May Monthly Favorites!! Vegan & Cruelty Free!

May was a whirlwind of a month!!  I worked at so many Ultas this month!  I tried a few new things, got some new things in my Vegan Cuts Box, and of COURSE wore lots of Too Faced!  Here are the products I was loving this month!  As always, all products are cruelty free, and they are vegan unless otherwise stated!

SKINCARE:

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair SPF 40:  I am in love with this product.  I was worried it was going to be too heavy for my combination, acne prone skin, but I am finding just the opposite!  My skin drinks it right in and it makes everything smooth and plump.  I haven't had any issues with it making me shiny or sticky, either.  My only word of advice is that if you are particularly dry, you will want to supplement with a moisturizer underneath.

First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy:  I love this product!  I prime my face every day with Too Faced Hangover primer, eyeshadow primer (currently using up Urban Decay Anti-Aging Primer), and this below my eyes.  It hydrates and plumps the skin, de-puffs, and also slightly color corrects.  It is, simply put, the bee's knees.

MAKEUP:

Too Faced Born This Way (in Snow & Nude):  I have been wearing Snow for months.  I noticed that lately it's not quite enough color, so I've been applying Snow to the center of my face, then mixing it equal parts with Nude to add more color to the borders of my face.  I reviewed my favorite foundations and went more in depth here.

Medusa's Makeup Blush in Jezebel: I got this blush in my Vegan Cuts Beauty Box, and instantly fell in love.  I visited Chicago maybe five years ago and got my first glimpse of the brand, but never ended up buying any.  When I saw it in my box, I was excited.  As soon as I tried it on, I knew I was going to be using it often.  It's a coral color, but it has a gorgeous pop to it.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil in Moonspoon: I'm a pretty big fan of this exact liner.  I can't say I'm a fan of ALL of the 24/7 Pencils, but I do like Moonspoon a lot.  I ended up with a LOT of UD liners during my years with Sephora, so I've been trying to use them more lately to use them up before they all dry out.  This one is my favorite because it reminds me of the Perfect Eyes in Perfect Storm from Too Faced.

Too Faced La Creme Matte:  I don't even have a favorite color, I am in love with all of them!  I wear As If! a lot because it goes well with Jezebel from Medusa's Makeup, and Love Hangover from Too Faced.  Bachelorette is another gorgeous choice.  Pitch Perfect is a purple-fuschia that looks good on everyone.  I haven't tried one on yet that I didn't like!

EDIBLES:

Ben & Jerry's Non-Dairy:  Holy crap!  I CAN'T EVEN.  The best non-dairy ice cream I have found is the So Delicious Coconut and Almond Milk varieties.  They are still fantastic, but now I am in LOVE with the Ben & Jerry options!  I haven't tried one I don't like yet!  As a matter of fact, Fudge Brownie is waiting in the freezer for a taste test...

Gamma Labs G Fuel in Mystery Flavor:  I have now tried Fazeberry (yum!!), Pineapple and Mystery.  The Mystery Flavor smells like the Lik-Em-Stik from Fun Dip, but tastes floral, almost like I would expect cherry blossom to taste.  I don't think it's my favorite, but I would buy it again!

Chameleon Cold-Brew and Califia Farms Cold Brew:  I have been drinking cold brew for over a year now, and it's amazing how much better my stomach does with it.  I used to brew my own, but I started buying the Chameleon Cold-Brew while we were still in Texas.  Shortly after, I discovered Califia Farms had cold brew and have often picked up the single serve bottles every time I work in an Ulta or Sephora near a Whole Foods.

My Favorite Vegan and Cruelty Free Foundations! Updated for 2016!!

Hello everyone!!  I made this post back in 2012 and it is still a very popular post.  Unfortunately, two of those foundations are from cruelty free companies anymore!  I wanted to post my up to date favorites!

I like different foundations for different reasons, so hopefully one of these foundations can become your holy grail based off of what you're looking for in coverage, finish and format.

Too Faced Vegan List Spring/Summer 2016!

I have the up to date vegan list from Too Faced for their Spring/Summer 2016 launches!

EYES

• Better Than Sex Mascara
• Mascara Melt Off
• Natural Matte Eye Palette Shadow Collection
• Perfect Eyes (All shades)
• Instant Attitude Brow Bone Highlighting Pencil

FACE

• Born This Away Foundation (All shades)
• Cocoa Powder Foundation (All shades)
• Hangover Primer
• Primed & Poreless Primer
• Primed & Poreless Loose Powder
• Primed & Poreless Pressed Powder
• Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer (All shades)
• Cocoa Contour (Original, Not Deep)
• Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush (All shades)
• Sweetheart Bronzer - Sweet Tea
• Love Flush Blush – How Deep Is Your Love
• Love Flush Blush – Your Love is King

LIPS

• Lip Injection
• Lip Injection Extreme
• Lip Insurance Primer
• Lip Insurance Glossy
• Le Crème Color Drenched Lip Crème (Except Mean Girls & Lollipop)
• Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick (All shades)
• Melted Chocolate Liquified Long Wear Lipstick (All shades)
• Melted Metal Liquified Long Wear Lipstick (All shades)
• Perfect Lips Lip Liner (All shades)

BODY

• Royal Oil Body Bronzer

TOOLS

• Pro-Essential Teddy Bear Hair Brush Set
• Kabuki Brush
• Mr. Right

ALL TOO FACED PRODUCTS ARE FORMULATED WITHOUT GLUTEN EXCEPT BORDERLINE LIP LINER

ALL TOO FACED PRODUCTS ARE FORMULATED WITHOUT PARABENS EXCEPT LOVE PALETTE EYESHADOW PALETTE, RETURN OF SEXY EYE SHADOW PALETTE, SIZE QUEEN MASCARA, 3-WAY LASH LINER

Quick Review: Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Eyeshadow Palette!

As many of you know by now, I started working with Too Faced Cosmetics in February.  I adore the company and everything they stand for, and I am very happy to be on the team!  I picked up the new Chocolate Bonbons palette, and planned to be on a no-buy for a while.  That didn't last when I walked into my Northgate store and saw how gorgeous the Peanut Butter and Jelly palette was in person.  I had to have it.  I expected to not like it much since I can't usually do warm browns, but something about this palette was different.

Too Faced Peanut Butter & Jelly Palette; $36 for 9 eyeshadows

The warm browns almost have a copper toned element that makes them look great with my eye color.  I have hazel eyes, and I struggled to decide if the palettes colors make them pull more green or brown.  Ultimately, I think it depends on which colors I wear, but I feel like they typically pull more green with this palette.

I am wearing over half of the palette in this look.

Overall, the palette is everything I expect from Too Faced.  The eyeshadows are smooth and silky and blend easily.  The textures are nice and easy to work with.  Even the more glittery shades were fun to work with, and I was able to easily avoid fallout.  Basically, you could say this is a "no ragrets" kind of buy.  Honestly, my only regret is that when I wear it into stores, they're usually sold out of it!

Cruelty Free Brands at My Sephora

Disclaimer: This post is specific to my location.  There may be more options at your local Sephora.  If a company is on this list, they, nor do their parent companies, test on animals.  If you see any mistakes, please let me know immediately!  This post actually exists as a reference point for a co-worker on my days off.  This list was last updated 9/3/2015.

Color Brands:
1. Too Faced
2. Josie Maran
3. Hourglass
4. Cover FX
5. Tarte*
6. Kat Von D**
7.  Becca Cosmetics

Skincare Brands:
1. Dr. Dennis Gross
2. First Aid Beauty
3. AmorePacific
4. Drunk Elephant
5. DERMAdoctor
6. Lavanila
7. Sunday Riley
8. NUDE Skincare
9. Korres***
10.  Coola Suncare
11.  Supergoop! Skincare

Haircare:
1. Alterna
2. WEN by Chaz Dean
3. Verb Products (not in my store, but Texas local!!)

I have more research to do on haircare.  I will add brands as I find more info on them.

For a more thorough list, check Cruelty Free Kitty's Sephora list.  She is diligent and constantly updates it.

Tarte*: has been bought by Kose.  I am having a hard time finding any information on this brand in general.  They are a Japanese brand so I'm assuming they sell in mainland China, but I honestly don't know.  If you have helpful information on the brand (in english), please link me!
Kat Von D**: is a Sephora brand.  There for, it is Kendo, and falls under the LVMH umbrella.  I list her here because for some reason a lot of people are still totally comfortable buying her despite this.
Korres***: Korres has taken control of their company again and become independent. The worrisome thing is their products have been seen on websites that operate in mainland China.  The brand is claiming it's unauthorized and is working to get the items removed.  For now, I believe them, but we'll have to see what the future holds for Korres.
I have since taken Murad & Kate Somerville off of the list.  In June they were both purchased by Unilever.  Both brands will remain cruelty free, but their parent company tests.

Phototutorial: Pink Bow Ties.

I was inspired to this tutorial because of a Makeup Forever Labshine t-shirt I have.  I know, that doesn't really make a lot of sense, but these are the colors on the shirt, and that's what I wanted to capture, even if I didn't use Makeup Forever products to do it.

In today's tutorial, I use Tarte's Lash Primer & Gifted mascara, MSC pigments Adipose, Hello Sweetie, Bow Ties are Cool and the Silence, MSC Optimus Primer, and the Too Faced 3-Way Lash Lining Tool.

EOTD: A Smoky Mistake.

I started a smoky eye for work, then they called and said that they were issuing a snow day. So I busted out my indie brands and created this mashup for you. Sadly, I made a huge mistake when I added pink below the eye because now I feel like I look so tired. Whoops.

In this look:

• Madd Style Cosmetix Optimus Primer Eyelid Primer
• Darling Girl Cosmetics Eye Base in Starry Night
• Glamour Doll Eye Loose Pigment in Obscura
• Madd Style Cosmetix Loose Pigment in Revenge
• Madd Style Cosmetix Loose Pigment in Adipose
• Madd Style Cosmetix Loose Pigment in Girl With the Most Cake
• Too Faced 3 Way Eye Liner
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Liner in Perversion
• Givenchy Phenom'Eyes Mascara in Noir

To the best of my knowledge, all of these items are vegan & cruelty free except for the mascara.  Also, don't judge my eyebrows.  They've been growing in for a while, but much like my natural hair color, it's still a total mess.  And yeah, I look exhausted in the inner corners of my eyes.. cause I am.  I work retail and it's the holidays, haha.  One night of sleep will sadly not get rid of that darkness.. it'll be gone soon though.

ELF Swap Package!

Thank you Shanna!! Details later! <3

Updated to add said details!
 
Batman Hush Graphic Novel!  LOVE THIS.  OMG.
Chico Bag, which I used to carry my laptop today when I had to run out the door with it.
ELF Nail Polish Set.  This got great reviews on the site and the colors are beautiful!
NYC Palette in Dark Shadows.  It's actually a limited palette from the Individual Eyes line.
Wet N Wild Color Icon Single in Brulee
Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzer Mini
Freeman Chocolate Masque (nom, I love these!)
Blinc Mascara (so excited to try it finally!)
Color Club polish in.. uh.. Gold?  It's in the other room.
Essence Polish in Where the Party At?

FTC:  All of these items were sent to me as part of a secret elf exchange by the adorable Shanna.

posted from Bloggeroid

Too Faced's Vegan List!

My Too Faced rep was in my store today and informed me that Too Faced has a vegan list readily available.  After emailing the company, I noticed the complete list was in the FAQ.  D'oh.

I'm going to copy and paste the list below, putting my favorite items in bold.  I'm really depressed to find that Shadow Insurance is not on this list, as I had thought, for whatever reason, that it WAS a vegan formula.  Does anyone know if it changed, or if I somehow totally missed it from the get go?

Here is a complete list of our Vegan-friendly products (no animal bi-products): Amazing Face SPF 15 Powder Foundation (all), Absolutely Flawless Concealer (all), Beauty Balm (all), Borderline Anti-Feathering Lip Pencil, Brightening Blush (Mochi Mi Amore), Brow-ney Pencils (all), Sun Bunny, Chocolate Soleil (all), Galaxy Glam (all), Duo Eye Shadows (Ooh & Aah, Fantasy Island, Skinny Dip, Lucky Charms, Shamrock Chic, Rich Bitch), Exotic Colors (Nice Stems!, Cop a Teal, Firefly, Frilly Lily, Petals to the Metal, Midnight Mist, Poison Orchid, Enchanted Garden, Night Nymph, Violet Femme), Foiled Liners (Bronze Bombshell, Black Beauty), Full Bloom Creme (Prim & Poppy, Tea Rose), Full Bloom Powder (Sweet Pink, Coca Rose), Glamour Dust (Blue Angel), Leopard Love (Candy Leopard, Peach Leopard), Lip Injection, Lip Injection Super Size, Lip Injection Extreme, Lip Insurance, Liquif-Eye, Liquid Lava Eyeliner - Lava Matte, Long-Stemmed Lashes, Matte Eye Collection, Metal Eyed Eyeliners (Blackout, Hand Cuffs, Twilight, Get Lucky, Plum Crazy, Brown Sugar, Dirt Bag, Shotgun), Mirror Mirror (all), Peach Leopard, Perfect Eyes Eyeliner (all), Perfect Lips, Primed & Poreless (all), Royal Oil, Eye Shadow Single (Label Whore, Blonde Ambition, Neptune), Starry Eyed Eyeliner (all), Tanning Bed in a Tube, Wrinkle Injection, Shadow Brushes, Kabuki Brush, Flatbuki, Powder Pouf, Bronze-Buki, Teddy Bear Hair Brush Set, Petite Pouf.

EOTD: Showing Purple Some Love!

On my face:
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC20
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
MAC blush in Coygirl

On my eyes:
TFSI
MSC Pop N Lock base
MSC e/s in Gossip all over lid as base color
MSC e/s in Kiss With a Fist in the inner corner
MSC e/s in Heartbreaker all over lid
MSC e/s in Revenge below eye
MSC e/s in Birfday Suit as the brow highlight
Sephora Waterproof Kohl in Keep Black
Sephora Lash Plumper mascara in Black
ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Plum for the eyebrows

Lips:
MSC lip bomb in Snoball
MAC mattene lipstick in Fresh Amour