Cruelty Free Favorites for January/ February 2013

2013-03-04T02:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Here are my Cruelty Free Faves for the Months of January and February 2013. Most of these are my holly grail products and would repurchase/or have repurchased.

FACE:

Too Faced BB cream in Vanilla Glow- I am darker than Vanilla, but the next shade up is too orange for my cooler skin tone. This BB cream is soo sheer Vanilla works fine and blends in nicely. I use this as a skin care product to prevent breakouts, reduce redness, and even my skin tone.

Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Concealer in Vanilla- I like it bright under my eyes.

For setting powder I mix Ben Nye Banana powder which is way too dark for me at the moment with Pumpkin and Poppy Oil Absorbing Mineral Veil- I like a tinted translucent powder on my skin tone and yellow tones brighten under the eyes. On me, plain translucent powders give off a grey cast under my eyes- defeating the purpose of concealer.

Blushes I love:

Pumpkin and Poppy Debutante Cream blush/highlighter- I use this as a highlight over blush or as a blush on days I want to be natural with a glow.

Pumpkin and Poppy Kim Cream blush- wore for my college graduation pictures with Debutante on top and NYX Taupe as a contour. I usually don't wear that much makeup, but for professional photography with a lot of lights I did not want to be washed out. It turned out perfect.

Speaking of NYX Taupe- it is the perfect natural contour/blush color for me, but I am not crazy about the application of this product- it gets blotchy at times. I really want to get Oak Bark contour powder from Pumpkin and Poppy.

Another cream blush I love is Too Faced Tea Rose.

I also apply cream blush before I use setting powder in order to set/blend out the cream blush.

Setting Spray:

I was using LUSH Eau Roma Water, but after it emptied in my bag, I replaced it with my Dr. Dickinson's Witch hazel. Normally I use Witch hazel as a toner after I wash my face, now I use it as a Setting Spray as well. Gives my face a gorgeous glow. I do not look cakey at all, sets my makeup, and it is a much cheaper alternative than LUSH.

Mascara:

I am very fussy with mascara so the only one I have found works best for my lashes is NYX Le Chick Flick- is true waterproof mascara that thickens and lengthens and is not sticky! However, it is not vegan because it contains beeswax. If anyone knows of a vegan waterproof mascara that lengthens and thickens, please let me know.

Eyeshadows:

I like to switch up my palettes but I have gravitated most towards; Too Faced Natural At Night, Too Faced Romantic Eye, and Pumpkin and Poppy Champagne and Archer pigments.

Eyeliners: (Fail)

Working my way through my UD ones trying to use them up. Will not repurchase! I really want to try Tarte liners.

Lipsticks:

I usually stick to neutrals like; Wet N Wild's Megalast lipstick in Bare it All and Just Peachy, Jordana lip liner in Tawny, NYX matte lipstick in Whipped Caviar or Euro Trash, and Pumpkin and Poppy gloss in Ice Cream Assassin.

Shampoo/Conditioner/Toothpaste brand I love is Natures Gate- Hair care is perfect for allergy prone people like me lol. Their whitening toothpaste has a bland minty flavor. Only way to explain is it doesn't leave a sweet after taste so you can eat right after without having a bad taste in your mouth. But it does freshen breath. It's our (my fiancé and I) favorite.

Have been hauling a lot lately so I will be trying out new toiletries and skin care products for March.

What are your Cruelty Free favorites for 2013?

Stila's Animal Testing Policy

2013-01-29T23:13:00.002-08:00

Hey Everyone!

I am back with new info and new reviews!

I had taken a long hiatus in blogging for a few reasons; I was finishing up my undergrad degree and learned a lot more about companies Animal Testing policies. I have stopped using Revlon, Almay, and Urban Decay and replaced my faves with products from 100 percent cruelty free brands such as; Too Faced (my new favorite "high end" brand all around), an indie vegan brand called Pumpkin and Poppy created by blogger/youtuber http://veggiebeauty.com/, and of course the infamous drugstore brand Wet N Wild.

I have learned to do my own investigating with brands. Personally emailing them 7 questions for them to answer (some of these questions I have found from other cruelty free bloggers). This way I can deciper if they are cruelty free to my high standards. Here is the response I recieved from emailing Stila:

Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 12:35 AM
To: Ask Sarah
Subject: animal testing policy

To Whom It May Concern,

I am a cruelty free makeup buyer and do extensive research before purchasing a product. I would like to make sure before I purchase anything from Stila that you are a cruelty free company. Would you be so kind to answer a few questions for me?

1) Does your company test on animals?

2) If you are a subsidiary of a parent company, do they test on animals?

3) Do your suppliers test any ingredients on animals?

4) Are any ingredients animal derived (beeswax, carmine, lanolin, ect.)?

5) Do 3rd party manufacturers conduct animal testing on your company's behalf?

6) Do you/your parent company currently or have plans to market and sell your products in the Chinese market, which require animal testing by law to sell in that country?

7) What countries do you sell to?

Thank you in advance. I hope to hear from you soon.

Therese

Ask Sarah

Jan 28 (2 days ago)

to me

Hi Therese,

Thank you for your email. Stila does not use animals for any type of testing on our products and also chooses vendors that follow the same business standards. Hope this helps – please let me know if you have any other questions about Stila!

Thanks,
Sarah

_________________________________________________________________________

I was quite disappointed in this response since she did not answer any of my questions. She just gave a blunt response. Maybe this represtentative is not equipped to handle this type of email, but all she did was give the same generic answer I have seen other bloggers recieve from Stila. Personally I will not be purchasing from Stila because I do not find this answer trustworthy. If anyone knows of more information, please share.

Hope everyone is having a great day,
~Therese

More Posts Coming Soon!

Animal Friendly Beauty

Cruelty Free Favorites for January/ February 2013

Stila's Animal Testing Policy