Sunday, February 13, 2011
More Comparable Colors
I posted the other day in regards to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics previous practice of repackaging. Again, I am not going to debate the ethics of this practice nor am I stating unequivocally that it is still taking place, but I would like to present additional comparisons to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics recent, current, and soon to be offered products. This post is for informational and comparative purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement of any company linked herein.
In terms of repackaging the company has stated that it was a practice in the past but that it now blends its own pigments. Information showing what appears to be past repackaging is as follows:
Here is an Etsy listing showing what appears to be sample bags of mica. The empty mixing bags are how GS states they mix their colors. If you compare the purple bag in the listing to the sample bag of Grape POP! in the repackaging post they seem to be the same. The listing also appears to show some of the neon pinks which have now been recalled as unsafe for eye use (when in fact they are not approved for cosmetic use at all). Though at the time of this sale these colors were not recalled, GlitterSniffer Cosmetics has always maintained they disclosed in all listings that the neons were for general cosmetic use only. This is disclosed nowhere in the listing and it is being sold specifically as 'cosmetic eye shadow'.
GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is currently selling their products as "100% pure pigment". As pointed out in the previous post their own ingredients list gives pause to that assertion, as it lists Magnesium Stearate among ingredients it "may contain". MS is a base additive and not a pigment, making these claims not entirely correct.
All that being said here is a list of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics products and their comparable micas or recipes (which are publicly available for anyone to use).
Delirious is comparable to Colorana Blue.
Saturday Night is comparable to 24 Karat Gold.
Seuss White is comparable to Silver Micro Fine Glitter and Fairy Dust 004.
Seuss Gold is comparable to Gold Micro Fine Glitter.
Rock Candy is comparable to Manganese Violet (Left most pigment in the picture).
Hangover is comparable to Dark Brown Oxide.
Rings of Saturn is comparable to Orange Oxide.
Tsunami is comparable to Blue Ice.
Jabberwocky is comparable to Antique Silver.
Illegal Presence is comparable to Brown #3.
Red Rum is comparable to Rouge Flambe Red.
Tear Drops is comparable to Colorana DARK Blue (with Holla Glow Glitter).
Zombie Girl is comparable to Lotsa Lime.
Harajuku Collection Coral is comparable to True Coral.
The Unicorn Collection Blue, White, and Black are comparable to Soft Blue, Pearl White, and Soft Black.
The retired Christmas Lights Collection and the as yet unreleased Video Game Collection are comparable to most of the Trues Collection (all, except for Red/Orange, which is not eye approved).
This list is not comprehensive as I only researched the first page on Artfire and select colors and collections. Again, these are only comparable micas and recipes, and the only verified mica that was definitively used, as per an email with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics on January 10, 2011, is the coral in the Harajuku Collection.
Though the list is comparative and informational only it would appear to be quite easy to substitute other micas for what the company is selling, is planning on selling, and has sold in the past at a fraction of the cost.
2/13/11, ETA: Fixed the link for 24 Karat Gold.
2/14/11 ETA:
A member of the GS Complaints Facebook Page who also is a formulator states that Tear Drops may be closer in color to True Blue with Holla Glow Glitter. She also states that Seuss Gold may also contain Gold Sparks, in addition to the Gold Micro Fine Glitter.
In terms of repackaging the company has stated that it was a practice in the past but that it now blends its own pigments. Information showing what appears to be past repackaging is as follows:
 | |
| This photo shows sample mica bags in the top right, next to filled pots that appear to be the same color as the samples. |
GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is currently selling their products as "100% pure pigment". As pointed out in the previous post their own ingredients list gives pause to that assertion, as it lists Magnesium Stearate among ingredients it "may contain". MS is a base additive and not a pigment, making these claims not entirely correct.
All that being said here is a list of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics products and their comparable micas or recipes (which are publicly available for anyone to use).
Delirious is comparable to Colorana Blue.
Saturday Night is comparable to 24 Karat Gold.
Seuss White is comparable to Silver Micro Fine Glitter and Fairy Dust 004.
Seuss Gold is comparable to Gold Micro Fine Glitter.
Rock Candy is comparable to Manganese Violet (Left most pigment in the picture).
Hangover is comparable to Dark Brown Oxide.
Rings of Saturn is comparable to Orange Oxide.
Tsunami is comparable to Blue Ice.
Jabberwocky is comparable to Antique Silver.
Illegal Presence is comparable to Brown #3.
Red Rum is comparable to Rouge Flambe Red.
Tear Drops is comparable to Colorana DARK Blue (with Holla Glow Glitter).
Zombie Girl is comparable to Lotsa Lime.
Harajuku Collection Coral is comparable to True Coral.
The Unicorn Collection Blue, White, and Black are comparable to Soft Blue, Pearl White, and Soft Black.
The retired Christmas Lights Collection and the as yet unreleased Video Game Collection are comparable to most of the Trues Collection (all, except for Red/Orange, which is not eye approved).
This list is not comprehensive as I only researched the first page on Artfire and select colors and collections. Again, these are only comparable micas and recipes, and the only verified mica that was definitively used, as per an email with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics on January 10, 2011, is the coral in the Harajuku Collection.
Though the list is comparative and informational only it would appear to be quite easy to substitute other micas for what the company is selling, is planning on selling, and has sold in the past at a fraction of the cost.
2/13/11, ETA: Fixed the link for 24 Karat Gold.
2/14/11 ETA:
A member of the GS Complaints Facebook Page who also is a formulator states that Tear Drops may be closer in color to True Blue with Holla Glow Glitter. She also states that Seuss Gold may also contain Gold Sparks, in addition to the Gold Micro Fine Glitter.
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First off, it needs to be said that believe me, I hate what Lela stands for and that she has harmed and stolen from SO many people.. I do not support any decision she has made and I am very much on the anti-GS side of things.
ReplyDeleteThat beings said, now on to my original reason for commenting. My only real concern is the comment under the photo and the reason for the photo in this post.
She mixes in bags before potting and you even supply a link to her saying that she does, so I honestly figure that the full 'sample' bags are not from TKB but are probably her 'mixed' colours that was used to fill those pots in the picture.
I do firmly believe that she repackages A LOT of her colours or does *minor* changes and calls them her own (I have proof of some direct repackages because the TKB samples I have were the EXACT same as what was in my 'GS' labelled pot) but I also think that everything should be factual and entirely truthful. In my opinion, as soon as you exaggerate or point out things that can be argued (as the bags in question in the picture) you will/can lose all credibility.
For the sake of all customers (past, present and future) taking the whole GS debacle as a very serious thing and that they SHOULD walk (run?) FAR away from GS.. I just think there should be zero 'evidence' that is possibly misconstrued.
Anyone that takes even a moment to learn how to make eye pigments will learn that you don't just throw your ingredients in a bag and mix it up. You need a grinder, some smaller indie companies will use a coffee grinder specifically for pigments so the base ingredients and their colored mica and whatever else they're adding are well mixed together. Lela's colors are identical to TKB colors, meaning she doesn't take the time to mix her own. She is not original or creative and she's not even a good repacker. I don't even have the desire to make my own pigments and I know that.
ReplyDeleteShe has also proven herself to be an outright liar on several occasions so why believe her on this one? It's quite easy to see the colors in the bags are identical to what's in the pots and the spilled pigment on the table.
Jen- Thank you for your comment. It has always been a concern of mine that nothing I present be misconstrued. That it might be in this case truly bothers me. I have reread the post a few times now that I've reviewed your comment (I always read them about 3 times prior to publishing as well) and while I am not discounting your concern I do feel that it was presented in a way so as to encourage people to make their own determination. Thank you again for your comment. While we may not see eye to eye on this issue I do hope that you feel the other information presented is of some value.
ReplyDeleteThough I think that this "recall" is horrific and that the information here is a great service to the public, I do want to point out that many of the colors TKB carries are colors that can be blended. The colors they sell are, as expected, popular colors that people would want. I know that my gold has 4 different colors in there, but in a picture it might look similar to TKB's 24kt gold, the same cam be said for many other eyeshadows on the market. TKB trends hot colors and offers them accordingly. While I think this blog is a good thing, I hope it does not turn into a witch hunt looking for those that repackage. Even if someone used a TKB color straight from the bag, one would hope that they have a base that helps the mica stay, and a good base is, IMO, harder to create then the colors themselves.
ReplyDeleteKB- Thank you for your comment. I apologize it took me so long to reply. This was actually the last of the repackage posts. It was not meant to be a witch hunt, and I apologize if it seems like one.
ReplyDeleteAs I said I'm not going to debate the ethics of repackaging, but I will wholeheartedly agree with you that a good base makes all the difference. I can tell by comparing my 3 different repacks of Grape POP! with the straight mica I also have. MMU really is a craft, and when done with an attention to detail there is nothing else that rivals it cosmetically.
I pretty much loathe the existence of Lela, but that aside Jen is right. Lela stated numerous times that she mixed her pigments in bags. This of course is not proper, no, which would explain why her pigment is so very poorly mixed. There are quite a few color she did repackage as she admitted this herself, one being the color "Panties" which was a repack of the TKB color "Angel Wings"(which not only was a repack and not stated as such BUT is NON-VEGAN!)I learned this when I purchased a random 30 pack from TKB and already knew it was a repack and examined for myself they are indeed identical, I learned the non-vegan thing because the bag clearly states as the last ingredient that it contains carmine.
ReplyDeleteAside from all of that mess, quite a few colors do indeed look like they could be the same thing in pictures, but upon swatching and up close inspection they are not. I'm sure most these all she did was add bases to make them lighter, glitter to change them, or mixes a couple together. Technically still repacking in the end.
All in all I'm just trying to say that yes she does repack (or did) but this pic isn't necessarily proof of that and neither is inspection of colors compared to pics online. I would hate for something like this to be taken as false and turned on the author of the blog as she is doing amazing work.
crap...i don't mean to be "anonymous" but i have forgotten my blog account sign-in >_< and have to post using my AIM...i'm keadams85, name is Kristen A....not afraid of it to be out there :-)
ReplyDelete