As a dedicated cruelty free Artist, I spend a lot of time researching lines and products that are truly professional quality to my standard, which encompasses performance, animal friendly status, and good ingredients in order to met my standard of usability. Being in New York City there is an incredibly wide variety in my clientele, so I try to cover all of my bases by stocking my kit with eco friendly, natural based, and/or gluten free makeup. Many fellow artists I am friendly with in online forums (hi y’all!) are blindsided by requests from clients for pro quality gluten free makeup; I get tagged on a lot of those threads looking for answers, so this blog post will list some of the *best gluten free makeup I have used.
(*Some people are dedicated to just a few brands but I am all over the place so forgive me in advance if I don’t have specific alternates for what I use in your preferred brand.)
To me, a cosmetic has good usability if it is able to be used as universally as possible with a wide range of shades, reliable texture and color pay out, and if I know I can use it on a fairly wide swath of people without issue or reaction. I have seen many discussions within the Artist community on the validity of using gluten free makeup go back and forth, but I do personally know people who react topically to products containing gluten (which is found primarily in wheat, barley, and rye and makes its way into beauty products via thickeners and emulsifiers). As a result, I try to include gluten free makeup as part of my regular kit so I don’t have to worry about encountering a client requesting a gluten free makeup application.
One of my holy grail brands. Hourglass is a brand of high end cosmetics that retails at Sephora and does have a pro discount available. Their website pulls up their offerings of gluten free products instantly, and also labels their may vegan products. (swoon.)
I love their Ambient Lighting Powder
Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, which has such a beautiful soft finish.
The range of complexion makeup textures and undertones offered by Cover FX has made them a longtime staple in many kits. The Blotting Powder is a must have for my men’s grooming work, and the Mattifying Primer with Anti-Acne Treatment has been a favorite of mine for the helping mattify grease prone T zones during muggy Northeast summers.
All of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ products are gluten free. Lip tar lovers, rejoice! The pencils, tinted moisturizer, and cosmetic glitters all have permanent places in my kit.
As a pro, flex your color theory knowledge by stocking your kit with their creme products. I am presently obsessed with Creme Colour Concentrates: John Doe for eyes, brows, and contouring while Pleasure Model is great for highlighting; *Grandma mixed in with OCC Skin: Conceal makes a gluten free salmon color correction for dark circles and neat gives a beautiful bright glow to cheeks; olive Cthulhu to help correct redness or tweak a cream foundation shade; the absolute perfect gluten free nude lip and cheek color is OCC’s Trick, hands down.
*On the OCC website, Grandma is not suggested for use around the eye area, but since I mix it into a base and don’t ever use it on bare skin I have not had any averse effect. Use your own discretion.
KETT COSMETICS: The entire line of Kett makeup is gluten free. It is also vegan!
TEMPTU: The entire line of Temptu makeup is gluten free.
RED APPLE LIPSTICK: You might not know about this brand yet, but you should. This little indie brand creates pro quality gluten free makeup with beautiful eyeshadows, hydrating lipsticks, and non sticky glosses with intense pigmentation and wonderful wear. The entire line of Red Apple Lipstick makeup is vegan and gluten free.
I reviewed their amazing gluten free lipgloss in Honey Badger on the blog here.
Favorites: Oh My Guava!, New York, Sweet Pea, and Rebel. I also helped them named this pretty brownish red shade after my favorite city: Barcelona
VISEART: If you are a pro you have heard about this exquisite French brand beloved around the world for their buttery matte eyeshadow palette, which is legendary. The entire line of Viseart makeup is gluten free, cruelty free, and made in small batches in Paris with no parabens, silicone, or mineral oil.
I know, stop drooling.
ANASTASIA OF BEVERLY HILLS: The ever popular Anastasia of BH Brow Gels, Brow Pen, Brow Fix, Dipbrow Pomade, and Anastasia of Beverly Hills Brow Wiz are all gluten free.
FACE ATELIER: Face Atelier Ultra Foundation and Ultra Camouflage Duet Concealer are gluten free.
These are just a few of the many cruelty free and pro quality gluten free makeup staples you’ll find in my kit. I’m sure many of these live in your kit too, so don’t panic when a client asks you for a service with gluten free makeup! Know your ingredients.
More suggestions to come!