What's in my Bag? || 30 Day Challenge :)

Hey guys! I'm back with the 30 Day Challenge. I'm excited to be back. I have very much failed this challenge but I really want to continue with it. I like all the questions!

I'm sorry for the lack of content lately. I've had some life things pop-up recently. Nothing bad I'm lucky that it's all good news but it's also very stressful. 

So here's "Day 9", What's in Your Bag/Wallet.  

***I do have some non-CF things. They are all things I got before I went CF or gifts.  I thought of not sharing said things but I have nothing to hide. I just want to be real with you guys. 

I got this bag in a store called dd's discount. It's a store very much like a Ross or a Marshalls. 

I think it was under $15.00 bucks. 

I think it's very much perfect for summer! 

As you can tell I use this bag A LOT. 

It's SUCH a sunny day today! I really wanted to take the pictures outside! 

These are the main things inside my bag.

1. I have a makeup bag from Victoria Secret. Yes, VS is not cruelty-free. I got it as a gift from my grandma. 

2. The little purple bag with flowers was a gift from my dad's cousin who lives in Colombia.

It's from a brand called "Raquira".

3. The sunnies are Ray-Ban styled from Hello Kitty.

3. I don't usually carry a book, I have it because I was in LA yesterday. I took the train and I thought I'd be fun to start a new book on the journey. 

The book is Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin. 

As it turns out I didn't start it. LOL 

4. The wallet is actually my mom's. I "borrowed" it. LOL. I can't find a specific brand on it.

In the VS bag. I have:

1. My NYX Face Powder :( It makes me so sad looking at it. 

2. A Milani & Jordana lipstick. 

3. The Real Techniques Contour Brush. I love it for powder application. 

4. A Gospel Track!

5. A Nail File

6. My Key. That's right not Keys. KEY!

7. Eye phones

8. a random non-CF lipgloss.

9. Flash Cards 

10. A flower pin 

Inside this little bag I try to keep all my lipsticks. It's definitely too small for the job, but I don't mind.

I have a lot of elf lippies. I do have one from Revlon. I got it before I went CF. 

Here are swatches of all the lippies I found in my bag. At least the ones that are Cruelty-Free.

I really like this wallet. It's very simple. I think it's elegant. 

Here are the mountain of cards I have. I have my credit cards, my member cards, etc. Also, my ID. lol. My Face. 

Here is where I store my imaginary money. JK. I had some coins in here but they all went flying inside my purse. UGH!!!! 

Here's the book I was telling you about.

Here are things I found flying inside my bag. 

I have a few packets of honey.

A band aid from Despicable Me which my sister gave me.

A pen and a pencil.

Some eyedrops. 

A Yogurtland gift card.

Some swabs.

Some bobby-pins.

& a Flash Drive. 

A lotion from Bath ad Body Works which again I got as a gift. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. It's nothing very glamorous but it's what I carry around in there! lol I also later found a Taco Bell green sauce! It's actually really good!

Lots of Love,

Camila

facebook | twitter | instagram | bloglovin'

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

facebook | twitter | instagram | bloglovin'

CoverGirl, Almay, Dolce and Gabbana Fragrances, Pantene, Secret, Venus, etc.. P and G companies

      I've been trying to get through most well-known "drug-store" companies. I realized, that I'm missing CoverGirl, which is probably the most well-known of them all. Therefore, I started to look into them.

      I was surprised when the 'search', in my research proved short lived. I clicked on the "Contact Us" link, located on the lower right side of the CoverGirl homepage. I was then lead to a page, with three subheading. I clicked on the first, "Email Us." Instead of going to the email use header, I decided to check out their 'frequently asked' section. ( click here, to be linked there directly). I typed in "animals".                                                                

There I found the following:

"What is CoverGirl's policy about research involving animals?

P&G, maker of CoverGirl cosmetics, does not test beauty products on animals; nor do we ask suppliers to test them on our behalf. We do not test beauty ingredients on animals, except in rare cases when needed to meet regulatory or safety obligations. For more information on our full policy, visit http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/point_of_view/animal_welfare.shtml "

      I Could already tell, from the "except in rare cases...", what I would find on the link provided to the P&G website.

Note: In case you are not aware, P&G is the company behind many household care items. (i.e. Bounty,   Mr. Clean, Pampers, Dawn) (click here for the entire list). 

      I realize that on this blog, I only focus on beauty related companies. However, I'm sure most of you would appreciate knowing that P&G is also behind those companies. 

   

    I found it surprising that they are also behind, MANY cosmetic/beauty companies. Here just a few of the better known ones: Always, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Pantene, Gillette, Venus, Tampax, etc. (Click  here to see them all) 

Back to what I found on the P&G wesbite. 

"Sometimes, to ensure that materials are safe and effective, we must conduct research that involves animals. This is a last resort. We consider such research only after every other reasonable option has been exhausted. The vast majority of our tests do not use animals and our ultimate goal is to completely eliminate animal testing. P&G firmly believes that ending animal research is beneficial for consumers, animal welfare, and industry. Wherever possible, we use computer models, synthetic materials, clinical studies, published scientific studies, and comments from consumers about products they use. P&G's product lines are diverse. We sell more than 250 brands. These brands are subject to different legal/regulatory oversight. As a result, our Animal Research policy for the Health Care business is similar to, but distinct from our policy for consumer products such as cosmetics and cleaning products. We are also committed to helping pets live better and longer lives, and our nutritional research programs for pets are designed to do just that. This represents a third area in which we have a policy to guide our development of nutritional programs specifically for cats and dogs. Today, more than 99% of our safety assessments are accomplished without the use of additional safety testing with animals. We reapply existing information and make extensive use of non-animal methods to determine safety. P&G is working with many partners and lawmakers globally to continue to advance science and technology in this area. P&G is well known for leadership in developing alternatives to animal tests, investing more than $275 million and developing or adapting more than 50 alternative methods. Many of these methods are not only faster than corresponding methods using animals, they are also more predictive of environmental or health effects.We are committed to continuing our leadership in developing non-animal alternatives, and our goal is to ultimately eliminate all animal research." ( P&G.com) 

      I think it's funny, laughable you might say, how they ramble on about "[believing] that ending animal research is beneficial for consumers, animal welfare, and industry." 

      

       Yet, they keep implementing it. I don't care how many times they say "we must conduct animal testing" to ensure the safety of our costumers blah blah blah!!! I know, that the only reason they continue to conduct animal testing is because of China's policy.

       

      If you are unaware, China requires cosmetic companies to conduct animal testing before they can sell in the country. 

      

      I think, and am sure most of you will agree, that the real reason companies like P&G, Estee Lauder, L'oreal Paris, MAC, Revlon, Maybelline, etc... continue to conduct animal testing, especially since we now have so many alternatives, is the profit or $$$. 

       Like I've mentioned before. The people behind these companies are not unaware of the 1.37 billion people living in China and what that means for their pockets! (http://www.statisticbrain.com/china-country-statistics/) 

So there you have it. I can't say I'm surprised at all by this. Definitely annoyed at their attempt to keep their "saintly" image. I wonder how 'saintly' they would seem, if they allowed us to enter their torture labs. 

Let me know what you think. By either commenting below or emailing me at ca.alva@yahoo.com. 

      I've been busying trying to contact SleekMakeup, Mally, etc from my list. By the way, if you are interested in looking at the list of cruelty-free companies I've gather, I have a post of each of them with my research, click here. Or you can look at the upper-left hand corner of my blog, where I will have my list linked, as well as Leaping Bunny's list, & PETA's list. 

      I would also appreciate if you would let me know which companies you want me to research. I can't guarantee I'll be able to get back to you guys with a post in a matter of days, but I will defiantly start.  

--Camila A. ☼

Mally Beauty

April 23, 2013 UPDATE: Still haven're received a formal reply from Mally. :(
Will keep you posted. 

Hey guys.

       So, I've been really horribly unsuccessful in receiving quick replies from companies! It's really frustrating, so I decided to take manners into my own hands. I've been going to companies web pages and looking at their "FAQ" pages, as they are commonly known. 

      Don't worry!!! I'm still contacting these companies, but I figured it would be a good idea to post these, in addition to my correspondences. Like I mentioned previously I like the credibility that comes from personally contacting the companies. 

      However, I still feel like I can trust what it says on these companies web page because these companies would look really bad, if they lied about their cruelty-free status. Trust me. Take PETA who are infamous for checking those kinds of things. The truth always comes out. 

     So, please be patient with me. I'm working hard!

     For now, lets look at what it says on Mally's Beauty web page, about their "tested on animals" status. 

MallyBeauty.com(Click picture to go to site) 

      

I was surprised by the humble, quirky answer to this question. I often receive, answers that are full of facts but often don't answer the question. Just check out my correspondence with L'Oreal, Maybelline, MAC, & Revlon. I just want an answer, even if the answer is not want I want to hear. I don't want to feel like these companies are testing my vocabulary. Hopefully, that makes sense. 

     I feel this answer, from Mally Beauty is trustworthy because they get right to it. I like how, they mention Mally's personal philosophy, "She always says, tested on celebrities, not on animals." I wish all companies would take on that approach. 

         So far, I would feel safe purchasing from Mally. I will however, keep you updated when they reply to me. 
UPDATE: Dec. 29, 2013*** I know I said I would feel safe purchasing from Mally, but the more I've learned about animal testing makes me very spectacle when companies don't address animal testing questions. I would NOT purchase from them until they address my questions & if they meet the criteria I look for. 

       Mally, is usually only found on QVC or on their website. I've never seen her products in a sephora or Ulta. According to their FAQ page, they are not sold in China. 

 -So what do you think? Let me know your honest opinion below. 
-Also, I would appreciate it if you would subscribe. Just look for the subscriber box, to the left. -----> 
It would make me really happy!!! <3 <3 <3 


--Camila A. ☼

L'Oreal Official Correspondence

Hey guys.
So I finally received a reply from L'oreal. To be honest, I think the reason it took so long to receive a reply was my fault. I later realized I had emailed the wrong department. Opps. The important thing is that I finally received a reply from them. 



Here it is: 

My email to L'oreal:

"December 18, 2012

The safety of our consumers is our highest priority at L'Oréal Paris, a division of L'Oréal USA, Inc. Our products and ingredients undergo extensive screening so that consumers may purchase and use our products with complete confidence.

L'Oréal is a leader in developing alternative methods to animal testing with the ultimate goal of eliminating all animal testing completely. In 1989, L'Oréal voluntarily stopped using animal testing for the evaluation of its entire range of finished products. The company has invested $800 million over the last 25 years to develop innovative, alternative methods to animal testing, particularly in the area of reconstructed tissue development. We are totally committed to a future without tests on animals.

To learn more about L'Oréal's work in the area of alternative methods to animal testing, please visit our Sustainability website athttp://www.sustainabledevelopment.loreal.com/research-innovation/focus-on-predictive-evaluation/a-new-generation-of-predictive-evaluation-methods.aspx.

We appreciate your interest in L'Oréal Paris and we hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

[I don't feel right sharing the name of the person who replied to me]

Consumer Affairs Advisor

Ref # 6785402 "

      As you can see my suspicions were pretty accurate. Like I have mentioned before companies that mention they are committed to "a future without animal testing", are just evading the question. Whenever you hear that from a company it basically mean: WE CONDUCT ANIMAL TESTING. I am however, confused that according to my correspondence, in 1989 "L'Oreal voluntarily stopped using animal testing for the evaluation of its entire range..." I don't understand why a company would initiate an end to animal testing, yet continue to conduct animal testing. My opinion is that it has to due to China's obligatory animal testing law. Remember, there are  1.3 billion people in China, that is a gigantic market and companies like L'Oreal are not stupid. They know what that means to their pockets. Oh, money how you can rid us of our humanity! 

     Its weird to me that so many replies I receive from companies that do conduct animal testing are so similar. For example my correspondence with Maybelline, Revlon, & MAC. 

     I don't understand why these companies talk about trying to find "an alternative" to animal testing, when the alternative already exists. Check out Peta's website for an more detail at these methods, where are often "generally faster and less expensive."( Peta's Site)

       I won't go into too many details about these methods, as I am just a regular person who happens to be very passionate about animal cruelty, but I'm by NO means an expert. 

   

       So, if you are switching over to all cruelty-free cosmetics, I applaud you and urge you to STOP buying L'Oreal products. There are other great companies that come out with amazing products and do it with with no animal testing! For example, Physicians Formula, Sonia Kashuk, ELF, NYX, L.A. Colors (I still have to verify, but I'm hopeful), tarte, etc... (Check out my Cruelty-Free list for more). 

     Like I mentioned in my L'Oreal Update post, just a couple of days ago, I DO NOT support companies who have parent companies that test on animals. So I will be adding all the companies I listed from that post, to the NOT CRUELTY FREE section of my cruelty-free list. 

What do you think about all the similar replies I've been receiving from these companies? Have you had a similar experience? Anything you would like to add? Let me know, I really enjoy my comments! Especially since I receive so few. :)

      

--Camila A. ☼

Final Update UrbanDecay

Hey guys. So I emailed UrbanDecay on Friday and received a reply today.

(This is the message I sent them)
"To whom it may concern,

I have recently learned that this company has been bought by industry giants L'oreal. L'oreal is not 100% cruelty-free and I am afraid your policy will change because of this fact. I believe the consumer has the right to know whether a company test on animals. Please respond as soon as possible. I will be sharing any correspondence I receive on: [this blog) . 

-Camila Alvarez "

(This is what I received in reply direct from UrbanDecay)

"Hello,

We want to reassure our customers that although our ownership is changing, our principles have not. L'Oreal is the industry leader in finding alternatives to animal testing. We're excited to have a partner who has made and continues to make important changes in our industry.

Sincerely,

Team UD"

So there you go.

Like I mentioned before I do not support company's who has a parent company that test on animals. I do not support Burt's Bees and Maybelline, Revlon, Mac, etc. I will not be purchasing anything from UrbanDecay and hope this is the last time I type their name on my blog.

I am really curious on your opinion. Let me know.

-Camila Alvarez

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. :) ]