“I WAS DEFINITELY a NARS bitch,” Erin Gibson says. “I just love their pigments.” But that was before the writer and comedian thought about who was making money off her love of makeup. Spoiler alert—it was straight, white men. “I started looking at [the executives of] Estée Lauder, Revlon, L’Oréal, Covergirl,” she says. “There are no women at the top of these businesses where women should be absolutely running shit.
Begin with basics. “Write down your five essentials, the things you use every day,” Gibson says. “Start by replacing one thing at a time. You don’t need to dump everything in a garbage can and light it on fire.” Enjoy the added benefits. Gibson realized that most female-created products are vegan, cruelty-free, and made with safe, natural ingredients, which isn’t all that surprising. “If part of a man’s existence in the world was to slather their dicks in foundation,” she says, “they would absolutely care about how it got made.”
Do your own research. Gibson’s gone down a lot of rabbit holes to find out who owns what, and even then, it’s not always clear, “unless I call up and I’m like, ‘Hey, I just want to make sure I’m supporting a non-cisgendered-straight-white-male company, can I give you my money?’” she says with a laugh. She suggests exploring on Instagram: “Follow hashtags like #crueltyfreebeauty and work backwards.
Take it easy. Rebuilding a collection of makeup and skincare products is a daunting, expensive task. “The most important thing is just being aware,” she says, “and not necessarily putting pressure on yourself to fix it right away.”“They come in electric blues, electric yellows—really pigmented colors. They’re blowing MAC out of the water.” “Great vegan, cruelty-free mascara.” “This brow filler is A++ and comes in a recyclable, refillable, gorgeous wood container.” “It’s so good.