These 2 makeup brands are cruelty-free and fit all budgets

Beauty and personal care are more than just an aisle at a nearby Walgreens, Rite Aid, grocery store, and elsewhere. The industry shows no signs of ever stopping according to Statista reports, despite the dip in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brands like Wet n Wild stamp the ''cruelty-free'' label on their products but here are two more cruelty-free makeup brands:

M2U NYC

Kicking off is a cosmetic brand tagline that reminds new and returning customers that the products are skin-infused and simple to apply. The price of each item ranges from $8-20 and the makeup kits are $40-42 plus an additional sales tax.

M2U NYC eye crayon is not bad in comparison to others, but their Luminizer might not be for everyone (if you like to have that glossy shine?). Perhaps M2U NYC Luminizer is another placement of the powder bronzer. As someone who is not big on wearing any such lip gloss or lipstick, M2U NYC lip gloss is not too bad, but their mascara adds length where it is not necessary to wear the eye crayon or eyeliner.

We recommend the liquid blush which is less messy to apply to the cheeks and is a replacement for the powder blush.

Cheekbone Beauty

Founded in January 2015, Cheekbone Beauty founder Jenn Harper expressed in the About tab of Cheekbone Beauty's website: "Representation saves lives. This is the core of Cheekbone Beauty." The site's description stated how the brand was born after Harper returned to her roots and began to create space in the beauty industry.

As someone who grew up purchasing drugstore or generic makeup brands, Cheekbone Beauty has a wide selection of items ranging from $22-34 where the kit is $125 in additional sales tax. Cheekbone has a high price market for each of its items in comparison to M2U NYC. We recommend the Cheekbone Beauty Eyeshadow and Eyeliner pencil.

Overall, M2U NYC and Cheekbone Beauty stand out in their own right, especially as cruelty-free makeup brands.