Now that you smart ladies are getting back into the educational swing of things, it is now time to cover the third and final chapter of our Thrifty Guide For College Bound Vegans. In part one we covered possibly the most daunting task for collegiate vegans – eating and shopping for food on a budget! Part two covered cruelty-free fashion for those with a $2 budget. Now we are covering – makeup!
For most women, makeup is an essential and something that has to be factored into regular expenses. However, some cosmetics are way overpriced, many test on animals, and some contain some seriously toxic ingredients. Become knowledgeable about these things and your wallet and health, will thank you.
Get Schooled
Have a Compassionate Kisser
There are a growing number of cosmetic companies classifying themselves as “vegan-friendly” or at least clearly marking their products that are considered vegan. Companies like LUSH, and Urban Decay have paved the way for other businesses to feel comfortable doing this. The term “vegan” when it comes to cosmetics means that it is not tested on animals and also does not include any animal products. Cosmetics regularly include Carmine (crushed up beetles!), beeswax, tallow, lanolin, and elastin, just to name a few. I recently found a wonderfully well researched list of vegan makeup companies from My Makeup Mirror.
Toxic Makeup
The beauty industry is completely unregulated. That means that any company can put anything they want in the products you slather all over your body every single day. Scary? It is. These toxic ingredients range from proven endocrine disruptors (they attach to your estrogen receptors and disrupt your own estrogen from working naturally in your body) to neurotoxins ( toxic to brain and nervous system) to carcinogens (cause cancer) to ingredients directly linked to causing cancer and birth defects. Check out a partial list of the most common toxic ingredients here.
Obviously, you are not going to memorize a long list of chemical names to help you shop for makeup. However you can look up any product you would like to buy on the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
Buying the Perfect Products
Now that you are schooled on what to look for in an ideal beauty product: how do you get a product that encompasses all of that, easily and for a reasonable price?
Sales
One of my favorite brands is Physician’s Formula Organic Wear. This brand goes on sale 4x a year for 50% off, and that is when I stock up! Sign up for mailings from your local drugstores and companies that you like. Wait for a sale and then POUNCE and buy enough to last you a few months to a year.
Ebay & Etsy
Mineral cosmetics are a dime a dozen on Ebay and Etsy. Search out a company or seller that has wonderful ingredients (Thankfully, minerals are easier to decipher). Sometimes you can get bulk offers on mineral cosmetics or pigments. See if a friend (or 5) wants to split the lot with you.
E.L.F. Cosmetics
E.L.F. Cosmetics are not tested on animals, their brushes are synthetic and their makeup is unbelievably cheap. I’m talking $1 a pop. They frequently run free shipping deals, so you can seriously get a years worth of cosmetics for around $20..tops. However, I must note that not all of their products are safe on the toxicity scale and not all are 100% vegan. Some products are perfectly fine and others are downright frightening. So please use your discretion while ordering. My recommended purchase? The nail polish! Goes on beautifully, takes forever to chip and is free of Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP). It is also a Dollar!
Make your own
My mantra has now become.. “when in doubt, make your own!” Isn’t it much more comforting knowing exactly what is in your makeup, because you put it there? There are plenty of wonderful DIY makeup tutorials online, like: here and here. There are also many books available on the subject. It may take a bit of time, but in the end, it is worth it to save the money and ensure good health.
Further reading
Creating a Perfect Face <– cruelty free makeup from prep to lipstick!
Cruelty Free Face <– makeup tutorials using vegan products. Hooray!
The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics
Not Just a Pretty Face <– a must read!
Photo by miss_blackbutterfly
Thank you for the link to your ELF/vegan-friendly post. I've wondered about that.
Tarte also has a page that lists their vegan items: http://jesseanneo.blogspot.com/2009/12/bit-tartey.html
Nice! Thanks for the link Jess, I love Tarte.
Also, I moderate my comments, so that is why you are not seeing your posts immediately. However, I just added you to the whitelist, so you are free to post without moderation now!
I love skindeep. My friend showed it to me recently. It is a such a great resource!