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Going Cosmetic Vegan<br />
Story and design by Mariana Novakovic,<br />
Style Editor<br />
Wake up. Put your face on, and go. It’s supposed to be<br />
easy, quick, and beautiful. However, in reality, often my<br />
mornings are not as glamorous as face wash commercials.<br />
There are mornings when I’m putting my makeup on and<br />
it feels super gross on my face, and it especially seems<br />
unhealthy. Greasy foundation and powder that cakes my<br />
face and clogs my pores and later causes me to have a major<br />
breakout, is not how I want to start my day. Actually, I hate<br />
makeup. How does it make me feel disgusting while it’s supposed<br />
to do the opposite of just that? While I really wish I<br />
just had perfect skin that wasn’t either dry, or greasy, or the<br />
awkward in between that is impossible to figure out, there<br />
has to be a way where I can feel better about the makeup I’m<br />
putting on my face.<br />
If you’ve ever looked up what is actually in the makeup<br />
that you are letting absorb into your face, you will probably<br />
discover horrifying things. Actually, I find a lot of language<br />
I don’t understand. Some mascaras are made with guanine,<br />
a compound that can be found in seabird or bat excrement.<br />
After learning that I don’t think I’ll ever put mascara on<br />
the same way again. Squalene is a compound from shark<br />
liver oil that is used in lipsticks and moisturizers. I don’t<br />
care what they say, beauty is not worth that much. Other<br />
animal products like lamb fat, sheep grease, rooster combs<br />
and snail slime are used in makeup because they contain<br />
mucin extract and glycolic acids, also known as the queens<br />
of exfoliation – but at what cost?<br />
If researching what makeup is made of, and weird things<br />
you’re putting on your face doesn’t make you become an<br />
earthy, yoga loving, kombucha drinking, hippy, and I guess<br />
also watching a documentary on the production of meat<br />
products, then I definitely don’t know what else does. But<br />
luckily there is hope. There are some cosmetic brands that<br />
are all natural and don’t have animal products. Let’s call<br />
them vegan cosmetics.<br />
Arbonne is a beauty and skincare brand that is made<br />
with botanically based ingredients. You can find tons of<br />
information about Arbonne on their website. According to<br />
Arbonne, they recyclable product packaging and recycled<br />
shipping boxes, and are known for their water conservation<br />
and botanical, vegan, cruelty-free formulas. While some<br />
MAC lipsticks can range from $17 to $25, Arbonne lipsticks<br />
are on average about $29. For being a green brand,<br />
the prices are somewhat competitive, and depending on<br />
what you’re looking for, the extra price might be worth<br />
it. Their eyeshadows are about $16, and their liquid and<br />
mineral powder foundations are about $44. They also have<br />
a wide variety of different skincare, hair, and bath products<br />
that are all green and clean.<br />
If you’re looking for something similar to Arbonne, but<br />
want something a little bit more reasonably priced, check<br />
out Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, who are certified<br />
by PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals).<br />
According to their website, OCC was founded in New York<br />
City and launched the overwhelming successful Lip Tar,<br />
the world’s first 100 percent vegan and cruelty-free liquid<br />
lipstick. In 2014, OCC released their Cosmetic Colour Pencils,<br />
that feature an innovative formula free from silicone<br />
or other cosmetic waxes derived from animals. Their Lip<br />
Tars are about $17, their Colour Pencils are $16, and eyeshadows<br />
are $15. However, they are all about sales, when<br />
I was skimming their website, everything was on sale and<br />
ranged around $10. So keep an eye out with these different<br />
cosmetic brands because you never know when they’ll have<br />
a good sale.<br />
Pacifica is another 100 percent vegan and cruelty-free<br />
makeup and beauty product brand. They have skincare,<br />
hair, nail, and even suncare products all at somewhat reasonable<br />
prices. Lipsticks are $10, eyeshadow palettes are<br />
$18, mascaras are $14, and liquid and powder foundations<br />
range from $12 to $18.<br />
There are so many other cosmetic and beauty product<br />
brands that are vegan and animal cruelty-free, you just<br />
have to do some internet digging. So in case you were wondering<br />
while staring in the mirror putting on your makeup<br />
this morning, here’s how to go cosmetic green.<br />
56 Style<br />
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