"WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN COLOR OR DUPE A SHADE YOU'VE HAD TO SAY GOODBYE TO? HERE'S HOW IT WORKS."
Finding out your favorite lipstick tube has been discontinued—the one that makes you feel confident and happier the second you press it to your lips—is a devastating, heart-wrenching moment. And instead of going through the trial and error (and cash) of hunting for your new go-to complementary shade, you probably wish you could just recreate the color yourself. Dreams, right?
But what if we told you that you can actually do that? Well, you can get damn close using a site called Finding Ferdinand, which allows you to create custom makeup palettes and lipstick shades.
Now, duping your retired lipstick shade wasn’t the reason the site’s founder, Nhu Le, created the company, but it’s been one of the perks her customers have enjoyed since its launch in 2014. Le told us it's usually a customer who's used that shade for years and it's become their signature color. And we can attest that letting go of anything "signature" is no easy task.
"I truly believe that trends are going to be created by the customers in the coming years," Le told us of why she decided to launch the brand. "Customers are becoming extremely knowledgeable about beauty and forming their own opinions and aesthetics. The idea behind Finding Ferdinand is that we are here to help them bring products to life in an easy, affordable way, and fun way."
The site launched with lipstick, but since then now offers customizable lip tints, lip palettes, and eyeshadow and face palettes.
Want to make your own color or dupe a shade you've had to say goodbye to? Here's how it works. You can start by making a custom mini lipstick sample for only $6, so if you don't like it, you don't have to worry about emptying your wallet.
You can blend up to four different colors together, and then you choose the pigment hue and intensity of each using a tool on the site. According to the brand, there's up to 65,000 different color combinations!
After you pick your shades, you choose a creamy, matte, or sheer finish. And in the last step, you name it. Yes, you name your lipstick literally whatever you want. Name it after yourself. Name it after your mom. Name it after your favorite Beyonce song. If you dig it when it arrives, you can then decided to upgrade to a full-size tube for $30, which is around the same price as a designer product.
Since the site is based on customization, there isn't one most popular shade, but Le says that reds and nudes get a lot of attention. "Every person is always trying to find that perfect nude lipstick because everyone's skin tone is different. Red is a classic color, but depending on whether someone is warm or cool tone, they'll pick a more orange base or more blue base red," she explains.
While visiting with Le, I got the chance to create my own Custom Overnight Palette, which gave me the option to pick a highlighter, blush, and a bronzer, as well as five different shadows. It almost guarantees that you won't have unused tins in your palette. You pick them, so you know what you will and won't wear. I went for bronze, brown, and light pink shades.
I don't know about you, but I love everything about having the opportunity to name a lipstick after my celebrity crush. What would you name yours?
Originally seen on InStyle: Beauty/Makeup