Becoming a Vegan Makeup Artist: Kit Building & Skin Prep Recommendations

In this post, I'm going to talk about building your vegan professional makeup kit.

Buying your kit will be pricey, even if you only go for the cheapest products to start out with. I recommend signing up for an industry discount once you've enrolled onto your course. You will need to sign up with each individual retailer separately and show proof that you're enrolled, then you will receive a discount. Also, when buying online, try to go through a cashback site like Top Cashback. You'll get a small percentage of each sale back, and it adds up rather quickly if you're buying a lot. I've earned £267.45 so far! You can sign up at topcashback.co.uk, or go via my  referral link if you feel like helping me out! :)

To figure out if a brand is cruelty-free, just search for them on lists such as Cruelty-Free Kitty and Logical Harmony. You will need to decide whether you are okay with using products from a cruelty-free company with an animal testing parent company (such as Tarte, Urban Decay). I personally try to avoid brands with animal testing parent companies, except when there is no other option, or the company is extremely dedicated to making vegan products (such as Superdrug or Kat Von D). Here is a good post by Lovely Witches about parent companies.

• Brands that are 100% Cruelty-Free and Vegan

Kett

A post shared by Kett Cosmetics (@kettcosmetics) on Sep 11, 2017 at 9:08am PDT

I highly recommend their airbrush makeup - if you plan to airbrush, I would purchase the whole kit from them.

OCC 

A post shared by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (@occmakeup) on Sep 20, 2017 at 9:00am PDT

A great way to get a lot of lip colours is to buy a set of Lip Tars and mix any colour you can imagine from them. They can be topped with gloss or blotted and powdered, and come in metallic, glitter and tinted gloss finishes. Their pencils for eyes and lips are also great quality.

E.L.F

A post shared by e.l.f. Cosmetics (@elfcosmetics) on Jul 26, 2017 at 7:03am PDT

Lots of quality products for cheap prices. Read reviews prior to purchasing as they have a couple of dud products among the many great ones.

Shiro Cosmetics

A post shared by Caitlin | Shiro Cosmetics (@shirocosmetics) on Apr 14, 2017 at 10:25am PDT

Great for unique powder eyeshadow shades, especially duochrome shadows.

Fyrinnae 

A post shared by Fyrinnae (@fyrinnae.cosmetics) on Jun 8, 2015 at 2:25pm PDT

Great for duochrome shadows, colour shifting shadows and Pixie Epoxy - a kind of 'primer' to bring out the shimmer in eyeshadows.

Skin Illustrator

A post shared by @skinillustratorofficial on Sep 17, 2016 at 1:27am PDT

Skin Illustrator makes alcohol based makeup for film, TV and SFX. The vast majority of films and TV shows you see use these products to produce realistic skin effects like freckles, tanning/sunburn, bruising, ageing, scars, tattoos, dirtying down, the list is endless. They also produce tooth lacquer, dirt for different dirt effects, blood under the name 'Fleet Street', and heavy-duty sealing sprays (Blue and Green Marble).

Brushes - Nanshy, Spectrum, Real Techniques and Cozzette make high-quality vegan brushes. Ideally, you will have multiples of oft-used brushes to save time sanitising them between clients, but it's okay to start out with less.


Great Brands With Vegan Lists -

Refer to these websites when shopping for the same brand on other websites. It's often cheaper to buy many different brands from the same retailer rather than make several purchases from the brand websites.

BH Cosmetics

Neve Cosmetics

Illamasqua

Barry M (Vegan products are labelled in the drop down ingredients tab of each product)

Wet 'n' Wild (Hard to find in the UK, but good quality and cheap if you can get it)

Sugarpill

Skin Prep Recommendations

It's essential to start with a clean, moisturised base when building a look. The right products will cleanse quickly without drying the skin, add moisture without grease, and help makeup adhere to the skin to last all day.

• Skincare

A small pot of homemade sugar and sunflower oil lip scrub to be used before cleansing if needed.

B. Pure Micellar Water (they sell two micellar waters, this one is a larger bottle)

Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum

A cult favourite with moisture-boosting ceramides, and only £2.99!

EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 (if model/client will be in the sun)

Perfectly matte, high protection without flashback. Bieberino knows what's up.

Superdrug/Sainsbury's Petroleum Jelly or pure shea or cocoa butter for lips.

• Primer

Hylamide HA Blur*

Effectively blurs wrinkles and pores.

The Ordinary High Adherence Silicone Primer*

Niod Photography Fluid*

'Lit from within' in a bottle.

Elf Mineral Infused Face Primer

Gosh Velvet Touch Foundation Primer Apricot

(* - Deciem is part-owned by Estee Lauder, but the company itself remains cruelty-free)

I hope you're now suitably prepared for next week's post about foundation and concealer recs!

Til Next Time,

Emma
xXx

-All pics from the instagrams or websites of the brands in question-

Current Skincare Favourites!

I am, I confess, a skincare-oholic. I love products, lotions and potions that promise to make my skin clearer, brighter, younger, firmer. I am ruthless, though. However appealing a product may be, it has to work to become a permanent fixture in my skincare regime. So many products give me blackheads and blocked pores, so I have to be very careful to only use noncomedogenic products and oils. That being said, I think I've found a pretty effective regime, so I wanted to share it with you!

Make up removal

I love Superdrug's Clearly Youthful Cream Cleanser for removing my make-up at the end of the day. It dissolves my makeup with ease, plus it contains AHA/BHAs to give my skin a bit of an exfoliating boost. When my skin is feeling dry or rough, I leave it on for a minute before wiping it off with a warm wet flannel. This cleanser is not supposed to be used on the eyes, so I rub a little petroleum jelly over my eye make-up before wiping it off with my damp flannel.

If I'm super tired I will use a wipe to remove my make-up. I usually use Superdrug's Micellar Cleansing Wipes, but lately I've been trying Faith In Nature 3 in 1 Facial Wipes, which are good, but I'd prefer if they were fragrance-free.

Cleansing

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser is amazing. It's a gently foaming cream that cleanses thoroughly, yet still leaves my skin soft and supple. I use this morning and evening, with my Superdrug Konjac Sponge or a flannel if I need extra exfoliation before makeup application.

Serum

I'm currently starting to see results from Active Solutions Vitamin C Serum from Sr-Skincare. Vitamin C has such a potent effect on the skin, it can reduce the appearance of sun damage, boost collagen and promote skin healing, plus it helps protect your skin from oxidative damage. I use this morning and night after cleansing. Twice weekly I mix in 1 pump of Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment. I've definitely been noticing an improvement in fine lines.

Moisturiser

Even though my bottle has clearly been through the wars, I've had great results from using Hemp Oil to moisturise. It's noncomedogenic, super moisturising, plus it helps regulate oil production. 

Sunscreen

I believe the most powerful anti-aging product is always going to be sunscreen - that's why I'm on the factor 50 all summer long! This summer I've been using Kiss My Face Face Factor SPF 50. I really like it, but I do wish it was fragrance-free. 

Lip Balm

No skincare post would be complete without lipcare! 

Lately I've been loving Pacifica Color Quench Lip Tint in Vanilla Hibiscus. I get super dry lips, and this is so creamy and moisturising I can't help but slather it on all day! It's supposed to be a lip tint, but it's so translucent it doesn't really add any colour at all. I would consider one of the darker colours to actually give my lips a tint, but I'm fine with using this like a regular balm.

If I'm leaving the house I'll use Superdrug's The Little Protecting Pink Tin SPF 15 before my lipstick. Sorry, mine's got bashed up a bit in my bag!

Mask

A firm favourite of mine is the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask.

You just mix it with a little raw apple cider vinegar to form a paste, then apply to clean skin and let dry. It's really great for unblocking stubborn clogged pores. I would recommend using it at night, though, as it leaves you with a slight pink flush! I like to mix in some oats to make it more moisturising.

So those are my skincare favourites! Feel free to leave your vegan skincare favourites in the comments!

Til Next Time,

Emma

xXx

Protecting Your Skin, Protecting Animals – Vegan Sunscreen

The bright days of spring are getting longer, and soon they'll turn into the sun-drenched days of summer. Finally, we can emerge from under our coats, scarves and jumpers and spend some time outdoors without getting hypothermia! This is excellent news if you're like me - I loathe the freezing dreariness of winter - but it might not be such good news for your skin.

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is at it's peak in summertime. This radiation is a leading cause of skin cancer and photoaging, so sunscreen should be a vital part of your skin-care regime.

We usually only spare a thought for sunscreens in summer, but sun damage occurs all year round, even on overcast, winter days. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 70-80% of the sun's rays go through clouds and fog.

Hopefully this article will help you make an informed, cruelty-free and vegan choice about sun protection!

To protect ourselves fully, we need to know what we're up against. There are two types of ultraviolet radiation – UVA (long-wave) and UVB (short-wave). UVA rays account for around 95% of all UV radiation that reaches the Earth's surface. It can penetrate clouds and glass, and is generally at the same intensity all year round, during daylight hours. This type of light does not cause sunburn, but can still cause skin damage that can lead to cancer.

UVA is the main cause of photoaging – that means wrinkles, dark spots and a dull, uneven skin tone.

Take a look at this guy. William McElligott was a truck driver for 28 years. The left side of his face was exposed to sunlight through his window, the right side was in the shade of the cab. This is the result.

UVA is also the chief cause of tanning. There is no such thing as a 'healthy tan', a tan is the skin's response to DNA damage – it darkens to try to protect itself from further damage. The healthiest way to get bronzed is from a self-tan bottle!

UVB rays are the kind that cause sunburn. They also cause photoaging, and are a leading cause of skin cancers. These rays are strongest in the summer months.

Darker skins generally have slightly more protection from the sun (due to higher levels of melanin) but even the deepest tones are not immune to burns and damage. Excess sun exposure tends to cause patchy areas of darker or lighter skin in these skin tones.

So now that we've exposed the sun's evil plot to kill us and/or make us look like wrinkly raisins, we need to protect ourselves!

Effective sunscreens offer broad spectrum protection – keeping both UVA and UVB rays at bay. Experts recommend a minimum of SPF15 all year round to prevent skin cancer and photoaging. For summertime or periods of extended exposure, higher protection may be necessary. At these times it's best to break out the SPF50.

Unfortunately, most of the stuff in the shops is tested on animals, and some contain animal byproducts. But don't worry! I'm here to offer my top vegan sunscreen recommendations!

Superdrug Solait Mattifying Face Fluid SPF50

This non-greasy lotion offers UVA and UVB protection in a hydrating formula. It leaves no white cast, and works perfectly under make-up. It does have a light scent, so it may not be suitable for the most sensitive of skins. It's currently on offer for only £1.99 at Superdrug! I would expect to pay a ton more for a product of this quality, so my advice is to snap it up quick!

I can also vouch for their Clear Spray SPF50 for body, which offers the same high protection and makes you feel wonderfully silky.

EltaMD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40

This is on the pricier side, but it has glowing reviews all over the internet. The brand is cruelty-free, and many of their products are vegan. It won't leave a ghostly white cast on your face, and contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin. Available from DermStore, or UK-based peeps can get it from Amazon.

Lovea SPF50 Daily Face Cream

I've heard great things about this sunscreen. As well as high UVA/UVB protection, it contains organic nourishing ingredients like argan oil. It also contains no ingredients that may be harmful to ecosystems like coral reefs. Available at mypure for £17.99. There is also a version for the body available.

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen SPF45

This sunscreen contains green tea, aloe vera and sunflower seed oil, as well as broad spectrum SPF. Water resistant for 80 minutes, it is paraben free and recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation. It smells heavenly, but I'd suggest using it on your body only, as it stings your eyes like contact lenses made of onion. $11.49 in the US, £7.49 in UK health food shops and at Lucy Rose.

Natures Gate SportBlock Dry SunBlock Lotion SPF50

Fragrance and paraben free, this sunscreen is sweat resistant, which is handy when you're out and about on a hot summer's day (my sunscreen needs to withstand hot, crowded public transport – yikes!) UVA/UVB protection. $10.69 in the US, and around £7 to £9 at UK retailers. Available at health stores and VitaminGrocer.

Sun Tips!

• Sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure to give it time to sink in, to ensure you are protected fully.
• You should use around 1oz, or a shot glass full, to cover your whole body. For just your face, a quarter of a teaspoon is enough.
• Wait 3 minutes after application before putting on make-up. Don't rely on make-up with an SPF, you'd have to apply a ton to get the SPF on the label, and that would look like a cakey mess!
• Sunscreen degrades with continued sun exposure over time. If you are in the sun for more that 3 hours straight, reapply every 3 hours to ensure you are still protected.
• Reapply after swimming or bathing.
• Vitamin D is important, but getting it from the sun means risking skin damage. To stay sun safe and healthy, I recommend taking a vitamin D supplement, such as Vitashine vegan vitamin D3.
• Wear sunglasses outside to prevent sun damage to the eyes (which can cause cataracts). This also stops you from squinting against the sun, which can cause crow's feet!
• It's easy to get dehydrated in the heat. Carry a bottle of water at all times, and remember that most restaurants and coffee shops will refill it with tap water for free. Hydrated body = plump, healthy looking skin! If you do get dehydrated, drink coconut water to replace electrolytes.
• Wear a hat. Not only will you look super stylish, it can prevent your head from overheating and your scalp from burning.

Now go forth and enjoy the sunshine!

Til next time,

Emma

xXx

This is not a sponsored post, and contains no affiliate links. William McElligott picture via Huffington Post. References: Skin Cancer Foundation, Paula's Choice

B. Firm Day Cream SPF 20 Review

I am a skincare fanatic. I carefully choose what I use on my skin, determined to get the most bang for my buck. All whilst keeping it cruelty-free and vegan, of course. So I thought I'd share with you a product that has been through my rigorous testing regime, and passed with flying colours.

B. Firm Day Cream SPF 20

B. Skincare has three 'phases'. Phase One is for the first signs of aging - to use in your 20s and 30s. Phase Two is for use in your late 30s and 40s, and Phase Three was created for mature skin, 50 years or older. Let me just say that I disregarded this and went straight for Phase Three. My skin is very dry, and products tailored for older skin are usually richer - helping to lock moisture in. Plus, when I have a choice of potent anti-aging ingredients or weaker ones, it's a no brainer, right? Surely it's better to stop a wrinkle as it is forming rather than waiting til after the damage has been done? 

So rebel me bought Phase Three B.Firm Day Cream in Superdrug, on special offer at £6.97 - that's over half price! I couldn't resist. The cream is bursting with anti-aging ingredients, Reforcyl, a blend of plant extracts which supposedly 'Measurably improves skin elasticity by 16% in just 4 weeks', niacinamide, a B vitamin which helps to reduce hyperpigmentation when applied topically, and a tetrapeptide. Peptides are amazing for anti-aging, and have become something of a beauty buzz-word in recent years. Peptides are chains of amino acids - a tetrapeptide contains four. Protein is made of amino acids, and your skin is made of protein (namely collagen). When collagen breaks down, your body recognises the amino acids left behind, which stimulates it to make more collagen. Peptides are able to penetrate the skin, tricking it into thinking its collagen is breaking down, which means, hey presto, more collagen is produced!

This is all brilliant for anti-aging, and I do feel like my skin has been firmer since using it. I'm most impressed by it's hydration - it's very difficult to find a product that will quench my thirsty skin and leave it feeling soft for longer than five minutes after application. This product delivers. The product page boasts that it 'Significantly increases hydration by 72% after just one day's wear', and I'd believe it. This must be due to the high levels of hyaluronic acid - another beauty buzz-word - a powerful humectant which helps the skin retain water. Hyaluronic acid is naturally present in the skin, but levels decline as we age. 

The main reason I bought B. Firm Day Cream is not only for its impressive anti-aging arsenal, but because it contains SPF 20. According to research, the sun's UV rays account for 80% of skin aging, and most of this isn't happening on your summer holiday, but every day, even in cloudy conditions, and in winter. So if you're interested in looking young for as long as you can, skincare with SPF is a must.

The cream is thick and absorbs well, with a light fragrance that isn't overpowering.

Another thing I like about this cream is how well it applies under make-up. I've had issues with moisturisers pilling into little balls of product when you try to apply make-up over them, but with this it went on very smoothly, almost like I was wearing a primer. I also can't bear strong 'perfumey' fragrances in skincare, and this has a light, fresh scent which is almost undetectable. 

A moisturiser has to tick a lot of boxes to impress me, and this one has managed it, plus it's a bargain! Suitable for vegans and certified cruelty-free by the BUAV. You couldn't really ask for more!

Til next time,

Emma

xXx

Product was bought by me. All opinions are my own. Gif from Imgur.