Oh hey I didn’t realise you still blogged about beauty? Yep I know it’s been a while but I have finally had the time to sit down and write a beauty post. Cruelty free beauty is being more widely discussed and it’s so great to see, most expensive brands are widely regarded as cruelty free and although there are some that aren’t (mac, benefit etc.) they’re quite expensive and if you’re a student or are only just building up your makeup collection then look no further, there are drugstore brands that are cruelty free – in fact quite a lot are.
Cruelty free kitty is a fantastic website if you wanted a quick and easy list of brands that are cruelty free; as I mentioned in my post on why you should go cruelty free with your beauty routine I promised I would write a post on my favourite against animal testing brands and as promised here it is!
Both Boots and Superdrug’s own makeup brands are all cruelty free (plus their skincare ranges as well) and I am undoubtedly in love with Seventeen. If I was going to recommend you trying something from the brand then I would immediately suggest the eye crayon, it lasts all day and easily rivals any high-end alternative. Did I mention Soap and Glory is owned by Boots as well? It’s one of my favourite makeup brands and you neeeeed to try their vanilla and lime body wash (turns out it’s called sugar crush) because it smells like the best dessert you’ve ever consumed. I would have an endless supply of their beauty products if I could. Their body products aren’t exactly makeup but their makeup range is amazing as well, I used to use the brow archery pencil so much but I’ve fallen into the ABH brow pomade trap (I still use the spooly on the end of the brow archery even though it’s most likely incredibly unhygienic, think it’s time to repurchase).
If you wanted to get a little adventurous with your makeup then NYX is the perfect cruelty free makeup brand. With bold eyeshadow colours to an extensive range of nude lipsticks, NYX is probably one of my favourite brands. If you’re a MAC lipstick addict but you’re not such a fan of their animal practices then NYX is the one stop shop for all your lipstick needs.
A makeup brand this isn’t incredibly discussed about on this internet is Lottie London. I admit I haven’t tried any makeup from the brand, however their nail varnishes are absolutely incredible and the packaging is all super cute as well, their brushes are vegan friendly as said on the Lottie London website: “Lottie London is a cruelty free brand – our brushes are made with synthetic hair making them vegan friendly and easy to take care of. No animals were harmed in the making of our products, we love them too much!”
An Italian brand that I didn’t realise was cruelty free until recently is Kiko. Their stand alone stores (the nearest of which is Brighton where I live) are packed with new limited edition collections, incredible eye makeup and basically the best lip liners I’ve ever found. The lip liner in shade 704 is the perfect browny red and honestly you don’t need a lipstick on top, for £2.50 you’ve got a lip look that will last you most the day. You can imagine how upset I was when I just looked on their website and it’s seemingly disappeared, they do however sell a new smart fusion lip pencil which I can imagine is the same thing.It’s always such a treat when I’m in Italy to purchase something and the prices are exactly the same in the U.K. as they are in Europe (the last time I checked) so it’s a win win situation.
Zoeva aren’t particularly the cheapest but their brushes are unbelievably soft and both cruelty free and vegan. A set of eight brushes (four for the face and four for the eyes) is £65 – less than £10 per brush. You can buy the brushes on their own as well and they’re upwards from £5.00 so not too expensive. Another alternative is Spectrum Brushes, who are also cruelty free and vegan. Whilst I haven’t had any personal experience with their brushes their aesthetic is enough to make you fall in love and a set of four brushes will only cost you around £30.
A slight hindrance to those that are vegan, most of the brands mentioned do use animal derived products for their makeup although most have a list on the products they sell that are vegan. Cheaper vegan drugstore brands include Milani and BH cosmetics (they can be found on beauty bay) but I haven’t tried any of their products therefore I couldn’t tell you my thoughts.
What are your favourite cruelty free brands? (ps I wrote an article for Jiminy magazine that went up earlier this week if you wanted more beauty talk)!
Lots of love, eleanor //
Leave a Reply