I picked up all of the vegan products related to my zodiac sign, which includes the Color Icon Lip Gloss in "Capricorn", Highlighting Bar in "Earth" and MegaGlo Loose Highlighting Powder in "Written in the Stars".

When thinking of an accompanying dessert inspired the attributes of Capricorn, I was immediately drawn to the idea of simple flawless Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan of course). 

I think Wet n Wild has some of the best quality products at the drugstore, and I end up using quite a lot of their makeup in my daily routine. ​ I also absolutely love how their vegan products are labeled...it makes it so fun and easy to shop! 

MegaGlo Loose Highlighting Powder, "Written in the Stars", $6.99- This highlighting powder may be the most intense highlighter I've tried from the drugstore, ever. It's a shimmery champagne which blends into the skin beautifully, creating a perfect blindingly luminescent glow. I also love that the powder sifter is designed with little star cutouts...so cute!

Highlighting Bar, "Earth", $6.99- This is a pressed highlighter in a gorgeous flattering hue. It has more gold in it than "Written in the Stars", and the two highlighters layer beautifully over one another. "Earth" also works well as eyeshadow, or patted over the center of the eyelids for added dimension and shine.

Color Icon Lip Gloss, "Capricorn", $2.99- I'm so thrilled Wet n Wild chose this stunning flattering pink copper shade to represent Capricorn. It's not sticky at all, and is formulated with "argan, macadamia, and jojoba oils"! This will definitely be going in my purse to spice up my look when I have the midday doldrums. 

As soon as I saw the cool geometric shapes in the Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette, I immediately thought of making gilded gemstone chocolate bonbons. I found this silicone gem mold and filled it with a homemade vegan chocolate mixture and edible bronze and pink glitter for added glamour. 
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Ingredients
​1/2 cup finely chopped cocoa butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup sifted Dutched cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt 
edible glitter (optional but awesome)

Directions
Place molds or mini cupcake liners on a small baking sheet or cutting board. Sprinkle edible glitter into molds.

Add approximately 2 inches of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and place a medium glass or ceramic bowl on top (not touching the water) to create a "double boiler". Of course, if you already have a double boiler, please feel free to use that instead!

Add the cocoa butter to the bowl and melt, stirring with a heatproof spatula.

Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup. Adjust the sweetness of your chocolate by adding more or less syrup.

Whisk in cocoa powder until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Add any optional flavorings such as vanilla extract, citrus zest, salt and nuts. I added vanilla extract and Himalayan pink salt crystals...because crystals.

Pour chocolate into molds or mini cupcake liners and transfer to the freezer or refrigerator. It should take about 10 minutes for the chocolate to harden, but I recommend allowing the chocolate to harden for a few hours before attempting to take it out of the molds.

Remove the chocolate from the molds and optionally sprinkle with additional edible glitter and/or sea salt. Enjoy!

Aether Beauty is a brand new vegan and cruelty free beauty brand which uses clean ingredients and sustainable packaging. I was so excited to receive their new Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette, which contains actual rose quartz!
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In keeping with my "Recipe and Review" series, there is an accompanying vegan recipe for Gemstone Chocolate Bonbons, heavily inspired by the Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette.

The Aether Beauty Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette, $58, includes 12 shades in "ultra-matte, shimmer, duo-chrome and metallic finishes".  It is formulated with incredible ingredients including organic coconut oil and organic shea butter for a "smooth buttery texture", as well as organic rose hip oil and of course rose quartz powder.

I cannot take any credit whatsoever for the incredible doughnut recipe, as it is from The Kale Sandwich Show on YouTube! Their instructional video is super awesome and makes creating doughnuts much more doable.

I embellished their already perfect pillowy treats with added pink pitaya (dragon fruit) frosting and vegan sprinkles.
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The Kale Sandwich Show Doughnut and Glaze Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast + 2 tablespoons warm water + pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons warm water
3/4 cup of milk alternative of your choice (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Organic Almondmilk with Cashew)
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon vegetable shortening (I replaced this with cold vegan butter)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (+1 teaspoon for glaze)
4 tablespoons vegan butter
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
*hot water as needed to thin out glaze
​oil for frying

The Vegan Spy Frosting Ingredients 
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon pink pitaya (dragon fruit) powder
vegan pastel sprinkles (optional)
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Directions
First, combine yeast with warm water and sugar and set aside for about 10 minutes. 

Then combine flax meal with warm water and set aside for the same amount of time.

Using a standing mixer with a dough hook or by hand in a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour with the yeast mixture, flax meal mixture, non-dairy milk, organic sugar, salt, cold vegan butter/vegetable shortening and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Gradually add in the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour. Once fully incorporated, continue to knead for about 5 minutes.

Place the ball of dough into an oiled bowl and cover. Allow dough to double in size...this usually takes about 60 minutes.

Once risen, punch the dough down and roll it out onto a floured work surface to about 1/2" thick. Cut doughnut shapes and allow to rise for another 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

While the doughnut shapes are rising, prepare the cute pink frosting! Mix together 1 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk and 1 teaspoon pink pitaya powder until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Heat 1 inch of oil to about 350 degrees in a pot or pan. (I recommend a tall pot, long gloves, heatproof barbecue tongs and glasses for added safety against splatters). Gently place the doughnuts into the oil and fry for 45-60 seconds or until dough floats and is golden. (My doughnuts were smaller and therefore fried quicker). Carefully flip and fry the other side for an additional 45-60 seconds. Remove from oil (with heatproof tongs) and place on a rack or paper towel to cool and drain excess oil. Resist the temptation to try them for at least 5-10 minutes to avoid burning yourself!

As the doughnuts are cooling, combine glaze ingredients. In a small pot on medium heat, stir together 4 tablespoons vegan butter, 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Add hot water as needed to thin out glaze to your desired consistency. 

Dip both sides of the doughnuts in the glaze and set them onto parchment paper. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Finally, dip one side of the doughnuts in the pink pitaya frosting and set them back onto the parchment paper. Optionally, sprinkle on vegan pastel sprinkles and allow to cool for a few more minutes. Enjoy!

When I first laid eyes on the Creepy Cute Palette, I was instantly drawn to it since it's unlike anything else I own. And of course, I knew it would be a perfect palette for me to try and review here on The Vegan Spy.

Those tantalizingly pink sweets pictured above aren't just props...they're actually homemade Glazed Yeast Doughnuts with Pink Pitaya Frosting I made to go along with this adorable palette and keep all you foodies thoroughly entertained. 

The Strobe Cosmetics Creepy Cute Eyeshadow Palette, $35, vegan and cruelty free, is filled with eight matte neon pastel shadows. They are all incredibly soft and crazy pigmented. I find that the shades show up on the eyes almost exactly as they appear in the pans, which is really awesome.

"Tombstone"- A true gray- As described, it's a quintessential matte gray eyeshadow, ideal for blending out cool toned smokey eye looks. It's beautiful as eyeliner too!

"Planchette"- A lavender- Purple is one of my absolute favorite eyeshadow colors, so I am thrilled to add this soft pastel lavender to my collection. It is a stunning subtle transition shade with deeper heliotrope shades.

"Creep It Real"- The perfect minty green- This is such a fun tropical shade. It pairs beautifully with Strobe Cosmetics Single Eyeshadow in "Azura" for a magnificent monochrome teal moment.

"Cold Shoulder"- A sky blue- If Tippi Hendren in The Birds had her own eyeshadow, this would be it! Such a perfect pigmented 60s blue.

"Strawberry Milk"- A creamy baby pink- I love this as an unconventional blending shade. I also used it mixed with "Third Eye" as an understated blush, 

"Tank a Hint"- A soft chartreuse- I never knew I needed a matte neon green eyeshadow until this one. It is so much fun, and I love pairing it with Strobe Cosmetics Single Eyeshadow in "Vigor", which is a metallic neon green.

"Void"- The blackest black- This is such a good dark true black eyeshadow! Like "Tombstone", it's also perfect as eyeliner.

"Third Eye"- A soft tangerine- Somehow "Third Eye" looks great with both warm and cool toned eye looks. I also love using this shade blended out as blush for a soft peachy glow.
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​Because I was so enamored with the pastels in the Little Twin Stars Palette, I was inspired to create an accompanying recipe featuring the pink and blue from the collection. Enter my pink velvet cupcakes with blue kiwi frosting. I used natural vegan ingredients to create the colors, and I am so thrilled with how they turned out!
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​
Ingredients
1 cup vegan butter, softened (+ 1 cup for frosting)
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (+ 1/2 teaspoon for frosting)
1 teaspoon beetroot powder and/or natural pink food coloring
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
​1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-dairy milk 
16 oz powdered sugar
1 kiwi, puréed and strained (this should yield about 1.5 tablespoons green kiwi juice) 
1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder or natural aqua food coloring
vegan pastel sprinkles (optional)


Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a mini muffin pan with teensy weensy paper liners (I opted for bubblegum pink which faded to a pastel peach color in the oven). 

Using a standing mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together 1 cup vegan butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add in 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (this is our miracle healthy egg replacer), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon beetroot powder and/or natural pink food coloring until you reach the cutest shade of pink. For natural food coloring I like the "Nature's Colors" set from India Tree. Another great option is pink pitaya (dragon fruit) powder. This is the wet mixture. 

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. This is the dry mixture.

Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, alternating along with 1 cup non-dairy milk until smooth.

​Spoon slightly less than a tablespoon of batter into each lined mini muffin cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Now it's time for that super fun kiwi frosting. In a standing mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together the remaining 1 cup vegan butter with 16 oz powdered sugar (which is really 2 cups but I always list it as 16 oz since that's how it is listed on the bag or box of powdered sugar). Add in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or more to taste), plus the kiwi (juice) and spirulina powder or natural food coloring. If the kiwi makes your frosting too runny, you can always add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Chill the frosting until the cupcakes are completely cool and ready to frost.

For my frosting technique, I used a piping bag and large star tip in a circular motion on each cupcake. You can also go old school and simply spread frosting on with a knife. Optionally, top cupcakes with celestial pastel sprinkles.

​Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy!

I absolutely loved the Feline Fancy collection that Sugarpill released last year, so I was very excited to see they had teamed up with Sanrio Little Twin Stars to create another vegan palette, this time filled with unique pastel colors. 

AND for those of you that only come here for the treats, I also made a recipe for these adorable Pink Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Kiwi Frosting, inspired by the eyeshadow palette.

Now back to the makeup. Unlike the Feline Fancy collection, the shades in this palette are exclusive to this collection and will not be released individually. The full Sugarpill Little Twin Stars Makeup Collection, $79, also includes two matte-to-sparkle liquid lip colors and an adorable keepsake makeup bag which is only available with the full collection. 
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The Sugarpill Little Twin Stars Eyeshadow Palette, $38, comes with six eyeshadows (two foiled, two frosted, one sparkle and one matte). Once again, Sugarpill totally nailed it with their amazing packaging and killer formulas. In playing with them, I learned that the foiled and sparkle shades work best when applied with fingers or with a dampened brush. All of the shades are truly unique and unlike anything else I have.

Why have one coffee shake recipe when you can have two? This one features my new favorite flavor from Nadamoo!: Caramel Cold Brew & Cookies (otherwise known as "The Three Cs"), topped with melted Cocomels and crushed cookies.
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Now truth be told, I didn't get the buzz about coffee until this year (gasp). BUT I recently started frequenting my local coffee shops, and I think it's safe to say I'm a convert. As such, I figured it was about time I made a recipe featuring those magic beans.

Lately I've been drinking Canyon Coffee, and I immediately thought of incorporating the smooth caramel flavor of their Tatama blend into a sweet and creamy shake, along with So Delicious' ridiculously perfect Cold Brew Coffee ice cream.
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Ingredients
1 pint vegan coffee ice cream (I used So Delicious Cold Brew Coffee)
3/4 cup fresh brewed coffee (I used Canyon Coffee Tatama)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk 
1/2 cup ice
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
vegan whipped cream
pinch of cinnamon
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Directions
Blend together ice cream, coffee, non-dairy milk, ice and optional maple syrup until velvety smooth.

​Pour into glasses and top with vegan whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It's that simple. Enjoy!
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The chain we all love to hate is at it again with a new "Crystal Ball Frappuccino", a "mystical, turquoise peach infusion blended beverage topped with peach flavored whipped cream and one of three different candy gems that reveal your fortune." This was super easy to veganize with real fruit, coconut milk and a little spirulina for a touch of turquoise magic!
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Ingredients
1 cup frozen peaches
1 frozen banana
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconutmilk)
1/2 cup tropical fruit juice (I used orange peach mango juice)
2 tablespoons agave
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon spirulina or E3Live Blue Majik
1 cup ice
coconut whipped cream
colored sugar sprinkled on top