By Holladay Allen
Native Tribe Member
At Native Foods Café we are in the midst of compiling our top ten favorite vegan-friendly make-up products ever! This is very exciting since I absolutely adore make-up and its ability to not only enhance natural beauty, but also completely transform somebody’s image. I am a heavy on the eyes kinda lady, but I love those gals who can rock the minimal eye make-up with a deep red pout. Oh yeah!
I am a bit fanatical about my eye makeup using two different types of pencil eyeliner and 2 different types of mascara in my daily routine. And I often find myself pondering that age-old question: If I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one make-up product, would it be mascara or eyeliner? This question makes me want to cry. Why would I even consider such a thing? (Well, I experienced a lot of hurricanes growing up and many were disastrous, so I think I am always kind of awaiting disaster in some form or another. Just recently, I stopped stockpiling food, it was bad. But I still can’t stop my overactive brain from analyzing the potential aftermath of something that will probably never happen. Oh the neuroses!)
On one hand, eyeliner is a multi-purpose product. It can line your eyes and be smudged into an eye shadow. You are fabulous eyeliner! On the other hand, mascara just makes eyes pop and adds that touch of femininity that cannot be mimicked. At the present moment, I am going with mascara. But I go back and forth.
I know you guys are just itchin’ to see those top ten products, but there is some research to be done and facts to be confirmed. We do, however want to share a few ingredients and links that will help you make conscious choices right now. First, follow the link below to see companies that do and do not test on animals.
Beautypedia.com is a great website created by Paula Begoun that lists reviews for thousands of beauty products.
http://www.beautypedia.com/AnimalTesting.aspx
Ms. Begoun also has another website which describes in details every cosmetic ingredient, its origin, and possible allergic reaction:
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/cosmetic-ingredient-dictionary.aspx
Thanks Paula!
Some common ingredients found in cosmetics that are animal-derived include:
Ø Carmine or cochineal - Coloring made from ground insect.
Ø Lanolin - Moisturizing agent derived from sheep.
Ø Beeswax/ pollen/ bee products
ØLard
Ø Tallow
Ø Many waxes
Ø Lactose/ lactalbumin
Ø Milk/Whey products
Ø Silk derivative
Ø Propolis
Ø Elastin (from cows)
Ø Hyaluronic acid
So head out to your local mall, Saks, drugstore, Neiman’s, Sephora, or wherever and polish those investigative skills. Don’t be afraid to ask questions next time you find yourself at the cosmetics counter trying to decide between that electric blue liquid eyeliner and the aubergine cream eye shadow. And as always, we would love to hear about your favorite vegan beauty products past and present!
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