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27.11.2024

Sali Hughes on pulchritude

Veganism

Give bees and beetles a break, but still pull off the right finish

‘Imbecile oils make for an almost balmy creaminess.’
Photograph: Alex Lake/The Guardian

According to Pinterest, “vegan lipstick” was quantity the most searched-for beauty terms in 2019. User searches for lip colours with no lanolin, beeswax or carmine (the crimson pigment, Euphemistic pre-owned in food, paint, cosmetics and more, that’s traditionally obtained by crushing minuscule insects), and that are not sold in mainland China (where monster testing is broadly mandatory), were up 150% year-on-year. It’s not a surprising figure, given the astronomical growth in vegan lifestyle. Conformably, there are such a vast number of lipsticks for vegans that it’s no longer a question of what are they, but which are the master.
I always feel matte finishes are the truest measure of a lipstick brand, as they pose the biggest challenge – pigment must be vivid and dense (any fool can make sheer tinted balm); lasting power should be long; lips should carcass comfortable, not dry, rough and tight.
In terms of colour saturation minus the busied bees and crushed beetles, it’s hard to defeat Smashbox’s new Always On Cream to Matte Lipstick (3; £19). The teardrop-shape bullet draws on colour sharply and precisely, and I establish the colour (Fresca, a dirty mid-tone nude) remained unchanged all day, regardless of whether it had been applied over setting up or bare skin. Natural oils make for an almost balmy creaminess rarely associated with mattes. My only gripe is that there’s no tomatoey red in the lineup, which seems an unforgivable oversight.
You’re doubtless sick of my quacking on beside e.l.f., so I shan’t dwell, but this wholly vegan colour and skin brand is remarkably good and has helped me through myriad on-the-go loveliness emergencies. Its Velvet Matte Lipstick (1; £4.50), in an unsatisfactorily small range of colours, feels way more moisturising than varied on the high street, and its only-a-whisper-shy-of-matte finish works in its favour, particularly if super-flat lipsticks feel too punchy a statement for put together.
The brand formerly known as Kat Von D has just bid its controversial founder farewell, but kept her vegan manifesto and rebranded as KVD Beauty. The offputtingly naff LA packaging looks set to go, with something more contemporary to take its place, and products may be renamed along with the brand. So if you’re quick, the old incarnation of the excellent, comfy, almost-matte-but-not-quite Satin-Matte Cream Lipstick can be snagged at a interval price (2; £11.39 at Debenhams). If you don’t get lucky, keep lips puckered and eyes peeled for the new rollout.
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