Affordable Cruelty-Free Beauty & Hair Routine [2019]

Affordable Cruelty-Free Beauty & Hair Routine

Finding an affordable cruelty-free make-up/beauty and hair routine wasn’t easy, but I nailed it. As a bunny mama, I felt it was important to cease supporting brands that do not condone testing on animals. This includes brands that sell to mainland China, where it is required by law to test on animals (NARS, EOS, Benefit, Fresh, Makeup Forever, etc.). For more information, check out this blog article on animal testing in China.

Below, I will share with you affordable cruelty-free make-up products and hair products to inspire the creation of your own routines. These are products that I have used and are safe for acne-prone/combination/oily skin. What are some of your favorite cruelty-free beauty and hair products? Share in the comments!


A picture of me, wearing my cruelty-free beauty and hair routine!

A picture of me, wearing my cruelty-free beauty and hair routine!

Affordable Cruelty-Free Moisturizers

I have a hefty list of affordable cruelty-free moisturizers, but here are some of my favorites:

Affordable Cruelty-Free Primers

It’s always difficult for me to find a cruelty-free primer, especially one that does not break me out but the below list are tried-and-true:

  • Wet n’Wild MegaJelly Primer - $7.99 from Ulta.

  • Elizavecca Skin Liar Primer - $11.66 from Amazon.

  • Innisfree No Sebum Blur Primer - $10.29 from Amazon.

NOTE: A lot of people rave about The Ordinary primer and the E.L.F primers… I personally hated the smell of The Ordinary primer plus the E.L.F primer broke me out.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Foundation/Face Makeup

I switch up my foundation/BB/CC/tinted moisturizer routine quite often but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a few favorites, like the following…

  • LimeLife by Alcone Foundation - $36 from LimeLife (a bit pricier but I adore it).

  • Wet n’Wild Photo Focus Foundation - $5.99 from Ulta.

  • NYX BB Cream - $13.00 from Ulta.

  • Catrice Liquid Coverage Foundation - $10.99 from Ulta.

For another slightly more expensive option, I recommend Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Skin Perfector or MILK Makeup’s Blur Foundation, both available from Sephora.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Setting Powder

This list is much shorter but I try not to fix what isn’t broken and this powder is my holy grail item.

  • Innisfree No-Sebum Moisture Powder - $9.97 from Amazon.

  • Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder - $5.29 from Amazon.

I prefer the moisture powder to the mineral powder, personally.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Blush

Ever since NARS started selling to mainland China, it’s been difficult for me to find a good cruelty-free alternative to their Orgasm blush. While I have been unable to find a decent dupe, I’ve found lots of cruelty-free blushes.

  • Wet n’Wild Megaglo Illuminating Powder - $6.25 from Amazon.

    • Side note about the above product: the PINK shade in this palette makes a KILLER blush.

  • KIKO Milano Trio Blush - $12.00 from KIKO Milano.

  • Essence Satin Blush - $2.99 from Ulta.

  • Catrice Blush Box - $5.99 from Ulta.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Bronzer

When it comes to finding an affordable cruelty-free bronzer, the list below is a bit shorter than others. Do you have one you recommend? Do share!

  • Morphe Debutante Bronzer - $7.00 from Ulta.

  • Essence Sun Club Bronzer - $5.99 from Ulta.

  • Physician’s Formula Bronzer - $14.99 from Ulta.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Contour

I love a good cream contour! Lately I’ve been using some from Tarte but since this is a budget-friendly cruelty-free product guide, here are some alternatives that I’ve used and also loved:

  • ELF Powder Contour Palette - $6 from Amazon.

  • ELF Cream Contour Palette - $6 from Amazon.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Concealer

Thank goodness for Ulta expanding the list of brands they carry, they’ve honestly been a huge life-saver for me and I shop with them more than I do with Sephora these days.

  • ColourPop Concealer - $6 from Ulta.

  • Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer - $7 from Ulta.

  • NYX Photo Concealer Wand - $6 from Ulta.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Eyeliner

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook certain parts of your beauty routine like eyeliner and eyeshadow. But here are some of my favorite cruelty-free eyeliners:

  • Essence Waterproof Eyeliner Pen - $2.99 from Ulta.

  • Wet n’Wild MegaLiner Liquid Liner - $2.99 from Ulta.

  • ColourPop Eyeliners - $5 - $8 from ColourPop.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Mascara

TBH, no shade, no tea but there’s only one mascara that I use and I can’t even try to act like I use any or have any experience with others. This is my #1 favorite makeup product in the entire world and I haven’t used anything else really in the past 4 years.

  • Essence Lash Princess Mascara in Sculpted Volume - $4.99 from Amazon.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Eyebrow Products

It took me a while to ditch Anastasia Beverly Hills’ products when it came to my eyebrows because they’ve positioned themselves as the go-to brand for everything eyebrow. Luckily for me, I’ve been saving lots of money with my recent switch to Wet n’Wild and I don’t miss ABH not even a little bit (nor does my wallet).

  • Wet n’Wild Retractable Brow Pencil - $2.99 from Wet n’Wild.

  • ColourPop Eyebrow Products - $5 - $6 from ColourPop.

  • Milani Brow Shaping Gel - $8.99 from Ulta.

  • Essence Eyebrow Gel - $2.99 from Ulta.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Eyeshadow

I rarely use eyeshadow anymore but when I do, I try not to spend a fortune on them because I don’t use them that often.

  • Wet n’Wild Eyeshadow Palette - $4.99 from Ulta.

    • I mean, COME ON. $4.99 for all of these gorgeous, highly-pigmented colors? Unreal.

  • ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow - $5 from ColourPop.

    • Some of my favorite colors are: LadyBird and Sailor and they double as highlighters! Which brings me to my next point…

Affordable Cruelty-Free Highlighter

Years ago, I wouldn’t dare think to use a highlighter because I was so self-conscious of my oily skin. Ever since I’ve gotten my skin under control, I’ve been loving highlighters. Here are my cruelty-free highlighter favorites:

  • ColourPop Super Shock Highlighter - $6 from Ulta.

  • Wet n’Wild MegaGlo Highlighter - $4.99 from Ulta.

  • Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighters - $6 from Ulta.

  • Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter - $4.50 from Ulta.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Setting Spray

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook setting spray. Honestly, it’s worth it to pick up a travel size of the Urban Decay setting spray because it’s a hard product to beat.

  • Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - $15 from Sephora.

Affordable Cruelty-Free Shampoo & Conditioner

There is one brand Live Clean has really done wonders for my hair. Not only are they cruelty-free, but their products are also vegan, 97% plant-based, free of parabens, sulfates and harmful chemicals and certified organic! They have a range of different scents and types on their website, but these are my favorite variations from them:

  • Live Clean Argan Oil Shampoo - $3.69 from Amazon.

  • Live Clean Argan Oil Conditioner - $5.64 from Amazon.

Side note: why is conditioner more expensive than shampoo?

Want to see my cruelty-free skincare routine next? Let me know!

Lilliana Dee