Favorite Cruelty-Free Products

I started using Alba Botanicals for my face, the pineapple enzyme face wash and the oil free moisturizer... it's good stuff. Smells great too. I also love EOS sweet mint lip balm. And I use the Say Yes to Carrots body lotion in a jar. We keep one of those foam pumps in the bathrooms and kitchen at the sink and keep it full of a mixture of Dr. Bronner's almond castille soap dilluted with water... lasts forever and is the best soap ever.

elf cosmetics are great and cheap!

This! I also love Urban Decay's cosmetic line and NYX is great too

Oh, and Luna Pads... I recommend these. I bought some a few months ago and love them. So much better than disposable. Not exactly cosmetics... but just thought I would mention.

The brush that comes with the ELF Blemish Kit is freaking amazing. I use it for my eyeshadows instead lol

Check out http://www.mybeautybunny.com/ - its a site run by a great woman scours endlessly looking for cruelty free products!

Thanks for the link! I'll save it on my toolbar

You could make your own, just don't put it on your dog.

Lol Absolutely! I make my own chap stick. It sells for $4 a tube here, but I can make it for practically nothing AND it actually moisturizes my lips as opposed to drying them out due to the excess wax.

Oh, and Luna Pads... I recommend these. I bought some a few months ago and love them. So much better than disposable. Not exactly cosmetics... but just thought I would mention.

Good idea! Personally, I prefer the Diva Cup, but not every woman's comfortable using one.

I bought one and tried it... Definitely not for me I really loved the idea but I'm the type who doesn't even tolerate tampons... So Lunapads just made perfect sense.

Also, you can get a lot of cruelty-free products from Vitacost.com for like, really cheap. They have EVERYTHINGGGG

You could make your own, just don't put it on your dog.

Lol Absolutely! I make my own chap stick. It sells for $4 a tube here, but I can make it for practically nothing AND it actually moisturizes my lips as opposed to drying them out due to the excess wax.

I would love to hear how you make your lip balm.

Here's the basic recipe I found online ages ago:

Basic Lip Balm



1 oz. (1 tablespoon) Sweet Almond Oil
1 oz. (1 tablespoon) Coconut Oil
1 ½ teaspoon of beeswax - melted measure
1 Vitamin E Capsule
4 drops of lip balm flavoring or any one of the following essential oils: sweet orange, peppermint (do not use perfume fragrance oils)

Melt oils (except vitamin E) and wax together over low to medium heat. Remove from heat. Add Vitamin E, flavoring and blend well. Pour into lip balm containers. Makes approximately 2 oz. of lip balm or 8 - ¼ oz. containers.

Note: This recipe works best for placing in lip balm pots. If you wish to use lip balm tubes, you may need to add a bit more beeswax to make the balm stiffer.


***

I use peppermint essential oil because I love that little "burn" on my lips that it provides (and I add much more than the recipe calls for). I also heat my oils and wax together in a small pyrex measuring cup within a pot of water (double boiler type situation).

Old Chap Stick brand tubes (and similar tubes) work wonderfully for this; just wash them out and fill them. The Labello ones DO NOT. They have holes at the bottom, and your mixture will just run through.

When I have all my melted mixture ready, I pour some into a tube to test it out. Pop it in the freezer and wait maybe 5 minutes; then you'll know if you need more wax or oil -- it all depends on your preference.

Lip balm is SUPER easy to make yourself, and it's SO much cheaper! If your lips tend to crack, etc. try adding a teaspoon of honey to the mixture; it won't make your lips sticky, but it will help to heal the skin.