I'm Cruelty Free! What happens now?

Now for something really a little different from me...

After many months of quietly reflecting, researching and redirecting my beauty spending I can finally come out and say that I am now officially a cruelty free beauty blogger! Yay! I'm mentally jumping for joy telling you right now, you lovely people out there! 

Why did I do it? What does it mean for this space? Well, let me try and address all your questions by answering the ones that come to mind and that I obviously asked myself along the way.  I've jotted down a few things so I'll tackle this as a little Q & A session. Of course I'm sure I haven't thought of all the questions so if you want to ask anything I haven't covered then please feel free to ask in the comments!

Why did I decide to go cruelty free?

It's probably been in the back of mind longer than I realised actually.  The fact is, whenever I knew a brand or product was cruelty free that was always a selling point for me and I've also made a point of mentioning where products I've reviewed on the blog are cruelty free.  What really tipped me over the edge was when I read last year that my Canadian beauty blogger friend Maggie was undergoing a major downsize of her collection and transitioning to cruelty free, and that made me realize I could do it too. Simple reasons like me loving my pets and feeling a bit hypocritical about buying products that had been tested on animals made me think I needed to get serious about it for myself, and not just pay lip service to it.  I don't know that I'm articulating myself all that well but take it that I am sincere in my motivation.

How long has it taken me to transition to cruelty free?

Once I made the decision in the middle of last year I allowed myself until the end of the year - 6 to 7 months - to really make it happen.  Firstly, I wanted to make sure that I was being sincere and could overcome my own impulses to buy from all the pretty new collections without a second thought and I found that mostly it didn't take me too long to change my mindset.  Secondly, I spent a lot of time seeking out the information, mostly from other blogs, YouTube channels and Instagram - almost the whole of social media basically - and Googling brands like crazy to find out their CF status.  I also had to formulate my own position and where I stand on this subject exactly compared to the range of opinions and stances out there.  All of this takes time, and apart from telling a few trusted people I didn't want to share this transition widely until I was ready and sure of myself because I know there can be some controversy where there is a difference of opinion.  

Has the transition been difficult?  Have I fallen off the wagon?

Yes and no.  I was resolute in what I was going to do but there are difficulties in getting through the 'doublespeak' as I've found out that not all brands are entirely forthcoming about their true CF status. Yes, there has been some temptation along the way too.  I did fall off the wagon twice in the past 6 months where I quietly bought a Tom Ford matte lipstick (and felt so ashamed that I've not shared that little slip until now!) and when I not so quietly bought a Laura Mercier palette late last year, although I told myself  "That's the last time!" after that happened.  I have also made some genuinely accidental purchases from natural brands I'd assumed to be CF without checking first - I'll share that in a future post I think - and that mistake taught me to be a lot more deliberate in my purchasing and to do my research first!

Will I purchase from CF brands where their parent company is not CF?

This is where I have to justify my position when I say yes I will.  Call me an idealist here but by me - and others - choosing to spend money on the parent companies' CF brands only, I believe there is a message being sent. The ultimate goal would be a parent company's CF brands outselling non-CF brands and therefore delivering a very clear message to the parent company of where the profit should be coming from.  That means Urban Decay is not off limits! 

Will I be getting rid of non-CF items in my collection?

No. I believe that would be more offensive to the animals' suffering than me buying the products in the first place.

Will I be featuring any non-CF items in this blog?

I will not be reviewing any more non-CF brands here as I am no longer accepting non-CF products from PR companies. I will however continue to feature non-CF products in my empties posts as I get through them (I'll highlight the CF products as I did in my last empties post).  I may even be reaching out to you for suggestions on the best CF alternatives for some of the empties along the way!

Am I going to become vegetarian or vegan?

If I could do so easily I would.  I have a diagnosed B12 deficiency due to absorption issues so under my doctor's instructions I have to eat red meat and top up with supplements to maintain normal levels.

Will I still welcome non-CF visitors to this blog?

This is a silly question, but then again there's no such thing as a silly question so I'll address it sensibly by saying - OF COURSE!  All of my friends are still my friends regardless! I am not one to preach or judge.  If anything my goal here is to be accountable to myself and you all, to lead by example and perhaps even educate as I become more informed on the CF subject.  If you want to make the transition too then that's fantastic and if you're happy being as you are that's fine too.  I'm very much a live and let live person!

Until next time!  I hope you stick around for the journey!