Going Cruelty-Free

I have struggled with whether or not to post about this for a long time. It's probably been over a year now. Mentioning that you are trying to go cruelty-free can create a lot of drama online, and I just didn't have the heart to deal with it. I'm still not sure if I have the heart to deal with it, but I'm going to take the leap and say it:

I'm trying to go cruelty-free.

If you aren't well informed on this issue, you may be wondering why this would cause drama. It sounds like a good thing, so what's the problem?

The first problem is the one that, in a sense, creates all of the other problems. Here in the U.S., there is no regulation regarding companies labeling themselves as cruelty-free. Anyone can create their own bunny logo and stick it on their products and claim that they don't test their products on animals. Quite a few brands claim to be cruelty-free because they themselves do not test their products on animals; however, their suppliers may test the ingredients on animals or they might have outside testing done on their products.

The next problem is that there are varying degrees and opinions on what makes a brand cruelty-free. Some people just use the PETA cruelty-free list to determine what is cruelty-free and what isn't. A lot of people though believe that list is really inaccurate and prefer to use other lists - none of which match each other exactly. Some people refuse to buy from brands that are cruelty-free but are owned by a parent company that is not, like Urban Decay or Burt's Bees.They believe that by buying from that brand, the profits indirectly support testing since they go back to the parent company. Other people believe that by supporting the brands that are cruelty-free, even if their parent company is not, shows support for those brands and sends a message to the parent company that cruelty-free brands are in-demand.

Then there's the issue of China. China REQUIRES testing on products imported into their country, essentially taking any brand that sells in China off of cruelty-free lists. Even in that instance there is some gray area. For example, Sephora's own brand has multiple lines. Some of those lines are sold in China and other's are not. Is it okay to buy from the lines that aren't sold in China or should the whole brand be off-limits?

Now you've tried to become a detective to figure out what standards a given brand is working with AND you've had to make some tough decisions about where you stand on those gray areas. Then you add the complication of the internet. I don't know how many times I've seen well-intentioned people get attacked through comments because they accidentally did a cruelty-free post or video about a brand that isn't actually cruelty-free (or at least isn't under the commenter's standards). Other people get defensive and start attacking you if you claim to be cruelty-free but you aren't vegan or you wear leather products. I've also been annoyed by people who get an attitude over those who try to go cruelty-free but slip-up and buy a non-cruelty free item because they didn't know the brand wasn't cruelty-free or because an item was just too tempting to pass up (I'll admit, I caved recently and picked up a couple of Chapstick balms because they were cupcake and red velvet cake flavored). I figure an imperfect attempt at doing something good is better than no attempt at all.

It's a lot to take in, digest, and decide whether you want to put that information on the table and open yourself up for attack. Now that I've let the barricades down, here's where I'm at in my journey and my current stance on trying to go cruelty-free:

I am still using products that were already in my stash that are not cruelty-free.

I am avoiding brands that by general consensus are not cruelty-free (L'Oreal, Cover Girl, etc...).
I am still buying from brands that are cruelty-free but are owned by parent companies that are not (Urban Decay, Burt's Bees).
I am not buying from brands that sell in China.
I will still buy value sets at places like Sephora that have products from a variety of brands as long as the majority of the brands are cruelty-free .
I am not vegan, so I don't plan on restricting myself to vegan products.

One issue that I'm currently struggling with is that I have a few brand new products (both full size and deluxe samples) made by companies that are not cruelty-free. I currently have them in my giveaway basket because they are not products I would use. Is it still okay for me to put them in a giveaway, or should I just add them to my blog sale? 

Are there any major points that I forgot to address?

What is your stance on the cruelty-free issue? I love reading and hearing about other's opinions on this issue as long as they are given respectfully. Any comments that are not respectful will be deleted. 

NYX Love in Florence Palette in Meet My Romeo - Review and Swatches

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Sorry it has been so quiet on my blog lately. I've been feeling really lazy and somewhat uninspired. I have a few blog post ideas in my head, but I haven't been motivated enough to do them. I also have a lot of reviews I should be doing, but since we're still getting back into the swing of the school year here, I'm still not doing a lot of full days of makeup in order to test longevity.

In an attempt to get back into the swing of things, I'm going to go ahead an review a NYX Love in Florence Palette that I picked up back in June. The Love in Florence range has 5-pan palettes that retail for $7.99. I picked mine up along with a NYX Wonder Pencil when Ulta was having a BOGO 50% sale on NYX products.

Packaging

The packaging of this palette is similar to other NYX products: black and relatively basic. The bow on the front is a cute addition though, and it is designed well enough that it doesn't add bulk to the palette as a whole. I like that the top is clear, which makes it easy to see the colors. The palette itself also feels really sturdy. The plastic is nice and thick, so I wouldn't be scared to travel with it. NYX does include a dual-ended sponge-tipped applicator with the palette as well. While I don't generally use them, I know they can be handy to have.

Product

When I was picking out which eye shadow palette I wanted, I really struggled. NYX put out a lot of new palettes this year, and I wanted them all. However, when I got to the store, none of them were really jumping out at me. I don't really think that it s negative of the line though. I think I just have so many eye shadows that it is hard for me to find something really unique and exciting. I settled on the Meet My Romeo palette because it looked like a safe and easy palette to work with.

The colors included are light shimmery taupe, a satin-finish peach, a medium shimmery taupe, a medium matte brown, and a deep brown that has a matte base and fine multi-colored shimmer. They have a smooth texture that isn't overly soft or powdery. The pigmentation isn't very intense, but I'm okay with that. It makes the colors really easy for me to work with without overdoing it. I wish the peach color was completely matte because the color itself is soft enough to use as a blending and highlight color, but the satin finish has more sheen than I like for that type of color.

Final Thoughts

I'm not completely wowed by this palette, but, as I mentioned above, I think that's more because of my large collection rather than a fault of the product. This particular collection of colors would be a great palette for somebody just starting out with makeup because the colors aren't overly intense and are easy to work with. If the colors appeal to you, I think the quality of the shadows makes this palette worth checking out.

Have you ever gotten to the point where products don't appeal just because you have so much at home already? Have you tried any of NYX's new palettes? Are there any that I'm over-looking that I should swatch the next time I'm in Ulta?

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Blog Sale and Thirty-One Gifts!

Disclaimer: I include links to my direct selling site for Thirty-One Gifts, for which I am an Independent Consultant. I do not get any compensation unless someone actually makes a purchase through my direct site.

I've got multiple post ideas floating around in my head, but I haven't actually gotten any written up yet. I promise I'll get some up soon.

In the meantime, I finally got around to updating my blog sale. I added a bunch of new items and dropped some prices. I've got several brand new Tarte items listed. I added some L'Oreal Infallible eye shadows (several were LE). I've also got a bunch of mineral eye shadows and blushes up for sale. It's a broad range of products to choose from. I think there's around 40 pictures total.

Teaser pictures:

I also wanted to mention a couple of other things. The first one is that I recently became a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts, which is a direct selling company that sells bags, totes, and other organizing items (most of which can be personalized with embroidery). I personally signed up because I wanted the bags myself! I plan to do posts on some of their products. That being said, I promise to you that I will not do any posts talking up products that I don't like, and I will not let it take over my blog. This is still primarily a makeup blog. It's just something that I am genuinely excited about. For example, I LOVE my new purse:

Retro Metro Bag in Spirit Black with Small Rosette Clip in Pink

It's a great size. I carry way too many things around with me on a regular basis, and this bag holds it easily. If you look at the left side pocket, that's a water bottle sticking out of the top. I have the rosette (a separate item) pinned on because it's cute AND it lets me know which outside pocket has my keys, phone, and sunglasses.

• If you haven't heard of Thirty-One Gifts before, you can check out their products here.
• If you decide that there's something that you HAVE to have (Note: the monthly special for August is if you spend $35, you can get any purse for half price), I would appreciate you shopping through my Online Kick-Off Party (ends on August 30) using this link.
• Otherwise, you can buy it through me using this link.
• If you want a lot of stuff, I can set up an online and/or catalog party and make you the hostess, which means you could earn some Hostess Rewards! 

If you have any questions or would like more information, you are welcome to email me at beautybabbling@yahoo.com.

Enough of that...

The other thing that I wanted to mention what that I'm on a kick again of wanting to get organized with my life, and I think I'm going to start a series of posts about it. They won't be on a schedule yet because the ideas are still forming, and I actually have to make some organizing progress to show all of you (I do want to show all of you my shower solution, but you'll have to excuse the fact that my bathroom/shower are not magazine ready. It needs to be remodeled, but my fiance and I don't have the money for that yet).

To wrap up this post, I'm going to state the obvious. Summer is coming to an end. School has started back up here, which means work will be starting back up for me. It's a good and bad thing. Life will get busier again, but I'll also have more reason to play with my makeup stash since I'll be doing more than going to the grocery store.

Since this was a bit of a rambling update post, what's new with all of you ladies? Anything fun or exciting going on?

Disclaimer: I included links to my direct selling site for Thirty-One Gifts, for which I am an Independent Consultant. I do not get any compensation unless someone actually makes a purchase through my direct site.

Recent Deal I've Scored!

Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this post were purchased. All opinions are my own.

About a week and a half ago, I went to a (relatively) nearby town to run some errands. When I do that, I always end up cruising through several places that have better stock or that aren't available in my town.

When I wandered through the cosmetics area at WalMart, I came across a fantastic deal!

The Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Bronzer had a BOGO FREE coupon on it for another face product. Then I saw the Happy Booster bronzer that came with a bonus blush. So, in total I spent around $15 for all three products. I was thrilled.

Then, this week I got a coupon in the mail from Physicians Formula for $10 off a product of $10 or more. How did I get this coupon? They occasionally do promotions where they release a secret code on their Facebook page. If you are within the first however many who enter the code, you get the product they are giving away. After those are out, you can still enter for the chance to get a $10 coupon. That's what I did.

Anyway, I took my coupon with me when I went to go get groceries yesterday. I hadn't checked to see what the sales were this week at CVS, so I was thrilled when I saw the Physicians Formula deal this week was spend $10 and get $7 in ExtraCare Bucks.

Here's a look at the haul I made over the past two days from CVS:

Yesterday, I picked up the Physicians Formula eye liners. The original price was $12.29. I used my $10 coupon, and ended up paying $3.15 out of pocket. I got $7 in ExtraCare Bucks, and my receipt also printed out a $5 off of $15 coupon. I also had $5 in ExtraCare Bucks and a 30% off coupon that I had sent to my card. The 30% off coupon expired today, which is why I went back. I would have gotten more cosmetics items, but there wasn't anything catching my interest, which is why I grabbed a book.

Here's the breakdown of today's trip:

Cotton swabs - $1.00
Book - $8.00
CeraVe Renewing SA Cream - $21.99
2 bottles of Mountain Dew (not pictured) - $1.60 each (discounted from $1.74 since I bought 2)

Total before discounts and tax: $34.47
Total after discounts ($5 ECB, $7 ECB, $5 off of $15, and 30% off): $11.11

In total, between my two trips, I spent $14.26 for around $46.76 worth of stuff.

That works for me! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love that CVS lets you stack coupons.

Have you found any good deals lately?

Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this post were purchased. All opinions are my own.

Finished It!!! Volume 10

Disclosure: There is nothing to disclose in this post.

I've had a little bit of motivation over the past couple of days. I've been trying to organize a little better in my office and declutter. Since I also had to take a few blog pictures of new products, I figured I would do an empties post too.

John Frieda Luxurious Volume and Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Conditioners - If you have a good memory, you might remember that I had a tube of the Luxurious Volume conditioner in my last post of finished products, and I said that it was good but I wouldn't buy it again unless there was a good deal. Well...there was a good deal. I believe the deal was to buy one John Frieda hair dye and get a hair care or styling product for free. On top of that, I had a coupon for the John Frieda hair dye AND got a CVS coupon for hair dye. Score! I still feel the same. I would repurchase either of these if there was a fantastic deal.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner - I didn't buy these. A friend of mine gave me a bag of stuff that she didn't like, and these were in there. They were maybe half full when she gave them to me. They were okay, but I mostly just mixed them in with shampoo and conditioner that I have and like better to finish them. I won't purchase them for myself.

Renpure Solutions Cleansing Conditioner in Rosemary Mint - I finished this a while ago. I liked it well enough. It wasn't life-changing. It did the job. I've said before with cleansing conditioners that I keep them around for those nights when I'm feeling really lazy and don't want to deal with two products. I would buy this again if it was a good deal.

Organix Moroccan Argan Creme Conditioner - I bought this in a pinch. I mentioned in a previous post that I had to make a trip to visit my mom that ended up lasting longer than I expected. I ran out of conditioner, so I went to the drugstore and grabbed this. I liked it a lot. Again, this is another product I would repurchase if there was a good deal on it.

HerStyler Shampoo - These were sold at a kiosk in the mall. I got them last summer with a serum and a bottle of conditioner. I didn't really want them. These did spark my brainstorm that I could add tea tree oil to shampoos like this that don't already have it to help keep my flakes at bay. These wouldn't worth the price they "retail" for. I try and avoid those kiosks like the plague because I hate the hard sell that they do.

Kronos Liquid Theory Conditioning Detangler - This is another product that I got last summer. It was in a swap box a group of friends and I passed around. I remember that it was an expensive product because I researched it to make sure I exchanged it with something of similar value. It was nice but not amazing, and I have a couple of other less expensive leave-in conditioners in my stash. I won't go out and purchase this on my own.

Dr. Bronner's Hemp Lavender Pure-Castile Soap - I love the almond version of this soap. It has become my standard hand soap in my bathrooms. The lavender scent was okay, but it wasn't my favorite. I'll continue purchasing Dr. Bronner's soaps, but I don't know that I will buy the lavender scent again.

Bath & Body Works Signature Vanillas Shower Gel in Berry - I really like Bath & Body Works shower gels. They foam up really well and I enjoy the scents. I really liked the Signature Vanillas line, but it is sadly discontinued. I think I have one or two more bottles from the line left in my stash.

Neutrogena Acne Stress Control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment - This has been a standard in my skincare routine for a while now. I have a couple more of these in my stash as backups because I can't find this in my area, so when I get it, I stock up.

Clean & Clear Advantage Mark Treatment - I bought this because it was on clearance. I didn't like it as much as the Neutrogena one. I don't know if this product still exists, but I wouldn't repurchase it anyway.

Philosophy Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Eye Repair - This was a deluxe sample from Sephora. It didn't work miracles for me. I won't be purchasing a full size.

Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish - This was okay. I have face scrubs that I love a lot more than this. I also have to give a short complaint about the packaging. The plastic of the tube was so stiff that it made it practically impossible to get the last of this scrub out.

Simply Lip Balm in Acai Berry - This is the last of these lip balms from my stash. I bought a bunch of them last summer. I would repurchase more if I could only find them!

Darling Girl Cosmetics Sweet Lips On the Go Sugar'd Lip Scrub in Creme Brulee - I loved this product!!! It's a lip scrub in a tube, which makes it really convenient. Not only that: you get to pick the flavor. I haven't repurchased it yet because I've got another lip scrub I'm trying to use up, but I will repurchase it in the future.

Mystery Face Powder - I know the jar says Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss Mineral Foundation. I finished that off a long time ago (and have another one that I'm using now). However, I refilled this jar with other powders. I think the base was Meow's fuller coverage foundation in a shade darker than I normally use. I then mixed in other random face powders that I had around. It was wonderful to finish it off, even if I can't remember what exactly was in it.

The Body Shop Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot Scrub - When my friend gave me the Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner, she gave me this. I already used up one of these. It's not very exfoliating and doesn't do much for my feet. I won't purchase a full size.

Mario Badescu Whitening Mask - The was a sample. I only got one use out of it. I have no idea if it did anything for my skin, and I've had other MB mask samples dry out on me. I don't use masks all that often, so I don't think I'll purchase a full size of any of them.

Luxury Lane Soap Whipped Up Sugar Scrub in Blackberry Tea - I got this small jar as part of a tester program. I loved this stuff! I purchased a full size already in a different scent. I really enjoyed the Blackberry Tea scent; I just wanted to try other scents. I can see this becoming a staple in my shower.

Samples - I don't think I have much of anything to say about these. The jar was Meow's Cat in Tree eye shadow, which was a shimmery deep green.

There we go...more stuff to go in the trash. I need to get back into working on the products that I want to finish. With the summer, I haven't been wearing makeup very often, so I've hit a bit of a wall on finishing those things. School (aka: work for me) is starting back up in a couple of weeks, so maybe that will help...

Have you cut back on wearing makeup this summer too? Have you finished anything lately?

Disclosure: There is nothing to disclose in this post.

theBalm InStain Blushes - Review and Swatches

  Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me, and all opinions are my own.

I have been back home for over a week now, and I still don't want to do much of anything. I have spent a lot of time reading and a lot of time sleeping. Oh yeah...I also watched the Syfy movie Sharknado last night with a friend. It was so horrifically awful that it was amazing. I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time.

In the meantime, my blog has been mocking me with my lack of motivation. I have a bunch of pictures downloaded onto my computer - some have been edited, some haven't - and a pile of products in my new product bin. Getting caught up isn't really an option at this point, but making progress is.

This is one of those reviews that has been waiting around for a while. It's another purchase I made during theBalm's 50% off everything sale. I wanted to pick up the entire collection of InStain blushes, but I restrained myself and only picked up two of them.Their regular retail price is $22, so I ended up paying $11 each for mine.

Packaging 

theBalm InStain blush in Argyle

theBalm InStain blush in Argyle

theBalm InStain blush in Toile

theBalm InStain blush in Toile

theBalm always seems to do a fantastic job with their packaging. It's cute and quirky. The exterior of the packaging looks like a magazine from the 1920s. The interior design around the blush pan matches the name of the blush color. The Argyle blush has an argyle pattern surrounding it; the Toile blush has a toile pattern surrounding it. The packaging itself is a sturdy cardboard with a magnetic closure.

Product

theBalm InStain blush in Argyle

theBalm InStain blush in Argyle

Argyle is a much brighter pink than my pictures (and the pictures on theBalm's website) show. It's a slightly warm, hot pink shade that is completely matte.

theBalm InStain blush in Toile

theBalm InStain blush in Toile

 Toile is also brighter than my pictures show. It is a matte, coral pink shade.

Both blushes are highly pigmented. Do they stain? Sort of. With the swatches on my arm, I could get a little bit to come off with a dry towel. I could get even more off with just water. However, in order to completely get rid of the swatches, I had to use soap and water. On my cheeks, they last on my and look fresh ALL day. The one downside that I've noticed with these is their "staining" aspect makes then a little challenging to blend. It's practically impossible for me to NOT over-apply blush, and I rely on a kabuki brush to blend them out after I apply them. These blushes don't want to blend out as easily as other blushes in my collection.

Final Thoughts 

These are really good quality blushes. If you have trouble with getting blushes to stay, they are definitely worth checking out. There are 6 shades in the collection, and the shades have a broad enough range that there should be a shade that appeals to everyone. I'm happy to have Argyle and Toile in my collection. I may or may not pick up any more in the future. If you are thinking about picking these up, I would suggest waiting until theBalm goes on sale on Hautelook. I haven't seen the InStain blushes show up on there, but since most of theBalm's regular line goes on sale there regularly, I can see them listing these blushes there as well.

Have you tried theBalm's InStain blushes? Do you have the tendency to over-apply blushes like me?

Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me, and all opinions are my own.

My Minimal Makeup Look

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Well...the summer school I was teaching ended on July 3, and I had big plans for getting a lot of things done at home and getting caught up on blog posts. Sadly, plans changed.

My mom let me know that Friday that my brother was back in the hospital for an issue that he's been having regularly for months. On Saturday morning she asked me to come home to help out because she's not getting around very well because of a broken ankle. I was happy that she was willing to ask for help (it's hard for her to do), and was glad to help out.

However, my trip home ended up up lasting over a week, and most of it was spent sitting in two different hospitals. I didn't really care about looking good, but I also didn't want to look awful either. It gave me the idea to share with all of you my bare minimum when it comes to makeup. These were the only products I used for most of my trip home:

Clearly, concealer is important to me.

bareMinerals Correcting Concealer SPF 20 in Light 1 ($20) - I've got several correcting concealers in my collection, but this is the one I chose to bring with me. I really like the light, almost gel-like texture. I have used a brush for it, but lately, I've just been using my fingers to slick it on. As you can see, I just hit pan, and I will probably end up repurchasing it when I finish it off.

Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach ($6.50) - I consider this a holy grail item. I've gone through several jars. I applied this after all of the other products except my blush. It acts as my last defense against my dark circles.

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA ($19) - If you are familiar with Urban Decay products, you might notice that this is the old formula. I bought it when it was on clearance. I have really been loving the ease of this concealer lately. It is creamy and has pretty good coverage. The pencil style makes it easy to dab it on where I want it. This is another product that I'll probably repurchase after I finish the one I have.

Meow Pampered Puss Foundation in Inquisitive Siamese ($25.95) - The price of this mineral foundation might seem a little bit high, but I want to point out that the size of this jar is HUGE. It's an 85g jar with approximately 22-30g of product, so it will last a really long time. If you aren't familiar with Meow Cosmetics, they have an impressive selection of mineral foundations. They have three different formulas with 86 shades. I used this for a long time as my everyday foundation. Since my particular formulation has lighter coverage, I also regularly use it as setting powder with a liquid foundation.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed ($26) - These blushes are another favorite of mine. I chose to take this particular shade with me because it is such an easy, natural-looking shade to use. I didn't have to think about it too much when I was getting ready to run out the door.

That was my look. I know a lot of you are probably gasping that I didn't use mascara. I know that's an everyday thing for most women. I personally think mascara looks strange on me if I don't do any other eye makeup. I should also point out that there was always a lip balm in my pocket. I never go anywhere without a lip balm.

In case you were wondering, my brother is doing better and is back at home. They did a different procedure that should help him manage his issue better. 

When you are in a huge rush, what products are must-have items for you?

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.