NYX Cosmetics UPDATE:

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE!!!

Update (June 26, 2013): I received another reply from NYX, where they further explain about their manufactures, China, etc.. I wanted to share it just so you can have more reassurance when purchasing from NYX.  

Hi Camila,

NYX Cosmetics does not test on animals and we do not contract with any 3rd parties who test on our behalf. We will not sell into a market that requires that products be tested on animals, for which we were awarded PETA’s Courage in Commerce Award. We also receive certifications from our manufacturers that they do not test on animals and that they do not contract 3rd parties to test raw ingredients on animals. In addition, we are committed to making sure that raw materials used in our products are tested using approved alternative methods implemented to protect and respect animals. NYX as a brand is also part of the effort to ensure that new ingredients are never tested on animals.
http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2012/11/15/nyx-cosmetics-receives-peta-s-courage-in-commerce-award.aspx
- NYX Cosmetics Feedback

UPDATE (June 19, 2013): NYX has emailed me back, assuring me that their raw ingredients manufactures animal testing policy complies with NYX's. This is what they emailed me: 

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out! NYX Cosmetics is certified and acknowledged by organizations, such as PETA, as a cruelty free brand. NYX is committed to producing 100% cruelty-free cosmetics. NYX does not test any of its raw materials or finished products on animals.
Kindest Regards,
NYX Cosmetics

NYX Cosmetics

UPDATE (June 19, 2013): NYX has emailed me assuring me of the compliance of their raw ingredient manufactures. This is what they said: 

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out! NYX Cosmetics is certified and acknowledged by organizations, such as PETA, as a cruelty free brand. NYX is committed to producing 100% cruelty-free cosmetics. NYX does not test any of its raw materials or finished products on animals.
Kindest Regards,
NYX Cosmetics

I will be adding them back to My Cruelty Free list.  



UPDATE: (June 11, 2013) 
I have heard some unsettling news from one of my lovely readers (Deani). Please click here, she linked me to this article. I'm going to be calling them. I will keep you all updated!!


Hey guys. 

HOORAY!! I finally received a reply from NYX cosmetics. After countless attempts, I decided to get more assertive and demand a reply. This is what I send out to them: 
     

    

 "I have read your FAQ's page and have looked the PETA's DO NOT list [click here to check it out] . I am aware your   company does not test on animals; however since I am conducting my own research I would like a reply from a representative reinforcing that fact. This is my third effort in trying to contact you guys. IF i receive a reply I will be sharing it on humanelychic.blogspot.com . I know you must receive many of these emails; but as a customer I think I deserve to have my question addressed on an individual level. -Camila A." 

Clearly, you can note my impatience, but come on, how hard is it to reply? Well, by-gones be by-gones! NYX is still one of the few big brand companies that is cruelty-free and I will forgive them just for that fact :) <3 

This is what I received in reply: 

"Hi Camila,
We do not test on animals and choose our vendors who know our commitment to being animal cruelty free. We do not sell our products in countries that require animal testing. We renewed our PETA symbol as shown on our website. We hope this helps. Sorry for the late reply.
Best,
NYX Cosmetics"

So what do I think?

I am esthetic, I held off on purchasing from NYX because I really felt that in order to make my research something "scholarly" or more credible, I needed something official from the company. I feel completely safe buying from them, and I will be doing so soon. ;)

Email me at ca.alva@yahoo.com if you want to share your NYX research or if you have a question for me. Comment below, I would love to know your opinion.


-Camila A. ☼

NYX Above and Beyond Full Coverage Concealer | Review

Hey guys. So I picked this guy up sometime in January. Needless to say, I've had a good amount of time to play with it and decided I wanted to share my thoughts. It's the NYX Full Coverage Concealer in Beige. It retails for $4.99 at Ulta. (Which is where I bought mine.)

NYX has an awesome color selection. So I'm sure you'd be able to find a shade that will work with your complexion.

Packaging: 
I like the packaging, it's compact and slick. It's quite small and easy to fit into small corners. It's be great for traveling! No complaints there.

Texture:
Very creamy, easy to blend. Does not feel greasy on the skin. Once, it's blended it becomes significantly drier.

Coverage:
I think you can definitely get a good medium coverage with the concealer. It covers redness well, and the color is almost my same skin-tone. However, I noticed that when I tried to use it as a full-coverage concealer it became quite cake-y looking. If you notice in the packaging it claims to be 'crease -free'? Humm, not sure about that one....

Also, it magnified the pores around my cheeks and nose, which is not cute. Note: I did not use a primer with it. So I don't know how it would wear with a primer. I don't use face-primer.
I noticed it creasing, quite significantly, around my eyes. Even, after I set it with powder.

Did it break you out?: 
Yes! Unfortunately. I would usually just try to work with a product that I didn't love, but in this case I hardly see myself using this one. Maybe, on my legs (I do bruise like crazy). I don't feel too bad, it was $4.99. So yes, beware. Especially if you're one who has sensitive skin, when it comes acne.

Overall:
I will not be purchasing this one again. I will however, try more of NYX face stuff.

*I bought this product with my own money. I am not being paid to review it. However, if NYX wanted to send me a few of their stuff to review, I wouldn't mind. ;) 

I hope this was helpful. Do you own this product? Do you disagree with me, yes or no? I would love to read any feedback you have! What is your fav. CF concealer?

Lots of Love, 

Camila 

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NYX Bought by L'Oreal || My Advice of How To Deal with This News ||

Hey guys. I've been absolutely DREADING having to write this post. 

On June 18, 2014 BusinessOffFashion announced L'Oreal's acquisition of NYX. 

I'm tempted to run from the very comfortable couch I'm sitting on, I really don't want to talk or write about this situation.

If you want to read the full story click on the links. I won't be going into too much details on this post. 

L'Oreal is very much infamous for their continued use of animal testing on cosmetics. They also sell in China. I do not support any company L'Oreal owns. When Urban Decay was acquired by L'Oreal in November 2012 I was absolutely disgusted and today I feel the same way. 

My Advice:

I have many NYX eyeliners, foundations, lipsticks, and other stuff that I really love. While I will not be supporting NYX anymore I will not be throwing all my stuff away. I will use them up and I will be looking for other products (which I know are out there) that will work just as well or even better. Before I went CF I had a handful of Revlon lipsticks which I loved. I was not about to throw them away and I'm glad I didn't. First, I can still wear them and I do not want waste my well earned money. Second, I have them to compare to other brands. I have found just as good and in many cases even better products made by companies that are ethical (i.e. elf, Milani, Wet n' Wild, etc). Of course, the way to proceed is up to you. 

This is a very upsetting time in the cruelty-free-beauty community but we will get through this. I always like to think of the awesome indie and smaller companies that now have an opportunity to shine. Let's look at this as a time to find another company to shower with love. 

I hope you found something to take away from this post. 

Lots of Love,

Camila

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small NYX Haul | Cruelty Free

I went to Ulta a couple of days ago. I thought I'd share what I picked up. I will have a more indepth review later, once I'd had more time to form an opinion. 

♡1. NYX stay matte but not flat:

Heard awesome things about this one. I've used it once so far & I'm impressed with the coverage.

♡2. NYX slide on, glide, stay on & definitely a turn on water proof, extreme shine eye liner

WOAH! A mouth full of a name! I got the color in 'jet black'. I have the one in 'golden olive' & absoultey LOVE that one. I have high hopes of this one! I like it so far (keep in mind, I've only used it once, well this color.)

♡ 3. NYX badunkadunk lush lashes mascara:

I think the packaging is : SEXY! I love it & will admit it was partly the reason I picked it up. Again, I barely got this stuff a few days ago and have only used it twice. I really like it so far ;) 

I wanted to keep this short & quick. I hope you enjoyed it & tell me if you've used any of these products :D

Lots of Love,

Camila 

Snatch-It-Up Sunday || NYX's stay matte but not flat powder

Hey guys!

So I decided to feature NYX's stay matte but not flat powder foundation for this week.

I think this powder is awesome but sadly, it does not get mentioned much among the beauty community. If you are new to cruelty-free makeup, I know how hard it is to find inexpensive powders at the drug-store. Granted this powder does retail for $9.99 at Ulta, so it's definitely higher up there, but trust me it's worth it. Please, save yourself some grieve and give this powder a try!

It gives your skin a skin like look. Yes, your skin looks matte but not dry. (As the name suggests). I don't know how to explain it better than that. Also, it will maintain that freshly applied look for a good five hours. I run around a lot through the day, but I find that I only have to re-apply once a day; on particularly hot days maybe twice. You might be able to wear it longer! Consider your skin-type.

While mattefying your skin, it will give you extra coverage. Some might find you can get away with just this powder. Meanwhile, if you are like me and want those spots to be concealed, you will appreciate the extra coverage. Don't use a heavy hand if you have applied liquid foundation, as you might get a cake-y look. Definitely do not use the sponge it comes with! Use a powder brush. I think the Real Techniques Buffer Brush is best for foundation-powders. Use a brush with more compact bristles. It gives you the perfect look.

The reason I realized how much I loved this powder this week, was because I  ran out (I still have a bit to use up) and got a new one. When you re-purchase a beauty product you know you like it. I did get a lighter shade the one I had before worked for me, but was a tiny-bite too dark. Be sure to get your correction shade! That's the good thing about Ulta, they have testers.

I hope you found this post informative or at least fun to read! I wish you a wonderful week! I'm going back to the grind of life, my Spring Break week is over! Oh well!

Lots of Love, 

Camila

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*I bought this with my own money. But if NYX decided to send me stuff to try, I would not mind! ;) 

Snatch-it-Up Sunday :: NYX Lip Smacking Fun Colors || Cocoa

Hey guys! A week or so ago, I noticed the lack of neutral lip sticks in my collection. I have more reds than I need, lots of plumy-vampy ones, and a few pinks. I really wanted something that would be a bit darker than the natural tint of my lips. Meanwhile, I didn't want something super basic, I still wanted something with an edge, keeping with the vampy theme.

I love NYX lip sticks. They are so smooth and they have lots of color selection. I'm sure you guys feel the same! If NYX does one thing the best, I'd definitely say it's their lippies. 

I instantly fell in love with the shade 'cocoa'. I was swooned!!! It's a very-dark muave brownish color with a tint of plum. I just think it's gorgeous!! It's not a matte, it's very much a creme formula. If you like glossy lips you'd like this. Meanwhile, if you're into mattes, you'll probably think it's too glossy. 

You can apply it opaque-ly or sheer it out. I love the look it gives (my lips in particular) when sheered out. It's very natural. I feel like a flower-child when I wear it. Yes!!! 

Also, it's not a Kardashian-nude kind of look. (Which I'm not a fan of). It's not bright, yet gives your complexion pick-me-up. 

I wanted to share how it looks on! However, Sundays are no-makeup Sundays for me. I'll be sharing some selfies later this week! So follow me on instagram if you're interested!!! 

Lots of Love,

Camila

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My Cruelty-Free

So I've contacted a good hand full of companies, enough that I feel comfortable starting my list. Of course company policies are changing daily, none that I know of as of now, so that list will possibly change. This is just letting you guys know what is to come. I still have many to contact. These are the ones I've received a reply so far:

KEY:

BLACK : NOT cruelty-free

yellow ☀ :Cruelty Free

Fushia : haven't received a reply

(P:___) Parent Company is...

✘: Parent Company DOES NOT comply

_______________________________________________________________________
1st List (Cruelty-Free Companies)

***As you can see there are a LOT more non-cruelty-free companies vs. cruelty-free (or at the ones I've researched). I recommend you check out LeapingBunny's list, where they have PLENTY of more companies you can choose from. I'm sure having a list of non-cruelty-free companies is just as helpful as GOOD companies.

Desert Essence☀

NYX☀

Physicians Formula☀

Real Techniques☀

Sonia Kashuk☀

tarte☀

Too-Faced☀

theBalm☀

Wet N' Wild☀

_______________________________________________________________________

2nd List (NOT cruelty-free COMPANIES)

(a)

Adidas (P: Coty)✘

Astor(P: Coty)✘
Almay (P: P&G companies) ✘

(b)

Burt's Bees (P: Clorox) ✘

Balenciaga (P: Coty)✘

Beyonce (P: Coty)✘

Bottega Veneta (P: Coty)✘

bareMinerals (P: Shiseido) ✘

Biotherm (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

(c)

CCB Paris (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Cacharel (P: Coty)✘

Chloe (P: Coty)✘

Calvin Klein Fragrances (P: Coty)✘

Celine Dion (P: Coty)✘

Cerruti (P: Coty)

CK ONE Color (P: Coty)✘

Chopard (P: Coty)✘
Covergirl (P: P &G companies)

(d)

Diesel (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

David Beckham (P: Coty)✘

David Off (parfume) (P: Coty)✘
Dolce & Gabbana Fragrances (P: P&G companies)

(e)

Essie (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Elite Models (P: Coty)✘

Esprit (P: Coty)✘

Estee Lauder 

(f)

Faith Hill (P: Coty)✘

(g)

Garnier (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Giorgio Armani (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Guess (P: Coty)✘

(h)

Halle Berry (P: Coty)✘

Heidi Klum (P: Coty)✘

(i)

inneov (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

(j)

Jennifer Lopez(P: Coty)✘

Jil Sander(P: Coty)✘

Joopi(P: Coty)✘

Jovan(P: Coty)✘

(k)

Keraskin Esthetics (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Kate Moss (P: Coty)✘

Kylie Minogue (P: Coty)✘

(l)

L'Oreal Paris

L'Oreal Professional (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Lancome (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

La Roche Posay (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Lady Gaga (P: Coty)✘

Lancaster(P: Coty)✘

(m)

MAC (P: Estee Lauder)✘

Maybelline (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Matrix (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Maison Martin Margiela (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Madonna (P: Coty)✘

Manhattan ✘

Marc Jacobs (P: Coty)✘

Miss Sporty (P: Coty)✘

(n)

NYX 

N.Y.C NEW YORK COLOR (P: Coty)✘

Nautica (P: Coty)✘

Nicole by OPI (P: Coty)✘

NIKOS (P: Coty)✘

Nars (P: Shiseido)✘

(o)

OPI (P: Coty)✘

(p)

Pantene (P: P&G Companies)

Pureology (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Philosophy (P: Coty)✘

Pierre Cardin (P: Coty)✘

Playboy (P: Coty)✘

(q)

N/A

(r)

Revlon (P: Estee Lauder)✘

Ralph Lauren (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Roger & Gallet (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Rimmel (P: Coty)✘

Roberto Cavalli (P: Coty)✘

(s)

Sonia Kashuk 

Softsheen (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Shu Uemura Art of Hair (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Shu Uemura (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Stella McCartney (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Skinceuticals (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Sanoflore (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Sally Hansen (P: Coty)✘

Sarah Jessica Parker (P: Coty)✘

Stetson (P: Coty)✘

Shiseido 

(t)

Tim Mcgraw (P: Coty)✘

Tjoy (P: Coty)✘

Tonino Lamborghini (P: Coty)✘

(u)

Urban Decay (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

(v)

Viktor & Rolf (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Vichy (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

Vera Wang (P: Coty)✘

Vivienne Westwood (P: Coty)✘

Venus (P: P&G companies) ✘

(w)

(x)

(y)

YSL Beaute (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

YUE SAI (P: L'Oreal Paris)✘

(z)

_______________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: I look at three factors to determine if a company is cruelty-free.
1. I look at their parent company. I do not believe in supporting a brand which is under a big company that does not also have a 100% cruelty-free status. I believe this because in those situations you often don't know where your money is going. Often, it might be funding animal testing.

2. I look at the suppliers of the company's raw ingredients. Companies I consider to be 100% cruelty-free will have verified that they make sure the manufcatures of the raw ingredients comply. They are often also accredited by an animal rights organization such as PETA or LeapingBunny. This gives me more reassurance that the suppliers are also cruelty-free.

3. I look to see if the products are sold in China. I do this because for cosmetic products to be sold in the Chinese market cosmetic companies must test their products on animals. Meaning, that if a company sells it's products in that market it cannot be cruelty-free. [Disclaimer: Although I ask about vegan products, I do not use that criteria exclusively to determine whether a company is cruelty-free. I just do it for the convenience of my vegan friends. :) ]

♥︎ Shopping My Makeup ♥︎ || Epi. 3 || ♥︎ Valentine's Day Look Idea ♥︎

 

Ciao, beautiful people!

YAY! I finally have a new Shopping My Makeup post! I love doing these. I will be honest, I did not intend for this to be a Valentine's Day edition, I just though the look would be perfect of Valentine's Day. 

I think you might start seeing a "theme" with my makeup looks. I love, love rose-pinks. 

Here is the makeup I used:

**Links are to MY reviews, which go into more detail! Also, this blog post is not sponsored! 

**I noticed (thanks to the pictures) that the brow-product I'm using is too red for me. I won't be using it anymore! :( 

 In natural lighting!

 With flash!

This is Wet N Wild's The Comfort Zone Palette. It's my favorite palette, yes more than the Chocolate Bar. The colors are just my kind of colors. 

These shadows don't have individual names (I wish they did). The color I used as a blending color is quite unique. It's a red-brown with some aqua glitter thrown in, it's a beautiful dual-chrome. It also blends out in the crease (although it's not matte) perfectly. 

 You can really see the beauty of these colors in this picture! 

This is the elf Blush Palette in "light". I LOVE LOVE this guy! It gives me so many options and the colors are fabulous. Again, these don't have individual names. I used a mixture of the blushes with a blue-heart. It gave me a coral flush, which I LOVE!  

The first mascara is the HardCandy LashAHolic in black. I really like it. It seems to get better with use. It gives me full lashes and does not wear off easily.

The second one is LA Colors Bold Lash in black. I got this at the dollar tree. It's not amazing, but it does seem to comb the lashes without clumping.

This is the wand of the HardCandy mascara. It's in a swoop allowing for a really smooth application.

The LA Colors mascara is bigger and more traditional. By itself it's nothing to brag about.

This is NYX eyeliner in "black brown". NYX is now owned by L'Oreal and I longer buy from them. I've had this for a while. I've used in the tight-line.

I recently got the Milani Face Powder. I LOVE LOVE it! It gives me a matte look, which I always go for. It also gives more coverage. I LOVE the lace-y imprint it has! It's such a cute compact!

 It also lasts a good 4 hours. The color is okay for me now, but in Summer I know it will be too light. I'll just have to use a little bronzer. 

I used my favorite foundation, elf Flawless Finish in 'sand'. I used my LA Girl concealer in 'medium beige'. As a primer I used my Wet N' Wild Fergie primer. I LOVE these! They are great and so affordable! 

I hope you enjoyed this!!! I always have a blast writing these blog-posts! I have not spent money on anything because of these blog posts. I've only bought powders (which run out quickly) and foundation. Don't get me wrong I really want some of the new things out there, but I DON'T need them!

BTW, I didn't used a lip product. I had a cold-sore which was just healing and didn't want to put anything on them. (Sorry, if that's TMI). 

Hope you liked this look! I honestly didn't mean to make it Valentine's Day themed, but I think the colors work well for V-Day! Don't you agree?! I love Valentine's day, even though I don't have a bae. I love on my family and friends & my pups instead! Also, I bake! I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Weekend! 

Lots of Love,

Camila

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elf Haul || New Products

Hey guys! 

I'm really excited to be back with a big elf Haul. I always find myself browsing the elf site, they have wonderful new products all the time. I usually wait until there is at least 10 products I want to try to order. The main reason is because it usually takes FOREVER for the products to arrive. Last time I placed an order it took like a month. This time I was pleasantly surprised to find my products at my door step 8-days after I placed my order. WHAT!?

Everything arrived in mint condition. The only problem I had was that they shipped me one wrong product. However, I emailed them and they apologized and have already shipped me the correct product. Their customer service is amazing!

1. elf Blush Palette in "Light":

Ahh, so excited to have my hands on this guy. I am a HUGE fan of elf's blushes and I knew these would be amazing. The texture is very smooth and fine. They are really wonderfully pigmented. There seems to be little to no fall-out. 

2. elf Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow

OH MY LANTA! These are soo great. I've actually already worn "toast" & golly! The texture is buttery and almost bouncy. So beautiful! If you like glittery shadows consider these next time you're at Target or on elf's site. "Toast" is the perfect Christmas gold! 

"toast"

"soiree"

toast, soiree

"in direct sunlight"

3. elf Waterproof Shadow Liner(s)

I've been looking for liners to replace my NYX liners. (NYX has been bought by L'oreal and I will no longer support them). These intrigued me as I think they might work as liners and bases for eyeshadow. I've loved them swatched but haven't actually worn them. Beautiful colors,  I'm so impressed! 

(left to right) Black, Brown, Blush, & Purple 

(left to right) Black, Brown, Blush, & Purple 

4. elf Matte Lip Color (s)

I have the shade "Rich Red" and it's my favorite red color. I got "tea rose" and "praline". I love love love love mattes lippies and these are one of my favorite formulas. 

"tea rose", "praline' 

Top: Praline

Bottom: Tea Rose 

Like I mentioned I ordered the e.l.f. Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette but it didn't arrive. I'm so excited to also share with you swatches of it once it arrives. 

Also, I'm going to film my thoughts of my October Petit Vour box and products I liked from my September box. So keep an eye out for that! 

Farewell for now lovelies. <3

Lots of Love,

Camila

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** These were NOT sent to me.