Since I'm getting more into indie makeup brands, I wanted to do a tag to highlight my thoughts about it, as the market for indie brands can be hard to navigate. Perhaps the biggest reason why I am drawn to indie brands is because many indie brands offer a plethora of beautiful and colorful products and most of them are automatically cruelty-free. Also, there's something about supporting a small business that just fills my heart with joy.
So when YouTuber badtothebrow created this tag, I definitely decided to create a blog post on the fly because I am so passionate about this. This tag is a way to draw more attention to indie brands but also give some helpful feedback too. If you love indie brands and have a YouTube channel or some kind of makeup platform, tag you're it!
What does indie mean to you (in terms of hand made, private labeled, or independently owned)?
Well, I think all independent brands to some degree do one of these things. Some of them do all of these things. For example, Coven Kosmetics does private label some products (B'ellegant Cosmetics has a similar palette) but they are independently owned. Clionadh Cosmetics sells hand makes products and are also independently owned.
For me, if a business ran by one person or a small team (independently owned) and doesn't have a huge parent company. I also think that if you can find the brand in a major beauty supplier (Sephora, Ulta, Watsons, etc.), I won't call it an indie brand anymore.
What are your top 3 favorite indie brands?
The reasons I have for liking all of these are pretty straightforward, so I'll let the photos do the talking.
Ace Beaute Cosmetics
Menagerie Cosmetics
Dirty Little Lashes
Which indie brands have disappointed you and why?
Beauty Creations Cosmetics
I don't find them very truthful as a company, and it's not because they dupe products. It's their lashes.
They claim to sell faux mink lashes but there is a lot of inconsistency with their labeling and social media write-up. Here is the packaging of those lashes you see up close:
Very sketchy. I did do a few burn tests to see how the lashes would behave and they didn't burn like synthetic or silk hair, but burned like real hair. Now, that doesn't necessarily make these mink hair. It can also be human hair or horse hair. But still, the labeling is misleading. Anyway, I decided to email customer service about it, and there was this exchange:
I don't feel right calling them trustworthy nor do I want to buy from them anymore because they might have mink lashes. So while I do like the brand owner and do think that their products aren't tested on animals, I personally don't feel comfortable calling them cruelty-free.
Bombshell Cosmetica
While I haven't had any trouble personally, I do acknowledge that the brand has issues with shipping out of orders, being responsive to customer inquiries, and being organized in general. I see a lot of comments on YouTube and Instagram from unhappy customers of the brand and the complaints are always about delivery and the lack of good customer service.
Like for example, my friend ordered a Sour Blast Palette before it was sold out, and somehow, her order got mixed up with someone else's - she ended up with someone's Milkshake Palette. She is in the Philippines and the other person is in Canada. Also, they just released some lashes but there's no info on the website about what those lashes are made of.... I do love their palettes but they need to get it together.
Which indie brands have you not tried yet that you really want to try?
Not gonna go to into detail so I'll just link the website of each of these brands so you'll see why they're on my radar:
If you could own an entire product collection from one brand, what brand would it be?
I want all the palettes from Ace Beaute, their color stories are so nice and I've been watching them grow and get better since 2017. If I had to start my collection all over again, I'd buy everything from Ace Beaute in a heartbeat.
What unique product and/or concept have indie companies brought to the table that big brands have not?
Colorful palettes that are more cool-toned. Sometimes, I really just want a palette full of purples, greens, blues, and cool-toned takes on warm colors. And the following indie brands have done just that:
I don't really see a lot of big brands doing that. But when you look at indie brands, that stuff is EVERYWHERE. It's such a refreshing thing to see.
What are your 3 favorite products that you own from indie brands?
Aiptasia Liquid Lipstick from Menagerie Cosmetics
Well, I love all their liquid lipsticks because the formula is unlike any I've tried. For me, it's like Detail Makeover and BLK Cosmetics made a baby. It has the thickness and last power of the former and the comfort and lack of stickiness of the latter.
My favorite out of the four that I currently own is Aiptasia, just because it's one of the few cool-toned lip colors that don't make me look terribly yellow.
Sour Blast Palette from Bombshell Cosmetica
This was such a fun and inspiring palette to use. I'm kinda sad that it's limited edition because I really like the quality, blendability, and color story of this palette.
I really enjoyed using this palette and loved the looks that I came up with using it:
French 75 Lashes from Dirty Little Lashes
These are some of the most beautiful and lush synthetic false lashes I have ever tried. The band is rather thick but comfortable, the shape complements my eye shape so well, and I find it easy to put on (I don't need to use tweezers).
Highly recommend these if you're looking for nice, vegan lashes.
If you could collaborate with one indie brand, which one would it be, and what would you create?
Definitely would love to work with Pinky Rose or Ace Beaute someday. I'd for sure create a palette and some type of highlighter.
What is one thing you wish indie brands did more of?
I'd like them to be more transparent about their lashes, especially if they are a lash brand. A lot of brands state that they are cruelty-free, and some even say that they are vegan. But when you look at their lashes they either sell mink lashes or don't put any info about the lashes. It's suspicious.
No brand should be exempted from this, Huda Beauty is widely criticized by the CF community but the same should be extended. to some extent, towards smaller brands as well. After all, the lack of exposure lets so many of them get away with it. If you're looking for awesome synthetic lashes, I recommend Dirty Little Lashes or Lavie Lashes.
I especially commend Ace Beaute and Glamlite for phasing out all their mink lashes and replacing all their lashes with synthetic hair. Doing this shows that they listen to their customers and that they are willing to make positive changes as a brand. I hope more indie brands follow in their footsteps too!
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