Paintwheels: Eye safe?

Recently I discovered a makeup product that I was not familiar with called a "Paintwheel".  Apparently you can buy these (either individually or in bulk) from a private label cosmetics supplier called Lady Burd. However I had to do some research to figure out that these were actually made by Lady Burd because a few indie cosmetics companies sell them as their own product. Now let me make this clear. This isn't a post calling anybody out, and I'm not even going to mention names. I have no real issue with indie companies finding a cool private label product and reselling it at a slight markup...as long as they are honest about it, and honest about the products intended use.

Carnival paintwheel made by Lady Burd

However it's a big problem for me when someone sells something as "eye safe" when in fact, it is not. It's also a problem for me when someone marks something "not safe for use near the eyes" on their website but then tries to sell me on this product by having pictures & youtube tutorials using this product on the eyes! I mean c'mon...that's just shady.

Sprite paintwheel made by Lady Burd

I wanted to find out the absolute truth about paintwheels.

So I just called the manufacturer because that seemed to be the common sense approach. They were happy to speak to me and answer any questions I had. The lady I spoke with was nothing but 100% forthcoming about this particular product and it's uses. When I asked her about the eye safety of the paintwheels she seemed confused and asked "Why would you want to use these on your eyes?" . These were never formulated or intended for eye use. It should be painfully obvious- this is body PAINT. It's not an eyeshadow, it's not made for the eyes, and only ONE paintwheel is safe for use near the eyes (Nightfall). She also said that if you're planning to use this anywhere on the face you need to use an eyeshadow base because it will stain your skin- which is another reason you wouldn't want to use it on the delicate skin of your eyelids. I think this woman thought I was nuts...she just could not figure out why I or anyone else would want to wear this as an eyeshadow. If that doesn't set off a red flag or two for you then I don't know what more I can really say.

Even if independent companies are having Lady Burd cosmetics formulate custom colors for them it doesn't necessarily mean that those shades are eye safe. You have to trust that those companies are telling you the truth about what is in those colors. If they refuse to give you a list of ingredients that should speak for itself.

Nightfall- the only eye safe paintwheel

If you have one of these paintwheels and are unsure if it's safe to use near the eyes- there is a simple way to test this. Grind some of it up into a powder and put it into a cup of water. If it mixes completely with the water it is NOT safe for eye use. An eye safe product will never be water soluble. If it doesn't mix well and you get little floaties-you're good to go. This is a great youtube video that demonstrates how to do this ( I did not make this video. I am posting this for educational purposes only).

Like I said, I'm not calling anyone out. My whole purpose in this post is to educate you about a cosmetic that I see tons of people using in a way that could physically hurt them. I know I'll probably take some flack over this post and that's fine with me. I can't please everyone. And I can't say nice things about every cosmetic. All I can do is give you my personal opinion, explain the reasons I feel that way and hope that you'll take my advice to heart.

If you are ever curious about the safety of a particular ingredient in a cosmetic product please see the FDA's list of color additives permitted for use in cosmetics located here