GlitterSniffer Cosmetics Artfire: Back to Basics

I posted last week about GlitterSniffer Bath and its status being changed from Pro to Basic on Artfire.

 

Per Artfire FAQ the billing for Pro accounts is handled via direct debit:

How am I billed for my Pro membership?

Pro members on ArtFire pay a low monthly subscription via credit card. When you sign up for a Pro account or upgrade a Basic account to Pro you’ll begin a monthly subscription that bills on the same day of the month that you signed up. So, if you signed up on the 4th of the month, your account will be debited on the 4th of every month. If your card expires or is declined, we will contact you to assist you in setting up another card or updating your credit card information. You can request to cancel your Pro membership at any time; requests are processed on a members next scheduled billing date.

As of today GlitterSniffer Cosmetics no longer maintains a Pro Artfire account.

There has been no formal closure announcement from GlitterSniffer Cosmetics, and Lela Warren's Facebook profile still lists her as Owner and President of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics.

This despite the current lack of a payment processor, the ongoing FDA investigation, the closure of both the GlitterSniffer Cosmetics Facebook Fan Page and Private Group, the failure to renew the GlitterSnifferCosmetics.com domain, and the Artfire shop being all but abandoned for at least two months.

I think at this point it is safe to say that GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is at the very least on an indefinite hiatus, and quite possibly closed forever. What this means for the customers still awaiting refunds or the ongoing FDA investigation remains to be seen.

I have a few more posts to publish in the next couple of days before moving to a posting schedule of FDA investigation information and random followup only. At that point posts will be sporadic and only should the need arise. The blog and the Facebook page will continue to remain so as to serve as a chronicle of the past business practices of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics and to ensure that people have all available information to make a safe, informed decision.

GlitterSniffer Bath Basics

As we come to what looks to be the end of the GlitterSniffer Cosmetics story there is a portion that has yet to be addressed, that of GlitterSniffer Bath.

GS Bath started off as an apprenticeship with Lela Warren for Brandy Cameron. In an effort to grow Brandy's skill in Bath and Body the free program was offered to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics customers for a varying cash donation for supplies. All labor was to be donated by Lela and Brandy. And just what was Brandy learning from Lela? Given the documented history and the reports of the conditions of formulation at GlitterSniffer Cosmetics it is a valid question.

So what did finally arrive for those in the bath pool?

An experimental product

Relatively intact, save for the dust shaped Bath Bombs. It appears to be well packaged, though the product has issues with irregularity. GS was always very upfront about their Bath Bombs being hand molded, so no surprises there. What about the labeling?

Depending on the actual ingredients in the bath products at the bare minimum the labels affixed to the packaging require:

1. Wording on the package that identifies the product as "Soap"
2. Net weight of product
3. Name and address of business

Again, depending on ingredients, the products sold by GlitterSniffer Bath would either fall under the purview of The Consumer Product Safety Commission ('true' soap) or FDA (soap that is detergent and/or makes cosmetic/health claims). As there has been no disclosure about what, exactly, was in these products by the company it is unclear at this point as to just what labeling is required. However, slapping on a label that says "Soap" does not appear to meet even the minimum requirements.

For illustrative purposes only, here are some Indie bath and body shops and their labels/product handling.

One Hand Washes The Other:

Simply Sweet Skin:

GlitterSniffer Bath began selling via Artfire in short order. Things started off well, with several sales. It was verified through the sale of one of the Unicorn Birthday Scented Soaps that GS Bath was indeed under the reigns of Brandy Cameron, as seen in this Paypal receipt:

From a customer service standpoint the transaction went off without a hitch. The soap arrived in a timely manner, was well packaged, a Delivery Confirmation number (which updated regularly) was sent to the customer, and the package included a receipt and a coupon for 10% off the next order. Here is the soap itself:

It seems that GS Bath may have learned all too well at least one past business practice from GlitterSniffer Cosmetics.

There was absolutely no labeling on this product. Not even a sticker identifying it as soap.

GS Bath then hit a road bump. 

I was unable to verify conclusively if the Google Checkout account being used was a separate one for GS Bath or the GS Cosmetics account. All receipts I saw were remitted to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics via Google Checkout, but they were all for combined purchases from both GS and GS Bath.

As it stands now the GlitterSniffer Bath Artfire is empty, and no one has checked in for a month. There was an interesting development this week for GS Bath. The shop has moved from a paid 'Pro' account to a 'Basic' account. Per Artfire the 'Pro' fees are automatically debited from a credit card on file every month on the same date as the inception of the shops' 'Pro' status. One could surmise from this that either the card was declined or the 'Pro' account was canceled.

Pro

Basic

At this point it appears that just short of 25 sales GS Bath has ceased operations, at least for the time being.

Another interesting thing to note, despite no communication from the company, removal of the Fan Page and private Facebook Group, no checkins on their Artfire for a month, and the ongoing FDA investigation, GlitterSniffer Cosmetics maintains their 'Pro' status.

 

*Note: All pictures and links to products/shops other than GlitterSniffer Bath/GlitterSniffer Cosmetics are used for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation. Thank you.

5/31/11 ETA: Corrected Beauty in the second paragraph to read Body. B&B stands for Bath& Body.

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics: A Quick FDA Update

After the home visits to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics customers began a couple of weeks ago I again  contacted FDA with information regarding the recall. I informed them of the issues regarding the recall in terms of the Enforcement Report, the distribution of the recalled product sent in per the recall FAQ, and pictures showing labeling, possible injury, and the December 2010 photos of Lela's pigment stained hand.

I was contacted by FDA today regarding the GlitterSniffer Cosmetics recall. I responded and am hoping to do a telephone interview this week. There is at least one other person who was contacted and is working on setting up an interview as well.

I am spending the evening putting together a comprehensive list of instances of FDA regulation concerns with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics, in addition to questions I would like answered about the recall. While FDA does not comment on ongoing investigations I am hoping that I can get a few answers to know what has happened thus far.

I have been sent emails from a few people who would like their information passed along to FDA. I plan on including this information as well. If you'd like to supply any information to FDA please feel free to email me.

At some point I do plan on posting about GlitterSniffer Bath, but it appears that will be strictly for purposes of chronicling that it existed, as the shop is now empty and no one has checked in in a month.

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics: The Perfect Storm

One of the overwhelming questions that is asked about the GlitterSniffer Cosmetics debacle is "How did this happen?" It's quite easy as someone standing on the outside looking in to say you would never place another order when you are still waiting delivery of another, or to ask why anyone would ignore clear signs that all was not right in GlitterWorld.

Well, for one thing, not all orders were not delivered. Mine came promptly, efficiently, well packaged, and any communication I had with Lela Warren was polite and friendly. My order was at the end of 2008. A closer look shows that GS didn't really start selling cosmetics to the public at large until late 2008.

Here is the GlitterSniffer Etsy as it appeared in February 2008. No pigments and an open invitation to Lela Warren's MySpace. 

In May 2008 the solid perfumes make their appearance, but again, no pigments.The offer to get to know more about Lela's life is still there.

October 2008, the cosmetics make their appearance. Also of note, GS closes their shop to attend shows. Recognizing they are going to be too busy to do both, they shut down rather than cause any customer service issues.

December 2008 (the time of my order), GlitterSniffer Cosmetics as we now know it is in full swing, with an announcement of a sell out at Detroit Urban Craft Fair 2008.

To be perfectly honest, had I enjoyed the products themselves I would have been a repeat customer of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. It's understandable, given the way the company started out, that people would continue to trust and buy.

There is also this:

And this:

For those that purchased GlitterSniffer Cosmetics regularly there was much more than just makeup involved, and a brand identity being bought into. The brand identity that was GlitterSniffer Cosmetics was Lela Warren, starting back from the time when she sold DIY craft items. She put a human face to the brand.

There were also rewards for being "loyal" and extras when something went wrong.

When you are emotionally invested in a person, not just as a brand, but as a friend, especially when they haven't ever let you down before (or have made it up to you), you're going to believe them when they say things like this happen:

Customers were also increasingly hit with mixed messages. There are countless instances of Lela asking people to "hop on chat" to discuss GS business, and the invitation to 'friend' her personal profile as another means of communication, but then numerous status updates saying she would not discuss GS business on her personal profile (all while continuing advertising and sales from that same personal page). 

One example of many

And what about those that did decide to question or ultimately sever their relationship with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics? Aside from being deleted and possibly banned from the Fan Page, anyone who spoke out risked the loss of not only their glitter, but friendships with both Lela and some of the GlitterSniffer Fans. It was made very clear there was a price to be paid for disloyalty.

 

Take a larger than life personality that started off doing things the correct way (in terms of customer service), who befriended her customers, offered a unique (though unapproved) product that boosted not only self esteem but also a strong sense of community, and couple that with an environment where it was not only frowned upon to speak your mind but resulted in retribution from several sources, one can see how something like the GlitterSniffer Cosmetics debacle happened. It was these combination of factors that all coalesced to leave us where we are now: Not a word from GlitterSniffer Cosmetics, no refunds, a shattered sense of trust, and an FDA investigation. It was a set of extraordinary circumstances that brought both GlitterSniffer Cosmetics and their customers to where they are today and it is extremely important to be aware of these factors to guard against it ever happening again.