Hello lovely people!
I just wanted to take a minute just to clarify what my whole goal in this blog/ youtube adventure is.
I've had a love for makeup for a long time now and spent a lot of time and money finding the products that suited me best. Once i decided i needed to stop being ignorant and make the switch to cruelty free, i figured what better way to do that than to share with friends online and share tips and products with each other. I never expected to be seen as some vegan oracle, i just want to share my journey.
I noticed that a lot of the vegan products out there were, quite honestly, crappy. It turns out that mascara made of crushed berries and twigs doesn't do a damn thing and mineral foundation made of fairy dust really doesn't cut it for me. I realized that if i showed readers those kind of products, they probably wouldn't be encouraged to adopt the same cruelty free morals and values when it came to makeup.
Once i realized that, i took a lot of time to find GREAT vegan alternatives to makeup items i already loved. This isn't a quick process by any means and i've really taken my time to find a good alternative for each of my non-vegan/cruelty free favorites.
So when people contact me about a certain product asking for a vegan recommendation and don't have one, please don't get mad that i still might currently use an existing non-vegan version because I WILL GET TO IT. There is no instant switch to vegan items, the industry has not made it easy to navigate through all of this in a truly vegan way.
I've messed up along the way, not realized certain ingredients weren't okay, or that some cruelty free companies in fact weren't CF but i'm getting there.
I hope you can all realize that ultimately i want to make this easier for everyone on the same journey, i want GREAT products to show you, not the expected crappy vegan granola products. I want to show you cruelty free, vegan items that PERFORM because realistically i know that beauty lovers won't make the switch if the products suck.
So for those of you who are killing it and have totally veganized your life, i applaud you and you are leagues ahead of me. Please use your frustrations with non-vegans in a positive way and EDUCATE people instead of berate them. Either they will hear you or they won't but theres nothing else you can do but save your energy for someone who is receptive to learning.
And for those who are still learning, keep it up! You probably will mess up along the way but just learn from it and make a better decision the next time.
As for my diet, i feel i need to clarify this again too. I was raised vegetarian and eventually vegan but when i moved to America, i fell of the wagon and did consume dairy and eggs (still, not meat).
Now i don't eat dairy (although, i have messed up from not realizing other people have cooked with butter etc) and i GENERALLY don't eat eggs. There are times i will if i know they are local, truly free range eggs but thats about it.
The reason i label things online as vegan is as a form of filing, not as a stead-fast label on my life. When meals or products are vegan, thats how i label them.
Readers, you will either read this and get it or you won't like what i've had to say and move on but i wanted to be honest and make sure you are in the loop.
I am still on this journey.
Just a little update/note
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
I love you Rhian, you are genuine and I have learned so much from your videos and blog. I'm sure we can all relate to this post because a. We are human and we are learning constantly and sometimes make mistakes, and b. We are living in a non vegan world. We are all doing our best and I agree education not berating is key. Of course I want the world to go vegan but my tactic is not to berate, but lead by example and be the best human I can be and educate people where I can. I think your doing a wonderful job of just that through this blog and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you have been the catalyst for change for many people on their cruelty free journey because they have felt educated and inspired by yours. Much love xxx
ReplyDeleteBonnie you are always such a lovely support in everything, i really do appreciate you so much!
DeleteI just hate those messages and comments where i feel like people are TRYING to catch me out even though i've always said i'm still learning so i sort of felt i had to make this post as a reminder that i've never claimed to be a perfect vegetarian or vegan.
Again, thank you so much <3
Your blog and vídeos are amazing! I honestly think you should put a big "CRUELTY FREE MAKEUP/LIFESTYLE" headline on everything you post. OH if i knew you back then when I couldn't find any fu*king reliable source for cruelty free brands and thought on giving up. Your work is amazing, and you do it amazingly, please never stop.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sweet words Maria <3
DeleteYour blog and vídeos are amazing! I honestly think you should put a big "CRUELTY FREE MAKEUP/LIFESTYLE" headline on everything you post. OH if i knew you back then when I couldn't find any fu*king reliable source for cruelty free brands and thought on giving up. Your work is amazing, and you do it amazingly, please never stop.
ReplyDeleteI totally get this.
ReplyDeleteI am starting on the same wagon but I am way far behind you. I used to only use MAC and now it's so hard to find things that compare.. but I can honestly say you have helped find a few new things I can replace that are cruelty free! :)
There is one cruelty free brand that I have tried recently and liked, it's called Pure Anada. The foundations are pretty decent, I am going to be trying out the mascara and blush next.
I was wondering have you found a good cruelty free eyeshadow blender brush? I can't bring myself to get rid of my MAC 217 yet because it is the best. But I am hunting for a decent replacement!
I'm so happy to hear i've helped you find new products Lexa! I know its not easy to replace your favorites but i swear the perfect product HAS to be out there somewhere, right?
DeleteLet me know how that brand is when you try some more!
I wanna say this is the blending brush i love but it looks different in the picture and none of their older brushes are named :/ http://morphebrushes.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=1172
I recently started buying cruelty free products, and a neebie to being vegetarian, and I must say kudos for you for being open and honest with your blog/youtube followers. Being that I'm fairly new to purchasing cruelty-free products I too look for quality products, I previously worked as a makeup artist (before buying cruelty free products) and to be honest I look for quality cruelty free items as I am used to beauty products with more coverage, pigment and so on. I also want to say that we are all human, and things in life are pretty much trial and error, and if someone is in doubt of something they should take it upon themselves to do further research and make a decision for themseleves rather than scrutinize everything about what one perticular person is doing/useing. I also read somewhere on a vegan blog that a female blogger mentioned she felt like everyone always has a "gray area" and people should accept that, I can't remeber the exact blog as it was a year or two ago but it was beautifully written and true.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, pretty much everything in life is trial and error!
DeleteI love that idea of the gray area, i know a lot of vegans who all have that one thing that they've come to terms with the fact that they won't be perfect on. Sometimes its makeup, sometimes leather car seats, sometimes wine... ultimately though if there was a quality vegan version of everything, each and every one of those people would take it.
Thank you for your message!
Hi Rhian!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me with so much!
When I graduated high school I was suppose to go to college, of course that never happened. But I started working a full time job right after high school and recently I added a second job to pay off my new car and buy a tons of stuff ( aka...makeup) lol. I honestly didn't know what to become... Everyone was moving on with their lives and I wasnt. Until one day I found you and your blog (probably creeping on Instagram....and not in the weird stalker way) and you taught me so much about making better makeup choices, skin care, healthier foods, exercising, hair care, and so much more. So as of this next semester I will becoming a makeup artist and loosing a ton of weight from eating better. And trust me going to vegan isn't easy, I'm still learning.
So thank you for letting me follow you and your journey and don't let those people who judge bring you down cause in the end they will never become a better person.
P.S. I hope I did this comment correctly... I suck at technology haha
-Marlana 💋