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Nine best cruelty-free eye make-up products for autumn

Steer clear of animal testing with our pick of the most exciting ethical beauty brands

Tuesday 03 October 2017 12:23 BST

Eyes on the prize: with the range of products available, beauty and ethics can go hand in hand

October’s here, meaning Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas celebrations are just around the corner and it’s time to make sure your make-up bag is party ready.

If, like us, you love making your eyes the focus of attention with colourful shadows, jazzy glitters and statement mascara then look no further, as we’ve compiled a list of hot, new, cruelty-free releases that will make your peepers the talk of the town without harming our four-legged friends in the process.

Thankfully, the number of cruelty-free choices on shelves is rising as new laws come into play and consumers become more conscious. Testing on animals has been banned in the EU for nearly 15 years and the sale of make-up newly tested on animals has been banned in the EU since March 2013, but the issue of China still looms large. The country has a law stating that imported cosmetics must be tested on animals, forcing brands to choose between profit and ethics. Popular cruelty-free brand Nars recently expanded its business into China, much to the anger and disappointment of many of its fans, while many others hide the fact that they test on animals “if required by law” in the small print.

For clarity, most products on this list are certified as cruelty free by a trusted animal rights body such as Cruelty Free International or Peta. In cases where a product does not have a certificate (look for the Leaping Bunny logo when shopping), we asked the brand for a statement confirming that it does not test on animals at any stage of production and that its make-up is not on sale in China. Several came back to us to declare their products not only cruelty free but vegan friendly too, with Superdrug’s B range and M&S’s Autograph eyeliner among them.

Once ethically reassured, we set about testing the quality to ensure that none of the below goodies compromise colour, staying power, comfort or value for money for ethos.

1. Barry M Crown Jewels Metallic Eyeshadow Palette: £6.49, Superdrug

Jewel tones are bang on trend for autumn, making this new palette from high-street favourite Barry M a must-have to bring your make-up bag up to date. It features 10 opulent shades dripping in glitter, from shimmering reds and golds that match the falling leaves to a dazzling sapphire blue, all housed in a beautifully designed flip-top case with a handy mirror for touch-ups en route to the party. The formula is tightly packed enough that you shouldn’t struggle with pesky eyeshadow fallout, but pop some primer on your lids to be sure. Look out for the Meteor Storm (light-reflecting metallics) and Fall in Love (matte, earthy colours) palettes too, but buy this one first as it’s limited edition.

2. Urban Decay Troublemaker Mascara: £19.50, Urban Decay

If you’re in need of a confidence boost, mascaras don’t come much more empowering than this new launch from Urban Decay. Whether its promise to last through “saunas, snowboarding and sex” holds true we can’t say, but we did find it lived up to expectations in taking the volume of our lashes to another level – the custom brush impressively curled, separated and lengthened them as we piled on the intense black pigment, making it look like we’d grown more eyelashes overnight. Best of all and unusually for a heavy mascara, there was no clumping. The formula has been specially designed to stick to your lashes to prevent flaking so be prepared to spend a little longer cleansing before bed, but for a mascara that makes us feel a million dollars despite being less than £20, it’s worth the extra effort. It’s certified by Cruelty Free International and the oil-slick style packaging is so formidably cool you’ll be desperate to show it off in the nightclub loos.

3. Lord & Berry Magnifico: £20, Lord & Berry

If you’ve never tried gel eyeliner before and are wary of ending up with wobbly cat eyes, give this new release from Milanese studio Lord & Berry a go. Its creamy yet lightweight texture helps it glide on smoothly without dragging – giving you a clean, bold line even if you find keeping a steady hand tricky. The travel-friendly pot is tiny but will last you ages as each application uses only a small amount of product, which stays put without fading or flaking off. The finish is a deep black ebony film that dries quickly and resists smudging thanks to the long wearing, adherent qualities of silicone. Be sure to use a pointed eyeliner brush for a precise result any make-up artist would be proud of.

4. High Definition Emerald Palette: £23.50, High Definition

This sparkling eye palette from the beauty brand behind popular salon brow treatment HD Brows is a great choice for going straight from the office to an evening do, thanks to the easily buildable nature of its three classy shades. Try wearing the bronzey Topaz in the day before layering up on the iridescent deep-green Emerald at night to make the whites of your eyes pop and add a sense of drama. Use Quartz – the cream highlighter – in the inner corners of the eye and brow bone for an instant lift that helps hide a hangover the morning after. The amber, copper and platinum palettes would complete your collection. Out early October.

5. B Glitter Pigment Indiego: £4.99, Superdrug

If you’re watching your pennies but craving a new eye product to play with, then this fabulously versatile, vegan-friendly pigment from budget brand B offers you the best bang for your buck. Either dust it onto your eyelids for a delicate sprinkling of colour or add a drop of water to turn it into a highly pigmented liquid eyeliner for flicks. The gun-metal grey of Indiego will complement a smoky eye perfectly and glitter under the Christmas tree lights come party season. Certified by Cruelty Free International with seven other shades available.

6. bareMinerals The Bare Sensuals Ready Eyeshadow: £35, Gorgeous Shop

Rose-tinted eyeshadows have been dominating the catwalk this season, making this gorgeous new palette from bareMinerals a sound investment in the fashion stakes. Each of the 12 elegantly understated shades are silky soft, making them ideal for blending to create numerous looks that best suit your skin tone and eye colour. The formula is packed with moisturising minerals that help calm puffiness and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but rest assured that these benefits do not come at the expense of the colour impact, which is impressively powerful. The included synthetic fibre brush is double ended – sweep on the gentler cream and mauve shadows with the full domed end before using the smaller end to add definition with the richer plums and burgundies. The tutorial leaflet shows you how best to apply the colours and the mirror covers the full inside lid so you can clearly see what you’re doing on the move.

7. Illamasqua Broken Eye Gel in Gold: £19, Illamasqua

Eye make-up is so much more than eyeshadow, as this innovative new product from cult brand Illamasqua proves. Use this gel to adorn eyes and cheekbones with gold glitter that looks like cracked foil as it catches the light, bringing an exciting new dimension to the well-worn metallics trend. Dot it on as accent shimmer, smother your eyelids in it for a show-stealing wow factor or try layering it over eyeshadow – petrol blue works well as a base colour. If your style is more ice queen than Oscar, it also comes in silver, with the full range certified by Peta.

8. Bleach London Small BYO Palette: £8, Cult Beauty

Though best known as a hair salon, Bleach London is branching out into make-up that deserves a spot on your dressing table. Its range is fully vegan and packaged using recycled materials and its “no waste” ethos extends to how it sells its products. Bleach lets you buy empty eyeshadow pans to fill with the colours you want, meaning you don’t end up splashing out on a palette only to leave certain shades untouched. The small box fits nine eyeshadows and the large fits 28, with eyeshadow prices starting at just £3. Simply pick your favourite and pop them into the pan, which is magnetic to hold your selection in place. The shadows themselves come in glitter, metallic and matte finishes in a rainbow of long-lasting hues that transform your eyes into works of art on a shoestring.

9. M&S Autograph Khol Eyeliner: £7.50, M&S

If pencil eyeliners leave your eyes looking red and feeling itchy, try this hypoallergenic kohl number from M&S’s Autograph range. It’s free from the alcohol, parabens and fragrances that can irritate the delicate eye area and uses synthetic wax rather than beeswax, meaning it is suitable for vegans too. The formula is soft enough to make application swift and gentle and blending look natural, but firm enough to stay put without rubbing off at the slightest hint of moisture and not require sharpening after every use. It is certified by Cruelty Free International, available in navy, brown and slate and its price tag is a steal for the quality.

The Verdict: Cruelty-free eye make-up for autumn

Barry M’s Crown Jewels eyeshadow palette is irresistibly pretty and great quality for the price, especially when teamed with our new hero product, Urban Decay’s Troublemaker Mascara. If it’s a day to night staple you’re after, bareMinerals delivers the goods with its earthy Bare Sensuals palette, but we love the DIY approach offered by Bleach London and the bargain fun to be had with Superdrug’s B pigments.