Over the past few weeks, there has been a mountain of gossip stories about Kylie Jenner. I’ve mostly ignored them, because Kylie is A) so dumb and B) so obvious. I mean, of course she got back together with Tyga. OF COURSE. No sooner had she disentangled herself from everything to do with Tyga than he worms his way back into her life and her home. She’s financially supporting him, you know. Isn’t that gross?
Anyway, I’m choosing to write about Kylie at this moment because of her whole “lip kit” thing. Unlike the older Kardashian sisters who put their names on just about anything, Kylie wanted to start small, and she’s been quietly trying to build her “lip kit” business. For the longest time, I just pretended to understand what a “lip kit” was, but now I think I know – it’s prepackaged lipstick/gloss and liner, right? All the same color, or coordinated colors so that you too can achieve the look of Kylie’s crazy lip injections. Kylie sells the lip kits online and at a few boutiques, but they’ve been selling out faster than they can be produced, and the crazy demand has revealed how bad Kylie is at running a business. So this story is obvious:
Kylie Jenner’s cosmetics co. is a big fat FAILURE … at least according to the Better Business Bureau. Kylie Cosmetics’ consumer satisfaction rating has plummeted to an all-time low … it gets an F. The company’s racked up 137 customer complaints on BBB in the 9 months since it began operating.
As we’ve reported, Kylie Cosmetics has had a slew of problems … from security breaches to packages getting stolen or ransacked. Many people say they’ve never even heard back from customer service.
BBB confronted the company last month, but problems still persist. In the last week alone, 10 people complained about service or delivery. One customer’s kit arrived without the pencil. Kylie needs a B to get back in BBB’s good graces. Better work on some extra credit, KJ.
Kylie’s in a good position, really: people are obsessed with her lip kits and they’ll pay crazy amounts of money for them. She can’t keep the sh-t in stock, you know? Now she just needs to work on the fundamentals of service. Perhaps she needs to hire a better manager and expand production?
Photos courtesy of Kylie’s Instagram.
I’m glad someone explained a lip kit… and I actually think that sounds handy.
And on the upside, at least the complaints about her business are management related. That’s far easier to fix than having actual issues with the product.
Reading on DM, one customer complained that the ingredients were the same as a cheaper brand, Not sure how much a complaint that is because there isn’t a whole lot of differences in all the different glosses, lipsticks, etc out there. Or am I totally off on this?
They’re compared to Colourpop ingredients/formulas. And I’ve read that Kylie’s kits may be made by a Colourpop sister company.
I use Colourpop and its like $5 per lip liner and $6 for a liquid lipstick.
Her kits are $20+.
They are on sale for $40 each here. Hell no.
Stephanie Nicole on youtube did a video where she went into detail about the lip kit ingredients and quality and revealed that after a reformulation, their ingredient list was virtually identical to the much cheaper Colourpop and was made by the same company.
The link will probably get caught in the spam filter but you can find it easily enough if you search youtube for ‘Stephanie Nicole lip kit review’ or some much. Her voice takes some getting used to but she’s one of the better product review bloggers out there because afaik she doesn’t shill for brands.
In terms of similar ingredients that’s not necessarily a serious and/or valid complaint. This is very capitalistic of me, but if someone is willing to buy a higher priced product then so be it.
What I was referring to, was people having adverse reactions to the product,or something along those lines.
In terms of similar ingredients that’s not necessarily a serious and/or valid complaint. This is very capitalistic of me, but if someone is willing to buy a higher priced product then so be it.
What I was referring to, was people having adverse reactions to the product,or something along those lines.
I read an interview with the head of the Toyota Corp. in Canada. He was asked why cars in Canada are 10-20 thousand dollars more than in the States. He said it was simply because people in Canada were willing to pay that much more for their vehicle.
If people want to pay $40 for her lipvkits, I say more power to her.
I somewhat agree with you, HH, but Kylie keeps on denying that her products have anything to do with Colourpop and that’s quite shady.
I’m not sure how much of a complaint that is, because part of celebrity endorsement is conning people into buying things at higher prices than the items are worth.
That said, Kylie’s brand appeals to young people, who are more vulnerable to this, so kudos to the BBB for calling them out. The Kardashians are TERRIBLE for promoting predatory/harmful/fraudulent businesses and products, and Kylie’s now on that bandwagon too.
There are people starving all over the world, and families that can barely make ends meet, but we have to be exposed to no talent hacks who are flaunting their cash all over the place. This Kardashian family is only famous because daughter Kimmmy couldn’t keep her legs closed.
I have an undergrad degree AND a grad degree; but, cannot afford to work just one job. I need two to pay off my school loans (MINE and I FULLY INTEND TO PAY IT ALL BACK.) My health insurance is $550/month. Thank god my car insurance is only $25/month (from Insurance Panda)… otherwise I’d be screwed.
Despite the fact that I worked full and part time to pay for most of school, the debt is still enormous.
Yet, this family of show boating, talentless, fake narcissists is earning more and more thanks to dumb Americans who can’t get enough of them. It’s pathetic.
The lip kits are being very heavily criticized on make up blogs for their “reformulation” tho. Apparently the re-stocked colors do not match the same original shades, the wands included are cheap & breaking and (like it says above) people are saying they are identical to liquid lipsticks made by ColourPop and Jeffree Star but for 2 to 3 times the price.
The only thing that’s going to get Kylie to dump Tyga is if he gets one of his many side pieces pregnant. And even then she might try to explain that away. No self-esteem, confidence, or respect for herself at all.
As for the lip kits, I feel if you’re dumb enough to spend your money on that (when there are better, cheaper, more reliable alternatives out there) then you deserve all the inevitable screwups that come with. A fool and her money and all that.
I do wonder how her fans/the Koven are gonna explain this one lol
I feel like she was just really young and this grifter saw a vulnerable younger woman and latched on to her knowing that she would become a meal ticket for him
Boy did he get a payday
I work as a therapist and she seems so lacking in self esteem that she is an easy mark. I think he easily controls her and I feel like she really needs to be protected and nurtured
It actually upsets me – although I realise how weird that sounds
I understand that. It’s not weird it just shows you have empathy 😊. I just can’t feel sorry for her anymore because I know she knows her life is screwy, but she loves the perks and attention so much that she’s flippant and rude to people that do try to help. I can’t get behind that, and if she wants to sink herself she can be my guest.
Ultimately this is failing on the part of every older person involved in her life. True evil at its best.
No, I absolutely agree with you! She is his puppet. Did anyone see the Billy on the Street Kris Jenner or Gepetto? That comes to mind, and I agree she loves this convoluted mess of attention.
Ever since Kylie bought that bunny and named it Bruce, I figured she had some unresolved issues. She needs to talk to someone
Kylie is not an apple and Tyga is not a worm. He is a complete user and is taking Kylie for a ride no question. Kylie knows no better because she has not been taught any better. Neither her parents and nor her significantly older siblings have made any effort to teach her or offer her the benefit of their experience. She has been set adrift. It is the same with her lip kits. The price is about branding not quality or ingredients. Kris Jenner is not a manager she is a momager. She has been handling their businesses by getting deals. She in no way manages. With all the deals she has signed over the years the lip kit project should not be in this situation. It sounds as if there is no business plan beyond signing a contract and receiving money. Little effort is required by Kylie beyond promoting the product. It has been sold out from day one. Nine months later and there are still production questions?
I can’t believe people are really purchasing lip kits from a girl who didn’t have lips until a year or two ago.
100000+ this
+1000000
Human beings are such a huge disappointment.
–TheRealPinky
That’s marketing to the foolish teenagers she calls her fans. It’s a good idea in a way, for the fame hungry, now, if someone teaches her how to conduct business…
I assume these are the same dumb kids who did the Kylie Lip Challenge so yeah, no surprises here.
Oh Kitten, I thought you might be on vacay and was happy for you. Damn it to Hell, you’re not…jk…..I was just leaving and saw your name. Happy 5th of July!
cackling @the accuracy of this.
It makes sense because those of us with thinner lips can achieve plumper ones with the help of makeup.
Problem is she acquires her through injections and who knows what else.
But that’s how she hooked everyone.. She lied for over a year by saying she didn’t have injections it was just “overlining” with her MAC liners , which lent itself to many online tutorials as people tried to copy and figure out how the heck she was using pencil liners to make concave lips convex. This spike in interest (due to her lying) turned into $$$ in her mamas eyes … As in why Is Kylie bringing MAC all this money when we could be profiting off of this.
Shortly Kylie started promoting this mysterious “lip kit” alongside her fake lips.. She was smart in that she never specified what it would be.. She dropped hints for months about it as her lips grew So the unspoken correlation in all of her posts was “that’s what I’m using to make my lips like this” It was months and months after she started promoting her Kylie Lip Kit before she admitted in the show (in off camera interview where you don’t even see her face admitting it) that she had injections and by then she had her butt and nose done and cheeks filled so by then her image had exploded more than just her lips and she was still able to capitalize on ppl who want to look like her and those who want to deny the extent the injections contribute to her beauty.
And I’m sorry but I work in customer service at a small but busy company and it is hard work and you need a fully staffed company to properly serve people. I know through a scene from the recent episode that Kylie hires Spatz labs to do all the manufacturing and there are like 5 people who work there and there is literally a handful of people working on these lip kits (and therefore profiting majorly at the expense of the customer) and no effort put into developing proper logistics or customer service channels. It is all about profit and not at all about caring about her customers.
She has never acknowledged or apologized for any of the issues while continuing to post new colors and the news that her reformulated product is now the same as the original one coming out of Spatz labs (colour pop) does not surprise me one bit.
My guess Is the reformulation is to keep costs down (why have two liquid lip formulas coming out of the same lab when you could have just one) and increase profit since one is being marked up like 70%.
That’s what happens when you have people with no business knowledge trying to run a business and/or refuse to take advice from people who know what they are doing. This family is all about money so it wouldn’t surprise me if she went cheap on the manufacturing and customer service aspect.
Also I wonder how well these are actually selling. We already know that this family has issues with the truth, so again I wouldn’t be surprised if they were making small batches so they can claim it is selling out and in demand.
That could be true remember when they claimed Kim made 40 Million from her App. Then when the real figure came out she only made something like 5 or 10 Million and that was before PMK and family got their cut. Not to mention Kim and Kanye Vogue sells that was made of lies. The Kardashians wouldn’t know the truth if it hit them in the face.
Then again Bethenny Frankel did the same thing with her Skinny girl line, maybe it a reality star thing. They’ve got to make the public believe their more popular and richer then they really are, to keep the public attention.
True Flowerchold. It’s also the fiddy cent thing. Poor guy, got busted so bad in court (couldn’t stop laughing at those posts, I wonder what’s up with him now), but still chugging on… I don’t know if people still buy his BS
Remember when KK released her emoji app and publicized that the demand ‘broke’ the Apple store? That didn’t happen. Apple came straight out and said that was a lie.
I saw that a lot of the lipglosses are mostly empty when they arrive. Customers should file a class action lawsuit or something. That is ridiculous.
Mostly empty. Broken applicators.
And I don’t believe the selling out biz either. They more than likely lie or understock/underproduce to create selling-out buzz.
Colour Pop, people. Go straight to a reputable source to get your lip stuff.
A lot of people are finding exacts dupes in the colour pop line.
+1000. There are only about a million lip products on the market. I have no time or sympathy for people buying this mess because it’s coming from Kylie.
I thought they looked just like Colour Pop!
its the exact same ingredients as well. Once again people are paying for the K name. ColourPop is awesome and great service.
The people who buy the kit do know that her lips are made of plastic and they won’t look like that, right?
From people I know who follow beauty — it’s become a cult product. It probably serves her to just keep it unavailable sporadically.
I follow beauty and would NEVER buy this crap, but I am also almost 33 and am more into skincare now. My hoarding make up days are over!
@Nicole – I’m 29 and have left my make up hoarding years behind, too. Now I invest in the basics and in high quality skin care products, plus monthly visits to my cosmetician. When your skin is healthy and great you don’t need so much make up.
Exactly, I barely wear make up at all. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to shop my stash, but Great skin= no make up!
It’s a dangerous cycle. The beauty people have to cover it, because they want the video views. They know they can’t ignore it; at the same time, they’re part of the problem – publicizing this crap.
Hmm … I wonder if she (or the person who is actually in charge) keeps the stock small, so they can say that it’s constantly sold out to hype it up.
I thought the exclusively was part of the point. If they were mass produced they’d lose a lot of the appeal because then just anyone could have them. And from what I’ve read the quality is not very good; one could spend much less at a drugstore and get the same thing. It just wouldn’t have a trendy label.
It’s pretty well documented that people will put up with all kinds of stupid BS just to have something, however crappy, that nobody else can get.
The kits are exclusive but the look/outcome from using them is the most basic, non-exclusive look out there today.
I feel like the ‘look’ that women are going for when buying these ‘lip kits’ aren’t exclusive to the kit at all, they’re exclusive to wearing excessive amounts of makeup.
Pay a fortune to look just like everybody else!
Well, yeah. It’s about posting a pic of the box on instagram, not actually standing out in a crowd. The people who buy into this marketing are those want to feel special but not actually go against trends and norms.
My sister bought some of her nail polishes and loves them. Go figure. Her makeup adventure reminds me of Rob’s socks. I think they want to validate themselves and not give all the glory for the fame they have soaked up to Kim for making that never will go away sex tape. That is the impetus of their success and it really sucks. Ray J must have nightmares regularly.
I know the Kardashian / Jenner klan are absolute trash, but I can’t believe that there is no one in either family looking out for this girl. Tyga is a loser and a predator.
Kris and Caitlyn are useless as parents, but what about Kylie’s siblings. One would think that the ones not raised by Kris Jenner would be able to see what Tyga’s doing and warn their sister. It boggles my mind.
satans homegirl is waiting for sh*t to really hit the fan (AKA money stolen, public outbursts, abuse, cheating) and THEN she’ll call him out for preying on her daughter…all while cashing checks from the people she cries her crocodile tears to in print.
these people are gross.
Right? I saw some clips of their show, they were more upset about black china and rob’s relationship then the mess of Kylie with tyga. While she’s one that needed to be protected, Nobody blinked an eye when they started the relationship. heck they even invite to family vacations.
What bothers me about her lipkits – aside from the shitty over priced quality, lack of originality and her inflatable lips on the package – is that she’s literally knocked off every other liquid lipstick from brands who were out way before her and screams NEW. It’s not new. All of her shades are 1000000% stolen from Anastasia BH and Colourpop. Every single shade. Posie K is Lumerie 2, Mary Jo is Silhouette, Dolce K is Beeper…I can keep going – all by Colourpop (all released before her line even came out), who is owned by the same company that Kylie employees to produce her stuff. It’s cool when brands have similar colors and similar styles but each one has their own spin and different quality so you can play around and find what you like. it’s not cool that Kylie steals from other brands who don’t have the same name recognition that she does and actually have to TRY to get their names out there. Good for Kylie for actually trying, but she should at least pretend to care about her work.
She (her company anyway) probably didn’t steal anything, idea-wise. It’s just re-branding of an existing product. As you say, Kylie’s company & Colorpop are both owned by the same parent firm, so one factory can pump out all the product and just package it to suit their customers. Happens all the time in the beauty industry.
I used to own a small day spa and I considered doing my own product line. There are companies that will let you choose your product (eye shadows, lipsticks, foundations – the works) and then your customized packaging. I’d say that’s the case here.
Colourpop must be making money off it or there would have been a lawsuit by now. Joint venture using Kylie’s name to rebrand the same product and sell at a higher price.
Yup!
That’s how it works. You buy product, have it packaged to suit your brand, and sell it on for whatever price the market will bear. At the end of the day though, the formulas & colours are identical whether you’re buying an $5 lipstick or a $25 one.
Is it Max Factor & Maybelline? I know there are a couple of drugstore lines (at least) that are identical product, made in the same factories, but that are priced quite differently. One is sold as more high-end, one is marketed as a younger crowd, more affordable line, but price & packaging aside, they’re the same mascara/lipstick/liner/gloss.
‘omg the cardashians are such good businesswomen’
yeah…no they’re not.
stop pretending any of them have any redeemable ‘talents’ or abilities…they don’t.
I get so tired of that defense, too!
They’re not. Most of their businesses have failed. The one thing that hasn’t, out of all of them, is the stupid game thing. Other than that, they’re products and lines go bust quickly. They’re good at being tabloid fodder.
So true just like the book she and her sister did which also flopped. They put the message out there that they are good businesswoman and their naive fans believe it. Notice once their products go belly up its never talk about again in the media . They come up with new crap to promote around the same time or drama so people aren’t paying attention to yet another business failure.
I thought it was pretty well known that her lip kits are pretty much dupes, if not the same actual product, of Colourpop’s. And for about a quarter of the price and waaaaaay better selection, availability and reviews, I don’t see why you’d even bother supporting Kylie’s “business”.
Other than the customer service reviews though which clearly is a huge problem – if it’s the same product, and Kylie’s is getting worse reviews, couldn’t we assume a lot of that is based on the fact that a lot of people don’t like the Kardashian’s? Like – if it’s the same formula as colourpop, made by a company owned by colour pop, and people are saying ‘just go get colour pop, it’s better’ when it comes down to the actual product wouldn’t it be the same?
Also why oh why am I channelling Priyanka Chopra in every Kylie shot these days????
Cuz of their same plastic surgery
at least Priyanka Chopra had some serious lip real estate to begin with, even if she got it augmented later.
COLOR POP is the SAME formula for a fraction of the cost.
Both companies use the same lab and formulas. Look it up.
Back in the 80’s, I remember a supermodel, (I think it was Cindy C) stating that all mascara comes from one factory in Germany. She toured the factory and mentioned a few of the labels she saw in there, including Cover Girl and L’oreal. I cannot remember the name of the magazine I read that in.
I wonder if her lip products contain lead. A lot of lipsticks have lead in them. Shocking but true 🙁
If they’re the same formula as the Colourpop lippiestix, they don’t.
I know that if they’re doing business in the US they have to comply with the FDA, it might not mean 100% lead free, but the FDA has to state that if there’s lead in it, it’s at such a minuscule level that it won’t affect the user. Now – some people don’t want to gamble with that. But I’d be a lot more worried about buying makeup online from like… ebay that has been manufactured for a different market country – but there’s no recorded case of lead poisoning in the US through US makeup. Still – if people want to avoid the risk completely, Colourpop LippieStix seem to be without lead, parabens, and sulfates.
I don’t get liquid lipsticks in general, but there are SO MANY companies that do a better product for less – from Stila and Kat Von D on the posh end to Nyx and Colourpop (the exact same people manufacture Kylie’s lip kit) on the budget side.
Personally, I prefer to stick to my MAC matte lipsticks, as in the type that come in solid form in a twistup tube. One plus a lip liner will set you back less than the lip kit+shipping.
I have a love hate with my Stila stay all day lipsticks. I love the colours but I hate them. HATE them. I always get SO much transfer with them – no matter what I do to prevent it.
Honestly – the only liquid lipstick that I have found to REALLY stick to my lips is my Rimmel Provocolips. I haven’t tried a whole lot yet though, I live in a small town with pretty limited selection, but since I hate the Stila ones so much, and people rave about them online I’m not sure I should be putting my faith in another raved about product, if that makes sense.
They need more discreet packaging so people don’t jack them! I honestly wanted to order one of her matillics but it was constantly sold out, PLUS all the issues in the news. It scared me away from trying. I wish Sephora sold them! I want to try a matte finish but am worried it will look weird. Lol. I am a sucker for peppermint Chapstick! I do enjoy the Burts Bees shimmer lip stick/balm. I don’t go crazy with the lips, never have. I’m more of a mascara/eye makeup type of girl, which means I stay super neutral with lips.
It always looks like her lips got stuck in a pool drain.
You guys ColourPop produces Kylie Lip kit as some people suspected , just like Stephanie said that she couldn’t accept their marketing, the first formula was her top ten and then they changed it ! the new formula is nearly identocal to ColourPop and that made her complain about the quality drop,she suspected the price is high because they need to use Kylie’s name to make the product more successful and I guess she was right
You can look at the interview of ColourPop founders at the link below
http://www.refinery29.com/2016/05/111883/colourpop-founders-video-interview
Well well well, Kolorpop. Thank you everyone!!!!
Kylies lipsticks has created a mass of confusion in my family. My teenage daughter insisted on one for Chanukah. You have to buy them on the web. You can only buy them when they go on sale. They go out of sale immediately. They go back on sale on SPECIAL days. You have to have Kylie’s app to know. forgetaboutittt!!!
Such a PITA!!!
So glad I never got one. Going to check out the other places mentioned here…..
I was JUST at Sephora and Urban Decay had an awesome selection of lip sticks(some are sheer, matte, etc) with lip pencils to match!! I guess everyone is hopping on the lip kit train since its been a big deal! I would buy that for your daughter instead! Good brand!!
I like liquid lipsticks from Nyx, which you can find at Ulta, drugstores, Target, etc. Their Lip Lingerie line is really good and the Soft Matte Lip Creams are a little less matte but have more colors to choose from. Urban Decay is great too, just a little pricier.
in that top pick, it looks like she’s using the bathtub as a toilet. I know those are thigh-highs, but it appears as if her pants are pulled down.
(and that bathroom looks pretty downscale, like a motel 6 or something. Weird.)
I thought the same thing about the bathroom!
My one coworker wears them and swears by it, and they do look good and wear well throught the work day. My biggest critique of the product is that they’re basically liquid lipsticks, which are more commonly available these days and can be found for a lot cheaper by brands like Colourpop.
This being said, customer service can be the death knell of a brand in an industry with a lot of competition like cosmetics, so she might want to clean house.
The name of the company is SEED. They make both Colourpop and Kylie. Google.
It’s probably already been said but I mean, less than 200 complaints out of a lottttttt of purchases? No company is perfect or will ever please everyone but those numbers actually don’t sound so bad with all things considered? I’m no Kylie fan or apologist either, the girl is dumber than a bag of hammers.
The young kids buying these don’t care about customer service. She tapped into the kids banks accounts funded by moms whether rich or not.
She creates a need when they aren’t available guaranteeing selling out her next run.
I saw some on a local garage sale for 8$ that’s more in line for pricing but didn’t charge for shipping
Her products are for ppl who like to pay a lot to look really cheap
This girl has nothing behind her name other than a dodgy lipkit company. When the trend for creating a ridiculous mouth fades, what will she do? She is not smart so there’s probably no future plan. Kris only knows how to get deals and will take anything that pays. There is no integrity in their name. Her market is large but aging. Teenage girls and young women who will get older and get a clue. The new young demographic will have their own heroes. Kylie will not have any influence on her peers as she ages if she keeps doing the same thing. And by then Tyga may have bled her dry.
And…whose ugly and outdated bathroom is she posing in??
I’ve ordered a few times and had no issues with customer service. I asked a few questions and got replies back within hours, which is great considering I’m in a completely different time zone. Under 200 compliants is nothing for a brand that’s sending out hundreds of thousands of products most weeks.
The site was breached, but they fixed it almost immediately. It’s happened to most small cosmetics brands sites at least once. If people are stealing packages off of doorsteps, that sucks, but it’s not Kylie’s problem. Items are sent in plain black boxes, there’s nothing particularly enticing about those packages, so if they’re getting taken then I’d bet plenty of other parcels are being taken too.
The Colourpop formula isn’t the same. It has many of the same ingredients, as do most liquid lipsticks, that’s just how it is. There’s only so many ways to make a product, most like for like products will have extremely similar ingredients. The differences are in the formula. There’s more of some things, less of others, different quality ingredients. Kylie’s lip kits have higher quantities of pigment, and are less chalky due to the use of more finely milled ingredients. They’re less drying than Colourpop too.
Her whole face and body should get an F. It’s so plastic and fake looking.