Lavanila Deodorant is the best!

I had long been on the search for a vegan deodorant when I started working at Sephora.  I had tried many of the drug store ones.  I often found products that left me sticky, smelly, or otherwise let down.  Then when I started working at Sephora, I decided to give Lavanila a try.

I bought the Trio ($36) back when it launched in May, then bought Sport Luxe ($16) when it launched in June!  I keep the little guy ($8) around for hot, sweaty outdoor events that I might need to touch up.

My Favorite Mascaras (Long Lashes)

The time has come that you won't be seeing a lot from me about mascaras because as you guys know, I've gotten very strict on my cosmetics being not only cruelty free, but also vegan.  In the past, if I didn't see a blatently non-vegan ingredient, I tended to not worry about it.  Nowadays, it's the opposite; if I don't see that a product is blatently labeled vegan, I don't buy it.  I do get a lot of product to try from work, so those items still come and go and that's why you occasionally see me wearing a product that is not only not vegan, but also occasionally not cruelty free (though I try to avoid those unless it's associated with brand training).

As I part my ways with non-vegan mascaras, I will leave you with my top five choices.  These will all be cruelty free, but not vegan.  You WILL see vegan mascara reviews in the future.  I can also try out mascaras from any brand we carry in store, but occasionally the quality is compromised because it's a tester and people leave lids open, etc, etc.   None the less, don't feel like you can't ask me about other mascaras, just don't expect to see a full write up on them; if that makes sense?

Okay!  Onward with my top five mascaras!

1.  Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara - $19 (also available in a waterproof formula)
I first tried this mascara in a tiny trial size when one of the lovely ladies at my Sephora offered it to me with a smile in response to my question, "Do you guys ever do mascara samples?  I'm scared to try the ones here in store and I know it's kind of impossible to sample out the testers..."  I tried it that same day and fell in love immediately.  I was terrified of the $19 price point, but realized that all of the drug store cruelty free mascaras were also pretty expensive ($9 and up for common brands like Almay and Physician's Formula) outside of my beloved Wet n Wild and NYC.  Even Hard Candy mascaras are at least $8.  Besides, none of those drug store mascaras had ever wowed me like this one had.  The formula wasn't too wet or dry, so it applied easily without making a giant mess of my long lashes.  The brush was a more traditional nylon style, without being large or bushy.  I later found that this was my favorite brush type.  I never had problems with flaking or raccoon eyes until the mascara was spent and ready to be thrown out.  The packaging was cute, and it was from a much more natural brand.  I was sold.  I was especially happy to find that there was a waterproof version as well, should I need it.
Update:  This formula is now vegan!

2.  Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay mascara - $19
This one was much more recently discovered, as it's just come out in the last six month.  Again from Tarte, it had great packaging, a more natural formula, and damn near the same brush as my beloved Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara.  I noticed that this one has easy to build volume, assumably from the clay, and I never had issues with flaking.  I generally only needed one coat with this mascara, though I did occasionally wear two coats when I just wanted.. more.  It also had the not too wet, not too dry consistency that works so well with my long lashes.  I recommend this one to client who want to try something that's recently come out but isn't Diorshow New Look, haha.
Update:  This formula is now vegan!

3.  Sephora Lash Plumper mascara - $12
I received this mascara as a birthday gift from Sephora in 2010, and have loved it since.  I've repurchased it many times, though it's not what I typically reach for, brush wise.  It's a slightly fluffier brush to go with it's more voluminous formula.  This mascara is everything I want, though I will tell you, it's a bit stubborn to remove.  I did a full write up on my love for this mascara here.

4.  NYC Show Time Waterproof Volumizing Mascara - around $3-$4
This is the only waterproof mascara that I keep in my drawer on a regular basis.  The formula is nice, though slightly wetter than anything else on this list.  I've never actually tested how waterproof it is (ie: no crying, rain, etc), but I do know that I never had problems with flaking or raccooning, which can easily happen with drug store brands.  I don't wear a waterproof formula that often, only if I'm going to be sweating, so I don't like to spend a ton on a mascara that won't be used to it's full potential.  This one is awesome.  It's cheap.  And the brush is pretty similar to the kind I love.

5.  Lumene Natural Code Eye Dramatizer Lash-Extending Mascara - price unknown
I received this mascara in a swap with my friend Emilia who lives in Finland.  Sadly, I can't find this mascara online anywhere to buy, but I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that I'm not searching for it in Finnish.  It's a great formula, though more wet than I usually like.  The brush helps tame how wet it is, as it's short and tapered (as it should be for a good lengthening formula).  I don't need a ton of length, but I have noticed that this does a great job of actually get from root to lash tip.  It offers definition without having a pesky rubber bristle brush.  The ingredient list is more natural than I'm used to, and with any luck, it may be vegan!  Emilia emailed Lumene for me to find out if the formula is vegan or not, since my Finnish is.. well, I don't speak it.  At all.

FTC: Mascara one I received a free sample of, but purchased a full size of.  Mascara two I received for free from work.  Mascara three I initially received a free sample of, but bought many full sizes later.  Mascara four I purchased.  Mascara five I received as a gift from my friend.  These are my honest opinions and I am not being compensated for this post.

Top Five Eyeliners!

I wear a lot of eyeliner.  j0hn wears even MORE eyeliner than I do, so I asked him to give his opinions on this post.  These are in no particular order.

1.  Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Perversion - $19
http://www.urbandecay.com/perversion-eye-pencil

These really are some of the best eyeliners out there.  They're less than $20, they have insane staying power, and they come in a huge range of colors (many of which are vegan, and clearly labeled as such).  They glide on easily, too, which is a huge selling point for me, especially because I like to wear them on my waterline.

2.  Sephora Waterproof Eye Kohl in Keep Black - $9
http://sephora.com/waterproofeyekohl

This is my favorite affordable eyeliner pencil.  I'd used a few drug store pencils, but this one is great.  The main reason I will be switching to using Perversion when my current pencil runs out is that no one seems to know if this pencil is vegan or not.  It's definitely not tested on animals, but I have no idea if there are any animal products in it so it's time to move on to a new liner.  j0hn also uses this liner.

3.  NARS Larger Than Life Long Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto (Black) - $23
http://www.narscosmetics.com/color/eyes/~/larger-than-life-long-wear-eyeliner

There are two reason why I love this eyeliner; first of all, you don't sharpen it so there is no loss of product, and once it sets, it is going to stay for a very, very long time.  There are only two reasons I don't like this eyeliner; Perversion is darker and I don't know if it's vegan. I'm still waiting on a vegan list from NARS.

4.  ELF Cream Liner in Black - $3
http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/eyes/eyeliner/cream_eyeliner

This product is amazing for the price.  Once apon a time, Wet N Wild was known for having the most affordable cream liner out there, but ELF's cream liner blows theirs out of the water. j0hn uses this for a base on his eyelids every single day. That boy is hard to please when it comes to black liner.  Their waterproof eyeliner pen is pretty remarkable at a $1 price point.  Both of these items weren't tested on animals, and I think both of them are vegan.  I need to double check that.

5.  MAC Eye Kohl in Fascinating - $15
http://www.maccosmetics.com/products/eyekohl/fascinating

This product was my absolute favorite white eyeliner.  Sadly, MAC is owned by Estee Lauder & that means they are no longer cruelty free.  Other white eyeliners I've been impressed by are Jordana's and Sephora's Nano Liner.  They are both significantly cheaper than the MAC liner, so when Fascinating runs out, you can expect some white liner reviews.  First on the list?  Urban Decay's Yeyo!

Sephora Lash Plumper mascara ftw.

Inspired by Mo's new post here about her favorite liquid liners, I decided it was nigh time I wrote about my favorite mascara. While I am well aware the liners and mascaras are hardly the same thing, just.. stay with me here.

It was the summer of 2010.  I was approaching my 23rd birthday and I got those emails to remind me, "Hey dumbshit, it's your birthday!  You get free stuff this month!"  Oh, glorious day!  I rounded up the locations where I was entitled to free-ness in celebration of my birth, and headed out the door.

I saved what is almost always the best for last: Sephora.  Sephora had an amazing gift in 2010 (and 2009, and 2011, and though it isn't my birthday yet, as an employee of Sephora I am well aware that the gift is pretty damn cool this year as well) and this gift literally changed my life.  Well.. it changed my life in so much as finding your holy grail mascara can.  I know, epic.

I won't lie, I had to cheat and look online to see what else was in the gift that year (and you can cheat and look here if you forget, too).  It was a silver green nano liner, a tiny size of Aspen Summit eyeshadow, and *cue harps* the Lash Plumper.  They were all Sephora brand, and in a quick rundown for a review:
1. Silver Green nano liner - good liner, horrid color for me
2.  Aspen Summit - I still have this tiny guy and he is doing doing a great job as an inner corner highlight
3.  Lash Plumper mascara - this changed me

This mascara is perfect [FOR ME].  It isn't too wet, it isn't too dry; and it's buildable.  It doesn't flake, it doesn't budge, but I do suspect it is the product at the end of the day that gives me a hell of a fight to remove.  It's okay, I still love it, and wear it every day without hesistation.

Since trying the product for the first time in July of 2010, I have tried other mascaras, always on the quest to try exciting, new things; but I have always returned to my beloved Lash Plumper mascara.  At a measly $12 a tube, it's not much more than what you'd pay at the drug store.  Yet it performs like so many of the high end mascaras that it is constantly surrounded and mocked by.  I don't know if I actually think the two are dupes, but it and the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascaras are the only ones I've ever even considered repurchasing.

I guess there will be a comparison in the new future.  I can't just leave it at that, can I?

For nostalgia's sake: My full size I'm currently working on & the original tiny size I received for my birthday.

FTC:  Although I initially received the sample size of this mascara as a free perk, I have paid for all additional tubes with my own money.  These are my honest opinions.