Tuesday Beauty Poll
By Glinda
Aaaand it was Adele for the win with 75% of the vote! It’s funny because her makeup looked flawless, but almost TOO flawless, if that is possible. Kudos to her makeup artist, I suppose.
Today’s poll was inspired by commenter Babs, who left a comment on the lead in lipsticks post. Thanks, Babs!
February 21st, 2012 at 7:55 am
Animal tests done on certain compounds and products years ago don’t have to be repeated, and you can create new compounds to be non-toxic so tests aren’t necessary. So many additives in cosmetics are known to be health threats anyway, even with information gathered from animal testing, and yet they still end up in ingredient lists in products whose sale is not restricted in any way. So what purpose does animal testing actually serve?
That said, I would question anything PeTA has to say about anything. They’re all about the shock, and they go out of their way to be sexist; I’ve yet to find that anything they’ve presented as fact has actually been as black and white as they’d like you to believe. This business about animal testing for products in the Chinese market in particular rings false. The companies they name have been selling product in China for decades (Hong Kong, anyone?) and if they stopped animal testing because it’s unnecessary and costly long ago it would not make business sense to start it all up again to sell the same product to a market that’s already in place in China (all while alienating established customers in the rest of the world, not to mention risking their profit and their stock value to their shareholders).
February 21st, 2012 at 4:48 pm
It’s serendipitious – I was thinking of asking about a post on animal-test-free make-up. I started looking into the subject last year, and I probably haven’t done as much research as I could do (there are still some animal-tested products in my house), but I’ve really started paying attention to my cosmetics.
It was a bit of an inner battle while switching over – do I dump what I have now and buy anew, or can I use what’s left of those products and be more careful when I replace it? In the end, I decided on the latter. My reasoning was that the money has already been spent, and tossing the offending item out would somehow spiritually insult the animal who’d gone through so much pain.
I’ve found that, while animal-friendly products cost a bit more, they’re just as good, I feel better about myself, and I’ve become more consumption-conscious (when facial cleanser is more expensive, you take more care about how much you need in the morning!).
February 21st, 2012 at 8:01 pm
I tend to buy the ‘natural’ brands (Origins, Aveda, Josie Maran, etc), which generally tend to be labelled cruelty-free as well.
Intellectually, I know that they aren’t necessarily better for you. But they do give you a warm fuzzy with the anti-animal testing, the recycled packaging, and the non-usage of parabens and sneeze-inducing perfumes. I’m particularly impressed with Aveda’s reusable compacts and general packaging. Whoda thunk that an upscale brand would have the guts to sell lipstick in a cardboard tube? I like it! :~D
I don’t like PETA either, but it’s their shock-value pamphlets that first introduced me to the concept of cruelty in cosmetics, way back when I was a wee 7th-grader strolling the Washington DC mall. What I don’t understand is, they always say that besides being cruel, cosmetic animal testing is also unreliable, expensive, and completely unnecessary. That being the case, why to companies do it? The PETA folks would have you believe that they do it for sadistic enjoyment, but that makes no sense at all. At the end of the day, businesses are businesses, and very large companies do things for business reasons. What would be the reason to continue an unnecessary process?
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:14 am
@aurumgirl- Oh, I’ve no loyalty to PETA whatsoever. It’s just that the bunny is one of the better-recognized symbols.
February 22nd, 2012 at 8:59 am
The bunny symbol is not PeTA’s, though I’m sure they’d like you to believe it is.
February 22nd, 2012 at 5:36 pm
I’ve been trying to research this a bit more, as PETA is not my favorite news source. Everything seems to be coming from their press release via Rush PR. (I will not link as it has a picture of a wounded animal on the site. You can easily find it.)
However, I will say that Hong Kong was not China for a very long time and even now Hong Kong operates under some slightly different rules, if I am recalling right. Apologies if I am wrong. So, it is quite likely that these companies have not sold in China proper up until now.
Goodness knows that China is not exactly a paragon of giving a shit about anything other than the end product (see: factories that make electronic devices and all the pollution in the air).
Can anyone point to specific cruelty free brands that they love? I’d like to know more about them and what you love in their lines.
February 22nd, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Oo, oo, I can pipe up, Babs!
My favorites are Origins, Aveda, and Clinique. Recently, I’ve been trying Josie Maran, and have been pretty pleased with the results, if not the price point!
Origins–I’m a big fan of their sheer lipstick (it’s called ” Rain and Shine”), which is flavored only with mint, and the Flower Fusion lipstick, which has only the lightest fragrance, and it’s totally tolerable (I cannot abide strong-smelling lipsticks, as you have probably guessed!). They are both very moisturizing and l go on smoothly. My only complaint is that their website has the worst way of presenting color swatches, so you’re best off getting off your duff and going to the store! I’m also currently using their pressed powder. It’s super-light, so either you love it or you hate it, depending on how much coverage you like!
Aveda–Again, I went for the lipsticks, and I like them. They all go on smoothly and taste only of mint. Major greenie points for having reusable compacts, but it’s annoying that they charge to the same amount for a new color as another company would charge for the color, plus the compact. I tried their pressed powder, and it was nice, but it was ever so slightly sparkly, so I won’t buy it again.
Clinique–I like the Different lipsticks, which are scentless and go on gently and feel really light. Their eyeshadows look nice in the pans, but don’t have a lot of color payoff, and from me, a minimal makeup wearer, that says a lot! They also have really nice palettes that work nicely without being costumey.
Josie Maran–Color-wise, I’ve only tried her eyeshadow palettes, and I like them. They are nicely coordinated. I like eyeshadows that come in palettes of at least two, because they save space and clutter! I also, on a whim, bought a tiny bottle of straight argan oil from her website, and it’s great stuff indeed, especially in harsh, dry winters. But the price is jacked up; you can get it from other brands for cheaper.
February 23rd, 2012 at 9:31 am
Origins, Aveda, and Clinique, also Jo Malone, Prescriptives, and Mac, among many others, are all Estee Lauder properties. When PeTA rambles on about Estee Lauder, which lines are they in fact describing? If it is just the Estee Lauder line, why wouldn’t the same supposed laws dictating the animal testing not apply also to all those other lines which I’m certain Estee Lauder would sell wherever possible?
To me, PeTA makes no logical sense. Again, they love to stir the sh*t, but they rarely tell the truth about anything. But they sure hate us gals!
February 23rd, 2012 at 3:12 pm
Aurumgirl, they like us just fine, if we walk around wearing bikinis made of lettuce and sit in cages.
February 23rd, 2012 at 3:14 pm
@wildflower: Oh come on, you know you want to.
February 23rd, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Hahaha. If I wore a lettuce bikini, I’d become terrified of my pet rabbit!
February 24th, 2012 at 3:24 am
Don’t know if you are a Monty Python fan, but that totally made me think of this.
http://youtu.be/XcxKIJTb3Hg
February 24th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Hahaha! My late rabbit (and the rabbit for whom I adopted my current one, to be his companion), was of that model. May he rest in peace.