Today we’re left with all of the miscellaneous stuff I loved in 2017 that didn’t really require their own categories. These are still cruelty free “beauty” products in some way, with one entirely unrelated exception. I’m not going to ramble on because, as you know by now, these can get pretty long. And now…I bring you The Other Stuff!
Best of Cruelty Free Beauty 2017 – Makeup for Complexion
Bring out the confetti because it’s time for the fun stuff – Cruelty Free Makeup! I’m gonna keep this to a minimum because there’s a lot that goes into making up one’s face…and it takes a while. 😄 We’re only going to start with complexion products to prevent this from taking days to read. This was perhaps the strangest part of makeup for me in 2017 because, as some of you will know, I started on Accutane mid-year. That means that I started the year with combo-to-oily skin and ended it with super dry, sensitive and dehydrated skin. Not surprisingly, a lot of what worked at one point was awful during the other half of the year. And if I’m being 100% honest here, I’m still hunting for a foundation that looks ok on my dry skin. Actually if I’m fair, I have never found the perfect foundation ever. It either doesn’t exist or I just hate the look of my skin! 😄 Alright. I’ve already gone on a tangent. Let’s just get into some of the Best Cruelty Free Makeup Products for Complexion from 2017!
Best of 2014 – Face Makeup & Tools
Probably the best product in the face makeup category that I have tried in 2014 comes from IT Cosmetics and it is the Bye Bye Redness. I guess you’d call it a color-correcting concealer because it really shines for covering up redness, but it can really cover up any kind of imperfection with ease. It’s meant to be used under foundation since it is only available in one shade, but because my skin tone is pretty similar, I often wear it over foundation as well. I have to a bit careful with it because it is quite thick and can emphasize pores, but I find if it’s used sparingly in targeted areas it doesn’t become much of a problem. Since this past year has been filled with red, angriness on my face, the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness has been a life saver (you can read more about it here)!
For more Best of Picks, check out these posts:
Best of 2014 – Skin Care, Body Care & Hair Care
Best of 2014 – Makeup for Eyes w/ Too Faced, Ardency Inn, Charlotte Tilbury, Butter London, NARS, Hourglass, Urban Decay & Milani
Best of 2014 – Lips & Tips
Best of 2013 – Skincare for Face & Body
Best of 2013 – Hands, Nails & Tools
Best of 2013 – Makeup!!!
Worst of 2013 – The Fun Stuff
Best of 2012 – Skincare!!!
Best of 2012 – Hair & Body Products!
Best of 2012 – Favorite Complexion Perfectors
Best of 2012 – Favorites for Eyes, Lips & Brows
5 Brushes I Use Every Day! – Real Techniques, IT Cosmetics, ELF, Anastasia & Royal & Langnickel
I suppose I should go in the order that I use them, which means this Concealer Brush from ELF would be first! I don’t always use a brush for foundation, but I’ve discovered that I really like using a brush with most of my under eye concealers. This one from ELF is relatively new to me…it may be rather new period…but I absolutely adore it! It’s a nice fluffy brush so if nicely diffuses the concealer for a soft-focus finish. It also easily spreads product without absorbing it or moving it around too much. Best of all, it is nice and soft, which is a must under your eyes. I had been using another brush that I really liked the performance of before I found the ELF version, but it was really scratchy. The ELF one is the best I’ve found to date. The only thing I might change about it would be the width. It is a small brush, but it can be a little difficult to get into the inner corner of your eye with it. Not a deal breaker, but a minor tweak I would make.
5 Favorite Brushes – Collab with Buying Cruelty Free & Makeup Matters by LNC!!!
I’m really excited about today’s post because it is a cruelty-free brush collaboration with Catherine from Buying Cruelty Free and Lizafrom Makeup Matters By LNC! They are both amazing cruelty-free beauty bloggers that you need to check out!!! Each one of us is sharing our Top Five Cruelty-Free Brushes and I am so excited to see their choices! Please do not miss their posts, which are linked above and near the end of this post (any colored text is a link to whatever is named).
I can’t say I’ve ever used very many natural hair brushes because I’ve always disliked the idea of using animal hair when a synthetic alternative is available. I also just love the way synthetic fibers feel. They are soooo soft! They’re very easy to clean, and I feel like they are more durable than natural hair brushes. Plus, synthetic brushes can be used with both powder and cream products, while natural hair brushes are typically designed for use only with powders. And of course, best of all, no animals are harmed in making a synthetic fiber brush! So without further ado, here are my Five Favorite Brushes – and don’t forget to check out Catherine and Liza’s blogs for their picks as well!
My favorite, and probably most used, brush has to be the Blush Brush from Real Techniques. These brushes were designed by Samantha Chapman, one of the sisters from Pixiwoo on YouTube. The entire line is made with 100% synthetic Taklon fibers, making them all cruelty-free.
Though not the most important, one element of this particular brush that I absolutely adore and wish more companies would do is the flat bottom of the handle! The handle on the Blush Brush is large enough that that flat end of the handle creates a perfect surface to put the brush down while it’s standing up and it won’t fall down! Well, if you bump it, it will, but you get the point. I hateputting the bristles of a brush onto a countertop or other potentially dirty surface, plus they always roll around and often fall onto the floor. The flat-bottomed handles makes this problem disappear!
In addition to using this brush for blending, I often find myself using this brush to apply just a light wash of color all over my lids, to lightly darken the crease, to apply a transition color to the crease, and even to add a subtle highlight on my brow bone. Like the Real Techniques Blush Brush, the Bdellium 785 is a bit of an all purpose brush for me.
here.
Liza’s post on Makeup Matters by LNC can be found here.
All Real Techniquesbrushes are cruelty-free and can be found at Ulta and on RealTechniques.com.
Disclaimer: All brushes mentioned in this post were purchased by me. I have not been compensated in any way for this post, nor do I benefit from any of the links included.