This is a legacy post that has been giving a formatting facelift. I still feel very strongly about Glambot given this unsavory experience with them – three years later, I feel the same about not recommending them. If you weren’t around in 2014, here’s what went down.
Initially, I didn’t get much of a response from Glambot on their product intake and batch verification procedures I was seeking.
But I do now.
I reached out to Glambot and asked if they could clarify their team has some special batch verification process to see whether or not products are past their prime.
Glambot’s initial response, copied-and-pasted:
From our experience, MAC lipsticks loose their initial vanilla scent in about 1-3 years. The exact amount of time varies with the specific color but I do believe that frost finishes, including those that have any trace of a metallic sheen, loose their vanilla scent the quickest. Although we do not cross-reference each item’s batch number, we do handle customers concerns individually, as they come.
Well, losing a nice scent and becoming intolerable are two different things. MAC Cosmo is an amplified creme finish so the frosty/metallic information isn’t relevant. The vanilla wasn’t as strong as my new tube of Brave; even if it had no smell that would be one thing, but this was pungent. Not something I could stand to wear even not thinking it had expired.
Also – each item that comes in does not receive Glambot batch verification? Does that mean some some items do? I wasn’t sure; it was worded ambiguously.
Following Up
I followed-up, detailing my experience with my tube of MAC Cosmo I purchased from them back in June. It was reported to be in good condition, 80-100% full.
When I received it, it smelled okay, but between then and now it turned to a familiar foul, cheap-crayon scent. It is common knowledge that when lipsticks experience drastic changes like that, they are probably expired.
They came back asking how I store my lipsticks. I store them upright, away from light and heat in a closed drawer in a room that does not have significant temperature variance. They replied that I was, “doing everything right,” but left it at that.
Taking Matters into My Own Hands
At this point, I checked the batch number myself as it was clear to me that there was no interest in that on their end.