Buy Or Boycott? #1

Welcome to my new series "Buy Or Boycott" where I talk about 3 brands every month and discuss whether I'll continue to buy from them, or boycott them for now. As you may know if you've been reading my blog, I'm giving my absolute best efforts to consider the brands I use and whether or not they are cruelty free. If you want to know what I class as cruelty free then you can check out my cruelty free beauty standards, and every brand that I have investigated will be linked in the tab above under "Brands I Buy Or Boycott"

So this is the email I've sent out to various different companies that I wanted to research:

Let's take a look at the companies that I'll be talking about this month...

Rimmel:

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

Coty, Inc

How I Respond:

At first glance this seems good, but you do have to continue to do your research. I do have to credit the fact that they seem to acknowledge the topic of animal testing, and their parent company has been working hard to find alternatives to animal testing. However, I am disappointed that despite knowing that China, a country in which they sell in, requires animal testing they still continue to sell there. And nowhere in their answer do they say whether they sell in China, hence avoiding my question about it. Still, I hope they one day manage to convince the Chinese authorities to look at alternatives to animal testing.

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Boycott.
Why? - They sell in China

TAM Beauty

 (Makeup Revolution, Freedom Makeup, I <3  Makeup):

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They are not owned by a parent company.

How I Respond:

I am very pleased that they answered all my questions from my email, and mentioned the fact they are not owned by anyone. They got to the point, and China is the only country that requires animal testing by law. Hence, if they do not sell they they have no reason to test on animals.

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Buy. Check out their website here!

Lush:

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They are not owned by a parent company.

How I Respond:

I am very satisfied with Lush's response, and fighting against animal testing is something that Lush feels very passionate about. They answered all my questions from my email, and linked me to pages upon pages of information about their ethics and animal testing policies. Not only am I happy that they in fact keep their word and don't sell in China due to their policies, but they have an active approach in trying to stop animal testing on a global scale. It's clear to see that stopping cruelty to animals is a genuine lifetime goal of this company. 

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Buy. Check out their website here!

So there are the three brands I decided to discuss in this post. I've done my best to research these brands to the best of my ability, but please let me know if you have any research or evidence that contradicts what I stated. I will be sure to correct myself if you do. If you have any requests for companies that you'd like me to research than I will most definitely look into them. Thank you for reading, and I hope you've learned something and wish to take part in the cruelty free movement too,

Izzy K xxx

Makeup Revolution Atomic Lipstick

As a bit of a lipstick addict I was desperately looking for a new shade to add to my collection. So how could I resist Makeup Revolution's Atomic Lipstick for only £1?! Yes that's right, ONE POUND! I think it goes without saying that I added it to my shopping bag, and the shade I picked was Make Me Tonight. But is this lipstick too good to be true?

The first thing I'll talk about is the colour. As far as colour goes, this lipstick is pretty pigmented and true to the colour on the packaging. The initial colour is quite opaque which means you can apply an even colour in just one swipe. However, after a little while the colour can begin to fade.

The formula of this lipstick is admittedly pretty good for the price. I mean it definitely doesn't match the quality of more high-end lippies, but I would definitely say it was worth more than £1. I don't find the colour drying at all, however I find that the lasting power isn't the best. But on the bright side it means you can easily wipe the colour off when you're done for the day, instead of desperately spending days trying to scrub the colour off, like you have to do with some lipsticks. 

One layer of this lipcolour

The taste of this product is pretty average. I mean it's not flavoured like some more expensive lipsticks are. However, it doesn't taste cheap either, so again that's quite impressive for a very affordable lipstick.

So overall would I recommend it? If you're on a budget or need to pick out a certain colour and you don't want to splurge out on an expensive lippie, this is definitely for you. If I'm dressing up and I need a certain colour that I won't often wear, I will definitely be turning to this make. However, I would rate this lipstick a 6/10. I would say it's definitely worth more than the price, but it's not something I'm desperate to repurchase immediately. But I seriously have to say this lipstick definitely does the job and I still can't believe the bargain you get for it. Have you ever tried this lipstick before, if so what did you think?

Izzy K xxx

ABH eyebrow pencil

For my birthday in January (let's just ignore how long it took me to write this post!) my friends were kind enough to get me the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz eyebrow pencil. The shade that they chose was Auburn and it retails for $21. 

This pencil comes with an eyebrow pencil on one end, and a brush at the other. Both sides come with a lid which prevents damage. The first thing I want to mention about this product is the size of it. The actual applicator itself is very defined, which allows you to perfectly recreate the look of actual eyebrow hairs. And it is very buildable so you can create brows of your ideal thickness.

The formula of this product is something I'm very impressed with. I find the colour glides on effortlessly and looks very natural when applied. And I have absolutely no problem with getting this product to last all day long.

On their website, ABH sells this particular eyebrow pencil in 11 different shades, and there is the perfect shade for anyone (yes even for redheads which not many brands cater for!) At the moment my hair colour is a kind of Auburn shade so my eyebrows match perfectly with my hair colour now. But when I switch up my hair colour I think I'll be experimenting with different shades in their range. 

How I Use It:

• I start with lightly drawing strands of eyebrows on my inner eyebrow, where the hairs are a bit more sparse. 
• I then build my arch up, drawing hairs on in sideways sweeps
• I run through the entire brow with short strokes to fill the brow and make it even
• Using the brush on the other end, I brush through the product to make my brows bushy and natural looking. 

Would I recommend it?

Yes definitely, I for one will definitely be repurchasing this eyebrow pencil. I'd rate it a 9/10 and the only reason why it's not a 10 is because you do tend to use the product up quickly for the price. This is absolutely ideal for natural looking eyebrows and is bound to suit anyone's brows. If you're looking for a product that fills your brows in more heavily, ABH do a range of different brow products on their website, and I definitely recommend you check them out. 

Thank you so much for reading, have you ever tried this product before? If so let me know what you thought about it in the comments,

Izzy K xx

Makeup Revolution Highlighter Golden Lights

Well I think it goes without saying that I'm a crazy highlighter addict. So when I saw that Makeup Revolution were selling their Golden Lights highlighter for just £3 I couldn't resist, could I?

So the first thing to mention about this product is the colour. I would class this as a white and bright highlighter with a gold shimmer running all the way through it. When light shines on this highlighter it really reflects the gold pigments. I really like that it gives off a healthy looking glow.

This is definitely a product that you can make look somewhat natural. Don't get me wrong, it's a very glittery highlighter but when you really blend it out it can give off a natural glow to your skin. But when you really love it when highlighter calls out to the aliens (like I do) then you can definitely layer it up.

And the last thing I'll mention is the lasting power of this product. Although this product is initially very pigmented, I find it gets absorbed after a couple of hours so the effect of this product does fade throughout the day. And I do have to say this product is the tiniest bit chalky, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with reapplying it. 

Now for the summary, would I recommend this product? Definitely! For £3 you really can't go wrong with this, and it doesn't really matter to me that you might have to reapply it after a bit. I just love the overall finish of this product and what the colour looks like with my makeup looks. I would rate this product a 8/10 and I will definitely be repurchasing it. Have you ever tried this highlighter before? If so let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx