It’s 5pm, you’ve got a dinner meeting in an hour and your Josie Maran bronzer has just run out. You desperately need a lip gloss, and curse the Revlon gods of chemically dangerous, animal tested crud that you can’t pop into Duane Reade for a cruelty-free quick fix. Worry no more! Cruelty-free makeup doesn’t have to be expensive or inconvenient. Most of us live around the corner from a drug store or super market where we have easy access to cruelty-free brands without breaking the bank! Many mainstream brands sadly don’t label themselves as being cruelty free on the packaging. So we did some digging for all of you bargain hunting Glamazon’s out there to find out exactly what to buy at CVS when your wallet doesn’t allow for Dr. Haushka levels of make up purity. Let’s be clear here: this does not mean that some of these items don’t contain chemicals you are better off not wearing. But if vegan and cruelty-free are your priorities, you are safe with these cheap cuties;
Cruelty Free Cosmetic Brands You Can Buy At The Drugstore!
Wet n Wild
The entire Wet n Wild line is cruelty-free with most items also being vegan. Surprisingly, the makeup line that I’m sure most of us remember from our childhoods as cheap and well, let’s face it, not the best quality has had a major makeover! Their eye shadows are affordable and extremely pigmented making them a must have for any cruelty-free makeup collection. They also have a great range of nicely pigmented lipsticks for less than three dollars!
e.l.f. Cosmetics
e.l.f. Cosmetics has taken the makeup world by storm offering high quality cosmetics at affordable prices. e.l.f is available at most major retail stores and is completely cruelty-free. You really can’t go wrong with just about any of their products but our favorites have to be their super pigmented blushes and amazing eye shadow palettes. They also carry a great range of essential tools like lash curlers and brushes.
Physicians Formula
Physicians Formula is one of our favorite brands. They are not only totally cruelty-free but also have a full eco-friendly line of cosmetics. Their mascaras are just as good as the high-end brands but much easier on your wallet. Other notable products are their line of gorgeous baked bronzers and powders and some seriously amazing retractable liner trio’s.
NYX
NYX has been raved about all over the web for their low prices and high quality. NYX has a full range of products, including highly pigmented lipsticks and amazing quality eye shadows, gel liners and blushes. You really can’t go wrong with anything in their cruelty-free line with most items being under $7!
Jane
We love that Jane brand cosmetics has a strong policy against animal testing and with most items being under $10 they are the perfect brand for all of your essential makeup needs. Our favorite products in the Jane line are hands down the cream eye shadows and water-resistant eyeliner pencils.
Milani and Jordana
Milani and Jordana are owned and distributed by the same company. They have a company policy against animal testing and offer a wide array of eye shadows in unique colors. We recommend trying out Milani’s haute flash line of lip glosses’ because they are incredibly pigmented but not sticky like some other brands.
Briggitte Dix is the owner of Bloom Makeup Artistry an eco-friendly, vegan, cruelty-free on-location makeup company. She lives with her husband, two rescue dogs and two rescue cats in Galveston, TX.