I think a big one you missed is availability. Indie brands are often sold out of their products, their products are usually limited edition. So if you want to find your one dependable makeup product, it's probably not going to be from an indie brand. If you don't like shopping on a brand's release schedule, you won't like shopping indie. If you don't have instagram, you won't know when new releases are coming or when restocks are coming.
I hate the lack of communication. I hate the preorders. It doesn’t take much to communicate with your customers. If you are waiting on a lengthy preorder a midpoint email is courteous and minimizes harassment from customers and hugely increases customer satisfaction. You can plan for supply chain issues and shipping disruptions. If you are in business you can’t afford to just be creative in product development. You have to be creative in business as well. I don’t understand why an independent brand can’t be more transparent in their products’ sequential releases. They are brutal in their FOMO marketing.
A few indie brands are super communicative and clear about those things, Clionadh Cosmetics comes to mind, and that is one of the reasons I have bought from them many times (and they really do make the absolute best multichromes of any brand ever!). Brands that work like you've described really turn me off and I'll usually not bother shopping with them. Customer service makes ALL the difference!
@@FloatingSpark I have had some good experiences and I agree with you on Clionadh. They are small and have long ship times but they are transparent. If you preorder, they let you know when your product is estimated to be in stock and when to expect shipments are shipping. I also love Sydney Grace. I had problems with my first two orders during the Christmas in July sales event. The online ordering system wasn’t working on my International order. They found a work around and after the computer glitch was fixed they continued contact. They shipped all of my orders together. Charged one shipping fee (free in my case), shipped in one box and didn’t overlook a single item. It was a six different orders ! It took a long time coming to me but they let me know. They combined everything together but they explained this was their policy. They were horribly busy but they worked to get a computer process issue corrected. They ran out of stock on two items during each of the first two days. They updated inventory real time but my first two orders had to be manually entered. They communicated and offered an alternative item or a cancellation on that item. They let me know. I live in Canada so long ship times are customary. The tracking isn’t always great from independent cosmetics companies. I’m accustomed to it. I really appreciated having communication with Sydney Grace. They followed up. I didn’t just get an email for a product review.
I placed an order in December with Unearthly. I don’t so much mind pre-orders, but the 2 palettes I ordered were supposed to be in stock., yet I haven’t heard a thing from them since. I’ve sent an email.., I’ve sent an ig dm, and a message at this point, and haven’t heard a word back! I also saw someone else say their order from the same time frame actually was cancelled on them! After 1.5 months of holding on to someone’s $$, that’s unacceptable! I don’t really mind waiting, but if mine gets cancelled, I’m going to be very unhappy, and wouldn’t order from her again.
I used to love Unearthly, but I had a bad experience with them too and no longer support them. My package had gotten lost and I was just asking her if she could pull the information she had from my tracking. The business end always seems to have more information than the consumer. And she just kept telling me to talk to USPS. She refused to actually help me in any way. I also had a difficult time getting USPS to respond to me (they eventually did after like 2 weeks...). She refused to reach out to them. I just wanted some help. But if that's how she treats her customers then I never will be one again 🤷♀️
@@jesswolz5953 ugh! I honestly wasn’t really worrying too much about my order until I saw the other person on instagram stating she just got an email saying that her order had been cancelled and she was NOW refunded.. I made a comment asking how the orders from December were moving along.., since now I’m worried that I’ll be getting a cancellation email too! Now that you’re saying she wouldn’t pull the usps info as well.., that’s super crumby! It seems like they don’t have problems with sending out the PR that helps sell those products, but the paying customers can’t get help? Idk.. I was going to order the Valentine’s mystery box, but it felt kinda ick when I still haven’t gotten my Christmas order! Lol
I love indie brands as well. I will say that when Adept released their mystery box claiming 8/9 new products, I preordered the MB so fast because there was a lot of products missing in their line and I love them. Then it was released that 8/9 products was eyeliners. Who need 8 multichrome eyeliners?!? I don’t even wear eyeliner. I was so disappointed and probably won’t mess with indie MB anymore. I will say Adept was great allowed me to cancel my order, I was even willing to pay the restocking fee. Sydney Grace is the best indie brand I’ve tried. The products and customer service are excellent.
Im sorry that it was disappointing! In general I don’t buy mystery boxes much anymore because you just don’t know if it’s going to be something you love or not 😩
I totally agree with you on Sydney Grace. Everything is transparent and you can plan your week. For some reason the international order for me didn’t process correctly. I emailed them on Day 1 and they came up with a solution for me. They collected all my orders during Christmas in July and shipped them together. They gave me shipping estimates, order fulfillment estimates and tracking information. They also followed up via email. They didn’t want a review, they wanted to make sure everything arrived safely. It is a two person operation for the most part and they were exceptionally well run. I did have to do “special orders”during the CIJ event.
I completely understand you never wanting to try indie mystery boxes again, but one brand you might want to consider is Unearthly Cosmetic. Angelica Nyquist opened their Valentine’s mystery box on Friday. It sold out, but there is a second preorder. All of their mystery boxes are always all new items and sometimes, some of the items will be available for individual sale later. I’m really bummed that I’m too broke to buy this MB. I bought the Halloween MB and loved it.
I love Blend Bunny, i got my noctilucent highlighter palette and the shades were like hardpanning and not picking up and I reached out to see if maybe I was using it incorrectly and she advised me it can be used with fingers for intensity or brush and they actually sent me a replacement palette and it works perfectly so the first one must have just been defective but I absolutely adore their products and customer service and wish them only success
I love my indie eyeshadows but to be honest i didn't buy anything from any since end of 2022 because it gets very expensive for europeans, we have to pay expensive shipping and customs 🛃 so i try to use what i have already! I can't complain about any US Indie Brand , canadian or european , i had no problems with communicating or receiving responses! I own Clionadh, Terra Moons, Shine by SD , Prettiest for your face , Looxi, JD Glow, Glamshop , Pastel Roses UK and Lethal ❤
I am glad you raised this topic and shared your thoughts. Buying indie and buying mainstream both come with pros and cons. Making makeup more accessible in all directions (price, shade range, aesthetic preferences, usability, purchasability etc.) is a good thing. I am happy that there are a variety of companies for out there for nearly all people (as long as they create safe, quality products and treat their customers well). Negative experiences with indie brands ought to be acknowledged, and for customers, knowing yourself is key! Indie brands aren’t for everyone, and that’s OK! By the way, I am sorry for your loss. Love to you and your family! ❤
I live in Europe, and here you cannot return ANYTHING if it was opened or tried(from anywhere, Sephora etc). Almost all foundations/concealers that I bought online do not match me. And yes, I am stuck with them now. 😢
You can send back open and tried make up in the US..? What do the manufacturers do with those items, throw them out? In Hungary we have FB groups and websites where you can sell these products but you already have to mention the state of the product, how much is left, attach a pic etc
It is quite customary in Europe that you have to wait weeks for your order. My Make up Revolution order took three weeks but the Rephr one which shipped out of their Austrian warehouse took at least a month, with me not being able to track the order online. But they kept me updated and gave me back some money as well at least.
I have overall been impressed with my indie purchases. Except for Shroud cosmetics. I placed orders for several palettes black Friday. No shipment update, no communication, NOTHING! I am quite let down.
Same. At this point I'm trying to get my money back and opened a case. Communicating that things are delayed is great. Disappearing into nothingness but still cashing in is shitty. Sorry for the language, but I'm super annoyed. I heard people didn't even get the Dark Academia palette that just launched. It's sad.
@@Fiercely_Nic thats terrible. Yeah. They owe me $170 ish dollars. I ordered 6 pallets cause IM a fool. Ive not even got a things are delayed email. Terrible business ethics. Other brands have been great at communicating issues.
Relating to your comments about customer service, do you have any idea what happened with shroud? They came out with a new palette in November, but have been radio silent ever since. As far as i know, no one who ordered has received the palette. So glad i didn't order, but i am starting to wonder if something happened.
There’s people biased toward PMG and then there’s people biased toward indie brands🤷🏻♀️ it comes down to preference a lot of times. Salt NY has had adjuster shades for a while, they are an indie brand too!
Amy, sorry for your loss, and I will say a prayer for you. Looxi Beauty has $2 dollar sales on duochromes and special shades and I like them just as much as Terramoons, Divenah, Cliondah, other higher end indie. Dandylionco is another brand that is very affordable and dependable. Adept is the only indie brand I will do a pre order from. I bought the OG Paleo from Cliondah and waiting months, but I also knew nothing about pre orders. Glamanatrix was also horrible in the beginning and now they ship rather quickly, but they are overseas. I bought the Devour Unearthly eyeshadow palette this past November and because they messed up I will probably get in March!! I buy more indie eyeshadow palettes than mainstream, but I am very selective on which brand I will buy from now. Ensley Reign does take some time to ship, but I have never had any issues with the brand. I will say this again Adept is the only indie brand I will buy pre orders from. My 5 Top Eyeshadow Brands- Natasha Denona Ensley Reign Adept Viseart Sidney Grace
Thank you ❤️ And unfortunately Looxi shadows don’t last on me at all. They used to but their newer formulation felt like the quality went downhill. I almost never have issues with shadows lasting too so I stopped buying from them 😩
i’m so sorry for your loss, amy. i’m so glad that you’re bringing this subject up. i loveeee my indie shadows and indie brands, but i’ve learned that you have to be willing to wait. i don’t mind ordering from sydney grace, cosmic brushes, fantasy cosmetica, blend bunny, glaminatrix, bella beaute bar, unearthly, adept, devinah, clionadh, terra moons, cloud-chaser, electrum, quicksand, looxi, sinful echos, sbsd, and a few others. i do think that brand owners need to be transparent with their customers. i still love buying some of my favorite mainstream brands like natasha denona. i love her mini palettes. i mostly buy indie or mainstream face products like blush, bronzer, and highlighter… but when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, it’s 90% indie and 10% mainstream. ♥️♥️♥️ ps… glamlite JUST got better with their shipping, because for the LONGEST TIME it took almost two months to get my orders.
I couldn't agree more! I'm dealing with a indie brand that has beautiful singles but their processing time/ship time is ridiculous! And Everytime I order from them they tack on more time than warned and I find myself hounding them about my order. Cough *electrum* cough. I also don't like how sometimes it seems they stocked 100 pallets and bam! Limited edition and it's gone! That's discouraging when they don't have enough stock for a launch..that's a pet peeve that I have about indie brands. Now I'm waiting on this one said indie brand bc half my order arrived broken..and I was SHOCKED how poorly it was packaged considering their Holo singles. I've been buying singles from indie brands for years and this is the second times I've ever had a product arrive broken and immediately when I saw the packaging I knew I was gonna have a surprise opening it up. Now I'm waiting probably another 3 months (like my original order) for them to resend the shadows that were broken! Ridiculous!! Not worth my time..bc by then I forget what I even ordered! Very discouraging
I’ve purchased from many indie brands and I have been lucky enough to never have a problem with them. However, I once had a horrible experience with Beauty Bay that lasted MONTHS! I haven’t purchased anything from them since.
Indie makeup brought me to you years ago when I first joined YT. I love that you love Indie makeup. I also really enjoy Milly from bad to the brow. You ladies rock!
Although I love Pat Mcgrath eyeshadows I tend to like more simple eye looks so when I tried the indie eyeshadows they were not for me the only indie brand that I liked is Sydney grace ❤
Sydney Grace has shown excellent customer service to me every time I’ve needed it so they may be the exception. But their attention and caring attitude has made me a loyal customer above and beyond the stellar quality products they make. I hear your valid points having said that though. You have brought up some good points.
Thank you for this video--so much good info! I LOVE indie brands (thank you for many recommendations) and I totally agree that having eyeshadows from shops like Cliodhna, Devinah, Sydney Grace, and Lethal have turned me off from mainstream shadows! In terms of shipping and processing, it's so true that we have been spoiled by fast shipping--I moved from the States to Europe and it takes even longer! Here, I have to hope that Monolith (or other EU retailers) get the indie items in stock, often a month or so after they are released in the US, then it'll take about 2 weeks to get to my country. As long as brands are honest about their time-frame, I am happy to shop small!
Monolith has great shipping times to the UK, about a week or less usually. I actually kind of like that they get things 'late' so I can really think about whether I need the eyeshadow palette. I'm glad they stock so many amazing indie brands otherwise it would be very costly to order from the USA. Indie eyeshadows are just unmatched imo. Both in quality and colour stories😊
@teganmacgregor6492 Monolith does have good shipping times to the UK, only thing i don't like is that they don't offer parcel insurance at checked. Alot of indie brands offer that now so u'll get your money back if it arrives damaged, lost or stolen. And if noticed Monolith are charging more for the palettes than the indie band so if you compare the brand website with shipping to Monolith it works out the same. So i don't shop from Monolith as much now, i just go to the indie brand.
Best customer service I have ever experienced was an indie brand, Sydney Grace. Worst customer service I have ever experienced was a big company, Saks Fifth Ave.
I had great experience with SG too, it wasn't showing up after a month (canada) so they sent the entire order again (first one did mysteriously arrive too months later)
Yes Sydney grace is the kindest brand owner I ever dealt with. I will forever be a customer of theirs based off of the consistency in quality and the wonderful customer service.
I agree with you about Sydney Grace. They've been able to send me swatch comparison pictures when I've had trouble deciding between similar shades. It was so helpful of them.
This was a great video for people who haven't shopped from indie brands and are thinking about it. I mainly buy eyeshadow palettes from indie, i don't buy foundation, concealer things like that from indie. Indie definitely do eyeshadow better 😊
I was recently turned off by an indie brand but let me get your opinion if this is an issue or not. I bought a $65 eyeshadow palette from a brand and it was supposed to come with a free gift a face palette. So when the palette eventually comes the gift was not with tje order. When I emailed the brand and asked about the gift they said that they would let shipping know. I waited 3 weeks and no response so i did a follow-up email and the told me because it was it was a free gift they were not going to do something about it or resend it. Why offer a free gift if you had no intentions of sending it or fix your mistake. And if they were not going to send it out why make me wait 3 weeks for a response? 😒
The three week wait and then nothing makes me think there was some type of miscommunication. That does suck. I would try one more time for a better resolution 😕
I am currently waiting for my Shroud order i olaced in November. I'm sure you are aware that nobody has heard from Chloe of Shroud in a long time. We are all worried about her
Same thing with me. If something did happen to her, you’d think someone would come forward and let her customers know what is going on. It’s so frustrating. I really hope she’s ok. But again, we need to be told what is happening. This just isn’t ok. 😢
Oh I really don’t think anything bad happened to the woman. She has a reputation of being shady with orders in the past, and now she’s done it again. I think she got in way over her head, she had tons of money rolling in, and she spent it and now can’t fulfill the orders so she split. I bet that’s what happened
Hi Amy…. I’m so sorry for your loss 😢 Sending love to you and your family. ❤ The only hideous experience I had was when I ordered It’s Freakin Bats from Shroud. I got in early on launch day and mine was NOT a preorder! Ordered it on 10/4 and didn’t receive it for months. I think that the number of palettes you have, before it goes into preorder, should have been ready to ship once they printed the label! PLUS…..I picked it up to use it for Halloween, and two shadows fell out of their pans. 😮I’m very gentle with my palettes. I’m not going to repurchase. ……😑 Other than that fiasco, I’ve been very happy with all my Indie purchases. 😊
Hi Amy. Firstly, I'm very sorry for your loss & hope you & your family are ok. 😞❤ Secondly, very good video & valid points. Online ordering always carries a bit of risk so it really is up to the customer to make the best informed decision possible as to what they feel comfortable doing or not doing. I totally agree, that certain biz practices can occasionally be unprofessional & unacceptable regardless of company size & circumstances. They all should make genuine efforts to honor their promises to their clients.
I just cant deal with crappy customer service, or a total lack thereof. I'll forgive once or twice but after that I will not buy from the brand again. I don't buy from Glamlite for this reason, sadly.
What a great video. I love that you made valid points for both sides. You can really help someone make a better decision. Thank you. Sometimes I feel like creators lose that.
I 110% agree with everything you said in this video, both the negatives and positives of Indie. You just are not going to get the same unique formulas and such in most mainstream brands. But that does come with the understanding that you have to have some patience when it comes to shipping. But there is a point where some indie brands overly take advantage of their customers, and us accepting that needs to stop. I would also love to see how you store all your makeup,especially yoyr eyeshadow palettes, if you haven't done something like that already.
Yeah, the owner feeling attacked from any customer service request is real. I ordered from one brand on sale, and there were 2 identical shades in the palette, plus it looked completely different from a photo on the site. I mean, you always expect some small difference, but this was completely different. Well, the owner did offer me a discount for the fact that there were two identical shadows, and I agreed, but then she proceeded to berate me for the fact that I purchased the palette on sale to start with, for me agreeing to take a further discount that she offered, for writing to her on Easter and spoiling this holiday for her (? I celebrate an orthodox Easter, which is on a different date, and I in no way indicated that I need a reply urgently). She then proceeded to block me from her store! I do not know how they survive with this attitude.
I don't have a problem waiting a bit longer for shipping, if it's something I'm going to have for a while and cherish using. I waited 3 months for the first Shroud x Battybean collab, and it's still one of my favorite palettes years later. I do not buy PML, or really any luxury makeup. For me it's not worth the money at all to pay so much for some mostly browns and pinks. I much rather buy from Oden's Eye, Lethal, Unearthly, and even Juvia's Place still. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and perspective on Indie brands. So sorry for your loss. 💗💗💗
Girl, you must have been talking about the brand formerly known as Strobe Cosmetics. Their new name is so aptly fitting. They seem to be dead and cloaked in a shroud at this point. I ordered Dark Academia and 2 other palettes and a nail polish in November, got tracking info on Dec 13, and since that day, I can get no one to answer me. I’ve emailed, sent messages through IG, filed a complaint with the BBB…nothing, totally ghosted. And it’s not just me. There are so many others in my exact position. I don’t know how a brand comes back from something like this. Maybe in the case of this small company, changing the brand name is how you try to hide from your past mistakes? 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️. Sorry about the rant, but you definitely hit the nail on the head with this one. Thankfully, and I buy from probably 25 different indie brands, this is the only time I’ve ever experienced anything like this.
I love indie eyeshadow it definitely helps bring out a creative side in all of us. I don’t agree that the quality is better though, personally I’ve found high end and luxury makeup to have better longevity overall - the quality stays the same for years while indie palettes can sometimes dry out/not perform as well after a few months. Luxury and high end makeup to me also has more lasting power on the lids and works better across more skin types (mature, oily, dry etc.). I took a step back from indie when I started realizing how many brands have duplicate formulas because it felt like I was throwing money down the drain esp since as you said, you can’t return things. I took an even bigger step back once the prices became equal to or greater than luxury brands. Overall there’s definitely a place for indie in my collection and in beauty generally but there are some fundamental issues that have made me significantly decrease how much indie products I buy.
I thought unearthly cosmetics was enough of a well trusted brand to purchase a palette from them on preorder but here I am months later with no word 🙄 such a mistake
However I recently tried Adept cosmetics and I was blown away! Super fast shipping, super sturdy packaging so no breaking in transit and amazing quality. I’ll never buy Pat McGrath again, Adept is miles better
I won’t order anything on a pre order. That’s no different than running a ponze scheme….getting money for orders, to make the next products and doing that over and over. That’s a ponze scheme. I would only order from things that are already in stock. Why trust someone to create a product with your money? Heck no. Only buy a product that’s already there and made
I don’t like that as soon as something launches it pretty much sells out. Like if you’re not there at launch, you’re most likely not getting it. And the only time I’m not gonna buy from an indie brand is if there isn’t any multichromes of shifty shades. I don’t think it’s worth it.
I buy most of my makeup from Sephora and Ulta with the rare luxury makeup purchase from Nordstrom or a brand owned website. I never buy eyeshadow from those places, though, unless it’s Natasha Denona(which is technically indie, right?) I just don’t find interesting eyeshadow being offered by the mainstream brands, not to mention the higher quality from most indie brands. I like to shop from Camera Ready Cosmetics. They offer multiple indie brands, faster shipping, more frequent sales, cheaper shipping in some cases. For instance, I bought a palette I wanted from Lethal cosmetics recently. It would have been expensive to ship from Germany. Buying from CRC, the shipping was less and I picked up a Blend Bunny palette I had been wanting, also.
I hate when indie businesses don’t have trained/seasoned customer service representatives and it’s just the owner replying because they’ll be straight up rude to customers with genuine concerns
Does anyone know what’s happening with shroud cosmetics ?? Speaking of bad customer service. Ordered from them months ago in November and they’ve gone radio silent since. Lots of people left hanging with no communication.
I am sorry for your loss , sending you prayers. ❤ Speaking of indie, wait time and no communication, I ordered dark acdemia from Shroud 11/25 sent an email to their customer service havent received a response and still have not received the palette. I have been checking Instagram constantly for any post updating what is going on and nothing. Did something happen with the owner? Like i have been so irritated and at the same time feeling bad in case something did. But can we get some update on the situation if anyone knows. 😢 24:04
I love indie brands for eyeshadow pallets, blushes, highlighters.... I don't mind waiting for them to ship it out I realize that it's just a few people doing everything..... But for foundation, I only use name brand.
Your so right, customer service is a huge issue, and why should i feel i have to forgo refunds & customer sevice, thats on them, not us... I am also very concerned with quality control, such as sanitized area that the product is being made,but also where they get the products from they are making their indi products, meaning what country and are is it sanitized area they are buying prodhcts from... yes it cam be issues with major players... but i prefer to pay higher prices, for being made in areas im ok with. & companies i had trusted for years .🌷
I put indie brand products on my wishlist for my birthday/Christmas that I make for my boyfriend. Then HE can deal with the shipping, the customs, the shipping time 😂
No return policy and long processing/shipping time doesn't really bother me. In my country you can't return makeup anyway (which is one reason why I'm not into high-end/luxury makeup). Not being able swatch products before I buy them is a deterrent especially with blush and lipstick. However, temptalia's "compare any two" tool can be helpful to compare an indie shade to a product I already have or a product I can swatch in store. I have no interest in ordering directly from US brands, because of customs and high shipping costs. Some indie brands have great customer service, while other's have horrible CS. If a company is known for no/bad CS I'll definitely not order from them.
In Croatia, you cant return makeup products once you open them and use them. So I have always been very selective with what I buy and how much it costs. Im not that into base products so I see no point in buying expensive base products. Palettes are the only thing I want to buy from indie brands but even then, most brands are in America so I have to really save my money in order to buy from them. One palette can be 100+ dollars, if you count shipping and customs. So even if I like a palette, I won't buy it unless im really in love with it. Theres European retailers like Monolith shop who have indie brands. Im really grateful I have that option if I ever want to buy from some indie brands.
I prefer shopping from smaller indie brands. A lot of the products are more fun, beautiful, unique, and good quality. I don't mind waiting for pre-orders. I like using the affiliate codes, sometimes it can add up to the cost of shipping. It is a bit of a gamble shopping from a new brand. Sometimes it's a miss, but most of my experiences have been hits. Most of my favorite palettes are collabs.
I am starting to get upset with a brand that ordered from in the past few times. My package has shipped but my package seems to be lost since it has not updated since Jan 17. I have not been able to a reply from the brand after I emailed them over 1.5 week ago.
I have got their auto reply message twice now. I am sure my package is delayed by bad weather since it was coming from Canada. My package shipped a week before everywhere was hit with ice/snow storms. I am hoping it is still just snowed in somewhere. It is hard to be patience when there has been no updates for over 3 weeks.
Adept Cosmetics customer service is FANTASTIC! They communicate with their customers and I appreciate that. I’m also loving Bella Beaute Bar. One very popular Indie Brand didn’t pay the full shipping cost and then the owner got nasty with me. I read on Reddit it is her thing. I still bought a collab with them because I love the creator but, yeah, she needs a PR team.
My condolences Amy. 3 of the indie brands I buy a lot from are Terra moons, Clionadh and Glaminatrix. On my last 2 purchases from Terra moons, I was disappointed to get squishy like eyeshadows. I buy back up of the shadows to share with my family. First ones I bought were amazing ( bear in mind I am comparing the same shades) but surprisingly, 2 of the shadows from my last order were squishy and wet to touch. I tried telling them but Terra moons customer service were not helpful at all, they were taking offense to it. And I was not looking for refund or exchange but just wanted to know how to fix this because it is still wet and squishy to this date and I am afraid they might get mold. Anyone knows how to fix this ? Please let me know. I spend my hard earned money on Terra Moons and they are not cheap.
I'm so sorry. This is so disappointing because I used to love her shadows too, but I also had a terrible experience with Laura/CS of Terra Moons when one of my packages went missing and they refused to allow paypal to refund me using the excuse that they are a small company and can't afford refunds! Com'on!! Big or small they are supposed to be a BUSINESS above all, and that comes with the territory! Thankfully PP decided on my favor and I got my money back, but never again! Anyway, I'm sorry about the rant 😅. I think you could try wetting the shadows with 99% pure alcohol. That works to "dry out" baked powders, so it might be worth the shot!
I really appreciate that most indie brands especially for eyeshadows don't use carmine but they still manage to have so much color payoff. I can't wear most of the eyeshadow at sephora or ulta due to the carmine that they use.
Indie makeup is better when it comes to eyeshadow, nobody can really argue that. Pat McGrath is overpriced and underwhelming at this point. And supporting a small indie brand is better for my moral wallet. Just my own personal hot takes lol. ❤
Weirdly enough the biggest problems with makeup ordering I've ever had was with Fenty . It took me two months to get my entire order (the first shipment left out a product), and as well as a refund when I was overcharged for shipping, and I only received those things after constantly bugging them about it 😅 Never any issues with indie orders
You know, I was kind of expecting one of those annoying videos where people say things like "dont buy from these brands if you dont like good formulas" but I was pleasantly surprised that shared genuine reasons for not choosing indie brands.
Thankfully I haven’t had any problems buying indie brands. GlamLite and BBB both came super fast and had zero problems. Their quality is superb! I had no idea what I was missing with indie shadows. Now that’s all I want lol. My one and only Natasha Denona palette came shattered and a total mess 🤬 I will not order from any company with pre orders. That’s basically running a ponze scheme…using customers money for the next products, no way. Only buy products that are already in stock. Why trust some stranger to make a product with your money? No way
I did not have the best experience with Haus Labs customer service. Good customer service is very important to me. I won't continue to purchase from brands that don't have good customer service.
I agree! The way she treated her handicapped customer was so incredibly unprofessional. She only updated her website bc she realized the customer was in fact correct and it is indeed illegal not to make your website accessible. I can never forget about that. That was so rude and unprofessional. I only have 1 palette from them and I would never buy another. Pretty gross customer service if you ask me.
I feel like the beauty industry is full of people who have huge amounts of disdain for business but then go into business anyway, without doing research or getting educated. There are whole degree programs dedicated to supply chain management; there’s no excuse for someone who wants to run a business but is acting like there’s absolutely no way to streamline or speed things up. Then again, I also don’t think there’s any such thing as ~supporting a for-profit business, even indie ones.
I get what you’re saying about not being able to “support” something that’s for profit but to me it’s similar to finding local diners and mom and pop shops instead of always eating at chain restaurants. You’re going to spend your money either way in this scenario so I’d rather spend it in a way that matters if I can ☺️
Even if it's not tenable immediately as an early investment I definitely think it should be an early priority like customer service to learn or employ someone.
I'm disgusted by all the money I wasted on Natasha Denona and Pat Mcgrath before I discovered how good indie makeup is. In fact, I gave most of that away and now just use indie, because it really is so much higher quality. And before, I would have said I was biased in favor of PM and ND.
Im thinking that with indie brands you can be more confident that they will be vegan and cruelty free if it's something that you care about. Mainstream brands that claim to be vegan and cruelty free are often owned by a parent company that isn't, amd that is one case where you need to do more research when you buy mainstream vs indie. (Assuming the indie is and does say it is v. and cf)
Ive heard Americans are especially spoiled with not having to pay shipping. Makeup influencers in Europe or Asia often have to pay expensive shipping fees no matter what.
So from big brands yes free shipping majority of the time but smaller brands no … I’ve also purchased a lot from Europe and paid my fair share of shipping 🤣
Indie eyeshadows definitely ruined mainstream eyeshadow brands for me. My expectations are just so much higher. The one thing I don’t like is that a brand can just disappear and take your money- referring to the shroud dark Acadamia palette launch. No one has still gotten their palettes since the launch in November. I finally had my bank file for my refund. It’s crazy how they can just launch something, take the orders and money and ghost for three months. I’m guessing they won’t be coming back
Bringing back makeup products wasn't always a thing. When I was much younger what you bought is what you got and that was it. This was regular stores because it was before the internet.
I’ve only just started buying indie. What I’ve noticed: we’re much more accepting of cheap ingredients being 1st on the ingredient list yet paying a premium price (hello talc!) but no one really talks about that. Also, several of them don’t offer product damage replacement unless you pay that extra fee to protect your item even with paying high dollar shipping. If you’re selling $200 makeup you should be able to hire enough people to not take 20 days to ship items.
One big major brand with the worst customer service is DIOR. I literally had to contact the BBB to get my refund. I would never again support DIOR in any way
They finally sent me my replacement after I reported them to BBB and consumer reports for unethical business practices. They also sent me an email with a gift card. I will use the gift card to get the free items (since that’s their money) but I’m not spending my money on them again.
Are there any indie brands that can truly fill the Natasha Denona gap? Neutral, "wearable" high quality eyeshadow + nice, sleek packaging rather than large cardboard palettes with widely spaced pans. I would be so down to support smaller brands if you have suggestions!
I think Sydney Grace comes closest to meeting your needs. The packaging isn’t small, but it’s very sleek and well done. And her color stories are so neutral, wearable and with amazing quality. Best customer service ever.
I think a big one you missed is availability. Indie brands are often sold out of their products, their products are usually limited edition. So if you want to find your one dependable makeup product, it's probably not going to be from an indie brand. If you don't like shopping on a brand's release schedule, you won't like shopping indie. If you don't have instagram, you won't know when new releases are coming or when restocks are coming.
That’s very true! Thank you for sharing I’m going to pin this comment ☺️
I hate the lack of communication. I hate the preorders. It doesn’t take much to communicate with your customers. If you are waiting on a lengthy preorder a midpoint email is courteous and minimizes harassment from customers and hugely increases customer satisfaction. You can plan for supply chain issues and shipping disruptions. If you are in business you can’t afford to just be creative in product development. You have to be creative in business as well. I don’t understand why an independent brand can’t be more transparent in their products’ sequential releases. They are brutal in their FOMO marketing.
A few indie brands are super communicative and clear about those things, Clionadh Cosmetics comes to mind, and that is one of the reasons I have bought from them many times (and they really do make the absolute best multichromes of any brand ever!). Brands that work like you've described really turn me off and I'll usually not bother shopping with them. Customer service makes ALL the difference!
I’m still salty about waiting almost 6 months for the Battybean palette
@@FloatingSpark I have had some good experiences and I agree with you on Clionadh. They are small and have long ship times but they are transparent. If you preorder, they let you know when your product is estimated to be in stock and when to expect shipments are shipping. I also love Sydney Grace. I had problems with my first two orders during the Christmas in July sales event. The online ordering system wasn’t working on my International order. They found a work around and after the computer glitch was fixed they continued contact. They shipped all of my orders together. Charged one shipping fee (free in my case), shipped in one box and didn’t overlook a single item. It was a six different orders ! It took a long time coming to me but they let me know. They combined everything together but they explained this was their policy. They were horribly busy but they worked to get a computer process issue corrected. They ran out of stock on two items during each of the first two days. They updated inventory real time but my first two orders had to be manually entered. They communicated and offered an alternative item or a cancellation on that item. They let me know. I live in Canada so long ship times are customary. The tracking isn’t always great from independent cosmetics companies. I’m accustomed to it. I really appreciated having communication with Sydney Grace. They followed up. I didn’t just get an email for a product review.
I just had my first preorder experience and it took so long idk if I can do that again
What 6months that's crazy
I appreciate that this was real and not click bait. I love indie but these are so fair reasons.
I know it does seem like click bait but I’m like I promise it’s not 🤣🤣
i was so sure it was going to be click bait but it’s definitely legit ❤
I placed an order in December with Unearthly. I don’t so much mind pre-orders, but the 2 palettes I ordered were supposed to be in stock., yet I haven’t heard a thing from them since. I’ve sent an email.., I’ve sent an ig dm, and a message at this point, and haven’t heard a word back! I also saw someone else say their order from the same time frame actually was cancelled on them! After 1.5 months of holding on to someone’s $$, that’s unacceptable! I don’t really mind waiting, but if mine gets cancelled, I’m going to be very unhappy, and wouldn’t order from her again.
Damn I’m really sorry 😕
I used to love Unearthly, but I had a bad experience with them too and no longer support them. My package had gotten lost and I was just asking her if she could pull the information she had from my tracking. The business end always seems to have more information than the consumer. And she just kept telling me to talk to USPS. She refused to actually help me in any way. I also had a difficult time getting USPS to respond to me (they eventually did after like 2 weeks...). She refused to reach out to them. I just wanted some help. But if that's how she treats her customers then I never will be one again 🤷♀️
@@jesswolz5953 ugh! I honestly wasn’t really worrying too much about my order until I saw the other person on instagram stating she just got an email saying that her order had been cancelled and she was NOW refunded.. I made a comment asking how the orders from December were moving along.., since now I’m worried that I’ll be getting a cancellation email too! Now that you’re saying she wouldn’t pull the usps info as well.., that’s super crumby! It seems like they don’t have problems with sending out the PR that helps sell those products, but the paying customers can’t get help? Idk.. I was going to order the Valentine’s mystery box, but it felt kinda ick when I still haven’t gotten my Christmas order! Lol
I had the same issue with Unearthly.
Yeah I wouldn’t put up with that again. Many many gorgeous indie brands and palettes coming out if the woodwork now.
I love indie brands as well. I will say that when Adept released their mystery box claiming 8/9 new products, I preordered the MB so fast because there was a lot of products missing in their line and I love them.
Then it was released that 8/9 products was eyeliners. Who need 8 multichrome eyeliners?!? I don’t even wear eyeliner. I was so disappointed and probably won’t mess with indie MB anymore. I will say Adept was great allowed me to cancel my order, I was even willing to pay the restocking fee.
Sydney Grace is the best indie brand I’ve tried. The products and customer service are excellent.
Im sorry that it was disappointing! In general I don’t buy mystery boxes much anymore because you just don’t know if it’s going to be something you love or not 😩
I totally agree with you on Sydney Grace. Everything is transparent and you can plan your week. For some reason the international order for me didn’t process correctly. I emailed them on Day 1 and they came up with a solution for me. They collected all my orders during Christmas in July and shipped them together. They gave me shipping estimates, order fulfillment estimates and tracking information. They also followed up via email. They didn’t want a review, they wanted to make sure everything arrived safely. It is a two person operation for the most part and they were exceptionally well run. I did have to do “special orders”during the CIJ event.
I completely understand you never wanting to try indie mystery boxes again, but one brand you might want to consider is Unearthly Cosmetic. Angelica Nyquist opened their Valentine’s mystery box on Friday. It sold out, but there is a second preorder. All of their mystery boxes are always all new items and sometimes, some of the items will be available for individual sale later. I’m really bummed that I’m too broke to buy this MB. I bought the Halloween MB and loved it.
I love Blend Bunny, i got my noctilucent highlighter palette and the shades were like hardpanning and not picking up and I reached out to see if maybe I was using it incorrectly and she advised me it can be used with fingers for intensity or brush and they actually sent me a replacement palette and it works perfectly so the first one must have just been defective but I absolutely adore their products and customer service and wish them only success
Wow that’s awesome I love to hear that! I also had a defective shade once and they sent me a new palette
I love my indie eyeshadows but to be honest i didn't buy anything from any since end of 2022 because it gets very expensive for europeans, we have to pay expensive shipping and customs 🛃 so i try to use what i have already! I can't complain about any US Indie Brand , canadian or european , i had no problems with communicating or receiving responses! I own Clionadh, Terra Moons, Shine by SD , Prettiest for your face , Looxi, JD Glow, Glamshop , Pastel Roses UK and Lethal ❤
I am glad you raised this topic and shared your thoughts. Buying indie and buying mainstream both come with pros and cons. Making makeup more accessible in all directions (price, shade range, aesthetic preferences, usability, purchasability etc.) is a good thing. I am happy that there are a variety of companies for out there for nearly all people (as long as they create safe, quality products and treat their customers well). Negative experiences with indie brands ought to be acknowledged, and for customers, knowing yourself is key! Indie brands aren’t for everyone, and that’s OK!
By the way, I am sorry for your loss. Love to you and your family! ❤
I live in Europe, and here you cannot return ANYTHING if it was opened or tried(from anywhere, Sephora etc). Almost all foundations/concealers that I bought online do not match me. And yes, I am stuck with them now. 😢
Charlotte Holdcroft just made a video sharing her tips and tricks for shade matching online!
Same here in NZ!!
You can send back open and tried make up in the US..? What do the manufacturers do with those items, throw them out? In Hungary we have FB groups and websites where you can sell these products but you already have to mention the state of the product, how much is left, attach a pic etc
It is quite customary in Europe that you have to wait weeks for your order. My Make up Revolution order took three weeks but the Rephr one which shipped out of their Austrian warehouse took at least a month, with me not being able to track the order online. But they kept me updated and gave me back some money as well at least.
I have overall been impressed with my indie purchases. Except for Shroud cosmetics. I placed orders for several palettes black Friday. No shipment update, no communication, NOTHING! I am quite let down.
Same. At this point I'm trying to get my money back and opened a case. Communicating that things are delayed is great. Disappearing into nothingness but still cashing in is shitty. Sorry for the language, but I'm super annoyed. I heard people didn't even get the Dark Academia palette that just launched. It's sad.
@@Fiercely_Nic thats terrible. Yeah. They owe me $170 ish dollars. I ordered 6 pallets cause IM a fool. Ive not even got a things are delayed email. Terrible business ethics. Other brands have been great at communicating issues.
Relating to your comments about customer service, do you have any idea what happened with shroud? They came out with a new palette in November, but have been radio silent ever since. As far as i know, no one who ordered has received the palette. So glad i didn't order, but i am starting to wonder if something happened.
@@ToriJadeTalks I am so sorry! That is awful!
Well yeah something happened….she ripped off people’s money and split. Period. People need to file a police report on her
There’s people biased toward PMG and then there’s people biased toward indie brands🤷🏻♀️ it comes down to preference a lot of times.
Salt NY has had adjuster shades for a while, they are an indie brand too!
Ooh I didn’t know that! I’ll have to check theirs out thank you ☺️
Amy, sorry for your loss, and I will say a prayer for you.
Looxi Beauty has $2 dollar sales on duochromes and special shades and I like them just as much as Terramoons, Divenah, Cliondah, other higher end indie.
Dandylionco is another brand that is very affordable and dependable.
Adept is the only indie brand I will do a pre order from.
I bought the OG Paleo from Cliondah and waiting months, but I also knew nothing about pre orders.
Glamanatrix was also horrible in the beginning and now they ship rather quickly, but they are overseas.
I bought the Devour Unearthly eyeshadow palette this past November and because they messed up I will probably get in March!!
I buy more indie eyeshadow palettes than mainstream, but I am very selective on which brand I will buy from now. Ensley Reign does take some time to ship, but I have never had any issues with the brand.
I will say this again Adept is the only indie brand I will buy pre orders from.
My 5 Top Eyeshadow Brands-
Natasha Denona
Ensley Reign
Adept
Viseart
Sidney Grace
Thank you ❤️ And unfortunately Looxi shadows don’t last on me at all. They used to but their newer formulation felt like the quality went downhill. I almost never have issues with shadows lasting too so I stopped buying from them 😩
i’m so sorry for your loss, amy. i’m so glad that you’re bringing this subject up. i loveeee my indie shadows and indie brands, but i’ve learned that you have to be willing to wait. i don’t mind ordering from sydney grace, cosmic brushes, fantasy cosmetica, blend bunny, glaminatrix, bella beaute bar, unearthly, adept, devinah, clionadh, terra moons, cloud-chaser, electrum, quicksand, looxi, sinful echos, sbsd, and a few others. i do think that brand owners need to be transparent with their customers. i still love buying some of my favorite mainstream brands like natasha denona. i love her mini palettes. i mostly buy indie or mainstream face products like blush, bronzer, and highlighter… but when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, it’s 90% indie and 10% mainstream. ♥️♥️♥️
ps… glamlite JUST got better with their shipping, because for the LONGEST TIME it took almost two months to get my orders.
I couldn't agree more! I'm dealing with a indie brand that has beautiful singles but their processing time/ship time is ridiculous! And Everytime I order from them they tack on more time than warned and I find myself hounding them about my order. Cough *electrum* cough. I also don't like how sometimes it seems they stocked 100 pallets and bam! Limited edition and it's gone! That's discouraging when they don't have enough stock for a launch..that's a pet peeve that I have about indie brands. Now I'm waiting on this one said indie brand bc half my order arrived broken..and I was SHOCKED how poorly it was packaged considering their Holo singles. I've been buying singles from indie brands for years and this is the second times I've ever had a product arrive broken and immediately when I saw the packaging I knew I was gonna have a surprise opening it up. Now I'm waiting probably another 3 months (like my original order) for them to resend the shadows that were broken! Ridiculous!! Not worth my time..bc by then I forget what I even ordered! Very discouraging
I’ve purchased from many indie brands and I have been lucky enough to never have a problem with them. However, I once had a horrible experience with Beauty Bay that lasted MONTHS! I haven’t purchased anything from them since.
Indie makeup brought me to you years ago when I first joined YT. I love that you love Indie makeup. I also really enjoy Milly from bad to the brow. You ladies rock!
Although I love Pat Mcgrath eyeshadows I tend to like more simple eye looks so when I tried the indie eyeshadows they were not for me the only indie brand that I liked is Sydney grace ❤
That makes sense! ☺️
Sydney Grace has shown excellent customer service to me every time I’ve needed it so they may be the exception. But their attention and caring attitude has made me a loyal customer above and beyond the stellar quality products they make.
I hear your valid points having said that though. You have brought up some good points.
Sorry for your loss Amy❤
I really enjoy makeup commentary videos 😊
Good to know!
Thank you for this video--so much good info! I LOVE indie brands (thank you for many recommendations) and I totally agree that having eyeshadows from shops like Cliodhna, Devinah, Sydney Grace, and Lethal have turned me off from mainstream shadows!
In terms of shipping and processing, it's so true that we have been spoiled by fast shipping--I moved from the States to Europe and it takes even longer! Here, I have to hope that Monolith (or other EU retailers) get the indie items in stock, often a month or so after they are released in the US, then it'll take about 2 weeks to get to my country. As long as brands are honest about their time-frame, I am happy to shop small!
Totally agree being transparent and realistic upfront is so important!
Monolith has great shipping times to the UK, about a week or less usually. I actually kind of like that they get things 'late' so I can really think about whether I need the eyeshadow palette. I'm glad they stock so many amazing indie brands otherwise it would be very costly to order from the USA. Indie eyeshadows are just unmatched imo. Both in quality and colour stories😊
@@teganmacgregor6492 So true, Monolith is great! I like that perspective about giving oneself additional time to consider an item more carefully!
@teganmacgregor6492 Monolith does have good shipping times to the UK, only thing i don't like is that they don't offer parcel insurance at checked. Alot of indie brands offer that now so u'll get your money back if it arrives damaged, lost or stolen. And if noticed Monolith are charging more for the palettes than the indie band so if you compare the brand website with shipping to Monolith it works out the same. So i don't shop from Monolith as much now, i just go to the indie brand.
Best customer service I have ever experienced was an indie brand, Sydney Grace. Worst customer service I have ever experienced was a big company, Saks Fifth Ave.
Yep it’s definitely brand by brand but I have seen a few sketchy things through my years in the indie beauty community 😅
@@AmyLovesMakeup Me, too, but big brands can be absolutely awful.
I had great experience with SG too, it wasn't showing up after a month (canada) so they sent the entire order again (first one did mysteriously arrive too months later)
Yes Sydney grace is the kindest brand owner I ever dealt with. I will forever be a customer of theirs based off of the consistency in quality and the wonderful customer service.
I agree with you about Sydney Grace. They've been able to send me swatch comparison pictures when I've had trouble deciding between similar shades. It was so helpful of them.
This was a great video for people who haven't shopped from indie brands and are thinking about it. I mainly buy eyeshadow palettes from indie, i don't buy foundation, concealer things like that from indie. Indie definitely do eyeshadow better 😊
I was recently turned off by an indie brand but let me get your opinion if this is an issue or not. I bought a $65 eyeshadow palette from a brand and it was supposed to come with a free gift a face palette. So when the palette eventually comes the gift was not with tje order. When I emailed the brand and asked about the gift they said that they would let shipping know. I waited 3 weeks and no response so i did a follow-up email and the told me because it was it was a free gift they were not going to do something about it or resend it. Why offer a free gift if you had no intentions of sending it or fix your mistake. And if they were not going to send it out why make me wait 3 weeks for a response? 😒
The three week wait and then nothing makes me think there was some type of miscommunication. That does suck. I would try one more time for a better resolution 😕
I love that you talk about this Amy :) Thank you for the honesty and insights!
Of course!! Thanks for watching ☺️
Sorry for your loss ❤ thinking of you !
I really enjoyed this video topic
Thanks Karen ❤️
I am currently waiting for my Shroud order i olaced in November. I'm sure you are aware that nobody has heard from Chloe of Shroud in a long time. We are all worried about her
I did not know that. I really hope she’s okay..
Same thing with me. If something did happen to her, you’d think someone would come forward and let her customers know what is going on. It’s so frustrating. I really hope she’s ok. But again, we need to be told what is happening. This just isn’t ok. 😢
Oh I really don’t think anything bad happened to the woman. She has a reputation of being shady with orders in the past, and now she’s done it again. I think she got in way over her head, she had tons of money rolling in, and she spent it and now can’t fulfill the orders so she split. I bet that’s what happened
Hi Amy….
I’m so sorry for your loss 😢 Sending love to you and your family. ❤
The only hideous experience I had was when I ordered It’s Freakin Bats from Shroud. I got in early on launch day and mine was NOT a preorder! Ordered it on 10/4 and didn’t receive it for months. I think that the number of palettes you have, before it goes into preorder, should have been ready to ship once they printed the label! PLUS…..I picked it up to use it for Halloween, and two shadows fell out of their pans. 😮I’m very gentle with my palettes. I’m not going to repurchase. ……😑
Other than that fiasco, I’ve been very happy with all my Indie purchases. 😊
Omg that brown on your outer corner looked so amazing on you 😍
Hi Amy. Firstly, I'm very sorry for your loss & hope you & your family are ok. 😞❤ Secondly, very good video & valid points. Online ordering always carries a bit of risk so it really is up to the customer to make the best informed decision possible as to what they feel comfortable doing or not doing. I totally agree, that certain biz practices can occasionally be unprofessional & unacceptable regardless of company size & circumstances. They all should make genuine efforts to honor their promises to their clients.
I just cant deal with crappy customer service, or a total lack thereof. I'll forgive once or twice but after that I will not buy from the brand again. I don't buy from Glamlite for this reason, sadly.
What a great video. I love that you made valid points for both sides. You can really help someone make a better decision. Thank you. Sometimes I feel like creators lose that.
Thank you ❤️
I 110% agree with everything you said in this video, both the negatives and positives of Indie. You just are not going to get the same unique formulas and such in most mainstream brands. But that does come with the understanding that you have to have some patience when it comes to shipping. But there is a point where some indie brands overly take advantage of their customers, and us accepting that needs to stop.
I would also love to see how you store all your makeup,especially yoyr eyeshadow palettes, if you haven't done something like that already.
Yeah, the owner feeling attacked from any customer service request is real. I ordered from one brand on sale, and there were 2 identical shades in the palette, plus it looked completely different from a photo on the site. I mean, you always expect some small difference, but this was completely different. Well, the owner did offer me a discount for the fact that there were two identical shadows, and I agreed, but then she proceeded to berate me for the fact that I purchased the palette on sale to start with, for me agreeing to take a further discount that she offered, for writing to her on Easter and spoiling this holiday for her (? I celebrate an orthodox Easter, which is on a different date, and I in no way indicated that I need a reply urgently). She then proceeded to block me from her store! I do not know how they survive with this attitude.
Wow that’s crazy 😳😳
What brand was it? I really hate when brands do this.
@@jeanams07the collective cosmetics
@@jeanams07I replied, but I think my comment got deleted, so I apparently cannot mention the brand name
So sorry for your loss ❤. Your look is gorgeous. Continue to be kind to yourself and take care. 💖💖💖
I don't have a problem waiting a bit longer for shipping, if it's something I'm going to have for a while and cherish using. I waited 3 months for the first Shroud x Battybean collab, and it's still one of my favorite palettes years later.
I do not buy PML, or really any luxury makeup. For me it's not worth the money at all to pay so much for some mostly browns and pinks. I much rather buy from Oden's Eye, Lethal, Unearthly, and even Juvia's Place still. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and perspective on Indie brands. So sorry for your loss. 💗💗💗
Seriously, tnis is a very needed and smart video, glad you got us discussing & thinking about the obvious. 🌷
Yes. 100% agree that indie brands eyeshadows are such better quality and I'd rather spend my money on them.
That brown shade is gorgeous, wish you would have blended the overall look more ❤
Girl, you must have been talking about the brand formerly known as Strobe Cosmetics. Their new name is so aptly fitting. They seem to be dead and cloaked in a shroud at this point. I ordered Dark Academia and 2 other palettes and a nail polish in November, got tracking info on Dec 13, and since that day, I can get no one to answer me. I’ve emailed, sent messages through IG, filed a complaint with the BBB…nothing, totally ghosted. And it’s not just me. There are so many others in my exact position. I don’t know how a brand comes back from something like this. Maybe in the case of this small company, changing the brand name is how you try to hide from your past mistakes? 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️. Sorry about the rant, but you definitely hit the nail on the head with this one. Thankfully, and I buy from probably 25 different indie brands, this is the only time I’ve ever experienced anything like this.
I love indie eyeshadow it definitely helps bring out a creative side in all of us. I don’t agree that the quality is better though, personally I’ve found high end and luxury makeup to have better longevity overall - the quality stays the same for years while indie palettes can sometimes dry out/not perform as well after a few months. Luxury and high end makeup to me also has more lasting power on the lids and works better across more skin types (mature, oily, dry etc.). I took a step back from indie when I started realizing how many brands have duplicate formulas because it felt like I was throwing money down the drain esp since as you said, you can’t return things. I took an even bigger step back once the prices became equal to or greater than luxury brands. Overall there’s definitely a place for indie in my collection and in beauty generally but there are some fundamental issues that have made me significantly decrease how much indie products I buy.
Sorry for your loss
Thank you
I thought unearthly cosmetics was enough of a well trusted brand to purchase a palette from them on preorder but here I am months later with no word 🙄 such a mistake
However I recently tried Adept cosmetics and I was blown away! Super fast shipping, super sturdy packaging so no breaking in transit and amazing quality. I’ll never buy Pat McGrath again, Adept is miles better
I won’t order anything on a pre order. That’s no different than running a ponze scheme….getting money for orders, to make the next products and doing that over and over. That’s a ponze scheme. I would only order from things that are already in stock. Why trust someone to create a product with your money? Heck no. Only buy a product that’s already there and made
thank you always for the videos that brighten our day! so sorry for your loss!
You look stunning!!! I think this is my favorite look I’ve seen on you!!❤
Oh thank you! 💛
I don’t like that as soon as something launches it pretty much sells out. Like if you’re not there at launch, you’re most likely not getting it. And the only time I’m not gonna buy from an indie brand is if there isn’t any multichromes of shifty shades. I don’t think it’s worth it.
I buy most of my makeup from Sephora and Ulta with the rare luxury makeup purchase from Nordstrom or a brand owned website. I never buy eyeshadow from those places, though, unless it’s Natasha Denona(which is technically indie, right?) I just don’t find interesting eyeshadow being offered by the mainstream brands, not to mention the higher quality from most indie brands. I like to shop from Camera Ready Cosmetics. They offer multiple indie brands, faster shipping, more frequent sales, cheaper shipping in some cases. For instance, I bought a palette I wanted from Lethal cosmetics recently. It would have been expensive to ship from Germany. Buying from CRC, the shipping was less and I picked up a Blend Bunny palette I had been wanting, also.
Camera Ready Cosmetics is so underrated! They offer samples of most complexion products too. I love shopping from them! 💗💗💗
I hate when indie businesses don’t have trained/seasoned customer service representatives and it’s just the owner replying because they’ll be straight up rude to customers with genuine concerns
Totally understand
Does anyone know what’s happening with shroud cosmetics ?? Speaking of bad customer service.
Ordered from them months ago in November and they’ve gone radio silent since. Lots of people left hanging with no communication.
I bought this palette and used your code! ❤ You made some excellent points.
Thank you ❤️
I am sorry for your loss , sending you prayers. ❤
Speaking of indie, wait time and no communication, I ordered dark acdemia from Shroud 11/25 sent an email to their customer service havent received a response and still have not received the palette. I have been checking Instagram constantly for any post updating what is going on and nothing. Did something happen with the owner? Like i have been so irritated and at the same time feeling bad in case something did. But can we get some update on the situation if anyone knows. 😢 24:04
Same boat. 😢
i HATE how late they arrive!!
I love indie brands for eyeshadow pallets, blushes, highlighters.... I don't mind waiting for them to ship it out I realize that it's just a few people doing everything..... But for foundation, I only use name brand.
Your so right, customer service is a huge issue, and why should i feel i have to forgo refunds & customer sevice, thats on them, not us... I am also very concerned with quality control, such as sanitized area that the product is being made,but also where they get the products from they are making their indi products, meaning what country and are is it sanitized area they are buying prodhcts from... yes it cam be issues with major players... but i prefer to pay higher prices, for being made in areas im ok with. & companies i had trusted for years .🌷
I put indie brand products on my wishlist for my birthday/Christmas that I make for my boyfriend. Then HE can deal with the shipping, the customs, the shipping time 😂
May I ask what new shade you chose in the Haus Labs? TIA 😊
No return policy and long processing/shipping time doesn't really bother me. In my country you can't return makeup anyway (which is one reason why I'm not into high-end/luxury makeup). Not being able swatch products before I buy them is a deterrent especially with blush and lipstick. However, temptalia's "compare any two" tool can be helpful to compare an indie shade to a product I already have or a product I can swatch in store.
I have no interest in ordering directly from US brands, because of customs and high shipping costs.
Some indie brands have great customer service, while other's have horrible CS. If a company is known for no/bad CS I'll definitely not order from them.
In Croatia, you cant return makeup products once you open them and use them. So I have always been very selective with what I buy and how much it costs. Im not that into base products so I see no point in buying expensive base products. Palettes are the only thing I want to buy from indie brands but even then, most brands are in America so I have to really save my money in order to buy from them. One palette can be 100+ dollars, if you count shipping and customs. So even if I like a palette, I won't buy it unless im really in love with it. Theres European retailers like Monolith shop who have indie brands. Im really grateful I have that option if I ever want to buy from some indie brands.
I prefer shopping from smaller indie brands. A lot of the products are more fun, beautiful, unique, and good quality.
I don't mind waiting for pre-orders. I like using the affiliate codes, sometimes it can add up to the cost of shipping.
It is a bit of a gamble shopping from a new brand. Sometimes it's a miss, but most of my experiences have been hits.
Most of my favorite palettes are collabs.
I agree every collab palette I have it just chefs kiss ❤️❤️
I am starting to get upset with a brand that ordered from in the past few times. My package has shipped but my package seems to be lost since it has not updated since Jan 17. I have not been able to a reply from the brand after I emailed them over 1.5 week ago.
Maybe they missed your email? I would give it another shot. Lost packages do happen from time to time 😕
I have got their auto reply message twice now. I am sure my package is delayed by bad weather since it was coming from Canada. My package shipped a week before everywhere was hit with ice/snow storms. I am hoping it is still just snowed in somewhere. It is hard to be patience when there has been no updates for over 3 weeks.
File a charge back or PayPal claim. That usually gets attention quickly.
Adept Cosmetics customer service is FANTASTIC! They communicate with their customers and I appreciate that. I’m also loving Bella Beaute Bar. One very popular Indie Brand didn’t pay the full shipping cost and then the owner got nasty with me. I read on Reddit it is her thing. I still bought a collab with them because I love the creator but, yeah, she needs a PR team.
My condolences.
On makeup:.. Colored rain.. the worst 😢
очень хочу покупать инди бренды, особенно adept, но у них нет доставки в Италию где я живу😭
My condolences Amy.
3 of the indie brands I buy a lot from are Terra moons, Clionadh and Glaminatrix. On my last 2 purchases from Terra moons, I was disappointed to get squishy like eyeshadows. I buy back up of the shadows to share with my family. First ones I bought were amazing ( bear in mind I am comparing the same shades) but surprisingly, 2 of the shadows from my last order were squishy and wet to touch. I tried telling them but Terra moons customer service were not helpful at all, they were taking offense to it. And I was not looking for refund or exchange but just wanted to know how to fix this because it is still wet and squishy to this date and I am afraid they might get mold. Anyone knows how to fix this ? Please let me know. I spend my hard earned money on Terra Moons and they are not cheap.
I'm so sorry. This is so disappointing because I used to love her shadows too, but I also had a terrible experience with Laura/CS of Terra Moons when one of my packages went missing and they refused to allow paypal to refund me using the excuse that they are a small company and can't afford refunds! Com'on!! Big or small they are supposed to be a BUSINESS above all, and that comes with the territory! Thankfully PP decided on my favor and I got my money back, but never again!
Anyway, I'm sorry about the rant 😅. I think you could try wetting the shadows with 99% pure alcohol. That works to "dry out" baked powders, so it might be worth the shot!
I really appreciate that most indie brands especially for eyeshadows don't use carmine but they still manage to have so much color payoff. I can't wear most of the eyeshadow at sephora or ulta due to the carmine that they use.
Thats cool to know! I’m not super into ingredients so I didn’t realize but I’m happy it means you have more eyeshadow options ☺️
Indie makeup is better when it comes to eyeshadow, nobody can really argue that. Pat McGrath is overpriced and underwhelming at this point. And supporting a small indie brand is better for my moral wallet. Just my own personal hot takes lol. ❤
100% agree
I completely agree!
Totally agree x
I bought lipsticks from an Indie brand and omg it took like 6 weeks. That was painful.
Im sorry 😕
Weirdly enough the biggest problems with makeup ordering I've ever had was with Fenty . It took me two months to get my entire order (the first shipment left out a product), and as well as a refund when I was overcharged for shipping, and I only received those things after constantly bugging them about it 😅 Never any issues with indie orders
You know, I was kind of expecting one of those annoying videos where people say things like "dont buy from these brands if you dont like good formulas" but I was pleasantly surprised that shared genuine reasons for not choosing indie brands.
Yeah I’m definitely not about that I want yall to click on my videos but I’m not trying to trick anyone. So happy you enjoyed it ☺️
It's only relevant for certain countries. In some countries you can't return used makeup no matter it's budget or high-end. It's local policy.
I mentioned that it was a more US based con ☺️
Thankfully I haven’t had any problems buying indie brands. GlamLite and BBB both came super fast and had zero problems. Their quality is superb! I had no idea what I was missing with indie shadows. Now that’s all I want lol. My one and only Natasha Denona palette came shattered and a total mess 🤬
I will not order from any company with pre orders. That’s basically running a ponze scheme…using customers money for the next products, no way. Only buy products that are already in stock. Why trust some stranger to make a product with your money? No way
Ive personally done a lot of preorders with no big issues (other than the wait) but I understand not being into it
It is important to be a more informed consumer. We might cut out on some of the waste. Me personally. I almost never return anything.
❤❤❤
I'm sorry for the loss of your family member.
I agree.... indie makeup isn't "for everyone".
I did not have the best experience with Haus Labs customer service. Good customer service is very important to me. I won't continue to purchase from brands that don't have good customer service.
Yeah, adept comoletely lost me with public, unprofessional customer service in the past... 🙄
They apologized, made their website accessible, and hired customer service so I’m not going to cancel them.
I agree! The way she treated her handicapped customer was so incredibly unprofessional. She only updated her website bc she realized the customer was in fact correct and it is indeed illegal not to make your website accessible. I can never forget about that. That was so rude and unprofessional. I only have 1 palette from them and I would never buy another. Pretty gross customer service if you ask me.
I feel like the beauty industry is full of people who have huge amounts of disdain for business but then go into business anyway, without doing research or getting educated. There are whole degree programs dedicated to supply chain management; there’s no excuse for someone who wants to run a business but is acting like there’s absolutely no way to streamline or speed things up. Then again, I also don’t think there’s any such thing as ~supporting a for-profit business, even indie ones.
I get what you’re saying about not being able to “support” something that’s for profit but to me it’s similar to finding local diners and mom and pop shops instead of always eating at chain restaurants. You’re going to spend your money either way in this scenario so I’d rather spend it in a way that matters if I can ☺️
Even if it's not tenable immediately as an early investment I definitely think it should be an early priority like customer service to learn or employ someone.
I'm disgusted by all the money I wasted on Natasha Denona and Pat Mcgrath before I discovered how good indie makeup is. In fact, I gave most of that away and now just use indie, because it really is so much higher quality. And before, I would have said I was biased in favor of PM and ND.
Im thinking that with indie brands you can be more confident that they will be vegan and cruelty free if it's something that you care about. Mainstream brands that claim to be vegan and cruelty free are often owned by a parent company that isn't, amd that is one case where you need to do more research when you buy mainstream vs indie. (Assuming the indie is and does say it is v. and cf)
Ive heard Americans are especially spoiled with not having to pay shipping. Makeup influencers in Europe or Asia often have to pay expensive shipping fees no matter what.
So from big brands yes free shipping majority of the time but smaller brands no … I’ve also purchased a lot from Europe and paid my fair share of shipping 🤣
Indie eyeshadows definitely ruined mainstream eyeshadow brands for me. My expectations are just so much higher. The one thing I don’t like is that a brand can just disappear and take your money- referring to the shroud dark Acadamia palette launch. No one has still gotten their palettes since the launch in November. I finally had my bank file for my refund. It’s crazy how they can just launch something, take the orders and money and ghost for three months. I’m guessing they won’t be coming back
Bringing back makeup products wasn't always a thing. When I was much younger what you bought is what you got and that was it. This was regular stores because it was before the internet.
Oh hon. My empathy to you and your family
💙💚💜💙💚💜
I’ve only just started buying indie. What I’ve noticed: we’re much more accepting of cheap ingredients being 1st on the ingredient list yet paying a premium price (hello talc!) but no one really talks about that. Also, several of them don’t offer product damage replacement unless you pay that extra fee to protect your item even with paying high dollar shipping. If you’re selling $200 makeup you should be able to hire enough people to not take 20 days to ship items.
Wow you surprised me with this title
It’s a genuine discussion of negatives and positives ☺️
@@AmyLovesMakeup exactly very interesting
Ummmmm
Yes?
One big major brand with the worst customer service is DIOR. I literally had to contact the BBB to get my refund. I would never again support DIOR in any way
Really?? You wouldn’t expect that. I’m sorry 😕
@@AmyLovesMakeup read their customer service reviews on yelp, google, BBB, Consumer reports etc. they are horrible.
They finally sent me my replacement after I reported them to BBB and consumer reports for unethical business practices. They also sent me an email with a gift card. I will use the gift card to get the free items (since that’s their money) but I’m not spending my money on them again.
Are there any indie brands that can truly fill the Natasha Denona gap? Neutral, "wearable" high quality eyeshadow + nice, sleek packaging rather than large cardboard palettes with widely spaced pans. I would be so down to support smaller brands if you have suggestions!
I think Sydney Grace comes closest to meeting your needs. The packaging isn’t small, but it’s very sleek and well done. And her color stories are so neutral, wearable and with amazing quality. Best customer service ever.
Indie brands ship too slow....Sorry. When I pay for something, I want it immediately!!
Unsubscribed.😢
Did you even watch the video
You must not have actually watched the video. Jeez. 🤦🏼♀️