I Don't Run Out of Makeup - Substitutions and Ethics

I don't run out. And I don't substitute a different shade because I "ran out".

You know why? Because I make it myself. So unless my suppliers discontinue something I need to make what you want (in which case I'll discontinue the color/item myself) you can be sure you'll get exactly what you ordered.

I've been getting a LOT of correspondence lately asking me to "please don't substitute any shades". Upon further investigation, apparently it's all too common a practice for some individual handmade makeup companies to get an order and if they don't have something "in stock" they will substitute something else.

Huh? I really don't see how this is possible if indeed the company/person is making the cosmetics themselves. And further, why wouldn't they contact the customer up front before substituting in the rare instance they ran out of a supply they needed, and ASK the customer if they want to sub or wait?

Etsy.com customers seem to be hardest hit by this substitution thing according to my email. It's not usual or common or even very ethical to get something, on purpose, that is substituted for what you actually ordered. So rest assured when you place an order with Pink Quartz Minerals you will get what you order, no worries.

Why I do What I do - A Mineral Makeup Maker's Main Mission

Ok, so after some recent back and forth with a blogger, I realized I don't clearly state what it is I do and why I do it.

I make makeup. Yes, that's what I do. Full time.
What is different about mine? Some people don't think of it as a good difference. I don't use many chemical/mineral/organic add ins, fillers, or color boosters. Why not? I have SUPER sensitive eyes, and many of those ingredients make my eyes itchy and irritated. So I don't use them. Everything I make is with a combination of only 7 ingredients. Safe, non-irritating, non-itchy (to me specifically). If it bothers my eyes or my skin, I don't continue making it.

In the micas available for makeup formulators to use in their products (many of which are used as-is by many sellers) can be a lot of these *other* ingredients.
For example- a lovely mica from TKB Trading known as one of the "duochrome" series called Periwinkle Blue, and used as-is as color changing micas by many places and also used as a mica ingredient in many shadows, also contains an ingredient I don't use.

Although a lot of places just say "mica" for this periwinkle blue color, you will note that the item has mica as ONE part of the ingredients, but there are other ingredients in the mica.
Ingredients in Periwinkle Blue mica:
Mica 77019
Titanium Dioxide 77891
Iron Oxide 77491
Ferric Ferrocyanide 77510

I don't use Ferric Ferrocyanide in my makeup. Why? Because it irritates my eyes. And I can get a good blue from ultramarines, which do not irritate my eyes.

But do you think it is ethical and fair for a company to just state "mica" as this ingredient in their shadow? Or should they indeed state the 4 ingredients?? Many companies will NOT disclose the 4 ingredients, will state "mica" as this ingredient, and how would you know the difference?

Now I don't have all of the brightest and most vibrant colors available, the reason being I don't use the micas that contain the following ingredients as part of their makeup:
Ferric Ferrocyanide
Boron Nitride
Carmine (non-vegan made from crushed insects and organic)
Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate
Silica
(glycidoxphenol) propane/
bisaminomethylnorbornane copolymer
Boron Glow
Talc
Cornstarch(organic)
Silk Powder(organic)
Pashmica
Rice Powder(organic)
Methicone
Magnesium Myristate

I'm not saying these ingredients are horrible, or that your eyes will fall out if you use a shadow that contains them, I'm saying that I do not use them because either they irritate my eyes, are non-vegan, or are organic and can break down over time- so the makeup then would have an expiration date (that should be on the pkg if a formulator uses the organics)

If you'll investigate, you'll see many of the available "micas" contain one or more of those ingredients- so you won't see products made with those micas in my line.

You also won't have to worry about eye irritation or itchiness. And you'll know that the ingredients stated are the ONLY ingredients you'll find in my makeup.

So, my mission is simple. Make cosmetics that contain only 7 mineral ingredients, are non-itchy and non-irritating, and full and complete disclosure of ingredients.

And that is what I do!