Comments on Lipsticks & Lightsabers: Mineral Mayhem v2.0

There are only so many micas made by the manufactu...

2009-10-16T03:18:50.286+01:00

There are only so many micas made by the manufacturer, but infinite color possibilities by combining them.
Additives besides the micas are not necessarily just "fillers" many additives add adhesion, slip, and a "backing" to the color, which makes it more intense and long lasting. Especially intense if applied wet.

Hi Jessica, I wanted to pipe in that Morgana Miner...

2009-10-02T19:56:07.361+01:00

Hi Jessica,
I wanted to pipe in that Morgana Minerals has 2 amazing shades of Turquoise lipstick: Ice Queen and Turquoise. Ice Queen might be a shade close to what you're looking for.

Hey Jess, I just took a look. They're in 10g ...

2009-10-02T19:53:47.605+01:00

Hey Jess, I just took a look.

They're in 10g jars but are just under 4g of product, and although the glitters have gone she's still selling the magic eye dusts which are just the repackaged TKB stuff. Not an improvement from my view, at all.

I haven't heard from them regarding the lipstick at all, again.

I don't know if you've checked the Doe Dee...

2009-10-01T22:05:47.713+01:00

I don't know if you've checked the Doe Deere blog posts, but she removed all the old eyeshadow and glitters, and now has the magic eye dust in 10g sizes for $12 instead of the smaller 5g. Got rid of the glitters altogether, though.

I did splurge for one of the lipsticks, but mostly because I have never seen the shade of turquoise Oh No She Didn't has. Hopefully it gets here in time for Halloween...

I'm so excited about Shrinkle's line! Let&...

2009-09-10T10:19:04.653+01:00

I'm so excited about Shrinkle's line! Let's just say, I've been following both Shrinkle and Lime Crime for long enough to guess what the difference between them will be.

Whether its clothes or make up, Shrinkle spends the time developing a well made, unique and exciting product. With Lime Crime it's more about marketing and promotion and hastily putting together copies of an existing idea. It's what they did when they were making clothing, and now 5 years on, make up. As you said before, LC are GREAT at marketing, PR and image. The brand image is wonderful, there's some stunning pictures to back it up, and I'm really tempted by the new lippy, even though I know that over the years LC have engaged in some very dodgy dealings (worse than merely repackaging and refusing to say so)

That's their triumph, if they can make an old cynic like me think "ooh, pretty, wouldn't mind that on my lips"! Though when Sugarpill launches I'm sure they'll outshine LC because the owner has taken the time to research and develop her own unique shades, as well as organise photoshoots and worry about the brand's image. That seems to be all Xenia does with LC, and sometimes, knowing what it is, the whole business seems to be a vanity project to help her network with internet celebrities and play at being a model. She certainly seems to value that over the quality of her product.

Anastasia, I know that your blog doesn't have ...

2009-09-10T02:56:03.101+01:00

Anastasia, I know that your blog doesn't have as big of a following as Doe Deere's. But Lime Crime are in pretty desperate need of good press right now since everyone has figured out their "repackaging and claiming to be unique" scam, so of course they are kissing your ass. As for reviewing the lipstick, just be careful they aren't another brand's lipsticks with her sticker on them, LOL!

It almost seems like the whole Lime Crime brand is an experiment to see how far you can go with a shoddy product that relies solely on marketing. I'm curious to see how much longer they'll be in business after Shrinkle launches her line!

I heart Shrinkle and am very excited about her lin...

2009-09-09T19:27:07.243+01:00

I heart Shrinkle and am very excited about her line too! I like that she actually addressed the issue of everyone selling the same repackaged stock pigments:

http://blog.shrinkle.com/sugarpill-cosmetics-sneak-peek/

I'm sure everyone who was disappointed with Lime Crime is excited about the Shrinkle line. It says she spent four years developing all the colors, whereas Lime Crime only spent a month repackaging other companies' pigments before launching.

Xenia's jars are not printed! They are just cheap stickers. She buys stock pigments and puts her sticker on them. =(

I think it's safe to say that I'm extremel...

2009-09-09T18:52:14.933+01:00

I think it's safe to say that I'm extremely disappointed with any and all loose mineral eyeshadows as of late; there's no creativity, they're all similar, and they're all overpriced.

Not to mention for the average or new user, can be difficult to work with as they are loose pigments and will have guaranteed fallout.

When I first heard Xenia was doing a make up line, I was excited. Then, I saw the size of the product, and the price.... Immediately, I was turned off, and disappointed by the fact she made something that's already been made. It seems most people who create their own eyeshadows do the loose eyeshadows; how often do you see sellers of her style selling pressed? Rarely to never. Amy (Shrinkle) is releasing her line next month, and I am excited to see what she's done with it. She's been in development for quite some time.

I wonder if with the cosmetics Xenia even works with a development company, or if she just makes it at home and had the jars printed.... Really, I do wonder such things. The lipsticks look more promising as it appears she did work with a development company.

Ah, my psycho babble.

Thanks again Crystal. It'd be useful if such c...

2009-09-08T21:22:05.007+01:00

Thanks again Crystal. It'd be useful if such colours came with a kind of note to let people easily distinguish between stock and original, but then any consumer buying from MMU companies should probably be reasonably familiar with the wholesale colours as is. I don't have anything against people selling some re-packaged colours because changing it for the sake of it and making it look worse is pointless, as long as they also make the majority of their stuff themselves, and it seems like you do.

I appreciate your candor, and honest responses instead of the PR spin I got from Lime Crime, thank you.

I'll definitely give the contest a look :]

We had thought about discontinuing our "stock...

2009-09-08T21:17:38.528+01:00

We had thought about discontinuing our "stock colors" but at the request of some of our customers we are keeping them. You can look for up to 500 new custom made colors from us in the next year.

We just posted a new Halloween contest. I know you entered last year and hope that you will this year also.

Thanks,
Crystal
BFTE

Thank you, Crystal. I suspected that you made som...

2009-09-08T21:04:17.888+01:00

Thank you, Crystal.

I suspected that you made some of your own, I remember buying Caribbean from you (and loving it) and you saying that it was a colour requested by someone. You have so many colours, it's good to know that some are mixed and unique.

I haven't found my favourite BftE colour, Mint, anywhere else and it's good to know that we're benefiting from your experience when we buy.

I am the owner of BFTE. I can tell you that when ...

2009-09-08T17:21:20.096+01:00

I am the owner of BFTE.

I can tell you that when we first started the company that we did sale the same colors as other companies. Since then we have began to make our own colors. I have personally formulated over 100colors on our site. I even take request from customers as to what colors they would like to see us sale. This has lead to us adding a line of matte eyeshadows, new blush colors,a nd new foundation colors.

I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Just email me.

Thanks,
Crystal

That really puts me off, Jessica. Well, especially...

2009-09-07T15:22:52.246+01:00

That really puts me off, Jessica. Well, especially as I'll have moved in a month, so I better not order anything for a good long while.

I'm going to go check out that look since I'm curious, I don't want them to be like, obnoxiously glittery or anything, but some complex colours would be nice.

Anon, I'm not sure I get enough traffic to war...

2009-09-07T15:21:06.752+01:00

Anon,
I'm not sure I get enough traffic to warrant any part of me worth kissing...

The cynic in me hates them, the copywriter in me admires the brand they've built, and the kid in me really, really wants the lipsticks to be great, in much the same way that I wish unicorns and fairies were real and that I could fly.

I'm sure that's their motivation for sending one, but I'd hope they know enough about me to know that I'll review it honestly. If it's bad, then I feel my readers would benefit from knowing that, and perhaps save their money.

Equally, if it's good, then what's wrong in saying that? Yes, it's good for LC, but it's also good for anyone who's been looking for a lipstick like that if they choose to get one.

Free products are a dodgy area for any blogger, but I feel that as long as I review them honestly with a degree of impartiality then I'm all right.

I was actually going to mention Archetype as well,...

2009-09-07T10:19:51.192+01:00

I was actually going to mention Archetype as well, they have a couple hundred shades, and they're all so multi-faceted, I can't imagine they're wholesale. I have a good 30-40 of the shades myself (sample spree) and I'd be happy to swatch for you too, though like I said, they're all multi-faceted (not just duo-chrome, like quadro-chrome!) and mostly very shimmery/sparkly, so I don't think photos do them justice. I do agree w/ Phyrra, they need a base if you apply them dry, but they do foil very well also.

I will caution that when I ordered, it took FOREVER, and their communication isn't the best either. It's best to order them and then forget it- for you overseas, it'll probably take 2 months to get an order.

BTW, if you haven't seen it, there is a review as well as and a look on my blog!

I love that before they responded to your email, t...

2009-09-07T04:57:14.534+01:00

I love that before they responded to your email, they had to check your identity to see if your ass was worth kissing. I wonder if you didn't have a blog, if they would have just blown you off completely!

But wow, for them to accuse their supplier of copying them is beyond shady. If I were you, I wouldn't accept the lipstick for review. They are not doing you a favor as they want you to think. Rather, they are using you for publicity. Why support a company that obviously lacks business ethic and morals?

Gio, you just summed up exactly how I feel.

2009-09-06T20:18:37.901+01:00

Gio, you just summed up exactly how I feel.

I'm glad you got a lipstick out of it, but I d...

2009-09-06T20:17:29.839+01:00

I'm glad you got a lipstick out of it, but I don't really like the way Mark answered (well, actually he didn't) your question.

It'd be ok if they admitted they are a repackaged seller (and didn't charge so much for a small jar of eyeshadow), but everything on their website makes you think they make their own colors when they don't. What Mark wrote infers that too, but he doesn't explicity say it cos that would be a lie.

I hope their lipstick line will be unique, but even if it was I doubt I'd ever buy from them cos I just can't trust them anymore.

Just let me know what Archetype colors you want to...

2009-09-06T03:39:56.837+01:00

Just let me know what Archetype colors you want to see, if I have them I'll either do looks with them or swatch them for you :) I should just break down and swatch all the ones have and do a video on them.
I think they can only be fully appreciated with a sticky base underneath, like a MAC paint pot or nyx jumbo eye pencil.

I'm definitely interested in seeing what your research turns up :)

xoxo

Thanks Phyrra ;O I'm more wanting to research ...

2009-09-06T00:05:33.485+01:00

Thanks Phyrra ;O I'm more wanting to research mineral lipsticks so that I can see if LC's are unique or not, aha, so I'll be looking at wholesalers rather than ones I know are unique.

I'm sticking with TKB colours for the mean time because they're cheap and cheerful, but eventually I'll look into the companies on your list and see if they have colours I want. I'm really interested in Archtype, they had some incredible sounding shades I might have to try out.

2009-09-05T22:13:37.567+01:00

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The thing I love most about writing this blog is p...

2009-09-05T16:01:47.705+01:00

The thing I love most about writing this blog is people like you, Anon. Unlike some other beauty blogs, mine seems to attract the cream of the crop - the smart, discerning reader who has her own thoughts, opinions, cynicism and whose comments extend beyond "Oooh pretty".

That paragraph certainly does seem to encourage the assumption that Xenia is personally responsible for the colours they produce, I agree. The signature lime crime shade is a joke, not only is it identical to a BftE one, but BftE do a slightly different shade which is very close but actually BRIGHTER and a lot nicer.

It would be an out an out lie to say that she made it because she couldn't find anything brighter, if it was already on the market.

I don't blame you for your hostility. It seems like blatant extortion. I think it was a very smart answer, he didn't specifically accuse either brand, or mention them by name, he didn't answer my question and he managed to push their new lipstick line.

Since I'm into advertising, I have a certain admiration for the whole brand of Lime Crime, I love the tutorials, the blog, the whole look of everything, the little stories each colour has. I just wish that their product lived up to the great expectations all that makes. It's sad, and it wouldn't be hard for them to at least blend their own colours, they have so few.

I'm not sure how new LC are, I know I bought my BftE stuff last year. I'm sure TKB have had them much longer. And I share a similar concern about the lipsticks. If I do get a free one, naturally, I hope that it would be amazing and I'd love it so I could give it a good review and companies would want to send me things, ahaha.

Sadly, the downside of being honest is that I know if I hate it, I'm going to say so. My integrity has a much higher price than the odd freebie, after all.

I don't know anything about mineral makeup lipsticks, but maybe I should investigate x]

It's one thing to repackage minerals from whol...

2009-09-05T09:15:17.243+01:00

It's one thing to repackage minerals from wholesale sites and resell 'em, if that's just what Lime Crime were doing it'd be morally OK, though way overpriced, but these emails plus what they say on their site are such a pack of lies it's enough to turn me off all their products in future. Witness this heap of garbage:

"Miss Deere conceptualized Lime Crime during the summer 2008 upon realizing she could never find cosmetics bright enough to keep pace with her colorful imagination. And so, when all makeup companies ran one way, Lime Crime charged headlong into the rainbow. Under the slogan “So Bright, It’s Illegal!”, the brand wowed customers with high-impact loose eye shadows such as Circus Girl (vivid yellow), Shoe Addict (bright blue) and the signature Lime Criminal. Instead of retreating to the safety of the ‘tried and true’, Lime Crime became the first cosmetic line to successfully establish themselves through innovative strategies and offering a unique product. Within months of operation, Lime Crime became synonymous with unapologetically bright makeup."

It would be easy, if you didn't know much about mineral makeup and suppliers, to think that she was developing her eye products herself, I remember reading on her blog that she developed her shadows by corresponding with a "factory", suggesting that Lime Crime is totally unique. If her claims were true, TKB would not have the exact same shades, nor would these same shades have PREDATED Lime Crime.

To suggest that the dupes are a result of other companies wishing to duplicate Lime Crime is not only a flat out lie, it is an insult to the talented people who have developed the colours in the first place, and offered them at a fantastically generous price. LC are currently making a killing using someone else's product, they owe a lot to these people and what they do in return is smear their good name in order to protect theirs.

That's not only appalling, it's also laughable to anyone with half a brain! Lime Crime is a young company, they haven't even been around for a year, whereas their oh so unique micas have been around a lot longer. It's kind of hard to pin being a copy cat on someone when their version predates yours.

The new lipstick collection may be the first unique thing LC have ever put out, and some of the colours look great, but this is one potential customer they've managed to totally turn off. How can I be sure that if I spend $16 a pop on a lipstick from them, that I won't see it's twin for $4 elsewhere? I don't want to pay through the nose for a holographic sticker. I can't put money into a brand I no longer trust.

Yes, I thought something along those lines, and no...

2009-09-05T02:38:36.613+01:00

Yes, I thought something along those lines, and noticed he didn't actually answer the question.

I'm not going to buy from any mineral company anytime soon, I'm going to stick to my wholesale micas until I'm more familiar with the colours, and try mixing some of my own.

And hopefully, I'd really like to try their lipsticks, to see if they are what I was hoping their eyeshadow would be. I'm sure you'd all be interested to hear *that* review.

I laughed so hard when I read this..."The obs...

2009-09-05T01:42:47.064+01:00

I laughed so hard when I read this..."The observation you made is an example of how competitors follow and try to imitate something that's been successful".

Really d bag? (not you, Mark) Cause I'm pretty sure that TKB is a WHOLESALER...which means they SELL you the product, you put crappy filler in it and SELL it to us? I'll never buy lime crime. Boo on them!

The two companies I buy most from, The She Space and Aromaleigh, don't seem to be re-packagers. Both companies have insane amounts of colors, so at least I know they are mixing them up themselves!

I'm very curious about getting some TKB colors now. There are so many to choose from, its a bit overwhelming!

Well, at least you got a $20 lipstick out of it! (I don't think I could pay that much for a lipstick, I'm such a cheapskate!)