Hello, friends! Today I want to share with you my cruelty free skincare routine. Being cruelty free is such a huge part of helping to end animal testing. I went cruelty free about three years ago; I started by replacing my makeup with cruelty free brands, then went on to my skincare, and now that I am living on my own, I also only use cruelty free house products, as well. I hope to do a cruelty free makeup and household item blog posts in the future, so stay tuned!
My biggest fear while going cruelty free was that I was going to have to give up all of the products that I loved; I now realize how absolutely selfish that was of me. The point of going cruelty free is to show that you will not support companies who test on animals or allow their products to be tested on animals. It’s about being a voice for the animals in laboratories who cannot speak for themselves. And honestly, cruelty free products tend to be more natural and better for you in the long run.
So, how do you know what is cruelty free? There are so many ways to know what brand is cruelty free and what is not. First off, on the product itself there will be one of these symbols: 
I got this lovely picture from Cruelty-Free Kitty, who shows you how to spot a fake cruelty-free logo. crueltyfreekitty.com/…/cruelty-free-bunny-logo
The one thing that you should know is when brands try to be sneaky. For example, some companies might say that they do not test on animals UNLESS REQUIRED BY LAW. This means that they sell their products in China, where animal testing is required. I know, how absolutely horrible that they actually REQUIRE products to be tested on animals before they are sold there. Anyways, that is what happened with Nars a little while ago where they still said they were cruelty free, only they started selling in China and it really upset a lot of people. I mean, it is really upsetting to think about what those animals have to go through, all so that we could have products that we feel like we can’t live without. Just take a look at your face wash, is it worth the torture that poor animals have to go through? I hope your answer is no.
Stepping away from my lecture and into my skincare. These are the products that I use in the morning.
The Derma-E brand has so many great skincare products; they are so gentle and calming on my skin. Not only are they cruelty free, but they are vegan, GMO-free, and eco-ethical. After I wash my face, I go in with Lush Grease Lightning spot treatment. This has tea tree oil, aloe, and witch hazel in it, which works way better for me than salicylic acid ever did. Lush is one of my favorite places to go for vegan and cruelty free items because it says right on the packing what is vegan and what is not, the packing is recyclable, and they put a little sticker of who made that product. My Ultra Repair Cream from First Aid Beauty is SO FREAKIN’ AMAZING. It is my savior in the winter; not only do I use it on my face, but I use it all over my body because it is so hydrating and gentle on my skin.
My skincare best friend is Mario Badescu, he just understands my skin so well. I start off my night routine by washing my face with the Acne Facial Cleanser, which is a small size because it came in a sample pack with a few other items, which I will link below. Once my face is all clean I take a cotton round and dab a little of the Special Cucumber Lotion on it and rub that all over the trouble areas on my face. Then I go in with THE BEST under eye cream EVER, Tarte’s Maracuja C-Brightener Eye Treatment. Seriously, so amazing! I tend to get puffy under eyes and dark, purple circles, and this just hydrates my eyes and keeps them depuffed (that’s not a real word, but you get it) while I sleep. I follow up with my Ultra Repair Cream and once that has dried completely I take a Q-Tip, dip it into my Drying Lotion, and put that on my blemishes. This has helped dry out big zits on my face OVERNIGHT. It’s actually a miracle.
These are my favorite masks. I use the Mario Badescu Cucumber Tonic Mask about 2 times a week. It is really great for oily and acne prone skin. If you have dry skin, I would suggest their Collagen mask. When I’m near Lush, (my stupid college town DOESN’T have a Lush, ugh) I always pick up the Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask. Since it is a fresh face mask, it lasts for about two weeks and you have to keep it in the fridge, but this is the one item that if you bought anything I have suggested, this would be it. I’m so serious, if you want to suck up all the crap from your pores and have soft skin then THIS IS THE PRODUCT FOR YOU. I also threw in Tarte’s under eye masks because, unfortunately, Sephora products are not cruelty free, even though I loved their sheet masks and under eye masks. But, Tarte’s under eye masks work just as well and no animal had to be harmed for your spa night!
I didn’t have to give up any of my skincare in order to go cruelty free. In fact, it just led me to awesome brands who advocate for animals and our planet. Even if you just change a few products, it’s less money going into the pockets of those who test on animals.
I hope you have all enjoyed my cruelty free skincare post, stay tuned for another post next Sunday!
dermae.com/…/anti-wrinkle-vitamin-a-glycolic-cleanser ($13.75)
lushusa.com/…nsers/grease-lightning/02896 ($15.95)
sephora.com/…/ultra-repair-cream-intense-hydration-P248407 ($12+)
ulta.com/acne-starter-regimen-kit ($30) This kit includes the cleanser, cucumber lotion, and a great mask for drying out acne.
ulta.com/plastic-bottle-drying-lotion ($17)
sephora.com/…/maracuja-c-brighter-eye-treatment-P377545 ($38)
mariobadescu.com/…uct/cucumber-tonic-mask ($18)
lushusa.com/…s/catastrophe-cosmetic/06093 ($9.95)
tartecosmetics.com/…-undereye-patches/844 ($22)
Kaylee's Life 