My animal friendly make-up bag

The number of beauty and skincare products on offer today that still involve animal testing and use ingredients from animals is truly baffling. In a world of voluntary humans, or even stem cell testing methods and micro-dosing, along with the large array of vegan ingredients on offer, there are plenty of cruelty-free ways to safely test and create cosmetics. So why won’t some big names budge?

It's been illegal to cosmetically test on animals in the UK since 1998 and in 2013 the EU banned selling cosmetics that have been tested on animals. However, a lot of these companies sell their products in overseas in countries where animal testing is still part of their regulations.

More and more consumers are being ethical with their decisions about what they're wearing, how it's been made and what ingredients are being used. The number of vegan and animal friendly brands within the cosmetics industry are on the rise and are gaining momentum. Clearly it is possible to ethically test cosmetics and source vegan and vegetarian products before they hit the shelves.

A way of putting pressure on companies that still test their products on animals is by boycotting their them and letting them know why. PETA suggest writing a letter to the company in question, but in today's world of social media, posting to your blog or publicly messaging their social media accounts would be as effective.

In the ever growing beauty industry, and the expansion of vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics, is it really as easy as they say it is to be 100% animal friendly with your beauty routine? I wanted to find out, so I started with my own makeup bag.

The brand that really spurred me to talk about cruelty-free beauty is one that I least expected. The Natural Collection's Hydrating and Radiance foundation is really reasonably priced, £2.99 for full coverage ... yes please. Especially when the quality is so impressive.

I use the shade 'Porcelain' everyday, it is a full coverage foundation and feels really smooth and fresh. The consistency is quite thick, so don't use a lot. The downside is that it feels a little heavy on its own so I finish it with Natural Collection's matte pressed powder, for a mere £1.99, and it usually lasts all day.

Whilst Benefit Cosmetics don't test their products on animals in the UK, they do in China. Natural Collection's Hydration Foundation is a great substitute for my usual Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation from Benefit, with a price difference like that for such great quality - can anyone complain really? Replenishing your whole makeup bag on a budget with the Natural Collection alone is doable.

There couldn't be a cruelty-free make-up post without praising the one and only, Kat Von D. As a vegan and animal activist herself, Kat has always been against animal testing. As of 2016 she decided to convert KVD Beauty to 100% vegan and is currently reformulating and phasing out old products so that they don't contain animal ingredients. Considering the impressive quality, the prices are reasonable.

For example, the cult favourite Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks are only £17. Also the queen of cat eye's Tattoo Liner is only £16. On my wish list the Lock-It concealers and Alchemist Holographic palette, I've tried and tested both many times. The shades for the concealers are especially good for fair skinned vampires like me.

MAC Cosmetics are renowned for their lipsticks, but KVD Beauty's Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks and Studded Kiss Lipsticks are great substitute. There's a colour for every single shade on the rainbow, even white! Once my trusted red MAC is finished, I will be replacing it with a Studded Kiss.

Barry M. My old favourite since day one. I still have hundreds of their crappy nail polishes from years ago. Side note, their nail polish? Still crappy. However, their lip kit and Brightening Concealer are great! The lip kit came with a dark nude pink lip paint which is light and smooth in consistency, and a lip pencil in the same colour. Paired together looks great for day or night and makes your lips bigger, naturally, and knowing that no animals were hurt in the process.

I've heard amazing things about ELF, a brand that thrives on being animal friendly. I like their simple designs and reviews about their products from beauty bloggers are booming. A couple ELF products, along with the rest of KVD Beauty's whole website, is currently in my wish list.

So there it is, it is possible to do your bit to help the millions of animals suffering from cosmetic testing. Next time your favourite product runs out, do some research before you go shopping and why don't you replace it with a kinder, more ethical product? You never know, you might save some pennies on the way.