Ever feel like you have to compromise on quality when choosing vegan cosmetics? That lacklustre, 'crunchy' vegan makeup could never compare to what the pros whip out of their zucas to use on top models and celebs? Well I'm here to show you that professional quality vegan makeup isn't as hard to find as you might think. Here are some of the products I reach for the most from my own pro makeup kit.
Eyes
A product I use time and time again is the Beauty Without Cruelty Sensuous Mineral Eyeshadow in Serenity, which is a beautiful shimmering beige with a hint of rose gold.
It's perfect for injecting a pop of light to the inner corner of the eye, or to highlight the centre of the lid for a 3D look. I've yet to see a skin tone this shade doesn't work beautifully for.
While sometimes their products can be a little hit and miss, BWC have got it right with this pretty, reflective formula. It's £8.79 to £8.99, depending on where you shop.
The next product I love is OCC Pure Cosmetic Pigment in White. No fillers, no shimmer, just pure, matte white.
It's great patted onto the eyelid over primer, or blended with other shadows to make the colour paler. As you can see, I've had mine for a while, and as I wipe over my products with alcohol periodically to disinfect them, the print on the label has disintegrated. Sorry it doesn't make for the most attractive product snaps!
It's such a versatile product, it can be easily mixed into powder, cream or liquid products. OCC Pure Cosmetic Pigment is £9.00.
Gel eyeliners can be a tricky product to get right. Some melt and smudge too easily, some dry out and refuse to blend. I've enjoyed using B. Precise Gel Eyeliner in Black.
It's blacker than a goth's wardrobe, and you do need to work quickly, because once it's dry it really won't budge!
I do recommend using your own fine or angled liner brush instead of the one that comes with it. B. Precise Gel Liner is £6.99 at Superdrug.
If gel liner is tricky to get right, mascara is almost impossible! Too clumpy, too flaky, too thin, too smudgey - it can get expensive trialling mascaras to find that ideal thickening and lengthening formula. The brand I always come back to is Barry M.
Lash Vegas mascara is amazing. I use the waterproof formula the most in my kit, to ensure it withstands the rigours of emotional brides and hot studio lights. The non waterproof version comes in a pink tube and contains fibres to really amp up the length and thickness. Unlike other fibre mascaras, they don't migrate into your eyes or onto your cheeks during the day.
It's supposed to have a 'spiral brush', but it doesn't look much different to a regular mascara wand, to me. It doesn't deposit too much product, and separates the lashes nicely. It usually retails at £6.49, but it's going for £4.49 in Superdrug at the moment.
These next three products are technically eyeshadow, but they are much more versatile than that. I use them for brows, for contouring the cheekbones and socket line, as a transition colour to blend out shadow in the crease or under eye. Yaby eyeshadows may be small in size, but do not underestimate their power.
The top shade, es048 or Bark, is the perfect brow colour for natural blondes, and a great contour shade for pale, warm skintones. My lighting makes it appear darker than it looks in real life.
The bottom shade, es198 or Firewood is a stunning taupe that works for most blonde and mid-brunette brows. It's also my go-to natural crease colour on white skin. I could write pages about how much I love taupe shadows, and this is my favourite matte taupe.
The right shade, es168 or Fresh Earth is good for dark brunette brows. It's a favourite of mine for deepening the crease and outer v, and using with mixing medium to make a dark brown liquid liner that doesn't pull too bronze or red.
As these shadows are small, it's easy to fit a spectrum of shades into a magnetic palette, like Yaby's Freestyle Palette or the Z-Palette. This means you will never be stuck without a colour you need, plus it's easy to replace the shades you use most. To contour, I lift the pan out of the palette to ensure my brush doesn't pick up the adjacent shades. Yaby eyeshadow refills are £2.75 each.
Swatch time!
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| Top to Bottom, B. Precise Gel Liner - single line and thicker to show how black it is. BWC Mineral Eyeshadow in Serenity. OCC Pure Color Pigment in White. Yaby shadows in Bark, Firewood, Fresh Earth. Swatched over a stripe of E.L.F Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (left) to show how they look over primer and bare skin. |
Face
I use airbrush makeup in my kit to give the most flawless, natural looking results. I've tried a few different products, but Kett Hydro Foundation gives great coverage and looks just like real skin! The shade I always finish up first is O3.
This is a water-based foundation. I prefer this over silicone based products as it dries down to a skin-like texture, while with silicone based makeup the finish looks more obviously like product. I use cream products (like cream blush or bronzer) before airbrushing. Always wait at least 5 minutes for airbrush makeup to dry without touching it before using powder products on top. I usually do the lips while I wait.
I was going to swatch this for you, but it has literally just ran out, and I can't coax a drop more out of it! This is the smaller size, but I will be repurchasing the larger 35ml size for £23-£23.50 at love-makeup or Guru Makeup Emporium.
Lips
OCC Cosmetic Color Pencil in Trick is the definitely a contender for best neutral lip liner ever! It's a warm toned beige, and is just the right consistency to define without dragging the skin.
It produces the perfect nude lip, and works well with a number of different lip tars. I love this product so much I get a little excited about using it. Is that sad? Shh, that was rhetorical.
OCC Cosmetic Color Pencil in Trick is £10.95 - £11.
The final item I have to show you in this tour of my favourite products is OCC Lip Tar in Clockwork. A rich terracotta shade, this lippie is perfect for when you want something brighter than nude, but not a 'statement colour' like classic red, pink or orange.
It adds warmth and vibrancy to the face, but doesn't detract from a strong eye, or overpower the face. It is a warm colour, but it can be cooled to a taupe with the tiniest smidge of blue mixed in, like OCC's RX or Life's Entropy's Osmosis. It's a great colour, and a great base colour to add to, to start mixing your own lip tar concoctions! As with all lip tars, a little goes a long way, so if you only squeeze out what you need, it'll last much longer than a regular lipstick.
Swatch Time!
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| Top - OCC Cosmetic Color Pencil in Trick. Bottom - OCC Lip Tar in Clockwork |
This concludes my most-used products list!
Have you tried any of these? I'd love to hear some of your most used vegan products!
Til Next Time,
Emma
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All products in this post were bought by me, except the BWC Serenity Pigment, which was a gift. My reviews and opinions will always remain unbiased and impartial. Please see skimlinks disclosure in the sidebar.
