ‘couldn’t cater to me’, it left a sour taste in my mouth. My friend moved from London, spent 5 years in New York, and my passion for afternoon teas dried up. Weirdly though, as vegan, i’m falling in love with them all over again. Brigits Bakery, no exception. A blast from the past, remembering the afternoon tea bus tours fondly. I tug at my pink croissant jumper. Hoisting up my gingham pink skirts. Step into their Covent Garden bakery, and slip into a pink chair. The afternoon tea stand comes out and I am gobsmacked. Vegan pastrami lavished in mustardy vegan mayo. A mini pepper and vegan quiche topped with cherry tomatoes. Raspberry and cream cheese tart, that is oh so petite. These are my stand outs. The vegan pastrami tangy and salty. The quiche cheesy and rich. The cheese tart reminding me of desserts I loved as a vegetairan. There are vegan Philadelphia and cucumber sandwiches that need a burst of citrus. A chocolate macaroon that is too rich for my personal taste. But I love the vegan ham and cheese sandwich on sundried tomato bread. The right amount of acidity. I take a carrot cake slice, and eat it in one go. Break a spoon through a coconut panna cotta verrine that wobbles. There’s another sandwich, hummus and roasted red pepper. I wish it was more inventive. But the scones are something else. Fresh vegan cream and jam, I melt into its touch. We wash it down with herbal tea. Lemon and ginger, and berry and elderflower. Where opposites attract. A place where veganuary 2026 would continue all year round.

What We Ordered: 

Vegan Afternoon Tea including

Almond Philidelphia Cucumber Sandwiches

Plant-Based Ham & Vegan Cheese Sandwiches

Hummus & Roasted Red Pepper Finger

Vegan Pastrami With Mustardy Vegan May

Mini Vegan Quiche With Diced Peppers

Sweet Treats

Coconut panna cotta verrine
Carrot cake slice
Raspberry & cream cheese tart
Chocolate macaron
Freshly baked scone with vegan cream & jam

Lemon & Ginger Tea

Berry & Elderflower Tea

Harmonize Vegan Cafe 

To me, giving back happens all year round. Not just at Christmas, when you think to stop by the foodbank. Not just in Veganuary when you support small businesses. Winter, spring, summer and autumn. A chance to help others who need it the most. To put yourself in their shoes, and remind yourself that kindness costs nothing. Humans, animals or the planet, we should do good. And so, I live mindfully with intention. Donating to a chosen charity every month, when I can afford to. Sharing posts for rescue animals. Buying from vegan supermarkets that raise funds for animal sanctuaries. Donating meals to the homeless, and putting food in the food banks. Sometimes, the kindness is closer to home. Telling a stranger I love their outfit. Giving gifts I know family will love. A kind message to loved ones, reminding them that their special. Harmonize Cafe in Stoke Newington was no exception. A musical and social enterprise cafe with a sliding scale price list. That would give free meals to those in need. Whose food and drink started from £1-8, depending on what you could pay. Senegalese vegan food, that was nourishing, warm and hearty. On every other Thursday and Saturday, they’d have live music. I pictured myself there. Listening to Neo-soul and jazz. Crooning dulcet tones, as I sipped non-alcoholic red wine. But in the present, i’m surrounded by books. I thumb through them curiously, a contrast to the vivid blue decor. I’m headfirst in a book when the chickpea curry arrives. Slightly spiced, soft potato dancing with butternut squash. Fluffy yellow rice swallowed up by sweet potato. I drink Halva tea, sweetened carrot, it’s oddly comforting. Learning about the creation of World Harmony Orchestra, raising funds for charitable causes. Offering music lessons, band, and choir on select days. The first session free. Sessions for children too. We tuck into vegan brownies, more of my partner’s thing than me. But he’s transfixed at its sweetness. The red pea soup though? It reminds me of something similar to what my Aunty would cook. A hug in a bowl, tearing Lahmacun, and dunking it into stew. We leave full-bellied and smiling. Happy at the thought of supporting a small business that cares about others as much as we do.

The Incurrydible ( Chickpea, potato lentil, sweet potato and butternut squash curry) with rice, salad and naan.

Red Pea Soup & Lahmacun

Macelino’s Brownies

Halva Drink

Noughty Non Alcoholic Red

Vegan Snacks

Salty Dog

I remember endless summers in West Wittering. Where chalk-wite sand gleamed under a bruised sky. Watching the sea breathe in and out. Counting shells between the sand dunes. We’d shuck up in my foster mum’s caravan. Where the walls were thin. Running barefoot through the grass to Nunnington Farm. In awe of the chickens that’d lay their eggs. The donkey that would bray. The pigs that would squeal. We’d stroll down to the beach, buying 99’s, ice cream dripping on our wrists. Biting into Freddos from the beach huts. Ripping open bags of crisps, sea salt and vinegar. It was sharp enough to make my eyes water, but I loved them anyway. The seagulls would circle diving for chips drenched in vinegar. Screaming as though the beach belonged to them alone. I shudder into the present, rip open a bag of Salty Dog’s vegan range, and immediately transport back. Sea salt tastes like wind and wet skin. Splashing in whirlpools brandishing buckets and spades. Salt and malt vinegar like rusted railings, burning lips. Chunky chips, i’d munch on hungrily after a swim. Fiery Jalapeno & Paprika, the opposite of memories back then. We had plain meals at my foster mum. Roast Dinners and microwave chicken curries. This tasted like rebellion. Prawn Cocktails, like what we had at Christmas. I never liked it. Gagged at the sauce. Bu this? Tasted like a glow up. Tangy, salty, flavour that lasted long after eaten. Ham and Mustard, those were sandwiches I had growing up. Almost on the nose, that taste of horseradish. Strong, powerful,  like growing up too fast. Sweet Chilli reminded me of the odd Chinese takeaway we’d had. Spring rolls dipped in sweet chilli sauce. Beef in black bean sauce. Soy chow mein. It was the salt and vinegar that I gravitated towards the most. Flavours that lingered unapologetically.  Like summers that never asked permisision to stay. Was it any wonder that it was part of my Veganuary 2026 survival list? When it brought back memories I thought i’d forgotten?

What We Tried 

Sea Salt

Salt & Malt Vinegar

Fiery Jalapeno & Paprika

Prawn Cocktail

Ham & Mustard

Sweet Chilli

Prices: £16.44 for 24 bags

Popcorn Kitchen Crunch Corn

I’ve always loved supporting female built brands. Why? Because women deserve to be empowered. To be celebrated. To be given that safe space to innovate and create. To be authentically themselves without judgement. There are so many incredible brands out there. For fashion, i’ve always loved rainbow, whimsical out there maximalism. Olivia Rubin whose rainbow sequin skirts and colourful coats will forever be a staple. Celia B, combining beautiful Spanish heritage with bold prints. Little Party Dress a lesson in joy and whimsy. Food was no exception. Kinda Co, whose vegan cheeses started as a one woman operation. Their chilli flavour? Unbelievable. Merkamo Ethopian, a female run restaurant. Celebrating the joy of organic and wholesome vegan cuisine. Popcorn Kitchen, who my foster mum discovered at a Surrey food festival. Brought back sweet and salty, and I fell in love instantly. Watching X Factor on the telly, as we popped corn in our mouth. And now, over a decade later, I fall in love with them again. Crunch Corn, my new obsession. Inspired by a bar in Seville, Spain. Peruvian giant corn pieces, that were oh so flavoursome. Spicy chilli, my favourite of course. Intense heat, that made my mouth water in ecstacy. There was a running joke at home. That I might have stomach problems, but I was a chilli fiend. The salt and vinegar enveloping the ‘mushroom corn’ tantalizingly. Me and my partner fighting over the small bits at the bottom of the bag with a laugh. Sea Salt, under 12% fat. High in fibre and protein too. I could see why it took them two years of research to find the right suppliers. They were addictive, healthy, and a great snack on the go. Flagging during a lunch break at work, instantly perked up. Veganuary 2026 was of to a good start. I vowed i’d place an order to buy some more.

What We Tried 

Spicy Chilli

Sea Salt

Salt & Vinegar

Price: £22 for 30 x 12 g of all three flavours

Over The Moo

I liked ice cream. It was like a song you’d hear on the radio, but not something you’d play on repeat. It was enjoyable and familuar. But I was never the girl eating tubs of Ben & Jerry’s straight from the freezer. Curled up with a rom-com, crying into spoonfuls like it was therapy. I wasn’t hoarding Cornettos for emergencies. Or announcing a bad day meant ice cream for dinner. Sure, I had fond memories of it growing up. Mr Whippys, white swirled ice cream. A chocolate flake that would crumble down my bathing suit. Tropical Soleros that i’d gorge on in Madeira. Wrapping my lips around the passionfruit flavour as though my life depended on it.  Chocolate magnums, all bite and crunch. Silky smooth chocolate that would burst in my mouth. But that was a summer thing. On holidays. On staycations. On warm, hazy walks as orange sun licked the night skies. But now, as a vegan, I resent when there is ice cream on the menu. Not another sorbet, it feels like an afterthought. So admittedly, I was hesitant about Over The Moo. Whose dairy-free ice cream bites claimed to be big on flavour. Caramel bites, chocolate and vanilla too. I curled my lip. Took a small bite of the chocolate to start with. Startled at how creamy it was. Not too rich, balanced out with coconut. The dark chocolate was moerish, reminding me of little mochis. But it was the vanilla that stole my heart. A veganuary 2026 must have, that brought happiness every time I thought about it.  Dark chocolate, infused with vanilla and pea protein. The caramel, too sweet for my taste. But I needn’t have worried. My partner devouring the caramel bites like he hadn’t eaten in days. The weirdest part? That he didn’t even like ice cream. That’s how good they were. It didn’t melt down my knuckles. It didn’t leave sugar ghosts on my skin. It was pure sunshine.

What We Tried: 

Vanilla, Salted Caramel & Chocolate

Price:  £5 for all three flavours

Swizzels Vegan Sweets 

I used to buy sweets at the tuck shop. Behind the school field, it smelt faintly of damp concrete and sugar. We used to queue up on our lunch breaks, eagerly waiting. A woman behind a metal shutter that seemed permenantly cheery. I guess you would be if you were surrounded by sweets. I’d hand over my coins. Aged 14, i’d plump for sweets that were sour-sweet. Fizzy strawberry laces that were reddish pink. I’d wind them around my fingers, and slurp them up like spaghetti. Delighting in showing my tongue off, dyed by the sweets. There were sherbet saucers that i’d crack open with my teeth. That chalky fizz on my lips. It tastes like cardboard now. Jawbreakers, i’d immediately regret it. My mouth went sore before it went sweet. Cherry, grape and lemon, I wrinkled my nose at its artificial taste.  Love Hearts that said ‘Be Mine’. I’d roll it around on my tongue, feel the words fade away. Wrappers stuffed into oversized blazer pockets. I’m 32 now, and I have Swizzels for the first time in years. Drumstick lollies, it reminds me of strawberry milkshakes. Chewy and firm, i’d suck down on it furiously. Double Dip was my favourite. It came in a creased orange and red bag. Two sachets. A stick that snapped if you rushed. I’d try orange first , chemical sunshine. Cherry, darker, tongue stinging in a dopamine rush. I’d dip, lick, and dip again. Fruity Pops reminded me of my foster mum. She’d put them in a sweet bag, and i’d close my eyes. Pick the red one first, artificial strawberry. And who could forget the Refreshers in retro blue and red. A sweet parcel teasing my tongue. I’d chew and hit the middle. A burst of sherbet lemon, a sweet with zing. Veganuary 2026 seemed to strip back these nostalgic favourites. Gave us food without flavour. Claim that ‘vegan products weren’t selling’ when they gave us half-assed efforts. Little did they know that so many of their favourite sweets were vegan. A triumph against the macbine.

Price: Variety Mix 3KG Pack £18.99

Düng Protein Balls 

2026 begins like a punishment. I tell myself that i’ll move my body. That i’ll lift something heavier than dread. But my legs feel like lead. My spine bent beneath deadlines I can’t keep up with. There are endless hours on my feet. Toes cramping, shins aching. A back that begins to curl into itself. Other days watching fluorescent screens. Fingers twitching, unfocused eyes. Time I don’t have pooling around my ankles. I try to excercise, but it feels like a chore. Struggle to find the energy to do it consitiently. How to fit it into a schedule already so taxing. January is meant to be quiet. Folding into Vinyasa flows and downward dogs. Watching David Attenborough narrate yet another documentary. Falling asleep without feeling that pressure that breathes down your neck. I’m so tired, I can barely function. Sleep feels like an ambition I cannot achieve. I forget my words, slur my speech. Glitch out and forget where I was. So I try something new. Düng Protein Balls. Hope it can be part of my Veganuary 2026 survival kit. That i’ll have energy between shifts. Cinnamon Swirl in a navy blue packet. Dates doused in cinnamon powder. Pea protein drenched in date syrup. It tastes like warmth. The kind of cozy where you unwind by the fireplace. The flames licking at your feet. Spice scratching my tongue, low in salt, high and flavour. Salted Caramel, sweetness dragged through grief. Salt like comfort edged with restraint. A morning pick me up before a 12 hour shift. Eaten between emails. Between hosting. Between physical labour that ate at your shoulders. Burning pain enveloping shaking legs. It returned something stolen. Enough energy to keep standing. Enough energy to endure another hour. Protein balls that were healthy, and did good too. Not just for your head, heart and gut. But every snack brought donated to charity. To help end child hunger with a mission to feed 1 million children a year.

What We Tried: 

Salted Caramel

Cinnamon Swirl

Price: £6.75 for 3 pack

Vegan Meat Substitutes

The Sunflower Family Collection 

I pour the non-alcoholic wine into a large glass. I earnt it. Red berries caressing star anise. Haunting spice lingering on my mottled tongue. Lentils hiss in the pan, carrots and walnuts chopped like bones. I add Sunflower Family Bolo Mix. Folding wine into vegan ‘meat’. Tomato bleeding into the shadows. A slow marriage of darkness and sustenance. I wonder how sunflower seeds will taste in a bolognese. Whether it will replicate the meaty texture that I crave. A taste that lingers long after eaten. I hurl spaghetti into a pain. Steam curling like smoke, I sweat under its heat. Slather vegan nut butter over its spindly folds. Grating vegan grated cheese like snow, a dash of nooch. I Twirl a forkful, in a dimly lit kitchen. Eyes widening, at the nutty and earthy texture of the bolo mix. How it complimented the slow-cooked lentils to perfection. Later Sunflower Chunks command my attention. I create tacos with an Indian twist. A play on vegan Keema, sunflower chunks wrapped in a soft tortilla shell. Drizzle olive oil, and sweat garlic. Ginger smoked by garam masala. Green chillis finely chopped. Coriander dancing with paprika and tumeric. Tomatoes broken down into a chunky sauce. Lace it with a vegan tamarind drizzle. A non-alcoholic beer bubbling in my tummy. The sunflower mince the most versatile. Hissing as it hits the hot pan. Nutty, stubborn, refusing to soften too quickly. I grate carrot until it melts. Crumble tomatoes into spluttering oil. Spices clinging to the corner of the pan. Like secrets that wait to burn my tongue. It’s sandwiched between pasta sheets. Layering the bolognese like pages in a book that refuses to close. Make a vegan bechamel for my lasagna. Cream sauce laced with three types of vegan cheeses. I cut through the lasagna and sigh at its indulgence. Vegan meat substitutes that make veganuary 2026 a little less daunting.

What We Tried:

Sunflower Bolo Mix

Sunflower Mince

Sunflower Chunks

Squeaky Bean Vegan Collection 

I went vegetarian in rooms that smelt of damp carpet and overheated sockets. The uni canteen tired at best. Serving pale chips that hadn’t seen the sun. Beans congealing at the edges, barely warmed. I’d slurp down my apple juice, and feel that slump. A lack of energy that came with nutrionally deficient meals. It was that or cheese sandwiches. Stale white bread wrapped in plastic that clung like second skin. No butter, no mayo. Plain, but I had no choice. At night it was Pot Noodles, steam curling around my fingers. That chemical sensation enveloping my tongue in false comfort. I’d slather it in butter, hope it would mask the taste. Burn egg fried rice, the pan scorched black. Yellow grains sticking, eaten straight from metal. I didn’t know how to eat then. Chronically ill, not looking after myself. Not knowing how to cook properly. Spending more time studying than looking after myself. I’d buy Quorn chicken sometimes, and add it to soup. Kale that had seen better days. Potato barely cooked. Beans broken down. Now, things are different. I learnt how to cook, and create nutritious meals. Even before I went vegan, I discovered meat substitutes that soothed my cravings. This Isn’t Chicken roast chicken and stuffing, drenched in gravy. Meatless Farm mince folded into vegan tacos. Richmond’s vegan sausages crackling in the pan. Juicy Marbles steaks marinated in creamy peppercorn sauce. Squeaky Bean Tuna crammed into pitta pockets.

I discovered Squeaky Bean before I went vegan, so they have been a wonderful staple in my fridge this veganuary 2026.

The latter just happened to be one of my go to’s. The cooking Chorizo reminding me of Caldo Verde. A Portuguese soup that my Aunty made growing up. Potatoes softened, kale cut into thin strips. Chorizo chopped, floating in green broth. I recreated it today, pureed garlic and onion. Grated some ginger to treat my flu. Used cabbage instead of kale. Tore a hunk of sourdough bread and dipped it into beige broth. But the others were new. Chargrilled steak style strips, high in protein and B12. Break open a crusty Italian sub roll. Buttered and toasted. Throw the steak with a blend of peppers dancing. Soy sauce and tamari, a dash of smoked paprika. Vegan Cathedral City slices torched as it melted. I changed direction, craving fish. Salmon style flakes, in a sweet chilli marinade. Making vegan fishcakes, with a twist. Buttery mashed potatoes with vegan smoked cheese. Garlic flirting with green onions. I flipped the patties onto a blue china plate. Drizzle sirrichia on top. Chunky chips doused in vinegar. Then there were bacon style strips. They surprised me. Added to a vegan Carbonara ramen, that i’d always wanted to try. Ramen noodles drowning in boiling water. Oat cream infused with soy and smoked paprika. Nooch adding cheesiness. There were tofu slices with red pepper and tomato layered onto a butter Vietnemese baguette. Carrots and daikon bathed in pickled sugar. Cucumber cut into neat circle rows. Add some coriander for freshness. Spicy mayo squirted like a red river. Spicy, creamy, indulgent. One of my favourites? The NYC deli pastrami style slices. Where rye bread snaps underneath my fingers. Smeared with sharp yellow mustard. Pastrami curled in a smoky pan. Sauerkraut and gherkins wedged between vegan cheddar.  Tofu slices spinach and basil to finish. Folding like ribbons between bread and tomato. Bleeding sweetness, juice soaking into ciabatta. Olive oil and balsamic, coating vegan mozarella. A Caprese style sandwich that reninds you of home.

What We Tried:

Chargrilled Steak Style Strips

Crispy Bacon Style Strips

NYC Deli Pastrami Style Slices

Tofu Slices Red Pepper & Tomato

Tofu Slices Spinach & Basil

Cooking Chorizo

Salmon Style Flakes

Juicy Marbles Meat Alternatives 

Before I went vegetarian, steak was my bread and butter. Well done, garlic and rosemary sizzling in the pan. Green beans snapped like brittle candles. New potaoes rolled in sea salt like offerings. Port infused gravy bleeding over the plate like ink on vellum. In Madeira we’d eat Bolo De Cacao, draped in garlic butter. A fried egg crispy round the edges. Yolk pooled like molten gold. Street side Espetada hung from skewers. Garlic and bay leaves singing smoke into the air. It was the one thing that I missed the most, since giving up meat. A staple in our household. Then, a visit to a restaurant in Leicester Square serving up vegan steak. It was revolutionairy, I fell in love. But it wasn’t available to buy in shops. The taste lingering years after I had tried it. Until Juicy Marbles came along and I tried their thick cut filets. Marbled plant flesh, seared edges catching fire. Made a vegan peppercorn sauce. Oat cream swirling like fog. Rainbow pepper clinging to the filet. I’d blend three vegan cheeses into buttery smash. Smoked, cheddar and vegan parmesan too. So fluffy it should have come with a warning. As I got used to cooking with the filets, i’d try new recipes. Hungarian Goulash, infused with paprika. Potato and parsnips plunged into red sauce. Filet torn into chunks. Carrots and peppers sweated down. A hint of carroway.  White rice on the side. A glass of red wine, red berries on the palette. The Umami Burger? That was new. Spinach, koji and quiona, I wasn’t sure at first. I’d dollop hummus. Cook up cous cous with grated carrot. Purple sweet potato sweetened with cinnamon. Tenderstem broccoli steamed with garlic. It was better than I expected. Smoky, herby, with a touch of sweetness. Meaty Meat Pork-Ish, was my new current obession. A veganuary 2026 must have that was versatile. The vegan pork hissed as it slipped into the pan. I’d marinate it in sticky brown sugar and allspice. Add Scotch Bonnets that would spread heat like a rash. It tasted like fire and sweetness. I’d squeeze a lime, the acid coiling around my throat. Sautee golden plantains. Pour love into coconut rice and peas. Carribean pork with rice and peas. Leftovers that I went back for again and again.

Juicy Marbles is one of my favourite brands. Their thick cut filet always brings me so much joy, and this veganuary 2026 is no exception.

What We Tried:

Unami Burger

Thick Cut Filet

Meaty Meat

Vegan Condiments

Tracklements Fresh Chilli Jam 

At Christmas I created my dream vegan cheeseboard. My first festive season since going vegan. Wondering if dairy would play on my mind. I layered vegan meats like I was counting stars. Peppered pastrami intertwined with honey roast ham. Olives marinated in garlic and chilli. Salted pretzels broken. Apple slices cut. I opened a jar of artichokes. Saw the olive oil pour into a glass ramekin. Got fancy with the vegan crackers. Lined them up in a shape of a heart. The cheeses I might have gone overboard on buying. Vegan blue cheese infused with cashews. Creamy, added to a cracker with sundried tomatoes. Two smoked cheeses in vegan rustic rolls. Ethopian spiced cheese, and mature cheddar too. A black pepper cheese that reminded me of pate. It was the chutnies that brought everything together. Tomato relish with harissa paste. Garlic and shallot jam, my fingers got all sticky. But the fresh chilli jam from Tracklements was a hit. Sweet yet spicy, fresh chillies crimson on my tongue. The heat was gentle, but addictive. Winner of the Great Taste Award and Taste of the West Awards, it was easy to see why. Sharp against the creaminess of vegan cheeese. I ran my finger across my chapped lips. As though I could feel the ghost of the jam between the cracks. It got me thinking. Conjuring creativity in the kitchen. Pushing past the brain fog that clouded my mind. I make vegan cauliflower wings in a sticky Gochujang and sweet chilli jam sauce. Roll it in batter, until its crispy. Satisfying crunch, I dip it into chilli sauce. Showing how condiments could pull a meal together. The star of the show, something people would forget about in Veganuary 2026.

Looking to satisfy your sweet tooth? Tracklements fresh chilli jam is the perfect addition to your veganuary 2026.

Price: £4.95

Vegan Non-Alcoholic Drink 

Nirvana Brewery Beers 

The pubs are ghosts now, where I used to sit. Under sun dripping like molten brass. Onto scarred tables where Amstels once dripped on my hand. Madri light and foamy. Peroni’s i’d buy when the others weren’t available. I never went for craft beers. Those fancy IPA’s that tasted like grass. I choked like I was eating jasmine. I’d prefer lager, on date nights at the pub. Tucking into cheesy chips, dunked in curry sauce. Card games at my partners, where he lived with his mates. We’d forget placemats and the tables would get sticky. But now, I don’t drink. I’m vegan too. The memory of golden sunshine and hazy mornings clinging stubbornly. So hard to find good vegan beers that don’t taste like p*ss. Sure, there’s Lucky Saint. I quite like the fizz. But the choices seem limited when you’re sober. Then, i’m reminded of a brand I tried when I was vegetarian. When I was drinking. Nirvana Brewery based in Leyton. On my doorstep, I smile at the thought. Celebrating their 10th year anniversary with vegan non-alcoholic craft drinks. Would they fill the gap? In aisles that gaped with plastic bottles?

An amber West Coast IPA bursting with citrus and tropical fruit. Pine, with a light malt sweetness. I wasn’t an IPA fan, so it wasn’t my cup of tea. But the Bavarian Helles that followed reminded me of Oktoberfest. Remembering me and some friends at a Bavarian bar in London chortling. The sensation of soft cereal aromas flooding back. The palette was sweet, notes of fresh bread and honey. A subtle floral, rather than the bitterness I didn’t like. We’d play a game of Monopoly, my partner and I. Cats weaving in and out of our board, knocking the pieces over. I’d tut half-heartedly, as I lost a round. Taking turns to drink non-alcoholic beer, whenever the other pulled ahead. Cloudy lemon lager trembled with acid light. Lemonade made from natural lemon juice, that reminded me of summer. Sitting at the park sipping straw gold. Zest and sherbet notes teasing my senses. Amber ale was rich and indulgent. Notes of biscuit and toasted nuts reminding me of hot cocoa. A malty backbone, with a smooth mouth feel. Bitter, but complex, floral and spice lounging. I gravitated towards the Nirvana Pils. Clear gold teasing my glass. Bright and clean, subtle herbal hop notes. Light citrus with a dry snappy finish. Hefeweizen was like soft wheat smoke curling. It smelt like bubble gum and vanilla nostalgia. A hint of banana and clove. Nitro Stout Dark thick as midnight. Reminding me of Guinness. Hints of coffee, cocoa and caramel. It was too strong and earthy for me. But weirdly the Dark Chocolate Stout I liked. Dark chocolate and vanilla that felt like textured velvet. Light roasted notes, a hint of toffee and caramel. And so the dice would clatter. Discarded beer bottles and cans thrown into overflowing bins. Non alcoholic beers that would help me survive Veganuary 2026.

Wildlife Botanicals 

Last summer dragged across my veins like poison. Heat clung to the fields like a lie everyone agreed to believe.  Green grass stretched too bright. Children shrieking on swings too high. Their laughter cutting through my aching skull. Parents gathered in huddled groups. Murmering gossip like insects under leaves. I pretend to listen. Pretend that my chest wasn’t tightening. That my body didn’t remember the trauma that ripped off my skin. I’m on autopilot, on a red tartan blanket. Hands reaching out for hummus and crisps. Strawberries squirting down my wobbling chin. It was too hot for panic to make sense. I retreated into the shade hoping i’d learn how to survive. Now its winter and the noises have nowhere to go. They sit on my windpipe, silencing my speech. Interrupt my breathing. Sit on my chest. The rain trickles like tears I cannot cry. Reaching for something that makes me feel good. Hoping those bad feelings will be erased by a low alcohol wine. Wildlife Botanicals, discovered last year at a no/low-alcohol festival. At the end when the tables were being packed up. Gulping Strawberry straw-gold. I felt fuzzy and warm around the edges. Like dopamine to ration when darkness comes crawling back. I find myself looking for it now. Pour a glass of Sparkling Blush into a well-worn glass. I swirled my glass, eyes transfixed on bubbles that seemed so innocent. Wondering if I could disappear into the liquid. I’d close my eyes and float in a strawberry sea. A wide smile that I didn’t have to force licking my skin. I’d slurp Damask rose. Watch lemon zest grate on my face. Veganuary 2026 would show me that functional drinks didn’t have to be boring. Niacin to boost energy that was already flagging. Damiana, I felt the giggles burst. I’d swap out for Wildlife Nude next. Green banana barely ripened. A hint of seasonal gooseberry. This time i’d dream in sepia. Imagine myself at a 70’s pool party. Hair tied into a printed bandana. Paisley printed swimsuit plunged into cold water. I’d drink slowly, cheeeks ruddy with delight. My eyes crinkled into laughter lines, I thought i’d lost.

Looking for a functional drink? Wildlife Botanicals will help you feel more relaxed this veganuary 2026.

What We Tried: 

1 x 75cl bottle Wild Life Sparkling Blush in presentation gift pack

1 x 75cl bottle Wild Life Sparkling Nude in presentation gift pack

Price: £16 each

*P.S Use the code VEGANA10, for 10% off your next order! It is worth every penny!

Vegan Beauty

Vegan Skincare & Hair

Photology Ritual Trio 

There was once a time where my face was unmarred. Smooth skin and rosy cheeks. A beauty mark above my cheek. Faint scarring from childhood barely visible. But then the hormones kicked in. Rosecea flooding narrow cheeks. I’d trace the blotches like constellations. See the hives spread like poison ivy on my chest. I’d cry, and break out in spots. Those hard ones that refuse to shift. White liquid bursting, mixing with crimson red. No spot stickers then, cystic acne punctuating olive skin. In my early thirties wrinkles appeared out of nowhere. Struggled to look in the mirror at the lines that swallowed up my eyes. But I smiled more now. Pupils burrowing into still taut skin. Remembering where I preferred the editorial look. A tight smile, eyes haunted by traumas past. Feeling awkward in front of the camera, like I wanted to soak up the shadows. But now, I have wrinkles. A fact i’m trying to deny. Laughter lines tracing out like cobwebs. Out the corner of my eye I run my finger over fine lines. There’s hyperpigmentation too, skin that is dull and dehydrated. I don’t know why when I once had oily skin. The glass skin that everyone craved, turned into dryness that wouldn’t fade. I tried red-light therapy, to see if it would make a difference. Whether it would erase the anxiety that was so plain on my face. I stole my partner’s red light mask. Giggling as my dark eyes poked through the mask. My partner crying with laughter. I didn’t notice much difference for me. Was I doing something wrong? Photology Ritual Trio claimed to be the saving grace. Where i’d have skin so clear that i’d map out constellations on my face. Emitting 60% more red light back into the skin. Smooth, radiant, buzzwords that drew me in. A three step routine that I trialed alongside my mask. Q10 Pre-Treatment Phyto Cleanser. I’d splash my face with cold water. Ignore the charcoal smudges under my eyes. Ignore the exhaustion cradling my cheeks. It was a deep cleaning LED pre-treatment. That removed light blocking impurities. I was skeptical at first. After all, during LED therapy,  60% of light could reflect off the skin before it could do its work. But the Chlorophyll Photo Masque had other plans. Transforming wasted lights into visible results. I tapped my skin, smearing green paste. After LED therapy i’d pump Peptide Stem-Cell Serum. Fuelling collagen synthesis for smoother, firmer skin. My skin was glowing, redness dissolving into the dark. Pulling my skin into alignment. Mapping galaxies I never knew existed. I had one question. Would the fine lines disappear too?

Price: £99.95

Hairstory New Wash Products 

For so long, I treated my hair like it was an afterthought. A neglected tangle hidden in fractured shadows. As though it was unworthy of sunshine and light. I’d bury myself under blankets, hair left undone. A messy plait matted against damp skin. It’s as if energy was a currency I had spent on surviving alone. On moments where I couldn’t breathe. In times where I struggled to exist. I couldn’t look after myself. Kept work on my mind, self-care on the back burner. Worked until I was physically sick. Tried to ignore the red flags that flooded my mind. Some days a hairbrush became an enemy. Teeth snagging in curls like barbed wire. I’d tear hair out and oddly feel vindicated. A sharp tug as knots locked tighter. I’d slip into the shower. Feel the hot steam pelt my skin. The air felt thick and oppressive. A ritual I approached with dread. Wanting the ground to swallow me whole. I found Veganuary 2026 overwhelming. Tried not to choke. To ignore the weight that dug its fingers into my scalp. Breathe in, breathe out. Holding tension in my lungs that was buried deep. I reach for Hairstory’s New Wash Method. A trio to remind me that hair deserved its crowning glory too. Pink painted hands wrapped around Pre-Wash. The first scalp-purifying rinse using prebiotic micellar technology. Breaking down build up and balancing the microbiome.  New Wash Original, to cleanse and condition. Detergen-free, balancing the scalp’s natural oils. I wrapped my finger around pre-coaxed knots. No foam, the sensation wasn’t creamy like i’d been used to. I picked up the white scalp brush. Felt the ridges on my criss-crossed palm. I imagined every brush stroke washing away oppression. Demonic hands grappling at my throat, loosening their chokehold. I turned off the water. Let my skin prickle with cold. The water no longer felt like something trying to drown me from the inside out.  I massaged Hair Balm into curls and waves. Softening the memory of tangles, when my hair lay unbrushed. Strengthening what once felt brittle. Parched strands revived, waves and curls defined. I’d put a little, watch the frizz calm down. I’d set a reminder, sing a song while I TLC’d. Telling myself over and over. That self-care wasn’t selfish. That it was OK to look after myself.

What We Tried: 

New Wash Method £69 instead of £91

Hair Balm £39

Hiltwood Vegan Soaps 

My partners hands are maps of winter. Scaly, cracked, reddened to bruised blue. Knuckles split like bark. He gnaws at them with anxiey. Demons circling him as he repeats thoughts over and over. Telling him that he’s not good enough. That the voices in his head were telling the truth. His fingers cramp under the weight of a thousand lifetimes. Work never ending. Hands that type without stopping. Nails chafed from food shopping. Pulsating with pain bordering on chronic. Longing for a mercy that it does not get. The air bites, the water stings. I hear his stifled moans. Forgetting what softness feels like. Winter burrowing into ridges crawling down his palm. I receive Hiltwood Soaps, wonder if it’ll soothe his hands. Whether the redness will soften into pale white. His hands unwrap Cedarwood & Spanish Verbana with Turmeric. Warm spice and forest resin. Lather curling into creases. Scraping away the frost that stole his heart. British made soap to cleanse and exfoliate his skin. Earthy, zesty, and anti-inflammatory too. No harsh chemicals and eco-friendly. But it was the Lime & Charcoal that pulled grime and ache. Activated charcoal caressing sharp lime. From his hands to his feet. Moisturising, exfoliating, his skin felt like new. He was enjoying his exploratory skin journey. Natural ingredients that didn’t irritate his senstive skin. Eucalyptus Lemon Mint & Olive Stone (With Grit) rubbing old callouses raw. Eucalyptus slicing through wounds. Lemon in the hollow winter of his palms. Tea Tree Lavender Dead Sea Mud Pumice like splintered stone. Tracing constellations on skin that remember warmth. Working the bar into his hands. Infused with olive oil and shea butter. Remembering that bad times come and go. That anxiety dosen’t have the power it once did.

What We Tried:

Eucalyptus Lemon Mint and Olive Stone Natural Soap Bar (With Grit)

Tea Tree Lavender Dead Sea Mud & Pumice Natural Soap Bar (With Grit)

Tolpa Authentic 

Dear past me,

I know how you thought self-care was selfish. That you would ignore the warning signs your body would give you. Work when you were sick. When your body was bent on exhaustion. When your anxiety was threatening to consume you from the inside out. You ran on adrenaline. All work no play. Even now you struggle. Drowning under the weight of deadlines. You say yes to too much. Scared to say no. You’re a people pleaser but you don’t even please yourself. You try and shake off the butterflies that write in your stomach. The panic attacks that keep you up at night. Feel ashamed when you are emotional. Scared someone will judge you as hard as you critique yourself. You hold in breaths. Stood in front of a cracked mirror. Splashing your face in cold water. Rubbing soap that irritates your skin. I wish I could have shown you better. But your once oily skin got dry. You come up for oxygen, skin flaking around your cheeks. But there’s a noose that you can’t take off. I wanted to tell you. That all of those years of treating yourself like crap, will affect you. Mentally, physically and emotionally. You went from one extreme to another. Minimal to maximum ingredients. Slapping as much as you could on your face, to treat your reactive skin. It was too much. Angry breakouts that made you lose your confidence. Cheeks riddled with patchy red. Blackheads that went untreated. Hyperpigmentation that left your skin dull. Now, it’s me in the present. I’m in Superdrug browsing creams. Side-eyeing the brands I used to love, that betrayed my skin. Tolpa Authentic, now i’m at home clapping my hands together with glee. Facial Toner in a simple pink-labelled bottle. 9 essential ingredients. Peat extract instead of alcohol. I’m hesitant. Remembering past brands that stripped my skin. I press the cotton pad, waiting for that warning itch that never comes. Gentle microexfoliation, restoring the balance of the microbiome. I follow it with Moisturizing Cream, would it make my skin more elastic? I massaged it in. Squalane gliding into every crease. Where skin once felt brittle, locking in moisture. Hypoallergenic and fragrance free. Skin no longer feeling like paper left in the rain. Moisturizing serum with baobab oil and squalane. Providing moisture for 50 hours. It felt like bliss. Ingredients that calmed the skin too. A Veganuary 2026 must have for sensitive skin.

What We Tried: 

Facial Toner £7.19 instead of £8.99

Moisturizing Serum £7.99 instead of £9.99

Moisturizing Cream £7.99 instead of £9.99

Napiers Skincare Collection

Veganuary 2026 shouldn’t feel like exile. But winter presses against the windows with malice. Staring into mirrors looking for someone I used to recognise. Where i’d drag face wipes scraping across my skin like guilt. Thin excuses thrown into a bin that’s had enough. I need something that feels like staying. Something that refuses to vanish. Even when i’m bleary eyed stumbling into a bathroom I don’t remember. Rubbing at shadows permenantly etched on my face. I splash cold water on my face. Grabbing Napiers Rowan Brightening Gel Cleanser like my life depended on it. I massaged it into my skin gently, foam rising. Whispering mantras as though skincare could hear my secrets. It slides across my face, Sea Buckthorn rich in antioxidants and fatty acids. Heather rooted in moors that no city can touch. Melting makeup like its a sin. Witch Hazel toning for a fresh complexion. Would it rub away my oxidative stress? Make my skin glow, shedding years off my face? A soothing, non irritating cleanse. Removing impurities I didn’t know I had. Pollution, dust, dirt I didn’t know I had. I’d come home after being on the tube. The stench of stale air snaking round my shoulders. Wash the residue, shake off the city’s chains. Then, when night slithered into the flat, i’d prepare. Pressing Napier’s Frankincense Nourish Night Cream. Creating muscle memory, teaching my skin, that TLC dosen’t have to be stressful. Thick, resinous, I can feel it sinking in. Frankincense reminding me of incense sticks at Christmas. Smoke, old  stones, abandoned chapels. Rituals left behind. Sandalwood and Vetiver conspiring. Apricot and olive nourishing. A rich botanical blend without the greasiness of other night creams. In the morning, i’m soft. Roughness blurred around the edges. Holding the dark, and choosing, in that quiet, to stay.

What We Tried: 

Rowan Brightening Gel Cleanser £19.99

Frankincense Nourish Night Cream £22.99

Voshbon Waterless Wash Range 

They sell me ‘green’ in bottles. Promises soaked in plastic. They know what to say. Keywords like ‘eco’, ‘natural’ and ‘sustainable’, but it’s all smoke and mirrors. I know their game. Selling ‘miracle cures’ in plastic bottles that rot in landfill. They tell me to trust them. If I didn’t know any better, I would. But the truth is ugly. Greenwashing that eats the earth alive. They know how to greenwash. How to shrug off bad behaviour and pretend they didn’t know. It was an honest mistake I swear. But too many backtracks generate distrust. Your marketing team deserves a raise. For wrapping petrochemicals in a shiny bow. Somehow we eat it up. Claim its recycled when the environment suffers. It’s natural. It’s clean. It’s kind to the planet. Sure. That’s why the ground bleeds. Why the oceans choke. Why the forests retreat. It’s eye opening to know reality. To have it stick to your skin like tar. But Voshbon aims to do better. A vegan waterless freeze dried range, that activates when you wash. Saving 3.5l of water per 75g bottle, and up to 80% on CO2 transport emissions. Each 75g bottle the equivalent of a 750ml liquid product. Pastel bottles where sustainability is at its core. I wrap myself into the bath. Where skin kisses liquid shadow. Muscles unwinding like old chains snapping. Sinking into sea salt that tickles my toes. I submerge, let the water claim my skin. Come up for air. Crumble the moisture freeze dried body wash into my palm. It’s a strange sensation. The micro granules transforming in my hands. As though I was an eco-alchemist altering chemistry. Foam blooms like a storm. Restoring balance for soft, nourished skin. My skin drinks it, the grit of the city disappearing. Lavender to calm an relieve dryness. Hyaluronic improving skin elasticity  Turns out some brands were repping Veganuary 2026 and its sustainability ethos.

Vegan Health

Optima Natura Aromatherapy Range 

That 3AM night slams into focus. The cars rushing through rain-splattered roads. The hum of the engine, it sticks in my head. I try and shake off the anxiety that rattles my chest. Feel the splattering of a panic attack squeezing my lungs. I wrap myself under a blanket to block out the lights. Feel the cold writhe down my legs into my feet. I try and squeeze away the tears that linger. Shake off the nervous energy that gnaws at my bones. Sleepless nights, tossing and turning. Why can’t I get out of my head. Fixating on every little thing. My mind tells me that I am not good enough. That numbers define me being a failure. Why can’t I be like other people? Who learn to let go. Who learn to live in the present, without getting stuck in the past. Cold air slams into my throat like an accusation. Sinuses clenched shut, raw with pressure. It twists behind my eyes, leaves them aching. Exploding with sneezes that shake my ribs. Leaving me hollow and breathless again. I change between hot and cold. Sweat dribbling on my forehead. Cold shakes, my teeth chattering. I’m under the weather, eyes that leak. Anxiety snaking around my mind. Depression dragging my limbs into fractured shadows. I struggle to breathe, so I start counting beats. Reaching for Optima Natura’s Four Thieves Oil Fragrance Mist. I spray the air, couch and the curtains. Clove bark, lemon peel and cinnamon. Rosemary and eucalyptus. A bracing storm filling the room. Breathe in, breathe out. Imagine it as a ritual quieting the buzz. Night yawns into endless morning. Light rain tapping at the windowpane. I cough, my lungs thick with borrowed air. My throat is like sandpaper, my head a foggy map. The room tilts, I feel dizzy. Sheets clinging like deep vines. Where even the lights hurt. I run a bath, breathe in the steam that tickles my nose. Add drops of The Four Thieves Oils into the running water. I breathe in lemon and rosemary. Feel the demons evaporate. No longer curling in corners. Smike-thin, velvet black. Whispers dripping like honey I can’t eat. It wasn’t just good for tackling stress. A treatment for colds and congested airways. I’d distill it in a fragrance lamp. Let the scents wash over with me with glee. The essential oils I would use depended on my mood at the time. N-Active Essential Oil Trio, Sleep, Calm and Energy. Sleep, aromas i’d cling to in the dark. Tangerine wrapping its fingers around olive. Lemon balm when the weight in my face feels like drowning. Calmness to thaw the panic rising with every inhale. Lavender reminding me of a memory that I can’t quite place. Lemongrass and lemon balm indulging. Energy infused with Bergamot and orange. I knead it into my skin, feel the adrenaline rush through my veins. A sigh of relief, veganuary 2026 focusing on vegan holistic health.

What We Tried: 

Four Thieves Oil Fragrance Mist £8.49 at Boots

Four Thieves Oil £16.99 at Boots

Set Of Oils (Calmness, Sleep & Energy) £13.99 at Boots

Delph Sun Protection Collection

I remember summers past. Marking me in places that still remember my name. Rome, the first time me and my partner travelled abroad together. Shrugging off an orange cardigan. An orange and white gingham dress and orange platform sandals. Sunglasses sliding on my already sweat-soaked face. The Colosseum breathed heat like an open wound. Thirty-two degrees pooling in the sand. Palatine Hill glowed under stone and soil. The sky deepening into a teal blue that cast harsh shadows. I stood too long among ruins. Shoulders bare, careless. Thinking history would distract the sun. That evening, I peeled off the straps of my dress. Skin screaming, swollen with red sunburn. I shift my memory to London. A hazy late afternoon in Hampstead Heath. Clouds like thin veils over Primrose Hill. Drinking non-alcoholic wine, as we feasted on strawberries. Still I burnt. Madeira no exception, at Praia Formosa. Where black stones were hot as coals. An overcast day, the sun sliding down my spine unnoticed. My back peeling like a snake sheds its skin. In winter, i’d stop wearing sunscreen. Thinking that the biting cold wouldn’t tear at my skin, like sun would. But it did, windburn scraping at my cheeks. Red, raw, irritated and angry. I realized that sunscreen in winter was vital. Protecting against UVA rays that cause premature aging and skin cancer. That penetrate clouds and glass. Intensified by reflection of snow. It was strange, how could you get affected when the sun had been swallowed whole. But Delph opened up my eyes. Vegan water-resistant sun protection made in England. I walked into the bathroom, grabbed the Delph Sun Lotion SPF 30. Using it as primer and sun lotion to go underneath my makeup. Pressed it into the skin with intention, smooth and weightless. Vitamin E and Aloe Vera gliding on like silk. Shea butter drawing moisture back into tired skin. I wore it under grey skies and short days. Where winter hide behind a guise of grey. On long walks, i’d use the SPF50, rain or shine. Cruelty-free UVA/UB sunscreen that was photostable and dermatologically tested. I experimented, went on the windiest day round a nearby lake. Past a river where ducks sqwawked angrily. No windburn, my skin felt smoother. Not as dry, not as irritated.  I’d follow up with Aftersun Lotion. Gently rehydrating, moisturising tired skin. Vitamin E to prevent peeling, prolonging the life of my summer tan. The aloe vera felt like manna, cooling down my skin. A veganuary 2026 essential for better skin health.

What We Tried:

Sun Lotion SPF 30 £8.99

Sun Lotion SPF 50+ £9.99

Aftersun Lotion £3.99

Curated Beauty’s Quiet Shift 2 Months Supply 

I imagine myself as a spider. I don’t walk, I cling. Pressed flat against the inside of my own body. I spin a web, swallow marketing slogans that are c*rap. Buzzing like trapped insects. They fight, bright bottles thrashing in their plastic shells. Remembering when I used to buy into their lies. Brought Biotin that made my stomach cramp. Took collagen that congested my skin. Sleep supplements while I lay awake. One mind receiving 8 feeds at once. Scrabbling at the ceiling for an exit I can’t reach. I’d blame it on myself. That I was resistant to medication. How did it work for other people and not me? In a way I was right. A spider whose fear crawled across my skin like legs. Who had to get extra anesthetic when I was at the dentist because I could feel everything. Who’d be given pain relief at the hospital and not feel it working. Was there something wrong with me? I crouched low in the night, watching over cats that scratched at their tree. It was a mix of both. Trying brands who had deceived me. A placebo effect for some people. Did it actually work? For me, I felt like I was made of anxiety. A thousand sensory nerve endings, that made me hypervigilant at all times. I wriggle my legs, suspended from an intricate web. I cascade down to the floor. Wrap my (hands?) around Curated Beauty’s Quiet Shift Triple Magnesium. I heard friends talk about Magnesium before. How it helped them mellow when their adrenaline was running high. I wasn’t too sure, catching poor quality products in my web. It told me it would calm the nervous system. That i’d stop sleeping like a spider. Who’d curl its legs inwards, and float into Quiscence. Never letting go of threat detection. Always taut, always listening. A two months supply, would it become my natural ‘chill pill’? I was so sick of feeling tired and wired all the time. It was too early to tell. Magnesium to restore calm and clarity. Aquamin® from red algae —calcified remains of ancient things. 72 trace vitamins in its natural, whole-food form. Supporting bone strength and eletrolyte balance. I shed my human skin, and went back into being a spider. Taking notes, eagle eyed.Magnesium citrate, loosening the joints I lock in fear. Legs folded too tight, ready to flee from nothing. Magnesium Glycinate for emotional readiness. A calm day going into a restful night. I remain in the air, hollow-bodied. Exoskeleton cracked but intact. Waiting for my nervous system to decide whether this substance is food or threat.

What We Tried:

Quiet Shift 2 Months Supply

Price: £35

Evolve Pilates, Yoga & Meditation 

My name is Ana, and i’m plagued by doubt. Constantly living in fear, questioning my own shadow. Startled at any noise that is unknown. My brain programmed for fight or flight. Even when I am not in danger I crack. Struggling with consitiency. Avoiding things that make me scared. How do I live in a body that feels watched from the inside? Some days, I can’t move. Mouth slack, frozen at the laptop. Hands that type words that I don’t even compute. Stuck in a rat race of competition with myself. Two versions. The high-functioning ‘doer’. Always on the go. Someone the doctors tend to dismiss because I ‘seem fine’ when i’m not. Mansplained by a mental health doctor. Who when I told him I was neurodivergent, and had help growing up replied ‘ oh it was only minor though’. Funny, not minor, when you needed speech and language therapy. When you were in the SEN unit, and had help during classes. A one to one in primary. Someone who saw the world so differently from everyone else. Just because I ‘can’ dosen’t mean i’m functioning. A broken husk. Juggling poor mental health with neurodivergence, work, friends, family. Who was overwhelmed and overstimulated. Sensory issues, and poor physical health. Who always feel like she has to work 10 times harder than anyone else. But i’ve started to excercise again and it feels like release. A reminder that I am strong, I am powerful. That I don’t need labels to be me. I open up my Evolve subscription, force myself to move. On days where even the simplest thing can seem difficult. Where Depression convinces my muscles that they are already dead weight. I drown out the noise, sift through the Vinyasa Yoga videos. Choose Yoga Flow 5. I sink into Child’s Pose, one I know well. Forehead pressed down, spine rounded. Breath shallow. She asks me to breathe. Inhale through the nostrils. Exhale and sigh through the mouth. It’s triggering. I start to dissociate, but she pulls me out of it. Tells me to go into Downward Dog, my legs trembling. Warrior pose and lunges, I try and shake off the tension. Try a guided meditation for anxiety. Struggle to concentrate on her words. But then, I sink into her imagery. Take a step out of a wooden house into a garden. Three glass bowls waiting. I fill them with my worries and stresses. Going up to each bowl with purpose. Then, pick up a gold hammer and smash the bowls. Feeling the anxiety splintering just a little bit more. I go back into the house. Enter a control room, where levers wait. I choose one. Climb a stepladder, one step at a time. I put the lever at the top, out of reach. Pull it, and lock it away in a safe. It felt good to combine excercise with relaxation. Especially during Veganuary 2026, when the days consumed my soul.

Price: 7 Day Free Trial, then prices start from £7.99 a month

DenTek Dental Health Collection 

I used to smile without teeth. Kept my lips sealed like iron gates. Smiling tightly, not reaching my eyes. Remembering the bullies who called me ‘Bugs Bunny’. Who made fun of the way I looked. While others had pearly white smiles, mine was fractured. My teeth grew in crooked, crowding each other like guilty secrets. Never aligned, I wondered what it would be like to have perfect teeth. Now, I still don’t have straight teeth. In fact, in the last five years, they have become even more crooked. But I don’t let it stop me from smiling. Eyes crinkled with laughter, mouth pulled back. But the crookedness was only the facade. Decay kneeling at the altar of the mouth. A soft communion, plaque slick as whispered promises. Settling along crumbling enamel. Teeth that pretended to be stone, while quietly agreeing to rot. Bone dressed in yellow-stained teeth. Gums pulled back, eroded fillings exposed. In the mornings I wake up, blood-stained lips. Swipe my fingers over my teeth. Wipe away the red. Tartar that refuses to leave. Fossilising neglect into something that feels permenant. To the times where I ignored self-care. Where I didn’t stop to think what my body needed and wanted. Trying to pretend my gums don’t swell. Retreating upwards pulling away from teeth. Roots that were naked and yellowed. Pain seeping through the jaw. I taste iron, my breath polluted with rot. I couldn’t reverse the gum disease without professional help. But I was taking steps to improve my dental care routine. Dentek’s Eco Triple Clean Floss Picks, their thinnest strongest floss. The handle made using bio-based plastic from sugar cane plants. A flossing aid that would reduce carbon emissions by 80%. Would it stop me from brushing bone? From scraping shame, i’m trying to overcome? It was a start, deep clean, removing plaque and food particles. Gently massaging gums, getting into the tighest spaces. 200+ individal scrubbing strands of floss that made my teeth feel like VIP’s.  DenTek Eco Easy Brush another Veganuary 2026 essential. A thin, durable, tapered brush that removed food and plaque from the gaps between your teeth. Bristles made using castor plants. Packaging made from FSC certified cardboard and 50% recycled PET. The brushes cleaning crowns and fillings. I cupped my breath, tasted mint on my mouth. Tried to erase dental shame that lived behind the lips. Staining silences.  Where toothbrushes could never reach.

Dental health is so important, and this veganuary 2026 is no exception. Looking after your teeth has never been easier.

What We Tried: 

Eco Triple Clean Floss Picks

Eco Easy Brush

Hapi Patch 

My partner stands at the mirror like he’s greeting a stranger. Calloused fingers running through ginger hair brittle as dry grass. Time he can’t catch slipping through his hands. He itches his scalp until its red and raw. Scabs littering his fragile scalp. As though he’s losing parts of himself in slow motion. Skin I was once envious of. Clear, glowing, not a breakout in sight. Now dull, red flaking across cheeks and temples. His skin sensitive, as though overnight. Permenant lines etched around his eyes and cheeks. But I love him for his imperfections, though he gets upset. He dosen’t want to be in photos. He dosen’t like the way he looks. He’s scared of what he might see. I wish he would see himself, the way I see him. Bold, brave, handsome, kind. It’s no use, he fixates, and I can’t help but understand. Know what it is like to be inside your head, not finding a way out. On ocassion he drinks. Eyes heavy, swollen from nights he drinks too much. Cheeks burning, chest mottled with angry rashes. Body groggy, head pumping. It’s normal to go out and have fun with your friends. But his body despises it. Self-care a mountain that he can’t climb. Even the smallest ritual feels like running through fire. Hair unbrushed. Living in pyjamas. Times where he is low. Where overwhelm presses down like thick fog. He retreats from himself.  I know how that feels. To struggle with self-care and watch it wreak havoc on your mind, body, and soul. I give him Hapi Patches. Hope that it will help, patches to help his skin and hair. A hangover cure. Something naughtier, and more intimate for us both to share. He starts with Glow Up. Infused with GHK-Cu Copper Peptides. Clinically proven to enhance skin elasticity and hair growth. Delivered straight into his bloodstream, would he notice the difference. It was too soon to tell. But he liked how it used natural ingredients. Pomnegranate consorting with gingseng. 100% biodegradable too. It was After Party that he noticed the difference with the most. Chasing shadows of sleepless nights. For mornings where he could barely move. He stumbled home, popping on a patch before bed. The room spinning, feeling nauseous. After Party worked quickly. A steady release of Glutathione and NAC over 24 hours into his blood stream. It was a sweet mercy, detoxifying the body. He felt less groggy, less ‘headachy’, more focused and alert. As for Passion Patch? It was one they could try together. For days where they were struggling with libido. Anxiety and depression robbing them of desire. 8 powerful ingredients working over 24 hours. Stimulating sexual response and reviving arousal. Overcoming sexual barriers, Gotu-Kola extract and Saw Palmetto extract enhancing libido. An essential part of his veganuary 2026 survival kit.

What We Tried:

Afterparty £3.99

Passion Patch £9.99

Glow Up £19.99

Vegan Makeup & Fragrance 

Glisten Cosmetics X Teletubbies

I was a child stitched from fear. Skin like paper, scars a reminder of trauma i’d rather not see. Ears on hyper-alert. My heart pounding, wondering if danger would find me once again. Trauma that slithered between my ribs. Settling dread gurgling in my stomach. Anxiety that clawed at eyes I thought were open. A kid that small shouldn’t go to bed scared. Shouldn’t wonder if I would make it through the next day. The memory of a scream, my throat chokes. Everyone went through trauma, true. But it was hard. Seeing friends who lived in stable homes. Who didn’t get shouted at. Who were showered in love and affirmations. They didn’t know the monster that lurked at home. So I escaped. Into books first. I’d take out the maximum books at the library, and pore over words feverishly. Scribble in diaries that got ripped up in front of me. Watch Portuguese Telenovellas, and swoon at the love stories. I cast my attention back even younger. Memories more hazy, snapshots here and there. When my mother left. I remember a still figure watching over me. Cartoons on the TV. One stood out to me. Teletubbies, bright, colourful. I loved colour even back then. I have flashes of clips. Po making Tubby Custard, pouring it into a special bowl. Dancing in between, as the camera cuts to Noo-Noo. Slurping away in the Tubbytronic Superdrome. Another episode, where the Teletubbies hug each other. Over the hill, and far away, the baby sun watching. Where Teletubbies come to play. I fast forward 29 years later.  Reigniting the magic of 90’s childhood nostalgia with Glisten Cosmetics x Teletubbies. Vibrant and playful colours, with wet liner palettes. Shades reminiscent of each Teletubby. The Po Wet Liner my personal favourite. Deep reds and tinged pinks. Matte, shimmer and UV finishes. I paint wings messily, dragging it outward from my eye. Line the red with pink, as though i’m conjuring the spirit of Tubby Custard. I paint, as though i’m brushing over trauma. Wet my eyeliner brush and add a graphic yellow line. Mixing yellow and red together like i’m purging demons. I re-watch Teletubbies for the first time as an adult as I paint. Smiling wistfully at the ignorance I once had. When I was young and couldn’t remember the noise that was going on around me. I hold onto the temporay joy, making it a part of my Veganuary 2026 toolkit.

What We Tried:

Po Wet Liner Palette

Laa-Laa Wet Liner Palette

Price: £15 instead of £24 per palette

Strawberry Shortcake X Scentbird

I discovered Strawberry Shortcake late, when my hands already knew how to shake. My smile pasted on, knowing when to disappear. I no longer had rose-tinted glasses, desensitized from the bad and ugly. I didn’t know her growing up. I discovered her by accident, as a young adult. Watching her arrive in a riot of pink-jam-bright, sugar-stained. Colours I gravitated towards, a whimsy that I couldn’t capture. Her clothes were playful, as she frolicked in Strawberry Land. A grandiose pink cap hiding ginger girls. A red strawberry dress and a white petticoat apron. Bloomers and green and white stockings. Brown shoes with pink bows. Her Berry Besties just as iconic:Orange Blossom, Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Muffin and Lime Chiffon. Together they would teach kids how to bake. Demonstrating girl power, leadership, and understanding that it’s ok to fail. For a kids cartoon character she had alot of values that I could learn. How to take yourself not too seriously. How to bake ( I can’t do that), and how to not get caught up in mistakes. She started first as a style icon. A pink fruit coord emblazoned with strawberries, oranges and grapes, tucked into red Mary Janes. A red puffa jacket and a red baker boy cap. Pink frilled socks with a secret bow. A red mini dress stretched over baby pink and white tights. Red ballet flats and a pink fedora. Strawberry earrings and a pink cupcake bag. I learned that colour was therapy. That joy was loud. That softness was healing. That attention didn’t draw hands. And now? I bottle up her fragrance. Strawberry Shortcake X Scentbird, fruity, sweet, whimsical. Erasing bruises that once littered my skin. Breathe in, breathe out. Opening with a fruity burst of strawberry jam. Wild strawberries mingling with bergamot zest. Underlining the vibrant fruit notes with a hint of tartness. I sniff again, vanilla shortcake with a splash of whipped cream. Spritzing across my pulse points. Letting the tension disappitate gently, soothing my soul. An 8ml vial that would last 30 days. I rationed the scent. Wished I could capture that child-like whimsy forever. Where trauma didn’t haunt my every move. A Veganuary 2026 must have for whimsy and fun.

MCoBeauty Makeup Must Haves 

Foundation clings like memory i’m losing. Nestled into fine lines that appear almost overnight. Wrinkles that speak of laughter. Eye bags that signal sleepless nights. Yet, despite the passage of time, i’m told I look young for my age. People startled when they see me without makeup. When my face is still. When I don’t crack a smile. When the youthful light still lingers on my skin. I’ve gone through many makeup phases. No makeup A sweep of mascara and light gloss on my lips. The uni days where I painted greens and blues up to my eyebrows. The neutral days of smoky brown eyes, with a nude lip. The rainbow era, where i’d paint sunset. Red and yellow bleeding into dark small eyes. Lengthening mascara, and dark brows. Rosy cheeks and shimmering highlighter. Red or pink lips, the ocassional purple too. And now? Most days when I put on makeup, my cheeks and eyes are the focus. Brick reddish-pink blush from cheek to temple. Silvery highlighter on my nose and cheeks. Pillarbox red lips and mascara on my eyes. But I want something more natural on days where I need my skin to breathe. Stripping it back, peeling away the heavy armour of expectation. Cheeks that would bloom like soft embers in dusk. Rosy-hued as though I was permenantly blushing. Foundation and lipstick lie abandoned. Reaching for cream sticks and liquid stains from MCO Beauty that’ll make my vision come to life. I splash cold water on my skin, groggy with sleep. Slather sunscreen and primer on dehydrated skin. I dab MCoBeauty Baby Face Multiuse Cream Stick in the shade ‘Lucy’ on the apples of my cheek. Infused with Jojoba Seed Oil and Coconut Oil, it feels like bliss. A deep rose, my cheeks glow with warmth. I dab and diffuse for a soft look. Wipe it across chapped lips ravaged by winter winds. A satin like finish, for a hint of colour. I put on clear mascara that lengthens my lashes. Eyebrow gel taming unruly hairs. Then there was Amalfi, a Summer Stick Cheek & Lip Cream. Sun-kissed radiance, I apply it to freshly moisturised skin. Made with Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol and Ceramides. Rose pink that was blendable and buildable. Lift my lashes with my favourite black mascara. Fill my brows in with dark brown pomade. Add rose pink to my cheeks, not lips this time. A liquid bronze highlighter that makes me feel like i’m sipping mocktails on the beach. But it is the Cheek & Lip Stain in Rosy Red, that captures my heart. A watery texture, I blend and layer it for a darker colour intensity. Applying it to the doe foot applicator with precision. It is rosy red, infused with Vitamin B5. It bleeds onto my cheeks, and lips like seduction. Swatch shimmering gold-bronze on my eyes. Black mascara, framing small eyes. Budget beauty essentials for natural Veganuary 2026.

What We Tried:

MCoBeauty Baby Face Multiuse Cream Stick – Lucy £4.50 instead of £6

MCoBeauty Cheek & Lip Stain – Rosy Red £6

MCoBeauty Summer Stick Cheek & Lip Cream – Amalfi £11

H Beauty Collection 

Dusk falls, cradling my skin in pink light. Standing before my glass mirrored wardrobe. Watch the ragged breaths punctuate my lungs. See the deer in a headlights expression in my wounded eyes. Breathe in for three through the nostrils. Try and clamp down the feeling to swallow air. Breathe out for three through the mouth, with a pointed sigh. A white and gold tube between my hands. H Beauty’s Tinted moisturiser, warm and tactile. In the shade Sunbaked, I conjure images of summer in my mind. Golden sand beaches, I imagine what it feels like between my toes. How the sun looks after me, my cheeks blushed with red. The tide coming in, teal blue lapping at my legs. I close my eyes, pretend that winter hasn’t ravaged my skin. Sunbaked infused with Moringa and saffron. I apply cream the tips of my fingers. Press it into my cheeks, a meditation in motion. Into a face that demands to feel not mask. Letting a natural smile play on my lips. The moringa promises to soothe redness. It tells me that it’ll drink the dryness from my skin. It’s dewy, not heavy. Inhaling as my chest expands. Emptying the clatter of yesterday. I slow my mind, let my breath anchor my hands to the present. My skin is flushed, not dull and dry. I massage my cheeks, melt away the tension. And then, I tremble. Revisiting something that scares me. Reaching for the Long Lasting Kohl Eyeliner in the shade Midnight Storm. It’s inky black, like a sky without stars. 10 years since I painted black eyeliner. Traumatized by harsh lines, small eyes disappearing into sallow flash. My face swallowed in heavy ink. But now? I exhale, tracing light beneath black lashes.  Steadying my shaking hands, imagine i’m writing poetry. I attempt a classic winged eyeliner, with a small flick. Bringing the pencil across my upper lash line. Starting from the inner corner and moving outward. I’m not scared of what I see. The lines are precise. Highlighting my eyes like a memory refined. I gaze back in the wardrobe mirror and smile. A harmony of soft radiance and dark edge. I look glowy, but dramatic. For a Veganuary 2026 that champions holistic beauty. A marriage between skin and soul. Inspired by the deep traditions of Indian and Arab culture. Luxury products created by Halimah that made me feel empowered.

What We Tried: 

Tinted Moisturiser £22

Eyeliner £16

*Both available in other shades.

Vegan Home & Pets

Pets ( Dogs & Cats)

It’s The Dog’s Peanut Butter Balls 

My cousin’s dog is called Raymond. You know, after Captain Holt in Brooklyn 99. He’s black as moonless night. A sausage dog of silk and shadow. Whose ears are large and floppy. Framing a face that grins with mischief and soft affection all at once. He rolls over, gives his paw. A flash of energy across the garden. Chasing tennis balls with a squeaky yap. He curls up in my lap, his fur warm to the touch. Eyes closed in contented slumber, as I stroke his back. I can’t get over how glossy he is. He shines like velvet I want to bottle up and keep. Well groomed, there’s something about black cats and dogs that steals my heart. Their glossy fur. Their expressive eyes. His is dark like chocolate suns. His tail wriggling furiously, wondering what is in my mystery bag. I tease him a little as he sticks his nose in the bag. Grab It’s The Dog’s Peanut Butter Balls, made with natural ingredients. My cousin smiling, only feeding him food with the best quality ingredients. The peanut butter balls are high in protein, low carb and prebiotic. For a healthier gut, supporting growth and repair of muscles. Contributing to a sheeny-shiny coat and bettter digestion. Peanut butter rich in protein and healthy fats. Toasted pumpkin seed protein powder loaded wuth magnesium, zinc and iron. Chia seeds packed with Omega 3 fatty acids. Chicory Fibre for healthy gut bacteria and nutrient absorption. He gobbled it up with gusto. His eyes widened imploring me to give him more treats. I couldn’t resist his ‘puppy dog eyes’. The happy bounce in his chest. His wagging tail showing me how happy he was. As though he was smiling, showing me that pets could be part of Veganuary 2026 too.

Looking for vegan dog treats this veganuary 2026. It’s the Dogs peanut butter balls are super healthy.

Price: £18.99 for 10 bags

Mason Cash Feeding Time Accessories 

People would ask me constantly when I would have kids. Gesturing to their make-believe clock, telling me that time was running out. I’d roll my eyes at the fact that they skipped over children I already had. Three of them. Loki, Luna and Loki. Cats that I felt like I had birthed. People would tell me it wasn’t the same as having children, and i’d side eye them. In my eyes, my cats were my entire world. Loki, a sleek large black cat who acted like a dog, Who’d wag his tail when he was curious. Sharp green yes gazing at me innocently. Who’d follow me around the house begging for strokes and cuddles. Luna, the mischievous one. A tabby with green-yellow eyes. A smaller cat, she’d jump, do flips and chase Loki around the house. Nala, the fluffy one. Ginger, white and black with long fur. She looked like a mountain lion, with the attitude to match. I’d shower them with gifts, and affection. Cuddles as much as humanly possible, reading their moods. Luna nudging at my shoulder. I’d put my hand above her head and she’d bump it, hind legs outstretched. Loki on his back like a mini black panther. Paws up, asking me to stroke his chin. Nala curled up in a ball on her red blanket. Stroking her ears, she’d shudder in undisguised delight. Their cat bowls and accessories were just as ‘ colourful’ as them. From Mason Cash, a Cat Storage Pawtrait Tin, that reminded me of all three cats. Nala with orange pointy ears, on a white background. Wearing an orange turtleneck, I burst out laughing. Luna with green chunky glasses and a green striped turtleneck. Loki, rosy-cheeked with a fancy blue bow tie. I’d place their Dreamies in a tin. Watch them squabble, as i’d eke them out. ASMR, as the sounds of the biscuits went crunch, munch, crunch. The matching Pawtrait Cat Bowl was just as special. Heavy stoneware for stability and durability. Chip resistant, dishwasher safe and RSPCA approved. But it was the Ginger cat bowl that made me smile the most. Remembering when I first got it in May 2022. Detailing how much I wanted another cat. How we chose the ginger one, because that’s what Dan wanted our next cat to be. And in August 2022, Nala was adopted, making all our dreams come true.

Mason Cash’s range of cat friendly accesories are vegan and colourful.

What We Tried: 

Pawtrait Storage Tin £7.20 instead of £9

Pawtrait Cat Bowl £13.21

Ginger Cat Bowl £6

Vegan Candles

Neom Wellbeing Discovery Collection 

My eyes are heavy coffins, sockets still full of dream debt. I crawl, more corpse than human. Dragging myself into a 5am shower, my limbs a prison of skin and bone. I’m on autopilot, groggy, sick, burnt out. Wish I had a day where I could do nothing but play games, cuddle cats, and watch movies with my partner. I say that but my body thinks otherwise. The water hits like acid, scalding the ghosts I carry. Scrubbing at the prison wrapped around my chest. Suffocating me, I wonder if i’ll run out of oxygen. I open Neom’s Wellbeing Discovery Collection. Try and wipe away the molten guilt that drips down my throat. Clutching Neom’s Super Shower Power Body Cleanser as though my life depended on it. I change the temperature from hot to cold, spearmint, rosemary and eucalyptus cutting through the fog. I get dressed begrudingly. Mentally preparing for twelves hours of drain. Trying to ignore that my social battery has flatlined before i’ve even started. The twelfth hour comes and I breathe a sigh of relief. I can hear home calling me. I zone out the loud chatter on the tubes. Desensitize myself to the scent of BO, and smoke. Run a bath. Close my eyes and breathe in the steam. My black cat Loki pouncing on spiders that climb the walls. I lather Real Luxury Magnesium Body Butter into my tired skin. Whipped, fragrant with lavender, jasmine and sandalwood.  The first ever NEOM scent, I imagine myself under a sea of blossoms. Healing my soul, as I do a full body scan. Listening to the splash of my toes in the cooling water. The swish of the body butter gliding. The rustle of a black cat sitting beside me. I feel more grounded as I light the Happiness Scented Travel Candle. Neroli and mimosa, lemon in flickering flames. Smoke and scent, it reminds me what I need. What I deserve. A rare moment where I relish the act of self-care. Imagining that I am the flame. The air has teeth and I battle against it. Time dripping down my spine. As though it is a reminder that nothing is permenant. We all live and die. But somehow, despite the bleakness, my spirits are raised. I pad into the bedroom yawning. A tabby cat following behind me, rubbing against my leg. Wrapping myself up in a pink and blue duvet. The chill of winter burrowing into my achy bones. I spray Perfect Night’s Sleep Mist, and turn the lights off. The scent of freshly cut lavender lingering stubbornly. A dreamy blend of chamomile and patchouli loosening my muscles. Every tense sleep erased as I sink into velvet dark. Veganuary 2026 behind me, as I let demons fall like volcanic ash.

Price: £50 worth £65

Tesoro Candle Starter Set 

I revisit The Book of Azrael at midnight. In the lonely hour where I can’t sleep. So caught up on adrenaline,  I read one of my favourite books. Where Gods once fell and Dianna played with fire to save her sister. Imagining myself as fate, curling tight around every breath. I light the Tesero Candle Starter Kit in the scent ‘Delicate Cashmere’. Smiling at the ironic contrast. The candle, a fragile whisper of coconut and warm vanilla. Soft cashmere and cozy sandalwood. Scents that are meant to relax. That are meant to promote hygee. To unravel the knot of tension that pulls at my stomach. I fall back into the story, moving away from something that feels warm, safe and light. Beyond the gentle flicker of soft memory. Where Samkiel hides in exile. The old gods sept into realms of violence and divine ruin. Diana’s feet become stained with sacrifice. Walking through ash and betrayal. She is not flesh but immortal stitched stitched into mortal pain. An Ig’Morruthen carved by Kaden’s hand. Walking through shadowed ruins, where wind whispers of bones long buried. Monsters leering at her behind shattered pillars. Her teeth potrude, her feet pad as she flies. Wings bursting underneath her skin.  She tastes lives she cannot save. All to save her sister Gabby. Who lives, so she endures. The hours pass, and the candle flame gets weaker. I consider the connection. Tesero, female owned, women built. Diana, the anti-hero whose femininity is her super power. Delicate yet strong, just like the candle’s scent that haunts. Back into the story, Samkiel is summoned. Into a world he abadoned all those years ago. A love story between a villian and a hero. Neither, as they seem on the page. I close my book, I already know how this book ends. Re-reading for the 4th time. The candle is but a mere nub. The amber glow faded into oblivion. I put a refill into the ‘Forever Vessel’. A timeless glass design, with 24 fragrance options. It stays unlit until the next evening. Where I read until the morning scrapes away the inky darkness of night. There was a reason why there were three different candle sets in the Veganuary 2026 guide.  Something that helped me read. That helped me push away the shadows that choked my light.

What We Tried:

Candle Starter Set (Delicate Cashmere) £32 instead of £37

Moo & You Signature Candle

On days where the anxiety gets too much, I imagine it as a candle. Temporary, unpermeable. Molten, shifting, black wax curling into obsidian towers. Sometimes the candles are pale as stolen moonlight. On days where my energy is leeched. Becoming a shell of my former self. Now, I am the candle. I sink into sagging flame. A creature of flame and scent. A shapeshifter. Sometimes, I am tall. Spilling cedar wood into hollowed rooms. My wick snapping with a dangerous crackle. Picturing my anxiety doing the same. Except now it shrinks. Albaster and soft florals. A hint of coconut, transported to a beach I once remembered. In winter, I am red and green. As though I can’t quite shake off Christmas. Flickering across surfaces that dare to block my light.  I shift again, into Moo & Yoo’s Signature Candle. Elegant, soft and velvety. A sharp contrast to the adrenaline that sparks my heart rate. I imagine that I am soothed. By the blend of powdery soft woods. Run into a forest and bathe under nature’s spell. Pretending that I know what relaxation feels like. That i’m happy in my own skin. I imagine that there is sophistication in the candle’s simplicity. A reminder that the smallest things can bring us joy. But still the thoughts are running wild, and I spin out of control. My flame gets larger, I can’t water it down. I change my perspective. Don’t try and turn the tide but roll with it. A vegan candle made with 100% natural and biodegradable soya wax from renewable sources. Packaged in a neat re-usable heavy weight glass tumbler with a bamboo lid. I am the candle who bottles up emotions. Whose ashamed to let go. It’s hard not to suffocate when you’re hiding under a lid. But still, I breathe. Listening to the gentle crackle and pop, as my flame extinguishes. I, the candle shapeshifter fold into it. Letting the scent seep into the shadows that no longer intoxicate me. A dark veganuary 2026 ritual of comfort and control.

Price: £35

What’s In Your Veganuary 2026 Survival Kit?

*Disclaimer

Please note I was gifted these products/ experiences in exchange for this Veganuary 2026 round up. But all thoughts are my own and are not affected by gifting.