Starting Your Own Cosmetics Line

I get tons of messages from makeup artists, salon owners etc wanting to start their own line. However, most of them don't realize how much time, planning and money goes into the whole process. So I will try to give you a little guide so that you will know what to expect and prepare yourself. Let's start by asking ourselves some questions to better understand what you are looking for and what you want your line to look like. It's great to have a notebook just to hold all your thoughts and research that you've done.

1) Describe your line. (this is just to give you an idea of what you want) example My line will be all mineral cosmetics and geared towards women of color. I want gloss, foundations, eye shadows, blush, brushes and pencils. I want a combination of clear and black packaging and it will have my name on it. I'm looking to spend X amount of dollars and have it within 5 or 6 months if that possible.

2) Do you want your logo on your product?

3) What kind of packaging do you want for your products? example: I like it to be all black or all clear or black with red to match my logo.

4) What is the timeline you have for everything to be done and your line launched?

5) What is your budget?

6) Do you want your line created from scratch or would you like stock products?

So once you have answered all these questions now we can break down some of these questions a little further. I know it can be tedious but believe me it will save you tons of time in the long run. Let's break down your line now.

1) How many shades do you want for each of your products?

example:

Foundations - 5 shades

gloss - 7 colors

pencils - 5 colors etc,etc.

You will need to do this for all your items. This will give you a good idea of how much packaging you will need. If your going to have 7 shades of gloss then you can get a price for how much each will cost. You can figure out if you will be buying 10 of each color or 100 of each color.

2) Logo - Having your name imprinted on your product will give your line that exclusive look and make your products your own. However be aware that there is almost always a minimum to print anything usually 500 pieces. Now you can get someone to print less but it will cost you a lot more.

3) Packaging - Same as printing where you will need to buy a minimum to get the best price. Usually for special packaging you will need to order a minimum of 5,000 to 10,000 pieces. So sometimes it would be cheaper for you to use stock packaging just to start then you can always change later. When I say "stock packaging" I am referring to packaging that is generic and most everyone carries it.

4) Timeline - Very Important!! This can either be your friend or your enemy depending on how you use it. If your creating your line from scratch you will need at least 6 months to have your products made. Products go to the lab first where they create it, then send you a sample for your approval. If you don't approve the sample then you send it back and it gets reworked to meet your specs until you do approve it. This happens for all your products until you approve everything in your line. So if you have 6 foundations then you will get 6 different color samples to approve. However, you can save time by buying stock products which are products that are already made. Why reinvent the wheel? You can choose any product from our Naavah Cosmetics line and make it your own. Pick out the colors you want, name the color and that's all you have to do. Also you can have everything within a week since we don't have to start from scratch.

5) Budget - Probably one of the most important of all along with timeline. You will need to come up with one and try to stick to it as much as possible. Its easy to waste money if your not careful and things can spiral out of control quickly. Look at all your options and see how you can save money and time here and there. Maybe instead of hot stamping your logo you can use a clear sticker with you logo. Maybe instead of getting your products made from scratch you can buy stock products. Review all your options, research, ask questions and make the best choice.

6) Scratch vs. Stock - Making your product line from scratch will take more time, and more money. But in the end your product will be unique and made just as you want. If you do it this way, then I would say it can take you around 6 months at least to get it all done. Now if you pick stock products then you pick from colors that are already made. Going this route will save you time,money and probably take about 2 weeks to complete.

So there you have a basic outline of the information you will need when creating your line. It doesn't matter if you will be working with naavah cosmetics or another company. If you follow this outline ..it will make it easier for you and the company you will be working with. Remember to ask questions and be sure to get what you want from beginning to end. If you have any question feel free to ask ..we are here to help you. Don't forget to visit us at www.naavahcosmetics.com and bookmark us too.

Keep checking our blog as we will be answering questions and posting helpful tips.