I made the decision to not completely restock my makeup and beauty products all at one time, mostly because I am on a budget. I recently ran out of foundation and powder so now I’m on the market for some good-quality, cheap cruelty-free products. Obviously, in an ideal world, these products would also be vegan. For anyone who has made the decision to only use vegan, cruelty-free products, you will know that a) this is a huge undertaking that takes mucho research, and b) it is probably an expensive endeavor.
Some preliminary research has taught me that a) TIGI products are mostly cruelty-free, although some of their suppliers cannot be verified as cruelty-free. This is somewhat good because I still have half a bottle of Bed Head shampoo (but I’m out of conditioner). b) Revlon is largely cruelty-free, but again, their suppliers and the companies they partner with cannot say as much. Also good for me, because I use their eyeliner crayon (black-brown) every day. Of all the eyeliner crayons I’ve ever purchased, this one works the best for me. The thought of a lifetime without it makes me incredibly sad. It’s REALLY hard to find a good eyeliner crayon for cheap, and Walgreens often has BOGO half-off sales. Can’t beat that.
Also fantastic (but not cheap, unfortunately) is that most Urban Decay products are both cruelty-free AND vegan. I can’t run out and buy a tube of $20 mascara, but I do have quite a few eyeshadows of theirs. I don’t wear eyeshadow daily, but for special occasions, I ALWAYS wear their products. I am thrilled to find that I can continue to wear these guilt-free. Victorias Secret, too, is cruelty-free from what I gather, which is great because I use their body lotion. I actually use it in a scent that I think was discontinued (Halo) so I’ve been saving it for years and only using it when my skin is super dry. I’m glad I can continue onward with this.
The hard part is that I use Cover Girl foundation and powder. It is the drugstore go-to for me because it works the best on my skin of anything I’ve found and matches my skin tone as closely as I’ve found. I use a product for oily skin (my pores really excrete tons of oil…gross) and I’m in love with it. I don’t think CG is cruelty-free so I need to branch out now. This is the only product I’m in the market for today and I’m trying to decide what to do about this. While Revlon isn’t totally cruelty-free, of the drugstore brands, it might be the best quality. Almay is also cruelty-free from what I gather. I could look into that. Whatever I choose, it has to be widely available at mainstream stores–mostly because I have a gift card for Target so I plan on going there today. This will likely mean several minutes in the makeup aisle trying to match my ethics and finances to my choice. Yikes.
I also need to buy some conditioner…I hear Trader Joe’s has a pretty decent stock of cruelty-free haircare. I might make a pitstop there today as well.
As I’m prone to adult acne, I also can’t imagine a life without Clearasil products. Do you know of any good cruelty-free/vegan acne face products?
What are your favorite cruelty-free and/or vegan products?
this is my everest 