If you know me well, then you know I have an extensive makeup collection. Within the collection are some standouts which I always buy more when I run out. I buy most of my makeup from Ulta, drug stores, or receive it in my monthly IPSY subscription bag. I try to buy makeup which is affordable and made from more natural ingredients. All of my makeup and hair care products are cruelty free. If you are interested in finding out which of your favorite brands are cruelty free, either look for the leaping bunny symbol on the back of the product, or visit Peta’s website where you can search by brand for cruelty free and vegan status.
5. Juvia’s Place Palettes
I first discovered the Juvia’s Place brand on Youtube while watching NikkieTutorials. While I haven’t always trusted video reviews, due to the abundance of undisclosed sponsorships recently, I started hearing more and more about this brand. I picked up the Zulu palette at my local Ulta and I do not regret it at all. This palette comes with six matte shades and three shimmers, all of which have excellent performance. On top of being cruelty free, this palette is also vegan! My favorite shades are the bright orange and deep purple. Everything is super easy to blend and very buildable. The only con I find is that some of the brighter shades can stain the lid, but this is common among pigment palettes and it usually only lasts a night before the stain is gone. I feel like I truly get my money’s worth out of this palette, it costs $20.
4. Eyeshadow Primer
I have dry/oily eyelids, so finding an eye primer that sticks and doesn’t let my eyeshadow crease had been a long journey. At the beginning of the day my eyes are super dry and by the end they are oily. However, after much searching, I stumbled upon the NYX Cosmetics Glitter Primer. This primer is intended for glitter, but works just as well for pigments and shadows. Also vegan and cruelty free, this primer rings up at only $6.50! I’ve gone through a tube a year for the past three years and haven’t found a better primer yet. My eyeshadow lasts for 10 hours before my eyeshadow starts to crease. I pick this up in Ulta and CVS along with some other NYX products.
3. Mascara
I am extremely picky about my mascara. I don’t like the formula to be super thick, I don’t like large wands, and I can’t stand dry formulas. My ideal mascara is wet, thin, and has a small wand that can separate my lashes. My current favorite if Flower Beauty’s Warrior Princess Mascara. Also vegan and cruelty free, this costs $10 and can be found in Ulta, Walmart, and drug stores. This mascara thickens and elongates my lashes, doesn’t smudge around my under eye, and never clumps. Ultimate fun fact: the brand was created by Drew Barrymore! I have gone through two tubes in the past year and I’m guaranteed to go through more.
2. Morphe Palettes
My Morphe eyeshadow palettes are what helped me learn how to apply eyeshadow. I have two so far, but I have my eye on a few others (maybe a birthday present to myself). I own the 35M Boss Mood Palette, and the 35V Stunning Vibes Palette. Each palette has 35 shades which are mattes, shimmers, and metallics. The 35V is super fun to use for natural, peachy, or smokey blue looks, whereas the 35M I use for yellow/green, and purple looks. The palettes have a few similar shades which I can use to create looks using both palettes, and I find that there are several standout shades in each. Using these two palettes I have hundreds of possibilities for looks which is both overwhelming and exciting. The pigments are extremely blendable, making it easy to fix mistakes and add more color if needed. Each palette retails for $25 on the Morphe website and in select Ulta stores. Neither palette is vegan, but both are cruelty free and the website lists other palettes and products which are vegan.
1. Bare Minerals Pigments
My holy grail makeup products are my Loose Mineral Eyecolor and Loose Eyecolor pots. The mineral eye colors are more natural shades and the regular eye colors are the brighter colors. I have a mix of both and I love to mix and match with the shades. My absolute favorites are: Berry Flambe, Wildflower, Citrus Twist, Bamboo, Bare Skin, and Black Ice. These take a little bit more effort to blend, as they are loose rather than pressed, but with a light hand, you can make a beautiful eye look. I like to mix my pigments in the lid with a drop of water or setting spray to make a cream eyeshadow and make the even more glittery. These are cruelty free, but not vegan. As with Morphe, there are other products on the website which are vegan. The mineral pots are $15 a piece and the regular eye colors are $12 a piece on the Bare Minerals website. These are more on the expensive side for me, but well worth it. There is so much product in each pot that I don’t think I could ever run out, and the color payoff is remarkable.
Get out there and buy some makeup!