Cruelty-free beauty (Part II)

Hello lovelies!

I hope everyone is a safe distance from the coast and has everything they need to breeze through Sandy! (And, secretly, I hope you have power long enough to read this! :P )

Anyway, I restocked on some shower/beauty supplies over the break, and I thought I'd review some of the new brands I'm trying and talk some more about cruelty-free cosmetics.

First off, I know I talk about them like a schoolgirl with a crush already, but it's Burt's Bees:

Lotion that will be good for dry skin in winter!

Simple pink grapefruit body wash. It smells SO good! And wakes me up.

This shampoo and conditioner is from their new(ish) line that I'm a big fan of, Gud. I've tried cherry blossom, but this is Vanilla Flame. It smells SO good. 

I'm loving all of these products! And, as usual, completely cruelty-free and vegan. Here's some more that I'm loving right now:

I know I told you about my Yes to Cucumbers makeup remover wipes. I added to my collection their Yes to Carrots exfoliating cleanser. Smells fantastic, makes my face feel soft and purified. 

I told you about Tom's of Maine toothpaste, but in NoVA I actually found their mouthwash! Yay! Just like with the toothpaste, it makes every other brand taste like chemicals. Imagine - mouthwash that's safe to swallow! (I also found their deodorant too, but I'm not out yet. Update on that to come!)

That's it for the hygiene portion, now onto some beauty products:

                                   

I've NEEDED new makeup brushes. These Ecotools brushes are made of natural and recycled materials and  do NOT use real hair in the brushes. The ones shown in the reusable storage pouches are the powder brush (1200) for all-over complexion/finishing powder, and the blush brush (1201) for blush/bronzer. The smaller one is an eye shadow brush that I've had for a while (# unknown). 

This is Hard Candy's Perfect Cover Up in 508 (light). It works beautifully! I had of course heard that they were the only "cheap" cruelty-free brand, but was hesitant after Leaping Bunny claimed that they, and Urban Decay who apparently owned them, were to start selling in China, meaning they would have to engage in mandatory animal testing. Happily, Leaping Bunny was mistaken about the affiliation between the companies, and at the time that the controversy occurred (June/July of this year) Hard Candy was no longer owned by UD. They do not sell in China, and they DO NOT test. I'm excited to phase out Almay (which I use grudgingly anyway) and phase their products in! (Also, for the record, UD decided to pull out of China so as not to compromise their stance against animal testing. They're really expensive, but I'd LOVE to be able to buy their stuff more often!)

This is Paul Mitchell's extra body root lifter. I got it at the salon the day I got my hair cut. Paul Mitchell and John Frieda both stand firmly against animal testing and have cruelty-free products, so I felt the splurge was worth it. It makes my hair (which is VERY fine and tends to lack volume) look fantastic! And there's no guilt involved. :)

Last but not least, I had been using a cruelty-free (certified by PETA) product without knowing it all along!I grabbed Physician's Formula bronzer in 3104 (Moonlight) last semester in a hurry. This was before I truly cared (or, rather, made time to care), so I just grabbed it and ran. But, checking PETA's website out of curiosity, I ran across their name on their List of Companies That Do Not Test on Animals!

So that's it for my current beauty finds and obsessions! I think I might actually make this a common thing on my blog, both to keep you informed and to document my journey into phasing out animal-tested products.

One last photo lovelies, this one being of me in my hurricane-appropriate attire:

Mwah! Appropriate, right?! :P
Sorry about the picture quality, I took it fast because I didn't want to seem self-obsessed around the family :P

Until next time! Stay safe and dry!

<3, Ali

UPDATE!
A friend told me to look up e.l.f cosmetics, a brand that I'd heard of but had never really looked at. They're completely vegan and cruelty-free, and they're even cheaper than Hard Candy ($1-5)! Makeup that makes my conscience AND my wallet happy? Yes please.