Cruelty-Free Summer Beauty

Last year’s riot of colour may be alive and well in the world of fashion, but in beauty terms, spring and summer ’06 are all about the natural look – and we all know that the only way to go truly natural is to buy only products that aren’t tested on rabbits and kittens. You wouldn’t force chemical cocktails into your eyeballs to see how much they burn, so why support companies that do it to terrified puppies on your behalf? So, if you’re lost in a world of label reading, don’t despair – help is at hand! At peta2 we have ethical shopping for this season’s look all wrapped up!

If you’re going for the natural look, less is more, which means that you’re best off maximising the potential of your skin sans makeup. I know that it’s frightening, but don’t panic! Just use a nutrifying, enriching moisturiser – like this one from ethical Indian fair-trade company Sasha Products, available online at Get Ethical – to protect your skin from drying out in the summer sun, especially important on days spent down on the beach battling the salt and the breeze. You can give your hair a similar treat and keep your tresses glossy and gleaming with Sasha’s Shikakai-Amla moisturising shampoo and conditioner, also at Get Ethical.

Speaking of the beach, you’ll need some sun cream that’s not saving your life by taking away those of animals, so head on over to Liz Earle, where you’ll find a small range of quality sun care products for face and body. For all you sun-phobics, Liz Earle also carries a vegan self-tanner for a bronzed look without the harmful rays! Liz Earle doesn’t test on animals, uses only natural ingredients and offers lots of nice vegan goodies. We at peta2 love its Gold Shimmer body cream for adding a soft and subtle glow to sun-kissed skin.

And finally, after all that, the makeup itself – and for the best quality and widest range of animal-friendly stuff, we turn to the wonderful folk at Honesty Cosmetics. They carry the vegan range from Beauty Without Cruelty, which includes face powders, liquid lip gloss, mascara, nail varnishes and kohl pencils in a huge variety of shades. We like the newer range’s lipsticks best: a collection of bright, intense hues to offset your minimalist approach elsewhere – and they sound as delicious as they look. (Spiced Grape, anyone? Rebel Rose?)

If all this seems a little too money-happy, why not be bravest of all and go the other way entirely, rocking the most natural (and many would say sexiest) look there is: no makeup at all. Not all of us are lucky enough to be able to get away with it (at least, not on a daily basis), but if you’re one of the privileged few, now is the time to get out in the sunny streets slap-free and trade on your natural glow. Good luck!

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