Company Overview! Herbanluxe

By Unknown

Purchased

Handmade mascara and more from Herbanluxe!

Herbanluxe was one of those Etsy shops I tripped over while browsing for nothing in particular, but they had one shining product that had me interested. Handmade vegan mascara! For years I've used the Silk Naturals mascara, which IS vegan but it is made by another vendor and sold through SN. The allure of a true, handmade mascara always beckons, but the whole "putting this stuff really close to my eyeballs where it's wont to melt and actually get into my eyes and I really don't want to take any crazy risks" thing looms overhead. But the temptation is so strong, and Herbanluxe hit me at just the right time when my SN mascara was ready to kick the bucket. I decided to snap up a travel-sized mascara in black and the vegan pencil in brown.

Herbanluxe

Herbanluxe. What does the name mean? I spent a while trying to figure that out before discovering that it's a combination of herbal + urban + luxury. I enjoy when indie shops take the time to craft clever, meaningful names!

I highly recommend you check out the shop's About page, there are a ton of interesting tidbits. Did you know?

• Myra has been mixing makeup since she began at 10?
•  Her first product was the Herb Magic Lip Potion (the DIY kit is in the shop?)
• She was a finalist on Oprah Winfrey's "Search for the Next Big Idea"?

Trivia aside, what about Herbanluxe's products?

Selection

Herbanluxe keeps things small-scale since the products are made in small batches. The primary focus is on eye products (mascara and liners) but a few other curious products make it into the mix including facial exfoliators and nail wrap designs.

Herbanluxe also leans towards the DIY crowd with different packaging and even a DIY ebook available for purchase. I think that's really cool and something I typically don't see from an indie vendor!

Samples

Herbanluxe sells sample jars and mascara tubes but no actual samples. While I consider the travel-size mascara my own attempt at sampling the product itself, I really wish there was some way to package it up smaller. Ah well, it IS mascara after all.

I wish Herbanluxe carried their S.W.A.K. sticker through more of their branding! It's so cute.

 Packaging

The tube for the mascara is slim and compact. It's only a bit longer than my index finger! Although maybe I've gotten accustomed to my bulkier SN mascara. It arrived with a perforated plastic seal (hooray, hygiene!) and underneath a gold-foil logo on a transparent label. I was kind of bummed about the label because it's so lovely, but the application has a lot of air bubbles and just looks a bit cheap.

I'd rather my indie mascara be sealed with perforated wrap, not kisses, so I'm totally cool with this.

 The mascara wand itself is also very compact. Judging by the two sizes offered, it looks like the travel size wand is not as fluffy with less bristles. I'm pretty bummed by this because it's not as easy to apply, but I also didn't want to invest in a full size when I could try a smaller size first. Still, it's good to be aware of the differences between the two.

The vegan crayon is chunky, just like the NYX pencils. I really love how solid it feels. It's the same black-with-gold branding as the mascara wand and comes with a clear cap.

I like that the eye crayon is already sharpened to a point!

Quality

My experience has been mixed. I plan on taking a closer look at the mascara later, but I'm really pleased with the quality. I have a few nitpicky feelings (not crazy about the travel-size brush, the formula is a bit thinner and drier than I'd like), but it is overall a really solid product. It's a clean black, not the dusty "grey disguised as black" shade I sometimes see with black mascaras. It feels natural on my eyelashes and stays put pretty much all day. I experience no itching or discomfort whatsoever.

My feelings on the chubby vegan eye crayon are lukewarm... I'll also review this product in more depth too, but I was disappointed with the color payoff. I purchased brown, and it was hard to get ANY color to transfer to my lids. It felt uncomfortable and tugged a bit just to get any color at all. However, a warm swatch on my hand seemed to take just fine. I want to test this out a bit more before passing final say.

Cost

The prices are a tad on the high end for me, but I'm also a bit more frugal. For my SN mascara I typically pay $8.99, but the travel size mascara at Herbanluxe (which is like 25% smaller) is only 70 cents less too. Full-sized mascara is $11.99. The chubby eye crayons are also $8.00.

These aren't outrageous prices, especially considering the handmade element, but they are a bit higher than I traditionally pay, so I would only spring for it if I really liked the products.

Customer Service

Myra was so patient and obliging... I sent over a lot of questions! Namely about the mascara. She was friendly and professional, but best of all her replies were detailed and answered just what I needed to know about preservatives and the shelf life for her products. (Thank you, Myra!)

TAT & Shipping

TAT was awesome, but perhaps that's because I live so close to the shop's location in Connecticut. I placed my order on a Tuesday, and it arrived only days later on Friday! Typically orders ship 3-5 days from order date.

Shipping for my order was $5.50 and first class USPS. There is international shipping:

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: The cost of International shipping has increased substantially over the years. If you wish to order several items, please convo me and I will create a reserved listing with a more accurate shipping cost.

Personal Thoughts

Herbanluxe has a few items that are curious to me, but I'm not quite ready to jump. The new liquid liner is particularly interesting (and I do wish I grabbed it instead of the crayon), but I so rarely use eyeliner to begin with I just couldn't justify it. I also want to learn more about the DIY Liquid Lip Potion kit... even the name is curious!

I'm not sure if I'll stick with the Herbanluxe mascara. It's hard to compare when the identical size through Silk Naturals is $8.99 and Herbanluxe's version is $3 (plus more expensive shipping). Both seem to be good formulas. I am pretty bummed out about the eye crayon, but I don't want to cast judgment yet until I've tried it a few more times (especially if it juts needs to be warmed up first).

Overall my experience with Herbanluxe has been pretty great! I'm going to keep a close eye on the shop in the future and can't wait to see what other products they come out with!

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