A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

I have a lot of vegan friends and always have to think twice before I buy them a gift. It’s tricky to remember all the vegan rules, so we asked Beverly Lynn Bennett, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living to break them down for us.

One thing I’ve always wanted to know are the do’s and don’ts of giving beauty gifts. Here’s what we learned from our expert: “Vegan women avoid all animal-based ingredients in their beauty products including honey, beeswax, lanolin, silk protein, gelatin and collagen—even natural sponges and brushes made from animal hair. Instead look for natural, organic, herbal or botanical-based ingredients and synthetic brushes. If this list sounds too daunting, it never hurts to have a conversation about her favorite brands and products.”

So what’s a good choice? Smashbox donates proceeds of their vegan-friendly eye palette to PETA–perfect! If you want to learn more, check out our complete guide of gifts for vegans and vegetarians.