Aromaleigh is discontinuing all their lip products, so I placed an order for the ones I wanted to try. They weren't discounted, so I decided to finally redeem my rewards points to get 30% off (before the rewards system change again).
I got 8 Color Infusion Botanical Lipsticks: Coquette, Crush, Darling, Gossamer, Nuance, Sassy, Tender, and Vivid.
The only color I really like here is Crush, which is a lovely muted red. Neither too red nor too brown. The rest look okay, but not what I expected.
I also got the Gothic Lolita Nourishing Color Creme for Lips: Lollypop, Melancholia, Pinafore, and Wallflower.
These colors are so pretty. My only complaint here is that the Lollypop I received looks and feels waxy.
I also got the New! Eye and Lip Primer (which was a last minute purchase, so I didn't realize I was getting a tiny jar for $10), Eyeshadow Primer and Base, and "Indelible" Eyeliner Sealant. I can't wait to try these! :)
I chose Girl's Night Out, Late For Work, and Return To Tiffany's as my free eye shadow samples. I also received a free sample of fallingfromgrace, which I love and already got a full size of.
In retrospect (ahem), I probably should not have placed this order. I already have way too many lippies (if there is such a thing). And to be honest, I prefer Silk Naturals' formula better, which is much softer, creamier, and more moisturizing. So, I'm not that sad about the discontinuation of the AL lippies because I've already found something better. However, with the changes in sales/promos, rewards points, and the attitude (not the best customer service in my opinion), I highly doubt I will order from Aromaleigh again.
I ordered several samples of Botanical lippies. Although I really like the scent (orange) and consistency (soft, silky, like a lip balm), I won't buy them because they're too sheer and too similar to each other. And the main reason - I already have too many lippies. Plus Aromaleigh ones are "supposed" to go bad in 6-12 months. :/
ReplyDeleteWhat has happened? What about their attitude? So sorry to hear that.
Yep, to my disappointment, a lot of the colors are too similar to each other. I'll probably just swap the ones I don't like (or give a few to my mom).
ReplyDeleteThe customer service is not bad, but it could be better. I recently got an email response that says, "I am no longer handling ANY emails for Aromaleigh- my assistant and my husband are, as answering emails is not a good use of my time."
"I'm sorry you are not happy with the changes that we are making at Aromaleigh, and with the rewards account, but we have to remain viable and competitive. I'm sure you understand that it's a matter of Aromaleigh or no Aromaleigh, essentially."
I like Aromaleigh's products, but I'd rather order from those who have equally great products (if not better) AND doesn't make me feel like answering my questions and concerns is a complete waste of time, y'know?
WOW- harsh- and REALLY NOT AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT. Is this how you treat people who spend an hour writing you personalized helpful email, and then rewarding your account with $150 in points?
ReplyDeleteWow, Kick me in the gut. So much for me generosity even remotely mattering- you fail to mention ALL of those free points you got- BOTH TIMES. That's pretty low. When I find customers that do this? It really makes me question my generosity. I truly regret ever devoting so much time to your question and being so generous with the points. You don't deserve them at all, and you have not been honest. At all. So sad.
12/29/2009 Hi! :) Some extra points for you... (also there are points pending for order 102291, although we canceled that one... so between this 150 and that 50+, I hope this gives you a little happy boost so you feel a little better about the change of the rewards program. I don't want you to be sad, so I wanted to add some extra points in for you to let you know that I appreciate you as a customer and I want you to be happy! Sincerely, K +150 Manual Adjustment
My email to you when I gave you this adjustment is SO long that your blog won't even accept it. I will PROUDLY post it for anyone to see.
There's one thing I can't tolerate- and that's a lying, selfish person.
You are NOT a nice person- you have totally skewed your experience with my comnpany, you have taken my generosity and goodwill and used it selfishly- and here you write, slamming me and my company.
Please do not order from me ever again. And those points? Liars don't deserve gifts.
You lied. You didn't tell the whole story, you totally ignored $150 worth of points, followed up by $15 in points. What a nasty, unappreciative thing you are!
Good riddance, I don't need nasty, dishonest, selfish, greedy people as customers, nor do I WANT THEM.
I beg you, please shop elsewhere. I cannot stand a liar.
My extensive email and points $150 reward, just to be NICE (in 2 parts, it's so long your blog won't accept it! Oh, what bad service. You are seriously unappreciative...sad.)
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer!
We did streamline the rewards program to what it currently offers now. The program, being brand new- was in it's first incarnation, and the terms and offers for the program may change at any time, without notice (same as coupons, incentives, inventory and product pricing on the website).
I understand your disappointment about the change to the 500 point reward, and I feel badly about it, so I just put a little bonus into your account for you that I hope helps to cheer you up a little!
I also wanted to explain the changes to the program also, so that you would understand that we spent a lot of time deciding on how and why and what in regards to the changes we made.
I have to admit that the reward I originally offered for 500 points was *really* amazing in that it was giving back a huge return, as the sets range in price from $189 for the lowest priced one, and $210 for the highest priced set. I got a hard dose of reality in my meeting with my business consultant/financial advisor, we looked at the reality of the rewards I originally posted, researched the rewards programs of several other companies and realized that I was told that what I was dong was... (ow, this one stung a tad!) "Crazy!- you are giving your customers back almost a 50% return on the reward" I hadn't crunched any numbers or done any math or forecasts in regards to the rewards, so this has all been a learning curve for me. I learned that as a rule, rewards programs are based on a 10% return... which I personally find kind of skimpy, so I worked with that as a basis and went from there to rework the program to be more reflective of how I feel towards my customers, and how I want them to feel valued and joyful about the rewards. I definitely don't want anyone to feel sad, which is why I felt it was important for me to give you some more points in your account... I really hope this helps brighten the situation! I feel awful because between the glitch on the Hi Fi matte pricing and now this, I feel that I've really let you down... and I'm very sorry.
part two next- where I give you the equivalent of $150 in POINTS?
So... you snagged an hour from the CEO, $150 worth of points, a NICE letter plus $15 worth more!
ReplyDeleteWHY am I generous???
part two... Anyway, we took into consideration that many purchases made towards pending points have already received coupon discounts, free ship or product incentives on them, and we had to include the free samples into that equation also. And we hashed and re-hashed, and argued about math and it all got me so frustrated that I just wanted to sink my face into a giant chocolate cake. But in the end, we streamlined and reworked the rewards program so that it is a nice generous program (it is more than the industry standard 10% return, as a lot of the time, rewards programs don't let you count sale merchandise towards your points (like Hot Topic, Bath & Bodyworks, etc)- but I didn't think that was fair. And It's always peeved me that Hot Topic does that!), .., but more realistic and easier for me to administer since I'm the person who handles all the points, reviews, reward redemptions and approving the redemptions and making sure that they are properly added into the orders. I regret that my original concepting for the program was not at all realistic or a very smart business decision. I did write the program when I was on my vacation in Italy, so maybe my dreams of moving there, in addition to all of the fresh air, great wine, fresh fruit and awesome shoes... skewed my perception of reality back at home...
So to break the 3 rewards down...with the 500 pt reward now, for example- the highest value this reward can be is $80 (as the most expensive e/s are $8 each and most people go for those!). So this is a return of 16%. The 250 pt. reward is $20 off an order, so this one is lower, at 8%- but this one is directly deducting cash right off an order- which unlike the gift of free product, has a much different effect on the bottom line, as product values do not directly equate with cash. We felt it was important, however- to have a coupon that a customer would use as straight cash on an order, so this was decided upon for the middle level coupon. Also, you can use that coupon on ANY order... so my thought was that this would be a really helpful coupon for when my customers were feeling "the pinch" or waiting for a paycheck and not able to place an order for any other reason. With the 250 pt coupon, the customer is only responsible for shipping cost. You could order $25 worth of product, apply the redemption, and end up paying just $5 plus ship cost (I find the first class mail with DC to be awesome in pretty much all cases).
And the 100 pt. reward is still the 2 free eyeshadows, which is a 16% return if the eyeshadows are, say- both worth $8.
I am sorry that the change in the program has been a disappointment for you. I hope that this sheds some light on why it was very crucial to make some changes from a business perspective. I always try to be as generous as I can to my customers while still maintaining the basic premise for being in business- as much as I don't like saying it, it's to make a profit.
Go take a peek at your account, I hope it makes you happy! And when you place your next order, write me a note in the comments box- I'll make sure to add a few sparkly extras in their for you because I feel bad.
this email to Jen was SO long that it is taking THREE comments to paste it all in for you!
And she complains about the service? She's the kind of unappreciative negative person who RUINS kind, generous people.
And finally, part thee-- oh, poor Jen and the sub-par service she got.
ReplyDeleteFinding out that customer are back-stabbing liars like this is just really pathetically sad. Jen, I no longer want you as a customer. You're nasty, greedy, dishonest and unappreciative. May karma treat you well.
part 3
OK... so, other contests!
The gem hunt was totally random. Anywhere from 3-5 gems were placed into eyeshadows when we completed our pull sheet each day. On any given day, there could be 200-500 eyeshadows shipping out, so the chances of receiving a gem were slim on any given day. but higher considering that you could win more than once (and honestly, I have no idea how 1-2 ladies were SO lucky that they won twice! I personally never win anything... ever. It's part of the reason I like having so many contests. It helps me overcome years of never winning anything by seeing customers so happy when they win!
The gems were purposefully placed in shadows from different collections, as the typical buying patterns of our customers are to purchase several shadows from the same collection at the same time. This was to take steps towards reducing a customer receiving multiple gems- to make it more fair. I'm sorry that you didn't receive a gem in any of your shadows, but the chances of winning were even lower during the 50% off countdown sales due to the high volume of eyeshadows that were on our table those days. A regular day can be 200-500, but the 50% off days we saw numbers approaching 1,000 certain days, depending on the collection. It was pretty crazy! (I had done the 50% off days several times before, but never with this type of reaction- wow!) As of a few days into the Christmas countdown, all of the gems had been inserted into shadows. I would like to do a contest like this again, as well- it has been fun and if I offer more prizes (for example, if I reduced the number of $100 prizes), I could offer more prizes for a lower dollar amount, or a certain color gem could indicate a free type of product, etc... I'm ALWAYS thinking of new ways to redo contests so that they are even better the next time. And I always like to hear any ideas that my customers might have, too!
I will of course be having more contests in 2010. I love to have contests, and I try my very best to make them fair. The butterfly hunt contests (do you remember those?) that we had in August were a huge hit. Every day, a butterfly was hidden somewhere on the website, and I showed the picture and gave a hint as to where it could be found. The prizes ranged from free lippies to eyeshadows. We gave away hundreds of prizes. Each customer could only win 3 times, and I held the contest at all different times of day, so that different time zones could participate. I will be having another contest like that, as it was so fun and popular.
Right now, this contest is still going on, where you can win a nice book and a free eyeshadow of your choice (it has 2 days left, though-!)
http://blog.aromaleigh.com/blog/2009/12/aromaleigh-happy-tell-me-your-happy-enter-the-contest.html
Again, I'm sorry about the change in the rewards, I hope that we can make it up to you with the bonus added to your account, and even more in 2010! :)
Sincerely,
Kristen
Wow! I did not want to get nasty and bore everyone to death by sharing too much information, but here's the whole story.
ReplyDeleteI made my first purchase from Aromaleigh in October 2009. I've heard positive things about the products so I ignored the negative things about the attitude. (How I wish I hadn't.) Back then, they had a great rewards system where if you spend $500, you earn 500 points and you can choose a complete full size eye shadow set (a $160 value). In December 2009, I noticed that the value of 500 points have been changed, so I emailed Kristen just to ask.
Dear Miss K,
First... let me just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE your products! My beauty blog is filled with Aromaleigh raves since I started using your products just a couple of months ago. :)
Anyway... I just wanted to ask if the points rewards have been changed? I've been aiming for the 500 points reward (a complete eyeshadow set)... spending over $600 in just a couple of months. Yesterday, to my disappointment, I noticed that the 500 points reward have drastically changed from a $160 value (a complete eyeshadow set) to a $80.00 value (10 eyeshadows). Could this be a glitch or is this the new reward for 500 points?
I also wanted to ask if the hidden jewels event is over? If not, what are the chances of winning? Is it the more you order or the more eyeshadows you buy? (For example... 1 in 20 wins? 1 in 100?) I recently bought 118 eyeshadows during the Christmas Countdown... I shook each jar to check if I won anything. Haha! But I have not been lucky yet. So, I just wanted to ask if it's still ongoing and if I should keep crossing my fingers for future orders and shaking new jars to come. Hehe! :)
I appreciate your time and help.
Thank you,
Jennifer
She then sent me an "insanely long and complex email", which I appreciated then even though a simple "yes, we had to change the rewards system" and "the hidden jewels are completely random" would have been enough for me (and easier/quicker to read). She offered me 150 points and extra stuff (samples) on my next order and I thanked her for that.
In March 2010, I wanted to order some lippies since they were being discontinued. I redeemed my points, and to my disappointment, the rewards system changed AGAIN. 750 points (used to be $80-160 value) only gave me 30% off discount (saved me $30+ on my $100+ cart). Quite a drastic difference, but I still appreciated the savings. (It's slightly better than the regular 25% off sales.)
I left her a comment in my order form as she suggested. When I received my order, there were no extras. Not a problem. But I did email her just to ask.
Hi Miss K,
I received my latest order (05541) today. Love the lippies! Sad they are being discontinued, but I completely understand the decision. I know you're very busy right now, but I was wondering if you read my comments on the extra sparklies you were talking about a couple of months ago. Sorry to bother you... and have a nice day.
Thanks,
Jennifer
What Kristen failed to mention/post is the email response I was referring to. The one that made me feel like answering my emails were a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteDear Jennifer,
I'm sorry your comment wasn't seen- between all of the new employee training and high order volume, it's easy for a vague request that others don't understand- to get through. In retrospect, I did spend 2 hours writing you an insanely long, complex email that offered you an inane amount of explanation for every single question and concern that you had. That was an immense investment of my time, and I hope you realize the extremely high level of attention that your concern was given-.
I was going to throw a few extra samples into your order- that's all- not full sized products, or things worth lots of dollars.
In retrospect, I should not have spent 2 hours replying to your email (A CEO just can't do that), and I should not have mentioned anything that would have confused, held up, or delayed a future order. I am no longer handling ANY emails for Aromaleigh- my assistant and my husband are, as answering emails is not a good use of my time and is one of the reasons I have been working 90 hour weeks.
I've added 15 points to your account, the value of this far outweighs the 5 free samples I was going to add to your order had I seen it.
Also, a long time has passed between the email I sent you and now, so that also has bearing on it.
I'm sorry you are not happy with the changes that we are making at Aromaleigh, and with the rewards account, but we have to remain viable and competitive.
I'm sure you understand that it's a matter of Aromaleigh or no Aromaleigh, essentially.
Thank you,
Your account will reflect 15 points, which is much more than then value of the free samples.
Have a nice night!
To be honest, I don't care about the extras or the points. It was the email response that turned me off... then this... attacking me on my own blog and accusing me of being a liar (among many other things) because I said her customer service isn't the best? First off, I will no longer use/buy Aromaleigh products. Not after this. And "in retrospect, I should not have" spent nearly $700 on Aromaleigh. There was no backstabbing involved. My posts are here open to public. I did not lie. Kristen, on the other hand... say what you mean and mean what you say. (Make up your mind about the damn rewards system.)
Oh, and... I still had about 150-200 points (some pending) in my account before Kristen deleted it. So, those points that she was waving in my face? I consider those taken back. (Not that I needed them... points aren't worth much these days)
Nasty to (former) customers? Check! Greedy? Check! Dishonest (reviews are moderated)? Check! Unappreciative? Check! I have heard plenty of stories on how she's treated other customers... so... yes... may karma treat YOU well. :)
Wow! Is that the whole story? I read everything. It is SO sad!
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry, Jen. I feel it's also my fault that everything turned this way. I shouldn't have asked you about that customer service thing. I couldn't even imagine how nasty it could turn! I wonder how Miss K found this post? :/
I haven't heard any bad stories before and I haven't experienced a so called direct customer service, as I've never had anything to ask, or clarify, because I didn't have any problems with products (they were fine), or with shipping (1-2 weeks for the international shipping is just awesome!).
I really hope it was the greatest misunderstanding and misinterpretation (stress, burnout, etc) instead of just being "the king of the world, aka I'm always right" attitude. And still, there is no excuse to act like this especially if you are a representative, the "frontman" of the company. Besides, there is a customer service specialist in Aromaleigh, right? Why not just simply forward the email?
I don't see anything scary and insulting, or being "greedy" in Jen's questions regarding some changes in the award program and the jewels event. I haven't even heard of all these things. Were all those things (changes, how many jewels in total there were) mentioned prior? I quickly browsed the website and came across this: "If you have any questions, please let me know so that I can clarify any aspect of the program. Since so much of it is brand new, as we begin the program, we may need to work out some of the “kinks” along the way. I’m thrilled to have yet another way to let all of you know how much we appreciate your business at Aromaleigh." So, what's the problem?
We, as customers, can also be very busy! And we can't spend hours on finding the information. Does it mean we can't ask for your assistance (and I'm sure you know your website much better)? If it's written on the website somewhere, why not just send a link with all the changes ("search" function doesn't always help!)? Why accusing the customer in the "you're wasting my precious time" manner. It kind of sounds the same if customers would say that they are wasting their time on shopping! How much time do you think one can spend on making a list, than shortlist, and finally press that "send order" button? I ordered only 3 times, every order ranging from 20 to 40 USD only. And believe me I did spend a lot of time! And I'm not accusing anyone! It's just my way of doing things (planning, deciding on "do I really need this thing", as I hate wasting (in my case that is - not using - products). And it's my decision to spend that certain amount of my time and my MONEY! I can only assume how much time did Jen spend on deciding what to buy and actually buying it (browsing, making a cart, checking the order).
And, Jen didn't say Aromaleigh's customer service is bad, she said it could be better, because she though the attitude was not very pleasant! It's her opinion! Can't we have our own opinions and "standards" on what the good customer service is? I wouldn't be very happy if I received a letter from a person, who I admire, saying that "I just wasted my time on your stupid and not important question". I guess it would be the same if I'd say "all these shades look so similar", then being accused of "being blind and stupid", without even realising that I might live in a darker country with energy-saving lamps and cloudy weather. Plus, my collection is so big (for my taste) that I can't justify having several almost identical (under our lighting) shades of lipsticks that might go off (spoil) in 6-12 months. Do you get my point?
Regarding the "extensive email", was Jen the first (and only) person to ever ask these questions about rewards and jewels? And was the program changed so many times, you didn't feel the need to inform your customers? Shouldn't all this info be stated on the website rather than spending so much time to answer to Jen only?
ReplyDeleteHow can Jen be greedy? It's your fault that you overestimated your initial unprofitable plan. Jen, like many other customers (me included), is PRACTICAL, i.e. she plans on where to spend HER money! There are so many products and expenses in the world these days, that you just have to be practical to live a normal life! Ever wondered what we do to earn our money? Not everyone has a dream job!.. The world is not perfect!..
OMG, can you tell I'm shocked?
I've just spend my "not so precious" time on reading and analysing the whole story, plus it also took some time to write my "not so professional" rambling, so please bear with me! :)
In conclusion, I'm not a "conflict person" by any means and I can understand why Miss K could be so angry (?), but I don't tolerate injustice. And I see it this way. Plus, calling names and "wishing" all the worst is not a good thing!
Jen, may I ask for your permission to link to this post? I was thinking to rewrite this whole mess (I mean my comment) and link it to my recent Aromaleigh haul post that I'm planning to post this week? What do you think?
PS If a blogger has only a couple of followers id doesn't mean anything! Every person counts!
HeavenNRJ, thank you! And, yes, please link away. :)
ReplyDeleteWhoa, I just found you from HeavenNRJ and I'm disgusted at Miss K's comments. I'll repeat what I said on HeavenNRJ's blog - you could be the biggest bitch or rudest customer in the world and you still wouldn't deserve a response like that. :|
ReplyDeleteI had no interest in Aromaleigh before and definitely wont be doing business with them anytime soon.
This whole situation is really unfortunate, because I'd honestly never come across a bad CS story from them before (then again I never looked, either) I just didn't feel a need to order from them. Now I refuse to order from them =/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness... I've bought lots from Aromaleigh before and really like her products, but after reading this i very much doubt i'll be buying from her again. Your review didn't seem that bad to me, just saying you weren't 100% happy, it certainly did not deserve her deleting your account and telling you she doesn't need your service. All you said was that the customer service could be better.
ReplyDeletePersonally i think, even if in those emails she sent you she had apologised profusely and she had sent you hundreds of dollars worth of free products and you still weren't happy you would have every right to voice your opinions, and her calling you names is just terrible.
I'm so shocked. I've bought from her a lot and follow her blog and she seems like such a nice person.
Oh Jen! I found this post through HeavenNRJ's blog, and I'm so terrified and sad by all of this. :(
ReplyDeleteI've ordered from AL once and was going to place another order, but now I'm pretty sure I won't do that. I want to support a company that treats its customers in a nice way. What kind of a business owner says, "I don't want you as my customer"? I don't get it...
I'm so sorry for you Jen! But now that I found your blog, I'm off to explore your other posts, they seem interesting. :)
Wow. I'm sorry to hear about (and read) all this mess! It really saddens me as Aromaleigh is my favourite company and I love their products.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've heard negative comments about the customer service in the past (well, about the attitude) and I've seen examples of Miss K being overly harsh in her answers to people who asked simple questions, so I'm not entirely shocked by what I've read here.
I haven't read your blog before, Jen, but my initial impression is that Miss K has overreacted, and some of her comments and her judgements of your character were way over the line. I would be quite upset if someone repeatedly called me greedy, selfish, dishonest, etc. after I voiced a small complaint about something.
I'm not a business-person, and I suppose someone could chew me out for being 'unrealistic' here, but as a customer I think little touches make a lot of difference. In some ways, Aromaleigh delivers on this, such as the free samples, the fact that they have a reward system at all, etc. But if I were to e-mail a company (which I rarely do) with a question I would expect a friendly reply. I don't think this is too much to ask, and yes, I think it's important.
And I'm generally very product-focused (if the product is great then I will ignore a lot of other things which aren't so great) so I'm sure there are people out there who will feel even more strongly about matters of customer service than I do.
I don't intend to stop buying from Aromaleigh as I believe in the quality of their products, I don't think there are any shady business tactics going on and I haven't personally had a bad experience with them, but reading this does sadden me a lot.
Hi, I too just found this through NRJ's blog. This really upsets me, I think the things Miss K said to you are absolutely nasty and horrible. I always thought she seemed like a very nice person, although I did hear some things about her having an attitude problem. I cannot BELIEVE she would post things you like that about YOU on YOUR blog. Completely unprofessional, and just plan mean. I have a ton of Aromaleigh colors, and like Simone, if a product is good I will keep ordering despite other issues. But this disgusts me, and I don't feel comfortable ordering with Aromaleigh anymore. I'm going to link to this on my blog, too.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, glad I found your blog through this! I like it a lot :)
Copy-pasted a comment I left you on my blog:
ReplyDeleteJen, you are welcome! I am happy you got a support from these wonderful girls!
Never heard of Chanty's forum. :/ Have to check it out some day. :) I don't mind, as it's your story.
I read this girl's thread. Links don't work anymore in her posts, so I can't have a full clear picture, but I see there was some serious problem too. SAD! :(
Take care! *hugs*
Wow, Miss K. Way to throw a total bitch fit. If this is how she treats customers -- with actual questions about THEIR MONEY -- I don't think I'll be shopping there again anytime soon either. Good Lord.
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, I found your blog via Heather's and it's lovely! Seems I've been finding all the nicest beauty blogs through drama these days (Lime Crime, etc...).
Hi Sweetie,
ReplyDeleteWell, I wanted to go to sleep after reading about this new Aromaleigh Drama but couldn't. I hope it isn't affecting you as badly as it did me.
Anyway, just know that there are people out there who SUPPORT you. I support you. INSECURE BULLIES will try and make you feel like a piece of poo. Don't let them.
I hope you weren't as involved in the forum as I was. When the drama broke out, I lost all connections with what was in general a wonderful forum, but with some bad eggs/staunch Kristen supporters, no questions asked. I had really grown close to that aromaleigh forum and was mortified when I learned that Kristen had secretly leaked out her hatred of my epinions review on her forum. She sent me nasty emails similar to the ones she posted here. I proceeded to repost those emails of hers onto her forum, and it went so downhill from there.
So the best advice I can give you is to stay away from the forum. You are luckier than I was because you have many blog followers who will support you against this tirade. I had nothing except a few good friends from the aromaleigh forum with whom I remained in contact with a while through facebook.
But my view is we can't stay silent. Every person who is bullied like this deserves a voice. Best of luck to you.
Good lord how awful Kristen is! I can tell you all how she found this blog....from google alerts! That's how she found a post I made on Specktra where I was having issues with allergic reactions to one of her pigments that was pinkish colored. I had written customer service and got a response from Steve. I had already told him I'd been to an eye doctor and it wasnt pink eye but his response was as if he wasnt reading what I'd written....as if it could be other things that were causing my allergic reaction. I wrote back to him telling him again I knew it was the pigment and said there's got to be something different in a green pigment vs a pink one since I Had no issues with any other pigment I owned by them or other companies that were blue, green or purple....just the pink one. Well I got no reply so I sent it again. No reply. Over a month later I sent my reply for a 4th time and I got a reply. Again it was of no help and he was basically just repeating what he said to begin with. I felt I was brushed off as again "it must be pink eye" so I posted on Specktra in a thread about Aromaleigh. A couple weeks later I get an email from Kristen telling me she saw my post on Specktra because of Google alerts she receives whenever Aromaleigh is mentioned anywhere. Her email was nice at that time but never again. I replied back to her telling her that now I also had a reaction to two more of her similarly colored pigments. She replied back it was so long and the tone was "woe is me I've spent so much time with you". I thanked her for her time and was nice to her and answered some questions she had about my reactions. I also told her that I then had reactions to two more of her pigments that were similar in color and an About Face and MAC color that was similar. I didnt hear back for 2 weeks so I resent the email. Still no reply. After over a month I tried again but this time I cahnged the subject title thinking she was ignorning it as "oh there's that girl again" and she replied back so it worked. She said she didnt feel she needed to reply to me and then it got bad from then on. She constantly brought up how much time she'd spent on the emails to me and that she as a CEO shouldnt be doing that. She also told me she'd no longer be replying to customers anymore and she only did it because of the specktra post It was as if we are all putting her out and how dare we do that. Well honestly shouldn't she be keeping the customer happy no matter what almost? I mean of course within reason but there's no reason for her to act all high and mighty and nasty! I can't believe she would be so bold and stupid as to post such horrific things to this blogger! What is she thinking?? She can't be thinking with a straight mind. Unfortunately I can't post all the emails between Kristen and I because they are too long but I can try and post snippets of them. After all that I decided I'd no longer order from her and after reading what she did to this blogger it only affirms it.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I should edit that the emails she sent to me, looking at them again, weren't as nasty as these comments on your blog. The comments she wrote about me after I posted her emails to me on her now deleted forum thread more closely resembled what she said to you on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI believe Jennifae's review of the lippies and sharing her personal experience with Aromaleigh was not harsh, but H.A.R.S.H.
ReplyDeleteHonest
Authentic
Reliable
Straight Forward
Helpful
Everyone may not agree with what a person states in their own blog, but last time I checked, everyone has a right to share their opinion without the threat of being to deduced to less than human. (i.e. "What a nasty unappreciative, thing you are!)
Flaminbird,
ReplyDeleteYou should file a complaint at fda.org! The reason Kristen is reformulating the Rocks line is because of this. She was using ingredients that aren't FDA approved for use in the eye area. From another forum I know she had several complaints filed against her and she totally bashed the people on that forum too, call them all liars. I started doing some research on Kristen and Aromaleigh after she sent a disgusting e-mail to my BFF. The good thing that has come out of the research I've done .....finding two new to me wonderful blogs. Off to read more!
OMG, which eyeshadows? I own a lot of the rocks eyeshadows. Which colors are unsafe?
ReplyDeleteCould you point us to the relevent discussion?
Wahine in Dixie thanks for the info. I had no idea that's why she was reformulating those shadows! Eeks! One of them was from the Rocks collection, Boiling Point but there were two others that bothered me that werent from that collection. What's ironic now to know this is that she told me she'd never had anyone complain of troubles with her pigments...ever! When I didnt get any help from them at first my friend wrote to them and said she was having issues with the same pigment and mentioned other ones she was fine with that I'd never ordered. When Steve replied back to me the 2nd time after over a month of nothing he mentioned the shadows she mentioned saying that I hadnt had issues with them. So he confused me with her but when I told him that in a reply he apologized and said sorry for the mixup and so did Kristen but they never said that she also had a problem with the pigment. They still kept saying I was the only one. She told me to seek a doctors help when I'd already told her that I'd been to an opthamologist and he said it was something I was using causing the reaction. There's so much more she said that was out of this world that I wish I could post but it would take two pages.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which colors are the ones that contained the non-approved ingredients. The thread I mentioned has been removed as of today....surprise,surprise. However, I went to the FDA site and here are the only DC/FD&C colorants aprroved for use in the eye are:
ReplyDeleteD&C Black 2 & 3
FD&C Blue 1
D&C Green 5
FD&C Red 40
FD&C Yellow 5
Then the colorants that are approved for use in the eye area are:
Annatto
Caramel
Carmine
B-Carotine
Iron Oxides
Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide
Ferric Ferrocyanide
Choromium Hydroxide Green
Choromium Oxide Green
Guanine
Micas
Titanium Dioxide
Aluminum Powder
Bronze Powder
Copper Powder
Ultamarines
Manganese Violet
Zinc Oxide
I guess you could e-mail Miss K and ask but I wouldn't want to.
Yeah, I was wondering b.c. I looked at the rocks! ingredients listed on her website, and then crosslisted those with approved colorants, and none seemed bad. These are the official ingredients:
ReplyDelete"Ingredients: mica(CI 77019), titanium dioxide(CI 77891), iron oxides(CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499). May contain polyester-3, D&C yellow 5, D&C blue 1, D&C red 40, calcium sodium borosilicate, ferric ferrocyanide (CI 77510), tin oxide (CI 77861).
"
So, I can't agree to believe that there are unapproved ingredients in there. (unless there is an ingredient not listed that is actually in the eyeshadows, but I seriously, seriously doubt that is the case).
I do have an idea what the trouble might be. It might be a "batch certification" technicality with the FD&C color Blue #1 because on TKB there is this disclaimer:
"Batch Certification Disclaimer: Blue #1 Lake is a color additive approved for cosmetic use generally, including eyes. However, it is also subject to "Batch Certification". This means that when TKB Trading, LLC purchases the product, it arrives to us sealed and labeled with a certified batch number.
When we open the package and repack it for you, it immediately loses its certification. For this reason, if you are in the business of manufacturing cosmetics for resale, you are not permitted by the FDA to use the product you purchase from TKB Trading, LLC as an ingredient in your formulation. You are required by the FDA to use only batch certified colors.
"
But it just sounds like a weird rumor to me.
Tally 7,
ReplyDeleteI really don't know if this was the same thing or not? Anyway, BFF and I just finished coloring eggs and I mentioned this and she couldn't bring the thread up so she called her DH...he's pretty tech savvy. He couldn't either its been deleted, but he did remember that the color in question with the complaints was New Rose and that it was black light reactive so maybe that had something to do with it. I don't know if she'll post about her experience on any review sites, but she read your comment and is thinking about. She really doesn't want to be in a flame fight with anyone over it. She's read some of the comments left by AL fans about the negative reviews and doesn't want to go there. Like she said " I vote with my dollars....and I vote not to give anymore to Kristen!"
I don't like how Kristen reacted. At all. She should have contacted you privately, left a polite comment asking you to contact her privately to discuss it, or gotten her CS department on it. What she did here is completely inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I do want to make it clear that had I written the post you did, I would have been hunkering down waiting for the flamers; to be honest, your post sounded more than opinionated, it sounded snarky. Maybe that's not how you intended it, but that's at least how it read to me.
Wahine, yes, unfortunately that is the price you have to pay for speaking out. I paid dearly.
ReplyDeleteWell, I looked into blacklight reflective pigments, and tkb sells eye safe blacklight reflective pigments. There are also non-eyesafe blacklight reflective pigments out there.
Hi Jennifae
ReplyDeleteCould you please e-mail me at kduncan521@sbcglobal.net I would like to ask you something
Thanks
kathy
Hi, hon, how are ya! I used to be an AL fan, but not anymore. I have second thoughts about her. I've been reading comments after comments and I know that you are not in the wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt comes to a time when a customer has to be blasted off for saying a less than 100% experience? Your review is fair and honest and I agree from the samples I've got from aromaleigh is not as great as my silk natural lip products.
um, to a slightly negative comment up there: please don't say that. Jennifae did not get herself in this situation. Now, I have read many blogs and many of them have a negative experiences with indie companies, but they are not labeled as drama seekers.
It is not okay for Kristen to belittle you for whatever reasons. It's just terrible. I think Kristen should apologize to you for what she said.
Jennifae,
ReplyDeleteGot totally off topic in my posts and forgot to say....glad I found your blog! It's great. I've been enjoying the older posts and think you do fair, just, unbiased reviews. I really don't post often, well I tend to post in spells....but I check them daily and always read new posts.
My jaw dropped when I read what Miss K wrote about how she is 'begging you to shop elsewhere, good riddance'! WTF?
ReplyDeleteSounds really similar to how everyday minerals handled a customer a while back and how they told her they no longer wanted her as a customer. We all know how many customers that caused them to lose... not a good idea to post all this info on a persons blog. I'm betting she might lose a lot of valuable customers over this.
I'm sorry you have to deal with all of this. :(
Hi Jennifae! I love your blog and hope you continue to review products and companies in the manner as charming as you do already. I love the pictures you post, the swatches, along with whatever you have to say.
ReplyDeleteI am here to echo the supportive sentiments of the rest of them. Tally here was only one of MANY innocents placed on the chopping block of the owner in question. Whether the scorn happened publicly, privately, both, and the infamous group bullying that Tally was made to endure (and endured with much grace I might add!), you Jennifae are NOT alone. And there is a growing number of us who have been silent for far too long with e-mails as shocking (if not more so in some cases!) to back up as proof.
For those who want a stronger voice to say the truth without fear of being group bullied and scorned, I would highly recommend this new blog site I just found recently
rant4theugly.wordpress.com
It looks to be one of the rare safe places you may speak your mind and review about ANY MMU company, as long as the comments there do not include name calling and person attacks. You know, the way real grow-ups talk to one another and deal with issues, with respect <3
Thank you Mermista! You are one of the few people who have refered to what happened to me as "group bullying" and now I realize that is what what happened and what made me so upset. I really appreciate your pointing out that what happened to me was horrible. Until now, too few people have been brave enough to say anything. 3 months ago, I had to deal with all that negative talk about me almost alone.
ReplyDeleteTally, my heart goes out to you (and to you, too, Jennifae!). Really, it does. Almost makes me want to cry for how the owner of AL called to arms her troops to gang bully you all over the web wherever you decided to go. THAT my dear was where the trolls and the stalker were. IT WAS NOT YOU! You were just giving an account of your experiance and trying to stand up for the others that you've spoken to privately who were scorned, all on your own. I applaud your efforts and reassure you how they were not in vain. People can only take (and witness) that kind of treatment for so long. And before long, the sensible minded people will start to stand up for people like you and Jennifae because they do NOT believe beratement is acceptable. I want to encourage you to please continue to keep in touch with all those who were there supporting you (albeit) privately during your lonely months. And to ask for you to consider checking out
ReplyDeleterant4theugly.wordpress.com whenever you have a moment. And one more thing, I know of someone who would like to lend you support and speak to you directly (of course besides myself) privately. How would that be possible to contact you? Is the e-mail you had listed on your 'Good-bye' post from the AL forum still a valid e-mail addy?
Jennifae, I want to thank you for allowing me to post on your blog <3
No one wants to see this kind of treatment continue.
Yup, that email is still valid...although the post is down. You can email me there if you want.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the thing is, I am really over this now, so I actually don't really want to talk about it anymore. I learned to deal with the stuff on my own, and have finally put it behind me. I feel like talking about it anymore will just be detrimental to all the work I have put into forgetting this thing and making myself feel better. So I will answer your emails, but I may not answer them right away because I have to be in the right state of mind to go back into all that drama.
So sure, I'll talk to some people, but I don't want to rehash everything or get into a super long discussion, if you know what I mean.
I have a makeuptalk account, and if you become a member there, you can send me a private message through there too.
Oh, I already checked out the site. That is really great! Finally a place where people can say what they feel without worrying about being attacked.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't going to post there originally, b.c. like you said, my experience became kind of infamous (and already posted about in sufficiently many places), but maybe I'll just post a link to the makeuptalk discussion and my epinions turned viewpoints review.
Here via Eyeconic, and I have to say I'm really disgusted to see the head of a company going out of her way to be so vile in public. I'd heard stories, but this is the first time I've seen her nasty side in action. For someone who whines about how busy she is, she certainly appears to have the time to bully people!
ReplyDeleteSo she's too terribly, terribly busy bullying -- oh, sorry, I mean *working* -- to attend to issues customers are having with her site or changes to policies? Then I suppose it's best not to trouble her with our purchases anymore.
Aside from the obviously unprofessional emails and comments she posted (anything I'd have wanted to say in response to that particular bit of nastiness has already been said), the way she handled the policy changes regarding points/bonuses was a complete debacle. She constantly changed her mind, and the costumer suffered for it, which is not a good business practice no matter how you look at it. The right thing for her to have done is to chalk up her losses and learn from it, and say that any customer who had already purchased products towards the 500-point reward would be able to keep those points, and their future purchases/points earned from said purchases would go toward the reward of their choice (in this case, the eyeshadow palette). While brand new customers, who hadn't yet purchased or earned any points, would get the new rewards system that she instituted. Meaning: old customers who were saving up points should have been able to keep earning toward the palette that she had promised they would get as a reward (which I daresay is a big part of the reason Jen spent as much money as she had to begin with!) while brand new customers would know ahead of time that the store policy had changed, and be rewarded with the new system. That's how most professional companies would have handled it, and I think it would be the most fair. Just my $.02.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I was just about to make an AL order when I was reading eyeconic's blog... and was redirected here. Thank goodness I didn't!! There are many other companies that deserve our money!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much ^.^
Nevermind,the blacklight reflective pigments that TKB sells are "cosmetic grade" but not "not approved for use around the lips or eyes".
ReplyDeleteOn Grey's legothique blog, she wrote about how a blacklight reflective pigment that Pure Luxe sells is not eye safe. Weird how she didn't mention the blacklight reflective pigments that aromaleigh sells.
http://legothique.com/2010/01/04/pure-luxe-cosmetics-a-review/
Well, off to through out my blacklight reactive AL pigments. Thanks for the heads up!
Hello Jennifae, I created a blog and a forum inspired by your Aromaleigh experience. It's high time to spread the word far and wide about the woman who runs the company. I featured your blog on the forum, you can access from rant4theugly.wordpress.com. Just click on the graphic (in the first post) to visit the forum.
ReplyDeleteOk, Grey answered my post saying that
ReplyDelete"No, black-light reactive shadows are totally FDA approved and eye safe. This particular one is Glow in the Dark, not simply black-light reactive. The one I specifically mention in the review is not eye safe."
However, if you go to tkb, all of their blacklight reactive shadows are marked as not eye safe:
http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=50&category_id=43
Got it. Blacklight paint is fluorescent paint. And according to
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm143055.htm
Flourescent paint is not safe for eye use.
I bet the reason more info isn't out there already is because major brands (Kryolan among others) sell blacklight responsive makeup that people do use around their eyes.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteForgot to add, this is where I found the post where it says blacklight paint is fluorescent paint.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacklight_paint
Here are my final thoughts on the matter:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.makeuptalk.com/forums/t103642/al-rant-drama-shocking-2-103642.html
Aromaleigh was using ingredients not approved by the FDA for use around the eyes in their rocks black light eyeshadows. Whether or not these ingredients were or are in "trace" amounts, I still question.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteI want to apologize to you for reacting so strongly on your blog. It was entirely out of line for me to post on your blog and I've learned a valuable lesson from how I handled the situation. I not only shouldn't be posting or writing anything /anywhere/ in the wee hours of the morning, but I also need to practice self control and find positive ways to deflect my stress, frustration or anger when or if it arises in regards to a business dealing.
My feelings were hurt, plain and simple. I felt that I had gone out of my way to be helpful and also understanding of what you were feeling, which is why I went ahead and rewarded you the 150 extra points. I thought that was generous (despite what comments here say), because a customer has to spend $150 to get that number of points.
My feelings were never hurt on the basis of your not liking a product, but solely on the communication between us where I felt I'd gone out of my way to personally serve you and give you a bonus. So yes, my feelings were hurt and I got upset when I read your post. I apologize again for what I said, it was rude and I was lashing out. Not even specifically at you, but regardless I have read and re-read what I wrote many times in the last months and I'm not happy with how I acted and despite the passage of time, I still wanted to tell you I am sorry that I directed my anger towards you. It was 2% about the rewards points and 98% other mitigating factors. That does not make it right or appropriate, or ok. I know that. And I regret that I did not do this sooner.
Jen, again, you have my apologies and with sincerity I honestly learned a strong lesson from this experience, and I admit that I was wrong and acting unprofessionally. I could give reasons why I was in an agitated state of mind very late that night back in March, but that doesn't matter.
Sincerely,
Kristen
(reposting this with account updated to reflect my username)
Kristen, I know your apology will be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI bet that "get a life" comment was directed at me. If my life for the past three days has involved studying for a very hard graduate level examination AND trying to get the word out there that there might be unsafe ingredients in cosmetics, then I am quite happy.
No, Tally, it had nothing to do with you. It was an old "Status update" that was mistakenly entered in the user name box. When the comment posted and I saw it, I flinched and immediately went to my account settings, to reflect Miss K.
ReplyDeleteI came to Jen's blog last night to post a genuine apology. Believe me, I had NO idea that it was going to post my user name as that.
Sincerely,
Kristen
I wholeheartedly welcome MissK for speaking her mind here. However, she just can't seem to control her anger without name callings. I am thinking if someone starts doing something like you did here on your blog that would warrant you the power to have that taken publicly and all the fans to criticize the doer. Yet, you are not right in name callings. With you start all that fit in Rant4theugly forum, I remain passive. Yeah, whatever that I'm jealous or that and I am not blaming you or calling you out by using secret identity, isn't it? Now that you deleted the post
ReplyDeleteOh, so that was just a status update. Wow, what a status update! And what an unfortunate place for it to show up. I was just about to talk about that post thinking it was about me, but I am glad you corrected the situation.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I totally get that "cringe" part Kristen. I hate how that user name box can sometimes get so finicky.
ReplyDeleteLike once I was posting on a blog, and you have to give your name and your email, and I guess I gave my email and then my name. CRINGE! Think of how much hate mail I could be receivin if my personal email got out.
Now that glitch shows up at totally random times so I am about to post something when every other time out of 20 it is my "Tally7" in the name field, but then for some reason it becomes my email one time out of 20. Very annoying and very yikes-ey since this new commenting system doesn't allow names to be removed. I really think that is a glitch that should be removed (in case the "name is actually an unfortunate status update, or a personal email!)
Great blog!
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough I only had a reaction to two AL shadows, both Rocks! and both black light reactive. Because I was afraid to try more (super red, raw itchy eyelids)I ended up selling my whole Rocks! collection of samples.
Cheers,
Hottie
Kristen, thank you for taking the time to apologize. I appreciate and accept your apology. :)
ReplyDelete