Unintentional Rasta EOTD & some very unfortunate drama
I guess the first thing I should say here is that I received the eyeshadow in shade "Raw Shock" for free. Veronica, being the darling that she is, sent me 3 sample size eyeshadows and one full size (of Sugar, the perfect white I've talked about, yay!) eyeshadow for free. It was such a great surprise for me when I got home from Texas and found a nice little package I didn't even order. :) As you all know, Hi Fi is my favorite company ATM, and has been actually ever since I first tried Veronica's products. I'm trying to DRASTICALLY cut my spending on makeup right now, like $40 per paycheck or less. There's a sale at Hi Fi right now so I know where that money's going, teehee.
This look ended up looking all Rasta-y, I didn't see that at all when I planned it. Unfortunately, pictures never look as good as the real thing. IRL this looked soooo much better- Raid the King looked like it had this kind of glow to it with the way I blended it. I feel like my looks as of late have been pretty sub-par, so I was really happy with how beautifully this turned out. No full face pics cus I looked icky today and my lips are all dry and fucked up.
What I used (all shadows by Hi Fi)
Raw Shock (inner lid)
Allegro (middle lid)
Raid the King (outer lid and blended up)
Sugar (highlight color, blended in)
Queen of Disaster (below waterline)
Covergirl eyeliner in brown black
Urban Decay Lingerie eyelash primer
Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara
The last picture is pretty dead on. LOVE IT
And now here's something not pretty or nice, and it really saddens me that I'm talking about something like this. I recently found a great new blog, but by unfortunate circumstances- by hearing about the drama surrounding her and Miss K of Aromaleigh. If you visit her blog, you will see the post she made about her recent Aromaleigh order. If you read the comments, you can see the things Miss K said to her, the highlights of those including calling her a "lying, selfish person", a "nasty, unappreciative thing"... etc. She also said she didn't want her as a customer anymore. It doesn't matter WHAT Jennifae said (even though what she did say was extremely fucking mild)- what Miss K said to her is not just unprofessional as a business owner, but it's plain fucking mean and nasty. You don't treat people that way, ESPECIALLY if they are a paying customer- ever. You can read the review and see for yourself. I also took screenshots of Miss K's finest moments here, in case she sees the anger she has caused in me and other readers, and takes down her comments. I don't know if she thought she could get away with saying things like that to someone because their blog is new and small, and she didn't think anyone would find out, or what. I don't care. I am truly in utter disbelief she could ever say things like that to someone, especially considering how completely unprovoked it was. I can't tell you where to shop, but I will say I am never ordering from Aromaleigh again.
On that downer note, I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. To cheer you up, here is baby sloth (from Cute Overload, obvs)
The last picture is pretty dead on. LOVE IT
And now here's something not pretty or nice, and it really saddens me that I'm talking about something like this. I recently found a great new blog, but by unfortunate circumstances- by hearing about the drama surrounding her and Miss K of Aromaleigh. If you visit her blog, you will see the post she made about her recent Aromaleigh order. If you read the comments, you can see the things Miss K said to her, the highlights of those including calling her a "lying, selfish person", a "nasty, unappreciative thing"... etc. She also said she didn't want her as a customer anymore. It doesn't matter WHAT Jennifae said (even though what she did say was extremely fucking mild)- what Miss K said to her is not just unprofessional as a business owner, but it's plain fucking mean and nasty. You don't treat people that way, ESPECIALLY if they are a paying customer- ever. You can read the review and see for yourself. I also took screenshots of Miss K's finest moments here, in case she sees the anger she has caused in me and other readers, and takes down her comments. I don't know if she thought she could get away with saying things like that to someone because their blog is new and small, and she didn't think anyone would find out, or what. I don't care. I am truly in utter disbelief she could ever say things like that to someone, especially considering how completely unprovoked it was. I can't tell you where to shop, but I will say I am never ordering from Aromaleigh again.
On that downer note, I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. To cheer you up, here is baby sloth (from Cute Overload, obvs)
I love this look, so cute! It must look stunning in person!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad because of the Aromaleigh thing. I'm glad I never became an AL fangirl, because I, like you, am probably never ordering from them again. I know so many good companies with owners who don't treat their customers like that.
Enough with the drama! I love Cute Overload, lol :D I'm trying to have a great weekend, though I have to go to work today. For 9 hours. D:
This look is AWESOME :D so bright and shimmery and colourful.
ReplyDeleteI was also disgusted by Miss K's comments. I've never been a fan of Aromaleigh purely because their brand image and products never spoke to me, though I thought Miss K seemed pretty cool. Not so much now :)
I'll never order from them EVER, because nobody deserves to be on the receiving end of what she said. And I know I can be a bitch, but what she said was wayyyy outta line.
Keep those Hi Fi looks coming, I'm making my shopping list for the sale, and I love seeing it on other people. Great look as well.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Aromaleigh thing, it's happened before, just google it. While I've been a customer and have had good service as far as getting my items quickly and accurately, I've never needed to contact them other wise. Those were some seriously nasty and uncalled for comments on a public blog that does nothing but shed a bad light on the company. And that woman spent some serious bucks there. Not that it should matter how much she spent, ranting like that only sheds bad light on a company.
No wonder AL has a reputation for some snippy customer service, when Miss K didn't have the composure to take something like that to private emails. The only reason ANYONE throws a bitch fit like that is so people can see it. Not very smart. I think I'll be taking a break from browsing AL products as well. :|
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note, I don't think I'll ever be able to choose which kind of sloth is cuter. Three-toed or two-toed? They both don't do anything but cling and smile.
And somewhat unrelated, but I'm starting up a beauty blog of my own (for lip products)... any protips for a n00b? :3
Looove the look! It's totally cute on you and I really like that particular color placement. ^^
ReplyDeleteAs for the AL drama thing--hoooly smokes, man. I really don't know what to say about that...
I love the look, you have such gorgeous eyes, I'm jealous! haha. I totally subscribed to you months back, &have been lurking since then. I thought I'd commented before, but I don't think I have. :(
ReplyDeleteThe Aromaleigh drama upsets me, I really love her rocks collection and some of the other shadows I've ordered. I was hesitant to contact the company at first, because I've heard (but never seen) that there's been some not-so-nice things said.. they were fast to reply though, and friendly. I'm really wondering how this will all turn out now.
&on a much happier note, that sloth is adorable. haha.
xcasey
I always say rainbow eyes are the best eyes! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for the drama, let's hope everything will be ok!
It's a rainbow when your eyes are open and it's rasta when your eyes are closed. Rad! :D
ReplyDeleteI love this look! Very summer-like!
ReplyDeleteI love love love this look! I recently placed my first order with Hi Fi (just samples) and I'm very impressed. I'm trying to restrain myself from buying make-up too but if there's a sale on then maybe this is the time to grab the full sizes that I want...
ReplyDeleteAbout the Aromaleigh drama...I don't really know what to think. I definitely won't stop buying from them because I love their products and I personally have never had a bad experience with them. I do think it's disgusting that Miss K went into someone's blog like that and called Jen all the things that she did. I don't think a company owner should ever behave that way, no matter what they think about the customer.
On the other hand, I can sort of see her point about the comments about 'bad attitude' being one-sided, as it sounds like she was quite generous with Jen in the past.
But nevertheless I think Miss K could have shown more restraint and not turned it into a public drama-fest.
I like this look on you! You did an excellent job and have now made me decide to purchase MORE Hi-Fi shadows. I pretty much NEED Raid the King. hehehe
ReplyDeleteYou just sold me on Hi-Fi :)
ReplyDeleteRe: the Aromaleigh comments.
ReplyDeleteMiss K wouldn't say something like that unless the emails had been cut/changed from the original.
I've seen it happen over and over again. Someone will edit the email exchange from the original and basically say untrue things.
It makes me sad, to be honest.
Re: the look
ReplyDeleteI love how the look turned out! Sugar seems to work perfectly with the way you blended Raid the King up into the crease.
On one hand, Miss K needs to exercise more caution in how she publicly handles these things. The drama is not helping anyone.
ReplyDeleteOn the other, if that blogger's received $150 worth of FREE rewards points, and then turns around and says the customer service is lacking? Why, because the rewards program changed? Here, let me go check my list of indie makeup companies that actually have a rewards program. :\
P.S. I generally take cut-and-paste email excepts with a grain of salt, because I agree with Phyrra and I have seen people rearrange/edit/make them up.
very nice look you've got, rainbow like.
ReplyDeletePhyrra: I am sorry to disagree with you. I am shocked she would say things like that. Uncool. So, it's always that Miss K was victimized? All those posters are just trying to get sympathy or lying? People were always criticizing Lime Crime for their fans defending LC's unethical ways. I'm seeing this right now with reputable companies. And that, makes me real sad.
If MissK feels good about saying things like "what an unappreciative thing you are" I don't think I am comfortable in making an order from her. there's no way to treat a customer.
Julia: It's fine if you disagree with me. All I was saying that I've seen people cut/paste/rearrange emails to paint themselves as the victim and different companies as Evil.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Shattered that Miss K needs to handle how she interacts with customers, even if they are rearranging emails.
However, I also agree with Shattered that things like that need to be taken with a grain of salt.
And really, I don't think anyone feels good about doing something nice for a person only to have them turn around and say mean things about you.
@Sagu: Thank you! It really did look amazing in person, I wish I could have captured it in pictures. I hope your shift went well! What is your job?
ReplyDelete@SilhouetteScreams: Thanks! You've been doing so many great colorful looks lately, I was like dang I need to do one too. ^^
@Jayne Dough: Thank you! Sadly, my list of stuff to buy from the sale includes everything not on sale as well... womp womp.
@Hendrix: I LOVE SLOTHS! They are so cute. I have never seen a real one though :( Eeeee I'm so excited you are starting a beauty blog! My only real advice would be to try and make your reviews really thorough... I look at my reviews now compared to my old ones, and they are a lot better. I tried to see how other people did their reviews to make mine more in depth.
@Kim: thank you :D
@casey aimee: Aw thanks! I'm really glad you decided to comment :D I always lurk on the blog with 400+ followers because I feel like they're too big to answer my comments... that's why I don't really want a large number like that, I think it would feel impersonal. I like your blog too, I just looked at it and followed :D Ohh sloths. So cute.
@HeavenNRJ: They totally are!
@jellynat: Thanks, glad you like! I'm still obsessed with your fake shiny nail manicure :P
@Serafia: Thanks! I like doing bright looks now that the weather's better and I feel so much happier.
@Simone: I NEVER buy full sizes- I have twice, from Evil Shades, because they are so cheap. But with Hi Fi's more neutral colors, I have actually used up my samples, which I've never done with any company before. So I'm taking advantage of the sale.
@Makeup Zombie: Thank you very much! Raid the King is sososo amazing, I can't believe I waited this long to use it. Hi Fi has so many great colors. I'm really happy her popularity has BOOMED over the last couple months, I think Veronica really deserves it.
ReplyDelete@Tally7: Gooood... go buy! Sale time!
@Phyrra: Thanks! I was kind of nervous blending the color up like that since I've never done it before, but I liked how it turned out.
@Julia: Thank you!
@Everyone: It's not the emails that upset me so much. It was the comments she left on the blog, which were uncalled for. No one else said them or pasted them, it was from Miss K. They weren't part of the e-mails. I know everyone has their viewpoints but tbh I don't feel like the blogger (or anyone) deserved the things that were said to her, and especially not to be essentially called a liar when the evidence is right there... I don't understand what could not be understood. If you go to the blog entry, you will see the things said by Miss K in the comments- NOT from the emails. The way I see it, she was stating her honest opinion, NOT attacking Miss K or the company in any way- just reviewing her experience. And she got verbally slaughtered for it, which is unacceptable.
Heather: I work in a supermarket! The shift wasn't actually that bad, customers were nice and after work I and bf went to his parents. Went to sauna and had fun :)
ReplyDeleteI read your blog pretty regularly but I never comment. First I LOVE the eyes. I like bright colors but I have no idea how to blend them all together like that.
ReplyDeleteAs for Aromaleigh drama I was a pretty loyal fan but I stopped purchasing their stuff cause honestly, its just not worth it anymore. I personally have not had an issue with any orders I will say that up front. However there are a ton of other companies that don't have snarky comments to make about people all the time that I would prefer to purchase from. She is constantly playing the victim and I don't really like that but was always willing to overlook it. With her discontinuing a bunch of her products there is no longer much reason for me to go there, and I can't really ignore the attitude anymore...i'd rather spend my money at fyrinnae anyway :-)
A lot of people recommended AL to me at the same time saying the owner can be quite rude. It didn't stop me from ordering from them since I got the impression there are never problems with orders, just communication (I remember someone advising to be super nice and enthusiastic about AL products in case I need to contact her unless I want to get a snarky response). But I'm not sure I want to order again.
ReplyDeleteEDIT: And I agree with Sarah, she's playing the victim all the time.
I know Jennifae was debating posting about it for a while and seeing how many people were surprised by Miss K's comments I'm glad she did.
Pretty damn gorgeous EOTD! It's like a raaaaainbow...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it's the comments that are upsetting. I don't think that Jennifae was unfair at all. And if you're not going to trust copy and pastes of emails, then remember that Miss K is doing it as well as Jennifae.
The reason I don't trust copy/paste of emails is that I've had problems with it in a professional setting, where a customer edited the email exchange between her and one of my employees and sent it to the BBB. I then went and found the original email exchange and forwarded it directly to the BBB. Needless to say, we won the case, but it really soured me on people doing things like that. That's why I don't trust.
ReplyDeleteHey there, totally just bought Raw Shock :D. Hehe, totally, lol. Thanks for the intro to a great company with a great sale! (Also bought Distortion and got Love Hurts as the freebie). I'm obsessed with greens right now...I'll do a makeuptalk post soon with all the greens compared :).
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the $40 per paycheck thing. SO SAD that that is my goal too!! I mean seriously, I rarely spend that little a month, big gulp. Then again, I tend to subsist on beans and rice.... So it makes it up :D
If you buy more at the sale, post more swatches pretty please! (I'm not enabling, no)
Oh, and yes, I was involved in some AL drama way back. I did post emails. But no rearranging. Just control-A then control-C then control-v. If the emails that Kristen sent me seem haphazard, that isn't my fault...
ReplyDeleteI do believe that people need to post any nastiness that Kristen might send them in emails. Actually, I think it has worked b.c. she apparently is no longer handling customers' emails from what she said on jennifae's blog. Which given the types of responses she gives to customers inquiries, is a good thing.
Oh, I did tack the two emails she sent me one onto another without delineating the end of one and the beginning of the next. I saved the word document with both emails pasted in full, one after another, and deleted the nastiness from my inbox. I tried to go back to figure out where one email ended and the other began, but I just couldn't figure it out. They were sent to me in rapid succession so maybe they were just one long stream of conciousness but sent in two separate emails. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteUgh, can't get my wording right. The first sentence should read "Oh, I did tack together the two emails she sent me one after another without delineating the end of one and the beginning of the next."
ReplyDelete@Heather: THANK YOU so much for saying something about this. I really appreciate your support.
ReplyDelete@Everyone: Just to clarify, I did not say the CS is lacking just because the rewards program changed. That changed a while ago and (while I was disappointed) I still continued to order from AL. It was the last email response I received that turned me off. It made me feel like answering my questions was a complete waste of time. That was all I said. Was that mean or dishonest?
Also, she gave me 150 points (not a $150 value). Don't get me wrong. I appreciated the free points (150 points is what? About 5-10% off discount or something? Not bad at all.) But since my account (with 150-200 points in it) was deleted after I said something about the attitude, I consider those points taken back. Again, not a big deal and not the issue.
P.S. I'm not here to argue. Just trying to clarify a few things. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, and I respect that.
P.P.S. Love the Rasta look! ;)
ReplyDeleteThis look is so pretty!
ReplyDeleteIt's really unprofessional for a seller to comment on a buyer that way no matter what. Sellers should really seriously take any negative comments by buyers said into consideration and try to improve their products.
Heather/Eyeconic, just wanted to say, your last comment was very well put and I agree with it completely.
ReplyDelete@Sagu: sounds nice, I have never been to a sauna!
ReplyDelete@Sarah: I'm glad you decided to comment! :) I actually did almost NO blending for this. When I do such different colors next to each other, I don't both to blend because it would just get muddy.
@RaeRae: thanks ^_^
@Tally7: Glad you like Hi-Fi! I had to google makeuptalk, lol. I don't go on any makeup forums- I made an account for MUA, but I didn't like it. I would really like to join some though, so I think I will try that one out! If you know of any other good ones I'd appreciate it. Haha when I move and live by myself, my groceries will be so cheap too... my diet is mainly toast, oatmeal, rice, pasta, and salad... all really cheap food. I will post swatches of my sale purchases!
@jennifae: You're welcome :) I'm glad you like the eye look! I think you handled everything quite nicely.
@bowsnhearts: thanks!
@Everyone: Thanks for sharing your opinions on the matter, I was interested in your opinions. I respect how everyone thinks.
LOVE this look on you. So cute! Super bright and colourful too!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what to think/say about the AL drama. It is unfortunate. Although, being a business owner as well as a customer, I understand both sides. I can't pick sides but there always seem to be better ways to go about doing/saying something, whether you are a business or a buyer. It seems so unnecessary for things to get this ugly. :-/ It makes me feel bad.
Thanks boo :D I just reread all the drama again, and realized I do understand both sides. But Miss K shot herself in the foot by saying those rude things, when otherwise everything said had been civil and non-personal. Nothing in the emails said by either people seems like a big deal to me at all, it's just how Miss K handled herself by calling the blogger names. I agree that everything could have been handled so much better... I don't ever see a time when it's ok to be rude to a customer, especially one who has spent so much money on your company. If you are a business owner, you should act professional. If Miss K would make an apology to Jennifae, I would have no problem buying from her again, because I do love the products so much. I don't care about all this past drama everyone is trying to drag up- it's in the past, so I can't see both sides of anything, so it's not influencing my opinions on this matter at all.
ReplyDeleteThat is totally understandable that you aren't thinking about past drama at all. And great that you didn't know about it!
ReplyDeleteBut I did find this post b.c. I saw in a blogger's feed, "aromaleigh drama". So I thought it would be hypocritcal just to post about your wonderful review and not mention the reason I first was attracted to this post. However, I am glad I found your blog, even if it is through this unfortunate event!
Very nice look! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for the Aromaleigh drama..blah. I'm like SilhouetteScreams, I've never really been like "OMG MUST ORDER", and her comments really were horrible. Even without the emails, the comments were just horrible. I mean, how would I feel if she called ME those things? Eh. Lame-o.
add me to the list of people who have been treated horribly by Kristin. She spoke very condescendingly to me in a LOOONG ranting response to a simple question i asked on her blog and called me "drama seeking". She obviously reconsidered as she deleted my comments, and hers, half an hour later. She's not the most level headed of people and i wont be ordering again, what i have just isnt that special and i hate the branding/packaging.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just me, but I disliked how up on her high horse she was about being the CEO of the company and how she spent a whole hour with that email and proceeds to just go on and on about this.
ReplyDeleteA succinct "let's discuss this more and not publicly" would have been better, less of a shot in the foot like how Pure Luxe did on the Mineral Makeup Mutiny page, I guess Miss K didn't learn anything about snarky comments on blogs.
For someone in such a tizzy over how much time she spends answering an email, I'm surprised 'Miss K' has so much free time to namecall like that in public. I think I'll be checking out Hi-Fi again today instead of completing that Aromaleigh order I'd planned.
ReplyDeleteJennifae was not mean and I agree that being called a "nasty unappreciative thing" was a VERY low blow.
ReplyDeleteI also don't understand why Kristen called her a lier just because she didn't let everyone know in the post about the 150 points she was given. Of course, Kristen wanted everyone to "understand" she's a nice person since she gave the points. However, there's a professional , dignified way to point it out, without trashing the customer.
Kristen is a very talented woman, who has a lot to learn about dealing with people. Perhaps she'll always believe what she wrote on the MMMutiny site about the customer isn't always right, but until she "treats" the customer as right, her business will never have the success she desires. In fact, it may have reached its peak, if she doesn't change her course of action.
Omg, just got my Hi-Fi order, and love it! I wish I didn't own so many shadows already ;) I am in love with Raw Shock, just as I thought :) It is a satiny smooth, slightly shimmery warmish bright green.
ReplyDeleteThe colors are really well made, apply smoothly and pigmented. They also come with sifters, which I like, so that when I open a container, pigment doesn't fly all over the place. There are various finishes: satin-shimmer, metallic, duotone (some really awesome color called "Prince Charming"). She sent me a HUGE free sample of one of her lip glazes, called Strawberry Fields. I don't see it listed on her site, but that is probably just a glitch (Raw Shock wasn't on the site, so I contacted her and within a day or two, it was back up). It is berry colored with a hint of fuschia and green sparkles.
So all in all, for my buy 2, get one full sized shadow free deal, I was also sent 3 free shadow samples (1/4 teaspoon in a baggie, according to the website) and a huge sample pot of lip gloss. I also received 2 business cards and a Hi-Fi magnet. Nice, eh? The owner seems not only to know how to market herself well, but also backs up her marketing with very high quality pigments.
@Eyeconic: Looking forward to you sale purchases swatches!
ReplyDeleteThank God for beans and rice :)
Re: Good makeup forums:
Makeuptalk is pretty good. There are some really small forums like Meow Cosmetics form or Silk Naturals forum. However, they are too tiny for my tastes to frequent that much. In regards to makeuptalk, I like that it isn't just mineral makeup. However, the feeling of comminity that I felt on the aromaleigh forum just isn't there. However, we all know how that turned out. Maybe I am just put off makeup forums and posting FOTDs now. I mean I post em there on makeuptalk, but just don't know the people responding as well as I thought I knew the aromaleigh people... Still that doesn't stop me from posting FOTDs. I'd start my own blog, but just don't have the time being in graduate school. Plus, starting a blog would encourage me to spend even MORE money!
Hi Heather! I wanted to say how wonderful it was of you to cross post and give support to Jennifae. This is how the owner of AL has been treating people for a very long time and it's nice to see it's finally being taken seriously. Many thanks to Tally here for being a front-runner and taking a lot of cheap shots for the spread of this truth. I completely agree with Pat here. She's from rant4theugly.wordpress.com which is a new and very well run site. I highly recommend it for everyone to check out and if you want, make a post. No threat of being gang bullied there, as per what Tally went through. Keep up the good blogging, Heather!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shadow look! Thank you for enabling me with MORE make-up! Haha.
ReplyDeleteI spent a ton of money on AL and just got reeeally tired of all the drama. Kristin told me she didn't care if she lost me as a customer. So she lost me as a customer. *shrug* Frankly there are lots of other great businesses to spend my monies on. :D
Just found this blog! I've been a customer of Aromaleigh for 6 years now, shedding all of my other makeup and using AL exclusively. I've done wedding makeup with AL for two friends, bragged to all my friends/acquaintances/people on the streets about AL, used the products to do makeovers, convinced others to join the AL bandwagon, etc.
ReplyDeleteAll that is done.
Go to her site. She's discontinuing the foundation line(and a whole slew of other "central" products). Yes, I understand she has some major life changes, but really?!? You're just going to throw away loyal customers and, from what I can tell, a good chunk of your "buy-in" product? Really? And then state baldly that you just don't care?
I've been watching her publicly melt down on the forums and her blog over the past few years. I refuse to give any more of my hard-earned cash to someone so obviously unethical and unstable.
Signed,
Karen