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Sainsbury’s.
When reviewing and recommending vegan and
cruelty free makeup, something very important to me is making sure that I promote
brands that are accessible to people on all budgets. I think that everybody
deserves to be able to pick up makeup that is free from animal ingredients that
has not been tested on animals. Anyone who’s interested in experimenting with
makeup colours, textures and different finishes of product should get the
chance - without breaking the bank.
The good news is that gone are the days where
vegan products are hard to source and ridiculously expensive. I love to hear
about brands putting in the effort, time and money to investigate the
ingredients they put into their products, making sure that they are definitely
not tested on animals at any stage. Vegan makeup is becoming more affordable
too - but a cheaper price point doesn’t necessarily mean the makeup is less
effective or not as long lasting.
Sainsbury’s is a great example of this – with
their Leaping Bunny certified affordable own-brand makeup line called Boutique.
The line has some stand-out products which are genuinely very good and nothing
in the line is over £6. My personal favourite is their £2.50 Eyebrow
Defining Gel which is my daily go-to in my brow routine. It holds brow
hairs in place MUCH better than any other gel I’ve tried (and trust me when I
say, I’ve tried a lot of brow gels. Like, a lot.)
Another big bonus of Boutique is that the
line is now entirely vegan. I attended the launch of their revamped
makeup range a couple of years ago, where I had the opportunity to test out a few
products – which lead me to fall in love with their brow gel and nail polish
formulas. At the time of their re-launch, a couple of products had beeswax in
the ingredients list – but now they’ve reformulated the handful of non-vegan
products so that now everything is free from animal by-products! Exactly how we
like it J
I tried a few products from the range & below
are my thoughts on my favourites. Check out my recent vlog to see me create a warm-toned
makeup look using some of my favs or read on for some bite-sized reviews of a
couple of their stand-out products.
My Top Picks from
Sainsbury’s Boutique
This lip gloss smells absolutely delicious –
like vanilla cake and icing and basically childhood birthday parties. It’s also
a joy to use as it’s not sticky nor
thick and actually feels more like a lip balm when you apply it. It’s almost
whipped in consistency, so it’s very comfortable on the lips. If you’re averse
to the stickiness of some more traditional lip glosses but you still want a
gloss-effect: you’ll be a fan of these.
I picked up this shade because one of my
long-time favourite nude lipsticks is the Boutique Moisturising Lipstick
in the shade Mocha. I’m a big admirer of this colour because I find that
it’s the perfect neutral nude for my skin tone (which is quite fair) without
making my teeth look yellow (which can sometimes happen with cool toned or
peachy nude shades… and is not really the look I’m going for…).
I tested this gloss in the video on my
channel, so be sure to check it out to see how it applies. They’ve also
launched new colours and there’s a bit of a selection to choose from if nude
isn’t your thang.
You saw this one coming, didn’t you? I could
be an ambassador for this gel. The road to finding the perfect brow product has
been both long and expensive. But we got there in the end! I love this brow gel
and use it every time I wear makeup - it holds brow hairs in place really well
for the entire day, but still comes off easily with makeup remover and doesn’t
make them feel crunchy or uncomfortable at all. The formula is clear and it’s
great for adding texture and shape. The wand is the longest brow wand I’ve ever
seen (bit off a weird statement out of context, that…). It’s the perfect length
for quick application, because it’s also quite thin compared to other brow gels
I’ve tried, which means you have more control over applying the product. This
is great because it means that you don’t have to faff about going back over
your brows – one swift swish over each brow and you’re good to go. The lazy
person’s must-have in their makeup bag.
I am always tempted to try liquid blush but
seem to shy away from using it. In theory it’s a great type of product to opt
for to give a natural, sheer colour to the cheeks. In reality, I tend to be a
bit heavy handed with the application and end up looking like I’ve had an
allergic reaction rash across my cheeks…
That said, I was pleasantly surprised by
these two liquid blushes. They are both thin & lightweight on the skin –
not sticky at all. I picked up Terracotta (peachy shade) and Deep Pink
(magenta-pink). They work best when warmed up on the back of the hand and then
worked onto the cheeks with a blending sponge.
I’ve spoken about Boutique nail polish
formulas in the past and even put them in my all-time favourite cruelty free
nail varnish formula video. Affordable nail polish is quite common nowadays,
but a good quality nail polish under £10 is not too common. Some cheaper
options peel or chip really easily. Happy to report that this is not the case
at all with the Boutique polishes – the colours are really opaque on one swipe
(I do two coats just in case) and incredibly long lasting on the nails. The
polish also dries really quickly – which is crucial when you’re as impatient
and as easily distracted as I am J.
My personal favs are the shades Forever
Red and Dusty Rose.
When I first saw this in store, I wasn’t sure
whether it was a highlighter or a setting powder. After using it for a while,
it’s more of an illuminating face powder or a natural highlight – which I like.
I’m not an intense-blinding-highlight kind of gal, so this is a nice option for
a natural glow (that isn’t glittery) & sets makeup without making the skin
look flat.
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Thanks so much for reading! Let me know if
you have any questions or need any recommendations in regard to Boutique.
It makes me really happy when I hear that
more and more brands are taking the time to ensure their products aren’t tested
on animals at any stage in the supply chain. Bonus points to Sainsbo’s for
ensuring their makeup launch is cruelty free and vegan. Being able to pick up a
vegan lipstick where you do your weekly (hopefully vegan) food shop… can’t get
more convenient than that!
If ya wanna shop any of these bits, check out
www.beautybyboutique.co.uk and look out for
Boutique stands in Sainsbury’s superstores.
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