indie beauty editor

All Of The Best Brands From The Makeup Show

@bufferingbetty

Like a Comic Con but for makeup lovers

Meetpepperb.com took over the The Makeup Show in New York City at the Manhattan Pavilion this week! Both Pepper and I, Danyelle, attended the event in hopes of finding all the new goodies out their in the beauty sphere.

For those who don’t know, The Makeup Show is a beauty event that caters to professionals of the industry. It’s for students, educators, artists, brand owners, and press. Every professional I’ve met in this industry raves about The Makeup Show and how it is the best of all the conventions.

There are several seminars held where artists share their techniques. In this gif, the artist was teaching everyone how to create clean lines on your canvas’ face. She used tape to create a square around the model’s eye and the tape roll to create a sharp contour for artistic makeup looks.

Throughout the convention, you can see artists creating beautiful works of art. It’s probably my favorite part. I could watch someone apply makeup all day. I live for when a odd shapes melt into an unpredictable outcome.

You also get to discover products and indie brands you may have never come across. Here are just few of the!

Rebels + Outlaws

Wellness and beauty have been blurring their lines lately. They’ve never been isolated from one another but the two are merging together more than ever. That couldn’t be more apparent than with the brand Rebels and Outlaws

 
 

To be very honest, this was the first product of the whole day that really spoke to me and pulled me in. Rebels and Outlaws have created their Sacred Ceremony candles “to set up a sacred space and makeup station to conjure up art and service your client with good energy and great product … developed to allow artist and mystics to tap into the universe and find their muse while creating an unforgettable experience” (source).

 
 

I picked up two of their candles and had to stop myself from buying them all. They were absolutely stunning, smelled intoxicating, and it was exactly something that I’ve been needing in my meditation.

 
 

They also have sprays that help cleanse the energy in a room. If this realm of beauty speaks to you, you should absolutely dive into this brand!

Chrom Tooth Polish

If you’re a loyal reader of our B. News column, and you should be, Chrom Tooth Polish is should be a familiar name to you. We did a story on them back in February! It’s the polish for your teeth that can make them glitter, metallic, and even pastels! They had sent us some product to test out so Pepper and I went live on Instagram to show you what it looked like! It was a really fun product!

We ran into our new friends at the event. They had their own booth where they were painting attendees teeth! They showed us how they have been making small changes that yield big improvements on their products. They’ve added mixing balls to make blending the polish together after separating a little easier. They’ve also released a pro pack collection making it easier to apply the polish to a client rather than in a vial which is more for personal use. They also totally revamped Glitterati Chrom silver glitter shade to be include more chunky glitters and be more pronounced.

Dirty Mind Cosmetics

Because who doesn’t love a dirty joke. This vegan brand is here to make you have fun in makeup again. The beauty industry is no stranger to scandalous names. Nars has Orgasm and Deep Throat as blush shades. But Dirty Mind Cosmetics goes the extra mile and I love it.

 
 

With names like "‘Just The Tip’ and ‘BJ,’ answering the question “What lipstick are you wearing” may have you blushing. I feel a bit of kinship to this brand. Some of their shade names are inspired by pop culture films directed by Tim Burton. This is all up my ally, which should be a shade name *awkward wink*

Where Should we go next?

New Brand Alert! Spktrm Beauty Launches with Foundation in 50 Shades!

@bufferingbetty

Because “Current Beauty Standards not Inclusive.”

The beauty industry is changing it’s face. Many brands preach inclusivity and tote the label of diversity. However, a quick scroll through their social media and just a glance at the shade ranges of their complexion products will prove otherwise. Diversity has become a buzzword in the beauty community as of late. But most of those brands are frontin’. Spktrm Beauty is not. Finally, we’ve come across a brand that rises to the challenge of fully embracing beauty in all forms.

Meet Spktrm Beauty

 
 

Spktrm Beauty is redefining what beauty can be.

In a campaign video showcasing what Spktrm Beauty’s vision of inclusive beauty is, there were models ranging in race, age, gender, body shape, hair texture, each model had their own style of makeup, style of dress. All of them were real. You could imagine passing them on the street. And that was beautiful. One model stated, “When we fail to show the full extent of the human experience we’re saying that these experiences don’t hold any value and worth” (source). This is the core as to why representation matters.

We have been sold beauty standards through the eyes of what appeals to the white male gaze and it has shaped the beauty industry for far too long. It takes brands like Spktrm Beauty to dismantle and reshape what we see as beautiful. And they are doing just that!

Spktrm Beauty is the very first company to ban retouching models in their ad campaigns.

Don’t talk about it. Be about it. This is a brave step in the beauty industry and a brave step by these models. It is true that the younger generations yearn for inclusivity but they are the same generations that chase people off of Twitter with cyber bullying. Comments sections on videos and social media posts can be so savage.

 
 

We have gotten so used to retouched images that erase the fact that models are humans with weird birthmarks, scars, cellulite, or uneven lips. When people see the ‘flaws’ on models, they sometimes react with verbal violence because it is a reminder of their own flaws and insecurities. A reminder of these aspects of themselves that they have never been able to see as beautiful. So for a brand to tell them that they are. it challenges what they believe and are not always ready to accept.

Retouching has become so ingrained in our culture and contributed to desire for perfection that on our personal Instagrams, we edit photos of ourselves! Facetune is like a right of passage for every beauty blogger. It takes time to see yourself as beautiful. Spktrm Beauty tells us that we just are.

 
 

They are launching with a foundation!

Meet Happyface Foundation!

 
 

I reached out the the Spktrm Beauty team for more info on their product. The foundation is a “sheer-medium buildable coverage.”

The Big Claim: A foundation that nourishes the skin with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and marula oil!

Need to know: $35, picking a shade may be a little tricky because there aren’t shade descriptions just yet.
Available at Spktrmbeauty.com
Shop here

And it’s available in 50 shades!!!

 
 

Want to see your name in a product, who doesn’t right?

Spktrm Beauty will be naming each foundation shade after the first person who buys the shade!!! That’s awesome!

Let’s keep our eyes on Spktrm Beauty to see them grow and so that we can learn to embrace the beauty of ourselves! And let’s encourage more brands to follow suit!

How do you Embrace Your Beauty?

NEW BRAND ALERT!: Subtl Beauty

@bufferingbetty

Meet Sublt Beauty.

If you are just taking the crosstown bus or boarding a cross country flight, this product should be on your radar.

Subtl Beauty

 
 

At a glance, my first thought was: How are you fitting a whole face in the palm of your hand?!?

Subtl Beauty has eliminated your need for an over sized makeup bag to put in your over sized purse without neglecting your desire to feel and look pretty.

 

Meet Rachel, founder and CEO of Subtl Beauty.

 

“I’m not an aspiring #MUA #Influencer or #trendsetter. I’m a woman with career goals, family responsibilities, a social life, and a very real need for portability in my beauty products...This is how the idea of Subtl Beauty came to be. I developed the Subtl Beauty stack to be compact enough to fit in my clutch for my sleepovers, but also big enough to hold full-size products for travel and daily use.” (source)

Rachel is all of us. Sublt Beauty is relatable.

 
 

Basics for a face that says, “I’m here!” or, “Where is my coffee, Josh?” or “Brunch is on me!!!”

 

It is the age of growing beauty brand inclusivity. More brands are pushing themselves to create shades other than medium to dark white girl. It is a mix of the frenzy that sparked from Fenty Beauty jumping off with 40 foundation shades combined with braver influencers being more vocal about not using or promoting brands that have PITIFUL shades ranges.

 

While there are only 5 shades of concealer available from this brand, I don’t want you to take that as vote against them. Let’s be real, Fenty launched 40 shades because regardless if the products sucked, everyone was going to buy and try them because, one word, Rihanna. They could risk investing all that shade development money. Subtl Beauty literally had a kickstarter campaign to get support. I think this is one of those brands we will find in Target in just a few years if we support just another working woman who had a vision to give other women something the market wasn’t offering them.

Subtl Beauty created a chart to help you find your shade! If we have a similar complexion, I think medium might work for us with a sheered out application! I used the Too Faced Born This Way Concealer in shade Warm Beige. The chart lists the shade Honey as a match for their medium shade. Honey is three shades deeper than my Too Faced shade and described as ‘tan neutral.’ (source)

 
 
 

I’m a huge fan of beauty influencer, Jackie Aina. Like many of us, I’ve watched her apply her concealer a 1000 times. She often uses Nars concealer shade ‘amande’ which is listed as a shade match for Subtl Beauty’s dark concealer. She describes her complexion as dark and often acknowledges that brands tend to stop their complexion shade range right around her skin tone. Unfortunately neglecting an entire group of women ready to make beauty purchases if only they were available to them. If you are deeper than Jackie, you may not have a concealer from Subtl Beauty just yet. I will also say that their Instagram could use a huge serving of diversity not just for the sake of diversity but because anything less is just unacceptable.

 
 

Subtl Beauty also has a cute brush available!!

 

Sublt Beauty basically looked at my makeup bag and was like, “biiiiitch, that is unacceptable! LESS!”

The smooth clean lines and minimalist look of Subtl Beauty will make you look at your own makeup bag and feel like a hoarder.

Here are my essentials for my basic go to makeup look. Stacked, because why not. This excludes mascara, brow gel, and all the cotton swabs I carry to edit my work. plus the two full sized makeup brushes I need to get all of this on my face.

Subtl Beauty gives me that Milk Makeup minimalist feel without all the bulk. While Milk Make up has that ‘so chic, too cool’ vibe, Sublt Beauty has that “CEO + confident in my looks” feeling.

I think the stackable makeup is accessible for makeup wearers at all skill + interest levels. If you are just trying to look + feel better at a morning meeting or on a coffee date, this is perfect to just keep in your bag. You can get ready in your Uber on your way to catch up with some friends, too. Business, casual, date, party. In your small purse!

Simple. Subtl. Beauty.

Are People Really Buying Mini Fridges For Their Skincare?

@bufferingbetty

Trust us. You’ll want one, too.

We are the generation that has everything so we make anything as extra as can be. That does, in fact, include our obsession with skincare. It’s not so much a fear of aging as it is a need to curate the perfect self care evening; first: a glass of wine topped off with a sheet mask; second: scheduling an appointment with our therapists. How else are we supposed to wind down after a yet another day of the government shutdown? Enter our latest indulgent distraction: a mini fridge -yes, for our cosmetics!

Could we technically put our eye creams in the regular size refrigerator in the kitchen? Sure!

But think about all the things that are sitting in your fridge right now. I don’t know -I just don’t feel right about having my favorite eye cream sitting next to a jar of my grandmother’s sofrito. Both are precious but they have no business being in contact with each other.

Plus, think of all the things that have gotten pushed to the back of your fridge only to be found three weeks past its expiration date.

I mean, thank god for packaging and pictures, otherwise you’d have no idea how to identify what is, apparently, pico de gallo. What if that happened to your 24K gold eye gels -lost in the abyss of your fridge because it was hidden behind that weird smoothie you bought and never threw away for you hoped a friend would come over and take it off your hands. It would be tragic.

When I apply my skincare, all I want to focus on is the joy of hydrating my dry skin. Not stress over wondering when was the last time I cleaned out my fridge and if what is in that bowl supposed to be that color.

Yes! There are real skin care benefits to keeping certain beauty products in the fridge. Especially eye cream!

In a perfect world, you’d clear off a shelf in your regular size refrigerator to make a proper place for your moisturizers and aloe gel.

But this is reality and it’s only a matter of time before your roommates or your Mama thinks your Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask is actually a sandwich spread -sticks a butter knife in it and gets bread crumbs in the jar. Boom! $45 goes down on account of turkey on rye.

So, yeah, we’re getting mini fridges.
And we’re putting them in our little beauty oasis just to feel like we got it like that. So check these out if you’re ready to treat your undereye to the uplifting feeling of cooled eye cream.

Looks like a breadbox but all you’ll find is some moisturizers and maybe some perfume

Amazon
Shop here →

The cosmetic mini fridge is getting so popular!

Did you get a gift card for Christmas? I think I know how you’ll spend it!

Macy's Beauty Collection, Keep It Cool Skincare Fridge

Need to know: $150 (bish, why!!)
Shop here →

These next ones aren’t NEARLY as expensive.

Saranghae. Blue Moon Beauty Fridge

The Big Claim: “when applied within the perfect temperature range of (41°F to 46°F), your skincare will better control inflammation, puffiness and feel like heaven on your skin.” (source)

Need to know: $79
Shop here

This next little guy actually just dropped this week!!

The Makeup Fridge, Makeup Fridge Mini
Shop here →

These are great, but you don’t have to get a self proclaimed cosmetic mini fridge. I have just a regular, degular, shmegular, mini fridge to spoil my face with. It’s about $20 cheaper, too.

RCA, MIni Fridge
Shop here →

What I love most is that this little baby sunshine looks like a throwback refrigerator. It’s the cutest damn thing sitting on my vanity, which is actually a presidental style desk that I bought on Craigslist when I graduated college.

My mini is stocked with my moisturizers, sunblock, overnight cream, primer, setting sprays, a scalp treatment, and, of course, some sheet masks!

The first time I applied my skincare after it had been cooled, I was hooked. It’s so satisfying, so cooling! The only thing I need now is some eye gels!

It’s a lifestyle.