Happy Saturday, beautiful people.
Shall we talk about cruelty-free beauty products? Otherwise known as ‘make-up that hasn’t been tested on animals’. Instead of waxing lyrical about why you should opt for cruelty-free, I’m going to assume you’re already hoping to make the switch. If this is you, welcome to the club!
But with so many options out there, how do you choose what to buy? And how do you make sure you’re getting the same quality as your trusty high street brands?
I totally get that, I was worried about it too. But, for what it’s worth, I’ve been using way better quality products since I switched to cruelty-free! There tends to be fewer chemicals (like parabens and sulfates) and more natural ingredients, which your skin will undoubtedly appreciate.
I’ll be honest, it’s only been a few months since I started switched my high street favourites for cruelty-free replacements, so I’m no expert. Apologies if this list seems a little basic. But I didn’t want to recommend anything I hadn’t tried myself!
My favourite cruelty-free brands:
- Tarte
- NYX (great if you’re on a bit of a budget and now sold in Boots)
- Smashbox
- The Body Shop
- Charlotte Tilbury (the luxurious, fancy stuff)
- LUSH
- Anastasia Beverley Hills (it’s a cult classic).
NB: These brands might not offer absolutely everything you’re looking for – they’re just the ones I’ve tried and liked. There’s also Glossier, TooFaced, Kat Von D, Colourpop, Makeup Geek or ABH, if you fancy casting a wider net.
Ooh, and if you’re not sure whether or not your favourite brand is cruelty-free, PETA have a pretty handy database to check. You just type in the name and it’ll tell you whether they test on animals.
The cruelty-free products I’m using:
Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lipstick
This is my first fancy lipstick and I’ve already used about two-thirds of it! Since my lipsticks usually go out of date before I’m even half way through the bullet, this is a big thumbs-up from me.
Pillow Talk is a beautiful nude-pink colour, with a soft, creamy texture. I ordered a red liquid lipstick from Charlotte Tilbury this morning and I hope it’s as amazing as this. Choosing a shade you’ll wear everyday definitely helps offset the price-tag.
Tarte’s Shape Tape concealer
Ah, what would I do without this? Look proper spotty, I guess. In fairness, my skin has been better recently (maybe it’s waving goodbye to some of those chemicals!) but I’m very prone to hormonal break outs. This does a good job of hiding them (and my dark circles). I’m also liking Tarte’s Poreless primer (but I’m not sure it’s any better than the cheaper NYX primer).
Smashbox’s Studio Skin foundation
I try not to use a full face of foundation too often but when I need a little extra coverage, this is a saviour. It evens out my skin tone and helps hide any *ahem* problem areas. I just dab a bit on with a damp Beauty Blender for a dewier look.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter
Alas, it doesn’t make me look like Emma Stone (or whoever your chosen Hollywood starlet is) but it does make my skin glow. And not in the cheap-y powder or chunky glitter way. This is basically liquid gold. I wasn’t big on highlighters but this changed my mind.
Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara
It makes my eyelashes look HUGE. Plus it has some nice antioxidants, vitamins, and natural ingredients which condition and nourish your lashes. They don’t have that crunchy, stiff thing going on that most mascaras give them, so sometimes you’ll find me stroking my lashes, trying to work out if there’s actually any mascara on there at all.
Tarte’s Maneater eyeliner
Big fan of this for my signature winged-eye look. I also tried a mini version of their Sex Kitten eyeliner, which was also good! However, Maneater has a shorter nib (nib? tip?), which I think is easier to use!
NYX Ultimate eyeshadow palette
A good all-round eyeshadow palette, which comes in four different colour combinations. I’m a fan of these cool-neutrals – all the shimmery beige and pinks I could set my heart on! (And it works out to just £1 a colour, yay!)
Tutorial, anyone?
If you’d like to see me put these products on my face in a pleasing, yet awkward, fashion, take a look at this cruelty-free tutorial I need a couple of months ago:
Have you been considering the switch? Or are you already using cruelty-free make-up? If so, which are your favourites?
