First of all the big news! Urban Decay and Hard Candy have listed on their sites which of their products are vegan safe. Urban Decay has even added a page to print out containing all their vegan products you can place in your bag. You know what went down when I heard the news? I placed a large order! If there is just one product you have to buy it has to be Urban Decay’s 24/7 eyeliner. It goes on creamy and is high shine – I have them in all the vegan approved colors.

Currently for eye shadow, I have been using Coffin Color, a vegan mineral makeup line with a twist. With names like Girl Pants, Dead Flesh, Raven, and What the Hell Pink I fell in love. The colors are fun to play with; depending on your mood and tools, you can have a sheer wash of color or you can go deeper. My fave at the moment is Gangrene, a nice earthy green with a nice shine. At $5 a pop, you cannot go wrong. Remember kids – support DIY!

Know what gets my knitting needles in a bundle? When people think a company is vegan and they are not! Know what company people spread the vegan-lies about most? MAC! While MAC is the company that most of us crave when it comes to bright colors and glitter, the company is far from vegan-safe. I do have a list of products that are vegan (contact me if you need it) and the only thing that I use from the line is the StudioFix powder compact. Everything else seems to be coated in carmine.

If you want to go for high-end department store-easy to find try Origins. Though their colors are more mild than wild ,at least you will know that they do not use carmine and other nasties (some products contain bee products). Clinique also offers product information if a product is vegan or not. If you contact customer service, it takes a week at most for a reply. Smashbox is jumping on the vegan bandwagon and has released vegan eyeshadow sets. I hope they will be creating more vegan safe products in the future.

Remember junior high and our first makeup purchases? Who did not own a few Bonne Bell Lip Smackers? Yeah, Lip Smackers are not vegan (lanolin and bee products) but on Bonne Bell’s site, they do state they use lanolin and beeswax. (Lanolin is a fatty oil derived from sheep’s wool.) They also use carmine in some products. I did do some research and there are vegan products in the line. Just stay away from the wax balms and anything with color; read the ingredients carefully. Try the liquid glosses.

Aveda is a great brand for their natural products and their philosophy. I really like their eye shadows; they are very rich in pigment and have a velvety texture. A few of their products, mostly lip stuff, has bee products.

Garden Botanika also offers a list of products that are vegan safe. The information can be found on their site under FAQ.

Before you go spend your paycheck on luscious cosmetics, you can’t have rockin’ makeup if you have less than rockin’ skin. The brands I usually go for include Kiss My Face, Boscia, Lush and Queen Helene. I have sensitive skin that is on the combo side. I am in my mid 20s and use eye cream and a good mask. As you can tell I mix some drug store brands with high end. It is all about finding what works for you.

If you are looking to place a large order for some of the brands I mentioned, check out Sephora online if you are not lucky enough to live near one. I think I need to set up direct deposit with my funds with the site.

There is a huge variety of vegan-run stores on the net now. My favorite is Vegan Essentials. They stock cosmetics and body products in a range of colors and scents. Vegan companies are getting hip with the times and realize that some of us consider neon pink a natural color!

Have any other sites/companies you’d like to recommend? Please drop a line.