Review: Altered Ego Cosmetics

Tessa Brock recently started up an Etsy Shop a little over a year ago to feature her homemade jewelry. Since then, she has gotten 94 pieces of feedback there, all of which left her with a 100% feedback rating. She was a stellar seller on Etsy, and still is. Now, she has started up her own makeup line: Altered Ego Cosmetics. I had the honor of getting samples of her "Futurama Collection" to try out and review. So here is my 2 cents on Altered Ego!

These are the 7 colors that I received. The colors represent the main characters in the series: The Professor, Bender, Hermes, Zoidberg, Amy, Leela, and Fry. Each Mega Clamshell came with a very good sized sample, which was delivered to my mailbox, neatly packaged and with no spillage! I was excited to see that since clamshells have a habit of not wanting to stay closed, which is at no fault to the business, it's just the packaging that doesn't want to cooperate.

Since they were samples, I did not expect to see a neatly printed ingredient list on a good sized card included. The ingredients are as follows:

Professor: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide
Bender: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Mica, Iron Oxide
Hermes: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Mica, Iron Oxide, Carmine
Leela: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Polyethylene Terephthalate
Fry: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide
Amy: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide
Zoidberg: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide

The only Non-Vegan one is Hermes, and it is labeled as such on the ingredients list. The fact that she went the extra step to throw in a print out, and mark on said list what was non-vegan made me very happy. It is hard to find service like that.

 Without further ado.... SWATCHES!

The Full set

Close up 1

Close up 2

I use q-tips to apply the colors over a small circle of NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. It did not take much  to get this color, and they glitter is subtle to intense. Depending on how much you apply, the more vibrant and the more sparkle you get. I love that with these colors. I can do a soft, gentle look, or an intense, glittery, and eye popping look. Below is a softer look that I did with Fry and Amy.

I kept this on all day, and it didn't wear out, or crease. My eyes looked amazing all day, and lasted until I attacked my face with a makeup remover. Also, I think I am in love with Fry. It's a great peachy-orange, and as you pack on more, the more vibrant it becomes. Love it so much.

So the final verdict: I will buy from Altered Ego in the future, and will add them to my recommendations  list for all my readers as well as my friends. To conclude this, listed to what Tessa herself has to say, and below are the links to all shops and pages for her company!

Q: What made you decide to make your own makeup?
A: I have always been fascinated with the idea of making things for myself so when I discovered that I could get my hands on materials to make my own makeup, I knew it was the beginning of something awesome! Also, being a person with a very modest income, if I can find a way to do something myself then I will.

Q: As a company, do you have a specific mission or service standard that you expect to reach or provide?
A: Sometimes it is hard for me to refer to or label what I'm doing as a business or company, so I really don't have a specific mission. It's more like this: I make things for myself and if I decide that I want to offer the item that I made to other people then I have to make that item as awesome as possible. The reasoning behind that is because that item is a representation of me. When someone receives something that I have personally made then they can be assured that I have put my best effort into it and that I will continue to strive to do that something even better.

Q: What are your future plans for your company?
A: I would love to combine my jewelry shop and makeup in one. More pointedly, I plan on weeding out most of my colors that contain ingredients like Ferric Ferrocyanide, Chromium and Aluminum. I plan on expanding from just shadows and offering more products, like lipbalms. It is hard for me to want to make things that I'm not really interested in so I haven't really planned out much more than that.

Q: Is there anything that you would like potential or existing customers to know about you or your company?
A: I would love for everyone to know that I don't think of them as dollar signs. Each and every person that has ever or will ever purchase from Altered Ego will always be appreciated and treated the way that everyone deserves to be treated. When someone decides to try my products they are choosing to support a human being not a conglomeration and I will always make it a point to show that appreciation.

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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Altered-Ego-Cosmetics/125421667532428

Artfire: http://www.artfire.com/users/AlteredEgoCosmetics

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlteredEgoCosmetics

Recalls and Chemicals to look out for

So we all make mistakes right? Yes we do. Even companies make mistakes because they are still run by human beings that make mistakes. So when a recall happens, you hope that your product is safe, or that you can get a proper replacement in a timely manner.

The FDA posts recalls on their website when they are issued for the most part, but what are their regulations? Click right here to view the FDAs policy for cosmetics and their recalls.Unless you are looking for recall information though, how would you know that there is a recall on your product? Take a look at this Avon Recall for a set of their eye shadows for merely mislabeling the containers, and possible color mix ups. This was a letter posted to their site, and sent to all representatives to pass along to their customers. They made a huge effort to make in known. For this Makeup Remover Recall the product was possible contaminated with an organism that causes eye infections, respiratory infections, dermatitis, and other health issues. The information was readily available to anyone looking for it. Even Glittersniffer Cosmetics had a recall, and they posted the information on their website, and their fan page on facebook (originally, it is no longer listed there from what I can see) to let their fan base no about what colors were not eye safe. Sure, maybe all of these recalls haven't reached every customer that purchased or received the item itself, but at least they are trying to get the word out. Sometimes it's hard to reach one time customers, or friends of customers that got the product for a birthday/Christmas/anniversary gift. The moral of this story is, to check online for recalls periodically, especially if you have some type of a reaction to a product. (cosmetic or otherwise)


Now, in today's world, everyone is at least a little concerned about where their product came from and what it's made of. I know that now, I read more labels and ingredient lists then I ever thought I would. Now, some people don't have the time to go hunting all over the internet for information on if their product is safe. I found a website called Natural Skin Authority which has a chemical list of common things used in cosmetics, hair products, and skin care products that you should watch out for. Now, not all of these are a "never use" thing like I have read. Some just have to be diluted a certain amount before they are safe for use. So it's more like proceed with caution. Try testing the product before using it as intended. If it's some type of serum, or eye product, putting it behind your knee or in the crook of your elbow is best because the skin is thin there and the closest to the skin round your eyes. Everything else, just test on the inside of your arm, use it as directed and see if you have any reaction before applying else where. I mean, a funny patch on your arm is easy to cover if you have a reaction than your entire face, right?

Below I am listing a few common things that I found in products I use at home. No, this doesn't mean I will stop using all of them, but I will be researching them more, seeing about if tests were done on them and such. I want to make sure that before I suggest something to you ladies that I know my stuff on it, and have used it. So heres my list of things to be careful of using.

BHT- Commonly used in gases, oils, waxes, rubbers paints and plastics. Purified forms may be in some foods. It irritates your skin and eyes, can cause breathing issues if inhaled, if you are pregnant can cause hard to the developing fetus, damage your liver, and cause dizziness.

Iodine- Commonly used in pain/wound treatments, facial cleansers, and body firming lotions. It can be absorbed through the skin or be a danger if inhaled, is not recommended for any type of use around the eyes, and can cause an allergy that will make even low exposure to it cause itching and other symptoms. This can also be used in moderation and diluted.

Niacin- Commonly used in shampoo, conditioner, styling gel or lotion, hair-loss treatments, lip gloss, moisturizer, lip balm/treatments, hormonal creams, nail treatments, facial cleansers and makeup remover.This is a type of Vitamin B, and is good for your body, but in controlled amounts (I take it daily) but it has a risk of being toxic to your cardiovascular tissue and your blood. It's one that you need to take in small doses and needs to be diluted with other things before being used.

Red 6 Barium Lake dye - Commonly used in lip gloss, lipstick, blush, and nail polish. It is just suspected of having skin and sense organ toxicity. Further studies of it will reveal more about it.


I've only listed 4 out of the many I found because I want to know make you work a little. Take a look at the site, grab your favorite bath product, or cleanser, and look up those ingredients. If you find one not listed here and you want to play my little game, comment below with the info you find. (maybe I'll make a little game out of it and award a prize.)

Also, I list BHT because it was mentioned in a discussion about what cosmetics are safe on a page on facebook, and did some research myself. In what I have read, it should NEVER be used in cosmetics.

(NOTE: Any of the recalls or information listed above are for your information entirely. I do not support, endorse, or encourage you to use any of the products or companies I have listed. I'm just delivering information and examples of my findings <3)