Tick:Tock Cosmetics

By Jackie Cular

Tick:Tock Cosmetics, based in Terra Haute, Indiana, not only creates unique cruelty-free, vegan eye make-up, they are also a huge supporter of The Cutting Edge Culture. Owner Tiffany Mertz answers some questions about the product line.

The Cutting Edge Culture: “How did the company get started?”

Tiffany Mertz: “Tick:Tock Cosmetics came out of my makeup artist business, Tick:Tock Makeup Artistry. We have recently changed the name of our makeup artistry and hair styling part of the company to Glamour by Tick:Tock Cosmetics. Using makeup was always our original first passion, but making the cosmetics we use has definitely become our strongest passion.”

TCEC: “How does the company name relate to its vision?”

TM: “The name Tick:Tock has a fun story. On my personal Facebook page, about 2 years ago, I took requests for themes for looks I could do with makeup. One of those themes was “clock.” I took that and created a look where part of my face was a mixed-up clock, but the hands of the clock turned into my top eye liner. It ended up being my favorite look I'd ever done, and decided that I would name my makeup artistry business after it. When we decided to make cosmetics, we carried the name over with us and decided that everything would be related to time somehow, from the color names, to product names.”

TCEC: “How are the cosmetics made?”

TM: “The eye shadows are made based on specific recipes we have created. The ingredients go into plastic Ziplock bags and are mixed that way. Using different colors micas, which are the pigment that gives eye shadow its color, we create different colors. We also add texture bases to the mix so that they are smooth going on, hold better, and are easier to blend with other colors.”

TCEC: “How do you come up with such creative names for each color?”

TM: “Like anything that is creative, it's hard to say exactly how we do it. A key factor is that Elizabeth and myself name them together and throw ideas back and forth until we both find one that fits the color. Sometimes we create a color and then name it, other times we have a color name in mind and want to make something that fits the name! It just depends! But all of the names are time related, to flow with our time/clock theme!”

TCEC: “Why is it important that your products are vegan?”

TM: “We made that promise in the very beginning that our products would always be vegan to accommodate those who have chosen to be vegan. We will continue to be vegan because we made a promise and will keep that promise, even if it means that our formulas will be trickier. It's a personal choice for many, but we want to make sure that everyone can use our products and not have to worry what is in them.”

TCEC: “Why is it important that your products are cruelty-free?”

TM: “Being vegan and being cruelty-free go hand-in-hand in a way. To be vegan, it really only requires that you not use the animal products in your cosmetics. Ultimately, we are cruelty-free because makeup belongs on people, not animals. It also separates us from many big-name companies who do test their products on animals. It also reassures buyers who might be concerned with animal testing and who might not know that we are an indie cosmetics company, if they happen to stumble upon us somehow.”

TCEC: “How can people buy Tick:Tock Cosmetics?”

TM: “Our online store is powered by Storenvy, which is FREE, and very easy to use. There is also a Storenvy Tab on our Facebook page.”

TCEC: “Who can they see wearing the cosmetics?”

TM: “Using myself and Elizabeth as an example, we definitely have a diverse group of women wearing our products! I tend to wear a lot of the natural, lighter colors. Elizabeth, on the other hand, wears LOTS of bright colors! We also have a core team of bloggers that we call our Tick:Tock Models who post regularly on our Facebook page. However, they are more than just our models, they have very easily become some of my best friends and make me so thankful to be doing what I am doing. They are all so unique and different and that definitely shows in the looks they post on our Facebook page!” (You can also see Tick:Tock on the faces of staff at TCEC, especially during online interviews.)

TCEC: “You offer eye shadows now. What types of cosmetics do you plan to offer in the future?”

TM: “We actually already offer more than just eye shadows! We offer lip glosses, a finishing powder (Face-Time Finishing Powder), and an eye shadow base (Infinity Eye Shadow Base) which helps our eye shadows stay on better and appear brighter! We have two shades currently of Infinity (Milky Way and Black Hole) and will be offering a flesh toned shade soon!”

TCEC: “What's up next for the brand?”

TM: “As I mentioned above, we have a new shade of Infinity Eye Shadow Base in the works. There are currently a few friends who are helping us test it out before we offer it on the website. We have also worked on a few blushes that will mostly likely be out this summer, and we're still working on our foundations line, perfecting the shades until we feel satisfied with what we have to offer.”

Go to the Tick:Tock Cosmetics home page for more information.

Follow Tick:Tock on Twitter.