Vegan Beauty & Body Care

Hi! So I know that not all of you are vegan... actually I'm 99.9% sure most of you are not! :) BUT, I do receive a lot of questions about what vegan/natural products I use and thought I would do a little (big) post about some of my favorites. I'm not trying to convert any of you guys to veganism or convince you that vegan products are better, in fact if you know me in real life then you know I do the exact opposite of that! ;) BUT if you've been shopping around for new body and beauty care products for you or your little ones, then hopefully this post will inspire you just a little bit to try some of the really wonderful cruelty-free products that are available! :)
***This is not a sponsored post. These are products that I go out and purchase for me, my daughter, and my home because I really love them.

NAILS

Sparitual

Honestly, I'm not sure how much a tube of nail polish costs... but for me, this is on the pricer side. Lucky for me, I hardly paint my nails. And lucky for me I only need a good red and deep purply-black in my life (oh, & I guess gold too). Anything colored red in the make-up world is difficult to find vegan. More often than not it will contain some type of carmine product. This red is amazing... and you can't (CANNOT) go wrong with a color named "hunk of burnin' love".

HAIR

Pureology& LUSH Solid Shampoo. 

Pureology is AH-MAZ-ING. Seriously. Yes, it's definitely an expensive running bottle of shampoo + conditioner, but it pays itself off. One bottle lasts forever. You need the tiniest amount to get a good lather and it leaves your hair feeling incredibly soft. My hair is no longer as long as it used to be, but it is still beyond incredibly thick and one dime sized amount goes a very long way. Before, I spent so much money buying bottle after bottle of shampoo and needing to use excessive amounts to get my head clean, but now I just buy one good quality bottle and it lasts forever and my hair looks a hell of a lot better. The LUSH solid shampoo is great for extra dirty and stinky hair. It's a life-saver when I get off the burger and fry smoke heaven that is food-truck work. It was actually gifted to me, I had never heard or tried it before, but now it's something I will want to invest in when it fits into my budget.

TEETH

Kiss My Face

Toothpaste may be one of the most questioned vegan products I use. I've tried a ton of different natural and vegan options and hated most of them. Most of them didn't lather well enough and left my mouth feeling blegh and dirty. This is great, it's natural, and it's fluoride free. I accidentally bought a weird flavor once that was gross.... it may have been a vanilla or lemon mint. Do not want. Cool mint all the way. Marlowe loves it too.

BODY

Jason'sbody wash: I'm addicted. I buy a huge bottle every few months. I stick with a tea-tree scent... not everyones favorite I'm sure, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something extra good for my body. I will say: I haven't tried many other soaps, but I really enjoyed this one from the beginning of my switch to vegan products and while trying other ones seems like a great and fun idea: why mess with something that works so well. And it's light enough where I feel more than comfortable using it on Marlowe.

Nature's Gate lotion: I'm sure there are a million better lotion options out there... but this one is vegan, natural, and cheap so it stays on my list.

Kiss My Face shaving cream: There are not a lot of natural shave cream options out there... or if there are I keep walking past the section. This one works up a pretty good lather, I'm not left with nasty razor burn, and I've loved every one of the scents I've tried, so it stays :) 

FACE

You can see a bit of a trend with Earth Science. I have loved each of their products I have tried. I'm especially found of: the facial scrub (I use it every shower), the skin peel (it's my newest go to face mask), and the moisturizer. (you can buy all of these at whole foods). And Desert Essence face wash: I love the way my face feels after I use it. It definitely burns if you get it near your eyes, but it burns so good on your face. There are a few different looking bottles and types, but my face approves all of them. 

MAKE-UP

Josie Maran tinted moisturizer: I'll be honest, I'm mixed about this one. The tinted moisturizer I was previously using got discontinued. This one works for now, but I'm looking forward to trying to new option once I run out. It covers the skin very nicely, but separates easily in the tube. 

Korrespowder. Covers nicely, not heavy, doesn't look cakey. 

Zuzu: I was running low on my other powder and figured I would try this one. I'm torn between the Korres and Zuzu. Zuzu covers flaws better, but is a bit heavier, and I hate to feel like I've got make-up on. 

Urban Decay
blush. Be cautious... not all of these are vegan. Urban Decay is not a vegan line, but they do have a fair amount of vegan options. This blush is creamy, not powder, and great to add a light tint or a full blast of color on your face. I love the color "crush": the brighter the better! 

EYES

Josie Maran mascara. I very, very rarely wear eye make-up... especially mascara... so for eye make-up experts: I'm not sure how great this is compared to other eye products, but it suites me just fine. It doesn't look overly fake, it doesn't clump up, and it makes my lashes almost as long as Marlowes. 

Urban Decay liquid liner: love it. 

BABY

California Baby shampoo and body wash: you can see this bottle has seen better days. It's been around for over a year now. Like my shampoo, it's expensive, but lasts forever. You can buy this brand pretty much anywhere which makes it an incredibly convenient option.

Mild By Nature: the bottle pictured is the conditioner, because the soap is left at my dad's house for bath time there. The whole line is light and clean, without being overly scented. 

Live Clean Baby: I freakin' love this bubble bath. Marlowe smells like the most deliciously clean baby after a bath. This was actually sent to us, but the whole line really is great--- especially the "baby bath"-- Marlowe needs daily baths in it. It bubbles up pretty well (we've tried one or two other natural bubble bath products) and the lavender smell is great, you could not soap her, and she would still smell delicious after sitting in only bubbles.

BABY LOTIONS

Live Clean Baby lotion: big bottle, light scent, light feeling. Marlowe has become an expert at lotioning her tummy.

Baby Avalon Organics diaper cream. I did a quick google search while in Whole Foods to find out what of the products they sold were cloth-diapering friendly. This seemed like my only option (at least in my Whole Foods), but we like it. It's nice and thick so it doesn't slide off. 

SUNSCREEN

One of my other most asked about body-care products. Alba Kids Sunblock seems to work pretty well for us. I wish it was stronger, but even (or especially?) living in Florida we try to avoid too much direct sun. Marlowe hasn't had a sunburn yet *knock on wood* so it seems to be doing a pretty good job (it's also in her genes, I'm sure). I've tried a few other options, but I like this one a lot and have zero complaints. In the future, I still might try other, stronger options, but this still gets two non-sun burned thumbs up. Gotta protect that delicate baby skin! 

CRUELTY-FREE

There are a lot of ways to find out what products are vegan and cruelty-free. One of the most commonly used logos is the side profile of a bunny. Another is the face of a bunny. I've always seen a plant with a "V" for vegan. Some products will just state: "cruelty-free", "vegan", "not tested on animals and no animal bi-products". If you can't find any of these logos or statements, the best thing to do is: ASK! Both Whole Foods and Sephora (where many of these products have been purchased) have well trained staff that know their products pretty well, and have been great to help me find new products to try. And of course, I'm sure many other places will have equally as helpful staff. Most places will carry at the very least, a small selection of cruelty-free products. Smaller natural health-food stores are always a great option, Whole Foods has a ridiculous selection of natural products to try... and many of these baby and body care products (maybe not as many cosmetics) can even be purchased at chains such as: target, walmart, walgreens, and your neighborhood supermarket (publix here).

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I unfortunately don't have any great recommendations for deodorant. I have no idea whether my deodorant is vegan or not.... and it is certainly far from natural, but that's just the way it is. I've tried a fair amount of natural options and was left disappointed with each and every one of them. It's the only non natural product left in my house that is used daily. It's Florida, it's April and 90 degrees, and oh boy do I sweat. But if you've got tried and true natural deodorant options, please do share! I'm always happy to try new vegan and natural products.... and hopefully this post will inspire you to try a new cruelty-free option when the product you are currently using runs out!

If you have (vegan, or even just natural) products you use and love, please share! It would be great to know and try out the items you and your body use daily and love! Please link up or comment to share :)