Prepare to make room for more amazing, irresistible products in your makeup pouch. Well, it’s mid-week and honestly, we all need that little something to get us through to the end of the week. And what screams motivation more than coming home to a package of cosmetics on your doorstep?
Instead of going for your usual favourites, try these 9 indie brands… we’ve even picked out their best-sellers for you.
By indie, we mean brands that you might have not heard of, or you have and just never got around to trying them. And we promise, you’re sure to fall in love with these products and it’ll make you happier and possibly more productive too. After all, a good makeup day means a great day ahead! So cue the showers of love (self-love included) and compliments.
Photo: 123RF
Beauty Bakerie’s products are all cruelty-free and mostly vegan. There’s bound to be something for every skin tone!
The brand, unique for its similarity to actual baked products and extremely cute packaging, is most popular for its first product – the Lip Whips. They’ve expanded their range to include products like highlighters, setting powders, face oils and more.
These matte lipsticks are known to be extremely comfortable and crease-free while more importantly, being so budge-proof that they stay on through a whole bowl of hot Tom Yum soup!
A recent addition, the Neapolitan EyesCream palette (get it?) is filled with hues suitable for all the seasons (it’s my personal go-to fave). The shadows are buildable so you could use them for both daily, and special occasions.
Tip: Be sure to get their lip scrub and Lip Whip remover to keep your lips in tip-top shape. The website offers free worldwide shipping every now and then so keep a lookout for it. The products fly off the shelf once they’re restocked so you snooze, you lose.
We recommend: Lip Whip in Versailies (cool-toned mauve) and Syruptitious (nude pink) $29.90, Iced So Icy Illuminator $43.50, Neapolitan EyesCream Palette $59.90
Beauty Bakerie is available at their online site and Coma Makeup (except glitters, illuminators and setting powder).
Founded by Huda Kattan, this brand (once again, cruelty-free and mostly vegan) first took the cosmetics world by storm with first, mesmerising falsies, and second, Lip Contours, lip liners which were good enough to be worn alone without a lipstick.
Although I haven’t gotten my hands on those stormtroopers, I’ve managed to try their recently launched Liquid Mattes (Trendsetter, Bombshell, Vixen, Famous) and 3D Highlighter Palette (in Golden Sands).
The Liquid Mattes glide on smoothly but feel a bit sticky until they settle – then they almost never budge and feel completely comfortable. Plus, they smell like strawberries!
The highlighter palette led to me having the most amazing glow my tan Singaporean skin could have; Not to mention the compliments they garnered me.
Tip: Unless you wanna end up looking like The Joker, avoid wearing darker liquid mattes on date night!
We recommend: Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette (perfect for ringing in fall) $102, Liquid Matte in Bombshell or Trophy Wife $37.30.
Huda Beauty is available on Sephora Australia and on Shop Huda Beauty.
Most known for its extremely cute, dreamy packaging, vivid colours and pledge against animal cruelty.
This is definitely not for the faint-hearted. If you’re one for being bold on colours or going to town with that glitter, then SugarPill is for you.
With mostly-vegan products ranging from lipsticks, to brushes and even nail products, there’s definitely something for everyone The best-sellers? Their pressed and loose eyeshadows.
Like I said, their considerably small range has a few colours – below 30 shades. Although each eyeshadow (sold in single pans) starts from about $17, every review gushed that they were totally worth it since the colours go a long way.
If you don’t own a primer or prefer not to use one, the bold colours will still apply smooth and rich and they do not budge.
Also try their liquid lipsticks which feel natural on the lips.
We recommend: Pressed Eyeshadow in Heart shaped cookie (neutral beige) $17.70, Loose Eyeshadows in Charmy (champagne pink) and Penelope (bronze) $19, Liquid Lip in Trinket (mauve with golden micro-glitters) $24.45.
SugarPill Cosmetics is available on their online site.
Natural products with nature’s most powerful ingredients – which means that it’s cruelty-free and mostly vegan! Yipee!
With a wide-range of products varying from fragrances, to haircare, skincare, bodycare – lots of care. Last but not least, they have makeup products for every inch of your face. It’s safe to say that shopping here gives you the best of both worlds.
Amongst the ranks of the best-sellers (mostly skincare) is the Lip Butter which has been used by celebrities like Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot. The Lip Butter is an all natural (yes all vegan!) lip butter which hydrates and softens the lips while adding a nice glossy colour on top.
As someone who hates how glosses feel, I wouldn’t worry about the stickiness because this Lip Butter is absolutely smooth and non-sticky.
While there are only four shades, they are sheer universal shades perfect for giving you that subtle, flirty flush of colour.
We recommend: Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil (Allure’s Best of Beauty Award in 2016) $89.20, Lip Butter in the Quince (blush pink) and Pomegranate (medium peach) $19.
Korres Cosmetics is available online and at Prestige Hair N Beauty Salon (Thomson Plaza) and Aramsa The Garden Spa (Ang Mo Kio)
Ditch plain old creme polishes and add a little, or in this case, a lot of sparkle!
If you’ve been spending a lot of time looking for holographic nail polish, then the search ends here! Local brand Fun Lacquer, founded in 2013, has attracted nail polish lovers from around the world. Yet we’ve somehow managed to actually miss this brand.The best thing about the nail polishes? They’re under $20.
Their specialities are obviously holographic nail polishes, which are even fit for office use. Under normal light, these nail polishes seem like normal colours with hints of glitter. But once you head out, the colour becomes irredescent and glimmer under the sun.
With the right application (they’re easy to apply!), these polishes will last over a week without any chips.
Besides nail polish, they also have a nail care range for all our tired and damaged nails, they deserve some love too!
Tip: Apply a white or black base coat before applying the polishes. After the first coating of the polish, dab on the second with a dry triangular makeup sponge for more sparkle.
We recommend: Prima Donna ($12) for a fun yet subtle everyday look. For those who dare, go dark with Evening Gown ($13.50) which shows off a dark blue-black colour under normal lighting, but a myriad of colours under direct light.
F.U.N Lacquer is available online, with free shipping!
Although it was once Indie not many people, particularly Singaporeans, knew about the brand, which was founded in 2004. Their range covers the whole lot – brushes, skincare and of course all the makeup you need.
Unlike some brands, Hourglass actually withstands the heat here in Singapore, and doesn’t melt or streak. Encased in sleek packagings, the products are rich in colour and as long as you’re moisturised, nothing will look flaky.
Their best-seller is the Veil Mineral Primer ($31) which I think many of you will find handy especially in Singapore’s humid weather. This lightweight primer is suitable for oily and combination skin. This primer, which held up Madonna’s makeup during her whole concert, promises to keep everything smooth and silky.
Besides that, the Ambient Strobing Light Powder ($62) is also a hit. Many people mistake it as a highlighter but the shimmer is actually meant to be applied all over the face for a heavenly glow. Just like the primer, this too will make you shine for all the right reasons, throughout the whole day.
We recommend: Veil Mineral Primer ($31), Ambient Strobing Light Powder ($62), Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick ($56) in Secretly (deep red) or My Favourite (mauve pink).
Hourglass Cosmetics is available at Sephora, both online and in-stores.
Juvia’s Place is most known for its eclectic and diverse range of colours (the brand which was inspired by Eburu’s African background) which deserves to be every woman’s staple.
The best-sellers, the eyeshadows, come in a variation of palettes. If that’s not your thing, single eyeshadow pans are available as well.
The palettes, all with unique names, come with either 9, 12 or 16 beautiful, bold colours that go a long way. It’s suitable for both daily and special occasions, with a variation of colours that compliment Asian skin tones. The best bit is that the colours are buildable, so for an everyday look, start off with a bit of pigment, and build up to your heart’s content. To make it extra special, add a few more complimenting colours from the palette.
Besides eyeshadows, they also have brushes and blush sets that have shades for contouring as well.
Plus they’re cruelty-free & mostly vegan!
We recommend: Nubian Eyeshadow Palette ($49), Masquerade Palette ($62), The Saharan Blush Palette Volume II ($25).
Juvia’s Place is available at their online site and Coma Makeup (except blushes).
This brand definitely deserves your attention being such a steal! Based in Malaysia it was formed to fill the lack of cruelty-free, vegan and Halal cosmetics (its Ablution-friendly) in the market.
For now, the relatively new brand sells liquid lipsticks which are long-wearing and suitable for all skin tones, especially Asians. It offers a range of colours from nudes, to deep burgundy and even a warm orange that actually works.
I managed to swatch a few of these lipsticks and they felt comfortable to wear and they actually did last all day. My personal favourite was the shade called Vibes, a nude pink that doesn’t look the slightest bit patchy.
Also since we Singaporeans love our sweet deals, these lippies are a treat at just $12.60 (excluding shipping).
We recommend: Vibes (nude pink), Lava (warm orange), Turnt (nude brown).
Orkid Cosmetics is available on their online site.