Cruelty Free Makeup (+ List Of Brands!)

Hi!

 

Today I wanted to make a post on something that is slightly different...

 

All my life I've been an animal person and we've always had lots of pets. Because I am very concerned about animal welfare I recently did some research into makeup brands and animal testing.

I was quite shocked to see so many of the big name brands that still smear their cosmetics over animals unnecessarily.

 

(Just a little picture of the guinea pigs I had as a kid...

I think this photo itself shows two good reasons not to test on animals.)

 

 

Personally, no company that poisons, blinds and kills animals is going to get my support, or my money for their products.

 

According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) there are more than 1100 companies that have agreed to ban animal tests forever - and with good reason. There are far better alternatives that are cheaper, faster and obviously more ethical. Now thanks to science, artificial substances can be created that can mimic living cells, so surely poisoning a rabbit with chemicals is no longer necessary?

 

Unfortunately some major brands still beg to differ.

I read a rather disturbing article the other day about how Revlon (despite claiming to be cruelty free for years) are now selling products to countries that require animal tests by law, meaning that countless more animals will suffer.

I personally won't go near another Revlon stand until this changes.

If you're interested, you can read the full article from PETA here:

http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/tags/Revlon/default.aspx

 

Anyway...onto a happier note :)

 

There are many companies that HAVE decided to stop testing on animals and instead use alternative methods. I think they deserve a mention here!

Here is a quick list of just a few of the brands that are cruelty free...these are only a few of the brands and ones that I use or I know a lot of people use.

 

• E.L.F Cosmetics
• Makeup Geek Cosmetics
• GOSH
• Lime Crime
• NYX
• OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics)
• Barry M Makeup
• Physicians Formula
• Smashbox
• Stila
• Sugarpill Cosmetics
• Tarte
• Too Faced Cosmetics
• Urban Decay
• Rimmel *
• Wet N Wild
• MUA Cosmetics *
• Accessorize Cosmetics*
• Sleek Makeup*
• Boots 17*
• Boots No.7 *

Obviously these are just a few brands...I have a huge list written down to remind me which brands I can buy without feeling guilty!

I'd thoroughly recommend checking out this link:

 http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/default.aspx

Here not only can you access a full list of brands that DONT test on animals, you can find a list of brands that DO so you know what to steer clear from.

I'm disappointed to find out that both Maybelline and L'Oreal test on animals too...I will use up any remaining products I have from them but I refuse to buy anymore and I always completely ignore their stands when I'm shopping.

 

The brands with an asterisk are either ones that I contacted personally to find out if they tested on animals or ones that claimed on the website they were cruelty free.  They weren't on either PETA list. The ones I emailed responded saying that they did NOT test on animals, but the reason for them not being on the PETA lists is unclear.

 

Anyway...enough rambling ;) I hope those who read this will be inspired to be wary of which brands their buying from and I hope you will also check out those lists to learn more about which brands are cruelty free!

 

Happy guilt-free makeup shopping!

Thanks for reading :)

Libby x


*EDIT*
I recently found this website and thought that it would be useful to post here seeing as it offers cruelty free brands all in one place and all available to the UK! Here it's tricky to get some of these brands so I thought I'd put a link to help any other people here in the UK get cruelty free brands too!

http://www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk/

 

Makeup Look: Quick & Classic Eye

Hi!

 

Today I have a makeup look to show you that I actually didn't wear myself.

 It was our school prom/ball the other week and my beautiful friend Nicole agreed that I could do her makeup for her....after me promising I wouldn't turn her into an orange weirdo with two black eyes ;)

 

I decided to use the Urban Decay Naked Palette for this look, and taking into account her dress colour I created this smokey look that is also still quite light and classic!

 

 

 

 

Here are the products I used:

 

 

Face:

 

Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse

E.L.F HD Powder

E.L.F Blush in Shy

E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

 

Eyes:

 

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin

Urban Decay Naked Palette (shades listed below)

17 Photo Flawless Eye Pencil in Copper

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero

 

 

I think the face speaks for itself: I wanted products that would last a while and look great all night!

I'm really loving the Rimmel primer and I especially think that the E.L.F HD Powder is great for photos! I also thought the E.L.F blush and highlight stick were great for adding a bit of colour to the face.

 

For the eyes I used the UD primer in Sin to keep the shadows lasting all night.

From the Naked palette I used the shade Toasted all over the lid and then added Hustle to the outer edge of the lid.

I then added Creep to the outer v to darken the edges.

I took a fluffy blending brush to dust the shade Virgin in the very inner corner and under the brow bone.

I then lined the top lash line with the 17 liner and then set that liner with Darkhorse from the UD palette.

I then lined the bottom lash line with the UD liner in Zero.

I then finished with mascara!

 

So there you go, thank you for reading!

I think this is a quick and easy look that although looks like it takes a lot of steps, it's very simple and hard to get wrong. I also think it looks very classic and not too dramatic!

 

Libby x

*REVIEW* Collection 2000 Super Size Fat Lash Mascara

Hi!

 

I have a review today on a product that I recently featured in a haul video recently:

the Collection 2000 Super Size Fat Lash Mascara.

That's a bit of a mouthful!

 

Oh. It's now just called "Collection"......I appear to have missed that memo.

Oh well, I prefer the name Collection 2000 ;)

 

 

Ok I won't lie to you...I was attracted to this because of the bright pink tube.

I'm not a pink person, but I do like the way this looks in my mascara drawer!

 

This retails for £2.99 and the colour I have is Black, although it also comes in Black/Brown and Ultra Black.

 

 

The wand is your traditional bristle wand...nothing fancy or different!

You do get quite a clump on the end of the wand so you do need to be aware that you need to wipe that off before using it.

 

Here are some "before" pictures of my lashes....I was wearing a fairly neutral eye look today so thought it would be a good opportunity to show this mascara so you could really see how it performs!

 

 

 

And here are the after pictures!

 

 

 

As you can hopefully see, this adds quite a bit of definition and length to the lashes, as well as some volume.

 

 "Super size your lashes!

Super volumising mascara for big, bold lashes!"

 

Hmm..

Considering this is marketed as a really volumising product, I'm not sure it lives up to it's name entirely.

This does give a decent amount of volume and is good for everyday purposes, however the volume isn't amazing and for a more dramatic look this just wouldn't make my lashes stand out too well.

However the lengthening is good and they don't clump up too badly either.

 

The formula seems to be pretty wet and I've noticed when applying this that no matter how careful I am, I always get some transfed to the crease of my eye when I'm putting on this mascara.

This is a bit of a pain generally although not a major problem.

Once it's on I didn't notice flaking or smearing but I generally don't have a problem with that in any mascara!

 

So overall?

I like the length this gives, and although it does clump on the second coat it doesn't clump on the first coat.

The volume it gives is decent and this mascara does work well on an everyday basis but for more dramatic looks this just wouldn't give enough "oomph" to the lashes.

 

Would I buy again?

Probably not as I have found other mascaras that I really like (Stila Fibre Optics) but I'll happily use up the rest of the tube!

 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my review.

Libby x

 

*REVIEW* E.L.F Custom Eyes Palette & Shadows

Hi!

 

Nearly coming to the end of my reviews for the E.L.F haul that I did a few weeks back....just one more review after this one! :)

 

Basically you buy the compact separately and then fill it with 4 pans, either eye shadows or lip colours. As an eye person, I chose shadows!

 

 

Here is the compact...

 

And here are the 4 shadows that I picked to go in it!

 

 

First up is a shade called Aubergine...

 

 

Pink Ice

 

 

Moondust

 

 

And finally Golden Glow!

 

Both the compact and the shadows cost £1.50 each, but due to a sale at the time I got the shadows for 45p! :)

 

 

 

In terms of the compact itself, I really like it!

It feels sturdy, it clips closed well, comes with a decent mirror and although I don't use sponge tip applicators much its a nice touch that is good for emergencies!

Personally I'd prefer a black coloured compact (white gets dirty so easily) but that's just me nit picking!

 

All of the shadows are magnetic and so fit into the compact well.

 

So what about the shadows?

 

Here are some swatches! These are over a primer.

 

 

From top:

 

Pink Ice:

Although this doesn't show up well on the swatch because it's light, this is probably my most used shade! It's a pale pink shade with some shimmer that makes a really good highlight! I like to use this on my inner corner and under my brow bone. I really like this shade!

 

Moondust:

This is quite an unusual taupe colour that has some slight shimmer.

It's an interesting neutral colour that is good for everyday but it is a bit dusty and powdery and not one of my favourites. However it is still useful. It does tend to blend away a bit so you do have to be careful.

 

Golden Glow:

This is probably my least favourite colour but that's only because the shade doesn't work so well with my skin tone. When you're buying online it's hard to see the colour of things and I think on the website it looks more shimmery than it actually is so if it did have that shimmer I think I'd like it more.

It's a bit too orange-y for my liking but it does have good pigmentation, its just not a colour I'd reach for a lot.

 

Aubergine:

One of my favourites!

This dark purple again has some shimmer and this is the most pigmented of the 4!

This is really pretty- a great dark and sultry shade! The colour payoff of this is just great.

 

Overall, I think the idea of creating your own quad is really fun to play around with and I really like the idea!

The compact is really great and I'm a big fan of it.

My favourite shades out of the ones I picked out are Pink Ice and Aubergine, but the other 2 are pretty good too.

 

So no disappointments with this! I hope to get another little palette and try out some other colours soon!

 

Thanks for reading! Have you created a custom palette from E.L.F?

Libby x

 

5 Products I Regret Buying!

Hi!

 

I think that even though positive reviews on things are very useful, I find that a negative review on a product can be just as informative.

Hence, I decided to compile a quick little list of the top 5 products that I have really regretted wasting money on.

 

 

These aren't in any order!

Basically I was choosing products that I really dislike using.

There are loads of products in my collection that I'm not 100% in love with, but these are the ones I really regret buying!

 

1) BD Designer Eyes in Lapis

 

 

At the time I got this, I thought it was a good idea to have the places for the shades stamped on and it reminded me of the Wet N Wild eye shadows. I seem to remember picking this up in Tesco for around £3/4.

 

 

Can you even call these swatches?

The "Shade" shade (?) had pretty much no pigmentation, it looked like dust on my eye.

The "Shape" shade had more pigmentation but the strip in the trio was so tiny it was damn near impossible to get any on a brush.

The "Shine" was the least awful of the three and I would actually use this as a brow bone highlight occasionally...if the darker shade next to it didn't keep messing it up.

 

Basically, all three shades had bad pigmentation, the texture was rock solid and I really didn't like this. It's been sat at the back of my eye shadow drawer since.

 

2) Benefit Boi-ing Concealer

 

I'm not keen on this, it was pricey too.

 

 

Of all 5 this is probably the product I dislike the least, but I'm still not happy with it.

This stuff is greasy as hell, it slides around on your face and if you put it under your eyes it just cakes up and creases badly. You need so much powder to cover up the shininess it leaves that you just end up with a cakey mess.

And on top of that, it doesn't even cover that well. Eek.

 

You can see that I've actually hit pan on this, but that's not actually an amazing feat. There's around 3g of this (compared to the 7g in MAC Studio Finish) and because the pan is so big you actually hit the metal pretty quickly.

The only thing I use this for now is for muting out the natural colour of my lips when I use a lip colour and even then I use the tiniest bit.

For £16.50, I expected better.

 

3) Accessorize Primer

 

 

It's such a shame that I don't like this because I've tried other products from Accessorize (eg their nail polishes and eye shadows) and loved them.

 

I've done a full review of this HERE if you want to have a read...its...er....less than favourable.

 

The first problem I have with this is the packaging.

Even when I bought it new, there was a lot of air in the actual packaging, combined with the ridiculously large opening in the tube, this creates ultimately a very messy experience.

Far too much primer leaks out, gets everywhere and then you have to waste it.

 

And on top of that, its pretty greasy feeling and doesn't do anything in the way of helping foundation or concealer lasting longer.

 

Definitely not a product I will be repurchasing, unfortunately. 

It does slightly improve the pigmentation of certain eye shadows, and so sometimes I use it for swatching (where it doesn't matter so much that so much primer leaks out because I need a lot) but basically I'll be pleased when this is finished up.

 

4) Barry M Glitter Liquid Eyeliner (13)

 

 

I don't remember ever liking this.

Again, I LOVE most of Barry M's products. Their Dazzle Dusts are incredible and I love their Nail Paints.

However this for me was just a dud.

I think you can probably see from the photo, this completely dried out and there is very little actual product in the tube.

It's strange because when I bought it I remember there being liquid glitter actually inside the tube, but this crafty little devil seems to have dried up before I even properly got a chance to use it.

It's vanishing act is better than some magicians I've seen.

 

I'm not sure this counts as a swatch...but this is all I can get out of this little tube and I think all I've ever been able to get out of it. *sigh*

It looked so pretty in the tube when I first bought it too.

 

5) L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine Holographic Liquid Lips (Gold Rose 86)

 

 

 

 

Last but not least(....well...technically all of these products are "least" but you get my drift) is this lipgloss.

 

I'm going to cut straight to it: This stuff smells. And it's not a gone off smell it's an intentional smell.

The scent that they have given this is strong and nauseating. It reminds me of some kind of yogurt that's been given a fake berry scent to it. To me, it's far too strong and just not nice. It also hangs around ages after you've applied it.

 

I just put some of this on to see if it was as bad as I remember (haven't used it in ages) and yes it is.

The smell is too strong but also it's heavy and thick and just generally isn't a nice product.

 

 

So...there you go! I think that's enough ranting about makeup products for one day ;)

 

What are your makeup regrets?

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

Makeup Look: Fire & Water

Hi!

 

I have a new makeup look today, created using mainly products from one of my favourite brands, Sleek! :)

 

 

I noticed as I added the final pop of blue on the water line how much this reminds me of a look that Meredith Jessica (an awesome makeup artist on youtube, i definitely recommend checking her out!) created, I think hers was called "golden sunrise".

Her's had a lot more golden tones on the lid, whereas mine was created using mainly reds so the looks are quite different, but I could really see similarities!

I called this look Fire & Water because that's what it reminds me of! The deep reds and orange on the lid reminds me of fire. I wasn't planning on adding the blue but in the palette i was using I spotted a bright blue and decided it would just go perfectly along the bottom lashline! 

 

 

Here are the products I used!

 

Sleek Creme To Powder Foundation (Review coming soon!)

Sleek Ink Pot Gel Eyeliner in Dominatrix

NYX Eyeshadow Base in White

E.L.F Eyelid Primer

Barry M Khol Pencil 30

 

 

For the shadows I used this I-Divine Eyeshadow Palette from Sleek.

Unfortunately it was from a limited edition collection last summer (?) called the Mediterranean Collection and the palette is called Monaco but after looking online it seems that if you're lucky there might be some floating around that you can grab.

 

Otherwise, if you didn't pick up one of these palettes, most of the colours can be substituted for various shades in the 120 palettes or the 88 colour palettes, so just use what you have! :)

 

 

 

After applying the E.L.F primer to my lids, on a flat stiff brush I applied the colour Sunset which is a gorgeous red toned, deep bronze colour. I applied this to the outer half of the lid and then uesd the colour next to it, Washed Ashore on the inner half and blended.

On a small brush I used Moors Treasure (the dark burgundy colour) to the crease and blended it out with a crease brush.

I used the Barry M Pencil on the very inner corner as a base for the Bamboo shade that I applied as a highlight. I also used Bamboo under my brow bone.

I lined my top lashline (only halfway along) with the Sleek gel liner, winging it out slightly.

Then I took a tiny brush and the NYX shadow base and applied this carefully along the water line.

I then topped that with the shade Humming Bird, a beautiful blue colour with some gold shimmer in it.

And then I finished with mascara!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my look!
Thank you for reading :)

Libby x

*REVIEW* E.L.F High Definition Powder

Hi!

I have a review of the E.L.F High Definition Powder today, a product that is believed to be a dupe for the MakeupForever HD powder but at a much lower price! :)

 

I haven't tried the Makeup Forever Powder (their products are very hard to get here in the UK) so I can't give a direct comparison but I can definitely give you my thoughts on this powder!

 

This powder costs £6.00 from www.eyeslipsface.co.uk and mine says Translucent on the sheet that came with my order and Sheer on the packaging...so I'm guessing it means the same thing.

On the website it says that this also comes in Shimmer and Corrective Yellow.

 

On the packaging it says that:

 

"Masks fine lines for a radiant complexion.

 The high definition loose powde creates a "soft focus" effect to the skin.

The incredibly soft and invisible powder is great for on camera and everyday wear.

The microfine particles are designed to be used with high-definition camera technology or for everyday wear. Apply powder all over the ace for a professional and youthful look of perfection."

 

 

This loose powder comes in quite sturdy black packaging. From reading reviews online I know that several people have issues with the bulkiness of the packaging. I agree that it is quite bulky but it does feel pretty strong and I have the space so that the packaging isn't a problem for me.

If you have very shallow drawers or spaces for your powders this is pretty tall so could cause some problems but this isn't an issue for me.

 

The powder comes with a powder puff but I don't tend to use these as I usually apply powder with a brush. Nevertheless it is still nice to have and would save space if you were travelling as you can just fit the puff in the pot and it will also keep the powder from getting too messy.

 

 

In terms of the powder itself it is just a very finely milled, white loose powder that comes off translucent when you apply it.

I will say that if you have a dark skin tone this may make you look a little ashy, especially in photos.

 

This powder can get a little messy sometimes as to get it out you have to tap it into the lid of the pot but it's not too much of a problem unless you throw it around a bit.

 

In terms of application, my favourite way to apply this is using a fairly big but soft powder brush. I swirl it around the lid of the pot to pick up any powder there and tap off excess. I then lightly dust this around my t-zone.

 

I really like the finish this gives my skin. I find that it really does blur your skin out and it makes your ski look fresh, matte and NOT CAKEY! :)

It also makes my skin feel very soft and I do really like this powder a lot. 

The staying power is pretty good too and it keeps my face from looking too oily.

I've actually tried this under my eyes to set concealer too. I used to use the E.L.F HD Undereye powder (which I still do love) but I find that because this is more finely milled it actually is better for when I have a lot of concealer under there because it doesn't cake up quite as much.  

 

This is marketed as being a powder that is good for photos and I must say that it is good for that!

On Friday I had my school ball and I used this to set my foundation.

In photos I really liked the finished effect as it made my skin look clear

 and not overly shiny!

It says that this "masks fine lines" but I'm not too sure about this, however I think it's a great powder overall!

 

So what do you think of this powder?
Thanks for reading!

Libby x