I know it’s a bit late…as well as another “Favorites” post…but it’s way past time for my Cruelty Free April Favorites!!! Yes, April. Yet again, I wrote this a while ago, but have just now gotten all the pieces together so that it can be posted. I’d be lying if I said April…and now May…wasn’t a crazy month, which is part of the reason I’ve been so absent lately. But fear not, I still have some favorites to throw atcha! 😄 We have a good mix of makeup, with a touch of skincare, body care and hair care. So, we’ve established what’s in store for my Cruelty Free April Favorites. Now let’s dive in!
Since I started with makeup last month, let’s start with skincare. During the Sephora VIB Sale, I found the Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil in the “New” section of the site. Sephora describes this as, “An ultra-enriched, fast-absorbing face oil packed with super berry antioxidants that leaves skin velvety soft, hydrated and glowing.” Who doesn’t want that? 😉 So obviously I purchased it and it’s wonderful! It is fast-absorbing, as well as lightweight while still being wonderfully hydrating. If I had to class my skin type right now, I’d say it’s normal-to-dry, though I feel that this oil would work well on oilier skin types as well. I follow their suggestion of 2-3 drops and I use it morning and night as my final step (before sunscreen in the morning) – 2 drops for morning and 3 for bedtime. My skin is left hydrated, and nourished, while feeling balanced and comfortable. It doesn’t give an intense glow or anything, but my skin looks happy and healthy after application. I think it must plump the skin a bit too because I also notice that unlike most oils, my pores actually look minimized and my face seems “softened” in appearance after I use the Superberry Oil. Kind of like a skincare filter if you will. 😄 It’s an absolutely beautiful oil and I am so happy that I gave it a try! As with all Youth to the People products, it is free from parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, as well as cruelty free and vegan. If you’re looking for a great face oil, highly recommend the Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil.
Moving on to body care…. Ulta offered the Kopari Coconut Melt during their 21 Days of Beauty for half price. Having always been curious how on earth Kopari could package basic coconut oil in a fancy jar and charge $38 for it, I decided to test this gimmick out for myself. I’ve heard such great things, but isn’t it just coconut oil? How can it possibly be that special? Well, consider me converted because this is the best coconut oil I have ever used! I have absolutely no idea how or why this is any different from standard coconut oil, but it absolutely is. I should say that I have mostly used this as a body moisturizer because that’s typically all I use coconut oil for anyway. If you’ve ever slathered your skin with standard coconut oil, you’ll know that it leaves the skin incredibly soft, but with a slightly sticky and definitely oily film as well. Well, somehow Kopari remedied the sticky oily aspects and just left the beautiful soft, hydrating beauty of coconut oil. This has become my absolute favorite body product! I only apply it right after I shower – mine remains solid even in the shower for some unexplained reason (coconut oil melts at 76°F and is sold at anything below that). I like to kind of pat dry so that there’s still a bit of moisture still on my skin and then scoop out tiny bits of the Kopari Coconut Melt (I keep a baby food spoon with it for scooping) and rub it into the skin while still in the shower. I love doing it this way because I don’t have to freeze while moisturizing! 😉 The oil easily melts on contact with the skin and doesn’t feel greasy or otherwise uncomfortable at any point in the process. My skin ends up feeling so comfortably hydrated, whereas I would often feel itchy an hour or two later with traditional coconut oil, and it is so soft. I honestly wish I didn’t like the Kopari Coconut Melt because it’s pricey and I feel like I should just buy it at the grocery store, but Kopari really has done something different and improved the already incredible coconut oil (review coming soon)!
In the world of hair, I have a tool or “aid” if you will. I started using the DryBar Hold Me Hair Clips recently and they are incredible! A bit of backstory – my hair has been thinning for a while now and my doctors are at a loss as to the cause, so they have all recommended Rogaine. If I need to point out something I hate now, it’s the Rogaine…but that’s another story. Anyway, in order to apply this crap, I have to section my hair and apply it direct to the scalp. With long hair, that’s a challenge without clips. I tried using whatever I could find that I already had, but nothing was working all that well. Eventually I caved and bought the DryBar clips (they’re $16 for 4 clips, which I really did not want to spend for silly hair clips). These clips will not only hold fine, slippery hair, but they are also completely comfortable on your head. Even better, the way that they are designed, there’s pretty much nothing that the hair can get caught on! When I recently had my hair dyed, even my hair dresser’s non-DryBar clips were catching in my hair. When you’re already dealing with thinning hair, the last thing you want to do is break the little bit that remains. 😄 Thanks to their great design, I absolutely love the DryBar Hold Me Hair Clips – they’re not only great for sectioning my hair, but they’re also great for just getting my hair out of my face. Lovely, lovely bright yellow tools!
Now for the makeup! I’m going to start with an old standby that I haven’t used in quite some time. It is the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (I have a review with my original opinions here). I had forgotten just how much I love this mascara! It adds incredible volume and length, though it’s better with volume and that’s more what I’m after. It is a drier mascara formula so if that’s not your preference, steer clear, but I find that it doesn’t weigh down my lashes and can be built up for a pretty intense, nearly false lash look. My only downside is the wand because I always get mascara somewhere on my lids. I have heard a lot of people complain that it smudges and/or flakes on them. I haven’t experienced either problem and I have napped with this mascara on, plus my eyelids tend toward oily. I’m not sure what about this mascara makes some people have issues with it and others are fine, but if it works for you, it’s an absolutely phenomenal mascara! I wish I could find a cruelty free dupe that is less expensive. I have come across similar, but nothing quite as good. I’m glad to have been reminded of just how wonderous the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara truly is!
For eyeshadow, I’ve actually had a go-to set of 3 shades this month. I so rarely do that! It’s just a great simple, basic shadow combo that works well for every day. What’s the magic trio? They are the ColourPop Pressed Shadows in the shades “Kill Switch,” “Lay Low,” and “Feathered.” “Kill Switch” is a matte medium brown that has gold glitter sprinkled throughout, though it doesn’t really transfer to the eyes, nor does the glitter migrate all over the face during the day. I’ve been putting this all over the lid. “Lay Low” is a nice soft peachy shade that I like to use lightly in the crease to warm things up a bit and soften out the edges of the next shadow…. “Feathered” is a deep matte warm brown that I put very lightly on the outer corners, a bit into the crease for a bit of depth, and occasionally along the lash line as a soft liner for more definition. The shadows are nicely pigmented, blend well, and I don’t get fall out (I dip into the shadows pretty lightly and always tap off my brush). Great shadows in great shades from ColourPop’s Pressed Shadows throughout April!
On my cheeks, I almost always seemed to reach for the Physician’s Formula Murumuru Butter Blushin the shade “Vintage Rouge.” This blush isn’t overly pigmented, but it’s easily buildable making it easy to get just the right amount of color…at least on my skin tone. I’m not sure how this would work for deeper skin tones. For me, I never find this blush to look overdone or unnatural, which is a big part of why I enjoy it so much. The shade I have, “Vintage Rouge,” is a lovely light dusty rose with a matte finish. Again, it’s a perfect natural looking shade for my skin tone. And if you like the scent of the Butter Bronzer, get excited because these blushes have the same strong tropical coconut-y scent. I don’t notice that the scent lingers after application, but prepare your nose because it is strong. I imagine the fragrance could be irritating for some with sensitive skin, so if you typically react to fragrance, you may want to steer clear. Fortunately, I don’t seem to have issues and I enjoy the scent, though I do kinda wish it were fragrance free. If you’re ok with the scent and have a similar skin tone to me, I recommend giving the Physician’s Formula Murumuru Butter Blush, especially in the shade “Vintage Rouge,” a try because it’s the perfect natural looking blush!
Last, but certainly not least, we have the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer. I’m talking about the original shade of almost white-gold highlighter. It is just gorgeous! The Living Luminizer is a cream highlighter that somehow manages to look almost wet on the skin, but without feeling sticky or greasy. It also stays put! I really don’t know how this little magical pot of glow works, but works it does! It doesn’t move around makeup underneath, it doesn’t cause things to separate or break apart, it just melts into the skin and creates that beautiful “lit-from-within” glow that somehow looks natural despite the intensity. I was enjoying this so much that I decided to try the Champagne Rose Luminizer and it’s just not the same. The texture is much slicker. The Living Luminizer on the other hand is just magic in a jar! I absolutely love the Living Luminizer from RMS Beauty!
So there we have it! Cruelty Free Favorites from April. I think I’m glad that April is over and I am so thrilled that it’s finally feeling and looking like Spring outside!!! Springtime is definitely one of my favorite times of year – another Favorite! 😄 I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip through the best beauty bits I kept reaching for throughout the month of April. May you all have a lovely month ahead, and thanks so much for stopping by!
