I don’t really like natural, hippie makeup.

At least, not on me. I like lots of blacks and greys and a bit of intensity.

Not too much..I’m sort of ‘yurt-goth’, I guess.

kinda…

like all aspects of my life, I like to classify my make-up under the term Cyganeria – a sort of artistic bohemia that allows me to be both expressively dark and grounded in nature. My make up, style, domesticity, writing, and even homeschooling all fall under this sort of impressionistic translation of cyganeria.

But back to make up… I don’t want a palette of peaches, pinks, and salmons to spread on my face. I shun beiges and taupes. I like cool colours, dark colours, and intense pigmentation. And yes, I’m finally insisting on ethical, sustainable, small-scale production, ideally from people I can see and know and engage with. People who will be mixing up their colours without the help of underpaid workers in China or Indonesia.

And so far, I’m finding some awesome products!

I’m kinda surprised., honestly.

I didn’t expect to be so impressed. But my two favorites right now are Moonrise Creek – – and Rituel de Fille. Moonrise Creek is an Etsy shop, I’ve tried (and loved!) their liquid foundation, concealer, and powder. It’s hard to find a good, natural, ethically made foundation. Before transitioning away from problematic companies, I was using Kat von D’s very-full-coverage foundation, and I loved it. Moonrise Creek’s products are very different. They cover differently and they feel different on my skin. The texture was one of the first things I noticed about their products – the foundation feels amazing – nourishing and smooth but not at all heavy or oily. It doesn’t cover as fully as Kat von D (but really, what does!) but it does provide a smooth and consistent coverage. I use the concealer primarily under my eyes and it brightens and covers as well as the drugstore brand I used to us!

Rituel de Fille is a more prominent brand than Moonrise Creek – I think they’re even sold at a department store – but the quality and intentionality seems impressively intact. I bought three of their eye soots a couple years ago and they’ve become staples in my little make up box. Recently, I added Rituel de Fille’s Eclipse and Ghost Light pigments to my collection, as well as two of their lipsticks. I adore these products, I can feel the quality and I’m thrilled with the simplicity and witchy-intentionality of the ingredients.

Both brands fit with my cyganeria style, can handle our ‘out in the elements’ lifestyle and manage to avoid violating my ethical intentions! I’m still in search of some good mascara that won’t clump or feel chemically near my eyes, but I’m pretty sure I’ll find one! The world is full of people trying to build a cleaner, kinder culture by improving all the little things!

(This is not a sponsored post, just a personal opinion. I tried these products, liked them, and thought you all might be interested. I get nothing from anyone if you click on any links! But don’t let that stop you. Check them out!)