Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Michigan Radio
The story from Michigan Radio has been posted.
Per the AP Use guidelines on the site it may not be republished or rewritten. For the full story I encourage you to visit the link. It tells a few personal stories, and has information about the Michigan attorney General and FDA. GlitterSniffer Cosmetics side of the story is not represented in this piece, though not through lack of trying on Michigan Radio's part.
I am very pleased with this turn of events. Hopefully this will let more people who may have been affected know about the recall and educate others so they may make a safe, informed decision. Thank you to Michigan Radio for using their resources to inform and educate.
3/2/11 ETA: Audio is now up on the story.
Per the AP Use guidelines on the site it may not be republished or rewritten. For the full story I encourage you to visit the link. It tells a few personal stories, and has information about the Michigan attorney General and FDA. GlitterSniffer Cosmetics side of the story is not represented in this piece, though not through lack of trying on Michigan Radio's part.
I am very pleased with this turn of events. Hopefully this will let more people who may have been affected know about the recall and educate others so they may make a safe, informed decision. Thank you to Michigan Radio for using their resources to inform and educate.
3/2/11 ETA: Audio is now up on the story.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Personally Identifying Information/FTC- Q&A Followup
Here is a brief summary of the Q&A regarding the release of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics customer personally identifying information, including information on who accessed it, why it was compiled, and what exactly was accessed. Screenshots of selected responses, as well as documentation of the entire discussion will be added later today in an edit to this post, but I felt it was necessary to get this information published as soon as possible. Lela's responses in the link will show as deleted as she was removed from the page. There is one interesting response I will include now.
Beckie O. is a semiregular GlitterSniffer Cosmetics employee who began her association with the company by purchasing products last April. She accessed the GS email and compiled customer personally identifying information. She only viewed what was obtainable off purchase receipts, dated from September 15, 2010 onward. She was able to view names, addresses, email addresses, purchase totals, and any "notes to seller". She states she did not save any of the information and had been given access to the email account on at least one prior occasion. The list was compiled to be supplied to the FDA in the event of another recall. Customer information previous to September 15, 2010 was also compiled by an unknown person previously for the same purpose.
During the course of the Q&A Lela Warren joined the discussion. She confirmed that the information was provided to the FDA. The Admins of the page identify themselves only by their initials. Lela repeatedly called one of the Admins by her first name, despite being well versed in the page guidelines regarding personally identifying information. When questioned about this she responded by releasing the Admins full name. She was then asked to leave. She stated she was complying, but then continued to remain active in the discussion.
Though there was not very much of a consensus reached it did appear that Lela did agree with one commenter:
Beckie O. is a semiregular GlitterSniffer Cosmetics employee who began her association with the company by purchasing products last April. She accessed the GS email and compiled customer personally identifying information. She only viewed what was obtainable off purchase receipts, dated from September 15, 2010 onward. She was able to view names, addresses, email addresses, purchase totals, and any "notes to seller". She states she did not save any of the information and had been given access to the email account on at least one prior occasion. The list was compiled to be supplied to the FDA in the event of another recall. Customer information previous to September 15, 2010 was also compiled by an unknown person previously for the same purpose.
During the course of the Q&A Lela Warren joined the discussion. She confirmed that the information was provided to the FDA. The Admins of the page identify themselves only by their initials. Lela repeatedly called one of the Admins by her first name, despite being well versed in the page guidelines regarding personally identifying information. When questioned about this she responded by releasing the Admins full name. She was then asked to leave. She stated she was complying, but then continued to remain active in the discussion.
Though there was not very much of a consensus reached it did appear that Lela did agree with one commenter:
GlitterSniffer Cosmetics Current Work Area
I apologize for the lack of a post about the PII Q&A. It will be posted shortly.
There has been much that has happened in the last 24 hours. We now know who accessed customers PII and for what purpose. After Lela released the full name of an Admin on the page during the PII Discussion the decision was made that her participation was no longer welcome on the page. You may review the reasoning for that decision here. Supporting documentation for that decision will be posted soon. When Lela was removed from the page her posts were also removed, a Facebook technicality. There are, however, screenshots.
Lela announced a Q&A on her personal Facebook page and proceeded to answer questions. The screenshots number in the forties. It is a lot of information to get through and once PII has been removed they will be posted. Thank you to everyone who documented the Q&A and for sharing.
In the interim while I work to collate all the information I present to you some photos that Lela states are of the GlitterSniffer Cosmetcs work and storage areas.
There has been much that has happened in the last 24 hours. We now know who accessed customers PII and for what purpose. After Lela released the full name of an Admin on the page during the PII Discussion the decision was made that her participation was no longer welcome on the page. You may review the reasoning for that decision here. Supporting documentation for that decision will be posted soon. When Lela was removed from the page her posts were also removed, a Facebook technicality. There are, however, screenshots.
Lela announced a Q&A on her personal Facebook page and proceeded to answer questions. The screenshots number in the forties. It is a lot of information to get through and once PII has been removed they will be posted. Thank you to everyone who documented the Q&A and for sharing.
In the interim while I work to collate all the information I present to you some photos that Lela states are of the GlitterSniffer Cosmetcs work and storage areas.
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| Close Up of Packing Area |
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| Temporary Bath Item Storage Area |
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| Up close of underneath a bucket filled with ready to go pigments |
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| Close up of Mixing Table |
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| Close up of Storage Shelf |
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| Packing Table |
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| Pigment Mixing Area |
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| Storage Area |
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Personally Identifying Information/FTC- Q&A
Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 6 PM CST the GlitterSniffer Complaints Facebook page will host a Q&A with the fan who has come forward and stated she was the person who accessed GlitterSniffer Cosmetics business email, copied almost 2,000 customers personally identifying information, placed it in a document, and sent it to the company.
She will be taking questions about the situation and would like this chance to publicly identify herself so as to address any doubts about who accessed the information and what she did with it while it was in her possession. She is not an employee of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics, so she will not be able to answer many questions regarding the business.
The Q&A will be held here.
She will be taking questions about the situation and would like this chance to publicly identify herself so as to address any doubts about who accessed the information and what she did with it while it was in her possession. She is not an employee of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics, so she will not be able to answer many questions regarding the business.
The Q&A will be held here.
Update and Acknowledgements
I apologize that there have been no new posts. I will get back to regularly posting soon .
A few random odds and ends:
I am going to spend the evening updating tags for all posts. I generally put an ETA with the date when I edit. Please consider this my catch all ETA for all posts tagged GlitterSniffer. They will be updated to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. Nothing else will be changed.
The blog has a new look. I am very happy with it. I had absolutely nothing to do with it, except to copy and paste the code into the HTML editor. The lovely and talented Eplefe designed it, and did an excellent job of walking me through the copy and paste when I couldn't seem to figure it out. Here is her experience with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics and an examination of the phenomena of 'glittermobbing'. She has my neverending thanks.
The Facebook page has almost 400 members. On the one hand I am very pleased that the word is getting out so that more people can make an informed decision; on the other the implications of that number are overwhelming. I am not involved in the day to day operations of the page, though I am still a member and post regularly. There has been an influx of people as of late and the Admins have kept it running smoothly. I'm not quite sure what I would have done without them. They took on a huge task in admining the page, and they did it when asked by someone who refused to tell them her name. That's pretty incredible. This story would not have reached as many people as it has were it not for them. Thank you, ALC, B, D, and A (and the two behind the scenes) for taking on a thankless job and doing it beautifully.
Also a huge thank you to all the folks, both named and anonymous, who have shared their stories, knowledge, and support. Though I am the only one putting pen to paper (metaphorically at least) on this blog there are many things I might have overlooked were it not for your help. I still have more information to present and more stories to tell and that is a direct result of all of you. Thank you.
A few random odds and ends:
Thank you to everyone who contacted Christie Brooks. The matter of the Fundraiser Donation is still being worked out with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. It is hoped that there will be a mutually beneficial resolution soon.
The Michigan Radio piece should air this week. I'm unsure what it will contain, but anything that brings attention to this issue is very much appreciated.
Carolyn has resumed communication with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics proprietor Lela Warren. While she does not publicly support the company, neither does she denounce it. She is neutral, and is working to repair her personal relationship at this time. I appreciate all she shared and wish her well going forward.
The Michigan Radio piece should air this week. I'm unsure what it will contain, but anything that brings attention to this issue is very much appreciated.
Carolyn has resumed communication with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics proprietor Lela Warren. While she does not publicly support the company, neither does she denounce it. She is neutral, and is working to repair her personal relationship at this time. I appreciate all she shared and wish her well going forward.
I am going to spend the evening updating tags for all posts. I generally put an ETA with the date when I edit. Please consider this my catch all ETA for all posts tagged GlitterSniffer. They will be updated to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. Nothing else will be changed.
The blog has a new look. I am very happy with it. I had absolutely nothing to do with it, except to copy and paste the code into the HTML editor. The lovely and talented Eplefe designed it, and did an excellent job of walking me through the copy and paste when I couldn't seem to figure it out. Here is her experience with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics and an examination of the phenomena of 'glittermobbing'. She has my neverending thanks.
The Facebook page has almost 400 members. On the one hand I am very pleased that the word is getting out so that more people can make an informed decision; on the other the implications of that number are overwhelming. I am not involved in the day to day operations of the page, though I am still a member and post regularly. There has been an influx of people as of late and the Admins have kept it running smoothly. I'm not quite sure what I would have done without them. They took on a huge task in admining the page, and they did it when asked by someone who refused to tell them her name. That's pretty incredible. This story would not have reached as many people as it has were it not for them. Thank you, ALC, B, D, and A (and the two behind the scenes) for taking on a thankless job and doing it beautifully.
Also a huge thank you to all the folks, both named and anonymous, who have shared their stories, knowledge, and support. Though I am the only one putting pen to paper (metaphorically at least) on this blog there are many things I might have overlooked were it not for your help. I still have more information to present and more stories to tell and that is a direct result of all of you. Thank you.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Others Experiences-Further Information
This post will shed further light on the post containing the pictures of the swollen eye. It gives details, and will hopefully address some questions about what, exactly, happened. The emailer wishes to remain anonymous.
I would again like to thank anonymous for sharing.
I am a hairdresser and make up artist by career. I spent several years working for MAC Cosmetics before I decided to go to cosmetology school. Because of that, the only pigments/other products I have ever used are MAC. In the last 14 years, I have used MAC exclusively both personally, on my clients, and at various trade shows around the country. Clients often bring me gifts, and that is how I discovered GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. One of my clients came in one day for an up-do and brought in her "Glittermail" that she had picked up on the way to her appointment. She asked me if I could do her make up as well, and I agreed.As I did her make up, I was commenting that the colors were beautiful. I asked her several questions, and she finally just handed me an UNOPENED jar of pigment and said, "Try it for yourself; I'm sure you'll love it." I accepted a jar of Medium Rare and House of Horrors. Again, these jars were unopened and unused. She said that she had the same colors at home, and that these were just repeats.
That night after my shower, I decided to play in the make up and test it out. If it wore well, I had planned to use it at an upcoming show that I was doing. The first color I tried was House of Horrors. Immediately, my eye started to burn and water. Before this, I had never had any type of reaction to make up, and I've been wearing it for a long time. Anyway, I decided to wash my hands and try my other eye, thinking that maybe it was my contact or something. I applied my primer, and again put on the pigment. Again, my eye began to water and burn. I removed the make up, and put it away. I contacted my client about it, and she said that she hadn't had a reaction.
I went to bed that night, and when I woke up... My eye was swollen shut (see photos). I took photos and went to my physician. It was determined that the ingredients in the House of Horrors "pigment" had damaged the soft tissue around my eye and caused a reaction. They asked me for specifics about the ingredients of the product, and it occurred to me that there weren't ingredients listed. I was immediately advised against using the product, and referred to the CDC/FDA to report the cosmetics.
This injury wound up costing me several thousand dollars in medical bills after testing, appointments, ointments, drops, and other specialists. In addition, I had to miss a huge national event that I was scheduled to attend because my eye was literally swollen shut, and I was unable to represent myself in a professional way. Lucky for me, my reputation was not damaged, and the injury helped me spread the word to other professionals in my field about the danger of this company.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Corporate Email
I returned to work today after a short period off. I was reviewing my email when I came across a correspondance from GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. The email was sent to my corporate email address on Sunday.
As has been my policy I will not post the entire email, but in sum Lela Warren asked at what point I was going to take down the page. She also asked my opinion on whether she should send "her girls" to post to the page as people were posting to the GS page.
I will not respond via email to these questions as I have no wish to be contacted via that method. The company has 2 emails with which to contact me at and could have easily done so. My corporate email was never released to them and they did not have permission to contact me via that channel. Though I am now making it clear that the company may not contact me in that way, I have also taken the additional steps of blocking the email address and contacting corporate security.
As I never released my corporate email to the company to use it is possible that my personally identifying information was used to obtain it. That information was never intended to be used in that manner.
I will be contacting the FTC tomorrow. I have also been in contact with an attorney who will be advising as to my rights in pursuing this matter through all available channels.
As has been my policy I will not post the entire email, but in sum Lela Warren asked at what point I was going to take down the page. She also asked my opinion on whether she should send "her girls" to post to the page as people were posting to the GS page.
I will not respond via email to these questions as I have no wish to be contacted via that method. The company has 2 emails with which to contact me at and could have easily done so. My corporate email was never released to them and they did not have permission to contact me via that channel. Though I am now making it clear that the company may not contact me in that way, I have also taken the additional steps of blocking the email address and contacting corporate security.
As I never released my corporate email to the company to use it is possible that my personally identifying information was used to obtain it. That information was never intended to be used in that manner.
I will be contacting the FTC tomorrow. I have also been in contact with an attorney who will be advising as to my rights in pursuing this matter through all available channels.
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