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5 Beauty Brands I Wish Would Go Vegan!

Posted on March 12, 2018May 24, 2018 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I thought it would be fun to share with you my top five beauty brands that I wish would go vegan. Of course, in a perfect world, all brands would stop testing on animals and using animal ingredients and byproducts. That being said, there are a handful of brands that I really miss using now that I’m vegan. While I can almost always find vegan replacements for products I used to enjoy, there are a few things that I would love to be able to repurchase with a vegan formula. Here are the five beauty brands that I wish would go vegan!

1. Sally Hansen

Adventures in Polishland began purely as a nail polish blog, and my favorite brand was always Sally Hansen. Not only does Sally Hansen have extremely budget friendly options, but the quality of the polishes is excellent as well. From the ultra-affordable Xtreme Wear line, to the stunning Miracle Gel formulas, I could always find a polish I loved from this drugstore brand. I would love to see Sally Hansen go vegan, as it can be difficult to find affordable vegan nail polishes at the drugstore.

2. CoverGirl

Another drugstore brand I miss using is CoverGirl. My favorite product was the TruBlend Liquid Makeup foundation. I went through several bottles of this product, and it was my go to foundation. I also really liked the Clump Crusher mascara. While I have been able to find a drugstore foundation from Wet ‘n Wild that I like, it still doesn’t compare to my old faithful TruBlend. Plus, it would be great if this classic makeup brand would take a stance against animal cruelty, and provide customers with affordable and vegan products.

3. Benefit

The one high end brand on this list is Benefit. I liked testing and trying a lot of Benefit’s products, but the ones I miss the most are the blushes. My go to shade for years was Hervana, and I even had a Benefit blush palette that I used all the time. I currently love the blushes I use from Tarte, but the vegan shades I own are all limited edition. I would love for Benefit to stop testing on animals and begin creating product formulas that do not contain any animal derived ingredients.

4. L’Oreal

When it comes to hair care, I really miss the L’Oreal shampoos, conditioners, and styling products I used to use. Not only are L’Oreal hair products really affordable, but they were also very effective in caring for my hair. Since going vegan, I’ve struggled to find products that work as well at the same price point. I don’t mind spending more if it means getting a vegan product, but it would be awesome if L’Oreal would commit to going vegan. I also need to mention that the L’Oreal mascaras were some of my absolute favorites. Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could buy the Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara again?!

5. Rimmel

Last but not least is Rimmel, another budget friendly brand from the drugstore. The main reason I miss Rimmel is because the brand makes my Holy Grail setting powder in the Stay Matte Pressed Powder. I went through several of these powders, and am having a hard time finding a vegan dupe. Of course, I also loved the Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation and the Keep Calm Lip Balms. I hope that Rimmel will take a stance against animal cruelty, and go vegan very soon!

Some Final Thoughts

It’s important to note that many of the brands I mentioned today either claim to be cruelty free, or write misleading animal testing policies on their websites. I highly recommend checking out sources like Ethical Elephant, Logical Harmony, and Cruelty Free Kitty if you are ever unsure about a brand’s cruelty free or vegan status. Please click HERE to learn more about why Benefit, L’Oreal, and Rimmel are not cruelty free.

Moreover, while I do miss using some non-vegan products, particularly the ones mentioned today, going cruelty free and vegan is overall quite easy and always worth the extra effort. There are so many brands that are either 100% vegan, or offer a lot of vegan products. I can still go to the drugstore or Target and pick up many of the products I need, or I can place an online order with Ulta, Vitacost, or Sephora if I have trouble finding things in the store. I highly encourage you to transition to a cruelty free and vegan lifestyle, and I think you will find it is much easier than you expect!

Follow me on Instagram HERE for daily vegan beauty and lifestyle tips!

June Sephora PLAY! Unboxing | The Minimalists

Posted on June 24, 2016June 20, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I’m unboxing my June Sephora PLAY! box with all of you. It’s been a couple months since I shared this beauty subscription with you on the blog, and I’m excited to do so today. I did want to let you know that I’ve decided to cancel my PLAY! subscription, and this will be my last box. I am doing this for a plethora of reasons, but I first thought about cancelling simply because I haven’t been using the products. While the box is only $10 a month, and I’ve gotten the opportunity to try some great products, I’ve not used most of the products I’ve received over the past several months. Nonetheless, let me share the June box with all of you!

Here’s a quick look at my June Sephora PLAY! box. Last month Sephora changed up the packaging big time and replaced the box with a reusable bag. I love that Sephora created a more environmentally friendly packaging for its subscription. In the past, the products came in a box filled with paper shreds all packed in another box. Major thumbs up for providing us with reusable bags! I know these bags will come in handy during travel.

June’s theme is The Minimalists, and includes products to prove that sometimes less is more. Minimalism is very on trend right now, and it makes sense that Sephora is embracing it when it comes to beauty products!

bareMinerals BareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer – $2.80 [BUY]

The first product in the June box is a serum bronzer from bareMinerals. This is a really unique product that can be worn alone or mixed in with your foundation. I’m glad this came in the subscription box, as I never would have tried this on my own!

Benefit They’re Real! Mascara – $8.00 [BUY]

Next up is the well-known mascara from Benefit called They’re Real! I think this is a great product to include in the box, because it is definitely a favorite in the beauty community. I’m one of the few people who don’t like this mascara, because it is very thick and weighs down my lashes. This sample is definitely a great value!

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter – $7.60 [BUY]

I am really excited to try the BECCA Backlight Priming Filter, as I know this is a favorite product of Jaclyn Hill. This primer is designed to blur imperfections and give the skin an illuminated look. I don’t typically go for the dewy look, but it will be a lot of fun to try it!

Tarte Tarteguard 30 Sunscreen Lotion – $4.33 [BUY]

I am also really excited to try this sunscreen from Tarte. I was actually looking into this product on my own, as I’m looking for a new sunscreen. Now I get to try before I buy, which is perfect because this is quite the expensive sunscreen. I am definitely up for writing a full review of this product in the future, so let me know if you’re interested in reading one!

Bumble and Bumble Don’t Blow it Hair Styler – $3.10 [BUY]

Next up is a product from Bumble and Bumble that is formulated give your hair style without the need for a blow dryer. I haven’t had good luck with this brand in the past, so I’m not sure if I will give this product a try. I do lot my hair air dry daily, and then usually flat iron it. We’ll see if I put this product to use!

TOCCA Eau de Parfum Florence – $2.00 [BUY]

Last but not least is a perfume sample from TOCCA. As always, I’m not a big fan of perfume samples included in subscription boxes because you can get them for free at any Sephora. This one in particular is quite floral scented, so I definitely won’t be wearing it because of my sensitivity to flowers.

All in all, the June Sephora PLAY! has a value of $27.83, which is more than double the cost, but definitely a low amount compared to months past. I will definitely be using three out of the six products, which is good. I would love to know in the comments your thoughts on the Sephora PLAY! subscription service. Do you subscribe? Have you cancelled? Are you on the wait list? I would love to know!

This post includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Birthday Haul | What I Got for My Birthday!

Posted on October 27, 2015October 27, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! Haul Week continues with a Birthday Haul today. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, October is my birthday month. I celebrated 26 this year, which is a bit hard to believe. I feel like my Sweet 16 was just a few years back! Nonetheless, I thought I would share the gifts I got with all of you. Perhaps you’ll want to add some of these to your next wish list! Let me show you what I got for my birthday this year.

My parents got me some practical gifts, and then this awesome blush palette from Benefit Cosmetics! This is the Real Cheeky Party Holiday Blush Palette. It retails for $42, but contains four blushes, the Hoola bronzer, Watt’s Up! highlighter, and two sample sizes of They’re Real! in the eyeliner and mascara. I own one Benefit blush that I absolutely love, and I’ve been wanting to try more. I’m really excited that I now have this in my collection! If you want to get your hands on this, make sure to grab it now. It’s Limited Edition and sure to sell out!

I told you my parents got me some practical gifts! This is the OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Water Bottle Cleaning Set. It is MUCH needed! I always use a reusable water bottle, and those straws can be really hard to clean well. Not all of my water bottles can go in the dishwasher, and I didn’t even have a dishwasher at my last apartment! I first got the idea for this when cleaning my nephew’s baby bottles back in January. Adults need clean bottles, too, and I’m so glad I have this set!

The last gift my parents got me is a Postal Scale from American Weigh Scales. I’ve been wanting one of these for a long time! I send out a lot of packages, and this will help me avoid the lines at the post office and print my own postage at home. I can get the exact weight of all my packages now! That means faster shipping for my giveaways, too. I’m excited to begin using this right away!

Next are the gifts from my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew! First up is Garfield Holiday Collection, which is a DVD of all of the holiday shorts starring Garfield. I mainly wanted this because I love Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, but that almost never airs on TV anymore! Now I get to watch it whenever I want! In fact, I watched it the night I got this gift. I also love Garfield’s Christmas special, so it will be fun to watch that in just a month!

My last gift from my brother’s family is very special. I’ve been a huge Full House fan my entire life, and my brother happened to know someone working on the new TV show Grandfathered. What you see above is a handwritten birthday wish from Bob Saget! I nearly fell on the floor when I opened the card! I really appreciate my brother’s friend going out of her way to ask Bob for this incredible message. And, of course, a huge thank you to Bob Saget for taking the time to write me this note!

All in all, I had a nice birthday that I got to celebrate with my family for the first time in three years! I had my choice meal of Chipotle, and of course a hot pink cake. No celebration is complete without some tasty treats, right?! I hope you liked seeing what I got for my birthday. I’m so thankful for the gifts I received, and wanted to share them. If you are also an October baby, I hope you had a great birthday, too! I’ll see you tomorrow as haul week continues!

Ipsy & Benefit Lash Bash | Thank You and Giveaway!

Posted on September 21, 2013September 28, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! I was recently selected by Ipsy and Benefit Cosmetics to host a Lash Bash party. You may have heard of Benefit’s REALvolution featuring the brand’s famous they’re real! mascara. This Lash Bash event encourages makeup lovers everywhere to put away the false lashes, and enhance your natural lashes with they’re real!

As a lucky Lash Bash hostess, I was sent a box of goodies to share with my friends. Because you, my blog followers, are the reason I even know about Ipsy and Benefit Cosmetics, I wanted to share the goodies with you. I am saving one of the goodie bags from my Lash Bash party for a follower.

I can never thank my followers enough for your loyal support! The reason I am able to partner with brands and review their products is because I have people reading my blog. With that said, you may know that in July I had to move from a WordPress.com site to my own, self-hosted domain. When I moved, I lost all of my followers and website statistics, and had to start over from scratch. I really appreciate those of you who made the move with me, but I am still very far away from where I once was. With that said, I am hosting this giveaway solely for those who follow Adventures in Polishland. Please see all the giveaway details below.

Giveaway Rules

Follow Adventures in Polishland! Simply enter your email in that box on the right where it says “Follow Adventures in Polishland”. Only email followers qualify for this giveaway.
Prize is the goodie bag pictured above, and includes sample sizes of Benefit Cosmetics’ they’re real!, benetint, and sugarbomb.
Giveaway will run until midnight on Saturday, September 27th, giving new readers one week to follow.
Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed.
Winner will have 48 hours to claim her prize, or a new winner will be chosen.
If you have questions, email me at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com

I hope you will join me on my Adventures in Polishland!

Giveaway is CLOSED! Congrats, Gabriela! (She has claimed her prize.)

This prize is part of a package I received from Ipsy and Benefit. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.