5 Cruelty Free Products WORTH the Hype!

 

If you’re like me and read a lot of beauty blogs or watch a lot of YouTube beauty videos, you surely have noticed that certain products are mentioned over and over and over again. They get a lot of buzz! One always wonders if those products are really as good as they seem, or if there’s just some kind of mob mentality keeping everyone enamored with the same so-so products. Always curious about the next best thing, I often find myself trying those “it” products of the moment just to see if they’re really everything my mind has made them out to be. Well, today we’re going to go through five of those very products that do indeed live up to every glowing review, each overly enthusiastic video and even, of all things, most of the products’ own claims! 🙂 Without further ado, I bring you 5 Cruelty Free Products WORTH the Hype!

What is probably my absolute favorite product in this list is undoubtedly the most expensive inclusion. Given that, the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil has a lot to live up to. I have a full review of this wonder skin treatment, but here come the Cliff Notes. This is a highly concentrated retinol-based oil with a soothing ingredient called Blue Tansy (part of what gives it its weird blue tint). Honest to goodness, I noticed a difference upon waking the morning after first giving this a try! I have found the size of my pores has reduced, blemishes are drastically reduced in both intensity and in severity, my skin is overall clearer and brighter, and my skin is more balanced and no longer dehydrated. My skin is by no means perfect from using the Luna Oil, but there is in fact a positive noticeable difference in my skin. It has a hefty $105 price tag, but I find one bottle lasts a little less than a full year and the improvement in my skin is 100% worth it! I will add that not everyone will need the Luna Sleeping Night Oil, but if you have any issues with skin texture, acne, aging, dullness, or overall moisture balance, I feel like this is definitely a must-have!

Another perennial blogger/vlogger favorite…and one you will have seen hammered on about by me as well…is the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. This is yet another one that I have reviewed, but it is my absolute favorite mascara! It is a bold mascara, so you have to want a more dramatic look, but if you do, this one’s for you! Though length isn’t the Better Than Sex’s greatest strength, it definitely is added. It creates great volume with that slight bit of clumpiness that a lot of people…myself included…love and it is an intense deep black. I have heard some say that it smudges on them, but I have had no such trouble. My eyes tend to water at the corners a fair amount and I still have no issues with staying power. I don’t find that it flakes either and it is easy to remove with a decent cleansing oil or makeup remover. The formula itself tends toward the drier side, but isn’t really overly dry or wet. The brush is made of natural fibers and has an hourglass-like shape to it. It’s not the easiest to apply because of the brush, but it’s also not difficult to get on the lashes. The Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara is kind of that Goldilocks mascara that ticks all the good boxes without going overboard…and it’s vegan!!!

Ah highlighters. It seems everyone is looking for the boldest, brightest, craziest, most intense highlighters these days. Personally, I don’t think you will find better than the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed! The BECCA highlighters seem to be the most universally loved and with good reason. My favorite is the beige-y champagne shade “Opal” and it’s one of those highlighters that can be build up to really shine without looking powdery, glittery, chalky or sparkly. At the same time, it’s a highlighter that you will notice. Again, it’s that Goldilocks level of gorgeous glow that you can certainly see, but it’s not so over the top that it’s all that you see…unless you’re trying for that look! 😉 The texture is beautifully buttery soft, smooth and silky. It’s blendable and seamless on the skin without emphasizing texture. Though there aren’t a ton of shades, the ones available seem to provide a fit for all depths of skin tones. All in all, you really cannot beat the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed for the perfect highlighter (try the liquid version on the tops of the cheekbones for a more subtle glow! 😉 ).

Lately there has been so much buzz about the RCMA No Color Powder that no stores seem able to keep it in stock! This velvety smooth makeup artist staple is as it sounds – a colorless loose powder. It does look white in the container, but there is no trace of anything when applied to the skin. I am not a huge powder lover and never really noticed a huge difference between them before trying the No Color Powder, but this has certainly changed my mind! It is literally undetectable on the skin. There is no powdery or chalky look, texture is not emphasized at all, oil is kept at bay, and creams are set in place all day. I will agree with most that the packaging is awful for us regular folk, but just decant a bit into a powder container (I ordered one from Amazon) and the mess is greatly reduced. If you’re using it direct from the original shaker bottle (as I’ve been doing), just unscrew the top and carefully pour a bit into the lid to dip a brush into. Helps a lot, but there’s still powder lost to the wind! 🙂 If you can find the RCMA No Color Powder, snatch it up! It’s 100% affordable (about $10 per large shaker bottle), vegan, and will change the way you think and feel about powder!

Finally we have one of Charlotte Tilbury’s best products! The Matte Revolution Lipsticks are literally the best matte lipsticks ever created. If you hate matte lipsticks (not the look, but the feel), you need to try these! They glide on the lips with the ease of any cream, and they are so incredibly comfortable that you’ll almost forget you’re wearing lipstick! I say “almost” because they’re freakin’ hydrating and I often feel like I’m just wearing a lip balm! It’s the weirdest and most wonderful sensation I’ve ever had from a lipstick! The pigmentation is pretty intense, as is the lasting power. I swear these suckers last all day through pretty much any kind of meal. We’re not even going to discuss the stunning packaging that deserves praise all on its own! I do feel like the colors are more winter-appropriate…if that’s a thing!…but you need to try the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks no matter what the season! My most used shade is probably the rosey-nude “Bond Girl” for day-to-day wear and “Love Liberty” for the perfect cool-weather berry. Absolutely stunning in packaging, formula, pigmentation, longevity and comfort! Gorgeous, gorgeous lipsticks!

With so many new releases and “breakthrough” products entering the marketplace seemingly every day, it’s almost a rarity to come across a product truly worth even half of the praise it initially receives. I can assure you that these 5 items live up to the hype and, in some cases, surpass it! Let me know if you have anything you would add to this list as we would all love to hear about it! And let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and how you feel about them. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to see you back again soon!!!