Thursday, July 3, 2014

Adventures in Eyeliner - GoodGoth to the Rescue!

This post actually started out as a rant.  However, it turned into something different, thanks to good communication and lots of determination.

It all started out when I ran out of liquid eyeliner in May.  I was using Hot Topic's Blackheart line, and I really liked it, so I wanted to get more.  However, I couldn't get to the mall right away, so I grabbed the tube of Milani eyeliner I'd bought but only used once; it was awful!  Seemed to take about six minutes to dry, so unless I kept my eyes scrunched almost shut while it dried, it smeared all over the top of my eye shadow.  I used it as lightly as possible during the week, then threw it out on Sunday before I went to the mall... two malls, as it turned out.

But guess what?  Hot Topic has discontinued their Blackheart makeup line, and there was no liquid eyeliner to be had there!  So I headed back to Sephora, where I had just purchased an eye shadow palette (more on that in another post).  However, they didn't have anything much in liquid liner, so I went downstairs to M.A.C.  They're pricey, but have a good reputation.  They had two types of liquid liner, one for thin lines, and the Penultimate Eye Liner, a pen-style liner which was supposed to be SO much more versatile than a brush applicator, with options for both thin and thicker lines; I picked that one, and walked out with a $20 (+ tax) liner instead of the $3 one I came for.  Problem solved?  Not even...

The Penultimate Eye Liner turned out to be the Penultimate Disaster.  It would only make very thin lines, it did not have any staying power and was gone under my eyes before the end of the day, and worst of all...  IT. WOULD. NOT. DRY.  Acckkk!!  After a week, I took it back to the store for a refund.  I decided to use just pencil until I could find something acceptable.  It didn't look right and didn't stay on particularly well, but at least I didn't look like I had two smeary black raccoon eyes!

Then I got an e-mail from GoodGoth.com advertising their "13% Off for Friday the 13th" sale.  I had found a liquid liner there that I liked awhile back, but they stopped carrying it when I tried to get more.  On the off chance that they had something else, I checked... and there it was again, Kleancolor's Hardcore Black Metallic Liquid Liner!!  For the same $20 (no tax, shipping included) that I had used to purchase a single liner from M.A.C., I got FIVE of these.  :-)

Nine days later... I finally received my order.  (They take anywhere from 2-9 business days to actually ship an order; I guess it depends on if they have it in stock or have to order it, but that's a bit long, if you ask me.)  I opened the box and happily put my liners away.  Next morning, I opened one and used it -- or tried to.  After several minutes of shaking and scraping inside the tube, I barely had anything on the brush.  It was either almost completely dried out or almost empty!  I tried all five tubes, and two of them were bad.  Arrrgghhh!!  At least I had three good ones, so I wasn't stranded again, but I was not a happy bat.

I checked GoodGoth's return/exchange policy, only to find that they don't allow returns OR exchanges on cosmetics "for health reasons".  In a total snit, I sent off an e-mail telling them that I was furious because I got defective items and couldn't exchange them, and that I was never going to buy from them again BUT I would be sure to tell all my friends about it.  After the weekend, I got a very nice e-mail from them saying that their policy is worded that way so people don't order makeup and then return it just because they don't like the color, or whatever.  But because I had received "defective" goods, they would be glad to exchange or refund, my choice.  Sweet!  I told them I'd love an exchange, and did I need to return the bad ones?  They replied that I did NOT have to return them (they took my word for it), and my replacements were already on their way!  Two days later, I had my package... and they didn't just send two replacements, they replaced my ENTIRE order!!  I now have EIGHT tubes of eye liner, which will probably last me for at least the rest of the year!  (And even if some of them turn out to be bad, I won't complain.)

So, true to my promise, I have now told my friends all about how GoodGoth.com came through for me when I totally did NOT expect it.  I guess the moral of the story is:  Don't give up, but do speak up!  If you never ask, the answer is always No.  If you DO ask, sometimes you get even more than you asked for!  :-)

21 comments:

  1. Haha :3 Luckily something positive came out of it all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, indeed, the ending was actually worth all the trouble beforehand, which is NOT usually the case. :-)

      Delete
  2. I really dislike a lot of MAC products. I think it's WAY over priced, so I'm not surprised you didn't like the liquid liner. I like L'Oreal Lineur Intense, it has a felt tip, dries quick and is solid black.

    That is awesome about GoodGoth, good customer service!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've only used two M.A.C. products, a blush (which was okay), and a pencil (which I STILL use almost 20 years later!). So I was very disappointed with the poor performance of the liner. I haven't tried L'Oreal in a long time, perhaps I'll get one later. Thanks for the tip. It's a good idea to have a backup, as I found out!

      And yes, GoodGoth's customer service is better than I expected. I e-mailed them about something else a year ago and never received a reply. I was honestly surprised they responded this time! I guess they've made some serious changes, hopefully for the better. The way they pack makeup for shipment still sucks, though. :-(

      Delete
  3. Oh yes it's a hell to find decent eyeliners. But I buy a European brand Isadora. Their eyeliner have a soft felt tip, smooth paint that dries fast (without drying in the bottle) and it stays at place. Haven't found a better one actually, it's not water proof though. I'm glad that you found a good replacement and that they were good suppliers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds like a great liner, even if it's not waterproof! I don't mind that as long as it's smudgeproof at least.

      Delete
    2. Oh it was a Swedish makeup brand actually...

      Delete
    3. Hehe, it's still European to me! ;-)

      Delete
  4. Wow, great to hear that they really gave good customer service!

    Ahhh the smeary eyeliner thing... trying not to blink! I know your pain!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehe, thanks for the sympathy! It IS painful when it gets into your eyes, not to mention all over your face. I've often asked myself WHY do we do this to ourselves??? And I've never given myself a satisfactory answer...

      Delete
  5. Wow, amazing service from GoodGoth - I'm going to head over and check their site out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They've got some nice stuff! However, be careful if ordering makeup, as they don't pack it very carefully. (See my post on "Smashed Makeup" for details!)

      Delete
  6. Glad you got a good result. I am so clumsy with eyeliner, but I've bonded with Illamsqua's precision ink in Havoc (a slightly red tinge to it). Its indestructible - expensive but lasts for ages.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a hard time doing liner precisely, especially if it tends to glop!! I checked out Illamsqua, you're right, it IS expensive, but I've seen worse. If it really works that well, it's worth it! They had it here at Sephora, but looks like they recently phased it out.

      Delete
    2. I hit lucky on my first batch, as it was on sale - their sales are epic and well worth looking out for, as I also love their satin primer. Alas I've just ran dry on my last tube, and no sale in sight...so I'll just have to wait :(

      Delete
    3. Yeah, so many good products are expensive! I'm scraping the inside of my empty Daycare jar, but I can't afford to get a new one unless it either goes on sale or they have another "buy this and get ALL THIS for FREE" event. ::sigh::

      Delete
  7. Yay for good customer service!

    I have been complaining a great deal lately about eye liner (liquid eye liner.. same problem- waiting and dry time) and *just* started using Urban Decay Super-Saturated Ultra Intense Waterproof Cream Eyeliner in Perversion (black). Okay, that reads like an advertisement BUT I can't imagine turning back. Yes, I need to use a brush and as far as goth girls go, I'm pretty lazy (plus, I wake at 4:30 am for work so prefer no fuss). Because it's a cream, it doesn't end up everywhere (on me) and that stuff stays all day even in the heat and humidity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, I just found Urban Decay is sold at my local Sephora! I've used cream eye liner before, it wasn't bad but it didn't stay THAT well. I'll have to check that out, thanks for the tip!

      Delete
  8. Ooh that looks rad!! I love urban decay and also hot topic makeup is pretty cool and I love NYX too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, if you like Hot Topic's Blackheart line, you'll be out of luck VERY soon, as she told me they're discontinuing the whole thing. You can mostly just get the pencils in the stores now, and a few things online. :-( I haven't tried NYX yet, don't know where to find it!

      Delete
    2. I've found NYX at Target, Urban Outfitters, and various beauty supply stores (not Sally). I know Nasty Gal sells some NYX products online.

      I hear you on the eyeliner problem. For years I used a cheap drugstore brand aimed at "women of color" that I could only find in Washington, D.C.. Then I moved to the West Coast and the only black liquid liner I've loved since then is Kat Von D Tattoo Liner at Sephora. 18 bucks but worth every cent.

      Delete