Guide To Buying Indie

As you may have noticed I buy a lot of indie cosmetics, and since a couple of people have asked about where I find them and such, I thought maybe a guide to purchasing indies would be helpful. I know all the choice and the unknown aspect of buying online can be daunting and overwhelming.

1. Do your research! Find a new indie brand on Etsy? Google the heck out of them. Make sure there aren't any big dramas surrounding the company (I've seen possible toxic ingredients and dangerous sized glitter, products that grew mold, and people never getting their orders among others) and if it's something that bothers you look out for whether they're repackaging (which is basically buying the eyeshadow micas, putting them in a nice pot and reselling them – not mixing their own shades. Whether you take issue with this is personal preference). Read the reviews and make up your own mind. Some places I shop from have had bad reviews (Geek Chic would be one) but I personally have never had any real issues, still I am aware I am buying at my own risk. Don't let this scare you, there are many amazing indie companies out there selling some truly fantastic and unique products, but it's always wise to know what you're getting into. A quick google for “company name” and drama or unsafe or other such keywords should give you a good overview. Other good places to look for info are the Makeup Monstrosity group on facebook and the indiemakeupandmore subreddit (also a good place to look for swatches) who have a massive database of indie brand experiences neatly categorised here
   
2. Look at ingredients and if you have sensitive eyes patch test shadows and be ready to remove as soon as anything happens if you need to. Indie pigments are often made with minerals and sometimes can contain metals or other ingredients which can irritate sensitive eyes, the same as any commercial brand. Be aware that neon pigments are not FDA approved (ie, classed as safe for sale in the states) so it's worth being wary with them and doing extra research into brands in the US which claim to sell those, but they are legally sold here in the UK and I believe in other EU countries so they're not exactly lethal. I believe they have a higher potential to irritate, my main concern about them being sold by US indies would be that they're not supposed to, though I'm aware of a few very reputable US brands that sell neon shadows so as before just do your research and learn a little about the brand/person you're buying from.
   
   
3. Look for swatches (Phyrra, Indie Know and Dark Side of Beauty are my go-to places, but google is your friend). Aside from the whole 'monitor resolution affecting colour' thing, some companies aren't the greatest at taking accurate swatch photos, and it's worth seeing how shadows and blushes would look on your skin tone with the base you own (for example some look very different on primer compared to a sticky base like Pixie Epoxy). They can't always guarantee a perfect result, and some newer or smaller brands might be difficult to find swatches for (for some reason I struggle finding Geek Chic swatches for example) but it's worth a shot.
   

[indie know swatch gallery ]
4. TAT is important! Remember these are usually single-person businesses, often run in their spare time outside of work and other commitments. Make note of the TAT, this is the 'turn around time' and is the number of working days it'll take for your order to be shipped out – not how long it'll take for it to arrive – and seven days is pretty fast for an indie company. Also please be mindful of things such as shipping time and possible customs charges, especially if you're from the UK as most indie companies are based overseas.
   
5. Samples are brilliant. They allow you to try multiple shades for really cheap, can lower shipping costs and they do last a while as they're loose powders. I've not fully used up more than a handful, though I admittedly have over 100 (I have a problem). You can press them if you're not great with loose shadow, there are loads of tutorials on the internet which can guide you through this as it's not something I've ever tried.
   
6. Sticky bases are worth the investment if you like sparkly shadows. Okay, this is more a personal opinion but I really believe sticky bases can be game changers. It has a steep learning curve but I do love my Pixie Epoxy for really bringing out the sparkles in my shadows and holding them in place all day. It may have cost $7, but it's lasted me over a year and it transforms my shadows. There's also Darling Girl's Glitter Glue, which I plan to try soon, and a few others. You can usually get samples and see what works best for you.

There are literally hundreds of indie companies out there now, both big established ones like Sugarpill and Fyrinnae, and the tiny startups on Etsy (and I'm dying to try out some of those when I've whittled down my collection a little/my willpower totally caves). The brands I have purchased from with no real issues are:

• Victorian Disco
• Shiro Cosmetics
• Geek Chic Cosmetics (others have had issues, I never have but please be aware of this). 
• Darling Girl Cosmetics
• Innocent + Twisted Alchemy
• FemmeFatale (their duochromes are to die for) 
• Fyrinnae (though be aware they can be a pain to order from, as the site is often down/cart closed, worth persevering for Pixie Epoxy and the Arcane Magic line) 
• Black Rose Minerals

You can see all my indie swatches listed here (or browse through my swatches tag )

Would anyone be interested in a continuation of this series focusing on brands I have bought from and my favourite products and pros/cons of them?

Earth Day Makeup (& First Tutorial!)

Hey look, it's my first ever attempt at an actual makeup tutorial. I'm not sure how well this worked, but if you like it and you'd like more please do let me know!

1. Start with a primed eyelid. I used Benefit's Stay Don't Stray. I also have my eyebrows drawn in, just because looking at them without whilst editing photos would have driven me mad, I usually leave them until the end just in case.

2. Apply a bright green all over the lid. This is Innocent + Twisted Alchemy No Fairytale, I used a large flat eyeshadow brush to cover the entire lid with colour.

3. On the inner corner and crease apply a dark forest green, this is Black Rose Minerals Spike applied with a slightly smaller and softer brush to prevent any harsh lines.

4. On the outer corner I applied a brown with a green shift. This one is Slugs from Victorian Disco Cosmetics, which I believe is the same shade as I used for my brows. I used the edge of the brush to get the line straight, though you can always use the tape method for true neatness. This is also where I blend everything.

5. Add a line of the dark green on the lower lashline as well. Again this is Spike, drawn out past the corner of my eye to give it a bit of interest.

6. Blue liner. For this I used Geek Chic Little Albatross for the inner half and Black Rose Minerals Annabele Lee for the outer wing, mixed with a small amount of ELF Lock and Seal and applied with a fine brush (an old art detailing brush), mostly because I am obsessed with gradient liner right now and all my bright and coloured liner is done using loose pigments.

7. Finally, mascara! And any additional touch ups you want to do to complete the look (for example making sure the blending is done and here is where I would normally do my brows).

DIY Plugs

This is probably not relevant to anyone, but I wanted to share some pretties. If you did happen to want to do this, I wouldn't recommend wearing anything like this for anything less than totally healed ears. And I would say please take these out at the end of the day (neither acrylics nor nail varnish are the greatest things for piercings, though the varnish wouldn't really be in your ear). This is a brilliant way to have plugs in colours you possibly couldn't get elsewhere for very little cost. The plugs I use for these are just standard clear double flared acrylics.

This ensures there's no dust, debris or other crud on the surface you want to paint.

Remember that your first layer of paint is the top layer of the colours. For this I used a 17 glitter top coat, with mid-sized holographic glitter in it.

 This is the Collection Sparkle top coat, a very fine shimmer polish.

This is Rimmel Black Cherry. I chose a dark polish to help the sparkles stand out.

The finished product!