Vegan beauty power list

Vegan

BEAUTYPower list

All of these brands are animal-friendly, doing good for the planet, and taking centre stage on our wish list…

Alice Wu founder of Peace & Pure

Timeless Elixir Facial Serum Peace & Pure, £69 peaceandpure.com I N some shape or form, we’re all doing our bit to create a greener, more animalfriendly planet. And while the beauty industry still has a long (long, long) way to go, these brands are trailblazing vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable beauty – with strictly no compromise on quality!

In fact, you’ve probably already used, or at least heard of many of these and not realised that they were vegan.

They’re THAT good. Dear bank account, we’re sorry.

PEACE & PURE

New kid on the block, Peace & Pure, is becoming a skincare saviour with its luxury plant-based approach to skincare inspired by

Chinese medicine, proving that natural is the way forward. However, Alice Wu, Founder of the cult brand, adds that the secret isn’t just in the ingredients – it encourages a better routine of self-care too. “Besides offering the best skincare solutions possible, we also aim to improve emotional wellbeing,” she says.

“There’s a connection between emotional wellbeing and healthy glowing skin. When we are stressed, or have poor sleep, the consequences show on our skin quickly as a dull and tired complexion, or breakouts.”

COVER FX

Cover FX was born on the ethos that beauty should be two things: Accessible and customisable. They’ve since developed some of the most iconic products the beauty industry has seen in all-vegan, cruelty-free formulas, including their Custom Enhancer Drops — a five-starrated illuminating liquid that can be used for an all-over, off-duty model glow, or as a buildable highlight.

Despite ticking so many boxes, that doesn’t mean you can expect any less of

an offering. Their foundation comes in forty shades with four different finishes, proving that there really is no excuse for other brands not playing their part in an industry where *anything* is possible.

Custom Enhancer Drops, Beauty Bay, £34 beautybay.com

MILK MAKEUP

Born at Milk, a studio in downtown New York City, all of Milk Makeup’s high-performance, bright products are a reflection of the intimate community they’re building within the makeup scene. In the studio’s early days, it was filled with creative minds that championed fresh skin and bold, artistic details on their eyes and lips that hadn’t been replicated anywhere else in the beauty industry.

That’s where their signature look was born, with Instagrammable packaging and bold colours, while still using kind-to-skin formulas that allow you to play around and go as bold or natural as you want to.

The brand strives to be as sustainable as possible, only creating new, innovative products, rather than bringing out an addition to many that have come before, from their competitors. Their Matcha Toner was the first solid toner in the beauty world, and was born when Milk noticed everyone was obsessed with drinking matcha for its benefits – but there were not yet any skincare products to match. Fast-forward a few years and it’s now one of their best-selling products and joins their hall of fame of vegan, cruelty-free, and most importantly, fun, products. A Milk takeover is coming!

B. BEAUTY

Superdrug’s own, exclusive brand of makeup, B. Beauty, is becoming a serious underdog in the world of dupes and budget beauty buys. With prices averaging up to £10, it’s great for those last-minute purchases, or testing out products you wouldn’t usually go for, without fear of disliking it.

Velvet Matte Lipstick in ‘Snatched’, Superdrug, £6.99 superdrug.com

Hydro Grip Primer, Cult Beauty, £14.50 cultbeauty.co.uk They’re also paving the way for more mainstream brands, with 23 shades of foundation and an ever-expanding collection to suit different skin tones and textures too. Their loose powder is a current internet favourite, and has even been compared to Laura Mercier’s version, which is x4 times the price. Vegan beauty BLUSH | WINTER 2021 39 KVD BEAUTY Despite Kat Von D’s shock departure from her self-titled brand, KVD Vegan Beauty has kept all of the original makeup formulas that are no less than a staple in everyone’s makeup bag. Although all of the products are vegan, they’re now striving to make all of their packaging more sustainable, particularly through the introduction of recyclable compacts. Long-time fans of KVD will know that this brand thrives on self-expression, and uses its platform to reject beauty standards and champion the power of embracing your flaws. Plus, it has punky, bold shades to boot, making it a celebrity makeup artist favourite. If it’s an overthe-top look, you can almost guarantee where it came from.

Lock-It Liquid Foundation, Boots, £29 boots.com