In 2017, I promised myself that I will be 100% vegan. This meant not only was I eating a plant-based diet, but also not buying any clothes with animal products or buying make-up with animal products. The food and clothing is easy but the make-up… Well, that was a whole different ball game. Let me tell you a bit of my struggle. First I am a black woman, which means, I pretty much have a limited range of products that fit my skin shade and undertones. Then being vegan, that list shrinks significantly. Yes, there are brands that are cruelty free but their formulas STILL include animal products. But slowly and surely I am finding great products that are suitable for women of colour and budget friendly
For this blog, I am going to be sharing my current vegan and cruelty-free make-up as well as a couple of vegan-friendly brands. This list is not comprehensive at all as there are more and more brands offering vegan friendly makeup (even if their parent company is not vegan)
Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty’s foundations ARE VEGAN. You could have imagined my reaction when I read on the Fenty Beauty website that the foundations are vegan. RIHANNA REALLY DID THAT. She really came through and got all of us covered with an epic shade range for a wide variety of undertones. My life was made. Unfortunately this foundation had been sold out so I did not get a hold of it until earlier in January. Fenty Beauty is cruelty free and has a full list of vegan products on their website, which includes their foundations, their matte match sticks and other products
Milk
Milk is a brand I just recently heard off because my sister loves their products. I personally have not tried any of their products because again shade range; however they do carry some shades for darker women and at Sephora they write out on their stands whether the product is vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free and so on. SO unlike what I have to do on a regular basis, you do not have to fish through the ingredient list or consult the Sephora website to know if the product is vegan. I personally enjoy their loose setting powder and their lipglosses.
NYX
If you are like me and cannot drop a lot of coins on make-up, NYX is your best friend. They have a pretty sizeable range of products for women of colour that take into account different undertones. HOWEVER, there is not a hard copy list of their products that are vegan. They are a cruetly-free brand (yes I do know they have been purchased by a non-cruelty-free parent company BUT NYX as a brand itself is cruelty-free) but they are quite unclear about what is vegan or not vegan. Thus they have no list and I had to go through the ingredient list of some of the products I was interested in purchasing to ensure they were vegan.I, unfortunately, do not have the time or energy to fish through all their products that are vegan and not vegan so here is a list of things I own that I know are vegan. I own the Epic Eye Liner, the Pore Filler Primer. I also use their eye shadow palettes and brow pencil. Feel free to check out this blog post on possible vegan NYX products. They are pretty good and better on my pocket.
THE BODY SHOP
For affordable make up, I actually purchase the body shop clay matte foundation. I use their darkest colour and use the shade drops to adjust for my complexion. I know this is not a complete match but I actually prefer the flexibility as my skin gets darker in the summer and lighter in the winter. Plus their foundation is under 30$ and its great for my oily skin.
ELF
ELF is also a great brand for your pocket but they also need to work on their shade range, ESPECIALLY for the foundation. However, this lack of shades is definitely a trend with cheaper products, so I am not surprised. Their products are cruelty free and they also include a little symbol to show whether the product is vegan or not. I only own the Elf Beautifully Bare Sheer Tint Finishing Powder but will be looking to purchase more of their products.
If you are shopping at Sephora and want a comprehensive list check out this link
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