We all love Sephora, but let’s face it: there are times when their prices seem a little high, their products mostly the same, and their checkout lines a little too long. Lately, indie beauty brands have been making a wave in the beauty community. Recently, even diehard Sephora lovers are trying them out. If you’re looking to shop from a small business that is unique, creative, and has amazing quality products, here are a few you should be sure to check out.
1. Pretty Vulgar
Probably most recognized for their fun and vintage-inspired packaging, Pretty Vulgar is an indie beauty brand that recently launched at Sephora. Before being sold at Sephora, they were an online-only brand with a dedicated cult following. You can still buy their quirky and beautiful products on their website or at Sephora. Some fan favorites include “Bury Them With A Smile” matte lipstick, “My Lips Are Sealed” liquid lipstick, and “Feathers” mascara, which has a volumizing formula.
2. Sugarpill Cosmetics
Based in Los Angeles and founded by Amy Shrinkle, Sugarpill is a cruelty-free line of makeup known for their vibrant, bright and stage-like makeup products. Way back when Amy was running an online clothing shop, she would often receive inquiries about the flamboyant theater makeup she would wear. Realizing there was a huge demand for these bright, unique makeup colors in the show world and club scene, she decided to make it more accessible by offering it alongside her clothing. Thus, Sugarpill Cosmetics was born. Their products are offered on their website and was recently chosen as the official makeup brand for Hello Kitty’s 35th Anniversary.
3. Glossier
Based on statistics from BuzzFeed:
“In the two years since Glossier launched, it has hired 44 employees (many of whom double as models) and raised $10.4 million in venture capital financing over a seed and series A round. Revenue, meanwhile, is on track to grow 600% in 2016, and the company expects to grow several hundred percent next year as well.”
Famous for their dewy, glowing highlights and their pastel-colored products, Glossier is taking the beauty world by storm. Their products boast more of a “no-makeup makeup vibe,” and are generally very light, soft, and pretty.
4. Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant is a skincare line created by Tiffany Masterson. Masterson herself had many skin problems and could never find a solution for them in either drugstore skin products or ridiculously priced high-end ones. In the effort to change this, she created her own line of products that were formulated with high percentages of actives at ideal pH levels and ingredients that were easily recognized by the skin. Her results proved to be phenomenal, and out of this bloomed her Drunk Elephant brand. Committed to using only clean ingredients that benefit the skin, Drunk Elephant now has a large following and fan base who have seen dramatic results like Masterson did.
5. Morphe Cosmetics
By now, you’ve probably heard of Morphe Cosmetics because of the highly successful launches they’ve had with beauty guru Jaclyn Hill. Morphe is best known for their eyeshadows, as well as their range of makeup brushes. Their bold colors are highly pigmented, hold serious staying power, and have been a favorite of beauty bloggers everywhere. Their products can be purchased from their website or at their brick-and-mortar location in Burbank, California. The best thing about Morphe is definitely their prices: one 35-color eyeshadow palette retails for just $22!