Sunday, August 31, 2014

Boots and Companies || Animal Testing Inquiry


Hey guys. So I started spotting a lot of interesting Boots products at Target and so I decide to shoot them an email and inquire about their animal testing policy. Boots actually manufactures brands like: No7, No7 Men, Botanics, Indeed Laboratories, Boots Expert, Champneys, Poppy King, Boots Extracts, and Mark Hill.

Before I emailed them I did some research but I couldn’t find clear answers. I did see them on NotTested under the ‘ambiguous’ categorization. I did find some forums that mentioned No7 specifically as not cruelty-free. Just a disclaimer, you can’t trust forums to be 100% accurate. Anyways, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I emailed using the template I always use. Click here to check it out.

I received a reply, here it is:

Dear Camila

Thanks for contacting us about animal testing and I apologise for the delay in responding to you.

Boots and its subsidiary businesses do not test any products or ingredients on animals, and do not commission others to do so on our behalf. In fact in March 2013 it became illegal for any company to test cosmetic products or ingredients on animals in Europe. 

The issue of animal testing on products and raw materials is one we take very seriously at Boots UK. For over 20 years our policy for cosmetics and toiletries has been that we do not carry out, or ask our suppliers to carry out on our behalf, animal testing on either ingredients or finished products and you can rest assured that we apply our policy rigorously.

Boots would like to see an end to all animal testing, and we fully supported the development of the ban on animal testing on ingredients that came into force in the European Union in 2013. The ban applies to all cosmetics products purchased from any store across the EU and completes the ban that started with  finished products in 2004 and was extended to cover most types of ingredient testing in 2009.  The 2013 law has completed the ban for all forms of animal testing for both products and ingredients and now ensures that all companies in our industry in Europe are now aligned with the same policy that Boots has had in place for over 20 years.

We would definitely like to see an end to all animal tests. We fully support the intentions of the BUAV and take a keen interest in the development and introduction of alternative forms of safety testing.

I hope you find this helpful and reassuring.

If you need to know if any of our products contain a certain ingredient like Carnuba wax please send the product identity code to me and I can request a list of ingredients from our Product Team. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide this information on a whole range and do need to seach on products individually.

Kind regards

I liked the reply. I'm always for companies that support banning animal testing.  It makes me want to support them. I had no idea Boots helped with the 2013 European animal testing ban.

As you can tell they didn't address whether or not they sell in the Chinese market, so I emailed them again!

I said:
Thank you so much for emailing me back, I truly appreciate it. I am very happy with everything that was mentioned. However, one very important question wasn't addressed. I was wondering if Boots sells any of it's products of any of its' company's in the Chinese market? 
Thank you again! 
This was their reply:
Dear Ms Alvarez

Thank you for contacting us. I am sorry that we did not answer you enquiry completely and I hope I can help you further.

I can confirm that Boots do not sell our products to the Chinese Market as this would contradict our Animal Testing Policy.


Thank you again for contacting us. If we can help in any further way, please let us know
Kind regards 

What do you guys think? I really think everything they mentioned is very strong and specific; they didn't seem ambiguous to me at all. Also, like I mentioned before NotTested has them under the ambiguous category; however this list hasn't been updated in a long while. So keep that mind. I really feel comfortable support Boots!

Leave me your feedback.

Lots of Love,
Camila





Saturday, August 23, 2014

LA Girl Animal Testing Inquiry || Are They CF?



***UPDATE: I pasted the wrong part of the email where they answered whether or not they sell in the Chinese market. Sorry about that!!! Ahhh! So frustrating!! 

Hey guys! So as promised --finally-- here is my correspondence with LA Girl.

I have a correspondence with LA Colors and they are cruelty-free and accredited by PETA. I did not realize that LA Girl and LA Colors are essentially the same company. They are both under Beauty 21. Anyways I still wanted to share my correspondence with them! 

I emailed them using the template I always use. 

This was their reply:

Thank you for contacting L.A. Girl Cosmetics.
In regards to Animal Testing, please be certain that our products are NOT tested on animals. None of the raw materials or manufacturing process through finished goods are tested on animals. Our parent company, Beauty 21 Cosmetics Inc. is also part of the cruelty-free PETA program. Hope this helps! Thank you for writing to us.
Sincerely,

As you can tell they did not address whether they sell in the Chinese market. So I emailed them back:


Thank you very much! I really appreciate you writing back to me. I have another Question you didn't address. Does LA girl and or Beauty 21 sell in the Chinese market? 

-Camila 
They replied very promptly I think the next day; which was so awesome of them. I truly appreciated it.

Thank you for your response.

Our products are not sold in China and we want to assure you that none of the raw materials or manufacturing process through finished goods are tested on animals. Our parent company, Beauty 21 Cosmetics Inc. is also part of the cruelty-free PETA program. 

Hope this helps. Thank you for writing to us!

Sincerely,
 As you can see they meet the three criteria I look at for determining cruelty-free status. I was also really happy with their customer service!


I hope you found this helpful in your cruelty-free journey.

Lots of Love,
Camila

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Sugar Scrub vs Sugar Scrub || Tree Hut & Love & Toast

 

Hey guys! So I really wanted to share my thoughts on two very good sugar scrubs you might want to check out. Be forewarned, I do like both of these; however I do like one better than the other. I will share which at the end of this post. I hope you find this helpful or at least fun to read.

**I bought these with my own money. 


Left: Tree Hut, Right: Love & Toast 



I picked up the Love & Toast Salt'n Sea Sugar Scrub at Burlington. If you've never heard of Burlington it is like Marhsalls, Ross, & TjMax store. I saw it on the clearance area with all their beauty products. I normally retails for $10.99, according to their site. I think this Salt'n Sea one has been discontinued because I do not see it on their site.

Pros:
The sugar granulars are perfect, they exfoliate without scratching the skin. I also like the fact that this sugar scrub lathers! No where on the bottle does it claim to act as a body wash, however I will say the fact it lathers makes it easier to scrub on the skin and makes my skin feel cleaner. It seems to stick to the skin a little bit better. 

As you can this scrub is lacking horrible ingredients which is a great! (I stated that really weird, but I liked how it sounded! hehe! ). 




Cons:

The product got stuck and I had to unscrew the lid to get the product out, as a result a bunch of scrub exploded all over my tub! Not okay! The sugar and the soapy 'body wash' seemed to separate and so the sugar gathered at the bottom and made squeezing the product a headache a times. I did not see "be sure to shake" on the directions which you can argue is logically but it was still annoying. ( I guess it's not logical to me, haha!) 

The scent. I think most girls prefer sweet, fruity, floral scents in sugar scrubs, etc. Maybe that's why this scent appears to be discontinued. I'm being totally biased, fyi. 

Comments: 

My skin felt very smooth! Using a nice scrub after shaving your legs is the best feeling ever! So it does do it's job very well.           
                                      
I am not a fan of the scent. It's not bad, it smells cleanliness and like the saltiness of an ocean. If you like those scents I'm sure you'll like it. I prefer sweet and fruity scents so this one isn't my favorite. 

This bottle is 5.75 oz! I lasted me exactly four uses. Which seeing as I exfoliate my legs and arms in summer at least twice a week I feel that's expected.








I have a Snatch-It-Up Sunday post on the "Coconut Lime" Shea Sugar Scrub from Tree Hut, so I have used this one before where I have not used the Love & Toast scrubs before. Keep that in mind.

Pros:

These retail for $ 7.49 at Ulta and you get 18 oz!! I bought this one at the beginning of June and was able to use it up until the last week for July. I used it at least twice a week on my legs and arms. I mean you cannot beat that.

I really love the sugar granulars, they are not too scratchy yet you definitely feel your skin is exfoliated. 

I love the scent. Granted I do love fruity scents! Meanwhile they have a variety of scents to choose from. Also, the scent lingered on my skin almost all day! Not like freshly applied perfume, more like a light body spray you might sense a few times a day. 

Cons:

Unlike the Love & Toast sugar scrub this one does not lather. Before I tried the Love & Toast scrub I probably wouldn't of cared but now that I have I must say I like a good lather.

Water from the shower does tend to get into the container, however you can fix this by closing the lid before you turn the shower on. It's just a little annoying. 

I'm too lazy to look up the ingredients on this one so I can't be sure, but they do not state if this guy is paraben free, etc. 

Comments:
I don't care much for the ingredients. I don't have sensitive skin, so really that does not bother me much. 






Which one do I prefer?: 

I prefer the Tree Hut Sugar Scrub. I think it works just as well with the same quality sugar granulars. It lasts longer and you cannot beat the price.

I hope you found this helpful. I tried to make this as unbiased as possible. (I might have failed). Which one sounds better to you?


Lots of Love,
Camila




Friday, August 15, 2014

ǝrǒmǝ || CandleBay :: Cruelty-Free Status


Hey guys!
So I have a candle from ǝrǒmǝ, it's the Pecan Pie! 
I saw they have a Peta bunny and so I felt pretty safe buying it and I couldn't find a parent company online so that also gave me comfort. 

Now ǝrǒmǝ is a manufactured by CandleBay and so I contacted CandleBay and asked about their cruelty-free status.

I wanted to learn more about their policy!
I used the template I always use. You can find it here!

Hello, My name is Camila Alvarez. I am the writer for HumanelyChic (humanelychic.blogspot.com), a cruelty-free beauty blog. I am interested in buying from your company but would like to be assured that your products are cruelty-free. I have some questions I would appreciate you address. Please be sure to answer all of them as the answers you provide are very important to both my readers and myself.  
1. Does your company test ingredients or/and finished products on animals?
2. Do you test ingredients or products on animals through a 3rd party? If your answer is no, how do you ensure that your manufacturers do not test? 
3. Do your manufacturers test ingredients or products on animals?
4. Are you owned or affiliated with any companies that test products or ingredients on animals?
5. Do you have a parent company? If so who are they? 
6. Do you/your parent company currently or have plans to market and sell your products in the Chinese market, which requires animal testing by law to sell in that country? 
7. Do you use palm oil/carnuaba wax in any of your products? If so, is it from an organic and sustainable source? 
8. Could you provide a list of all of your current vegan items available for purchase?
Thank you in advance for you cooperation!
I received a reply the following day! Here is what they said. 
Dear Camila,

All of the lines that we manufacture are cruelty-free, NO animal testing of any kind is ever done concerning our products.
Questions 1 thru 6 are answered NO
Question 7 -  We only use plant based, essential oils in our candles and diffusers and
Question 8 - THEREPE, THEREPE LUXE and EROME

Let me know if you want our wholesale information e-mail and what we require to open a wholesale account.

Thank you for your interest,
So yeah guys I would definitely feel safe buying from them! Again, they are PETA certified and so that adds to my ease. I am not being paid to say this but I really like the one candle I have and think you should check out their site! I will have a review showing you the candle I have!

Lots of Love,
Camila




Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Disappointing Products : :




Hey guys!

Just because a product is cruelty-free or 'natural' does not mean it's good. Yes, cruelty-free brands that I really love sometimes come out with a dud product and sadly I've picked up a few of those duds. 
I decided to share them with you so you don't waste your time. Granted, these aren't very expensive products but still why buy something that sucks? 


Wet N' Wild megalast Nail Polish  ::  "A Venice Day"
I did a post of my favorite Summer Nail Polishes and all of them were from the Megalast line. When I saw this bright yellow I was so excited and had to have it!

As you can see below the color isn't as opaque as it appears in the bottle or as vibrant. That's exactly how it applies. To get a good look I had to use at least 3 coats if not more. Which took forever to dry!

I don't plan to toss it so I have been using a white nail polish as a base and then applying the yellow. I do like the look that gives. Still I don't want to work to make my nail polish look like it supposed to look! So yeah don't waste time!


Physicians Formula :: Glow & Mood Boosting Lipstick in ' I <3 Nude'
I got this lipstick with a Happy Booster bronzer and blush duo for like $3.99. Which is such a steal that I am glad I didn't pay full price for lipstick. I am beyond disappointed! (So dramatic! lol ).
In all seriousness I really hate this one. 
In the picture below you can see that it got smudged! Which is really all my fault however it happened because the lid doesn't fit well! It's very loose and I used too much strength (Super Woman) and yikes... 

The product itself is very melty and so streaky! (See Picture). 

I can't imagine what would happen if I left this in my bag! 

One good thing, it does have a nice scent! Reminds me of Clinque's "Happy" perfume. 






Wet N' Wild :: Megaslicks Balm Stain in 'Lady and the Vamp'

I really wanted to like this one but I had to come to the conclusion that it's not very good. I love Wet N' Wild but somethings are better than others from their selection! It's not as pigmented as it appears when applied. It's soooo streaky! Also, it smells soo bad! Like legit poop! 
Don't buy it! 




Jordana :: BEST Lash EXTREME Volumizing Mascara 

It's the clumpiest mascara ever! So hard to work with! Granted it's only like $5 but sometimes you get what you pay for! It is very black but other than that it's not worth the headache. I love Jordana but this one is a dud! 





Flower Beauty :: Extreme Measures Lengthening Mascara

I actually reviewed this one and a week after I posed that review it dried out, completely! I only had it for about a month and a half I was so sad! It was around $8 bucks at WalMart and I was mad! I haven't tried too many things from Flower Beauty. I won't judge the other products based on this one mascara. Meanwhile, I want to still try the one in the green tube. I know mascara is only supposed to last about like two months, but still! :( 



I really like the wand! Too bad! 

I hope this was helpful & tell me if you've tried any of these products! I would like to hear (read) your experiences! 

Lots of Love,

Camila






Sunday, August 10, 2014

July Favorites || 2014




Hello guys! 
Ok, so I'm finally keeping my word and posting my July Favorites! I didn't realize how many things I've been loving until I started taking pictures. There are other things I've been loving but I decided to review them separately! This is my first favorites posts, so maybe thats why I felt a need to include so many things! A couple of the things I've mentioned before so I'm sure it won't be a total surprise. 






Eye Shadows: 
While I really love the two palettes I'm featuring here, I must say the eyeshadows I'm about to mention are my most used and loved.

1. Wet N' Wild :: Comfort Zone Palette 
2. Too Faced :: Chocolate Bar Palette
And finally an individual shadow. 
3. Emani :: Champagne 




  As you can tell these shadows are very similar in color. What can I say I've really been loving pinkie-rose-golden shades this summer! They look lovely just by themselves all over the lid. As the days get hotter I really like being able to choose just one eyeshadow that makes me look put together.
They are all great in longevity, pigment, and not creasing.  


Blush & bronzer: 

This past month I'd either wear blush or bronzer. For some reason, possibly the heat, I don't want to wear too many powders on my face. These have been my favorites!

1. Wet N' Wild :: Ticket to Brazil 
It's not a shimmery bronzer, nor is it completely matt. It's more of a satin. The texture is so smooth and it lasts a good while on my face even while I'm sweating. It seems to be the perfect shade for my tan and I've really enjoyed using it. It smells exactly like sunscreen! Which I love. <3

2. e.l.f. Studio:: Mellow Mauve
I've had this blush for a long time. It seems I reach for it when I want a very natural look. It's a lovely mauve shade (as you can tell by the name). It's a pretty pink without being too cool, as I have a warm skin tone and often blueish pinks can be tricky to work. I don't have to worry about blending perfectly when I use this blush. I really love it.

3. e.l.f. Mineral Blush :: Peachy
This shade is perfect if you are going for a bronzed look. This peach shade is very pigmented and more on the red side of he spectrum than. I think this will be gorgeous on tan skin or dark skin tones especially! Which does not mean that fair skin girls can't use it, just be sure to use it sparingly! It does have shimmery bits to it, which is okay in my book. 

 In Natural Lighting 
1. e.l.f. Studio: : Mellow Mauve,  2. e.l.f. Mineral Blush : : Peachy,  3. Wet N' Wild : : Ticket to Brazil


Flash
1. e.l.f. Studio: : Mellow Mauve,  2. e.l.f. Mineral Blush : : Peachy,  3. Wet N' Wild : : Ticket to Brazil



 Lippies :

1. eos : Sweet Mint
I got this guy because blue is my favorite color. I have loved all the eos lip balms I've had in the past and knew I couldn't go wrong. I've had the yellow and pink one and this one is my favorite. It smells great and makes my lips feel fresh! I love applying it on these summery days because it cools me down. 

2. Milani : NaturallyChic
I love this lipstick. It's a mauve pink-berry color. (Sooo many adjectives). It smooth to apply and opaque. On days I want a stain rather than an opaque application I simply sheer it out to get a "my lips but better look". 





Top: e.l.f. Small Stipple Brush
Bottom: Real Techniques :: Pointed Foundation Brush



 I've been using this stipple brush primarily to blend out my concealer. Again, this summer I've been using less products on my face. So on days that my skin looks particularly clear I will use concealer rather than foundation. It's small enough to fit right under my eyes so it's perfect for blending! 



 To blend out my concealer I also use this foundation brush. I use it to get tricky areas like right close to my lower lash line. It's great! In combination with e.l.f.'s stipple brush these two are a dynamic duo!



 Finally! I got these sunnies a few days ago. Technically not during July, but I just had to include them. I really love them! I wish I found them earlier this summer! I have no idea who makes them but I found them at a random fashion store! 


I hope you enjoyed this post!!!! I love you guys & thank you for being so lovely to me always!


Lots of Love,
Camila



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