My Makeup isn't tested on animals, it's vegan right?

WRONG. There is a difference between being cruelty free and being vegan. Cruelty free can mean that a product just wasn't tested on animals, these products however may still have animals in them. You may be following the PETA List, but that list only covers animal testing not the individual ingredients in makeup.

Let's go through a quick review of some of the common animal derived ingredients found in "cruelty free" makeup. These are some of the ingredients found in Revlon products including glycerin, silk, and carmine. Those are only the ones that I know how to pronounce. Revlon doesn't test on animals, but they are also most certainly not vegan. Some Revlon products are vegan accidentally like their Mitchum deodorant.

Which leads to the inevitable question number two:

Where do you get your makeup?

There are lots of truly cruelty free companies that neither test nor use animal products. Such as Beauty Without Cruelty, ELF (careful some products contain beeswax), Zia, and Bare Minerals. There are also online stores that are truly cruelty free such as Vegan Essentials, Pangea, Different Daisy, and Vegan Unlimited. The online stores also carry vegan makeup lines that don't have their own websites.

It is still important to check ingredients. Many cosmetics may still contain beeswax or silk, even if they are all natural or mislabeled as being vegan.

What if I want to see the makeup first?

I would check out your natural food stores, both the small local ones and the bigger chains like Whole Foods. However, I caution against listening to what employees say about what is and isn't vegan. I once had a Whole Foods employee tell me that their makeup was vegan, and the first bottle I checked contained silk and carmine. However I have heard that some Whole Foods carry Zia products and possibly other vegan brands as well.

Moral of the story? It is possible to be glamorous and vegan. Just know your ingredients and vegan brands when you shop, and you'll be pretty in no time.