When you decide to follow a vegan way of life it is not
just your food intake which changes but also your hair and beauty products
among many other things. It is no secret I am a product junkie. I love hair and
beauty products from styling to cleansing to make up I just adore it all! But
what I didn’t adore was finding out that most of my favourite brands were not
even cruelty free let alone vegan. In finding the balance between my believes
and being eco-friendly I decided to use up all my existing products and simply
replace them as needed with suitably vegan ones. I am pleased to say that
nearly 6 months into my vegan journey I am *very nearly* there, yay!! There has
been a lot of trial and error, a huge amount of reading and some very happy
break throughs which I am excited to share with you all. So let’s talk make up
–
When I first became vegan I realised at least 90% of my makeup
was not vegan or even cruelty free (sob!). As a former Make Up Artist and make
up junkie I had enough of the stuff to start my own shop! I was totally torn as
to what to do with it – on one hand it had cost me a small fortune and it was
not eco-friendly in any way just to bin it, and on the other I could not
knowingly use products that were tested on animals or were full of animal by-products.
Dilemma! Cue many hours of searching both the internet and my soul as to what
to do with it. As always, if you listen, the Universe will provide you with an
answer and that answer came in the form and wonderful lady called Caroline
Hirons (http://www.carolinehirons.com/p/give-and-makeup.html)
and a project she runs called ‘Give & Make Up’. By donating your unwanted make-up, toiletries
and baby products to Give and make Up they will distribute the products
directly to women who have experienced domestic abuse and are living in refuges.
Often when women flee domestic violence they have to leave everything behind
including non-essentials such as make up and this project helps them to help
them gain a bit of normality back in their life, and help them feel better
about themselves. I loved it and as I took five (yep FIVE) shoes boxes to the
post office I hoped that some of my past could help some ones future. So I was
left with a primer, mascara, a CC cream, an eye brow gel and the urge to go
make up shopping! After some trial and error I have narrowed it down to my 5
favourite vegan cruelty free make up brands……
Arbonne - www.arbonne.com
Pure, Safe & Beneficial. Arbonne is a highly
regarded, premium brand with Swiss heritage. The products are healthy,
botanically based & inspired by nature. Arbonne products are not tested on
animals & do not use animal by-products. All of their makeup is vegan and
packaged in an eco-friendly way. My favourite products are the primer, mascara,
CC cream and the eye brow gel.
Illamasqua - www.illamasqua.com
Illamasqua products have NEVER and will NEVER be tested
on animals. As such they don’t support or permit animal testing on any of their
products, and only work with suppliers who uphold these principles. Bringing
you high quality products that meet strict consumer health and safety regulations
is their priority, so the only alter egos they’ll ever test on are their own. Their
ingredients comply with the new European Cosmetics Regulation (EC) no 1223/2009
and they are proud to comply with applicable regulations in every country in
which Illamasqua products are sold, and where there is no industry-recognised
substitute that meets regulations and quality standards, they are committed to
continually working with expert sources to find alternative plant, mineral or
synthetic ingredients wherever possible. The range of make-up brushes are also
made entirely out of synthetic hair. My favourite products are the skin base
foundation, nail polish and the powder blusher.
Urban Decay - www.urbandecay.co.uk
Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand and is committed to
ending animal testing. They do not test their products on animals, nor do they
allow others to test on their behalf. Additionally, they require their
suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of products are not tested on animals. Urban
Decay is certified by both PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program (CCIC) as
cruelty-free. Urban Decay certifies that products marked vegan do not contain
any animal-derived ingredients. It is worth noting that within a product
category, such as eye shadows, some shades will be marked as vegan, and others
will not. However they do have an on-going initiative with laboratories to not
only create shades (and entire product lines) that are vegan from the start, but
also to identify which of the non-vegan products can be converted as
plant-derived or synthetic alternatives to animal-derived ingredients become
available. Urban Decay are committed to developing the same high-quality vegan products with rich
colour and texture, and aim to convert
all products to 100% vegan ingredients, so be on the lookout for new offerings.
My favourite products are the Naked Eye pallet and the lipsticks.
Eco Tools - www.ecotools.com
EcoTools is a leader in eco-conscience beauty products.
Their mission is to empower women to look and feel their best, every day. Helping
women look beautiful, live beautifully and make socially responsible choices is what EcoTools is all about. Their products
are 100% cruelty free, feature recycled aluminium and renewable bamboo. They
also run a fabulous project called The Girl Projecy - #MyTrueBeauty – it is more than just makeup,
it's a movement. From living a more sustainable life by using EcoTools brushes,
to supporting the growth and development of women around the globe, they're
helping to make the world a better, more beautiful place. By sharing your
message of women's empowerment on social media using #MyTrueBeauty and tagging
@EcoTools, and they will donate $1 to The Girl Project, up to $100,000. My
favourite products are the contouring brush and the slanted lip brush.
Tarte – tartecosmetics.com
Tarte cosmetics are a cruelty-free cosmetics line. Tarte
makeup and skincare is never tested on animals. All ingredients and finished
formulas Tarte uses are tested and based on US FDA requirements before being
imported to the US. They only work with highly reputable laboratories and
factories that meet the strictest GMP standards, which is an international
grading scale for cleanliness and the environment for workers that abide by a
strict code of standards. They also test each product their selves to match
their quality standards. Additionally, they are an approved PETA participant. My
favourite products are the cheek stains, lip glosses and eye pallet.
Of course there are lots more amazing vegan and cruelty
free brands such as Barry M, NYX and E.L.F so the choice and shopping potential
is endless!
Last but not least all beautiful make up products should
have an equally fabulous make up bag to live in and my vote goes to those made
by Key To Freedom (http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/clothing-427/key-to-freedom-3883024?geoip=noredirect#)
and sold (not for profit) in Topshop. Key to Freedom is a charity that supports
vulnerable women to be given a new life through enterprise in Bengladesh, India. Each garment is handmade
and signed by a rescued woman. For each garment that you purchase, a payment is
made directly to her, enabling her to make steps towards building a new life.
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