16 Surprising Beauty Buys You Can Find On Etsy
By Wendy Rose Gould
When you think about Etsy, an enticing world of handcrafted baubles, vintage apparel, and quirky knick-knacks comes to mind. But, one category you may not have yet considered perusing is the virtual beauty aisle. From indie nail polishes that will no doubt earn you compliments, to hard-to-find mica pigments, to the most luxurious creams around, chances are you’ll want to fill your e-basket to the brim once you begin browsing the bath and beauty section.
Related: I Popped Pills For Clearer Skin
“The beauty selection has grown on Etsy as a result of people looking for alternatives to commercial ingredients and artificial fragrances,” notes Etsy’s merchandising manager, Emily Bidwell. “When you find beauty products on Etsy, you find imagination; a story told through scents and textures, and through the care taken to make small batches. You just can’t find that in most places, so our little beauty community has grown into something quite exciting.”
Another benefit to buying on Etsy is that shoppers can contact sellers directly to ask questions about production or ingredients. You can also read reviews from buyers to get a better feel for products’ reputations. “Additionally, when a seller opens a shop or lists an item on Etsy, they agree to follow all relevant laws and regulations,” explains Bidwell. “They also agree to comply with our site policies, guidelines, and terms, which require them to list their items honestly and accurately.” (You can view the terms of use here and all of Etsy’s guidelines here.)
Related: What You Need To Know About Face Mapping
We’ve compiled a list based on feedback and user glee from ‘round the Internet, as well as currently trending products on Etsy, as provided by Bidwell. If you’ve got a favorite beauty shop, or a product you found that you can’t get enough of, spill the beans in the comment section.
There’s an entire world of indie nail polish on Etsy. The market, in fact, offers some of the hardest to find colors out there, and many shops painstakingly perfect their hues — some shop owners will even customize colors for you. ILoveNP has got the nail polish thing down to a science, and specializes specifically in holographics. MEGA, featured here, is a 100% pure holographic lacquer that turns your fingernails into a party.
ILoveNP Mega 100% Pure Ultra Holographic Nail Polish, $10, available at Etsy.
Dubbed a “unisex cowboy fragrance,” and packed in the loveliest of tins, this 100% organic, all-natural solid perfume is a hit across the board. Its leading note chaparral is a plant native to California, and is complemented with earthy notes of sage and frankincense. It’s also available in a sampler kit if you prefer to test before splurging.
IlluminatedPerfume Chaparral Solid Natural Perfume in Wild Wood and Sage, $178, available at Etsy.
Related: Cue The Frenzy: There’s A New Naked Palette
Anyone who collects makeup (raise your hand if “collects” is putting it loosely) understands the importance of proper cosmetic organization. Etsy seller anothersoul provides a storage solution that’s proven to be a hit among buyers: magnetic eyeshadow palettes. These are ideal for all your de-potting needs, and come in both travel and normal sizes.
anothersoul Magnetic Eye Shadow Palette, $16.99, available at Etsy.
All the lip colors make statements over on Etsy shop Aromi, as you might have guessed from this flashy, orange-matte lipstick. The glossy shades are easy to apply and dry to striking mattes. If orange isn’t your thing, try the Power Red or Electric Orchid.
Aromi Orange Tangerine Matte Liquid Lipstick, $17, available at Etsy.
Related: Bath & Body Works Is Bringing Back Your Favorite ‘90s Scents
Parlo Cosmetics is known in the indie beauty world for its inexpensive and quality mineral eyeshadows. They come in loose form, a myriad of colors, and pack a mighty dose of pigment. For the price, it’s hard not to just buy one of each shade. Featured here is Slightly Shocking, an electric purple, matte shadow that allows you to build intensity.
ParloCosmetics Natural Mineral Eyeshadow in Slightly Shocking, $5, available at Etsy.
Related: This App Knows Your Skin Scarily Well
The soap game is intense on Etsy, so expect to find some of the best handmade, pressed, and seasoned small-batch soaps around. Hidden Acres Soap is among the best, and takes utmost care to curate high-quality ingredients and formulate fragrances. Scents range from lemongrass verbena to tuberose to coffee. Pictured here is Heaven, a “soft, white, floral blossom blend” subdued with musky tones and brightened with a twist of orange.
HiddenAcresSoapCo Handmade Soap in Heaven, $6.50, available at Etsy.
If you’re not too keen on bar soap — or you’re in the market for a product that cleanses and exfoliates — the Walnut and Cornmeal Whipped Soap Putty from Hart + Hawthorn is a no-brainer. It’s gently scented with nectarine and contains moisturizing coconut, olive, almond, and avocado oils, as well as powdered walnut hull and cornmeal to leave you with super-soft skin.
HartandHawthorn Walnut and Cornmeal Whipped Soap, $12, available at Etsy.
Amid the rainbow-tastic bevy of nail polishes on Etsy are other nail essentials, including this strengthener by L.A.-based Mint Cosmetics. You can wear Prescrip-mint under your nail polish or alone. The slightly rosy tint will brighten your nails, while the 100% vegan, plant-based protein is fortified with the power of Gaston.
MintNailPolish Prescrip-mint Nail Strengthener, $12, available at Etsy.
Related: 7 Women Ditch Their Makeup For One Revealing Photo Shoot
BeautyBarBaby offers a wide range of products, but the seller is most noted for its top-notch gel eyeliners. They’re super-affordable at $6 a pop, and come in several different colors to satisfy your cosmetic needs (and we know y’all got needs). This metallic-green gel liner, a nod to the Emerald City, is smudge-proof, waterproof, and users say it lasts all day.
BeautyBarBaby Metallic Green Gel Eyeliner, $6, available at Etsy.
This lip stain by Bohemian Beetnik is vegan, 100% natural, and freshly prepared in small batches. It uses organic hibiscus-tea extract to stain lips the prettiest, watermelon-y shade of pinkish-red. Rest easy knowing it’ll last you through a four-course meal. Plus, you can use it as a cheek stain, too.
BohemianBeetnik Organic Lip Stain Hibiscus Red Vegan, $11.99, available at Etsy.
Looking for a treatment that gives congested, oily skin a major boot? Give Herbivore Botanicals’ Blue Clay mask a go. It utilizes Cambrian Blue clay — a Serbian clay that isn’t easy to come by — which boasts a high mineral content. Once activated with water, this rose-geranium scented powder gets to work by clarifying the skin and nixing excess oil. You can use it as an all-over mask or as a spot treatment, as needed.
Herbivore Botanicals Blue Clay Spot Treatment Mask, $22, available at Etsy.
Finding an eyeshadow primer that actually does its job takes the kind of patience required to rally 60 kindergartners who’ve just eaten ice cream. You could spend all your time and money trying new products until you find “the one,” or you could just take our word for it and buy the High Intensity Eyeshadow Primer from Eccentric Cosmetics. The proof is in the reviews.
EccentricCosmetics High Intensity Eyeshadow Primer, $8, available at Etsy.
A fragrance that smells like birthday cake? The world just became a more beautiful place. It’s Yo Birthday, handcrafted by Michigan-based seller Brazen Cosmetics, is a luxury perfume oil that features a delicate fusion of vanilla, sugar, and buttercream icing. Drooling yet?
BrazenCosmetics Luxury Perfume Oil in It’s Yo Birthday, $14.99, available at Etsy.
If Marie Antoinette were alive today, we’re pretty sure she’d shop Etsy. And, as she’s filling up her e-cart, we’re pretty sure she’d include a couple cream blushes by Glory Boon. Rose Petal, featured here, is a swoon-worthy shade of cool pink that makes us go all heart-eyed emoji. Also available are Raspberry (darker pink) and Tangerine (orange).
GloryBoon Rose Petal Cream Blush, $14, available at Etsy.
Nice-smelling pits are clutch, but it’s understandable if you’re turned off by the scary-sounding ingredients in many of the big brands. Schmidt’s deodorant utilizes ingredients such as essential oils, cocoa butter, shea butter, baking soda, arrowroot powder, vitamin E, and hop extract. Cedarwood + Juniper is a warm, woodsy scent that’s endorsed by Alicia Silverstone and green-living expert Sophie Uliano.
SchmidtsDeodorant Cedarwood and Juniper Deodorant, $9, available at Etsy.
Related: 12 Beauty Hacks To Wear Less Makeup
One of the best aspects of the Etsy beauty world is the shop owners’ willingness to get creative. The Cucumber Melon Lavender Lip Balm by ripeshop is a perfect example. In addition to the primary scents, it contains various moisturizing oils, as well as beeswax, cocoa, and shea butters. If you’re intrigued by this flavor, you’ll dig ripeshop’s Chocolate Caliente and Indigo Berry lip balms, among others.
ripeshop Cucumber Melon Lavender Lip Balm, $6, available at Etsy.
