What does "Indie" mean to you?

I mentioned in my last post (the one on Venomous Cosmetics Lip Poisons) that you guys wanted to see more posts featuring indie brands and that begs the question, what does the word "Indie" mean to you? I remember when Christine of Temptalia held her annual Reader's Choice awards and there was some controversy with the "Best Indie Brand" category, as some of the brands listed weren't considered to be "Indie" by some readers. So what is considered an "Indie" makeup brand? Is it related to the manufacturing process, who is in control of the company, where it's being sold, etc?

I think we can all agree, anything corporate-owned is decidedly NOT indie but I think beyond that it's quite difficult to navigate the waters of what is considered to be indie and not indie. I mean what is the spectrum and how do we quantify what is considered what is and isn't?

Let's consider Temptalia's 2012 contenders for the "Best Indie Brand" category and parse out some of the brands. Like I said before, there was disagreement with some of the brands nominated but I think it just necessitates a clarification of indie (which is basically what this post is about though I don't know if we'd ever come to a consensus). In 2012, Inglot won, followed by theBalm, then Sugarpill. The other nominees were Cult Nails, Fyrinnae, Glamour Doll Eyes, Lime Crime, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC), Shiro Cosmetics, and Sigma Makeup. In 2010, the winner was NYX.

I know that the great majority of the companies listed employ a laboratory or other manufacturer to product their products, (Inglot, theBalm, Sugarpill, Cult Nails, Lime Crime, OCC, and Sigma Makeup) and many of the brands are sold in physical stores or have their own freelancing stores (Inglot, theBalm [previously in Sephora but I do believe they're being sold in Nordstroms now], OCC [they have a freestanding store in New York and recently started being sold in Sephora!], Shiro [there is a physical location selling them in Oregon]. I'm not 100% sure on Sugarpill and Glamour Doll Eyes being sold in physical locations. Fyrinnae does not sell in another location. 

So what does "Indie" mean to you? I think I can consider brands like Fyrinnae, Shiro Cosmetics, and Glamour Doll Eyes to be firmly "Indie" since they do manufacture and sell the products themselves but the line is blurred for brands like Cult Nails, Sugarpill, Lime Crime, and Sigma who don't manufacture the products but do most of the selling themselves. Would they be considered small businesses as opposed to strictly Indie?

I can't say I consider Inglot to be Indie (being sold in 300 retail locations worldwide has a more corporate feel) however OCC and theBalm are a little difficult to classify when the Founders of the companies still play a huge role in the company but the brands are/were being sold in Sephora which is a very big retail chain.

So my question to you is, what do you consider to be "Indie" and why?

Venomous Cosmetics Lip Poison: Swatches, Review, and Photos

When I did my poll on what you guys as readers wanted to see more of from my blog, a lot of you answered that you wanted to see more indie brands featured here. Well ask and thoust shall receive. I know I've been scattering in a few posts on higher end cosmetics brands so here's a brief reprieve with the Venomous Cosmetics Lip Poisons. I meant to post this ages ago but I kept being a perfectionist about the lip swatches so I redid them about three to four times.

A little while ago, I was sent a few products from Venomous Cosmetics. Although I had never tried them before, I had heard a lot of great things about them from Phyrra, especially their pressed eyeshadows (quite the rarity for indie companies!). 

Venomous Cosmetics, like their name implies, themes their main collection after creatures like spiders, snakes, etc that are venomous to us. In addition to their main collection, they offer mini collections that are themed a less dangerously like "Go for the Gold" collection after the Olympics, or "I Want Candy" after candy. Today I have their lip glosses,  aptly named Lip Poisons to swatch and review and my post (or posts) on their loose and pressed shadows 

Where to purchase: Venomous Cosmetics

Price: The full size is $6.00 for 7.8 mL. They also do sets of mini lip poisons and the mini lip poisons have about 3.5 mL of product. 

Cruelty Free? They are cruelty free. The lip poisons that are vegan are noted on the website with a "V"

Packaging: The full size glosses come in a clear tube with a silver cap and a doe foot applicator. The mini size comes in a smaller version of the full size tube.

Product Description: "Hydrating Lipgloss" 

My Thoughts on the Formula/Wear Time:

The formula is slightly sticky but thin enough that it glides on without any drag. After three hours, most of the gloss had worn off but there was residual tackiness and nearly all the sparkles left. It was completely gone after four hours. The lip poisons were moisturizing on my lips, after the gloss had worn out my lips were left feeling super soft. It also has a slight minty scent.

The two cream shades, Bubblegum Blast and Sugar Daddy's Girl did show the brushstrokes (well, the doefoot strokes) from the applicator so it requires a little more work to get an even finish. Goldfinger and French Burnt Peanuts have a clear base packed with tons of sparkle so they are more on the sheerer side.

First off, here's a hand swatch of all the colors then individual swatches under each product photo. All swatches taken in daylight.

From left to right: Bubblegum Blast, French Burnt Peanuts, Gold Digger, and Sugar Daddy's Girl. Bubblegum Blast and French Burnt Peanuts are sold together in a set, Gold Digger is sold in another set, and Sugar Daddy's Girl is sold in a separate set too.

Bubblegum Blast

Bubblegum Blast: A light creamy bubblegum pink. This is a color you have to work with to get even on your lips and I think with my warm toned skin tone it's not a good match. It clashes with mine but I think will look nice on other skin tones.

French Burnt Peanuts: A duochrome pink with gold highlights. If you're familiar with MAC's Rose pigment, this is pretty much that in a clear base. The pink in the gloss doesn't add much color but combined with the gold sparkle, it adds a lot of warmth to your lips. My favorite of the set.

Gold Digger: A clear gloss filled with gold sparkle. Though the gold is most predominant, I did notice some green sparkle in the gloss too. I really liked wearing this on top of red lipstick to add some dimension to it.

Sugar Daddy's Girl: A caramel nude with gold sheen. My swatch of this could be much better but it does highlight that you have to be careful about brushstrokes from the doefoot applicator. I think it's a good nude for someone that doesn't want something too overly pink. 

Would I purchase?

Though I featured more "wearable" colors, the fact that she offers some more unconventional colors is enough for me to consider buying more. You get quite a bit for $6.00 (for comparison's sake, MAC lipglasses have about 4.8 mL and you get 7.2 mL with the Lip Poisons) and they do offer mini sets.

Unfortunately though, I think it's worth noting that the website leaves a lot to be desired. I think that would be the biggest deterrent for purchasing since there are pictures that aren't showing up and some of the "Add to cart" buttons aren't showing up either. Previously, there were color descriptions to the website but they aren't up yet (though they will be in the future). I do know that Venomous Cosmetics is basically a one woman show so I am giving her some leeway but I think the website issues are worth noting.    
 The website has been updated and color descriptions along with the pictures are up!

Have you tried Venomous Cosmetics before? If you have, what products do you like?

(PS, I didn't put everything under a "Read more" cut so I wanted to ask if you prefer I go back to not using one or do you prefer having it?

Disclaimer: I was sent these products for review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for writing my review. The link in this post to their website is not an affiliate link!

A Darling Girl Christmas Story: Preview and Teaser Swatches

I'm always excited for Darling Girl Cosmetics' Collections and her Christmas Collection is no exception. (I only wish my wallet was more accommodating!) I definitely love the colors from this collection more than last year's so it's that much more tempting.

This year's collection is themed after the movie A Christmas Story and consists of twelve eyeshadows.

The color names for the eyeshadows (starting with the top left and going clockwise), are listed with the swatches in the second picture! I think You'll Shoot Your Eye Out and Tapestry of Obscenities are my two top colors from the collection.

The individual eyeshadow listings aren't up yet but Susan will be getting them up by this weekend. You can purchase the sets now (and at a 10% discount over buying all twelve individually)
Are there any colors catching your eye?

Anastasia Kisses on My List Vol. 2 Swatches, Review, and Photos

With the number of lip product-oriented reviews coming from me, I think it's fairly obvious what my most recent obsession is. Have I complained enough about how school is early and therefore not conducive to makeupping? Either way, lipglosses and lipsticks are an easier way for me to wear makeup with minimal effort. 

I was sent these lip glosses from the lovely Anastasia and couldn't wait to dive in. This is part of Anastasia's Fall 2012 Holiday Collection. The theme of the overall Holiday Collection is all about the 70's and though I was nonexistent during that time, I love the golden touches to the black packaging.


Product Description: "Clinically tested gloss proven to help maximize and maintain lip hydration and fulness. Paddle applicator smooths product across lips. Drench your lips with multi-dimensional pigments that release high shine and color that stays put without the sticky residue. Rich and fortifying formula nourishes your lips with the added benefits of Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, and our exclusive Balkan Botanical Infusion."

From Sephora: "Hypercolor reacts with your skin's chemistry to stain your lips a custom hue that is all your own"

Set Description: " A set of six high-shine glosses in matte and shimmer shades that wear all-day. Shades are Jolene, Lola, Maggie May, Roxanne, Sharona, and Moi. Three softly sheer, opalescent glosses and three new HYPERCOLOR GLOSSES that actually stain your lips. Long-wearing hydrating gloss. Silicone applicator delivers the perfect amount of color"

Packaging: Round clear tube with a silver cap and silicone paddle applicator. I'll talk a little more about the applicator in conjunction with the formula.

Price: $34.00 for six full size .07 oz glosses. One gloss retails for $18 so for less than the price of two glosses, you get six glosses and the entire set retails for $108.00.

Where to purchase: Sephora*, Anastasia Beverly Hills

Cruelty Free? They are cruelty free.

I've got so many photos, it's necessary to put it all under a "Read More" cut. I have closeup photos of the glosses, lip swatches of the glosses (including time lapse pictures for the Hypercolor glosses to show the color the gloss transforms on my lips), and my review!