Holiday gift guide: last-minute gifts for the Vegan in your life

Some may find the Vegans in their lives difficult to buy for, but I enjoy giving Vegan products because they're usually made from amazing botanicals that are great for the skin.  Plus I sleep a little easier at night knowing that I'm supporting brands that don't do animal testing.

Sprout Beauty- New York beauty insiders are sometimes reluctant to reveal their best kept secrets, like the Brooklyn-based Sprout Beauty organic skincare line.  But alas, the secret is out on this brand.  I'm particularly obsessed with their Cream ($32) that can be used on the face or the body, that is made with Fair Trade Shea Butter from Ghana, extra-virgin Coconut Oil, and extra-virgin Olive Oil.

That is the mother of all Sprout products, followed closely by the moisturizing (and inexpensive at $12!) Makeup Remover made of Sweet Almond Oil, extra-virgin Olive Oil, and Jojoba Oil.  These products smell incredible because of the natural ingredients, but they actually work.  Oh, and I love the re-usable glass bottles!

Too Faced makeup brushes- These brushes are cruelty-free because they are made of "Teddy Bear Hair", aka high-quality synthetic Taklon fibers rather than the animal hair you so often find in makeup brushes.  Most people don't even realize that their makeup brushes are made from animal hair... I know I didn't until I became a makeup artist and learned the hard way that 1/2 the brushes I owned were real hair.  Needless to say I had some major purging to do of my brush collection, but now my new collection has a TON of Too Faced brushes.  They're affordable, completely cruelty-free, and they're pink!  I'm completely obsessed.
The Essential 3-piece set ($39) has all you need to create a perfect eye look.

The Professional 5-piece set is a total steal at $65.

Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist ($22)- There are a ton of fantastic Juice Beauty products that are vegan, organic, and free of parabens/pesticides/sulfates, but I happen to love the Hydrating Mist as a stocking stuffer (or a gift for myself).  This purse-sized gem smells incredible and is packed with ingredients like grapeseed oil, Ylang Ylang, and rosehip.  This is great for after a workout or if, like mine, your apartment is uncontrollably hot during the winter, stripping your skin of moisture.

Jason Natural holiday gift sets ($8.95)- I'm a long-time fan of the Jason Natural line (I'm totally hooked on their Ester-C skincare line, but more on that later).  They are affordable, effective, natural, sustainable, AND they don't use any animal by-products.  I always look forward to seeing what flavors they come out with for holiday, and this year they have a body wash/body sponge gift set in Orange Clove or Frosted Plum. The body wash is, of course, natural and great for your skin, while the sponge is made of 100% recycled material.  I love their sustainability efforts and continue to believe in this brand.  I guess it doesn't hurt that their products smell delicious!

Sunday Riley makeup line- I'm so excited about this launch! (So excited in fact that I wrote about it here already).   Every makeup artist kind of secretly obsesses over Diane Kendal, who's done the makeup at like EVERY important runway show, so the fact that she consulted with Sunday Riley on creating this line makes me want to go buy it right this minute.  But beyond that, they use high-end botanical ingredients in their skincare and makeup line that make the products highly effective, but safe for sensitive skin.  The makeup line is pretty wallet-friendly with eye shadows at $26, blush at $30, and powders at $40-$45.  You can find the line on Barneys.com.