When I first when vegan a little over two years ago, it took me a while to completely change all my makeup and skincare items to make sure they were cruelty free and vegan.
I had A LOT of makeup, still do. I have always loved cosmetics and being able to add different colors and textures to my face to bring out my natural beauty and have a little fun! Needless to say, after going vegan and doing more research I found that many of my products would not continue to work with my new lifestyle change.
This was an even bigger wake up call for me. When I first used to think of vegan I only thought of changing your diet, but begin vegan is so much more than that. I learned to rethink every purchase I made and wanted to be sure I wasn’t supporting animal cruelty in any way.
This started with skincare and makeup for me. I had so many products that I loved to use daily, so aside from my diet, this was one of the other things that was going onto my body that I wanted to make sure was vegan.
I got rid of my loved mascara, lipstick and eye cream that were not vegan. The goal now was to find products that were just as good as my loved ones but making sure no animals were harmed or used to produce them.
There are a few vegan skincare brands that market themselves as just such like Pacifica, LUSH, Acure, The Body Shop and 100% Pure.
Then there are others that don’t necessarily market themselves as a vegan company (even though it would be so much easier if they would!) that I could easily find at my local drugstore. For example: ELF, Wet and Wild, Physicals Formula, Milani and Eco Tools.
Over the past two years of my vegan journey I have for sure had some hits and misses with vegan skincare and makeup products. Today I’m going to share with you my top 5 products that I love that are either already or almost empty and I have repurchased because I enjoy them so much!
Wet and Wild Photo Finish Foundation
This foundation is wonderful! I first discovered it last summer of 2017 when I was looking for a nice foundation that was vegan and also that I wouldn’t get flashback from as I needed a good foundation for my upcoming wedding. This was a winner! The color for me was perfect, it blended nicely, didn’t give me the flashback that I oh so dreaded and was a great price. I am onto my second bottle now and couldn’t be happier I found a great vegan foundation! (Also Wet and Wild makes a pretty good concealer in this line as well).
Andalou Naturals Citrus Kombucha Cleansing Gel
I picked this cleanser up at my local health food store that has a great skincare section. Not only did the pretty blue bottle catch my eye, but so did the word kombucha. I love kombucha so anything with additional probiotic goodness in it is a winner for me. This cleanser goes a long way! You only need a little bit and my one bottle lasted me almost a full year- crazy long! I love the fresh citrus smell it has. It also rinses wonderfully and I don’t feel like I have a residue on my face which is a total cleanser peeve of mine. Priced relatively well for the amount of time it lasts. You can find it on Amazon here or check out your local health food store!
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream- Intense Hydration
Wow- just wow. This moisturizer is one of the best I’ve ever tried. It is super simple, thick and just what my face was craving. Since going vegan I’ve noticed that my face is SO much drier than it ever was before. I actually use to be very oily. I picked this up at Sephora for a few reasons. The price was great for the amount of product, (again a little goes a long way), the texture was nice and thick which is what I wanted and it was vegan, cruelty free.
FAB is not 100% vegan however they are 100% cruelty free and they have 30+ products that are vegan. I still feel comfortable supporting this brand, but will be in the look for a new moisturizer once this is out that is made by a company that is 100% vegan & cruelty free. If you have suggestions, leave them in the comments below! This jar has lasted me well over 2 years already and I still have 1/3 of the jar left to go! It’s a great buy for a good quality product.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Pallet
Ah, love. This pallet is wonderful! I love that it not only has some bronzers, but also setting powders and a highlighter. It blends so nicely on the skin and has lasted me a long time. A little bit of product goes a long way. I love to mix all the bronzers for different areas of my face. I use the cool toned one to sculpt and contour my cheek bones, forehead and nose and then I warm up my face with the warm bronzer just on the tops of my cheek bones. Again, a little goes a long way. It’s perfect to take to travel since the setting powder and highlighter are all in here too!
Ole Hendriksen Uplifting Transformation Eye Gel ** see below
**NOTE: the picture shows the Ole Henriksen Eye Cream, but we are talking about the eye GEL. I went to repurchase this and accidentally bought the cream instead of the gel and have to go exchange them. The cream is not vegan, nor Ole Henriksen’s brand. But let’s talk gel- it is really wonderful- and vegan. The product is light, refreshing and cooling under the eye. It is good for de-puffing tired eyes in the morning and I have noticed some good tightening and firming around that area as well as reducing the appearance of some of my fine lines. Now, I don’t have many lines yet, but as I’ve gotten into my late 20’s I am starting to notice that area changing a lot and I want to start a good skin care regimen now to keep those lines at bay! I highly recommend this gel!
Let me know what your favorite vegan beauty products are in the comments below!
Xo, Melissa
