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Is Etsy the Underground Sephora?

We found amazing, small-batch skin care products, nail polish, mineral eye shadow and more hiding out on the hipster craft emporium
These uber-moisturizing lip colors come in 12 gorgeous tints (with awesome names like Spark and Bitten), and each have a natural finish with a subtle sheen. The lipsticks are infused with totally natural ingredients, including certified organic herbs, which make your lips feel fresh and hydrated -- ideal for those whose lips crack easily. Individually handcrafted by the Noirliliana Etsy shop owner, the lipsticks truly look and feel like they were made with artistry and love.

Sweets N Things' Goat Milk Soap in Ginger Almond Chamomile with Poppy Seeds smells like an earthy version of lemon poppy seed cake -- mildly sweet, but muted and natural enough not to leave you smelling like dessert. Unlike so many handmade soaps (and trust me, there are billions of them on Etsy), the scent of this one is purposeful and nuanced. Plus, the soap itself mildly exfoliates and lathers like a dream. Also worth a try is the shop's Scotch lip balm, which, to our shock and delight, smells more like whiskey than candy. Their solid perfume in Midnight Ride is awesome too -- it has a strangely addictive, campfire-esque scent.

Glory Boon sells 100 percent cruelty-free bath and beauty products, from sangria-scented lip balm to natural liquid foundation. But by far our favorite pick is their effective and convenient concealer stick. The paraben- and dye-free cover-up comes in a pretty little twist tube. The concealer itself has a creamy, lightweight application and provides surprisingly full coverage for blemishes, discoloration and dark under eye circles. Completely worth the $11 price tag.

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Olivine Atelier Perfume, $48-$80
Olivine Atelier makes fresh, delicate fragrances that would hypnotize even those who generally hate perfume. Their simple and elegant packaging complements each of Olive Atelier's five light aromas. My favorite: Amongst the Waves -- a relaxing, Hawaii-inspired perfume that incorporates ocean salt, black coconut, sandalwood and a blend of lilies.

You will feel completely overwhelmed (in a great way) choosing from the 50+ shades of ReliqMinerals pure mineral eye shadow. The shadows come in a myriad of vibrant, whimsical hues, in both shimmer and matte variations. The shadows are long-lasting and effortlessly wearable, not to mention just plain pretty. Each full-sized container will cost you just 7 bucks, but if you're as indecisive as I am, you can order sample sizes of any 10 colors for $11. Score.

Everyone and their mother lusts after iconic, high-end cosmetics. But just like snagging a one-of-a-kind vintage bag or a custom, hand-beaded frock, one of our favorite things in life (and at Total Beauty) is to discover awesome and unique handmade beauty products -- best kept secrets, if you will -- that will have all your friends asking, "Where on earth did you find this stuff? It's amazing."

Where do we find this stuff, you ask? Etsy -- it's an absolute goldmine. No, for real. If you think Etsy is the exclusive domain of felt, feather and glue gun-wielding "crafters" (why so many owls, people?), you'll be as shocked as we were to find incredible, high-quality and ultra-unique homemade beauty products. Of course, for every luxe beauty peddler we found on Etsy, there were at least 20 who were a little too made-it-in-my-bathtub DIY for us.

So we spent weeks combing through more of the Etsy Beauty section than we ever knew existed. We met some fascinating characters along the way: a registered nurse who thought there weren't enough unique nail polishes on the market and decided to make her own; a crafty New Yorker with a sweet tooth who turned her hobby of making yummy lip balms into a full time job; a practitioner of traditional Indian medicine who wanted to share the Ayurvedic Principals through her holistic, chemical-free skincare. Amazing crafters, amazing stories.

But beyond these lovely Etsy vendors, who were each a hundred times more pleasant than any of the intimidating attendants who work in high-end makeup boutiques, so many of their products truly impressed us. After sampling mountains of DIY makeup, from mineral powders to moisturizers, we've picked our eleven favorites. Many of them are paraben-free, cruelty-free or organic (unlike most mainstream products), and all of them are fabulous.

Best of all: these products are totally below the radar (for now). Like your favorite hole-in-the-wall dive bar or obscure rock band, you can say you "discovered" these underground beauty products before they hit the mainstream.



BY AMANDA MONTELL | SEP 25, 2013 | SHARES
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