Promises, Promises

Posted October 23, 2010:

Posted exactly 2 months later, December 23, 2010:

 

 

Emphasis is not mine.

 Let's take this point by point.

I promise to treat you how I would like to be treated.

Currently GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is refusing to refund anyone for a period of at least 6 months. It can be surmised from this promise that GlitterSniffer Cosmetics new policy is to send out product to all of their customers but not expect payment for 6 months. After all, they want to treat everyone the way they would like to be treated. But we also know that they are currently billing their customers upfront, expecting payment before remitting product. If we go by this promise, treating people as they want to be treated, then GlitterSniffer Cosmetics will immediately refund everyone that is owed money via company check or bank issued money order sent via certified mail or start delaying billing for all current customers for 6 months. As waiting 6 months to receive payment makes absolutely no business sense, it also makes absolutely no logical sense that GS would refuse anyone a timely refund that they rightfully deserve

I will answer all emails within 24 hours.  

From GlitterSniffer Cosmetics Recall FAQ

Here is the reality of the situation:

And this is not the only complaint of emails not being answered, just the most recent.

I promise you the highest quality cosmetics money can buy.

See here (where you can also see one of Vanessa Barfields Tattoo Bags that she was never paid for), here, here, and here. This latest review, while better, still shows evidence of improper packaging and a less than hoped for texture to some of the products.

I promise quality control that all color will remain consistent.

For GlitterSniffer Cosmetics definition of slight variations see here.

I promise to grow at my own speed and keep my priorities straight.

This is where GS priorities lie.

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is not issuing refunds, but is instead giving away free samples.

From this point forward, we will only be selling through our official GlitterSniffer Cosmetics website.
Here is GS Artfire and their (possibly unused but still active) Big Cartel.

We are discarding all of our old stock...
The old stock was not discarded, but was instead sold off in a lot (see here). And here are purported photos of the actual pigments received by the buyer, posted to the Glittersniffer Complaints Facebook.

All ingredients that could be found in our products will be listed on the GS website.
And further, agreeing to provide specific ingredients:

Here is a current listing for the Harajuku Collection on Artfire.No specific ingredients, just a vague "may contain..."

This ingredients list differs from the one posted on the official site for the full collection, but matches the ingredients for the sample sizes.

Do you know what you are putting on your eyes?

Does GlitterSniffer Cosmetics know what you are putting on your eyes?

We have applied for a business license in the state of Michigan.
No, GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. No you haven't.

Out of the nine promises and commitments made by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics since October 23 none of them have been honored.

2/9/11 ETA: Corrected a link to a blog post showing the tattoo bags and product packaging.

Artfire, Again-Followup

After this posting the Artfire listings were edited to add ingredients. It should be noted, however, that the ingredients listing for Suess Gold, which was originally (and still is) described as 100% cosmetic glitter now has the same exact ingredients listed as the Carnival Collection, and has the "may contain" statement. In addition to the fact that the listing description and the ingredients listed are diametrically opposed to one another, the fullsize pigment must meet FDA requirements for ingredients listing:

The ingredients must be listed in descending order of predominance.

 "May contain" does not appear to meet these guidelines.

Screenshot of Seuss' ingredients:

 Screenshot of Carnival Collection ingredients:

 

 Screenshot of the Unicorn Collection ingredients, now available at GlitterSniffer Cosmetics website:

All are exactly the same.

It was understood that GS committed going forward to write down the exact ingredients in all pigments and posting them so that consumers would be aware of what they were purchasing. One catch all listing of ingredients that might have been used does not meet that commitment.

Artfire, Again

Despite the commitment that GlitterSniffer Cosmetics made in their statement in late December to only sell their products through their official website the company once again is selling on Artfire.

 

Additionally, despite what they state in their official FAQ about the recall on their site there are no specific  ingredients listed for either The Carnival Collection or Seuss Gold.

While Seuss Gold is listed as 100% glitter it is standard to add a base to help with adhesion. As there are no definitive ingredients listed there is no way of knowing what, exactly, is in the pigment.

It should also be noted that Artfie does provide a place to list ingredients, in a section titled "Materials Used", shown here in an unrelated listing (posted for demonstration purposes only).

This shows that the commitments to change that GlitterSniffer Cosmetics pledged to turn the company around are only selectively being met, if at all.

The Big Cartel site posted about earlier for GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is also still up and stocked with recalled pigments.

Big Cartel/Old Stock/Refund

As I was researching today I ran across some information that reminded me of some of the commitments made by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics.

In her statement admitting to using unsafe dyes and selling non vegan products GS proprietor Lela Warren made the following commitment:

To ensure that they meet the standards they have set forth for themselves GS stated that they were only going to be selling through their official website.

GlitterSniffer has a BigCartel site.

The site contains a listing for a Back to Basics Collection which includes the recalled pigment Flight Club.

Perhaps this is an oversight on GS part, as we know that the company further committed to discard all unsold product as evidenced here:

Except this is what actually happened:

It does not need to be said that selling the old stock off in a lot is far different than discarding it.

In regards to the recall refund policy the company stance, in part, taken from the official website includes the following information (emphasis mine)

We are refunding at the price of $6.50 per 5g pot, $4.00 per 3g pot, and $1 per clamshell with proof of purchase. The proof of purchase we are requiring is that the recalled pigments are sent back to GS Cosmetics with Delivery Confirmation.

And this, taken from an email reply today:

According to the official company stance in order to receive a refund you must return your pigments and any pigment not on the recall list is ineligible.

I received a refund today without meeting any of these guidelines.

These instances clearly illustrate that the commitments that GS has made to its customers are not set in stone. GS has in the recent past shown through their actions that as a company they can choose to make a business decision not in line with their official policy. I am hopeful that my refund is a benchmark that GS has set for itself, and that they will disregard their current recall guidelines and refund any consumer that feels unsafe using their products. Their choice as a company to refund me outside of the guidelines shows they could easily accomplish this. They were both willing and able to in my case, so there is nothing aside from policy, which they have a demonstrable history of disregarding, that is stopping them from doing so for others.

Statement

As of today the statement that was posted regarding GlitterSniffers commitment to change and the apology for the issues has been removed from their fan page. I present it here, in full (emphasis is not mine) as I sent that statement link along with several of my complaints and I wish for that information to once again be easily accessible to those following up on any complaints I filed.

Statement

Below is the statement released by Lela Warren on the GlitterSniffer Facebook Fan Page. The statement was previously published and then subsequently removed from the Facebook page, so I am recopying it here in the event it is removed again.

Glittersniffer Cosmetics!

GS Customers Past and Present,
I am coming forth to you with a heavy heart and an explanation you have all been looking for. Let me start at the beginning. My career making pigments began as a hobby in 2006 when my makeup addiction began to affect my pocket book. I wanted more than anything to develop a product that was affordable and could be used interchangeably to form the various cosmetics I spent all of my money on. I was working at a hotel chain and every paycheck went toward my makeup addiction; this is when Glittersniffer Cosmetics was born.
I started a shop on Etsy to sell the pigments I mastered, and I did so strictly as a hobby. I had no business experience, and I was lacking in knowledge when it came to cosmetic guidelines. I did some research and learned that many pinks and bright colors were made with ingredients that were either not FDA approved, or that were cosmetically approved but not eye approved. I made many pink colors with the idea in mind that these pigments could be turned into other cosmetic items such as blush, lipstick, or nail polish. I researched other cosmetic companies and learned that they used neon colors even though they were not FDA approved for use around the eyes, and I took a chance and made some for myself. The neon colors contain soap dyes, which is why they are not eye approved. I began posting pictures of these neon looks and people were insisting that they be given the opportunity to try them. I in fact did warn my customers about the 80’s collection and why it was not eye approved, but every time I took it out of my stock I received multiple e-mails demanding its return. I then made a poor decision and made other colors out of soap dyes, and not all of these colors were advertised as they should have been.
I began to realize that Glittersniffer Cosmetics was too big for the site that we were selling off of, and the fee’s surrounding my sales were really hindering my profit, so I hired a Vice President, ditched my old sales route, and opened a big new website. I was not ready for any of that. I failed to realize during this expansion, that the standard my loyal customers had previously held me to was increasing, and that I needed to re-evaluate my business practices. I believed that I could continue treating a business that had over five thousand customers, as a hobby to make extra money. GS was growing, but I was not. My mind continued to stay focused on my personal issues, and I let my business fall behind. I put e-mails off, I allowed orders to pile up, and then I found myself in a situation I saw no way out of. Most small businesses start out with some sort of small business loan, grant, or other monetary infusion, but because I had never considered a need for such a thing for something I considered to be a hobby; I didn’t have the funds to pay a staff to assist me with the ordering, packaging, and shipping process. Here is where my down hill slide began.
I have long advertised my company as an all vegan company, and I became so caught up in offering every customer something that they would love for a fair price, that I began losing sight of why I implemented my company values in the first place. It started with making reds that included carmine. I tried to always include a note letting the buyer know that the pigment was non-vegan, but when a consumer is buying from an all vegan company, they shouldn’t have to look for notes indicating otherwise. I then noticed a fan commenting that they wanted really nice brushes for a relatively reasonable price, and I found some badger fur brushes and placed them for sale. Selling those brushes was one of the worst moves I could have made as a company, and I put the feelings of my loyal, vegan customers aside to make money. For that, I will forever be sorry.
I have heard the voices of my customers, past and present, and I would like to come to you and tell you what I am changing to bring this company back to what it was meant to be. From this point forward, we will only be selling merchandise through our official Glittersniffer Cosmetics website. Selling from multiple places became too confusing. GS Cosmetics will be pre-making a set number of collections and products, and we will only be selling until we run out of them. At the point in which the stock is depleted, we will not be offering it ever again. There will be no re-making of collections or trying to duplicate collection colors. We are discarding all of our old stock and re-doing each and every pigment to be 100% vegan, FDA, and eye approved with recipes for the colors that we will always keep in stock. Never again will we sell a pigment or a collection that does not fit the above categories. Any staff member of GS Cosmetics who will be touching any merchandise will wear gloves. All ingredients that could be found in any of our products will be listed on the GS website. We have hired a new, more efficient staff, including a new vice president who will assist in all business related decisions, an accountant, a bookkeeper, and we have applied for a business license in the state of Michigan.
I want to personally, and publically apologize to my customers both new and old for my actions over the last six months. I have spent many sleepless nights thinking about what has happened and realizing that there are some things I won’t be able to fix. I have not only lost customers and nearly lost my company, but I have lost friendships with the women who helped create my company, and that is what hurts the most. With every beat of my heart…I am so sorry I have let you down.

XOXO
Lela Warren
President of Glittersniffer Cosmetics
313 303 4780

on Thursday