
Try OCC lip tar! :) so many bold colours!
EOTD with Rockeresque eye shadows: XOXO, Lower East Side, and Dead as Night (crease, liner, brows)
Cruelty free, only one non-vegan item (the essential brushes), cheap as chips AND ships to Australia, there’s not much else you could ask from a brand. Elf (eyes, lips, face) is up there in my all time favourites although the products can be a bit hit or miss, a quick search on Google or make up ally and you’ll be able to see reviews on what’s best. (Even if you get a product that doesn’t work for you, it was only a few dollars so no harm to your pockets!)
Here are a few of the ones I like;
Studio Flawless Finish Foundation | Shade: Porcelain | Price: $5.99
I have been on a holy grail foundation hunt since I was about 13 and didn’t know dark orange wasn’t the colour you were suppose to go for. I’ve tried everything from high end brands like MAC, NARS, Illamasqua and Bobbi Brown to things you can find in Priceline such as Maybelline, Revlon and Rimmel. I thought I had found my perfect match in the Naked Skin by Urban Decay but unfortunately I no longer support Urban Decay as a brand because they were bought by L’Oreal who test on animals.
This foundation however not exactly holy grail status is the best vegan foundation I’ve found so far (and cheapest!). I’m always the lightest shade in foundations and this does run a little dark on me but is easily fixed by some blending. I’ve tried applying with my fingers, a damp Beauty Blender sponge and a Real Techniques Expert Face brush and I find the brush works the best as it leaves it looking smooth and dewy. I do find I have to set it with a little powder ‘cause sometimes it can be transferable. (As is almost every foundation I’ve tried.) The coverage is medium, I can still see my freckles but it covers any redness or imperfections and all in all is a pretty good foundation!
Studio Conditioning Lip Balm | Shade: Mellow Melon | Price: $5.99
The name speaks for itself, just a very conditioning, sheer (but buildable) lip balm. It comes in 5 different shades and I find it to be very nourishing and most days when I can’t be bothered with doing anything else, I pop this on and I’m good to go!
Eyebrow Kit | Shade: Light | Price: $5.99
This nifty kit is perfect for beginners and people who have been filling in their brows for years even me who is absolutely hopeless and has one brow higher than the other can get them looking quite good with them. I take the left side (the wax) on a angled eyeliner brush and run that through my brows then lightly take the ride side (powder) over the top and I’m done. It comes in 4 different shades from Ash to Dark and I definitely recommend you give it a go.
Mineral Eyeshadow Primer | Price: $5.99
This primer is aimed at mineral eyeshadows but I’ve used it with my regular ones and had no problems. It looks orange in the package but blends until it’s completely sheer. Compared to UD primer potion, it’s not as tacky and very thin/watery which I thought may crease my eyeshadows but hasn’t happened so far. Especially for the price, it’s a really good primer and I want to try the regular eyeshadow primer which is even cheaper ($2.)
I have a lot more favourites from ELF, some honourable mentions are the face primer and translucent powder that I’ve run out of and a bunch more that I will write about in the future (especially from an order that should be arriving soon!)
Places to buy from:
Their website | Crush Cosmetics | BeautyJoint | iKateHousexo
Cosmetics tend to be sneakier in hiding their ingredients, sometimes they will use “beeswax” but often they will just call it “cera alba”
In nail polishes, it would typically be carmine that you would have to look out for in red/pink/purple shades. as well as if the company tests on animals OR buys ingredients tested on animals OR is owned by another company that profits from animal testing.
Apparently they also use fish scales and oyster shells for metallic colours, they both are usually called “pearl essence” so watch out for that!
As for other ingredients in cosmetics, look out for lanolin, acetate, allantoin, honey, royal jelly, beeswax (cera alba) carmine (75470),
Cetyl Alcohol, collagen, cysteine, elastin, gelatin, keratin, lactic acid, milk protein, shellac, silk, vitamin D.
Now that list looks scary long, and the ingredients look hard to remember, but don’t fret, majority of them aren’t that common (although they are still used in beauty products) and the MAIN ones to remember are: lanolin, carmine, silk, shellac, beeswax.
Here is a better source with a better more detailed list of animal ingredients and where they come from.
If you are having trouble, I’d recommend downloading an app for your phone, I have one on my phone called “the chemical maze” and It really helps! If I don’t recognize an ingredient i can search it and it will tell me if it’s animal derived or not!
Oh awesome, thanks for telling us!
There is one thing I would like to say about Lime Crime, though, if you’ll allow me to get on my soapbox for a minute.
Their “China doll” ad strikes me as incredibly Orientalist. As an Asian-American women, I face racial stereotyping every day, so I’m very adverse to giving money to a company that helps perpetuate those stereotypes. Please read this very eloquent blog post if you’re interested in learning more about the problematic ad.

This does NOT mean that Lime Crime is not vegan, nor that you shouldn’t buy from them. It’s just my personal view on one facet of the company, but the very purpose of this blog is educated consumerism, and my morals toward racism (as well as sexism and homophobia) rule my shopping habits just as much as my veganism does.
-Sylvia
ELF’s tinted moisturizer is SPF 20
They also have a really cool SPF 45 sunscreen powder that can be worn over makeup.
Beauty Without Cruelty has one
I’ve also seen this one off Etsy recommended
Hope that helps!
From their website:
Mary Kay does not conduct animal testing on its products or ingredients, nor ask others to do so on its behalf, except when absolutely required by law. There is only one country where the company operates – among more than 35 around the world — where that is the case and where the company is required by law to submit products for testing – China.
Which means that the company tests on animals so that they can sell their products in China.
Yes I do and YES! their brushes are amazing, the very best i’ve ever used!
Hey sweetie!
Well, we have a tutorial tag that we’re always adding to.
Kady made this post that lists her favorite, fairly inexpensive, vegan products. ELF is a great place to start, because it’s so inexpensive and pretty nice.