My Cruelty Free Makeup Bag

Today's blog post is all about cruelty-free makeup picks that I'm loving at the minute. The majority of these products are under £10 with the odd exception of a few just over the £10 mark. All of these products are cruelty-free and I find them to be great quality and just work really well for me. I hope you enjoy reading this post, I'm not going to lie, it is a long one so I'd grab a drink and maybe even a snack.

Primer -

My ultimate primer which has been my favorite since it I picked it up earlier this year is the Collection Primed and Ready Illuminating Primer (£4.99), it just works so well for my skin and mattifies any areas where I tend to be oily and adds a lovely brightening effect to my cheek bones, I really cannot recommend it enough. I've mentioned it quite a few times on my blog and that isn't about to stop either. Another primer I'm really liking right now is the W7 Prime Magic Camera Primer - Clear (£4.45) I discovered this whilst trying out W7 makeup for my Testing W7 Makeup blog post. It's apparently a dupe to the Smashbox primer but I've never tried that so  I can't personally say if it is or not, but I do like it, it makes my skin feel sooo smooth and evens out any blemishes too.

Foundation -

For a more of a natural light foundation I like to use the Miss Sporty Really Me Second Skin Effect Foundation Stick (£3.99) I'll admit you don't get a huge amount of product but it is cheap and easy to pick up, it's one of those foundations when you just feel as if you're wearing nothing. It's great for "no makeup" makeup days. I tend to use this if I'm only popping out the house for an hour or two or when I'm having a good skin day and don't feel the need to wear full coverage. For Medium-High coverage I am completely in love with The Body Shop Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation - Railay Beach 014* (£? Not yet released) it's basically stolen my heart lol, it works so well for my oily/combination skin, the first time I tried it I knew it was going to be a new favourite. As I'm writing this, the foundation is not yet available but when it does get released I would recommend it picking it. I think if you're someone with a dry skin type then I probably wouldn't pick this up just because of its mattifying properties but they do obviously have foundations available which are suitable for more dry or normal skin types.

Concealer -

Obviously, the first pick for concealer is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) which we've all heard of and most likely love, the coverage of the Lasting Perfection Concealer is so good for the price and it stays in the place the majority of the day too. Another great concealer is the Seventeen Skin Wow Concealer (£4.99) which is apparently a great dupe the the YSL Touche Eclat concealer, again I can't say if it is or not as I've not tried the YSL concealer but this is great for brightening under the eyes and also highlighting your brow bone. I think the packaging is cute too and I like that the formula is quite thick and covers well. A new addition to my makeup bag I've picked up is the Miss Sporty Insta Glow Concealer - Radiant Light 1 (£2.99) and the coverage is so great for the price. It's one of those concealers when you have to twist it for about 3938 years before the product first comes out but again it's great for brightening under the eyes and is okay for covering blemishes too.

Powder -

The Collection Primed and Ready Invisible Setting Powder (£3.99) has literally been my go to for months now. It's so good, it keeps my makeup in place and it's not an orange kind of translucent powder, I love it. Plus it's so affordable! Also if you have troublesome skin like me and get frequent breakouts then this contains Witch hazel too so it promotes clearer skin. 

Eyebrows - 

My cruelty free picks for my brows are the E.L.F Lock On Liner & Brow Cream (£4.99) which is basically a dupe to the ABH Brow Pomade and it's just fab, my brows stay in place and they don't look over the top and the product can be used as a liner too. Also I love the Technic Brow Pen Eyebrow Definer (£3)* It's great for more natural makeup days and the Dark Brown shade is the perfect fit to my brows. I love that it doesn't give out too much product, so there's less chance of messing up my brows. I also really love the Seventeen Brow Sculpting Pencil (£2.89) this is definitely the best eyebrow pencil I've used and it's just a steal. It is quite waxy but personally I prefer that because I feel it keeps my brows in place better.

Eyeshadow Palettes -

My current favourite eyeshadow palette is the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette (£4) - Which is an known dupe to the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I know I'm late to the party on this one, I can't believe I've been without it for so long, it's pretty much my go-to palette right now. I find that the colours compliment my blue eyes and also so easy to work with. Another palette I've been loving the Essence "My Must Haves" Custom Palette* (Starting from £1.50) you can read my thoughts about my custom palette here. I also absolutely adore my trusty I Heart Makeup Death By Chocolate Palette (£7.99) I love that the eyeshadows are so easy to work with, thanks to their buttery texture, I also really like that it has a huge mirror in the palette too and some people say that the eye shadows don't smell like chocolate but I'm pretty sure they do, well mine does anyway? 

Eyeliner -

My go to liquid liner has been the Soap and Glory Supercat Liquid Eyeliner (£6) for a while now, I don't really try any others just because I find that the S&G liner is so easy to work with and I do find applying liner not the easiest task, which is why I rarely wear it but I do love this one and if you're looking for a cheap eyeliner which lasts all day and stays jet black then this is one you should try out. I also love the Soap and Glory Crazy Sexy Kohl Eyeliner but I think it was limited edition in a Christmas gift set I received, but the Smoulder Khol (£5) is pretty much the same product and again it stays black all day and is just really easy to work with and is also great when you want a smoky eyed-grunge look. 

Mascara - 
First up is the Technic Mega Lash Mascara* (£2.46) I would definitely say that this is up there with Maybelline Lash Sensational which is my number one fave but unfortunately not featuring in this blog post because of Maybelline not being cruelty-free. I wouldn't say it's a 100% dupe but it's close, probably 75-80% dupe. The next mascara is a newbie in my makeup bag and is the Essence I Love Crazy Volume (£2.80) if you've read my previous post then you'll know I'm personally a little unsure of this right now but because so many people rave about it, I thought I'd pop it in here just because it may work for you. My eyelashes are just so stubborn, a lot have highly rated mascaras just don't work for me but I still need to try it a few more times before giving my final verdict.  Lastly in my top 3 cruelty-free mascaras is another newbie, The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara* (£10) I've only used this myself a few times but the more I use it, the more it's growing on me. I really like the brush as it's easy to work with and it definitely adds some volume, it doesn't clump either, which is one of my pet hates with mascaras.

False Eyelashes - 
I'll admit I'm not an avid user of false eyelashes, just because I can't really be bothered with the hassle most of the time. But I really like the #DW style from Red Cherry Eyelashes* exclusively available at FalseEyelashes.co.uk. They offer free 1st class delivery with every order and they stock over 1400 different styles from over 40 different brands. The #DW lashes are perfect for me, I find these are a breeze to apply and stay put all day. I struggle with lashes as I do have quite small eyes, so most "natural" false lashes I try out, seem to look a little OTT even if they are apparently "perfect for a natural look". For glue I use the Eylure Lashfix Glue (£2.75) as I just find that works best for me and is cheap and easy to pick up. 

Contour & Bronzer -
For Contour and Bronzer I use any of the following depending on what look I'm going for - First up is the W7 Bronze & Glow (£2.99) this has fast become one of my favourite duos, it works great for fair skin. The bronzer is more of a shimmery bronzer but is great for a sunkissed look. Next up is the The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder - 01 (£14) If you struggle with finding bronzers for pale skin and they tend to look muddy or orange on your skin then you need this in your life, 01 is the lightest shade but you can pick it up in lots of other shades so is suitable for all skin colours which is great. I use this more when I'm going for a natural look and it's just so pretty. It is quite pricey for a bronzer at £14 but I would definitely buy it again. Another palette is the Collection #BlushAndGlow Quad Palette (£4.99) I am always using this, it's great for travelling and I use all 4 products in the palette. The contour/bronzer in this is quite dark but if applied with a light hand it works fine and for less than £5 for 4 products, you can't really complain.

Blusher-
So I have a whole bunch of cruelty-free blushers I'm loving right now. My Benecos Natural Powder Blush - Mallow Rose* (£5.95) is kind of my go-to minimal makeup shade, it's very pretty and just gives a nice natural flush of colour. Next is the Collection #BlushAndGlow palette again, it's great for popping in your bag and I use everything in the palette, there's a shimmery blush and a matte blush present in the palette. I also love my Essence BlushPlay Palette* (£4) again, it's a great palette for popping in your bag because of it's slimline packaging and the blushers are both usable and the highlight gives a pretty everyday kind of glow. My current favourite is the Milani Baked Blush - Luminoso (£10) After hearing so much hype about it, I just had to get it and it did not disappoint. It's a beautiful peachy pink with a glow. It's very pigmented so I do have to apply it with a light hand but it's just beautiful, plus I've been using it as a blog prop lately just because of how pretty it is.

Highlight-
For highlighting my current go to is the W7 Bronze and Glow Palette (£2.99), it's an everyday kind of highlight but can be built up easily too. I also really like the Lavera Highlighter - Shining Pearl* (£9.50) which is a cream highlighter, it is quite shimmery so I don't use it as much as my other highlighters but I love the floral, refreshing scent (I think most Lavera makeup products have the same scent). Another cream highlighter which has been one of my go-to highlighters since I picked it up is the Collection Speedy Highlighter - Pearl Sheen (£3.99) it's the perfect glowy but not too glowy highlight, it's easy to apply and it's just really pretty.

Lipstick-
Colourpop Ultra Satin or Ultra Mattes are probably my go to cruelty-free lipsticks right now. My favourite shades are Echo Park, Trap and Beeper. They are pretty hard to get hold of though in the UK but if you get the chance to buy some, I would 100% recommend. I've also really been liking the Collection Velvet Kiss Liquid Lipsticks (£2.99) I own the shades Cotton and Caramel, I find they are quite similar to the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams which I do like but unfortunately are not cruelty-free. I also have really been liking The Body Shop Lip Liquid - Sydney Amaryllis* (£6), again I find it's similar to the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams and also smells amazing! Finally is the Makeup Revolution Retro Luxe Lip Kits (£6) I only own Echelon right now but I think it has a great staying powder for the price and there's a good range of shades to choose from. 

Setting Spray-
I have only just started using Setting Sprays just because I've used them before and don't really find they do all that much. But because of the heatwave we're currently experiencing and the fact that my makeup has pretty much been melting off my face everytime I step outside, I thought I'd pick up another Fixing Spray. The one I got is the I Heart Makeup Fixing Spray (£5) and shockingly... It works! It's not got the greatest smell, it has quite a chemical scent if I'm being honest but I think for the price and the purple packaging (I know, I'm a sucker for packaging...) it's fab!


So there's my go-to cruelty-free makeup products. This post took a while to write and get together so I really appreciate any comments!

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*PR samples, all opinions are my own