cruelty free

So, lets get this out the way I am a meat eater. I do, though, try and keep the amount I eat under control and always buy responsibly sourced/free range meat and free range eggs.

However, I am dead set against animal testing for cosmetic and medicinal reasons. I just don’t understand how putting something into an animals eye or body would in any way show how a human would react. We are just not comparable to animals. It’s 2017, we surely already know what is harmful to humans by now and scientifically we have developed so many ways to test new ingredients on artificially grown skin?!?

There are also so many cruelty free brands and celebs that endorse cruelty free/vegan cosmetics which is great and makes it so easy to dress your face and pamper your body without feeling guilty.

I’ve always been against animal testing, its something my mom has always taught me and my siblings, but recently I’ve starting getting into makeup a bit more so have had to do my research to find good makeup brands. Here are my fav cruelty free beauty products that I am obsessed with right now…

GOSH was maybe one of the first brands I really got into for cruelty free makeup, and I still go back to them time and time again, I especially love the CC and BB creams in summer for a bit of a lighter coverage. Collection is always a go-to for me again, very affordable and I actually really like the products. I live by the Lasting Perfection Concealer but, really, who doesn’t?! I don’t have many Barry M items but I love this Colour Correcting primer, its a great base and really hides any redness. NYX is my new favourite for anything really! Great quality, great prices, great ethics! This Illamasqua foundation is the most money I’ve spent on one beauty item but sososo worth it,  I really want to invest in more, they are a relatively new brand but they only produce cruelty free items and some are vegan too.

I love eye makeup, mascara is usually my every day. Gosh mascara I’ve always loved, especially Rebel Eyes. Im just trying out this NYX one and we’re getting along quite nicely really. This Supercat Skinny eyeliner from Soap and Glory is the only one I’ll use now, its super thin so easy to apply and the formula really stays on all day. Im a DIY girl when it comes to my brows, I dye them at home, v v easy with this Eyelure kit. I love that they have kits and pencils of the same colour- v handy when. Eyelure’s parent company Original Additions has stated that they do not promote animal testing or direct distribution to China.

These Sleek highlight pallets (Solstice and Cleopatras kiss) give me life!! Seriously, the pigmentation is out of this world and the colours, I find, suit my super pale skin which is always a win. Sleek is a strict no animal testing company too! I’ve got a few of the eyeshadow pallets they produce too (too dirty to photograph haha) which I really really love and were the first ones I used when I got into smokey eyes etc.

Im still obsessed with matt liquid lips and think I will be for a while. The Sleek Matt Me ones are great and a few I think are great dupes for Kylie Cosmetics too. I started using these before NYX blew up in the UK and I do prefer these NYX ones, they have more colours to choose from and are less drying. Both formulas are creamy though! The Liquid Suede I haven’t used much but really like the formula and will most likely be purchasing more shades, I’m thinking of going peachy for spring/summer. This Palmers lip balm I live off, seriously all my friends know I love it and laugh at me every time I get it out. Palmers is also a great company- cruelty free and members of the global shea alliance and world cocoa foundation.

For skin care I love Superdrugs own brand- I always look out for spf in my cosmetics especially for my face and this intense moisture cream is a new staple of mine. It is so soft and creamy. Good things is an excellent company- they are always cruelty free and only use natural ingredients. This Tesco cleanser I love too, it’s like a cream based item and I can really see all the makeup I’m removing when I use it which is a must for me.

Its also important to me that the make-up brushes I use are cruelty free. I use a Zoeva set and Real Technique Bold Metals collection and the Real Technique sponge. All of Zoeva products are cruelty free and some vegan, I might start investing in some of their eye products too-the colours look insane! All Real Technique products are 100% cruelty free too.
If you aren’t sure if a brand tests on animals or not there are a few places you can look; http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/ultimate-guide-to-cruelty-free-makeup/
http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/list-of-cruelty-free-brands/
http://mybeautybunny.com/cruelty-free-brands/ . Google is also really helpful if you’re out and about, that’s what I use most of the time or just stick to brands I already know and love. The ‘Jumping Bunny’ is always a perfect indication of if a brand is cruelty free!

The EU has laws in place that ban the testing of animals for cosmetic reasons and also the selling of products that have been tested in the EU. However, this does not stop the sale of products and/or ingredients that have been tested outside the EU! An easy way to avoid animal cruelty is don’t support brands or buy any products that are sold in China, they have a strict law that all cosmetic products sold NEED to be tested. Completely backwards.

Something else that also needs to be taken into consideration is the Parent company of the brand you are buying. E.G: NYX was recently brought by L’oreal. Now NYX is a cruelty free brand, but L’oreal is not. I believe though that by buying from NYX I am still supporting the cruelty free side of things and hopefully L’oreal will change their ways soon. I have hopes that more and more brands will move towards not testing, I’ve even read and seen advertisements that Unilever (one of the biggest brands!) are working towards going cruelty free, which makes me feel a lot better when buying a Twister in summer! Haha!

I could write about cruelty free cosmetics for an absolute age! There are so many interesting ‘but’s’, ‘however’s’, and ‘also’s’ that you can keep on digging and still find out more. http://www.peta.org is probably the best place to go, there are also blogs and countless youtube videos that promote cruelty free too!

Thanks for popping by abitofPeace x