Today I am finally going to share with you my 2019 cruelty free makeup favourites. I intended to share these with you much sooner, but life had other plans. I have shared with you on my Instagram that I got very sick mid-December, and the cause wasn’t determined until I was back from my brothers wedding in Fiji in mid-January. I’m still struggling but I’m hoping the medication will start to kick in soon, so that I can get back to posting here more regularly. Don’t forget that you can support me and my blog by shopping via my affiliate links, like Flora and Fauna, Nourished Life and Biome Eco Stores. Now on to my 2019 cruelty free makeup favourites.
Last year I did 4 separate favourites posts for 2018, one for base makeup, one for eye makeup, one for lip products and one for skincare. This year, I’m going to make it easier on myself and just do two posts, today will be my cruelty free makeup faves and in the coming days I will share my skincare favourites with you. I use a lot of other products than those I will mention, but these are the products I really love. There will be many repeats in here from previous years, as once I love a product, I will use it all the time.
Base
My skin is very fair and pink toned, so finding makeup that works for me can be really hard. I do also prefer makeup that looks like skin, so that’s what I try to find when buying makeup. Many brands that do offer wide shade ranges, either don’t make pink tones in their lightest shades, or they test on animals. At the end of the day, I would prefer no makeup over makeup that is animal tested, so its cruelty free makeup or nothing.
The two primers I used the most in 2019 were the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 and the ELF Poreless Putty Primer. The Veil Mineral Primer makes my makeup last longer, and the Poreless Putty Primer smooths skin to reduce the appearance of texture. The Putty Primer is supposed to be like the Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer, but I have never tried that as it’s full of fragrance. Makeup Revolution also recently released something similar called the Conceal & Fix Pore Perfecting Primer, but I haven’t tried that either.
The concealer I used the most in 2019 was the Elate Creme Revealer in Porcelain. It has light buildable coverage, and a hydrating texture so it doesn’t pick up dry areas. This has however been replaced with a new concealer, the Elate Creme Concealer that has a different formula which I have only just purchased so I can’t review for you yet. Let me know if you want a comparison in future. The other concealers I used in 2019 include the Colourpop Cosmetics No Filter Matte Full Coverage Concealer, Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Concealer, and ELF 16HR Camo Concealer but none of them work well under my eyes, I’m still looking for one that does.
The foundation product that I used the most was the Chi Chi Super CC Cream in Fair, with lots of the Colourpop white concealer mixed in. I want to find an alternative that is actually my shade and is vegan, but I am having absolutely no luck with that. For events I wore the Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Blanc with a tiny bit of Cream mixed in to make it a bit pinker. This is vegan and has a long lasting formula that doesn’t make my skin look dry. The fairest shade in every foundation line is never pink enough for my skin tone. The only other foundation I ever use is the Too Faced Born This Way in Swan with a tiny bit of Snow mixed in. This foundation is vegan, but the whole shade range leans really yellow so pink shades aren’t really available.
As for powders, I always use the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder to set me makeup as it sets makeup without looking matte or dry. The only powder foundation I use is the Eco Minerals Perfection Mineral Foundation in Vanilla, see my full review for the details.
Cheeks
Blush is my favourite makeup product as it gives life back into my fair complexion. I’m still enjoying my Hourglass and theBalm blushes, but n 2019 I found two new blushes to love too. They are BareMinerals Call My Blush and Milani Petal Primavera. In the swatch, you will see that they’re a similar colour, but Call My Blush is matte, whereas Petal Primavera has a glowy finish. The main cream blush that I used in 2019 was the W3ll People Nudist Multi-use Cream Stick in Nude Berry. I use a flat top stippling brush, like my Real Techniques Stippling Brush or Eco Tools Seamless Stippling Brush to apply it.
My favourite highlighters throughout 2019 were both from Elate Cosmetics. Elate Opal is a pinky-silver highlighter that I adore. It is pretty much the only highlighter I wore throughout 2019. Unfortunately, they have discontinued this shade and now only sell Dew, which seems to be orange-toned in their pictures. I really want them to bring back this shade as it is the best highlight I have ever used for my skin tone. As for cream blushes, my favourite was the Elate Universal Creme Highlight in Celestial. It has a pinker base to it than Opal, but it still looks lovely on my skin tone. I only wish that it lasted longer on the skin, but while it’s there it’s pretty.
The only other cheek product I used regularly was the BareMinerals Invisible Bronzer Powder Bronzer in Fair-to-Light. This bronzer is the least pigmented bronzer I’ve ever used which is perfect for my pale skin, but it has been discontinued. I am trying to use the products I have over buying new things all the time, so I probably won’t replace this soon, but if you need a bronzer, Hourglass make some nice ones.
Eyes
My eye eczema stopped me from using eye products for most of the year, as the application process of eyeshadow is enough to irritate it, so I only have a couple of favourites. My favourite eyeliner was the Hourglass 1.5 mm Mechanical Gel Eye Liner in Canyon, a very dark brown. The tip is nice and thin which makes application easy, and there’s no need to sharpen it. The nude eyeliner I reach for is the Eye Of Horus Sahara Nude Goddess Pencil. The mascara I use is the Designer Brands False and Flared Mascara. For events, I always chose my Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadows. They’re so easy to apply, and create a beautiful eye look.
As for eyebrows, I am still using the same products, the Eye Of Horus Brow Define in Husk and the Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel. I am hoping to find a more affordable clear brow gel that holds my brows down in future.
Lips
I have a few different lip product favourites from 2019. The lip duo I used the most was the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner and the Flower Beauty Petal Pout Lip Color in Spiced Petal. This combination goes with every outfit and eye look I do. As with 2018, I still used the Eye Of Horus Bio Lipsticks and the ELF Matte Lip Color in Natural. The new lip product in my collection that I have been loving is the Eye Of Horus Bio Lip Elixir. It is a very lightly tinted coral lip gloss that seems to accentuate any natural lip colour. I’ve also used the Mecca Cosmetica Lip De-Luscious Glide with SPF 15 in Rose. It’s an easy to use lip SPF that also looks nice.
Other
My other makeup favourites were the Too Faced Hangover Setting Spray and Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray. I frequently use the two together for events, to get hydrated, long lasting makeup.
As for tools, my favourite brushes included the Furless CB4 foundation brush, which is my all time liquid and powder foundation brush. I waited all year for this to be restocked so I could buy a whole lot of them, only to find out that Furless Australia is closing down, and that I won’t be able to get any. I really need a good dupe for this brush but I have no idea where to start looking. The Real Techniques Setting Brush was my favourite highlight applicator as it’s easy to apply a light layer of product with this brush. Finally, the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Brush is the best cream foundation brush out there. It’s really expensive but it works better than anything else. I am hoping to try more duo fibre cheek brushes this year, and maybe some sigma brushes, but I would love to hear your cruelty free and vegan brush recommendations if you have any.
2019 was a disappointing year, Wet n Wild and Physicians formula are now selling in China and no longer cruelty free. Charlotte Tilbury had a slip up where they had samples on shelves for customers to try in China, since this news broke, I have heard that they have pulled all this stock out, but I am still waiting for confirmation from the brand themselves. There was at least the good news of Covergirl being Leaping Bunny certified, which gives me hope that other big brands will follow their lead. Other good news is that Hourglass will be entirely vegan by the end of this year, 2020. And ELF has just acquired W3ll People, so it will be great to see how these two cruelty free brands collaborate together.
So, that’s all for my 2019 cruelty free makeup favourites. Are any of my cruelty free makeup faves the same as yours? What was your favourite makeup item from last year? Do you have a fave that I have to try? I need to find a great foundation brush, and I want to test some liquid blushes, so your recommendations on those are welcome. I also really wanted to try Milk Makeup the whole year but the brand make it impossible for Aussies to get a hold of, so that has been frustrating. Anyway, are there any products in this post that you want a full review on? What do you hope to see from me this year? I know that’s a lot of questions, but I would love to know the answer to them all. My cruelty free skincare favourites will be posted in the coming days, you can sign up to email updates to be notified when a new blog post goes live and you can find me on social media –Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
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