A few months ago, I went along to the Feelunique Spark Beauty Showcase, a chance to discover the cutting edge brands that are now available at Feelunique. Described as being your one-stop shop for discovering the best indie from the States. It’s the perfect place to stumble upon the most instagrammable products in skin care, body care, fragrance and colour cosmetics.
Indie brands is a new concept to me and until I went along to the showcase, I wasn't too sure what to expect, but being given the chance to meet new brands and speak to their representatives was quite the eye-opener and since then I have been lucky enough to get to know just a few of them.
Pistaché is formulated in California using a unique blend of oils. Sima Mostafavi Founder of Pistaché Skincare created the brand having pulled up a complete blank when searching for skincare products that harnessed the power of Pistachio.
Speaking about the brand, Sima said:
"As a fourth generation pistachio grower, I know firsthand the long-term benefits of pistachio oil on hair and skin. But no matter where I looked, I could not find skincare products that were effectively harnessing the power of this unique ingredient".
As soon as I tried the body butter, I wanted it, the smell is just incredible, it feels amazing on the skin and I just loved how quickly it melted and absorbed. There is an entire collection of products from Pistaché on Feelunique and everything from a Bath Oil and Cleanser to Serums and Exfoliators.
Next up is Ogee and it is a brand which is organic, gluten free, GMO Free, plant powered and cruelty free and it was founded by a collection of beauty and fashion leaders who created some of the world’s respected beauty brands. Its hero ingredient is Jojoba Oil.
I have been using the Ogee Sculpted Lip Oil (£18) which is a solid blend of Jojoba Oil and butters that melt instantly onto lips to moisturise and nourish, lightly infused with refreshing Peppermint Essential Oil to soothe and it is just divine. It is ideal for use on its own or under lipstick, it applied just like a lip balm but melts almost instantly as soon as it comes into contact with your skin. It isn't greasy or tacky and doesn't leave your lips feeling as though they are covered in lard.
Alongside this oil, the Ogee range also comprises of Face Creams, Face Oils, Cleansing Cloths and a serum.
Sticking with skincare, the brand which intrigued me the most is Cannabliss and it is described as being skincare made with naturally rich hemp oil, grown organically in Colorado. The product I have been using is the Cannabliss Revitalizing Serum (30ml - £125).
I adore this serum and it uses a blend of Sweet Orange, Hemp Oil, Aloe and Rosemary making it incredibly nourishing and moisturising on the skin. Totally Vegan and free of parabens, silicones, petrolatum, synthetic fragrances or dyes, the bottle features an airless pump keeps the serum naturally preserved and because it is so airtight, it also keeps bacteria from contaminating the lotion.
Cannabliss Organic certified vegan Revitalising Face Serum is a perfect blend of anti-aging Korean herbs infused with full spectrum hemp oil and essential oils. It’s nutrient dense, organic botanicals help to hydrate and firm the skin, promote cell regeneration, brighten and even skin complexion.
On the skin, it absorbs as soon as it comes into contact with the skin and it smells just delightful. Having combination skin leaves me with dry patches of skin on both cheeks, so using serums is a must within my skincare routine and this has been a delight to use. One pump is more than enough for use on my entire face and it has made me want to try more products from the range.
As well as skincare, Spark Beauty also includes makeup brands and you will see the likes of Clove + Hallow, Reina Rebelde Brava and Real Her. I loved the look of the lipsticks from Clove + Hallow, the formula was just divine but the product I was given comes from Real Her and it is The Spotlight Is On Me Highlighter.
Described as being an empowering beauty brand created by a father for his daughter, a concept he came up with when she was born.
"I felt like I had this rebirth of myself after my daughter's birth. It was striking to me how complicated it is for a girl to grow into a woman in today's society, and the impact that society has on a woman's life. I want to do whatever I can to make as much of a difference as possible, as quickly as possible, to help more women. RealHer started as a way to create a better social environment for my little girl." -Xiang, Founder and CEO.
So with a brand that has products for the face, eyes, lips as well as some tools, it has quite an impressive arsenal to work with. For me, this Highlighter has been an amazing introduction. With a formula which is both buildable and blendable, it is described as being a highlighter with a copper shimmer and it is just beautiful.
I have really enjoyed my introduction to Indie Beauty and alongside the brands I have within this blog post, there are so many more to try and I would love to know if any of them catch your eye. You can read more and find many more brands from Feelunique right here.
*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here