Sephora and Ulta are two extremely popular cosmetic retailers in the United States. Together, these two stores hold well over 200 beauty brands!
If you’re ever wondering if a product is cruelty free, check for these stamps, they can usually be found on the packaging or the product itself:
From: Cruelty Free Kitty
The following are cruelty free, meaning their products are NOT tested on animals, but may contain non-vegan products.
Urban DecayHourglass CosmeticsKat Von D
tarte CosmeticsMilk MakeupToo Faced CosmeticsIllamasqua CosmeticsMarc Jacobs
…countless other brands are cruelty free too, however, with these being some of the powerhouse companies for the industry, it is important to know they are cruelty free! Always be aware what you are putting your money in.
The following brands are VEGAN, which means they are cruelty free and contain no non-vegan products. Usually, vegan products end up being better for your skin because the substitutions that are used in the product tend to contain vitamins and essential oils!
Cover FX
Hourglass CosmeticsKat Von D
Many online retailers are cruelty free as well! Before you purchase makeup, be sure you research and you know what you are putting onto your skin. Living a cruelty free life is beautiful!
Though these products are more on the high end side, freedom is priceless. These brands also offer incredible products with beautiful assortments of colors and high pigmentation!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a wonderful holiday. Talk to you soon!
In a three month long investigation preformed by PETA at Holmes Farm in Pennsylvania, some horrific discoveries were made about what happens with animals before they reach the store to become our lifelong companions. PETA investigated that the animals were stored in bins with very little acknowledgement or concern, and cats were allowed to go into the storage area, attack and kill the stray animals. Bunnies received no treatment when an issue with them arose. Rabbits died left and right and were left in the wire cages with the other vital animals. The other animals could be identified as horrified. Many bunnies were found shaking, standing in puddles of feces and urine, and fearsome for their lives, a PETA member documented.
Bunnies crammed in cages. Image from: PETAImage from: PETA – Cats allowed to roam and attack mice.
Baby mice could be found squealing in boxes labeled ‘Freeze.’ These baby mice were frozen alive to become Snake/Reptile food. These pet stores hope that by doing the killing for the consumer, it is a more humane way to feed their pets. A PETA representative and investigator documented that you could still visibly see the mice moving around in their ziplock bags after fifteen minutes of freezing.
A young woman who eagerly accepted a Summer job with PetSmart wrote an article about the hell she witnessed while working at the pet store. A quote from her documents the horrors and neglect inflicted upon these mice, “The first shock came when I noticed a large open wound on the face of a small white mouse. Immediately informing my supervisor, I was told not to worry about it because the animal was “just a feeder mouse.” This proves and explains how these large-chained pet stores often neglect their pets.
There are several ways to prevent these acts. We can band together and boycott the purchasing items from these stores. We can also choose to rescue from small animal shelters. Yes, they exist too! Always stay aware of what is REALLY going on in your local pet store.
Subscribe and join the fight!
Talk to you soon,
Brookie Teagan
Mice and various other animals transported via water bottle. Image from: Twitter User.
Thursday, November 16th, 2017, it was released in the news that President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, lifted the ban created by Barack Obama on Elephant exports and/or wildlife game that was hunted in Zimbabwe into the US. With Elephants already owning a title on the Endangered Species Act, this is detrimental to the species. With well over 1.3 million elephants across the globe back in the 80’s, to today only having a little over 300,000, and approx. 100,000 being killed a year due to poachers and for the illegal ivory trade, and the fact that it takes a female elephant about 2 years to reproduce, we could be only a few years away to complete depletion of this species.
A quote from http://www.nbcnews.com states, “The African Bush Elephant is currently listed as endangered, under the Endangered Species Act, but a provision in the law allows for the import of trophies if it can be proved that hunting the animals contributes to conservation efforts.” With a president on the offensive side, it does not look like a good sign for elephants. From the sound of it, it’s not going to take much convincing to prove the hunter’s killing was justifiable. Hunters and various politicians are trying to justify that the killing of Elephants will enhance the survival of the species. From how killing an endangered species works, the animal is no longer able to reproduce. When there aren’t enough animals in the species to reproduce, the species then falls into extinction.
It is tragic that our President is condoning this criminal activity against a beautiful species. Not only that, his family has displayed images all over the internet of the wildlife game they have killed. It is no wonder that corrupt, selfish politicians wanted to lift this ban. This is a sport, a fun time, and a vacation to him. Species extinction is not a joke and it is scientifically proven that extinction alone can corrupt an entire ecosystem.
This ban-lift can lead to destruction of ecosystems and depletion of species. Let’s fight this.
Subscribe and join the fight.
Talk to you soon,
Brookie Teagan
Image from: washingtontimes.com – Elephant ivory trade is no longer banned from the US.From: huntinglegends.com – This cowardly act is encouraged by the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. These are his sons.
A company worth over $12,000,000,000, luxury brand, Gucci, has made the admirable decision to go fur-free! With Gucci’s fame and people’s zealous desire to buy the brand’s products, this will encourage other brands to go fur-free, and it will spread extra awareness of the benefits of faux fur!
Photo from: ET Retail
A quote from Gucci’s CEO, Bizzarri, states, “Being socially responsible is one of Gucci’s core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals.” With this brand’s power and influence it has on the world, this is such a positive change and a victory for animals!
Some other brands that are fur-free are Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, Ann Taylor, J. Crew, Zara & countless other retail stores. There are so many other ways to live an animal friendly lifestyle other than changing your diet. Boycotting wool, silk, leather, fur and any fashion products with any animal exploitation involved can help protest, as well as purchasing make-up that was not tested on animals & has a vegan formula! We can win the fight and one day live in an animal friendly world!
Photo from: PETA. This is the image commonly labeled on animal friendly brands.
Subscribe and join the fight! Talk to you soon!
xo,
Brookie Teagan
Alleyne, Allyssia. “Gucci to Go Fur-Free in 2018.” CNN, Cable News Network, 12 Oct. 2017
Collinsdictionary defines Zoochosis as “psychological problems associated with animals kept in prolonged activities. More commonly – zoo animals exhibit signs of extreme depression and related psychological conditions as they struggle with the confines of their captivity.” Many animals with zoochosis can be spotted walking back and forth with no distinct goal or purpose, laying down for extended periods of time, not being alert or interested in their surroundings, etc.
I, personally, remember going to a local zoo during my Kindergarten year and seeing almost every single animal pace, lay down or have little to no care about what was going on around them. I even remember asking my mother why the animals looked so sad. I now know the answer to this question – many zoo animals suffer from zoochosis.
If you haven’t heard of him already, Gus was a polar bear at the Central Park Zoo in the ’90s who suffered so strongly from zoochosis that he would spend the majority of his time swimming in a rhythmic pattern in his enclosure. He would do this for up to twelve hours at a time without ceasing. He did it so frequently that zoo-goers became concerned at his odd behavior. Massive amounts of money was spent on behavioral therapy for Gus in attempt to bring him out of his mindless state. The space Gus was kept in was approximately 1/1,000,000 of his natural, spacious habitat. This is the unfortunate reality for the majority of all Polar Bears in zoos. It is impossible to replicate the natural habitats for Polar Bears due to the extreme temperature and vast spaces they need to feel comfortable and independent.
Lions in zoos spend approx. 48% of their time pacing – a severe sign of zoochosis. This is almost HALF of their time! The percentage fluctuates between each animal. In captivity, 40% of lion cubs die before one month of age. These deaths are linked to absent survival necessities. Of lions cubs in the wild, 30% of cubs are estimated to die before they are 6 months of age. This proves that unnatural conditions make reproduction very difficult. Precious lives are unnecessarily being lost.
In many cases, animals are culled if fighting breaks out in the habitats, if the animal does not attract attention from zoo-goers anymore, overcrowding, and countless other reasons. There have also been many cases where a dead zoo animal has been stored in a freezer for later taxidermy purposes, such as Dartmoore Wildlife Park. Culling is a regular occurrence in UK zoos. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) stated that in 2007, animals that were unwanted or that could not be traded were killed instead of being released into the wild. At the Toledo zoo, a bear was starved to death when she was locked away for hibernation with no food or water. Zoos are unable to provide the necessary conditions for their animals, and this often leads to aggravation, depression, and even death.
Elephants also have the short end of the stick in zoos. For example, a government-funded study examined the well-being of elephants in UK zoos. The research was unsettling when it was discovered that three quarters of the elephants were overweight to the point of pain, and 16% had foot problems. African elephants have lifespans 3X longer than captive elephants. 70% of these Elephants were taken from their natural habitats in the wild. The removal of these animals from their natural habitats can produce serious distress among them. Elephants commonly fall into this state when they lose partnerships and associations with others of their kind and when they lose their ability to exercise. (If only humans were that determined to exercise, too! We ought to live like elephants!)
These are but few testimonies of tragedy that has taken place in zoos. There are so many hidden stories of abuse and torture inflicted upon animals. These animals need our help to end this captivity. It is time to no longer condone this activity and discontinue giving our money to organizations that are unsuitable to care for animals. They do not deserve this imprisonment.
Do not be captivated by captivity.
Be sure to subscribe and join the fight! Thanks for stopping by.
xo,
Brookie Teagan
A big thank you to researchers that have made this research obtainable at the click of a button!
Plate of Compassion 