All posts tagged: cruelty-free

Drugstore Finds: Flower Beauty Color Play Crème Shadows in Orchid-ing Around and Vine of the Times

Published by

I’ve been eyeing the Flower Beauty line (yes, Drew Barrymore’s makeup collection!) for the longest time, but I finally decided to bite the bullet a couple of weeks ago when I saw some lipstick swatches that looked remarkably like MAC’s Betty Bright. That turned out to be a dud dupe, but a great lipstick by itself. The Color Play Crème Shadows were always high up on my list of things to try, so I bought two of them as well: Orchid-ing Around, a blackened orchid shade, and Vine of the Times, a pretty light green. Both have shimmer in them, though the green looks like a cream. Swatches, L-R: Orchid-ing Around and Vine of the Times First up is Orchid-ing Around. Although it probably looks scarier, it’s actually the “safer choice,” since it’s close to being a black. As mentioned, it is a blackened orchid with quite a bit of glitter/shimmer, though it’s not anything chunky. I thought this would be an interesting base color to layer some lighter shades on top of. These cream …

Top Five Eyeshadow Brands (Cruelty-Free)

Published by

I’m a big eyeshadow fiend, which I think is pretty obvious by now. Here are some of my favorite cruelty-free eyeshadow brands, in case you want to start wearing eyeshadow also, but don’t know where to start. Please note that by cruelty-free, I mean brands that do not themselves test their products and ingredients on animals. For that reason, I have included cruelty-free brands that are owned by parent companies who test. I will state which ones are owned by whom. 1. Le Métier de Beauté Le Métier de Beauté is a beautiful brand from New York City. They make small quantities of their exquisite inventions, which makes me want to buy them ASAP. One thing I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to is their limited edition Kaleidoscope Eye Kits ($95), four-tiered eyeshadow palettes that are especially designed to be layered on. Sometimes, the pigmentation of these shadows leave a lot to be desired, but they blend like a dream. I never really understood how “blendability” can affect how much you love an eyeshadow …

Shiro Cosmetics Pre-Ban Haulage & Semi-Reviews

Published by

I was telling fairytalesandcoffee about the unfortunate way my shopping seems to creep up on me. Not long after I banned myself from buying any more makeup, it started raining makeup because all of the other items I ordered prior to shunning (new) makeup purchases from my life started arriving. This haul from Shiro Cosmetics, which I luuuuv. Anyway, this is what I ended up getting. Read what I got during my first order here. They come in three sizes, full-sized pots, mini pots, and sample baggies. The full-sized ones come with stickers at the top. I bought 4 (I forgot to photograph 1), they’re lined up on the first column: It’s Gonna Be MAY! (LOL), Nestyr, and TARDIS (!). The mini pot I got is a pink shadow called Wildflowers, and it was from the Hunger Games Collection. The four little clam pots are lip products called Intertubes, L-R: Why Not Zoidberg?, Nyan Cat, Team Buffy, and Sad Keanu. I got four sample baggies, too. It’s Gonna Be MAY! and Nestyr look a lot …

LUSH Ultrabland Facial Cleanser

Published by

If you recall my Going Cruelty-Free post on facial cleansers, I had mentioned I needed to find a good makeup remover replacement since the one I’d been using wasn’t and I was nearly out of it (i.e. Laneige Eye & Lip Waterproof Remover, which is pretty much amazing). I want to thank everyone who left a suggestion. Many of them, I wanted to try but can’t get a hold of here. One of the ones I could get was LUSH’s Ultrabland. Ultrabland is essentially a facial cleanser, though one that is vastly different from the first one I tried, Aqua Marina. Instead of coming from a spongy loaf, like some of their cleansers, Ultrablend is a creamy product that has a nondescript (though a little unpleasant) smell. You take a bit of it and slather it all over your face. I rub away heavier makeup like mascara with the gunk still on my face. Then, instead of washing it off, you take a damp flannel cloth or cotton pad and then wipe the cream—and all …

Cruelty-Free Update!

Published by

Hello! If you remember, I made a personal pledge to cut down on cruelty-free cosmetics about a month ago. You can read that here. So, here’s an update! Mainly, I received a shitload of MAC Cosmetics that I ordered prior to the cruelty-free pledge. Technically, MAC Cosmetics don’t test on animals, unless required by law. My friend Laura explained it to me. Basically, MAC themselves don’t test on animals. But, for countries like China who require animal testing for cosmetics to be sold there, they authorize animal testing in that country. There’s still animal testing involved, but it’s not as bad as thought. I really hope they can eliminate all of this testing, because they’re a company who started out cruelty-free. Aside from that, I caved only once since then, I think. I bought three Maybelline Color Whispers from an online shop. Was it worth it? Not really, although, I do really like them. I feel sad when I think about the bunnies, though, so that’s really my motivation to keep away from non-CF brands. …

First Shiro Cosmetics Purchase: The Tributes Collection & There and Back Again: A Hobbit Collection

Published by

I first heard about Shiro Cosmetics from Jen of Barely Organized Chaos, when she posted her loose shadow inventory. And you know me—I’m a sucker for geeky things and aptly-named things. I literally buy shit (not literal shit) because of what they’re called. Shiro Cosmetics released two collections that I fell for—hook, line, and sinker. The older collection is called “The Tributes,” and it’s based on Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, which I love. The newer/newest one is called “There & Back Again,” and it’s based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” which I LOVE MORE. So I pretty much was headed to Mount Doom at this point. Still, I did manage to hold back, and didn’t purchase the entire collections. In hindsight, I kinda wish I did, but it’s always good to not be a total hoarder. A little background: Shiro Cosmetics is owned by Caitlin, who loves makeup and geeky things. Their products are vegan and 100% cruelty-free. As you can see from the picture above, it’s basically mineral makeup, though they do have …

My Personal Cruelty-Free Pledge, Or a Step Towards It

Published by

I have been a regular makeup user only for about six months, but I’ve been burdened by the issue of animal testing and what it means to me as a consumer and—what I’d like to think—me as a responsible human being. I know it happens outside of the beauty industry as well, but I think a large part of why I feel bad is because beauty products are, at the root of it, pretty unnecessary to the general public. We beauty lovers use products because it is enjoyable and it makes us happy. It’s not necessarily a necessity, though I’m sure there are special cases, so I can’t be at peace knowing that a bunny or a hamster suffered so I could be itch- and allergy-free, wearing a lipstick or a foundation. Because of this burden, I have assessed my current collection and divided the brands into several categories, which you can see here. If I can amend anything on the list, please feel free to let me know. 🙂 A large part of why …