Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to my personal friend, and the brand owner of a local beauty brand – Chris Leivian of Gunpowder ‘N Gloss. I was blessed to meet Chris years ago when I was a consultant for Estee Lauder, she was actually my account executive. I was lucky enough to receive some great training and techniques while working within her district, and then years later we connected again!

Chris has been a great friend, ally, and confidant over the past few years – and so I truly wanted to bring her brand to all of my followers and clients! I am a strong supporter and lover of small businesses, and Chris’ brand is no exception. Within my kit, I have about 16 of her original liquid lipstick colors, and I use them to custom blend a lip color for each of my clients. I even have quite a few lip glosses that I love from the brand as well. So take a look below, get to know a bit about this awesome brand and my dear friend Chris, and if you are so inclined – CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE! You will not be sorry that you picked up one of her products, and while you are shopping please feel free to use my personal discount code of “ASHLEY20” to save 20% off of just about everything on the website! She even has some awesome merchandise you will love!

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, and what made you decide to build your own beauty brand?

Chris: From growing up in the country as a farmgirl and 20+ years experience in the cosmetic industry I decided when I had my first child that I wanted to work for myself and start a makeup brand for people here in the midwest! I wanted my brand to relate to people like me livin’ tuff and pretty and have a country vibe to it and be a cleaner brand.

Q: What things do you feel set your business and brand apart from other beauty brands on the market, and how do you continue to hold yourself to even higher standards and continue to raise the bar in your industry?

Chris: It is important to me that our company offers a product that is in line with what consumers are asking for today, which is products containing  less harsh chemicals. Our products at this time are paraben free, gluten free, cruelty free, and vegan. I am currently researching products to be made organic for my brand to stay ahead of consumer requests for the launching of my future makeup categories.  At this time, we have updated our packaging to stand out amongst competitors in the beauty industry by having it made without glue and is recyclable and biodegradable. We hope that sets us apart from other makeup brands.

Q: If you could educate the consumer on three questions they should be asking at the beauty supplier to ensure that they are well educated on the products they are buying , which three questions would you suggest?

Chris: The three questions I think people should be aware of when buying their cosmetics: What’s in the product? Where was it made? Why is the cost more for a natural product?

Q: If a consumer asked you the three questions above, how would you respond to them?

Chris: -Our products are made natural which means we’ve taken out known ingredients that could be harmful to people

-Our products are paraben free, gluten free, vegan and cruelty free and have some organic oils as well. 

-Our products are made in the USA; American companies are understanding and changing their manufacturing of cosmetic products, due to the demand of cleaner products and making sure they are compliant with consumer demand.

-The reason why natural products are priced higher is for the raw ingredient; they are harder to cultivate and create. Other companies also source out less expensive ingredients such as petroleum ingredients or chemicals so they can make a bigger profit.

Q: What makes GunpowderNGloss different?

Chris: Gunpowder ‘N Gloss beauty is a cruelty free, paraben free country makeup line for the outdoorsy tuff and pretty! All our products allow you to embrace your inner tomboy with a feminine country flair!

Q: Where do you refer clients that are seeking out information on certain ingredients and safety? How can they check your packaging or website to make sure they do not have an allergy to one of the ingredients?

Chris: Skincarisma is a super-easy-to-use website that not only lists a product’s ingredients but also breaks them down into what they’re actually doing for your skin, plus the suitability for each skin type. It then tells you if the product contains parabens, alcohol, and sulfates. Unlike other ingredient checkers, Skincarisma also has a section where you can paste the ingredients, meaning they don’t necessarily need to have the product in their library for you to analyze it. So handy.

Q: What are three lip products that every gal needs in her makeup bag from GunpowderNGloss?

Chris: My favorite 3 lip products that you should have in your makeup bag is Farmgirl liquid matte lip( stays on for hours),  Hint of mint Cowgirl up Lip Gloss( matches your own lip color), and Hint of Mint Buck Naked lip gloss, Clear gloss for the no makeup look or to throw it over any other lip product for a hydrating high shine look.

Q: What exciting things should we watch for in the future from GunpowderNGloss?

Chris: I will be offering new product categories as I build my brand, however, the first products to be featured at this time are: Gunpowder ‘N Gloss Duo Gloss, Hint of Mint Gloss, our Natural shadow palette, Eye primer and Liquid Matte Lip Products. I am currently testing out an organic lip gloss and cream lip to introduce seasonally for clients. Of course, I want everything but we want to take our time and make sure we make not just good products but Great products!

Q: What is one thing that you think each and every consumer needs to know when searching for the perfect lip color?

Chris: When searching for the perfect lip product; make sure it fits you, do You feel good in it, is the texture smooth and not tacky; does it stay on well.

Q: If you could only use one beauty product for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Chris: My number one product I can’t live without is a moisturizer, and of course a good lip product! Our skin needs moisture to stay healthy and youthful. That’s why I am testing some organic skincare because my brand needs an amazing skincare routine! A great lip color can brighten anyones day!

Q: How can consumers get ahold of you?

Pinterest: Gunpowder ‘N Gloss

Instagram (Business): @gunpowderngloss

Instagram (Behind the scenes and personal): @tuffandpretty

Facebook: Gunpowder ‘N Gloss Beauty

Website: http://www.gunpowderngloss.com