Cruelty-Free Vegan Beauty Alternatives: The Essentials

Cruelty-Free Vegan Beauty is the way forward. There’s no doubt about it. In fact, as far as I am concerned there is really no excuse at all for any beauty to be tested on animals or include unnecessary bi-products of animals. It’s 2017, people!

And so, as I move forwards in my career (and purchases) as a Full Time Beauty Connoisseur I’m going to be making a conscious effort to make wiser choices. As a first step, I’m going to be showing off my favourite Cruelty-Free Vegan Beauty Alternatives: The Essentials; those items of beauty you just can’t live without on a daily basis, from your skincare, to your makeup brushes, to your brows.

Vegan Cruelty-Free Facial Oil

Facial oil is a must-have in my skincare routine. Usually using it at night, after a double cleanse and toner routine, I usually squeeze a few drops onto the palms of my hands and warm between my fingers before patting onto my face. It’s a step in my skincare that feels luxurious and premium, as well as having the benefits of treating oily skin with oil; a texture that hydrates and the skin will recognise it’s there to do good.

The vegan beauty alternative to my previous facial oil is the Jojoba Company 100% Natural Jojoba and Rosehip Oil. This all natural facial oil is contains cult beauty ingredient Rosehip oil, proven to be a potent healing ingredient across your face, hair and body. This multipurpose oil can also be used on your face and hair (a drop or two at the ends of your hair can really help to smooth frizz) and costs a very reasonable £16.95. In fact, a more affordable price than my non cruelty-free previous facial oil.

Cruelty-Free Tinted Moisturiser

The final step in my morning skincare routine – often following a facial oil – is a tinted moisturiser or CC cream; something light to give me a little bit of a base whilst still looking natural. Although for big nights out (or days out!) I like to wear a foundation, 5 out of 7 days I opt for something sheer and lightweight when I am at work.

At the moment I am using the vegan and cruelty free Embryolisse CC Cream. This costs £29.99 so is a little more expensive than drug store tinted moisturisers but no more expensive than your usual foundation; and also a price I am willing to pay for a safe conscience! Created by cult French pharmacy brand Embryolisse, this CC Cream has colour-correcting technology to help to mould the colour to your natural face colour. It also includes SPF 20 which is always a nice to have – after all, we should be wearing facial UVA/UVB protection every day to minimise sun damage and wrinkles.

Cruelty-Free Makeup Brushes

Unwittingly, many of us will have makeup brushes in our collection that aren’t cruelty free. Many beauty tools such as brushes (for face and hair) include animal hair instead of synthetic hair, but for me that just doesn’t sit right. Instead, I always opt for cruelty-free brushes with bristles created from man-made materials, so I can feel guilt-free whilst applying my makeup.

At the moment I am favouring the 100% cruelty-free vegan makeup brushes from The Body Shop. These charcoal coated makeup brushes are created using specialist synthetic hairs and their wooden handles are also sustainably sourced, with all materials used being completely vegan. So, you can sit pretty in knowing that when applying your makeup you only have your face to worry about – and not what your brushes are made out of!

All Natural Hair Products

As a curly girly, I am big on my haircare products and for me, it’s important to get things right. I usually always use a sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are all natural.

However, Shea Moisture pride themselves on using all natural ingredients and the Shea Moisture 1o in 1 Multi-Benefit Hair Masque is no exception. With no animal ingredients, preservatives or chemicals this is all natural and especially well catered to curly hair. I have tried curl creams from Shea Moisture before too and can vouch their haircare products work as well as your usual choice, plus, at £10.99 this hair mask may well be a cheaper alternative too.

Guilt-Free Power Eyebrows

For me, eyebrows are very much an essential! There are few places I would go without having my eyebrows looking on ‘fleek’ – whether that’s using a brow kit to colour them in and shape them perfectly, or just using a brow gel to slick them into place – and although brows are big business, it doesn’t always mean they re in the Vegan community.

However, this Lord and Berry Must Have Brow Gel is is completely Vegan – the same as the rest of their cosmetic range – and is a near dupe to another high street, highly rated brow gel *cough Benefit Gimme Brow*. At £14 this brow gel doesn’t just shape brows, add a tint of colour and keep hairs in place, it also aims to hydrate and condition hairs to keep them growing. It’s something we brow enthusiasts must simply have!

So, I hope my first post in this vegan, cruelty free series has provided you with some inspiration for replacing your usual beauty essentials with some organic alternatives. If you have any suggestions for me to try other products, please leave them in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you!

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