Cruelty free beauty buys for Equestrians

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll stand for anything, or so the saying goes. My particular cause is animal welfare – probably not surprising for a horse rider and all round animal lover. For most equestrians we came to the sport because we love animals. But how often do we think about the impact of our beauty regime on other animals? 

For me animal testing is something I have been aware of for quite a long time. It actually blows my mind totally that animal testing is still undertaken on such a large scale when we have so many other viable options. It unnecessary and creates suffering for innocent animals.

Unfortunately if you’ve decided that you want to go cruelty free with your beauty regime, it’s not as simple as looking for the words ‘not tested on animals’. In Australia at least the labelling of animal testing is not regulated. This means that companies can make claims that are not entirely true. For instance, while a company may not directly test their products on animals, ingredients in that product may have been tested. Another factor to be aware of is that animal testing is legally required in China, so if any products are sold in the Chinese market, you can scratch that brand off your list. 

The best way to find out if a particular product is cruelty free is to look for one of the three logo’s shown.  

So here are my cruelty free favourites: 

Dermalogica

Dermalogica produces cruelty free skin care products which really work, two that are currently in my regime are the daily microfoliant and the charcoal rescue masque. The daily microfoliant is a rice based powder which you mix with a small amount of water and then rub onto your face. It does a great job of getting all that barn grime and makeup off your face. The charcoal rescue masque similarly helps to remove dead skin cells and leaves your skin feeling incredibly smooth. It is however quite harsh, so not recommended for sensitive skin. I pop it on in the evening around once per month.

The Body Shop

I use a heap of great products from the Body Shop, both skin care and makeup. My favourites from this brand include the seaweed facial moisturiser, the bronzer and blush. The seaweed moisturiser is great if you have naturally oily skin, as it has a lovely light formulation.

It Cosmetics 

Sun protection is an absolute must when you are outside working with horses. Of course, you can pop a sunscreen underneath your foundation, but why do two steps when you could do one? Enter the It Cosmetics you skin but better CC+. This foundation is medium coverage whilst still being light and has a SPF 50+ physical sunscreen built in! Score! The first time I wore this stuff out to a comp I didn’t reapply sunscreen to my face once and it stayed perfectly unburnt.

If you opting to go makeupless some days, Ultraceuticals make a beautiful cruelty free mattifying SPF 50+ sunscreen.

Gerard Cosmetics

Two of my current favourite makeup products are from Gerard Cosmetics, an American based company who do ship to Australia! The Slay All Day spray is perfect for mattifying and setting your makeup – and probably if I didn’t touch my face so much It would stay in place all day. The second product I love is the Hydramatte lipstick. It goes on like a gloss with a wand applicator but dry’s into a matte consistency, and doesn’t budge.

Anastacia Beverly Hills 

Okay so in the interests of full disclosure, I LOVE sparkles. Like I actually cannot get enough of them. So it then goes without saying that I am fully on board with the highlighting fad. The Liquid glow by ABH is absolutely stunning. Although it is a liquid formula you can apply it over your blush without rubbing the blush away like happens with so many other liquid formulations. It also gives a gorgeous glow.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics

The Youngblood lengthening mascara is formulated on beeswax and goes on beautifully to really make your lashes pop. The formula is quite buildable so that you can get maximum benefit from a few layers. Although it is not waterproof the smudging and transfer when used on the top lids is minimal, making it great even in hot and humid conditions.

Kevin Murphy

When I discovered Kevin Murphy my hair was changed. I have fine hair that is not naturally blonde. Accordingly my hair can get limp when I use products designed to add moisture. Not so with Kevin Murphy, I’ve used both the products designed for blonde hair and the Hydrate-Me range. They both leave my hair feeling clean, silky, and light. Plus, they smell absolutely devine!

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