PETA, the organization that started Fur-Free Friday, wants to garner some holiday goodwill not just for animals killed for their fur but for all animals who suffer and die so that people can buy leather boots, animal-tested cosmetics, and memberships to sausage-of-the-month clubs. So this year, for the first time ever, we will celebrate Cruelty-Free Friday, a chance for people who care about animals to promote cruelty-free holiday shopping by attending a demonstration, posting on social-networking sites, and leading by example.

And to give you a head start on the leading-by-example part, here are a few gift finds that look good and do good: All the proceeds go to help PETA save animals.  

Here’s one calendar that makes compassion an everyday occurrence. Each month of the 2014 “Rescued” calendar features the beautiful portrait and heartwarming story of an animal who was rescued.

True beauty comes from within. So not only are women who choose cruelty-free cosmetics darling to animals, they also give themselves a lovely glow. Give the women in your life a gift that’s as pretty and as thoughtful as they are with a “Beauty Without Bunnies” cosmetics bag.

Make the world a sweeter place for animals—and for her. Sweet Anthem handmade perfumes are always cruelty-free and vegan, so they’re as nice to animals as they are to noses.

We all splurge a little during the holidays. But when the treats are vegan, it’s a splurge that you can feel good about. This holiday chocolate box is the right size to give—or to keep.

Go ahead—give cruelty some lip. Take a bite out of animal testing and Old Man Winter the festive way with a stocking-ready three-pack of holiday lip balms.

Make a compassionate statement with these unisex rings. Why are they called “animal” etched rings? Each band has engravings inspired by the Morse code for the word “animal” on the outside and an engraved PETA bunny on the inside.

Classy and cruelty-free is the way to be. He can wear his heart on his chest whether he’s headed to the office or a holiday soirée, with Jaan J.’s elegant nonsilk ties. Each design features an animal pattern that represents a major focus of PETA’s campaigns.

And who could forget our best friends? The “Woof. Walk. Wag.” dog collar will make your pooch want to do all three.

To find a Cruelty-Free Friday demonstration near you, contact PETA’s Action Team. Happy (and humane) holidays!

Written by Michelle Kretzer

The post Get Ready for the First-Ever Cruelty-Free Friday appeared first on Chic Vegan.

So the strange new “snail facial” offered by one Japanese salon seems kind of, well, slimy. The theory is that as the snails roam around a person’s face, their mucus helps to exfoliate and moisturize the skin. But snails need their mucus more than we do: It’s how they protect their feet as they travel. Snails are also nocturnal animals who like it dark and damp. That’s not exactly what they get in a dry plastic box under bright salon lights. And there’s no solid data or science behind the touted snail-slime benefits, not like there is for the exfoliating properties of plant-derived glycolic acid, for example, or the moisturizing benefits of aloe.

And with those, you don’t get snail slime in your hair.

Much more common but equally ridiculous are so-called “fish pedicures.” Nail salons keep Garra rufa fish in tubs of water and starve them so that they are hungry enough to eat the dead skin off patrons’ feet. And since live fish can’t be sanitized, there’s an increased risk of infection. I believe I’ll stick with a nice pumice stone.

Of course, I also prefer that my beauty products not be made from anyone who once moved about independently, either. So I stay away from crushed-snail facial creams, ant body wash, bee-venom masks, and all the other bizarre beauty concoctions of the week. And I like using PETA‘s Beauty Without Bunnies online database to find out which products are and are not tested on animals.

Because every woman loves to feel pretty, and there are few things uglier than being cruel.

Written by Michelle Kretzer

Image courtesy of Flickr

The post Crawling Snails, Biting Fish, and Other Beauty Treatments That Aren’t Pretty appeared first on Chic Vegan.