FOTD: Foundation – Barbara Daly in Ivory, Eyeliner – Collection Fast Stroke in Black, Mascara – Stargazer in Black, Blush – MUA in 3, Lipstick – Barry M in Cranberry Red
Inspired by one of my besties – Evil Lynne – turning her entire make-up bag vegan and The London Lipglosses £25 Drugstore Full Face challenge I wanted to see if I could do an entire face of make-up for under £20. I set myself a few rules like no more than one product from each brand and I couldn’t just buy everything from super budget brands. They had to be products I loved and wanted to use time and time again. The most important thing? I wanted it to be entirely cruelty free.
After MoneySupermarket invited me to take part in their life’s little wins challenge – I had £20 to spend on pretty much whatever, so why not start on making my make-up bag a bit more bunny friendly? £20 is the sort of thing that I’ll find in a jacket pocket from a night out – but it’s also super easy to get from a cash machine so with my budget in mind I set out to create a cruelty free face.
Face: I am all about the base, so finding a foundation that delivered a full coverage that also ticked my super pale cruelty free boxes seemed like it was pretty much going to be my everest. And then came Barbara Daly Oil Free Foundation in Ivory. Made for Tesco, this guy is stellar. The supermarket may not seem like the most obvious place to pick up your beauty goodies but trust me on this. A medium to full coverage which applies evenly across the skin and lasts for ages. Ivory is an excellent dupe for MAC NC15 and clocks in at the super purse friendly £8. For my blush I went for Superdrug brand Make Up Academy Powder Blush in Shade 3. Could be doubled as a bronzer and for those who are super fair should be applied with a very light hand. That said – great pigmentation and blends easily. MUA do some of my fave drugstore products (the lipsticks are fantastic) and the blush is no exception – and only £1.
Total for Face: £9
Eyes: Eyeliner wise I was thrilled to find my favourite high street brand was cruelty free. Collection’s Fast Stroke Eyeliner has been in my handbag for years and at £2.99 it’s a total steal. Colour’s great, application’s great – there’s not really anything bad I can say about this product. I am DYING to try the new gel eyeliner Collection have out (currently on offer at Superdrug for £3.99.) It would have been a bit over budget though but if definitely on the watch list. Mascara I wanted to try something a bit different. I creeped in to my local goth shop (Osiris) to raid the Stargazer beauty goodies. A brand I’d mostly used for hair dye (and an ill-fated liaison with neon orange eyeshadow) the products are super purse friendly without sacrificing on quality. For £2.99 I managed to get a mascara that is up there with my Elizabeth Arden mascara and for a fraction of the price. Stargazer are great for some more unusual colours if you’re looking for eye shadows and they do great long lasting eyeliner pens. Not something you’re going to find in your average Boots or Superdrug but definitely worth searching out for.
Total for Eyes: £5.98
Lips: After foundation this is where I splurged. I went for a Barry M number in Cranberry Red (162.) It’s a gorgeous deep red with blue tones. Very vampy and super moisturising this guy is a real winner. I’m heavy in to the super cute pink packaging as well. £4.49 at Boots and Superdrug? GO ON THEN.
Total for Lips: £4.49
TOTAL: £19.47
Not too bad eh? Everything I need to make my face up and with a bit of change to spare. I think the real trick for me is was using places I wouldn’t usually for make-up. Supermarkets may not seem the most obvious choice to pick up beauty goodies but Tesco and Marks & Spencer’s cosmetics lines are entirely cruelty free and aren’t half bad. Smaller more alternative brands like Stargazer are right on budget and delivering super high quality products. It’s not impossible to be cruelty free on a budget and you can still get great products without making your purse weep. My usual foundation costs more than an entire cruelty free face so will definitely be shopping around a bit more and creeping out for bargains.
What are your fave cruelty free beauty goodies?