autumn must-haves

Some incredible news happened in California recently. By 2020, the state will no longer sell any beauty products that have been tested on animals! Hopefully, California’s ban will be a catalyst for other states to follow, eventually eradicating animal testing altogether.

A while ago, I vowed to stick to only brands that bill themselves as cruelty-free due to my innate love for living creatures and because of how unnecessary animal testing is. If our beauty products aren’t necessary for own our lives, why should we subject living creatures to a lifetime of pain due to our own vanity? When did that become a necessity? How cruel can humanity be? I encourage everybody to switch to brands that vow to not test on animals and to do more research on the brands they currently use. Some brands say that they don’t test on animals, but then sell to China, a country where it is mandated that any beauty product sold there must be tested on animals first.

In light of the wonderful news about California, I wanted to share some of my must-have beauty products for autumn. I know that it isn’t technically autumn yet, but I do plan to use all of these throughout autumn anyway! All of these brands are cruelty-free, as all beauty products should be.

These two are some of my absolute favorite hair products because not only do they make my hair look fantastic, but they also smell so dreamy. People have been raving about Ouai for a while, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I don’t like to wash my hair often because I have naturally wavy and frizzy hair, so Ouai’s dry shampoo is a life saver. One of my biggest pet peeves for dry shampoo is that it leaves a white residue, but Ouai eliminates that.

Kenra Volume Spray is also another lifesaver for me, especially the day after I’ve styled my hair and it has started to go a little flat. I don’t really use this as a way of holding my curls, but rather to help lift them. I left up areas of my hair and spray the roots, helping give my hair volume. I love that it doesn’t leave my hair hard and crunchy, like normal hairspray, and I love that it smells so wonderful too! I don’t feel like I’m gasping for a bit of fresh air after using it. Granted, you will need to work with it to keep your flyaways in place, but it works wonders for volumizing your flattened hair!

As far as makeup goes, I tend to keep it minimalistic during the week due to time constraints and being so ridiculously tired in the morning. Essence’s Easy 2 Use eyeliner pen and BITE BEAUTY Multistick in Almond are my go-to on those early mornings. The eyeliner pen is quick to apply and leaves the perfect wing that I rarely have to redo (if you do winged liner, you know the struggle). The Multistick is actually one of my favorite beauty products because it has so many different uses in such a small lil’ tube. A real powerhouse of a makeup product, in my opinion.

I feel so alive and put together when I combine these two products, and it is just so simple. Just a quick brush of the Multistick against my cheeks and a few dots on my lips, and I’ve got a rosy glow and a subtle pop to my lips. Slap on a little mascara over the little wing, and I’m ready to face the day!

I cannot tell you enough how insane Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation is. I have never had such a perfect match for my skin…from the color to the coverage to the lack of breakouts…I rave about this foundation to anybody that talks to me about makeup. That being said, it isn’t for all types of skin. It’s a very dry foundation, despite being such a perfect amount of coverage, and won’t feel great on those of you that have dry skin. I had sensitive, combination skin and this works perfectly for it, and I’ve never once had a break out from wearing it all day. It also is such a decent price and has lasted me ages, although I wear foundation once or twice a week, so it won’t be the same for everybody. Finding the right foundation has been a long process, but I don’t think I’ll use anything except this moving forward (unless I want full, stage-ready coverage, then we’ll have to go searching again). Thank you, Rihanna!!!

Moving into my new place was a dream, mostly because I have an actual working bath. I had never been a bath person before this place, but now I take one at least once a week. As somebody that suffers from a severe anxiety disorder, I often get stuck in my own head and forget about reality. I have to find way ways to center myself and come back to Earth, and one of those ways has been taking a bath. I prop my laptop up on my toilet seat, put on a Zoella vlog, and relax. When I’m not feeling bubbles, I use bath salts to soothe my aches and act as an aromatherapy of sorts. Olivia Care’s Apricot Fig Bath Salts is my personal favorite (and not just because the brand has my name). My sister, Hannah, gifted it to me last Christmas and it makes me feel like I’m living in a fairytale. There are small roses inside as well, so when you scatter it in your bath it not only smells heavenly but looks so dreamy!

Saving the best for last here, because these are my absolute favorite beauty products. I literally wear these every single day and will continue to until Winky Lux discontinues them and breaks my heart. Originally, I had owned the Unibrow Universal Eyebrow Pencil and will probably never use another eyebrow pencil ever again. When I needed to repurchase, I came across the Winky Lux Been to the Beach Kit and because it was on sale I couldn’t resist. I cannot tell you enough how life-changing these products are, and how true to the name they are. I put these on (with the highlighter) and feel like I am actually sun-kissed and glowing, even if I’ve been indoors for the past six weeks because my schedule is a nightmare. I truly cannot stress this enough: these are some of the best products I’ve ever had and I love this brand with my whole heart.

If you are interested in any of these products, or actually buy some, after reading this post, let me know in the comments below! I want to read your thoughts on them and see if you love them as much as I do. I hope you guys also choose to make your beauty products cruelty-free since there are so many wonderful brands out there that deserve your money!

Thank you for giving this a read, I hope you enjoyed it!

xx Liv