Hi friends!
All this week I’m sharing gift guides for all the beauty lovers in your life this holiday season. No matter what your preferred style of makeup is, there should be something for everyone – fingers crossed! If you missed my Glam Makeup Gift Guide or my Fuss-Free Makeup Gift Guide, be sure to check those out if you feel they would appeal to you.
Today’s post is my Cruelty-Free & Vegan Makeup Gift Guide, perfect for anyone who doesn’t want any animal by-products in their makeup nor do they want anything tested on animals in any way in any capacity. I’ve broken things up into large categories – Complexion, Eyes, Brows, Cheeks and Lips. All these recommendations together will give you a full face of makeup, if that’s what you’re after. Or if you’re just here for, say, a bronzer recommendation or a blush recommendation, it should still be helpful as well.
I’ve tried to include a mix of prices here, but if you’re only interested in more affordable drugstore makeup please check out my ‘Best Of’ drugstore series from last month.
Without further delay, let’s get into the gift guide!
COMPLEXION
Source: Iris & Romeo / Instagram
Iris & Romeo Best Skin Days
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- 5-in-1 skincare-makeup hybrid that provides sheer-to-light coverage, SPF, serum benefits, hydration, and blue light protection
- Creamy consistency makes it super easy to apply and blend
- Beautifying effect on skin with little effort, perfect for those with dry skin
- SHOP NOW FROM IRIS & ROMEO
- Cruelty-free & vegan status confirmed on brand’s website
Read this: A 5-in-1 foundation?? Iris & Romeo Best Skin Days Review
Source: Too Faced / Instagram
TOO FACED BORN THIS WAY COVERAGE RANGE (LIQUID OR POWDER FOUNDATION, OR CONCEALER)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- Suited for someone who wants fuller coverage in either liquid or power formats
- Can achieve flawless, long-lasting full coverage without drying the skin
- Easy to apply and blend (I can attest specifically to the concealer)
- SHOP NOW FROM ULTA
- Cruelty-free/vegan status on this product confirmed by Logical Harmony
Read this: Review: Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer
Source: Ulta website
MAKEUP REVOLUTION CONCEAL & DEFINE CONCEALER
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- Super creamy consistency make application and blending easy
- Buildable medium-to-full coverage for all-day wear without drying the skin
- Available in a bevy of shades and undertones
- SHOP NOW FROM ULTA
- Cruelty-free/vegan status on this product confirmed by Ethical Elephant
Source: Hourglass / Instagram
HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDERS
WHAT MAKES THEM GREAT
- Gorgeous light texture powders that glide across the skin, leaving zero cakiness
- Gives skin a soft-focus finish while setting makeup for long-wear
- SHOP NOW FROM SEPHORA
- 100% cruelty-free brand but not every Ambient Lighting shade may be vegan. Check Ethical Elephant’s list of vegan Hourglass powders for clarification. Hourglass does pledge to become 100% vegan by 2020.
EYES
Source: Huda Beauty website
HUDA BEAUTY OBSESSIONS EYESHADOW PALETTE IN WARM BROWN
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- Gorgeous color payoff, beautiful textures, and effortless blending in one small palette
- Nine quality eyeshadows for under $30.00
- SHOP NOW FROM HUDA BEAUTY
- Cruelty-free/vegan status of this product confirmed by Ethical Elephant. Check the website for other color variations in the Obsessions format that may also be vegan.
Source: Hourglass / Instagram
HOURGLASS CAUTION EXTREME LASH MASCARA
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- Gives lashes fullness, length and separation without having to build too much
- Very black formula for extra drama
- No flaking or smudging
- SHOP NOW FROM SEPHORA
- Cruelty-free/vegan status on this product confirmed by Logical Harmony
Read this: My quick, 8-minute makeup routine
CHEEKS
Source: The Organic Skin Co / Instagram
THE ORGANIC SKIN CO CHEEKY LIPS
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- 2-in-1 cream lip and cheek product that’s highly emollient and easy-to-blend
- Beautiful color for long-wearing effect
- SHOP NOW FROM THE ORGANIC SKIN CO
- Cruelty-free/vegan status confirmed on brand’s website
Read this: My Organic Skin Co Custom Palette Review
Source: Milk Makeup website
MILK MAKEUP MATTE BRONZER
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- Creamy consistency in stick format makes it easy to apply on-the-go or touch up
- Blends seamlessly across skin either with fingers or a brush
- Natural appearance with matte texture for all-day wear
- SHOP NOW FROM SEPHORA
- 100% cruelty-free & vegan brand – confirmed by Logical Harmony
Source: Becca / Instagram
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR PRESSED HIGHLIGHTER
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- Smooth-textured powder highlighter that doesn’t exaggerate texture or pores
- No glitter or sparkle in sight, just pearly sheen
- Buildable pigment
- SHOP NOW FROM SEPHORA
- 100% cruelty-free brand but not every Skin Perfector shade is vegan. Check Logical Harmony for a complete vegan list.
LIPS
Source: Clove + Hallow / Instagram
CLOVE + HALLOW LIP GLAZE
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
- Nourishing lip gloss texture with loads of hydration
- Lovely shine and no stickiness
- Sleek packaging with click-pen delivery system
- SHOP NOW FROM CLOVE + HALLOW
- 100% certified cruelty-free & vegan brand – confirmed by Cruelty-Free Kitty
Read this: Five moisturizing lippies for Autumn-Winter
What would be on your Cruelty-Free & Vegan Makeup Gift Guide? I’d love to know!
Make sure to come back on Monday for my ultimate Skincare Gift Guide for dry skin!
xo, Erica
PIN IT!
I really like the packaging of the concealer. And the fact that it doesn’t dry out your skin is a huge plus.
I really liked the Conceal & Define. It’s super affordable, like $7.00, and it cover so well! Oh, and they just brought out another version called Conceal & Hydrate which promises to be even more moisturizing. I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds amazing!
It does sound amazing!! That would be great for my winter skin.
Erica, I never knew that there is a Vegan makeup on anywhere on earth. Keeping your skin moist is definitely something every women need in their forties. Thank you for sharing! I also like the lip gloss with texture. You are great at introducing new things!
Thanks for reading and commenting Bushra! Yup, vegan makeup is definitely a big category now and I don’t ever see that changing.
I didn’t realize that Huda was CF, good to know! I love the revolution concealer 🙂
Me too, I’m so tempted to try the Conceal & Hydrate that just came out! But I have enough concealers at the moment, so I’m reining it in 😁.
It’s hard to hold back with shopping sometimes 😂 I’m trying to do a no buy, aside from replacing things that I run out of. It’s definitely tough!
I’m ALWAYS trying to do a no-buy 😄
It’s so hard!! I think I need to give myself specific categories that I can’t buy this year. Cause I have way too much unused blush & bronzer right now 😅
I have to restrain myself particularly with base products. I’m always reading good recommendations over blogs or social media, or hearing from family what they use and I want them all! So I gotta rein myself in big time when I go shopping.
Especially during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day it’s hard not to get carried away with all the deals haha
The Iris & Romeo foundation sounds so intriguing!
The revolution concealer is matte, I was told, so I’ve never tried it.
And even though I probably would never buy a bronzer stick, I would love to buy/try more stuff from milk makeup.
This is such a great list Erica!
Thank so much! ❤️ Iris & Romeo is really, really good stuff but you gotta love low-coverage, moisturizing foundations in order to spend the cash on it. But I love how you get so many benefits with one product!
I didn’t find the Revolution concealer too matte or dry for my liking, but it’s definitely a formula that you shouldn’t over-apply for that reason. They just came out with a new formula though – Conceal & Hydrate – so that might be better for you.
I definitely would love to try more from Milk since I’m such a sucker for makeup sticks. The Matte Bronzer is so good though – super creamy but it stays on all day (at least for me).
When it comes to foundations I often prefer light to medium coverage. I’ve tried a full coverage / matte foundation and it looked terrible on me. Those just look very cakey on me lol.
I’ll definitely have to look into their hydrating concealer and see if I like that better thanks for the recommendation!
Light-to-medium is my sweet spot too because sometimes I want more coverage (depending on my skin that day). I don’t mind full coverage concealers but certainly not full coverage foundations. If I had really problematic skin, or was on television or something I’d probably ask the makeup artist to really slap it on! But for everyday life, I never wanna wear that much makeup. If you end up trying the Makeup Revolution concealer, lemme know what you think! I haven’t tried it yet myself 😊.
Ooo, definitely gonna try that Hourglass mascara out! & thank you for introducing me to so many new brands, I wanna try them all now lol especially the Organic Skin Co & Clove + Hallow!
I love trying especially indie brands, cause their products are so, so good! Organic Skin Co is absolutely amazing and I whole-heartedly recommend them. But you definitely need to like your creams. They do powder textures as well, but I think the majority of their products are creamy. I wanna try much more from Clove + Hallow myself too!
Organic Skin Co sounds like the perfect place to start experimenting more with creams then. 🙂 Would love to hear about anything you try from Clove + Hallow!