By New kid on the beauty block, inclusive makeup brand Cult Candy Cosmetics is quickly becoming a favourite amongst influencers, makeup artists and the general public alike. With their rich colour pay-off pigments, cruelty free, vegan formulations, they are an instant stand out from other products out there. We here at Boyfriend wanted to know more, so we spoke to brand creators Angie Adams and Jazmin Bean. Here’s what they had to say!
Tell me about yourselves, what is your background prior to creating the brand?
Angie: I was at The London College of Fashion when my all girl punk rock band Fluffy which I was drumming in signed a deal with Virgin Records. I left college and toured the world! Music was my main focus for many years but later on after I had my children I decided to do a degree in homeopathy and qualified as a homeopath. Soon after that I also started a children’s wear brand called Question Everything.
Jazmin: Previous to starting Cult Candy I had been doing makeup looks and visual art for many years and then I studied film at the Brit School. During that time I also started working on my music career. I have always been creating in several different mediums.
Where did the idea for Cult Candy Cosmetics come from? Tell me about the beginning.
Angie: Due to my previous business experience and Jazmin’s growing reputation as an artist ( including in the field of makeup) we had an offer from an investor to create a cosmetics brand. We were really excited to have the opportunity to have the platform to be able to bring both our experiences and ideas and vision into Cult Candy. We wanted our formulas to be amazing so we had to work with a few suppliers in sampling to make sure we got the quality and pigments that would be the benchmark for Cult Candy! It’s more difficult with vegan makeup to get deep and bright colours but we hit there and we are very happy with what we’ve managed to create.
Jazmin: I’ve always been a huge makeup enthusiast and was really excited to be able to visualise and have come to life products that I had always wanted to create. Products that were perfect in my mind! I was finding it more and more difficult to find interesting and exciting products for myself and people with similar interests to me so having the opportunity to create them is very special!
What was the creative process to arrive at the range you currently have?
Angie: A lot of work goes into each product and the time frame is around 8 months from start to release. We are involved in everything. It starts with choosing the colours and finish and then the formulation starts.The first lab samples come back after around 8-12 weeks and we go from there and keep making amendments until we are happy with the formula and pay-off. At the same time we are working on packaging design. We use upcoming young artists we find on Instagram to collaborate with. There’s so much young talent out there! Once we are happy with both the makeup and packaging we approve them and final production begins. That takes around 16 weeks.
Jazmin: My favourite part of the process is creating the mood, vibe and theme of the palettes or collections. I love playing with and deciding on colour combinations and imagining the different looks that could be created with them. I don’t always create products that are necessarily my style but I like to submerge myself into and think if this was my style what would my Ideal perfect palette be… I love looking for the artists to work with on my ideas and coming up with the shade names. It’s a really fun process and it always has to be perfect and on theme. All the small details make it what it is and it’s all those small details that make the products really stand out.
There are other inclusive brands out there. What makes Cult Candy Cosmetics so unique?
Angie: Yes there are but for us individuality means everything. Being brave enough to be yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin in the way that makes you feel happy. I feel that we are 2 generations in one family working together to promote this message sharing the same ideals on this makes us special.
Jazmin: I mean it’s everything to me. Having a strong sense of individuality has always been important to me. It was difficult for me when I was younger to have the confidence to be who I truly wanted to be but now I feel I’ve broken through that and my individuality inspires others which feels really good. My mum and I have been through this journey together and we know how much fighting for ones individuality means and making this the ethos of our brand means a lot to both of us and we hope people can see how strong this message is in our brand and how important it is. As we have both said, it’s everything!
Cult Candy Cosmetics embraces individuality, uniqueness and a desire to represent which ever interpretation of beauty the wearer chooses, on any given day. Offering colour, acceptance and unsubtle campaigning against the norm. Co-founder Jazmin Bean, is non-binary and does not identify as either male or female. Much of the Cult Candy core audience is LGBTQI+, but as one of the first UK based cult makeup brands, Cult Candy Cosmetics find themselves in the unique position of being able to welcome a very diverse audience. From the makeup mavens who love to experiment and get creative with makeup to the more conservative makeup users that just want to get a bit more playful with colour, the quality, ease of application and staying power of the products allows them that privilege.
You can find out more and grab your very own Cult Candy Cosmetics at www.cultcandycosmetics.com
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