We all love makeup. For some of us it’s a lifeline we can’t leave home without, for others a special occasional treat. Regardless, we all have fun choosing and applying the never-ending shades and options to choose from. However, not all of these options are cruelty free, you could be buying brands that test their products on animals without realising.
Today, there are more cruelty free makeup brands than ever. The list of cruelty free products is growing as brands transition to create more ethical make-up lines. Despite the rise in this trend there are still extremely popular brands including MAC, Benefit, and Maybelline that continue to use animal testing rather than alternative practices. They choose to sell in China where lawfully cosmetics must be tested on animals. Thankfully, there are now cruelty free dupes available to replace all of your favourite cosmetics. Sadly, these swaps do not always work out cheaper but the extra money is worth knowing you’re helping protect animals.
Primer: NYX ‘Pore Filler’ primer works as a dupe for both the Smashbox ‘Photo Finish Pore Minimizing’ primer and Benefit ‘Porefessional’. While having near identical claims, NYX comes at a fraction of the price of the other two products saving your bank balance and the animals. ‘Pore Filler’ primer will fill your pores to give a smooth base that will help your makeup last all day.
Foundation Swap Revlon ‘Colourstay’ Liquid Foundation for ‘Universal Fit’ foundation by KIKO. Not only does this foundation give you a flawless complexion and a full coverage look without feeling heavy on your skin, it will last all day with the help of the right primer and powder. Best cruelty free foundations for oily skin include Tarte ‘Amazonian Clay 12h full coverage’ foundation. For dry skin, try Bareminerals ‘BareSkin Pure Brightening Serum’ foundation, and for normal or combination skin try NARS ‘Sheer Glow’.
Concealer: Swap Maybelline ‘Fit Me’ concealer for either Tarte's ‘Shape Tape’ concealer if you have dry skin or Urban Decay's ‘Naked Skin Weightless’ concealer for oily or combination skin. Both Urban Decay and Tarte give a natural finish and have similar formulas to Maybelline. They are more expensive but they offer more variety in shades. Tarte and Urban Decay not only provide a better coverage than Maybelline’s ‘Fit Me’ concealer, as a high-end brand they also last longer and feel lighter on your skin.
Mascara: Try KIKO’s ‘Ultra tech + volume’ and ‘Curl’ mascara for a full lash look. This mascara doesn’t clump and gives you sensational volume and lash length, perfect for everyday use. This mascara works as a dupe for all mascaras that claim to increase lash volume or length.
Liner: Kat Von D ‘Tattoo liner’ works as a great substitute for multiple products including Stila ‘Stay All Day’ liquid liner and Maybelline ‘Line Stiletto’. Kat Von D and Stila both give a deep black pigment that survives all day. The only real difference is their stance on animal testing.
Eyeshadow: Eyeshadow palettes range in colour, size and pigmentation. Some of the best brands to use include Morphe, E.L.F, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and of course ColourPop. Depending on your budget, check them all out for great cruelty free eyeshadows.
If you are ever uncertain about whether a product you’re using is cruelty free or not; it’s very easy to look up brands on the ‘PETA’ website to double check. Also, there are now apps available such as ‘Cruelty Cutter’ and ‘Cruelty-Free’ which allow you to scan a bar code and inform you whether or not any form of animal testing is used by that certain company.