Hi friends!
I know a lot of bloggers and consumers out there are super passionate about cruelty-free (CF) beauty products, or products that haven’t been tested on animals. Since I’ve never written a post specifically dedicated to CF products, today I wanted to create a 100% cruelty-free makeup look for you guys! There are a few added bonuses to this as well.
- I wanted to feature some indie beauty brands, since that’s our content focus for this month. I only managed to squeeze in two here considering what I have in my collection. Whoops! But there will be a lot more indie content to come!
- Lastly I wanted to make this “affordable-ish,” again, considering what I already have in my collection.
Before I get into the details of the look and how I created it, let’s talk about some important details.
Now, you can really get into the weeds when it comes to searching for cruelty-free brands, and it can be a bit of a minefield. Some companies are Leaping Bunny certified, some companies are PETA-certified, some companies are neither yet claim they are CF. It’s really up to you to do the background checks, depending on how strongly you feel about using CF beauty products. But there are lots of great resources out there to aid you in your search; many of which are linked in this post.
Two of the brands I included in this look are actually Leaping Bunny certified, which is long considered to be the gold standard in cruelty-free certification for cosmetics, personal care & household products. Two other brands are PETA-certified. (I will indicate what is what below for you.) Is one more stringent or “better” than the other? Take a look at this comparison post from Ethical Elephant for more info. For the rest of the brands that are neither Leaping Bunny or PETA-certified, I consulted the cruelty-free directories on popular & authoritative blogs like Logical Harmony and Ethical Bunny to confirm their status as CF brands.
PRODUCTS USED
- Dose of Colors Baked Browns Eyeshadow Palette – Leaping Bunny certified & vegan.
- COL-LAB The Works Wow Effect All-In-One Waterproof Mascara – PETA-certified
- Pixi Beauty Lower Lash Mascara
- Weleda Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream
Dose of Colors Baked Browns Eyeshadow Palette. From top to bottom: Tea Light, Deserted, Outdoorsy, Cherrywood, Rock Bottom.
- CoverGirl Clean Liquid Foundation – Leaping Bunny-certified, but owned by a company that’s not CF (Coty)
- CoverGirl Instant Cheekbones Contouring Blush in Purely Plum – Leaping-Bunny certified by owned by a company that’s not CF (Coty)
- Ardell Beauty Brow Confidential Brow Duo
- NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream in Abu Dhabi – PETA-certified but owned by a company that’s not CF (L’Oreal)
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade Abu Dhabi.
Want some more? Read these articles!
Weleda Skin Food Original vs. Light: Which should you buy?
Review: CoverGirl Clean Liquid Foundation
Shimma, shimma! CoverGirl Instant Cheekbones
The drugstore brow gel you need in your life!
THE 100% CRUELTY-FREE MAKEUP LOOK I CREATED
STEP ONE – EYES
I really recommend doing your eyes first when using the Dose of Colors Baked Browns Eyeshadow Palette. The shadows are beautiful quality but they are extremely powdery, so there’s a decent amount of fall-out.
I blended the shade Outdoorsy from the Dose of Colors palette all over my eyelid and into my crease. I then blended a bit of Deserted into my crease and almost up to the brow. I then combined both shades and gently smudged them along my lower lash line.
I applied a generous coating of the COL-LAB The Works Mascara to my top lashes. Lastly I applied the Pixi Beauty Lower Lash Mascara to…you guessed it…my lower lashes!
STEP TWO – PRIMING AND BASE
To save some cash, I decided to use the CoverGirl Clean Liquid Foundation as both foundation and concealer. But not before applying a nice pea-sized amount of my beloved Weleda Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream all over my face to add lots of hydration and slip.
I then blended the Clean Liquid Foundation around my T-zone with my fingers, as I normally do with foundation. I then applied it lightly under my eyes as you normally would with a concealer. I tapped it in with my the warmth of my fingers for extra coverage.
STEP THREE – BLUSH
Onto the next CoverGirl product! I picked a shimmery blush so I could skip out on highlighter, so it had to be the Instant Cheekbones Contouring Blush in Purely Plum. I swirled the powder onto my cheeks with a medium-sized fluffy brush to add some color and sheen. Be careful to tap off all the excess with this product first – it’s very powdery!
STEP FOUR – BROWS
I used the clear gel side from the Ardell Beauty Brow Confidential Brow Duo through my brows. Absolutely love this stuff! I brushed them all the way to give them some fullness, and the gel completely set them in place. No extra color added.
STEP FIVE – LIPS
Easy-peasy. I just slapped on one layer of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade Abu Dhabi. I’d say this is a beige-nude but with a soft peach undertone. Totally stunning stuff. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – this is the liquid lip for you if you don’t normally like liquid lips! Totally lightweight and comfy, but gives you full pigment. Not extremely long-wearing though.
And that’s it! Would you wear this look yourself? Do you only buy cruelty-free products? I’d love to know!
Xo, Erica
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