June 18, 2017

Going Cruelty-Free



Cognitive dissonance: the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.

I learned about this term my first year of college and I feel like it has been following me around ever since. I think about it when the people around me are studying harder than I do, even though I like to think of myself as hard-working. I thought about it during the presidential elections when deciding to change political parties. And now, as an animal lover, I'm thinking about it in terms of my makeup collection.

Do I think that animal abuse and animal testing is wrong? Yes. So why am I still supporting MAC, Maybelline, L'Oreal, and other brands that test on animals? A part of me was trying very hard not to acknowledge those two sides of myself: the side that agrees with cruelty-free advocates, and the side that justifies buying from those brands.

I'm not sure why it was hard for me to finally decide to make this change. I haven't had a problem with boycotting brands whose practices or owners I dislike (Jeffree Star cosmetics, Kylie Cosmetics). Maybe it's because these are brands that I have been buying from for so many years, especially in the case of drugstore brands. Maybe it's because I've always wanted a big collection of MAC lipsticks, or because my favorite mascara of all time is from Maybelline. Whatever the reason, it isn't too late for me to start going cruelty-free. I'm tired of being a "do as I say and not as I do" kind of person.

From there I started to do my research and make some decisions. Some brands I've always known aren't cruelty-free, like Estee Lauder, MAC, and L'Oreal, and others I had no idea about. Benefit, Rimmel, and Simple are not cruelty-free brands, which surprised me.

When transitioning to a cruelty-free collection. it's also important to learn about parent companies and their effect on a brand's cruelty-free status. Too Faced, for example, was bought out by Estee Lauder recently. Though Too Faced products still aren't tested on animals, some people choose to no longer support them because the way they see it, some of their money is still going to a corporation that does practice animal testing.

At the moment I think that I will still support brands like Tarte and Too Faced, who are owned by non-cruelty free parent companies, so long as the products themselves weren't manufactured using animal testing. However I can completely understand the logic behind why some people don't want to support those brands and I think that's a decision for you to make if you are or are trying to go cruelty-free.

I've also decided that I'm not going to clean out my collection of animal-tested makeup just yet. I've already spent the money on them, after all, so no good will come of me wasting them. Maybe I will try to donate or give some away in the future.

Instead I decided to start my transition by going through my beauty wish list and getting rid of brands that do test on animals. Thankfully, a lot of my faves (Milani, Elf, Anastasia, NARS, etc.) are cruelty-free so I can still happily support them! The hardest thing to delete was my extensive MAC lipstick wish-list...good thing Urban Decay's Vice collection is almost as big!

Another thing I did to help the transition was unfollow non-cruelty free brands on social media. If I don't see their products and new releases scattered all over Instagram, I'll be a lot less likely to buy from them!

As for my blog, I don't think that I will change much except obviously I will be giving more attention to cruelty-free products, which I will be more likely to love, notice, and talk about. I tend to blog about new items to my collection, which from now on will be cruelty-free.

If you read this far I would love to hear your thoughts about this subject, especially if they conflict with mine!

Xx Katie

14 comments on "Going Cruelty-Free"
  1. I didn't know Simple and Benefit weren't cruelty free! I wanted my makeup collection to be only cruelty free products, I'm slowly getting there but I love some products that aren't cruelty free and until I find a substitute I won't be 100%.

    carolinasmakeuplife.blogspot.pt

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  2. This has never really been something I've thought about before, but you do make a good point.
    As another animal lover I find the idea of animal testing distasteful but it has never crossed my mind whilst buying products.
    I don't think I will be going cruelty free just yet, but I will definitely think more about it when buy in the future.
    Great post!
    A Sparkle Of Grace

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  3. It does suck that a lot of the mainstream beauty brands aren't cruelty free, but thankfully more brands are going in that direction of not testing on animals (like ColourPop for example). I love animals too so I do have that guilt at the back of my head for using products that test on animals or for eating meat, but I have to eat meat because I am anemic and my body doesn't feel good physically without eating it. I also try to buy meats from the farms where they treat the animals well, but sometimes it's hard (especially at the Asian supermarkets where they don't care about that as much).

    Hannah
    Floraful

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    Replies
    1. I also feel guilty eating meat! I hope to go vegetarian one day but I don't eat many food groups as it is...I can't imagine how much harder it would be with anemia!

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  4. I support anyone choosing to go cruelty-free but it's not a change I'll make myself any time soon. Most "not cruelty free" brands are only considered this because they sell in China, and I don't think boycotting them will change that. Plus, I eat meat, and I feel like ethically that should go before I worry about my cosmetics!

    Morgan | Hyacinth Girl

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    Replies
    1. That's a very good point! Definitely do what's best for you x

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  5. It's unbelievable how many brands are still no cruelty free, isn't it?? We must make our research before purchasing cosmetics. Did you change the template of your blog? I love it! x

    Yiota
    pinkdaisyloves.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. I did, I'm glad you like it! :) I needed a change haha

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  6. I really thought Simple was a cruelty free brand, as they don't seem to have that much stuff in their products! That's a shock! It's also a shock to see just how many brands still do it!xx

    Hannah | luxuryblush

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  7. There are a lot of brands here which I thought were cruelty free and aren't... I'm a little disappointed. I don't actively look for cruelty-free brands but I though a lot of mine probably were, evidently not! I tend to use brands/products that work well for me and if I can find great alternatives I would totally move over to cruelty-free brands!

    Lauren x Huggled

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  8. I think it's really great that you're going ahead and making that change because you feel like it's the right thing for you! I do feel bad that animals are still being hurt in the name of cosmetics, so I will only buy synthetic materials for brushes. However, I do find it hard to boycott certain makeup brands as a lot of the other ones will be really expensive, and I really like certain products and so I don't know how to find an alternative for them xx

    Velvet Blush

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    Replies
    1. I'm realizing how many of my holy grail products I'm going to have to find alternatives for...gives me an excuse to buy & try more makeup I suppose!

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  9. I honestly don't pay attention to this when buying anything and that kinda sucks, but my favorite brand (Essence) is cruelty free so I could always just buy their products for the rest of my life haha
    I understand why brands do it, but I really hope they'll find other solutions cause some are just too much...
    I think this decision is great for you and I wish you luck in this transition and maybe some day in a transition to vegetarian!

    xo Honey - blog Royal Lifestyle - Twitter - Instagram

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