Cruelty-Free Makeup

As my New Year's Resolution for 2017, I decided to "go cruelty-free". It's been nine months and I feel like I have accumulated some good advice so far from my experiences.

Going cruelty-free essentially means that you pledge to support and purchase the products of brands that are certified in not testing their ingredients and products on animals. That is the short explanation.

Here are a couple good sources of information and advice/reviews of cruelty-free brands and products:

Leaping Bunny is the global gold standard for non-animal tested consumer products. Their website is extremely helpful in providing a lot of definitions on the subject and if you see their logo, along with these other two below, you know you can trust that the brand has been certified as cruelty-free.

Cruelty-Free Kitty is an insanely helpful website that provides info on why you should go cruelty-free. It also provides you with everything from the leading certified CF brands, to shoppers guides at Sephora and Ulta, to a list of all the brands that are NOT cruelty-free. And the best thing I have found with this website is that it is consistently being updated with the latest news and statuses of brands.

Now, I wanted to give you a quick low-down on the cruelty-free products I use. It took me about 4 months to phase out most of my non-cf makeup and beauty products but I still have a couple that I purchased before Jan 1, 2017 that I of course am still using until they are "empty" as to not waste product or my money.

BEAUTY 
Moisturizer
I use the Alba Botanical Hawaiian Moisture Cream. I love the smell of Jasmine and this has definitely kept my skin clear and hydrated. Find out more about Alba here.

Cleanser
My current cleanser is the Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash. Origins is NOT CF but for some reason this product has lasted me a LONG TIME, as I don't particularly use it every single day. When I finish it up, I am planning on trying this Yes To one or one of the Alba Botanical ones.

Face Oil
I have been using the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light on my skin each night for several months and it has been wonderful. Get it here.

Toner
I am a big fan of the brand Josie Maran because I also use the Nirvana Hydrating Treatment Mist, found here, as my toner twice a day.

MAKEUP
Concealer
I am really pale and have found many of the lightest shades in some brands to still be too dark. I was so happy when I found NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer in Chantilily because it was the perfect blend for my skin; HOWEVER, NARS recently began selling to China again so they are not CF anymore. Since then, I found a new concealer that works really well for me - the Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème. You can find it here at Sephora.

Powder
I tried the Kat Von D foundation powder and found it did not blend and sit well on my face (my nose in particular). So then I tried the BareMinerals BAREPRO Performance Wear Powder Foundation and it is certainly a game-changer. I just hit pan on it a couple days ago so I am going to need a new one soon. Also, it is important to note that while BareMinerals is CF certified, they are owned by Shiseido who is one of the leading massive brands still testing on animals.

Eyeliner
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. Hands down. No competition. Bye. Here it is. The Ink Liner is also great and I find them so similar that I can interchange them and not notice.

Mascara
I love the Pacifica Stella Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara. They sell it on their website, at Ulta, and now at Target.

Lipstick
Admittedly, I have not purchased any lipstick this year because I have a lip stick collection of about 40-50 products (lipsticks, lip liners, lip glosses, lip balms, etc). The main ones I use are from the Kate Moss line at Rimmel and my huge collection of MAC lipsticks. Regrettably, I didn't know MAC tested on animals before I invested in them over the years. I do know that Tarte, Urban Decay and Too Faced have great options. I have a couple random CF lipsticks from LUSH and Buxom.

Eye Shadow
I have always been a big fan of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes but I am really thinking of investing in a new palette by another CF brand soon. I own the first four Naked Palettes, which is crazy, as well as the Full Spectrum Palette, so I was very relieved to find Urban Decay was CF certified.

I will be doing a post in a couple weeks to talk about cruelty-free hygiene products, like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, and toothpaste. Look out for that soon!