I'm pleased to announce a feature interview that I just completed with Sasha H. Muradali of Little Pink Book. Sasha has written about the mineral makeup repackaging scandal in previous months, and that is how we made our acquaintance! Her 11/19/09 Post, "Be An Informed Cosmetics Makeup Buyer, Don’t Be Duped!" discusses repackaging as well as the increase in MAC cosmetics fakes. It's through this post, which mentions the Mineral Makeup Mutiny and also features my very simplified YouTube video of how to make mineral eyeshadow, which brought us together to join forces and bring you even more information!
Sasha, I am honored to have been chosen for an interview with you and I am thrilled about how it turned out!
(A little sneak read under the header, and then I send you off to Sasha's url to read the rest. Please leave a comment!)
In November 2009 I posted a very popular, almost controversial article called Be an Informed Cosmetics Buyer, Don’t Be Duped! It received a lot of feedback and I was introduced to a movement called Makeup Mutiny which after some research, I fully support and believe in their mission.
Started by Kristen Leigh Bell, who is also the founder and owner of Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics, Makeup Mutiny is a movement against repackaged cosmetics. It is based on embracing creativity and the folks who put hardwork, science and lots of thought into unique, one-of-a-kind indie, mineral makeup.
Kristen, a primary source, sat down with me and was kind enough to not only delve into some amazing industry secrets, but give Pink Book readers the real deal behind what’s out there. With over 10 years of indie mineral makeup experience, Kristen is an expert who has been around since the start of mineral makeup as we know it today.
- What is Makeup Mutiny and why is it important?
The mineral Makeup Mutiny is a movement that is a reaction to the drastic increase in repackaged product in the indie mineral makeup business.
10 years ago, the indie segment of the industry was very small and consisted solely of artisanal companies that were creating truly unique items.Today, it is mostly repackagers of straight pigments or relabelers of mass-produced private label minerals. eBay, Etsy and Artfire have given thousands a quick, easy way to “have their own makeup line” and within a week, be up and running, selling repackaged goods that they know very little about.
The difference between a creatively formulated product and one that is just transferred from it’s wholesale form into a jar is vast.
It is the goal of Mineral Makeup Mutiny to spotlight companies that are true artisans, creatively formulating unique products – and to provide education and information for consumers to make them aware of the situation, and know what to look for, what questions to ask, and what the experience of other consumers has been.
All mineral makeup is not created equally, and the amount of mineral makeup being sold as a hobby business, being packaged in kitchens and musty basements, is a frightening thought.
- How long has indie mineral makeup been around?
For about ten years… it has drastically changed over time.
Today, there are thousands of small mineral makeup companies. Very few of these are making their own unique, creatively blended products. Most are repackaging straight pigments (mica) from manufacturer/wholesaler, or repackaging private label minerals.
Back when I started it was hard to find your ingredients, pigments, jars, labels and resources. It took a great deal of time and researching online and through trade journals to find the elements you needed to create a finished product. There was no paypal for websites back then – you had to get a merchant account from a bank and that was really hard to get approved for. Not only that but you had to back it up with your personal assets.
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Want to read the rest? CLICK HERE to go to the complete interview! Make sure to share this article with your mineral-makeup loving friends, and also please leave a comment for Sasha- she sifted through about 20 pages of text to transcribe this interview, as I wrote so much that I couldn't write any more!
Thanks for reading and sharing this article, and most of all, Thank you Sasha!







