Indie brands to know

After speaking with a few “newbies” to the makeup world, I realized that jumping right into high-end brands or taking a trip to Sephora can be a little overwhelming. I also think it is important to support smaller brands and those created by beauty bloggers we follow on YouTube and Instagram. I  chose to go with brands that have different price points. Some go as low as drugstore prices and some are on the higher end. I love this because it allows everyone to have quality products no matter what your budget is.

 Dose of Colors was created by a popular makeup artist on Instagram by the name of Anna (@makeupbyanna). Dose of Colors is known for their highlighters but what causes the most buzz is their liquid lipsticks. With shades like Berry Me 2 and Truffle that are quick to sell out, they have no problem captivating the consumer. They also carry very pigmented lip glosses to pair with any of their other lippies. These are on the higher end as far as pricing. Their liquid lipstick retails for $18.00 and the lip glosses retail for $15.00. DOC products are also vegan and gluten-free.

Makeup Geek was founded by Marlena who many of you know as MakeupGeekTV on YouTube. The wonderful thing about Makeup Geek is that not only do they have affordable, high-quality products, but Marlena still makes educational videos. On her website you can buy your products while checking out her blog. It’s amazing how she juggles running such a successful company and still being able to touch the people who started with her on YouTube. Makeup Geek is known for their growing collection of eyeshadows. They retail between $6.00-$10.00 and there are even bundle deals to where you can buy all the shadows at once. With her new foiled eyeshadows, it is clear that Makeup Geek is just getting started. She also offers Z-Palettes so it is a one stop shop to start or continue your eyeshadow collection.

 The last brand I want to focus on has taken the social media world by storm. With its super affordable prices and extremely large variety of shades, ColourPop has been owning the beauty industry this past year. No single product on their website is over $10.00. Their Lippie Stix are twist-up applicators that have a matching lip pencil for each color. The range of colors is amazing so you won’t leave their site disappointed. With the launch of their Ultra Matte Lip Collection this summer they joined the liquid lipstick craze with more colors than most brands and a price point of only $6.00 each. They’ve established themselves by their unique formula of eyeshadows. With a bouncy texture and an array of finishes to choose from, this is a dream for beginners and those on a budget. Another thing that I love about this brand and so many others are the collaborations with some of our favorite YouTubers/Beauty Bloggers. This is a brand that gives back to the community that supports it.

These are just a small portion of the amazing companies that occupy our growing beauty community. I think it’s important to support these brands because they started out just like us and they show their appreciation with the consistency of their brands. I appreciate quality products that I can easily afford and want to continue to repurchase. These brands excite me and isn’t that the joy of being a beauty guru?

Follow these brands on Instagram to stay connected: @doseofcolors ; @makeupgeekcosmetics ; @colourpopcosmetics

Honorable mention goes to Sacha Cosmetics. This brand is well-known for their Buttercup Powder which is a dupe for Ben Nye banana powder. This brand claims to cater to “exotic skin” but also carries shades for everyone on their site. Another is Karity Cosmetics. This brand has just recently come across my radar due to the buzz about the $5.00 single shadows that are comparable to MAC shadows.

-Keisha Campbell

Follow me on Instagram @sitpretty_

Sources: www.theodysseyonline.com ; www.4.bp.blogspot.com ; www.makeupgeek.com ; www.temptalia.com ; www.doseofcolors.com ; www.colourpop.com ; www.karity.com ; www.sachacosmetics.com