Aromaleigh drowns under wank
It probably says something about a company when I see them going out of business and my immediate reaction is to make popcorn and look for wank. Some of you might remember Aromaleigh from the last makeup wank. For those of you who don't, they're a small mineral cosmetics company whose founder, Miss K, was known to frequently be involved in wank, including:

-Founded Mineral Makeup Mutiny, a website founded to stop people from just repackaging wholesale minerals at giant markup, shortly after she got caught doing just that and had to discontinue a rather large line of eyeshadow.
-Guilt-tripping epinions reviewers into taking off anything even remotely negative with 4 page emails, at least until they go "fuck you and write a lengthy screed detailing exactly how Aromaleigh sucks
-Responding to random bloggers who say anything negative whatsoever
-Being pissed off very publically because the musical artist she sponsored doesn't give her free stuff back.
-And probably more, but these are just what kept popping up while browsing the wank.

For you see, Aromaleigh is closing, but not before having a several month clearance sale! Why? Well...apparently news was breaking that she might have used non-FDA approved dyes in her eye shadow. Whoops! Especially considering how many people buying mineral makeup chose it because they're afraid of chemicals.

Regardless of the issue at hand, it quickly becomes apparent that both sides are drama queens who have had issues brewing with each other for years. Especially considering the biggest name on the other side is Jenna, the (former?) head of a rival cosmetics company who used to be a major Aromaleigh fan before she broke off to do her own business, and who originally thought it would be a good idea to investigate the whole unsafe dye issue with sockpuppets. On a site where she'd been an active member of for years and when she was directly communicating on a contentious issue with the very owner who knew her IP address. Sadly, the best wank from that seems to have gotten deleted with the Aromaleigh forums.

Miss K's cosmetics are full of unsafety

Jenna closed her business SOLELY so she could focus full time on driving Miss K into closing hers

I am dirtying myself on this sight only to warn all you pure, good people to stay away because this rant site is full of people only looking at the negative side of things

Those pictures of me on your website are copyright infringement now that I hate your guts

What why's Aromaleigh closing?

IT'S NOT A COORDINATED SMEAR. REALLY

Aromaleigh's closing...and she's blaming us?

Yep, it's all the fault of the mean people who kept picking on her for using unsafe ingredients in her cosmetics

Miss K is welcome to post ~~an apology~~ at a site that has spent the last couple months ripping her behavior for the last several years to shreds. Riiiight.

Nonsensical tl;dr is inspiring tl;dr? I can't even tell what side this is on, probably because my eyes keep glazing over

Why are you issuing chargebacks just because it's been 40 days since you've ordered and there's nothing and you know I'm going out of business? Oh, the cruelty of it all

So, does anyone know where I can find a good foundation for pink people now?

ETA: Oh hey, someone was nice enough to screencap Jenna's sockpuppeting. Posting with your sockpuppet to drop dark hints about other cosmetics companies using unsafe dyes on your cosmetics company blog is totally a non-wanky thing to do, right?

(Post a new comment)

	bigbigtruck 2010-08-02 05:13 am UTC (link)
	So, does anyone know where I can find a good foundation for pink people now? everydayminerals.com? (totally clueless about makeup wank but I just started using this stuff and it is locally made and lovely) (Reply to this)(Thread)

	sarracenia 2010-08-02 02:12 pm UTC (link)
	Sadly, they're not pink enough :( Meow's is, but they're one of the names that popped up as being run by someone else who thought it was a good idea to harass bloggers who say anything negative, so I'm not sure I want to order from them. Man, mineral cosmetics are the wankiest companies I have ever seen. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	bienegold 2010-08-03 09:08 am UTC (link)
	O RLY. Do you have links? I like their foundation a lot, but I'm fucking fed up of drama llama etailers. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sarracenia 2010-08-03 02:21 pm UTC (link)
	Sadly no, it was a side comment in a random thread somewhere in that giant mess of wank, and googling around gets me nothing. It's possible that it was a very small wank or that I misremembered the name. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	bienegold 2010-08-03 03:23 pm UTC (link)
	Hmm. Ok. I'll keep my feelers out, then. I've still got a ton of foundation left because I only wear it for best, but...yeah. I mean, I deliberately haven't been buying Aromaleigh for YEARS because it was always such a wankstorm. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	miraba 2010-08-04 05:57 am UTC (link)
	I don't understand their logic when they state that measuring the makeup by volume is superior to measuring by weight. Things are measured by weight because volume can change. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	yaysunshine 2010-08-02 02:45 pm UTC (link)
	Oh hey, wow, nice makeup I can afford! bookmarks (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	rikiki 2010-08-04 02:30 am UTC (link)
	This, and I love the free sample options. (They work even if you order one of the little $2.50 sample pots of something else, too.) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	bigbigtruck 2010-08-04 08:58 pm UTC (link)
	The bases are great. I've been using Linen for the past couple of months. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	felinephoenix 2010-08-02 08:55 pm UTC (link)
	Oooooh. Bookmarking! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	dragonfangirl 2010-08-02 12:39 pm UTC (link)
	Why are you issuing chargebacks just because it's been 40 days since you've ordered and there's nothing and you know I'm going out of business? Oh, the cruelty of it all Man, these people have their priorities all out of order. Don't they get that it's all about HER PAIN? (Reply to this)(Thread)

	tofuknight 2010-08-02 02:28 pm UTC (link)
	Wow, that was... something. I'm really not quite sure what. But it sure is something. (Reply to this)(Parent)

eleutheria
2010-08-02 12:51 pm UTC (link)

Wow... and I was going to order from them, based on how pretty Phyrra's looks are. I had no idea about this stuff!

Between this and the LimeCrime scandals and the thing with Bitchcake (? Bitch something, I can't remember if that's the right name or not) putting freaking paint in eye pigments, WTF is it about mineral makeup that makes people go completely shady and batshit?

Is Fyrinnae safe, or are they bad too?

(Reply to this)(Thread)

sarracenia
2010-08-02 02:19 pm UTC (link)

Mineral cosmetics reminds me a lot of the heyday of HP fandom, except that BNFs are the people making their living off it, with the ensuing increase of wankery.

Fyrinnae was mentioned a few times as being pretty drama free, though I don't know about the safety. If you're worried about it, you might try checking the rant4theugly.com's Fyrinnae forums, since they seem to be pretty up to date on any negative news.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	fernmonkey 2010-08-04 10:21 am UTC (link)
	Mineral cosmetics reminds me a lot of the heyday of HP fandom, except that BNFs are the people making their living off it, with the ensuing increase of wankery. You see similar stuff going on in the knitting comms with indie-dyed sock yarn. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	rewil 2010-08-02 04:31 pm UTC (link)
	I asked Phyrra over on the BPAL forum about a good replacement place to get makeup, with a bonus for any company not involved with this sort of wank on any side, and she recommended Fyrinnae. I placed an order and have been happy so far — mmm, lychee-scented lipgloss. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	faultypremise 2010-08-02 05:46 pm UTC (link)
	Lychee scented lipgloss?!? Hot, I'm so there. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	rewil 2010-08-02 06:03 pm UTC (link)
	It looks like they only use lychee for one (boo), so it all depends on whether you like wearing red. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	faultypremise 2010-08-02 07:53 pm UTC (link)
	Why yes I do, actually. Red is a great color on me. buys one now (Reply to this)(Parent)

	cleolinda 2010-08-02 05:45 pm UTC (link)
	PAINT? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sarracenia 2010-08-02 08:00 pm UTC (link)
	Here's a blog post summarizing the whole situation. My eyes hurt at the thought of putting that anywhere near it. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	hallidae 2010-08-02 11:05 pm UTC (link)
	Ohgodohgodohgod. That would be an allergy attack just waiting to happen for me. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	judyhazeleyes 2010-08-09 12:51 am UTC (link)
	I had a friend who used paint (I don't know which kind, I'm no artist) on her eyes because nothing else was metallic enough for her tastes. It always made me shudder, because even liquid liner makes my eyes sting and water for days - I can't imagine what paint would do. (Reply to this)(Parent)

wankismyfandom
2010-08-04 02:51 pm UTC (link)

Don't worry, the FDA said it was all just a plot to destroy Aromaleigh:
Excluding the initial one hour & 26 minute wait to get the number for the cosmetics division, I have spent over 4 hours on the phone with three different people from the FDA going over all of the "may contain" issues that have been brought up about dyes in Aromaleigh products. One woman I spoke to at the FDA said that in her opinion, R4TU was and I quote, "tantamount to a witch hunt". The gentleman at the FDA told me that R4TU was obviously focused on targeting one business to discredit it's products with misinformation.

If you'd like more details about the conversation, let me know, I'll post them for you. The bottom line is, not one of the three were concerned, even after I emailed them scans of the top & bottom labels of my AL rocks! shadows with the ingredient lists on them.

I also had a friend who is a chemistry doctorate graduate at Yale test about half of the collection for dyes. He did not find any of the dyes that are not approved for use around the eyes by the FDA.

... makeup wank sucks me in like nothing else, and I don't even wear the stuff.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	feenix 2010-08-06 10:20 am UTC (link)
	I just. Girlfriend did not just say that the lady at the FDA talked shit about R4TU. She didn't. ...I hope she also mentioned that us wankas are just like the mean girls in high school who told Miss K she could never be a mineral makeup guru. Because putting down R4TU while leaving us alone? So fucking unfair. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	wtf 2010-08-02 04:39 pm UTC (link)
	This is making me want to not buy indie makeup, like, ever. :\| (Reply to this)

cleolinda
2010-08-02 05:44 pm UTC (link)

I'm heartbroken (in a First World Problems way), because I love the product and the prices are good, and I haven't found another indie company with a texture I like as much, and basically I'm trying to scrape up enough cash to buy all the colors I want before this ship goes all the way down.

I've heard good things about Fyrinnae as well, though. My problem is that Fyrinnae looks like it has great colors, but I ALSO want the AROMALEIGH colors I ALREADY LOVE, WAHHHHHHHHHH.

Let me put it this way: I think of myself as a fairly calm, rational person. And this has got me acting like a toddler. This is what this stuff does to people.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	everstar 2010-08-10 11:41 am UTC (link)
	Oh my god, I know. I'm like, "Nooo, the Twilight sparkles and the faerie eyeshadows" and I'm TERRIBLE at wearing makeup but I can't find this stuff anywhere else :( (Reply to this)(Parent)

	platedlizard 2010-08-02 08:43 pm UTC (link)
	So wait. She's 40 days late on some orders and doesn't understand why people are getting chargebacks!? Is it normal for makeup to take 40+ days to arrive? I just get my stuff at the grocerystore. (Reply to this)(Thread)

sarracenia
2010-08-02 09:04 pm UTC (link)

Sadly yes, for the other big name in indie mineral cosmetics, although Aromaleigh historically made its fans by being the fastest shipper in the business. I guess it depends on whether she originally stated that it might take that long when they placed the order, or if she just kept sending out emails going "well, okay your order will be shipped in 2-3 days - I mean 4-7 days - I mean I SWEAR YOU'LL GET YOUR ORDER EVENTUALLY STOP CALLING ME A THIEF AND ISSUING CHARGEBACKS DAMNIT I NEED THAT MONEY RIGHT NOW." I know my faith in the ability of a company going out of business to deliver what I ordered is always raised by them mentioning that they really need the money!

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	eleutheria 2010-08-03 01:05 am UTC (link)
	But then there's Sugarpill, which ships in seconds and is fantastic quality. If there's ever Sugarpill wank, I think I'll shit myself in astonishment. (Reply to this)(Parent)

cleolinda
2010-08-02 09:07 pm UTC (link)

I've always had really great ship times with her--order it on Monday, get it by Thursday, maybe Friday. The two different shops I ordered from on Etsy were way, way slower--two weeks, in one case, and that was just for samples. My understanding was that people were filing pre-emptive chargebacks because they got spooked by the fact that she was closing (even though they ordered knowing that she was). It sounded to me like she was saying that people were not waiting until the 40 day period to complain, not that she was actually taking that long to ship.

I will say, from everything I've seen on her blog and her twitter, she's... uh... very emotional. She can get wanky. (Me defending her on certain points is probably wanky as well.) But the situation here seemed to be that people were jumping the gun on chargebacks, and she got emotional and/or wanky, not that she did something ridiculous in the first place.

But yeah. I've been a customer for, I don't know, maybe a year, and I have heard about tons of drama the whole time. And it gives me a sad, because I really, really like the product, and I can also afford it.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	bacon_lover 2010-08-02 11:22 pm UTC (link)
	What does this mean (I really have no clue): "I have always, and always will... replace orders obviously lost at 45 business days by RESHIPPING THEM." Does this mean that by day 45, the contract would allow the customer to cancel, but she will 'reship' them, as in send them out for the first time, if the order never left? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	cleolinda 2010-08-02 11:45 pm UTC (link)
	I guess... she means she'll send out a second order to replace the first one? I mean, that would seem logical to me, but who knows it actually would work. The more I'm reading at the links, the bigger my sad gets. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	platedlizard 2010-08-03 05:47 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, that had me confused. I guess anything could happen in transit, but it sounds like this was a common problem for her. Which it really shouldn't be. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	platedlizard 2010-08-03 05:49 am UTC (link)
	I want to add, I've had stuff shipped to me from France or Hong Kong that took significantly less time to arrive then that, and that was just through the normal mail. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	issendai 2010-08-03 11:41 am UTC (link)
	Even weirder, her "contract" says she's not late until after 45 business days. 45 BUSINESS days. That's 9 weeks. Unless a vendor is milking my cosmetics a drop at a time from the tip of a stalactite deep in the heart of Purity Mountain, I want my order sooner than 9 weeks. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	snarkhunter 2010-08-05 12:27 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, me too. I wear L'Oreal's foundation...and I'm reading this thread feeling like I must be caking dirt on my face or something. I am a peasant among nobility when it comes to my makeup choices! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	platedlizard 2010-08-05 02:11 pm UTC (link)
	L'Oreal?! You fancy-pantsy so-and-so! This here is Maybeline country. We'll have none of your fancy French makeup here! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	wankismyfandom 2010-08-04 04:56 am UTC (link)
	From this link: There is too much mudslinging here. So, please visit this site if you are the type that enjoys Jerry Springer and drama. YES! A SITE THAT CATERS TO MY DESIRES! ... what, that wasn't the reaction I was supposed to have? (Reply to this)(Thread)

	miraba 2010-08-04 05:50 am UTC (link)
	This site is very much something Jesus himself would support. I'm not sure that can be topped. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	fernmonkey 2010-08-04 10:24 am UTC (link)
	Thank you, Google Image Search! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	cmdr_zoom 2010-08-04 03:54 pm UTC (link)
	JESUS DO EVERYTHING (Reply to this)(Parent)

	tofuknight 2010-08-06 11:51 am UTC (link)
	Holy shit, I think I just lolled to death. is ded (Reply to this)(Parent)

	wankismyfandom 2010-08-04 02:36 pm UTC (link)
	Here is another O_o-inspiring thread with customer stories such as How Aromaleigh Became a Censored Word on the Home Shopping Network Forums. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	wankismyfandom 2010-08-04 03:28 pm UTC (link)
	I can't stop reading this, nor can I stop commenting, but I keep finding lolarity. You know who I always look to when my blog post about makeup needs an epigraph about truth? Yup, Helena Cassadine. (Reply to this)(Parent)

willywanka
2010-08-06 01:17 pm UTC (link)

I wonder what her church would say about this.

They would probably say they prefer Avon, but I am imagining *Ratzinger's planner for the day:

- fold laundry
- reply to mail
- have some lunch
- draft my official view on the Aromaleigh scandal
- water plants
- catch up on WoW

*I realize the poser of the comment didn't indicate what type of Christian, but of the avaliable options, the Ratzinger possibility fills me with the most potential lols

(Reply to this)

	cinnamonical 2010-08-07 11:37 am UTC (link)
	omg! I was wondering what the situation was behind this. I first heard of Aromaleigh because cupcake_goth posted about a collection the site was putting out, right before the site announced its closing as well. (Also, I am an EA fan and have somehow missed that Aromaleigh used to sponsor her, apparently!) (Reply to this)