Lakme is now selling spoilt lipsticks

Ok people, I am really, really mad at Lakme now. First they hike their rates for no reason at all when all they have is crap and now they are actually selling us spoilt cosmetics.

Some of you must remember a recent post where I had gushed about a Lakme enrich lipcolor being a very close color match to my lip - Sugarbloom (652). Now this is a really pretty shade that is the same color as my lips and I really like it so the other day, about 2 weeks ago while at New Beauty Centre at Khar I bought a back-up.  That day I also bought another color called Watermelon. I tested it, bought the product and walked out. After all it never occured to me to check the product I had bought.

Here is where the story begins, today on a lark I opened the tubes to check them out. You can take a look at the pictures below to see what I saw.

First compare the two lipsticks - they are the same shade - Sugarbloom.

The first one is the original shade, the second one is the new one. The lighting is not so good, but the second one looks like a dirty grey!




Further look at the swatches below, do they look like they belong to the same shade of lipstick?  This picture has been taken in artifical lighting. Below is the picture in natural light.

The swatch on top is the new lipstick.

The swatch below is the original lipstick I had.




Do they look like the same shade to you?

Wanna know more? Lakme actually sold me a tester. The lipstick case i bought when removed from the cardboard cover, very clearly says "TESTER"

Yea, Lakme is now selling us testers!

I had also bought another lipstick from their range that day - called Watermelon. I did use the tester. It was a lovely shade of watermelony cool red. See the swatch below. It is the topmost swatch and tell me what it reminds you of - watermelon or coffee?


I really don't know what to do, it has been 2 weeks since the purchase. I wonder if New Beauty Centre will take it back.

And now I am really, really mad at Lakme. It wasn't enough for them to sell us overpriced crap. They now have begun to sell testers - and that too spoilt ones.

I am gonna boycott Lakme now, enough is enough.

Comments

  1. wow i am shocked. lakme is like the only indian brand i could trust myself with.

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  2. hooo.. Used to like Lakme a lot. This is too bad.
    was it a sealed pack?

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  3. You haven't used the lipstick(testers) Go back and talk to them or write to lakme. Don't let tis go. Its so unfair to sell testers + wrong shades to customers.

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  4. Yes Tanveer,

    I agree with Sarah. You definitely need to write to them. They cannot simply fool customers under the HUL banner.After all how great can a company be without good customers.

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  5. Also, if its a tester you should definitely go back and talk to them. They should have to take it back.
    I really hope Sephora opens in India soon. They take back stuff without the receipt too, as long as its a brand that they carry.

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  6. Hey Girls! Thks for all the support! :D I am planning to go to the store and talk to those guys.. I will probably going on Monday since tht store is quite far frm my home.. Will visit on my way back home on monday.. Lets see what happens. I am actually really pissed off with Lakme. I even went to their site and have written a mail to them, besides giving them this link so that they can chk the pics..

    Ani, Lakme does not sell sealed lipsticks - so no it was not sealed.

    Shivannix: I am really waiting for sephora to open here. It is high time someone took us customers seriously.

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  7. Oh! that's bad. But how could they sell the testers? Lakme is really becoming pain now. I have gone to Shopper's stop atleast four times to buy their Stain Lipsticks and every time the attendents have told me that they don't have testers and I must buy the lipsticks according to the numbers. Imagine?. I have completely given up on trying these new lipsticks now. I think the fact Indian women trust the brand so much, they have started taking us for granted. It's a shame on their part.

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  8. @ Rati: I just don't know ya, I am supremely pissed off at Lakme..

    How crappy can they get ya, even the Chinese VOV stuff you get is better - atleast they don't sell you wrong colors..

    I think they have all their priorities wrong and of they don't wake up soon, Colorbar is going to steal the lead in a big, big way.. & i for one am gonna support colorbar.

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  9. Omg! I'm pissed off too now! The colors are completely different. This is too much. Lakme will die if it keeps at this
    ♥XX♥

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  10. @CZ: Hey! Thks for the support.. I don't wht Lakme is upto? Selling diff colored lippies, tht too to a make-up blogger!! They are shooting themselves in the foot!

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  11. the shades are waay too different. and selling a tester is atrocious! don't let this matter slide easily.

    before buying cosmetics, i always check the date of manufacture and make sure that the packaging is intact. this incident serves as a reminder to me to keep this practice going strong.

    i am pretty mad at nbc too. are they so busy making their bucks that they've stopped caring about their customers? the salesperson who sold these lipsticks to you ought to be pulled up. make sure you report him/her to the manager.

    i am seriously getting very weary of lakme now. colorbar is going to be my new affordable makeup.

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  12. OMG!!! that's terrible. I've been a customer of lakme every since i started using makeup, but recently i've found their standards to be slipping steeply. but the problem is that over here (Chennai)the colorbar counters are few and far between and even those don't have most of the stock that i've seen on their website.
    so i have been forced to continue using lakme :(

    I do hope you get a complete refund. or else what little respect i have for lakme will be lost.

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  14. Hi Tanvi! I might be wrong, but here is my word! I dont think Lakme' ever does this on purpose coz that affects their consumer market!

    May be a mistake from the store staff! SAs might not be very well-versed as usual and didnt know the difference b/w a tester and original product!

    May be, they didnt bother to open the outer case of packaging to see if its a tester or not! In this case, you can just inform the Store/Mall manager!

    May be, chances are its a different batch! Just the same way - a little difference in the packaging, the products end up at Dollar store and Pound store!

    Does it smell YUCK? Is it the same consistency? Still, fight for justice :) How can people be so irresponsible...

    LOL I sound like Justice Divija....

    Well, if somebody comes up with the same accusation, its high time we write to Lakme!

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  15. @ Anonymous: I hope so too! I wld like to get my monies back..

    It is really sad how Lakme takes us for granted..

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  16. @Justice Divija: Playing the Devil's advocate :D

    I can understand the SA selling a tester to me by mistake.

    But the labeling on the lipstick was done by Lakme. And like I pointed out tht was not the only lipstick that turned out to be a different color. Both the lipsticks (Sugarbloom and Watermelon) were completely different colors.

    And even if such a labeling error has occurred on Lakme's part I expect them to have a little more integrity and announce a public wide recall.

    Why don't they just announce the batch numbers and ask the public to return the lippies, coz God knows what has gone wrong with the lippies, it could be the manufacturing process.

    We apply this lipstick on our lips - and ingest them. This can be a serious matter Divija.

    I luckily had the same lipstick on me and spotted the difference right away.

    What if some poor girl somewhere is smearing these lipsticks unknowingly and maybe, just maybe, putting her health in danger.

    Doesn't Lakme owe this to us after years of loyalty.

    Did people stop buying Nokia after their battery recall? In fact the respect went up when consumers saw that Nokia cared about them.

    Would it hurt Lakme so much to not spend on all those lavish ads and announce a public recall of the batch?

    Or maybe they have just not noticed it. I wonder if they have a random quality check process in place?

    I am sorry Divija, I know u have yr opinion and you have the full right to feel that way. :D

    But I am not going to be taking Lakme's side for once on this.

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  17. Thats a pity !
    I wd be majorily pissed if it wd have happened to me . Do fight for justice , they shouldn't take us for granted !!

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  18. @Palak: I know.. I'll keep u updated :D

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  19. How horrid!!This is plain cheating!!
    They spend all their money in hiring Yana Gupta n likes n hav things lik these to offer to the actual consumer!!

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  20. Hey T, I linked this post in my recent lakme post (is this the correct way to say it? lol I'm not sure but whatever...i'm tired.)
    Hope it's not a prob. U can check it out n let me know.
    ♥XX♥

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  21. Lol@Justice Divija.

    I came to this thread from Cynthia's post about the lipsticks and if I was you, I'd complain. That's bloody ridiculous that they sell you a tester, one which is a really dodgy shade at that.

    I fully agree with you boycotting the brand, I'd do the same!

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  22. @Simran: I know.. Planning to go today to get it changed.. If u need anything frm the store, lemme know :D

    @CZ: Thks for the support and link love :D

    @Rhamnousia: I have already written a mail to lakme. But am yet to get a response! Thks for the support sweetheart :D

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  23. Oh dear!

    I suggest u write in to their HQ to complain. Send in the pictures of the swatches too.

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  24. Hi Tanveer, I know I am toooo late in commenting on this, but this is very true that lakme has started taking the customers for granted. Now, their concentration is totally on organising fashion weeks and paying hefty sums to their designers. The latest gypsy collection is proof enough to show that they will extract money from us to pay the colour forecast designers, whereas the quality would be same or deteriorate.
    My last Lakme lipstiks would dry my lips to a great extent, no matter what I do, whereas, a cheap VOV lipstick is far far far better. I for one have boycotted Lakme for good. Do tell if your lipsicks were changed back then.

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