My Vegan Make Up Faves
Disclaimer: None of these brands test on animals but not all products are vegan (usually due to carmine or beeswax). Therefore, please be sure to do your own research and always check the ingredients list. The specific products I recommend here are vegan (to the best of my knowledge).
I haven’t listed any of the products here because I have never tried them, but rumour has it that vegan and cruelty-free Elf cosmetics are coming to Superdrug online and in-store very soon.
Face
Never underestimate the power of good preparation! Always moisturise and prime before applying foundation (for best results, obviously). Too often I see people complaining that their foundation has a bad finish, or doesn’t last on their face for very long when they haven’t prepared their face. I have combination skin and like to use Illamasqua Matte Veil primer at £32. There is an Illamasqua store in the County Arcade in Leeds, and there’s also a counter in Debenhams at Meadowhall. Alternatively, you can shop Illamasqua online. If you’re looking for something a little cheaper, Make Up Academy stocked at Superdrug offers face primers from £4.
I am currently using Kat Von D Lock-It foundation at £27. I really like a thick coverage and this does the job well with a smooth, even finish. You can only get Kat Von D make up online on Debenhams.com, unless you’re fortunate enough to live close to her make up counter on Oxford Street. I know anything upward from £10 is a little pricey for foundation but I tend to find that when I’m paying between £20 and £30, the coverage is much better and the bottle of foundation actually lasts a lot longer. Born This Way by Too Faced is also a good and popular vegan foundation at £29 which is available in some Debenhams stores, or online from their website, or from beautybay.com. The coverage isn’t as thick with this foundation as I usually like, but the finish is really flawless and matte. I also like Illamasqua Skin Base foundation at £32.50.
The Body Shop Shimmer Waves bronzer at £16: this is just a general all-round good bronzer. It’s nothing fancy or particularly special, it just works for me. It has a blend of 5 warm tones that you can use all at once as a bronzer or separately as eye-shadows. There’s a Shimmer Waves blusher product too which is a selection of pink colours.
I know highlighter is the current in-thing with make-up but it’s not something I ever got crazy about. I like it, but I can take it or leave it. Nonetheless, I couldn’t resist the Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild glow kit at £39. There’s 6 shades: Blue Ice (blue), Star (silver), Purple Horseshoe (purple), Pink Heart (pink), Lucky Clover (yellow) and Blue Moon (blue). You can use these highlighters separately or apply a combination to create an ethereal spacey-mer-babe look.
Eyebrows
Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel is my absolute fave at £18.50. Anastasia Beverly Hills does a similar “Dip Brow” product but I’ve heard that the product dries up in its container pretty fast and I’ve never had that problem with Illamasqua. Plus, I use this product literally every day and it lasts me months and months. I also like Illamasqua Precision Brow Cake at £17.50, and sometimes I will use a combination of the Brow Gel and the Brow Cake which is more of a powder.
Lips
Sticking to the liquid-lip trend, I love Lime Crime Velvetines at £14.95 which you apply wet, and then they harden and dry to create long-lasting, smudge-free lips. I have also absolutely fallen in love with Lime Crime Diamond Crushers at £13.95, a type of glittery lip topper that looks like a lip gloss at first but this too dries for long-lasting, smudge-free sparkle. Available on love-makeup.co.uk.
Eyes
I usually don’t believe the hype and I’m sceptical when particular products are strangely popular but Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara really is what it says on the tin, at £19. I know people like to spend a lot less for mascara but it really is worth the money and I absolutely love it. Alternatively, at a cheaper £11, there’s Body Shop Lash Hero.
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner at £16 in Trooper (black). When I first got into make-up, I started off using liquid eyeliner, but shortly moved onto eyeliner gel. These days, though, I am a huge fan of eyeliner pens. I used to find them too chunky and found that their “ink” wasn’t much defined but after lots of trial and error, I absolutely Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. It has a fine, long nib that allows for careful precise lining and it’s really inky so you don’t struggle for a strong line.
For false lashes, I usually use Eyelure – at around £5 depending on the edition – or Superdrug “Lash”, a brand exclusively at superdrug, which is clearly labelled as vegan and cruelty free and extremely cheap at around £4. I love the Natural Edition 14 pair, but there are loads to choose from. Remember that there’s no such thing as “cruelty free” Mink lashes. Fur is fur. Leave the fluffies alone.
All photos are authors own.