All posts tagged: independent makeup brands

Sample Stash Sunday: Darling Girl Cosmetics

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I don’t know what happened, but I went sampler-crazy in January. There were a lot more brands I wanted to try but didn’t get to (i.e. Fyrinnae, Black Rose Minerals, Aromaleigh, etc) because they don’t ship to the Philippines. However, I have had my fill of indies for now, I think. (I’m still expecting parcels from Victorian Disco, Notoriously Morbid and Hello Waffle… So yes. I have a problem.) Aside from all of that, though, I picked up a 10-sampler pack from Darling Girl Cosmetics. It’s one of the indie brands that I hear frequently, so I thought it might be a safe place to start. They have quite an extensive collection of collections (lol), including an all-matte one called MILF or Matte I’d Like to Find. I love their musically-named ones, too. Here’s what I ended up getting: And somehow, I ended up receiving one more sample baggie and this GWP: Swatched, L-R: Vicar in a Tutu, Saddle Up, Heaving Bosom, Between the Sheets, Naughty Bits, Bodice Ripper, Tainted Love, Miss Argentina, Pirate’s Booty, …

Random Bits from Oslo Cosmetics: Eye Bond Primer Wand and Lip Slick

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I usually ease myself into indie brands by getting their powder products. I feel like it’s kind of hard to mess up loose eyeshadows or blushes. After a spectacular experience with Oslo’s blushes and eyeshadows, I thought it would be fun to venture into their other offerings, so I got a Lip Slick and their eye primer. I got the Lip Slick mini in Hibiscus. It’s a pretty peachy pink that I felt looked a lot like MAC’s Betty Bright. It’s a bit pinker than Betty Bright, but it’s still a rather pretty color, IMO.

Psst, Your Hoarder is Showing: Stuff I Got from Geek Chic Cosmetics

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Oops. Someone went a little overboard. I bought a total of 28 eyeshadows from Geek Chic Cosmetics. They’re an indie company that appeals to the geek in me. Much like Shiro Cosmetics (which I love, as you already know), Geek Chic makes collections based on geekery like Harry Potter and Doctor Who. A number of indies actually base their collections of of movies and shows, but Geek Chic’s selection is pretty extensive. So this is what happened, heh. I ordered 27 samples, and they came in clamshells like this. A lot of people hate this packaging and I can see why. It’s tricky to open (I just do it carefully, securing the ‘base’ half firmly on the table and opening the top half carefully) and also tricky to use since the lid tends to close on itself. When you close, you leave behind a puff of product. It’s alright, though. I can live with it. For swatches, I’ve divided everything by collection and in parts. I hope this makes things easier to find on the …

A Selection of Makeup Bits from Glory Boon

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Hey all! Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been testing many things (they all kind of arrived at the same time…) so I have a lot of drafts in place, but only one face to test everything on, so it’s been quite a weird past few days. I’ve also been out of the house most of the time (there’s an Art Fair going on in Manila now—though today is the last day—and I’m there for a few hours everyday). Anyway. I was looking for indie companies on Etsy to support and I found my way to Glory Boon, which seems to be one of the more successful and visible ones (correct me if I’m wrong?). They have quite a bit of skin care stuff so I wanted to try those out, too. For the makeup bits, I got eyeshadow (predictably), concealer (because it seems to be their bestseller), a lip butter/gloss. I feel predictable, but here, I bought the Chicka Chicka eyeshadow, since it looked good for everyday, like a warm & bright …

Oslo Cosmetics Part II feat. Pyxis, Lyra, Equinox, Orphicus, Ara and Noctem

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This is the review of the second batch of Oslo Cosmetics eyeshadows that I got from my first order. Read the first part here. Like I said in that review, Oslo Cosmetics has been my favorite loose eyeshadow formula thus far. I haven’t tried an extensive amount—just four brands so far—but these are really something else. Pyxis and Lyra This is the look I did for EOTD: Radiant Orchid and it features Pyxis, a beautiful pale pink on the inner 2/3 of the lid, and Lyra on the outer third of the lid. I’m not used to very cool tones on my eyes, but I enjoyed wearing this almost-silver color. Lyra, on the other hand, is a beautiful blackened plum. I noticed in the swatch that it kind of faded into black at the edges (almost a ring around the purple-y swatch), and it looks as though it’s a very opaque purple sheen over a black base. For this look, I really had to pat on Lyra with a finger after blending a first layer …

Oslo Cosmetics Review Part I feat. Vela, Lyra, Carinae, Doradus, and A Song of Ice and Fire

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My general impression of Oslo Cosmetics has been great so far. I think a mineral shadow’s quality is obviously good if you’ve been reaching for them more than your more convenient eyeshadows, which has been the case for me. Here are a few looks using some of my new shadows. I’ll make a part two soon, even though I’ve covered most of the colors here anyway. Vela & Lyra Vela looks scary dark in the pot, but it’s actually really lovely on the lid. It’s a green-blue duochrome that translates onto the lid as a brown with a green-blue sheen, depending on the light. It’s great for a daytime smoky eye. Lyra was just used to smudge under the lower lash line here. It’s a blackened plum/orchid but the purple-y parts don’t really show up unless you pack it on. I’ll have a look in part two of this review that will feature Lyra more as a lid color. Doradus & A Song of Ice and Fire Doradus is a color that also looks quite …

What’s in a name? Oslo Cosmetics Blush in Carina

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It’s no secret that I get suckered into buying things because of what they are named. In this case, an eyeshadow named Carinae caught my eye first. Then I found this blush by Oslo Cosmetics named Carina, for reasons that are pretty obvious. I’m not normally a bright neon makeup kind of girl, but I couldn’t pass it up. Oslo Cosmetics is a vegan and cruelty-free indie makeup company based in Columbus, Ohio. As I mentioned in my first haul/swatch post for the brand, a woman named Joyce K. started Oslo and mixes and makes all the colors. I wanted to try the eyeshadows from Oslo, especially, since they are pretty unique. Most mineral makeup is made up of loose pigments and minerals that are mostly fine. The ones by Oslo are kind of lumpy, due to added binders that actually make them really creamy to apply. The blushes, however, are similar to the traditional texture of mineral makeup. Carina is a “bright, cosmic matte red-orange blush,” which looks really scary in the pot. Though …