Best of Cruelty-Free: avoiding animal testing in cosmetics.

There are a fair few misconceptions surrounding cosmetic animal testing, which is what I’ll be focusing on in today’s blog post.

The first is that it is a necessary and practical solution with no alternatives: this is not true. There are now cost efficient alternatives using artificial skin cultures (which are actually safer since it replicates the effects products would have on humans rather than rodents!). It is also actually illegal to perform cosmetic animal testing in all EU countries, which is a huge leap forward.

The second is that cruelty-free products are expensive, rare and limited: this is also not true at all! A sizable selection of UK brands are rated cruelty-free at a broad spectrum of price ranges.

GOOD NEWS: Surprisingly, all of beauty giant Superdrug’s ranges (including it’s B. Cosmetics range) are totally cruelty-free. This is really impressive for a huge drugstore brand, and makes it really easy to get non-animal tested beauty products and other essentials  on a tight budget.

BAD NEWS: All brands which sell products in China are not cruelty-free since under Chinese law cosmetics cannot be sold without being tested on animals first.

I’m going to list some of the best cruelty-free brands in this post, choosing to buy from these companies supports brands with ethical business practices. Vetoing animal-tested products, where possible, helps put pressure on brands in need of an update. The actions of one person definitely can make a difference worldwide.

Skincare Without Cruelty

• My favourite brands:

Lush, Palmer’s, The Body Shop*, Paula’s Choice, Neal’s Yard Remedies

• Other good brands:

Soap and Glory, Jergens, Carmex, Burts’ Bees*

Makeup Without Cruelty

• My favourite brands:

BareMinerals*, NYX, Shiro Cosmetics, Kat Von D, Illamasqua, Nars, E.L.F

• Other good brands:

Urban Decay* TheBalm, TooFaced, EcoTools, Fyrinnae, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

*denotes brands that are not tested on animals themselves, but are owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free.

Brands which DO test on animals

Sadly this list is considerably longer. A good resource for determining which brands test on animals and to what extent can be found here.

I’ve decided to set myself a challenge to try and buy cruelty-free brands as much as possible from now on. Everytime I buy from an animal-testing brand I will make a donation to the RSPCA or another local animal welfare charity.

Useful resources for those who want to find out more:

gocrueltyfree.org

rspca.org.uk

bunnybeautiful.co.uk

Foundation adventures- Ultra Pale

Posted by Juliette~

My skin: very pale, normal/combination, sensitive

Foundations for the very pale-skinned and the very dark-skinned are hard to come by. Most affordable brands will only offer a limited shade range, and it’s very frustrating to buy a foundation that looks good in a shop, only to come home and realise it looks completely orange! I have done this MANY times but luckily I’m posting photos to hopefully save other pale-skinned girls a bit of hassle.

WARNING: The process of applying and scrubbing off my foundation meant my skin was getting rapidly more irritable. If I do this again I will definitely wait longer between applications since the progressing red-blotchiness affected the way the foundation looked. I do NOT recommend doing this ever if your skin is sensitive. I really hope mine forgives me.

Arm Swatches

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

This was my favourite foundation for a long time, but now that my skin’s improved I find the coverage a bit too heavy. It’s a beautiful finish: neither matte nor shiny, truly natural. It does oxidise a lot though so I would definitely go a shade paler if in doubt. The colour range is probably the biggest in UK stores.

NW13

This works okay for me in summer, but in winter I find it too dark, especially after it oxidises it tends to look very orange.

 NW10

This is the palest foundation in the UK that isn’t from a specialist range. It’s really white. After oxidising it’s perfect on me but be warned: this is a foundation for the truly ghostly among us. If every foundation is miles too orange for you, this is your one.

Smashbox Liquid Foundation in Shade 1 Natural Vanilla

 

This is far too dark and orange for me; it has REALLY warm undertones. It’s also too shiny for my liking. Not a massive fan. Thank God it’s only a sample.

(Skin is not happy here!)

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No.13

If you are a person of any colour who is interested in BB creams, I strongly recommend buying an Asian one. Western BB creams are basically just tinted moisturizers and they usually have really orange undertones. This was recommended to me as the palest one, and I can’t describe how much I love it, it’s light and non-shiny with impressive coverage. Other good Asian brands include Etude House and Holika Holika.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 Vanille Clair

I actually really like this one, despite it being too dark and yellow for my skin. I can just about get away with it in summer; if they made a shade 50 I would definitely buy it. It really gives your skin a healthy lively glow; I relied on this at work after a night out. It’s a little shiny though, and the smell is yummy but also quite strong.

(Skin getting worse…)

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in 0 Porcelain

This is a new purchase and a new favourite. This comes in a good range of colours, and the palest is very very pale. It has neutral undertones and a really gorgeous glowy skinlike finish. The coverage is actually better than I expected for such a lightweight foundation, but you will need a primer as the wear time is shortish. It has some wizardry in it that just makes your skin look super healthy and glowing because every time I wear this I get compliments, even if I’ve shovelled it on top of breakouts and nasty redness.

No7 Beautifully Matte in Calico

This was my daily foundation for a long time, but when I was reapplying it for the photo I was shocked with how wrong it was for me! The foundation is THICK and goes on heavy; it’s very strong coverage. This would work for someone with very oily skin that needs absolute maximum coverage, but otherwise it will just drown your face. The colour is totally wrong. I can’t believe I wore this for months.

(Skin reached critical: had to take an aloe vera break before continuing)

 This photo shows the colour more true-to-life:

Who let me leave the house like this?

Lancôme Teint Idole in 005 Beige Ivoire

This is a totally lovely foundation. The colour would be a little too dark for me in winter, but in summer it’s perfect. The finish is very natural and beautiful; the formula is light and does not sit on the skin. It’s a little on the pink side, so you may need the next shade up if you are very cool toned. If you are thinking about buying this I can’t recommend it enough.

Maybelline Dream Pure BB in Light

I can’t pretend to be a huge fan of UK BB creams. This was the palest one I could find in any drugstore and it’s still too dark. It oxidises BADLY and goes very orange. I also find it makes my pores look huge, and the finish is too shiny for me. Buuuut my sister absolutely adores it, so there you go.

Chanel Perfection Lumiére in 10 Beige

Unfortunately this is a sample, and I didn’t have enough to do a full face! However, I was unimpressed with this; I found it tricky to blend and it left streaks on my face. It was also too dark for me. Smelled amazing though!

Nars Sheer Glow in Siberia

I’ve heard a lot about this being very yellow, and it does look pretty yellow swatched on my arm. However, I was surprised at how good this looked on my face, but then I do prefer a yellow to counteract my rosacea. If you are very pale but warm-toned you might have struggled finding a foundation; this is your new Holy Grail (it’s also available in Matte). If you are cool-toned you may find it too yellow. It is however, still very pale. And the finish is really beautiful, it glides onto the skin. I need to thank Paola from picking this up for me from Sephora New York! ❤