Down the Indie Rabbit Hole

[tacehtpuekam]

I got my GDE tracking as well! Although I may need to place an order for some Foil Me . . . .

I'm hoping that it will be in stock for my next Wednesday order! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

 

[Shalott]

Okay, stil trying out my Cocoa Pink order and I remain disappointed - the only one so far that hasn't dried down to an unpleasant, chemical-ly vanilla base is Sleigh Ride which has a quite nice woody base. Still very flat though.

That is my overall impression with these scents - they are very flat and one dimensional. I'm not an amazing nose, but I do think I have a little talent, so I am extremely surprised that I can't find any true harmonies of scent in these perfumes. All I get are very clear top and base notes. That's it. Someone mentioned a few pages back that they smell something like cheap, junior high perfumes and I would have to agree with you. I am very disappointed, and I wish I actually knew some girls around that age I could give them to! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

So, I won't be ordering from Cocoa Pink again, but it's not that it is a bad company or a bad product - just not to my taste, unfortunately. -_- /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Kelly Silva]

That's too bad to hear about Cocoa Pink, but good for my wallet. I will pass on these as I have too be spoiled by Black Violet, Solstice Scents, Haus of Gloi and others with very complex scents. Thanks for the reviews everyone.

 

[kawaiiwoofs]

Any good indie lip color companies I should check out?

 

[Shalott]

That's too bad to hear about Cocoa Pink, but good for my wallet. I will pass on these as I have too be spoiled by Black Violet, Solstice Scents, Haus of Gloi and others with very complex scents. Thanks for the reviews everyone.

I'll probably throw most of mine in the trades list in a day or two, so maybe if I have one you were considering feel free to let me know! But yeah, I am 100% of the belief that people can love or hate the majority of scents for entire fragrance houses (Gourmand scents as a whole are too sweet for me, but I have an exception for Thierry Mugler - I bought Angel in Paris in the '90's, before it had come to America. It's one of those scents that I will wear forever.) just because lots of houses/perfumers are known for taking very similar approaches to building all of their scents. There is no reason to think that wouldn't hold true for indie perfumers as well.

Black Violet was the first of the different indies I've tried where I really noticed a very different approach to the different scents I sampled, and some worked out amazingly for me and some were really surprising that they didn't. I guess its lucky that these ladies are offering good sized sample vials because I would get burned bad on some of these scents! :lol:

 

[tacehtpuekam]

I actually tend to like less complex scents so I might still give Cocoa Pink a shot. The scent catalog is SO overwhelming though. And there are so many that are similar with just very minor differences. It makes it really hard to narrow down what I want to try!

ETA: Although, I'm leaning more towards ordering hair stuff, not actual perfume. 

 

[meaganola]

I think Cocoa Pink uses pre-mixed fragrances, like the kind Brambleberry sells.  They're not multi-dimensional *at all*, but at least they're different from B&BW, even if it's just a marginal difference.

 

[Kelly Silva]

Any good indie lip color companies I should check out?

Life's Entropy and Performance Colors. LE I have personally tried and really love the color I got, Apoptosis. Performance I have not ordered from yet, but I have heard nothing but great things.

 

[Bflopolska]

Any good indie lip color companies I should check out?

Limnit Lipstick, Etherealle, My Beauty Addiction, Beauty Bar Baby, and Tater Rounds Beauty (all on Etsy) have supreme lip colors. They are all richly pigmented and wear well. You can get three lipsticks from Tater Rounds for ten bucks. They are simply packaged (full ingredient disclosure is provided on each product page) but everything from Tater Rounds will come unlabeled. I can vouch for its quality, though; I've had no issues with their lippies or blush, and my extremely sensitive hubby reports no post-kiss breakouts. Beauty Bar Baby also has great pot glosses that are thick and rich and have great staying power. Keeki lip tints can be found on abesmarket.com; these are lighter, more sheer, and all-natural.

 

[BSquared]

Oh what the hello kitty VD.

I don't understand "if you have a missing order I'm not aware of, please message me." The hell am I supposed to know if she's "aware" of it, she said she would look into it and hasn't responded to 2 subsequent emails asking for what she's discovered. I'm admittedly very, very tired and cranky right now....but cry me a river. She seems like a nice person, she really does, but ultimately she is not my friend or a family member, she is someone I paid for something I have not received in the promised time frame. I'm so over it.

 

[Kelly Silva]

Oh what the hello kitty VD.

I don't understand "if you have a missing order I'm not aware of, please message me." The hell am I supposed to know if she's "aware" of it, she said she would look into it and hasn't responded to 2 subsequent emails asking for what she's discovered. I'm admittedly very, very tired and cranky right now....but cry me a river. She seems like a nice person, she really does, but ultimately she is not my friend or a family member, she is someone I paid for something I have not received in the promised time frame. I'm so over it.

I'm saving my real thoughts for my blog review. I've decided even if I never get my order and I get a refund I'm still writing it. It's my blog, and I am nothing if not honest about how I truly feel about a product/company. Sometimes I feel as if I should censor my rants here or on IMAM, but my blog is mine and I know if my review helps someone else decide whether or not they want to purchase something, then I've done what I've come to do.

 

[chibimorph]

Making that Victorian Disco thread was surprisingly tiring (but my tiredness is also probably due to some major indie excitement and some things that I had to take care of). It was interesting and everyone kept it civil.

Thanks for the Cocoa Pink reviews, everyone! It means I can focus my indie perfume efforts elsewhere :lol:

 

[meaganola]

Making that Victorian Disco thread was surprisingly tiring (but my tiredness is also probably due to some major indie excitement and some things that I had to take care of). It was interesting and everyone kept it civil.

Thanks for the Cocoa Pink reviews, everyone! It means I can focus my indie perfume efforts elsewhere :lol:

I find that when I am all stressed out about doing something and then *do* it, I get tired once it's over.  I think it's an adrenaline crash.

And an indie perfume line to consider that I don't think I've pushed before:  Arcana!  The Soap Box Co. has a bunch, and they do samples, too.

 

[Tamarin]

Any good indie lip color companies I should check out?

Shiro, duh for glosses and tinted balms.  Also there have been rumors that there may be a lipstick line as well soon...

Fyrinnae has some cool lip products, and tilt/shift also looks nice, though their selection is smaller.  Most of the others I know have been mentioned

eta: I say Shiro, duh bc they make pretty much everything except foundation and perfume...if someone asks about an indie product you can basically just have Shiro as an example  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[MIKAGlam]

Any good indie lip color companies I should check out?

I really love Shiro's lipgloss. Red in my Ledger gets much love from me. They are amazing.
I just ordered some from Performance Colors, but they haven't shipped yet. When I get them I'll share my opinions.

I have heard that Impulse is good. I haven't tried them yet. I've looked into them, but most samples are sold out so you would have to get the full size to try them.

I love the Notoriously Morbid colors in their lipcrafts and lip gloss but they didn't apply quite the way I wanted to. I still wear them and like them, but not my first go to.

Eta: OT, but apparently changing your profile pic on mobile makes the picture sideways. Lol Hmph, technology!

 

[chibimorph]

I find that when I am all stressed out about doing something and then *do* it, I get tired once it's over.  I think it's an adrenaline crash.

I think you're right! Especially since I had been thinking about posting it for a while (and I sent a draft of that to the IMAM mods yesterday). But I'm glad it's done with.

Also - after posting that thread, I was reminded of some real-life things that I have to do (I facilitate smoking cessation groups and we offer participants several boxes of discounted nicotine patches, but our current stock is about-to-expire so people want to know when the new ones are coming in - but I'm not responsible for ordering them so it's beyond my control and I also have to print my research poster for a symposium next week). And then there was a bunch of excitement in my day that sent me on a mini indie-shopping spree (for someone else... and a little bit for myself) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

 

[Kelly Silva]

I have heard that Impulse is good. I haven't tried them yet. I've looked into them, but most samples are sold out so you would have to get the full size to try them.

I would recommend reading some reviews before ordering. They are one of those companies who have had problems before, and I know some people here have purchased some of their lip products and were not thrilled.

 

[MIKAGlam]

I would recommend reading some reviews before ordering. They are one of those companies who have had problems before, and I know some people here have purchased some of their lip products and were not thrilled.

Well now I am glad I haven't ordered anything from them yet. I'll have to read more into them.

 

[marigoldsue]

I would recommend reading some reviews before ordering. They are one of those companies who have had problems before, and I know some people here have purchased some of their lip products and were not thrilled.

I was of the not thrilled camp.  I only ordered samples though.  I found the colors to not really be true to the pics and the samples were nearly impossible to work with.  I couldn't really get a brush or my fingers to work for application.

 

[Shalott]

Well now I am glad I haven't ordered anything from them yet. I'll have to read more into them.

I will vouch for Impulse. I LOVE the lipsticks and the new chromagraphic glosses - but the matte formula is dry, and I can see how a sample would be difficult to work with. I've only ever purchased full sizes, and I've never gotten a tube that was impossible to make work. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> As for color, I would say it's no different than ordering any lipstick online, you really just have to kind of fly blind since you can't swatch the product.

This is just my experience, though. I've been ordering from them for about a year now, and haven't had problems! B)