Let’s talk Axiology. If you haven’t tried this lipstick line yet GIRRRRLLL get on it! Axiology lipsticks use minimal + organic ingredients, are moisturizing, GORGEOUS, have a beautiful color range, boast chic + responsible packaging AND they are vegan! I mean, what’s not to love about Axiology!? I’ll tell you – NOTHING! In this post I am talking with the founder of Axiology and I’m showing you what 15 out of their 27 colors look like ON!

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Our Love Story

First let me tell you where I met and fell in love with Axiology. I first picked up a few of their lipsticks (Worth + Infinite) from Follain in Boston last year and was instantly impressed with how moisturizing the formula is, the color payoff and their ingredient deck.  I’ve had these two colors on rotation for the past year or so. BUT recently I discovered that Beauty Heroes picked up their line and my heart skipped a beat! WHY? Well, Beauty Heroes members get 15% off of EVERYTHING in the Beauty Heroes shop 24/7/365. So all of a sudden these lipsticks that retail for $30 each – are now available for $25.50!

If you are wondering about Beauty Heroes, let me fill you in! Beauty Heroes is a subscription service that delivers clean hair, body and skincare to your door monthly for less than $39/mo. Their standards for clean ingredients are super high and members are always getting a crazy good deal. The past few months have been valued at over $100 each with heavy hitting green beauty brands like Josh Rosebrook, Innersense Organic Beauty, Osmia and more. One month Beauty Heroes sent out Vintners Daughter which retails for $185 – like you can not beat the value here! It’s one of the best beauty subscriptions around.

A Q&A with Beauty Heroes Founder Jeannie Jarnot

Beauty Heroes founder Jeannie Jarnot is super strict about brands she brings into her store. She focuses on a “Use Less, Love More” philosophy and is really conscious about what discoveries she brings to her members. For me, Axiology was love at first swipe but I wanted to know more about what stood out for Jeannie.

Q: What drew you to Axiology? How did you first discover them and what stood out to you?

A: Axiology sent me a few of their lipsticks and at first I was drawn to the packaging. It’s so unique, sophisticated and has an eco-chic feel. I immediately thought to myself that I hope what’s inside the package is as good as the package itself. And it was. I was blown away with the way Axiology felt on my lips – truly luxurious, clean and so good. Then there was the color range because it allows you to really have some fun and be bold. Then I met Erika, the founder of Axiology, in person and knew that I wanted to feature the line at Beauty Heroes. She has figured out each piece of the line slowly, methodically and ethically. I love that they specialize in vegan lipstick. There’s a lot to be said about brands that do one thing and do it well.

Q: This is only the 4th makeup brand Beauty Heroes has added to their store. With such high standards, is it hard to find brands to bring on board?

A: Yes, only because there are so many choices for makeup these days and I look for brands that bring something unique to our curation. With Modern Minerals we brought in the gloss and the flower essences. With Vapour we brought in a lot of classic, good quality products that perform. With Au Naturale we brought in great formulas, innovative packaging and a super-wide foundation range. And with Axiology we bring in vegan lip luxury and performance.

Q: What are Beauty Heroes no-no ingredients for makeup?

We have a really comprehensive ingredient standard that rules out a lot of ingredients just on its own. But outside of those ingredients; Dimethicone, Microcrystalline Wax and Nylon are some ingredients that are not on the list but you won’t find in our makeup products. We have found products that perform as well or better without these synthetics. In addition, we make sure all of our partners have tested their minerals for heavy metals.

Q: What is your favorite Axiology color? 

A: It’s really hard to answer that question. I am really loving Theory, there is just something about that light brown that feels quietly confident to me right now. And my favorite Lip Crayon is Enchant, it’s so every minute of every day for me.

Me: Okay so two points. Enchant and Theory were not included in the package I got to try – so SORRY you won’t see what they look like on here but you can jump over the the Beauty Heroes store to take a look at them there. Also! I’ve been talking about Axiology’s lipsticks BUT Axiology actually has two formulas. Their signature lipstick and their new lip crayon. I love them both. Overall I would say the lipsticks are more of a moisturizing formula with a dewy look to them and the lip crayons are still moisturizing but with more of a matte finish. I will breakdown the ingredient lists below but first – let’s see what these babes look like ON!

Axiology’s organic, vegan lipsticks and lip crayons ON!

Faves!?

Which one do you like the best? Oh my gosh – I mean I’m just going to come out and say it. This entire line looks fantastic on me. Ha ha! Seriously though!!! How can so many different shades all look like they were made for my face, skin tone and coloring!? My guess is that because Axiology uses only natural elements to drive pigment, their shades are naturally complimentary. Axiology uses iron oxide, mica, titanium dioxide and manganese violet to deliver pigment and organic butters and oils to carry. All of their mineral powers are non-nano and the products are void of synthetics.

If I had to pick, I would say my top three are: Worth, Intrigue, Infinite, Serene and Valor. Okay that’s five but who’s counting when all you can think is GORGEOUS!

Performance

Okay my friend Sarah from Whoorl blog called me last week and said, Girl, tell me everything about Axiology. Sarah is a lipstick QUEEN and I knew I had to give it to her straight. So this is what I told her.

The lipsticks give a moist dewy look and are not matte. They last for a few hours – more if you are not eating or drinking – less if you are.

The lipsticks and crayons moisturize and condition lips as well as color them. Butters and oils like organic avocado oil and organic coconut oil carry pigments and nourish rather than a synthetic wax that will just sit on top of your skin.

The lip crayons are more matte than the lipsticks and will stay longer than the lipsticks in my experience.

Because they are so moisturizing they can be hard to get a precise line along the lip line depending on the color. I think a lip pencil to line before application is all you need – I didn’t use one in any of the pics above.

Their line ranges in color payoff. Some shades are more pigmented with a dense color payoff (like Worth or Fundamental) while others are sheer and less pigmented (like The Goodness and Philosophy). Some even have a shimmer to them like Fundamental and Enlighten.

The colors won’t bleed or crawl up your skin. One thing that stands out to me is they wear off really natural and never look like you NEED to reapply. It just continues to fade evenly throughout the day.

I just had to know more about how this line is formulated and I was grateful for the chance to chat with Axiology Founder Erika to learn more!

A Q&A with Axiology founder Erika

Axiology is such a success story. Erika started making lipsticks in her kitchen with the intention of removing Palm Oil from lipstick formulas. She spent over a year testing and concocting the perfect formula. Her journey took her from her kitchen in Brooklyn, NY to Bali, Indonesia to study ingredients and packaging options. She was (and still is) so passionate about making this change she was even donating a majority of her profits to the Orangutan Foundation at the time. And still heavily supports them to this day. (If you are lost, many products today needlessly contain palm oil. The production of palm oil destroys the rainforest and its endangered inhabits including orangutans.)

One of the most exciting things about Axiology is they are debuting in SEPHORA this summer! A green beauty brand crossing over and competing with commercial mainstream is HUGE. It’s like Ryan Seacrest cuing up Carrie Underwood for the Top 40 Countdown – a country artist so hot, they cross over to the mainstream. That’s how good this formula is – because it can: COMPETE.

Here’s a bit more about what Erika had to say about her line:

Q: How do you achieve such a pigmented color payoff and wide range of color options?

A: Thank you! Achieving a rich color payoff using natural colorants was one of our primary goals when we first started developing the line. We formulate all of our colors in-house and this allows us to create, blend, mix and match as much as we need. We have a lot of fun creating new custom colors and we are still developing unique shades as we speak. The short answer to your question is that we do a lot of testing!

Q: What is your most popular color? And what color works best for any skin type? Do you have a most versatile color?

A: Our most popular color is our burnt orange matte color Worth. Our “your lips but better” hue, Devotion, works with any skin type. It’s a soft, pinkish brown so it matches the color of your lips. It’s subtle yet powerful. Our most versatile color is Intrinsic. It’s actually a non-color and is a clear shade with golden shimmer. Some women use this shade on its own for a summer glow, or a mixer to lighten other shades.

(Okay now I’m dying to try Devotion and Intrinsic too – how did I miss out on everyones fave shades!!?? Ha ha!)

Q: Love the packaging and the tube. Where did you draw inspiration for the tube? Also tell us about the paper packaging. The juxtaposition of glam v. eco is stunning. 

A: For the tube we wanted something sleek but practical. We noticed that one of the most frustrating things about lipstick was when they come apart in your purse or your makeup bag. We set out to make this problem disappear.

The paper packaging is so special to us. I lived in Bali, Indonesia while I was starting Axiology. While I was there, I stumbled upon these women who had been recycling paper by hand for over 25 years. They were disturbed with the trash problem on the island and set out to solve it. I fell in love with their story and decided to work with them on packaging.

Q: What’s the difference between the new lip crayons and the lipsticks? Is there an actual formula difference? Are the lipsticks and the crayons both vegan?

The lip crayons are color rich and more of a matte payoff. The lipsticks feel more like a lip balm and are dewy with a glossier finish. Everything in our line is and will always be vegan.

Q: Any insider info you can tell us?

A: Look out for new products Spring 2018!

Me: Happy dance!

Ingredients

So I have to highlight the ingredients here – check it out. I promise you won’t find many lines cleaner than this with a massive color range and intense color payoff like Axiology’s.

Lipsticks: wild harvested candelilla wax, organic avocado oil, castor oil, organic avocado butter, organic grape seed oil, organic coconut oil, vitamin E oil, elderberry extract, sweet orange oil, neem seed oil. May contain iron oxide, mica, titanium dioxide and manganese violet.

Lip crayons: wild harvested shea butter, wild harvested candelilla wax, castor oil, organic avocado oil, organic avocado butter, organic moringa oil, vitamin E oil, elderberry extract, neem oil, sweet orange essential oil. May contain iron oxide, titanium dioxide, manganese violet, mica

Save: Use code: THENEWKNEW to save 20% at Axiology.