|WTF|: Beware of the Fake

Hello Beautiful!

I am back with another WTF post, which is a series I do when I experience a horrible product or equally bad customer service. I have always considered it my moral responsibility as a beauty blogger, to ensure that people do not get conned in the name of original makeup by getting fakes or copies and I have been trying to do this since the day I started this blog. We are all well aware of how quickly counterfeit cosmetics have sprung up, how easy it is to access them and, how many online stores are fooling people by taking hard earned cash under the pretense of selling originals. My today's post will reveal one such black sheep in the beauty market. I am doing my part and expect you to do yours by sharing this post as much as you can to save your friends from being cheated.

Here goes the story.... I was very thrilled about Yonique mascara set and had been seeing people selling them, reading rave reviews and watching you tube tutorials. Honestly as an avid shopper I try my best to get the best deals without compromising on the quality. The mascara price was quite high which always stopped me from buying it. The one day I came upon this new Facebook Makeup store selling the same mascara at an excellent price. I initiated conversation with her asking about originality which she ensured. Hence I placed order for the mascara in advance and received it after a month on COD. With much thanks on my part the conversation was closed. However I had this doubt somewhere in my heart that the mascara set was not original. Pushing away the feeling, I went on with my routine. Then the Kylie frenzy started and this page was offering an excellent price of Rs. 5500 for the Bronze palette. I placed an order with her again.

Kylie Ky Shadow bronze palette

My palette arrived and I was beyond ecstatic to receive my first Kylie product. However the doubt struck again about its originality. I spent good amount of time reading blog posts and watching You tube videos trying to spot if mine was fake or original. Trust me I couldn't place it in the fakes as it looked pretty original to me. Then I contacted another seller on her whats app group where I asked about the authenticity of the Page I had ordered from. A debate started and few people came forward telling how they were conned in the name of original when in real the items were fake. The seller's cousin also had a bad experience with this page. I won't be naming the seller who helped me in my plight as I do not want to drag her in the mess I am about to make in my post. However I would take this opportunity to thank her for taking out the time for me and actually conversing with me when she was occupied with other customers.

At this point, I was still at a loss not being able to come up with conclusive evidence to decide if the palette was genuinely original or a fake. The plight of other buyers with the same Makeup page had pushed me into further doubts. Being a beauty blogger, I am part of several makeup groups globally. I posted in an American group and got good response. Finally a girl helped me spot the differences. She had bought her palette from Kylie's website so there was no doubt it was fake. That is when my world came crashing down because Rs. 5500 is a huge sum of money for me and wasting it on a fake product wasn't something I was happy to do.

The above pictures have been taken by me from my cell phone. These pictures are of the palette I bought from the seller. Now coming to the part as to how I realized that mine one is a fake? Here are the pictures of the original Kylie Bronze palette the girl posted on the thread where I had asked for help.

Picture 1 posted by a girl of her original palette

Picture 2 of the palette

To give further credence, here is the complete thread of my post in the group and people's responses. 

If you look at the cardboard packaging in Picture 1 the girl has posted, the ingredients and details are all written on a sticker like transparent sheet and pasted upon the cardboard. The boundary lines are clearly visible. Also, observe the original palette has the shade names written on top whereas the fake one is missing the shade names entirely. Then another girl on the thread pointed out that the writing was much thinner on my palette compared to the original one and she was spot one. The writing size and style is entirely different on my fake palette.

Left: My fake Kylie bronze palette, Right: Original Kylie bronze palette

Before I delve into the conversation that took place between and the seller I would like to reveal its name. The page goes by the name of Branded cosmetics Online and is very active on Facebook. The women mostly posts high end makeup products, the ones that have counterfeits readily available. I must appreciate her supplier that her products are excellent copies, impossible to spot. I have her picture as well but I am choosing not to share on social media. So after I found out that my palette is fake, below is the conversation that took place between I and her.

Can you imaging the mental torture this woman put me through? It was a head splitting situation for me conversing with her. Look at how shameless and stubborn people can be. Till the last moment she stood her ground that its her graciousness upon me that she decided to take the palette back and return my money and not because she sold a fake. Moreover her mis-commitments time and again; Sheer shamelessness. I know at least 3 people who have been conned by her. I did not stop here only. I involved the delivery guy and told him the whole situation. He agreed to help by finding out her details for me which unfortunately he could not. The woman is so sharp she only offers COD, no bank transfer or Easypaisa so there is no recorded proof of her transactions and no money trail. 

That is not it, I inboxed her from my blogger profile as well to see how she responds. And guess what? Her stories don't match. Every time there is a new version. I guess liars find it hard to keep track of their own claims. Must be tough job to recall what stories you cook up with who. Here she told me a different version. I did not continue the conversation because it already proved my point. 

I am not opposed to buying and selling of fake makeup products. Each to his own. Its a matter of personal choice. However I do have a serious problem, if you are selling fakes and telling people they are originals no matter how excellent copies they are or even if they are being manufactured in the same factory. Be honest in your dealings. Be a human, to say the least. This was not a post targeted to humiliate her rather an awareness post for all the people out there who have dealt with her or plan on buying from her in future. I do not know if all her products are fake or only some are. Maybe she sells mixed items, I can not be sure. All I know is my products turned out to be fake and I also found out there had been a lengthy post against her on Pakistan Beauty Society which I had been unaware of previously. All I can say now is, people who are friends with the owner of this page or relatives, now you know the kind of women she is and the customer know how she is in her dealings.

Share your views with me about this post of mine. If you have been conned by this woman, do not hesitate to share your story with me. Stay healthy and beautiful. xoxo!!!