Morals vs. Money: MAKEUP

[image via flikriver.com]

Part 2 of Morals vs. Money: 

Makeup Edition

I had a long conversation with my cousin V about socially conscious, eco-friendly, vegan, make-up. V and I both had horrible experiences when we were younger with trying our mom's makeup on and ending up with allergic reactions and hives. In my case, my hives were so bad and lasted MONTHS that I had to go to the dermatologist and get prescribed topical steroids. Not fun. In response to our traumatic experiences, along with our desire to be socially conscious consumers, we have done a bit of research on brands which fulfill our requirements. These are my findings:

• E.L.F. AKA EyesLipsFace
• One of my top cheap and vegan friendly makeup brands-and when I say cheap, I mean CHEAP as in $1-3 for most of their products like lip gloss, eyeshadow, eye liner etc. I have bought quite a few of their products and I must say that the only drawbacks are that the natural hair essentials cosmetic brushes aren't vegan and that their lip products contain parabens, which are vegan but as I discussed in my post on soap, have adverse effects. 
• Urban Decay
• UD is known for their high quality makeups and "unusual"/alternative coloration options (they could be found in stores like hot topic, black fly, you get the drift.) They even have a seperate page for all their vegan products. While their quality is good, and their products do not contain parabens, they are a bit on the pricey side with the infamous Naked Eyeshadow palette costing around $45. If you do the math however, buying a good quality makeup like this that will minimize the risk of breakouts/skin allergies and last for a while can actually be more economical. 
• WetNWild
• Decently priced and mostly vegan, WetNWild is a good choice. I love that their statement on animal testing is as follows: "As a Peta-certified, cruelty-free brand, we're proud to say we have never and will never test on animals. We also make it a point to work with cruelty-free, third-party vendors. wet n wild loves our furry, scaly, and feathery friends!"   A list of their vegan products can be found here. I personally have only used their nail polishes, but have had great results with those.
• Everyday Minerals
• A company based out of our very own Austin, Texas that is vegan, cruelty free and eco-conscious. Their products are pocketbook friendly and are likely to get along with most skin types-even the very sensitive ones.
• Hard Candy



[image via pinterest.com]

• Sold at Walmart, these products are supposedly vegan/cruelty free although I could not find any evidence on the website. I am currently waiting confirmation of this directly from the company.

Some other notable brands which are socially conscious/vegan but are a bit on the pricey end are:

• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
• Too Faced
• Hour Glass Cosmetics
• Pai Skin Care-okay so this one is more for skin care... but Natalie Portman uses it!
• Tarte Cosmetics-I love that they are eco-conscious as well and have all recyclable containers

A full list of PETA approved companies which do not test on animals can be found here. Note that purely vegan companies are marked with an asterisk. 

Now that you have some great socially conscious and budget friendly options to choose from, here is some inspiration for some new makeup looks!

Happy Shopping!
XOXO,
MissEcoChic