Top 5 | Favourite Indie Makeup Products (2021)

When preparing for this post, two things surprised me: there are more indie makeup brands than I thought and I have quite a lot of stuff from them; even indie brands discontinue products way too fast.

Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m in a race against time with reviewing beauty products. Last year I made a purchase from Kaleidos (one of the brands with best customer service ever, btw) and 66% of what I ordered is no longer available. Which made my life easier when it came to choosing which product from them I wanted to include in this list, but still, it’s disappointing.

Every product in this list is a favourite, but I tried to stick to indie brands that aren’t sold through major retailers, because brands with a small distribution deserve a bit of spotlight too. It may be more of a hassle to go to each individual site and make a purchase, but these products will be worth it.

Kaleidos Futurism III Astro Pink Palette

I love Kaleidos’ Futurism eyeshadow palettes. Of the ones I have, Astro Pink is the only one that’s still available, and if you’re interested, run don’t walk, because they might discontinue this one too. Astro Pink has some really unique shades: Nebula is an intense eggplant burgundy, Lightyear is a shiny silver mauve, and Neptune is a teal with a violet duochrome. I haven’t found anything quite like these shadows.

These shades are probably the most pigmented I have ever tried, ever. They’re blendable, but I still have to be uber careful not to apply too much and make a mess, that’s how pigmented they are. It’s insane.

Lethal Cosmetics Custom Eyeshadow Palette

I have a full review about these. I couldn’t choose a specific set of shades as my favourites, so I choose the full palette design system. If you fill out a 12 pan palette, you get a 20% discount on the whole thing. And I got a set of 12 matte, pastel-ish shades and there’s not one that’s a dud. I haven’t tried their other products, but you can’t go wrong with the eyeshadows.

Nabla Skin Glazing Powder in Truth

Indie brands usually shine the most with their eyeshadows, but every once in a while a really strong line of face products comes out, and Nabla’s Skin Glazing powders is one of them. The shade I have here is Truth, a sheer coral highlighter that I use as a blush, and that has a soft, powder-gelée type formula. The shine is very intense but it doesn’t emphasize skin texture.

Karla Cosmetics Multichrome Pigment in Slumber Party

Most indie brands that make multichromes are from outside the EU, so not only is shipping quite expensive but there’s a chance that I have to deal with customs fees. And then I found Karla Cosmetics. It’s sold on Maquibeauty, and their multichromes are sold out most of the time, but I managed to snatch one of them.

This multichrome shifts from berry gold, to mauve, to purple to indigo blue. It’s a loose, very finely milled shimmer that’s meant to be patted on, not blended, but it’s super intense, deep and complex. It’s a peculiar type of product. Not for everyday, not the most practical type of eyeshadow, but so rich and unique that’s it’s worth having in my collection. Plus, multichromes are just cool.

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

This is an indie cult favourite. And it’s still available! It’s the best glitter glue I’ve ever used. The texture is like a really dense lipgloss, but it’ll not crease and it’ll make loose pigments and shimmery shadows very intense on the eyelids. It’s perfect to use with the Karla multichrome I previously mentioned. And works wonders with glitters – no fallout!

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9 Comments

  1. This post reminds me I need to be more adventurous when trying new makeup products. Indie brands seem a great place to start. Just a shame they discontinue their products so soon.

    1. I think that’s more of a Kaleidos problem. It has a product turnover higher than Essence or Catrice, which is a feat. Fyrinnae seems to be the most loyal to their permanent range, and they were the first indie brand I’ve ever knew about!

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