natjtan It’s only fitting as it’s nearly February for my November December Beauty Finds. My love for Korean skin care’s still going strong and the search for the ‘perfect’ cruelty free mascara continues. I feel that quest is going to be a long one. 
I have a few requirements when it comes to all things beauty. Being a vegan makes life a little more interesting when it comes to products; no animal testing, no animal ingredients except honey as I eat honey, no selling physically in China. The other requirements are, no nasty ingredients such as parabens, SLS, petrochemicals (however a few derivatives listed safe on ewg.com I allow. Petroleum derivatives are sneaky), mineral oil (usually petroleum) etc. No palm oil as I like orangutans more unless it’s from an ethically sourced or from sustainable farming, but even then I skip and as natural ingredients as possible. In main land Europe, finding make up with natural ingredients and without nasty ingredients can be difficult so I go with what I can get cruelty free listed. My skin’s combination leaning to oily.
November December Beauty Finds, Hits and Misses
It’s Skin Cookie and Hand Cream
First off this smells like cookies and ice cream! So much I could eat it! As far as I know It’s Skin is a cruelty free Korean brand that doesn’t sell in China. I picked this up in Urban Outfitters and at the moment it’s doing a fantastic job keeping my hands happy now it’s winter thanks to macadamia nut and sweet almond oil. I won’t be getting it again however as A: researching for this post I’ve discovered it has mineral oil in that wasn’t listed on the packaging and B: Urban Outfitters Spain no long sells it. Both are a good thing as I’m starting to reduce my plastic consumption. Zero waste will be impossible in Spain and I love my products too much, however as Tesco says ‘every little helps’ . I’m also trying to reduce the amount of possessions, where I clothes shop thanks to finding out about fast fashion (a completely other post to come!) and ‘crap’ in general so my next hand cream will be my own diy batch. It could get interesting.
Back to all things beautifying .
Bare Minerals Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara
One of the few cruelty free brands in Sephora Spain. Initially I liked the lash separation and volume however after a few weeks, I didn’t really find it do anything for my lashes. If you like a natural look with little length and volume then you might like it. I did like the wand handle as it easier to untwist and hold applying the product.
Aromatica Sea Daffodil Aqua Gel Cream
If you have oily skin, gels are so much easier and nicer to use. I’ve been using this as night cream for about the last 3 months and my skin’s texture’s improved thanks to sea daffodil’s cell rejuvenation properties. It also has a good dose of aloe vera to calm irritated skin which I feel is a must, not just in summer but for pollution. It doesn’t feel dry in the mornings and it’s 100% vegan (yay!). One thing I really love about it is it’s refreshing cooling effect when first applied. It’s like my skin’s rejuvenated, calm, feels alive and everything’s okay. The price tag is a little hefty, but you get 100mls. I find a lot of Korean products are better value for money. You get good ingredients in larger amounts. Available from Miin.
Aromatica Sea Daffodil Aqua Gel Cream
Thankfully I purchased it in the 15ml trial size as sadly it broke my eyelids out in eczema (red, swollen, feeling dry and itchy). It took me a few weeks to release it might be the source of the redness and after a few days of not using it they calmed out. As for it’s primer properties it didn’t make my eyelids look creasy. It’s staying power quite good, the end of the day some eyeshadow was still in place.
Urban Decay Naked Basic Eyeshadow Palette
I’m weaning myself off Sephora own eyeshadows due to the fact they sell in China. I’ve been wanting to experiment with a little more colour eyeshadow but when back to the Naked Basic’s eyeshadow palette for the reason I wasn’t likely to use most colours in other palettes and therefore a waste of money. My plan was to wait until some were reduced in the New Year sales but they never were Anyways, I haven’t had any eczema problems, with a primer they last quite a while. They’re pigmented but don’t make my eyelids looks old and creased as some heavily pigmented eyeshadows do. There’s fall out applying or when brushing the product out the palette (hence why there’s product everywhere in the photo. Shoulda cleaned it better before photos!) which a tap of the brush before applying can avoid. I was surprised that the palette is only a few more Euro’s than buying one individual eyeshadow outright and in this case with the palette colour range that’s only Foxy. The rest you can only get in the palette which means a lot might be wasted if you don’t use all the shades. It’s also fragile if you drop it as I’ve found out!
Kat Von D, Tattoo Liner in Trooper
I mentioned this is a Weekend Friday Favourite and love it. It’s not perfect, some I’ve had the tip can have some fibres that are longer every now and then which makes a flick tricky (or on my eyelids) as the tip doesn’t go where you want it! That aside it’s easy to apply, buildable, you can go thick or fine and it’s quite long lasting. It does dry quickly so you have to be fast with mistakes. The fine tip that gives me problems with the wing, lets me get in-between the lashes and it’s easily removed with coconut oil. Out of the eyeliner pens I’ve used this is my current favourite.
Marc Jacobs Style Eye Con No 3, 102 The Ingenue
I purchased this before the Urban Decay one for the same reason wanting to experiment and keep it safe doing so. I was happy to find out Marc Jacobs is cruelty free and doesn’t sell China so I had to give it a go. Sephora had 20% off I was game! The colours swatched were pretty, didn’t contain many ingredients and were enough rich pigment my oily skin didn’t eat/disolve it. Sadly the pigment was too heavy on my eyelids making them look old and creased and make them itchy and feeling dry. Eczema strikes again! Switching to Urban Decay solved the issue. Sadly now I have a barely used palette I’m not sure what to do with. It’s a waste to throw out so my Mum might get it. I do love the palettes sleek retro shape, like 1950’s rear view mirror. 
This Beauty Find edition’s mostly misses and not one to leave on a negative
After reading in Instyle Magazine Norma Kamali’s My Day the quilted coat pioneer (love non down quilted coats!), I was Googling her age after it mentioned she was reinventing her business after 50 years. How young is she! Well into her 70’s she can pass for a lady in her 40’s. I came across an interview on her beauty tips (follow raw food lifestyle. stay active, okay, I’m listening, I do both anyway!) with one article mentioning she uses a wooden comb to stimulate pressure points which is good for blood pressure and overall wellbeing. I brush my hair with a Tangle Teezer before washing and wide comb through when wet. It’s early days using it. but I like the sensation it gives on the scalp. A mini massage and it doesn’t do as much damage as a plastic comb which is a good thing as my hair was in intensive care for an hour at the hairdressers this week. I got my hands slapped for not looking after myself or my hair properly. That’s a whole other blog post!
What are your current favourite and not so favourite beauty finds at the moment? Does anyone else feel slight frustration wasted money on a product that didn’t work no matter how expensive or cheap?