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10 alt beauty brands perfect for when you need a little edge

The days of heavy eyeliner in your MySpace profile picture have passed; however, your inner glam goth should always be allowed to shine through. With new makeup trends popping up constantly, the range of beauty brands has greatly expanded in the last decade. Here are some of the top alternative style makeup brands for the emo queens and kings, tattoo junkies and all you pop-punkers out there.

Read more: 10 alt beauty vloggers who deserve your subscription

Kat Von D Beauty

Kat Von D Beauty is basically the go-to brand for alternative beauty. Seeing that all of Kat’s designs stem from ideas she came up with when working in the tattoo industry, it’s no wonder that she markets her infamous Tattoo Liner in the shade “Trooper” to last and look like tattoo ink. And her Lock-It foundations and concealers are must-haves for anyone looking to hide some of their ink for the day.

Jeffree Star Cosmetics

Jeffree Star launched his career in the music scene, dominating the MySpace music sphere and Warped Tour stages before finding his true career calling: liquid lipstick. While Star’s brand now makes a name for itself with its “Skin Frost” highlighters and highly pigmented eyeshadows, Star got his start in the beauty world by formulating long-lasting, boldly colored liquid lipsticks with edgy names like “Unicorn Blood,” “Dirty Money” and “Prom Night,” named after his hit single.

Black Moon Cosmetics

Black Moon Cosmetics is not for the faint of heart. These bold, dramatic lipsticks — from liquid to matte — feature an array of shades for the bat queen within. With shade names like “Bones,” “Gloom” and “Deranged,” it can be a Halloween party for your lips every day! And if you’re not feeling the spooky vibes, try out their Cosmic Eyedust, a line of metallic liquid eyeshadows inspired by the galaxy around us.  

Lunatick Cosmetic Labs

Want your eyeshadow to come in a coffin? Or your setting powder to be hidden in an Ouija board planchette? Your contour kit could even come in a book of monsters if you’d like. Lunatick Cosmetic Labs has it all. Not only do they slay the packaging game, but this brand also makes some of the best quality contouring products for every skin tone.

Bitter Lace Beauty

Mermaids, rainbows and candy corn galore! Bitter Lace Beauty is responsible for starting the rainbow highlighter craze, but this highlighter brand has launched a slew of stellar products to rival their cult fan fave. From an entire collection of mermaid-themed highlighters to a full Halloween line, Bitter Lace Beauty sells highly pigmented, surprisingly wearable products for the most adventurous and magical glow-getters around.

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NYX Cosmetics

NYX is a very well-known cosmetic brand. It’s available everywhere from Ulta to drugstores and for a good reason: It’s a well-formulated, affordable brand with whimsical themes. They have full lines of vampire-, cosmic- and lingerie-themed lip products, along with gorgeous palettes such as their “Rocker Chic” and “Beauty School Dropout” collections. Not only does NYX make fun products, but they also back them with incredible quality.

Urban Decay

 

Our forever color crush. �� #UrbanDecay

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Urban Decay is definitely a bigger name than most of the brands on this list, but that’s because they’ve been around for over two decades. With shade names like “Midnight Cowboy Rises Again,” “Psychedelic Sister” and “Snakebite,” this is one of the sassiest makeup brands out there.

Concrete Minerals

Themes and color schemes are everything when it comes to Concrete Minerals. These loose eye pigments can easily make or break a look with their iridescent sheen, amazing color range and snarky names (“Bitches Brew” being a best-seller). Also jumping on the mermaid trend, Concrete Minerals has many mythical lines, from unicorns to sugar skulls, and even an eerie iridescent black magic collection.

Storybook Cosmetics

 

It's a perfect summer day for splurging! Checkout our website! We have tons of stuff in stock! ❤️

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Fans of Harry Potter, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Shakespeare are sure to love this brand. After gaining notoriety for launching wizard wand makeup brushes inspired by the Harry Potter series, this brand also came out with a wizardry and witchcraft palette, as well as fairy-tale rose face brushes. With a whole range of fantasy themed products in the pipeline, magical makeup is just around the corner.

Strobe Cosmetics

Strobe Cosmetics is a cruelty-free brand bringing TV show favorites to your everyday makeup game. This indie brand carries some pretty fun products, such as their three-shadow Bay of Dragons set inspired by Game Of Thrones and two palettes inspired by American Horror Story, one for Hotel and one for Freak Show.

Read more: Ahoy! This Pirates Of The Caribbean makeup collection is Captain Jack Sparrow-approved

Lime Crime

Lime Crime is all about color. Whether it’s styling your hair to look like a unicorn with their semi-permanent hair dye, rocking nails that look like they came from under the sea or creating makeup looks inspired by ancient Greek deities, this brand carries everything you’ll need for a complete fantasy-inspired look.

Which brand is your favorite?