The one wirh JEFFREE STAR!

Hi all!!!
Now I'm staring with the disclaimer first. I in no way mean to offend anyone in any shape or form or mean to insult anyone's lifestyle choices but this is a small topic I wish to discuss.


Now I'm sure 99.9% of you have heard of jeffree star and his well known makeup brand known as Jeffree Star Cosmetics. But somethings have began to catch my attention and I just wanted to discuss them with all of you today.



 Lets start from the begging.
Jeffree Star Cosmetics is a well established brand that has been praised endlessly on its quality and vegan aspects. It first started out with the classic liquid lipsticks and Jeffree Star Cosmetics empire is growing to reign over other aspects of makeup such as eyeshadow, highlighters and delicious lip scrubs that are so chemical free and pure they are edible! Lets be honest their brand is almost unbeatable in terms of quality and the AMAZING fact that it is cruelty free!

Despite the brands achievements in the cruelty free world can the same be said for Jeffree? In other words is Jeffree an advocate for cruelty free makeup? truly?

Looking further into Jeffree's makeup frenzy, he doesn't seem to actually shy away from non-cruelty free makeup. His YouTube channel, that holds over 2 million subscribers, he is more than often seen to use makeup brands that are at the top of the list of non-cruelty free makeup such as M.A.C and L'Oreal and is seen to promote them by encouraging his viewers to go and buy these products.

 Now naturally he himself is not vegan so why should he use vagan products? which I fully understand that the lifestyle is not for everyone but I do question the point in being proud to advertise your product as cruelty free when you don't seem to care so much.
He has stated previously that it is to cater to his vegan following that wish to use the products. Yet he has previously been see to 'lash out' at a brand who claimed to be vegan yet who made an accidental error, in which the packaging stated that there were ingredients within the product that made it non-vegan, yet it was confirmed it was an error and that those ingredients were not used.
So why did it bother Jeffree Star so much if he himself uses non vegan makeup product? So what do you guys think? Should Jeffree Start endorsing more vegan and cruelty free products? and start using more cruelty free products on his channel while raising awareness to his 2 million subscribers? Let me know what you guys think in the comments bellow!  

Thank you!
Zuri :)
Once again id like to add that this post in no way is meaning to harm or offend anyones views or beliefs. Secondly id like to add that the images used are not my own and all rights remain to their rightful owners.

The one with PANDAS!

They're the cuddly animal of our childhood dreams, they're big, fluffy and patchy and its good to say that they're here to stay!

Hi all!

Now I'm not just talking about any big and fluffy animal, I'm talking about non-other than the Giant Panda! These amazing animals have been given the all clear and are no longer considered endangered! and its all down to Chinas amazing work at cultivating more and more bamboo but why?

Now it is no secret that the Panda is one of Chinas best known icons that once were able to roam in most parts of China. However, due to the increase in Economic and Social factors numbers were forced to drop and pandas have been limited to live in the small amount of forests that harvest Bamboo. Yet why is bamboo so attractive to pandas and so crucial to their survival?

Bamboo is essential to any pandas diet! It makes up 99% of their diet and they can eat up to 38KG of Bamboo a day! Therefore, the will migrate to where they can find bamboo, so the less bamboo there is the more die off and that is what has been happening over the last couple of years. Until now.
It is estimated that since 2004 there has been a rise in the number of Giant pandas by 17% making the total of pandas in China at around 1,596! according to the IUCN.

This has been achieved due to the amazing work China has been trying to do in order to preserve these buddle's of joy. The trading of panda skin was put to an end and poaching and hunting was banned between the years 1980-1992. Not only this but Chinas government have had a reforestation and forest protection force but in place that is working greatly!

So there you have it guys Pandas are officially no longer endangered and have now been labelled has 'venerable' meaning that there is skill room for improvement but still all is well in the panda kingdom.

Please let me know what you guys think in comments below as always! Do you guys think this is good? or are you not quite celebrating yet as there is skill some room for improvement?
Thank you,
-Zuri :)

The one with Velvet 59!

Hi all!!!

Exiting news for all who are looking for a good reliable makeup source that is cruelty free and effective...and the name is...(drum roll)...VELVET 59!

This new and exiting brand offers a vintage twist to your makeup collection that is 100% vegan and cruelty free for all your makeup delight! Not only is it unique and cruelty free but it is also made with Sacha Inchi oil that is rich in the antioxidants vitamin A and E! And to add the cherry on the top it Is MEILING APPROVED! So you can all rest assure that it is a certified cruelty free company!

Now they do ship internationally and within the US (all products are made in the US!) so if anyone wishes to try it then check out their website 'velvet59.com'

Thank you all!

- Zuri :)

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored by the brand Velvet 59 it is just simply informative for those who want to try a new brand. 😄

The one with Korea

Hi all!
I know I haven't posted in a looooong time. Exam season has just ended YAAAAAAS. Lets just say that I have never been more stressed in my life and I'm glad it's all over!! And I'm so happy I can return with amazing news.
Now I heard about this a while back and well as I have decided to start learning Korean myself this really peeked my interest as South Korea has passed a law that animal testing within the cosmetics industry should or will be terminated by 2018!

Now Korea is HIGHLY known for it's cosmetics industry that features advanced technology making it one of the best in the world, places like Etude House or brands such as Nurture Republic are becoming some of the best selling products around the world! Being a regular user of Korean products myself I can say that it is one of the best alternatives to some of the products you may find you are missing out on due to avoiding animal tested products.
However, it is likely that you would think that because of the high advances in their products that they would use animal testing as a way to verify their products, well not always as they have taken on more advanced ways to test such as cell based tests which have much more reliable results.

Another, reason for not needing to use animals as a form of testing is because most of their products contain highly natural ingredients that are not chemical derived and would not affect humans in negative ways unless you are allergic to the ingredients. But lets face it that would happen even if it was tested on an animal.
The law was passed within November and does have some loopholes as the ban only applies to endpoints, where alternative tests have been accepted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. However, the Ministry of Food and Drug safety have no alternatives when concerning eye irritation. Therefore, products that may affect eye health would have to be tested. This is why the ban has been stretched over such a long period of time.
Assuming that they wish to find some form of alternative towards the issues concerning eye irritation etc by 2018. However, this is still highly good news as more countries are stating to take part in the banning of animals and are clearly proving that it is the start of an outdated method. Korea is a highly advanced country and is setting a good examples for its trading and marketing competitors and appeals to a wider variety of people.

So all in all, it may still have a long way to go but good things come to those who wait. So guys please let me know what you think about the situation and if you think its a good thing.
Thank you!!!!! 감사합니다!
Zuri :)

The one where Simon Cowell has a soft heart (ish)

Hi all.
Now I know today I've been writing more about celebrities than I usually do. But I'm just on a roll with finding these things.
 Anyway, Simon Cowell somehow is beating Ariana on the cruelty free scale, which seems slightly on the funky side of things.
Now we all kind of know that Simon does have a nice little, small, very small, patch of warmth in his heart. Especially after seeing the insanely adorable photos of his insanely cute baby and after seeing him burst into tears on X-Factor during one of the auditions after his mother had passed away.  But he's done it again! Once again the slightly warm heated Simon Cowell has just released a campaign along side his 3 dogs, in hopes of being able to end experimentation on dogs.

Now Simon is a well known lover of dogs as he has previously worked for canine charities helping as many as he can and saving a small life at a time; along side his 3 dogs Squiddly, Diddly and Freddie.

The campaign consisted of a photo shoot featuring him and various other celebrities in attempt to prevent and show support against dog testing. The campaign is sponsored by Cruelty Free International. Cruelty Free International released some shocking figures that show how much danger dog are in when it comes to being used in experiments so far in 2014 the US has used over 59,358 dogs in their experiments. Beagles are the most commonly used animal. They are mostly used in poison testing experiments for cleaning products and other harmful products. They are often force fed, made to inhale and injected with poison, often leading to unbearable illness and in most cases excruciating death.

Therefore, the campaign is attempting to end all of this and is using the best form of marketing. Celebrities who love dogs!
Simon stated in an interview  "I have always loved dogs but had no idea how much happiness they would bring to my life. Squiddly, Diddly and, now, Freddie are hugely important members of my family - and even the thought of any dog being mistreated sickens me. That's why I'm supporting Cruelty Free International - to stop dogs being used for experiments in laboratories around the world. No dog should be treated in such a way. After all, they are man's (and woman's) best friend." 


Here are some of the amazing and simple pictures from the shoot!




-Zuri :)

The one where Ariana Grande did what?

Hi all. 
Let's get one thing clear. I do not judge anyone's choice of lifestyle. By any means. I respect all decision and life style choices people choose to live their life by. Whether it be vegan, vegetarian, meat eater, raw vegan etc... People make their own choice. But the one thing I don't understand is why a person preaches a life style and then chooses to do the opposite thing.

Now here's the back story. Ariana recently brought out her very own brand of lipstick and lip gloss and was announced to be the new viva glam girl for 2016. Understandably both the product and herself are extremely gorgeous and appeals to both Ariana's fans and makeup lover like me! But...yes there is a but.  Ariana. claimed vegan and animal lover, has created her lipstick/gloss along side M.A.C Cosmetics. Who I have previously mentioned has being a brand that IS NOT cruelty free. It is not vegetarian friendly or vegan friendly.


Now my beef with her (see what I did there?) is that for someone who preaches vegan-ism and even stated "I love animals more than I love most people" she seems to have no problem with using M.A.C as a way to create and sell her brand. I mean i if you're trying to promote cruelty free diets. You'd think you would want to promote cruelty free make-up. 
I am not the only one to have realized this. Many of her fans have questioned Ariana's choice of brand and have been questioning if her brand is a one of a kind and is in fact cruelty free. 
Now the down side to the situation is that she has not commented on the nature of the ingredients, making of the product or even why she chose to work with M.A.C.

Now although that is some of my rant based on her personal decision. I'm even more upset about the fact that brand like M.A.C and L'Oreal have high platter forms despite the fact that the way they create their products is harmful and inhumane. Now the fact that people like Ariana Grande are giving brands like M.A.C an even bigger platter form. Why? why do we live in a society that allows brands like this to have number 1 status'. It's almost like we are promoting unnecessary harm. Based on what? Fame? To have the faces of our idols plastered on every billboard  in the World? To say we own products by an over priced brand that exploits animals? What is the real point in all honesty? 

I feel that its kind of unfair on the buyers of the brand. It's by far the most unfair thing for fans who wish to follow Ariana's lifestyle because understandably she is their idol. But as someone who is striving to go cruelty free on their makeup. I don't buy products if they dont mention their status on being cruelty free. Therefore, I wouldn't buy the product no matter how damn good it looks. But a fan? Even if they themselves wish to go cruelty free? They're obviously going to feel inclined into wanting to buy the product. Clever marketing a guess. 
But either way i felt that I needed to make this post because I personally felt that the whole situation is highly fishy and well I just don't fully understand what Ariana's doing here. But on the other hand she is a celebrity and has an image to keep up and promote. I just think that if you're going to present your self as a animal loving, vegan then you should stick to it in all honesty. 


As a small disclaimer. This post is in no way a means to hurt or offend anyone or their beliefs. It is simply my opinion on a very sticky situation. 
So yeah. Please let me know in the comments what you think about the situation and if you think Ariana is doing a good or bad thing for her image. 

-Zuri :)

The one that offers cheap dupes.

I know this was a sort post but I am planning on finding more dupes for you guys and I'll try to update as much information on makeup dupes as much as I can, as I do think that there isn't enough out there informing us about different ways we can let go of brands like M.A.C which are a world favourite especially in America and the U.K.

Going animal cruelty free is a hard job, not just at Halloween, some of your favourite products or brands are obviously more than likely going to come from a brand that tests on animals. Its just our luck right girls?
Obviously the most popular brands are one like M.A.C, Esteer Lauder etc... but also some of the brands that I found that are cruelty free are not as generous when it comes to pricing, which is not so fair. I have manage to find some products that are 'dupes' if you like? of each other and show that some of the 'best' brands aren't always the best.
WARNING: Some of these products are NOT exactly the same especially in colour. However they are either the same in formula meaning the equality of the product is just as good or even better.

Animal Cruelty vs Non animal cruelty!

        

 M.A.C Electric Cool Eyeshadows Pure Flash          VS          Colour Pop Super Shock Shadow
I know the colour on these is not identical but pricing wise, packaging wise and formula wise both products are IDENTICAL! The M.A.C pure flash costs around $21 and colour pops cost around $5 (I could only find American pricing) this is a massive price difference for a product that is virtually the same and a bonus is that the cruelty free one by colour pop is cheaper which is mind blowing!



Urban Decay Naked 2   (top)    VS    W7 In the Buff Palette (bottom)


These products are just IDENTICAL! Although there is slight issue with the W7 palette which is that it isn't as pigmented as the Naked 2 palette, though if you just pack on slightly, you will see the colour being to brighten. The price difference is massive and amazing! From what I can see the Urban Decay palette will cost you around £30-£40 and....wait for it....the W7 will cost you £7.00. Which, for all you makeup lovers, is mind blowing! Now Urban Decay have mixed reposes about animal cruelty as they have previously said they don't test their products or ingredients and then came out and said certain products were sold in China although they did not mention which. So if you still want to purchase Urban Decay products then do it at your own risk. However I think I'm going to stick to the cheaper option....


                           
M.A.C Crème D'Nude      VS       E.L.F Natural Nymph

Although the colour of these is not identical it is very similar and have the same kind of consistency on the lips. They are made from a very similar formula and have a MASSIVE price difference. M.A.C's Crème D'Nude costs around £15 and E.L.F's Natural Nymph will cost you a whopping £5. E.L.F in my opinion although it is a lighter shade it does have a deeper pigment and a longer last. It allows for an easy application of any other lipstick or gloss that you may want to use and is super hydrating for a £5 lipstick.



NARS All Over Colour      VS       E.L.F All Over Colour Stick.

Now on the images above the colours do look very different however the are identical to each other. I haven't been able to find much on NARS being cruelty free or not, the last I saw was an article from 2013 saying that they were a cruelty free brand. However I do not know the facts about NARS as a cruelty free brand so I couldn't recommend it to you. Although even if it was cruelty free you could save yourself a dew bob when it comes to your shopping as E.L.F does offer a very very very similar product at $1 although I believe it is around £1.50 in the U.K and NARS' would be priced at around £20 in the U.K.






- Zuri :)