Going Vegan With Milani Cosmetics

 

 

When you consider how veganism has become more and more popular in recent years, it’s no wonder the beauty industry is having to accommodate. Milani Cosmetics are no exception and that several brands now have their own vegan range as the call for conscious beauty increases.

Getting that all-important seal of approval isn’t easy with products going through rigorous testing.

Animal derivatives are banished, and manufacturers have to consider any cross-contamination which may occur during production, particularly if they also produce regular products alongside.

How often do we pick up a red lipstick or pink-toned blusher without realising that crushed female Cochineal beetles may have contributed to the pretty colour that attracted us. Not a nice thought is it? Cochineal also goes by several pseudonyms including Natural Red and Crimson Lake so watch out for that. I’m not a huge fan of mini beasts and beetles but still, it’s quite shocking that as many as 70,000 Cochineal beetles need to be killed to produce just one pound of red dye.

As a vegetarian, I avoid eating any food where Cochineal is used as a colourant and leave off the marshmallows atop my hot chocolate, as I don’t wish to consume gelatine. The use of animal bi-products in sweets has always been a turn off for me. If I’m conscious of what I’m putting into my body, why am I not checking the ingredients list on the makeup and beauty products I’m applying to my skin?

 

 

Before I go any further, as aforementioned, I’m not vegan, however, I am vegetarian and have been since my late teens because I’ve always felt a strong compassion for animals and (without being fanatical), I just don’t wish to eat anything with a face – that’s my choice.

Being a blogger has highlighted the archaic use of vivisection within the beauty industry and I find myself giving brands such as Benefit, Mac and Estée Lauder a wide berth.

Of course, I adore Benefit’s pretty and tantalising packaging, who wouldn’t? However, I’ve resisted repurchasing or making any new purchases from such brands as I can’t bring myself to buy into animal cruelty. This is 2018, surely there’s another way? On a side note, two adorable bunnies “Fudge” and “Smudge” are members of my family and to think of these defenceless fur-balls being treated in such an inhumane way doesn’t bear thinking about.

My first true vegan makeup purchase was a bronzer in “Sunkissed” from a brand called w7, discovered on a recent trip to TKMaxx. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was surprised at how I loved it. w7 released their “Very Vegan” range in 2016, and reassuringly are fully certified by the vegan society. The pan now has a large area of metal shining through as I’ve literally used it every day. For a powder, the formula isn’t drying at all and the product shade has a golden tone which is my preferred choice.

 

 

Now, let’s look at lip products. I’ve been trying both a Matte lip créme in shade 39 Pretty, and a Matte lipstick in shade 60 Innocence from a brand I hadn’t heard of before, Milani. Inspired by Milan, this Italian brand has got you covered with their “well stocked” Vegan range of makeup.

When it comes to lips, nude tones are my most reached for, and so I particularly love the Milani Innocence shade of lipstick I have here. It’s a matte formula and so I was expecting it to be a little drying on my lips, but I was pleasantly surprised – the finish is silky smooth, not drying at all and has good wearability. When a lipstick is worth its salt, it takes up residence in my handbag (not all lippies get “handbag status”) but this one certainly has.

Milani claim, Colour Statement Matte lipstick isn’t meant to be drying or complicated to wear. Infused with grape seed extract imported from Italy, Colour Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick dresses up lips with rich, eye-catching colour and a suede-like finish while offering the same comfort your favourite cream lipsticks provide. I’ll agree with the description – suede-like finish.

The Amore Matte Lip Crème has arrived. This revolutionary, highly saturated liquid-to-matte formula dries to a soft, velvety finish for fuller-looking lips. Its double-sided, flexible plush applicator hugs the contours of lips, working to lock in bold, opaque colour. Non-sticky, smooth and ready for all-night wear (up to 16 hours!) our Amore Matte Lip Crème is the ultimate transfer resistant kiss-me-matte.

I found the lip créme highly pigmented and applied with more colour intensity than I was expecting. With further use, I applied it with a lighter touch and that suited me better. Again. The shade is “Pretty 39” and although it appears a creamy nude colour it does apply a little darker and more intense as I mentioned earlier. I found good staying-power and wearability. The packaging is sleek-looking with its shiny gold tone and the applicator sponge is shaped to fit snugly on the lip.

 

 

One other thing worth mentioning, both the lip créme and lipstick smell delicious, If you like toffee, these are for you. Between the two products, I’ve been favouring the lipstick as both the colour – being a perfect nude tone, and the formula are gorgeous and it really does leave a suede-like finish on my lips.

How Does Vegan-Friendly makeup compare To Regular Lip Products?

In terms of a comparison to a regular non-vegan lipstick or gloss, these two have really held their own, If I wasn’t aware of them being vegan-friendly I wouldn’t have been able to see a difference, Milani have got it right, offering their vegan-Friendly range to the masses, as clearly there’s a call for it. In fact, the lipstick performed so well it remains firmly in my handbag. With meagre price points of £6.00 for the lipstick and £8.95 for the Créme, why stop at one!

Have you heard of Milani Cosmetics? How do feel about trying Vegan makeup?

Why not visit beautybase.com and see more vegan beauty.

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