Confusion in the rabbit hole? Cosmetic companies using spin with cruelty-free status to consumers

Hey cruelty-free beauties!

Have you ever felt like companies are unclear about certain facts about the products or the company itself? I'm not talking about the "Better Than Sex" claim that Too-faced put on their best-selling mascara, but their status to whether they continue to stay cruelty-free or not.

Many companies recently this year and the last have decided to state selling in the Chinese market, which by law requires animal testing, and continue to promise they are still 100% cruelty-free. We've seen this recently with Urban Decay, NYX cosmetics, Kat Von D cosmetics, Yves Rocher, L'Occitane and many more in the last year or two. This can be very confusing because on their official websites, they state that they are cruelty-free but in common knowledge, to sell in China, animal testing is required.

During this transition, customers were feeling in the dark about the whole situation and the companies were not responding in a clear manner. It seemed like, for example, NYX last year was beating around the bus about their current status on animal testing. According to their website, NYX claims:

                  "…while we do not currently sell our products in China, they are currently available from third parties in limited distribution. As we continue to expand our business internationally, we are aware that some countries require that local labs perform tests on animals as a prerequisite to give permission for products to be sold within their countries and we actively support efforts underway to change these practices."
 These statements can be really confusing to consumers, because it is not clear whether they do or do not test on animals. NYX still claim to be cruelty-free and it is up to the consumer to decide whether they still want to purchase from them or not. Personally, I will no longer be purchasing.

According to the Canadian PR for the Real World, spin is more or less defined as strategic word placement to bring across a point or bit of information in the most strategic way possible for the company. Spin has had a bad connotation in the PR world and is more or less looked as something bad and a form of lying. In this specific case, it is clear that NYX used a form of spin to somewhat confuse their customers into thinking they are still cruelty-free, when they clearly aren't.

Image acquired from the amazing cruelty-free blog: " http://www.mybeautybunny.com/cruelty-free-brands/"

You might be asking yourself, how will I know if brands are still cruelty-free or are own by parent non-cruelty-free companies? For more information and to have the official list of of cruelty-free brands, check http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx, regularly.

Thank you for reading this far, leave a comment below on what you think about these companies using spin to fool their customers?

STAY HUMANE & UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Sara Pivato

For all the citation purposes, please check out the link below.

http://elephant-room.org/index.php?route=blog/article&article_id=29

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2181468/Big-beauty-brands-dropping-cruelty-free-animal-testing-policies-sell-products-China.html

http://www.online-pr.com/Holding/The_Dangers_of_Spin.pdf

http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx

Cruelty-free lifestyle too hard? Think again! THIS OR THAT [Eyeshadow palette edition]

Hey Cruelty-free Beauties!

[Disclaimer! I am not paid by any of the mentioned companies below. All opinions are my own and all products were purchased by my own money, thank you!]

I have another topic and brand review related post for you readers this week!

As I mentioned before and as we see everyday, brands are getting less and less cruelty-free. Even though some brands like Urban Decay, Tarte and MAC claim to be cruelty-free, they are all either owned by a parent company that tests on animals or now sells to the chinese market, that requires by law to have cosmetics tested on animals before humans. Cruelty-free consumers can start to feel discouraged and confused to which brands will start loyal to their commitments to do no harm to our cuddly and cute friends. I'm going to show you beauty-junkies some dupes for everyday best sellers from non-cruelty-free companies and replace them with even better quality and sometimes cheaper alternatives that do not harm little creatures in the process.

THIS OR THAT?

THIS?Loving the Urban Decay Naked Palette (1,2,3)? Well I used to as well before I went cruelty-free. They are highly pigmented and perfectly picked color schemed palettes that can be used every single day for a natural to dramatic smokey eye. The versatility is amazing and the cost is around 60$ at Sephora. Sounds good right? NOT. Urban Decay is not cruelty-free so even though you have a beautiful eye look, the number of animals harmed have the "dead-eyed" look.

Urban Decay Naked 1,2,3 [60$]

THAT! Instead, try the Chocolate Bar palette by Too-faced! Both the regular edition and the Semi-Sweet edition contain the most beautiful highly pigmented and blendable shadows that smell so heavenly! The eye shadows have the delicious smell of chocolate as they are made from cocoa powder! Not only do both editions contain 16 matte and shimmer eyeshadows that can give you the versatility of any type of look! They are long-lasting and contain anti-oxidants so not only does it look beautiful, it's good for your skin. I personally have both palettes and I also have the UD Naked 2 and I cannot deny the difference in quality for the Too-faced ones and that smell of chocolate just brightens my mornings when doing my eye makeup.

Too-Faced Chocolate Bar Palette [55$-60$]

Too-Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette [55$-60$]

Price comparison?
UD Naked 60$ CA plus tax
Too-Faced 55-60$ CA plus tax
[not much of a difference in my opinion but hey a couple dollars always count!]

Thank you for reading if you made it this far. Please consider your purchases before buying non-cruelty-free, it makes a worlds difference and a difference can sometimes smell like CHOCOLATE :) yum!

STAY HUMANE & UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Sara Pivato

For more information, please visit the websites linked below!

http://www.mybeautybunny.com/category/leaping-bunny/page/4/
https://nevertoomuchglitter.wordpress.com/cruelty-free-beauty/
https://www.toofaced.com/p/eye-shadow-palettes/chocolate-bar-eye-shadow-collection/

Review: Greenscape Organic Homemade Cranberry, Watermelon & Wheat facial cream

Hey there cruelty-free Beauties!

I'm back for another review. These days a lot of moisturizers contain a lot of chemicals, trendy ingredients and of course are tested on animals. No, that doesn't mean putting mascara on a bunny of rubbing lotion on a rodent. It means injecting random ingredients into thousands of animals (and leaving them for dead) to ensure that companies can save money on human testing, and make more profits. For more facts on animal testing in North America, visit the link below. :)

 NOW TO THE REVIEW

Review

I bought the Greenscape Organic Homemade Cranberry, Watermelon & Wheat facial cream in the last couple of weeks at in Winner's skin care section and I have been using it ever since, twice a day and here are my thoughts.

This product claims it is: " A facial cream containing natural antioxidants & Vitamin C to protect the skin. Cranberry, Watermelon & Wheat with Avocado Oil & Cocoa Butter combined with a bespoke blend of multigrain cereals to smooth & soften. Natural derived and free from Petrochemicals, Sulphates, Parabens, Glycols or Synthetic Colors."

NET WT: 50ml, 1.7 fl oz.

Retail Price: Amazon (19$) Winners (5.99$)

Places to buy it? Amazon.com, Winners/Marshalls, etc.

My thoughts? This product has had many confusing reviews online. Some like this product alot and others don't. I have many things to say about this product, but mostly great things! WHen you first apply it, the one thing that I don't like about creams, realizes in this one, it apples WATERY. I hate the feeling of it but within 2 to 3 seconds of running it in and pushing it in to your skin, it is so SMOOTH, SOFT and SOOTHING. IF you ever have irritable skin or sensitive skin in general, you will LOVE this facial cream. Not to mention it contains natural ingredients and has the lightest pleasant scent that doesn't overpower your nostrils, it really works! It keeps my skin moisturized under my makeup and leaves it feeling very soothed while going to bed after a long day of wearing makeup. So overall, if you can get past the initial watery feeling, this cream is very decent and very worth the discounted price of 6$ that I payed at winners for.

Best way to apply it? Like any other facial cream, gel or moisturizer, you NEED (if i can stress this enough) you need to make sure your skin is cleansed and makeup free before applying. WHen you apply it in the morning, again you must wash your face first! Otherwise, this cream can feel like a weird film on your face if your face is not properly cleansed. TIP: if you don't cleanse your face properly of all impurities, your skin will not be able to absorb any moisturizer you use!

You can use a brush to apply it if you dont want to use your hands, but in my opinion it is best to use it with you hands to melt the cream with the warmth your hand provides, and helps it push into the skin for it to be absorbed.

VERDICT? 4/5 product rating and worth the price if you can afford it!

STAY HUMANE & UNTIL NEXT TIME :)

Sara Pivato!

Visit the link below for purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/Greenscape-Organic-Homemade-Cranberry-Watermelon/sim/B004VD7618/2

For more information on animal testing, please visit:

http://www.alive.com/articles/view/21547/animal_testing

REVIEW: The e.l.f. (eyes, lips, face) Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder

Hey there cruelty-free beauties!

This is my first post to this blog and I will be bringing you a post every week of one or two product reviews that are of course CRUELTY-FREE! 

*DISCLAIMER* All opinions are my own and these products can vary from person to person. I am not affiliate with these companies and am not sponsored nor paid to share these products with you guys. These products were purchased with my own money.  

As we know, everyday cruelty-free beauty and cosmetic companies are selling out to companies that test on animals. Finding beauty products and cosmetics can become difficult, considering the everyday changes and can discourage people to stay on this cruelty-free lifestyle. I'm here today to tell you that it is completely possible and that many companies out there are determined to stay cruelty-free forever. Remember, online shopping is your best friend to stay cruelty-free but there are also many drugstore brands and high-end brands who are also committed. 

NOW TO THE REVIEW. 

Review 

The e.l.f. (eyes, lips, face) Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder is a product I bought last week and have been testing it in various ways to prepare for this review.  

e.l.f.'s website claims this product can: "Achieve even flawless skin that's smoother, redefined and shine free. This translucent powder works on a wide variety of skin tones to help set your makeup in so it lasts longer. The silky lightweight formula also miraculously mattes skin to diminish oil and shine for a beautiful and healthy look!" 

NET WT 0.13 oz (3.8g)

Retail Price 3$ CA (plus tax)

Places you can buy it? Online at e.l.f's website, Target, Winners and etc!

After testing out this product for myself, I have found that this product is very great for it's value. I have personally combination skin (sometimes dry, sometimes oily, in the T-zone area) like most people and I use this powder to set my whole face after my foundation and concealer and I am so far very happy with it. It has such a fine texture and when applied to the skin, it leaves the most amazing smooth texture that feels like baby skin. SO SOFT. SO MATTE. The only thing I would say about this product is that it does not last all day by any means, it last a good amount of hours, but then I get a bit shiny and need to touch up. The amazing thing about this is that when you go to touch-up, it doesn't make it look cakey or patchy. 

This product comes in 3 different shades, translucent (suits all skin tones), tinted (light to medium) and corrective (medium to dark).

Best way to apply it? Make sure you moisturize your skin very very well, as when you set your skin or foundation, you don't want to have any dry patches, as many powders can accentuate if not moisturized well enough. Even if you don't have dry skin, it is so important to moisturize because you can always matte down if you over moisturize but you can never put back moisture in after you powder...well you can with setting mists, etc, but to minimize products used, it's best to just put a nice layer of moisturizer  before you apply anything to your face.

You can apply it with the sponge provided or even better, with a nice dense powder brush! The brush I use is the powder brush from real techniques. You can also use a less dense powder brush if you just want a light dusk across your T-zone.

VERDICT? 4.5/5 product rating and 100% WORTH THE PRICE :)

If you've made it this far and continued reading, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this and to enjoy your day!

STAY HUMANE & UNTIL NEXT TIME :)

Sara Pivato!

product links online:

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/face/powder/translucent_mattifying_powder