Beauty clinic: Cruelty-free makeup brands

Q. I am strongly against animal testing and have recently turned vegan. How can I be certain the cosmetics I use are in line with my values?

A. The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ‘Beauty Without Bunnies’ online database is a frequently updated resource that tells you whether a personal care-product company tests on animals.

There are over 2,000 brands on their list and PETA also highlights those that are 100% vegan-friendly using a green letter ‘V.’

Keeping your beauty regime vegan is especially difficult as even if a product isn’t animal-tested, the formula may contain animal byproducts.

Too Faced and Ellis Faas are two cruelty-free makeup brands that specify which of their products are completely animal-free on their websites’ FAQ pages.

Inika is an organic makeup and skincare company committed to vegan products.

Aussie skincare brand ModelCo, available at www.birchbox.co.uk shares your values.

Closer to home there is www.crueltyfreecosmetics.net  the Tipperary-based vegan online store that stocks Beauty Without Cruelty, among other appropriate products for your lifestyle.

Italian vegan brand Bakel, available at SpaceNK and bakel.it, is also well worth browsing.

The Bakel Jaluronic Deep Hydration Serum, €140, is one of my favourite hyaluronic-acid concentrates and suits all skin types.

I love all the jewel-toned liners in fashion right now but find them hard to apply neatly in a hurry. My usual slightly-scruffy black kohl doesn’t look cool in emerald or amethyst.

I also adore this trend and have even seen professional makeup artist Vincent Oquendo take it to a whole other level by cutting a liner stencil from emerald-coloured snakeskin and glueing it above model Ashley Graham’s lashes.

For regular wear I like NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, €25, in ‘Abbey Road’ sparkling teal or Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, €19.50, in ‘Deep End’ aqua. BeautyBlender Liner.

Designer, €17.10 at www.beautybay.com is an angled applicator that works with any formula and safeguards against messy fallout.

It makes for a flawless ‘cat’s eye’ or winged line.