If you’ve been keeping up with the latest beauty trends, you know that liquid matte lipsticks are some of the biggest products on the market right now. While there are many options to choose from, not all are created equal — some can be too drying, too expensive, or too limited in shade range. Luckily, there’s an indie brand out there with lipsticks that include a creamy formula, wide spectrum of colors, affordable prices, and a socially conscious attitude. Meet Atomic Makeup NYC.

Inspired by a variety of influences — rock ‘n’ roll culture, Sophia Amoruso’s book #Girlboss, and her upbringing as a first generation Mexican American — Navil Rico created Atomic Makeup NYC in 2015 with the inclusive goal of making “Rock ‘n’ Roll Inspired Makeup for ALL.” As a teenager, Navil abided by the DIY ethos that is quintessential in punk rock, a philosophy that ultimately motivated her to create a product that was 100% handmade.

Navil tells Teen Vogue, “I felt like other people create their own zines or they create music or they create all these things, why can't I make my own lipstick? It ties back to that DIY spirit that I've always had in me."

Atomic lipsticks are vegan, cruelty-free, talc-free, and made in the USA. One of Nico’s main goals in creating her lipsticks is to do so at an attainable price, without compromising her values.

“A lot of these value brands are made in China, and they’re tested on animals. They’re not ethically sourced and they're being made in factories, and I don’t want that," she says.

On an ordinary day, the cosmetics line sells thousands of lipsticks, and recently, Atomic sold out its entire inventory during a sale on Labor Day weekend. While this seems like an easy enough feat for a thriving indie brand, Atomic’s ability to achieve this is especially impressive given that her team includes only five people, including Navil herself.

“The fact that we are handmade really gives me and our team the creative outlet that sometimes bigger companies can't have. I think it makes it a little bit more special,” Navil says.

While it’s not easy, Navil and her staff stay true to their mission by mixing, creating, and packaging the cosmetics themselves. According to Navil, her team works side-by-side in their Brooklyn workspace. “On a good day, we can hammer out 3,000 to 5,000 lipsticks, depending on the demand for the week. We have it down to a science,” she says.

It’s typical for sellers on Etsy and other online platforms to sell handmade products at a higher cost due to the time-consuming and laborious nature of creating them, but Navil keeps her prices low in order to be more accessible. She says, “It’s not so much about profit per lipsticks, it’s about how many lipsticks can someone enjoy within their budget?”

Accessibility, along with inclusion, are two important driving forces behind her mission, especially since she and her staff are all people of color. According to Atomic’s Creative Director, Johnny Gonzalez, one way the line aims for inclusivity is by creating colors that complement darker complexions.

“[One] thing we try to focus on is creating colors that are neutrals for our darker, richer, deeper skin-toned customers,” he says. “That’s super important to us, to not just be accessible for light-skinned consumers. When we’re developing colors, that’s one thing that we look out for,” Johnny says.

Creating such shades is essential to the brand, and Navil's personal experience as a woman of color made her hyper-aware of a beauty standard that favors light complexions. Of this standard, she says, “I think that the only way to get rid of it is working harder and bringing knowledge to everyone that it’s not just about what we grew up knowing as beauty."