Hey #SlashedSquad! So, I just bought a house. Yep, I’m adulting super hard this week and need a few days to settle in. My friend Courtney, the cruelty free beauty blogger from Phyrra is taking over the blog today to share her favorite drugstore cruelty free beauty picks. Show her some love!
xo,
Miranda
Hi everyone, I’m Courtney from Phyrra! Today I’m sharing my cruelty free drugstore favorites that will make you (and your wallet) happy. If you want to shop more animal-friendly brands, be sure to check out the Ultimate Cruelty Free Makeup Brands List to make navigating the market easier. There, you can also find my criteria on determining whether or not a brand is cruelty free, if you’re curious.
Keep reading to discover makeup, hair and skin care products made without animal testing. Click the + icon to find the product online!
Best Cruelty Free Drugstore Makeup
Drugstore makeup has really stepped up its game these days. I never had great options like these when I was in high school! I love that I have so many cruelty free drugstore favorites to share with you.
1 | Milani Prime Light Strobing + Pore-Minimizing Face Primer
The Prime Light Strobing + Pore-Minimizing Face Primer is perfect for my dry skin. It reminds me of an old favorite, MAC Strobe Cream. It helps to blur imperfections and lightly hydrate the skin to create a smooth canvas for foundation.
2 | Milani Prep + Set + Glow Illuminating Face Powder
The Prep + Set + Glow Illuminating Face Powder has been a truly amazing product for me. It gives a subtle radiance and helps to set my foundation without making my skin feel dried out. I’m using it as a cruelty free replacement for NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder, which was my go-to powder for years. I use this daily.
3 | Milani Make it Dewy Setting Spray
The Make it Dewy Setting Spray is my go-to setting spray these days. I love it because it gives me radiant skin. It removes any powdery look from using setting powder to set my foundation. It prolongs the wear of my makeup for 14+ hours in the hot humid weather of Florida. I recently had the opportunity to test it out in the dry heat of Las Vegas and it worked just as well for me there! Additionally, it’s a drugstore dupe for the Cover FX Illuminating Setting Spray. It’s a daily use spray for me.
4 | Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer
The Murumuru Butter Bronzer smells like a tropical vacation! I use the shade Light to lightly contour or add warmth to my face. It’s also great as a transitional eyeshadow color. It’s my all-time favorite bronzer. For my very fair complexion, the formula melds with my skin and looks pretty. The only negative thing I can say about it is that the packaging is unnecessarily bulky.
5 | NYX Faux Whites
I love the Faux White pencils for my waterline. They brighten without being too stark. I especially love White Smoke, Baby Powder, Seashell and Linen.
6 | NYX Faux Blacks
The NYX Faux Blacks pencils are great for lining and smudging around the eyes. Oxblood is a shade I’ve spent years looking for, so I was thrilled when it was released.
7 | The Ordinary Serum Foundation
While the Ordinary Serum Foundation isn’t technically in the drugstore in the USA, it’s certainly at the drugstore price point. It’s only $6.90 per bottle! I wear the shade 1NS with some NYX Pro White mixer added in to make it a better match for my skintone. I own a ridiculous amount of foundation. The Ordinary Serum Foundation is the best that I own. It beats all of my other foundations for wear time and how it looks after 14 hours of wear. I highly recommend it. I do use it with the Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer, which is only $7.90. I use this almost daily.
8 | NYX Pro Foundation Mixers
The Pro Foundation Mixers by NYX have been a life saver for me! White makes any foundation that’s too dark for my complexion (which is about 99% of the foundations out there) a better match. I use this almost daily. Opalescent makes foundations that are too drying for me more comfortable to wear and gives a very subtle skin-like finish. They also have Olive, Deep, Warmth and Luminous mixers.
9 | Flower Beauty Cool Natural Shimmer & Shade Eyeshadow Palette
The Flower Beauty Cool Natural Shimmer & Shade Eyeshadow Palette is so gorgeous. I’m not much of a neutral eyeshadow gal but the 10 shades in this palette are very flattering with my skintone and eye color. It’s very easy to create a classic eyeshadow look with these colors but there are a few fun shades too.
Best Cruelty Free Drugstore Hair Care
There are so many amazing hair brands at the drugstore. My all-time favorite is Eva NYC. They’re easy to find at Ulta Beauty.
1 | Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer
I’m on my second bottle of Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer. It is so good! It’s like a dry oil spray. I use it on damp hair before I blow dry. It’s also a good thermal protectant, so I use it on dry hair before I flat iron or curl. It’s not a heavy formula. It adds shine, reduces frizz and softens the hair.
2 | Eva NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo
The Freshen Up Dry Shampoo was a life-saver for me in Las Vegas! Many places in Vegas allow you to smoke indoors (gross), and smoke smell sticks to my hair. The Dry Shampoo neutralized the smoke smell for me.
3 | Eva NYC Forget Me Knot Dry Conditioner
The Forget Me Knot Dry Conditioner is such a hidden gem! After using all that dry shampoo, this conditioner really helped my hair to be soft and refreshed again. (pr sample)
4 | Eva NYC Surf’s Up! Texture Spray
I love using the Surf’s Up! Texture Spray to add volume and texture to my hair when I make it wavy.
5 | It’s a 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin
The Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin is my go-to hair mask when I want a mask that doesn’t deposit color. It makes my hair silky smooth.
Best Cruelty Free Drugstore Skin Care
There are a lot of cruelty free drugstore skincare brands. However, there are 3 products that I keep repurchasing over and over.
1 | Pacifica Coconut Micellar Water Cleansing Tonic
The Coconut Micellar Water is excellent at removing my face makeup without drying out my skin. I keep this bottle in my office.
2 | Alba Botanica Hawaiian 3-In-1 Clean Towelettes
The Hawaiian Towelettes are the only face wipes that I can use that don’t irritate my sensitive skin. They’re also excellent at removing makeup swatches.
3 | Yes to Coconut Micellar Cleansing Water
This Coconut Micellar Water works well at removing makeup on my dry skin. What I also love about it is the innovative pump packaging. I don’t know why more micellar waters aren’t packaged like this! I keep this bottle in my bathroom.
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