Welcome!

Welcome to Beautifully Vegan, a vegan beauty, fashion, and lifestyle blog.  Here I will blog about cruelty-free vegan makeup and cosmetics, bath and beauty products, fashion, and everything about living a compassionate life.

Why Beautifully Vegan?
I have been vegan since March 2008, and it is much more than just a diet-- veganism is about an entire lifestyle.  Not only do I not consume any animal products or by-products, I also do not use, wear, or consume any products that have been tested on animals or contain any animal products or by-products.

Makeup has been one of my passions since I was a young teenager.  I love makeup!  I love how I can use it to create different looks, and how I can transform myself with just some lipstick.  I love the colors, textures, everything.  When I became vegetarian in 2000, I started learning more about animal testing, and I gradually phased out use of all non-cruelty-free products.  As I learned more about veganism, I realized that it wasn't enough simply to not eat meat and not use products tested on animals-- I had to stop using all animal products altogether.  Drinking milk and eating cheese and eggs still cause animal suffering.  Using cosmetic products that contain animal-derived ingredients (some common ones are lanolin, beeswax, honey, silk, and carmine) causes animal suffering.  If I want to make a positive difference in this world and a positive change for the animals, I knew I had to stop using and consuming all animal products.  So I did.

I am not saying that I am a perfect vegan.  In fact, I don't believe there is such a thing as a "perfect vegan."  I do think that we vegans try our best on a daily basis to be the best vegans we can be.  We are human, and we all make mistakes.   I have made mistakes.  I've purchased cosmetics, under the impression that they were vegan, only to discover they contained beeswax or carmine or lanolin.  Do I get discouraged and frustrated?  Sure!  But I learn from those experiences.  I'm always trying to be a better vegan.  I think too many people get caught up in the idea of absolute vegan perfection and beat themselves up when mistakes happen.  As long as we keep in mind that we are doing this for the animals, we just learn from those experiences and strive to be better.

On my blog, I plan to write about many varied beauty topics, such as: profiles of cruelty-free/vegan companies, lists of vegan products, some of my favorite vegan cosmetic items, what's in my [vegan] shower, purse, makeup bag, etc.  I have started a YouTube channel, which I will integrate with my blog and where I will upload haul videos, reviews, and other things.  I hope that this blog will serve to enlighten those who aren't yet vegan and show that we're not like the vegan stereotype of a grouchy hippie who just eats sticks and lettuce-- I'm actually a pretty normal person!   I also hope that other vegans will read and contribute to the blog.  I know that a vegan makeup blog is a pretty niche topic, but it's something that I'm passionate about and I don't think there are enough resources out there for beauty-minded cruelty-free compassionistas.

I've been wanting to create a vegan beauty blog for awhile now, and I'm very excited that this is underway.  I hope you enjoy reading, and please feel free to get in touch with me anytime.   Have a beautiful day!