Review: Rockeresque Beauty Company

I'm just full of reviews lately arn't I!? Well, that may or may not be because I am TONS of new makeup to share with you! So, I am trying to play catch up with my makeup reviews because some were promised and not delivered thanks to my horrible immune systems kicking me in the butt. So, I promise to get back to funny posts, gaming posts, and the like. Maybe one of those will pop up this weekend ^-^; I make no promises though. 

Todays Topic:Rockeresque Beauty Company

 

I am so excited to write about this company. They are a new company that opened with sample kits
at the beginning of this month, and fully launched this Saturday, May 14th 2011. I was lucky enough to get in on one of the limited sample packs released at the start of the month. (There were only 20 made... you should have seem me SCRAMBLING to get together to money to buy it because I didn't want to miss out!) So here is a little background on the company.

Rockeresque Beauty Company (RBC) is run by Issanna Loughman. Her company has taken months to build from the ground up, from formulating her eyeshadows, to getting a business license and making sure everything was perfect for opening day. RBC is a 100% vegan company, the line given in their FAQ is "We don't want animals in our tummies, nor on our faces." Which I think is a great line to explain their philosphy of only wanting to provide quality, 100% vegan products. They offer flat rate $5 shipping for anyone in the continental US, $6 for Alaska and Hawaii, and International Shipping it $10. So, if you order 1 item, or 25 items, you pay the same shipping! I think this is a GREAT idea. On top of all of this, RBC offers a membership program that if free to sign up for and gets you free items, information on upcoming sales, and a newsletter. I'm a sucker for membership programs, so of coarse I signed up! (I got my membership card at the same time I got my order, which made me giggle because my lucky number is 13, and my membership number is 13!! Imagine the luck I have =D )

Now, what you all have been waiting for... what did I get with little $20.50 investment? Lets take a look at the packaging as I received it and what was in the box first!

The box itself, and the envelope that contained my membership card

Everything packed up all neat and tidy like.

I love how neat everything was. No spills, no leaking to be found. The business card on top was promptly given to a friend that collects business cards and who I think would love this makeup as well. Now, lets take a look at the box unloaded:

The shipping box included:

• 5 sample baggies
• A smaller box that included 4 mini pots
• 1 full size pot of color
• 1 RBC sticker
• 1 RBC Pin
• 1 awesome ring

Was all of this worth my $20? I think so. Why? Lets take a closer look at everything before I get to swatches =3

Sample baggies from left to right: Tea Cup, Icicle, Gloom Cloud, Beating Heart, Misshapes

My 4 minis, Left to right, top to bottom: Sunbum, Chicklet, Chandelier, Little Lamb

My Full size: Happy Mr. Waffle

Sticker and Pin, the sticker is now on my makeup case

The ring, cute and adjustable for any size!

That's a lot of stuff for the amount I paid in my opinion. I did not expect all this when I ordered. Also... did you notice something from the colors listed above? No repeats you say? Yeah, that's the first thing I noticed too. Not going to lie.... I danced a little dance of joy when I noticed that. Now, the full sized had 2 things to prevent it from spilling. A sifter sticker, and it and shrink banded to hold the lid on. Love the extra care that was taken to protect all of the product.

Above is better view of the sifter stickers and the no leaking claims I made above. Seriously impressed, just saying. All of the packaging is consistent and well put together. This was a great showing of a just opening company. You can tell a lot of time and thought went into it.

Now- Swatches and the 2 looks I have done so far:

Tearduct: Tea Cup  Outter: Misshapes

Tearduct: Chandelier, Center: Chicklet Outter: Sunbum

When I did swatches and my makeup, it took very little to achieve what you see. I tried to get great looks using as little as possible because I didn't want to run out of my samples before the opening, and surprise! It didn't take much in the first place.

Oh, and I almost forgot to show you this:

That's right. From the sample baggies to the full sizes, RBC has labels on everything. Every ingredient is listed, and easy to read as well. Oh, and what's that on Little Lamb? A note under the name saying "Not Lip Safe"? I love that it is written right there for me so I don't have to look for it myself on a web site, or heaven forbid have to figure it out on my own. This makes life easy when you are applying makeup on the fly. Yay!

So, my thoughts... I will be buying from Rockeresque again. For their first showing I was impressed. The more I use the makeup I have right now, the more I love it. Shipping was amazingly fast, as well as packaged very neatly so that nothing was damaged in the process.  The only complaint I have... that I don't have more of it! <3 I ordered opening day and got Toxicity, Schoolyard Crush, and Peppermint Gummy Bear. Can't wait to receive those! So, I will leave you with some final words from the owner herself, Issanna Loughman.

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Q: What made you decide to make your own makeup?
A: I have been an art director for many years so working closely with make-up and fashion is something I have loved doing and have become extremely familiar with. I never knew you could make your own cosmetics until a little over a year ago and after working as an art director (amongst other things) for another cosmetic line I decided to start my own. I really wanted to couple a quality cosmetic line with a strong alternative and edgy vibe. I researched and began formulating, but did not launch the company until 7 months or so after that. I just knew in my heart that I wanted to do this, but I did not want to rush into it. As fun as these products are to make and to use, they are still products that go onto peoples bodies and need to be made properly. I have also always wanted to work for myself, as I have a nasty habit of over working myself when I have worked for others, so I am happy to have this opportunity in my life to work for myself and have Rockeresque Beauty Company as my business.

Q: As a company, do you have a specific mission or service standard that you expect to reach or provide?
A: Where do I start? When I came up with the concept for the company I was pretty determined to make it a full vegan line. There are some great cosmetic lines currently out there which have perhaps some vegan products, or others that have a full line, but their branding is not geared towards the alternative girl. Of course, just as in any line, you can choose to use any brand of product, but I wanted something edgier that was also vegan. I want clients to know that if they need something vegan they can rely on our products without hesitation.
Customer service is another big thing for me. I started a company to provide a service to others and want them leaving happy so that they will want to come back. I have also not put myself out there or my name all over the company. Of course family and friends know that I own Rockeresque and a few more after these questions, but I have done this on purpose. Even though Rockeresque is an indie cosmetic company, I want it to stand on its own two feet. I have developed some great products, but there are many other amazing indie brands out there; it's all about personal preference. I never want the decision to use or not use my line be based on who I am, as it should be about the brand and what it stands for and provides to its consumers. I have a background in business and in photo shoots and I have tried to use all of my background to make this as professional as an indie line can possibly be right out the gate. It's another reason why I took so long to open. I made developing the product as important as developing the brand and polishing it before providing it to the public. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I know I can stand behind RBC and be very proud of it as whole.

Q: What are your future plans for your company?
A: There are a few goals set in place of where we will go from here. Many are short term goals to expand products available for purchase. The other day our site launch contained just 14 loose eye shadows and 1 accessory. There are in fact 50 developed shadow colors so we will release them little by little over the next few months. We also have an eye primer and lip glosses... and even some surprises which will come out soon. I don't want to give away too much as I have been so good about keeping them secret for this long! Other fun things coming up are we will start to do conventions, trade shows, and sponsor some fun events. One of them coming up is we are the official make-up brand for makeovers being done at the Ink and Iron tattoo convention in Long Beach. The makeovers are being done by Morgan Panter and Nikki Lipstick. Both of these girls are amazing and I hire them for the official RBC photoshoots.
Long term goals would be seeing RBC grow and mature. We have a monthly newsletter we provide in our free membership program and we try to educate our clients about what is in their make-up and what to look for or avoid. We will try and make that voice louder by educating at some school programs and other events. It has surprised me how many people do not even know what "vegan" makeup means. The wording of it is tricky. It should be called "vegetarian" makeup instead. Still, I had someone ask me if "vegan" makeup meant there was no milk in it. I knew then I had to offer a way for clients to understand what they were using. Too many people buy things and use them without reading the label or trying to understand what the label is telling them. I don't think anyone can make the right decision about what products to use if they do not have the proper knowledge of what to be aware of. I want RBC to make girls look and feel beautiful, but I also want it to leave behind some positive changes.

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Notice: All of the above (minus Issanna's answers to my questions) are my opinions and experiences with this company. Please feel free to make your own observations, do your own research, and come to your own conclusions. I was also in no way paid for this review ^-^