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EM Cosmetics: Michelle Phan's new cosmetic line.
- Thread starter zadidoll
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ZeeOmega
Zee
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Honestly, I could totally see art school students coming up with this. First, it breaks away from the predominantly dark-colored palette paradigm and it a stark contrast to it. And then the palette itself is reminiscent of paint palettes. I can totally picture someone standing in front of their class for a critique session, explaining the "clean, but playful design" along with some allusion to how the white should trigger some unconscious association with brands like Apple, who made white so trendy for electronics.
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I guess you are right. It does look like a paint palette!
However, I just think that the brand is inconsistent in a way that I see the price and it looks like it's targetting women in their career (or women who are married to a millionaire), while their packaging is playful and looks like they're targetting young adults and teenagers. Haha the brand says "makeup inspired by you" apparently by you they don't mean me and my wallet
ZeeOmega
Zee
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I tried zipcodes for six different states and had the appropriate amount of sales tax calculated for each one, including zero tax for New Hampshire that has no sales tax.
Short Answer: Our federal and state tax codes are a complete mess, and the IRS and state tax boards are still trying to figure out how to handle modern and online business practices.
It is a requirement that online merchants charge, collect and remit sales tax on behalf of customers based in a state in which the business has a physical presence. The reasoning was that were the customers to have purchased from the business in person, they would have been charged the local sales tax. Also, having a physical presence in a state makes it pretty hard to avoid the notice of local tax boards.
Here's the thing: even if a merchant doesn't collect sales tax from you, you are considered to still be liable for that sales tax. Much like how self-employed people are still liable for income tax, even though they have no employer taking it our of their salaries. Taxpayers were expected to calculate how much they had spent in online or untaxed sales, and then submit that sales tax along with their State filing. Problem being, that most people weren't including them in their tax filings and the states were starting to lose more and more sales tax revenue as more people shopped online.
Some states, like California, require that merchants collect and remit sales tax from customers regardless of if they have a physical presence in California. I think other states are moving towards this. Some merchants are proactively making this their policy so they can avoid transition headaches later. It looks like L'Oreal has decided to go for a universal approach.
Now, whether the states have a right to receive sales tax revenue from a merchant with no presence in their state and who receives no benefits from that state is a topic for a multi-day debate in which all sides will end up upset.
Kristine Walker
Her Nibs
I'm in AL and tax was added
ZeeOmega
Zee
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I have to admit that while the prices on her site are personally jarring for my own financial situation, I'm not too terribly surprised by them. I went to uni with some very wealthy kids. I currently live in a town that is home to a university that attracts are lot of super wealthy kids who want to have fun. There's an awfully high concentration of BMWs, Benzes, etc. being driven by the under 25 age bracket here. My husband is in the law program and there are times that I beg off from events because I can't keep up with or justify the cost of cocktail dresses for all of them. These students have money burning holes in their pockets waiting to be spent. The styles I see around town are fun, flirty and playful. I could see these girls checking out Em to try out, in addition to whatever else they have.
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Hi everyone. I actually got to try to product before it came out along with hundreds of other girls. Everything was set up at a table just like what you would find at Sephora. We got to try the products then had to immediately write reviews afterwards. I honestly wouldn't trust the reviews completely. I tried to leave honest reviews but I feel like the excitement of it being Michelle's line and being at the event makes them biased. The most concerning is that we didn't get to truly try the products. We swatched them but that's about it. There wasn't any testing over a period of time to determine how long wearing the product is or how it would hold up to weather conditions and the specificity of everyone's skin types. Also since everyone was trying out the make up you wouldn't want to put anything on your face. I think the price is way too high. She brought up the fact that it's supposed to be a luxury brand during the event, but even so it's quite pricey for the quality and what it is. Many people have already said it before, but if she really made the brand for her viewers, who are mostly young, she should have made it more affordable. Overall I think the quality of the products is much like the average quality of what you can find in the drugstore. Like many high end brands, it's just the name that shoots the price up.
These are my honest first impressions about the products:
- Lip Balm: Hardly any color at all. If you're familiar with the L'Oreal H.I.P. lip balms I would say it's a dupe. It's not worth it to me.
- Eye shadows/Life Palettes: Not amazing in terms of pigmentation. You do get a fair amount of color that seems to show true to what you see in the palette but I wouldn't expect extremely rich color. Not super dry or buttery smooth either. There are also several lip colors in the palette. I felt that the fall out from the shadows and blush would get into the lip glosses and ruin them. I brought this issue up to Michelle during question/comment time. She said the packaging wasn't final but it seems they didn't do anything about it. It also seems overpriced even with the quantity of eye shadows included. She's also selling a palette a quarter of the life palette size.... except it costs almost half of what the life palette costs. You can honestly find better at the drugstore. Wet n Wild is more pigmented.
- Lip sticks: Very creamy and pigmented. Quite beautiful actually. Even the sheer lipsticks pack enough color based on what I tried.
- Brow pencils: I felt like there wasn't enough variety in color but maybe it's because I prefer using taupe. It waxy enough so that you don't get a blob of color when applying. It gives more control. One girl used it on her brows and she got so many compliments. Pretty good.
-BB cream: Seemed a bit on the pink/cool tone side.
- Blush/Bronzer: Some of them look very bright in the pan but when you put them on they're actually more natural looking. I think they were pretty and blended well. I don't use bronzer so I wish they were sold separately.
-Concealer in tube: Reminds me of Sephora brand concealer.
- Concealer palette: I love the concept. It comes with a base color, one lighter, one darker and two correctors. You get a small well to mix the colors. I have terrible dark circles from studying a lot. Since I couldn't put it on I don't know if it's really good but it didn't leave a lasting impression.
- Mascara: I was wearing mascara so I didn't try it
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- Liquid liner: Dries matte. Cracks when skin is stretched beyond the state in which the product was applied.
- Eyeliner/water liner: Smooth and creamy. I think they might stay on for quite a while. When I rubbed them hard they didn't budge.
- Illuminators: I didn't try any of them but a girl said the the highlighter looked very natural and you don't get chunks or specks of glitter showing.
- Powder: It's very light. Much lighter than what it looks like in the pan. They all seemed pretty similar in color to me. Couldn't put it on my face so I can't say much.
Didn't try the foundation.
Again I can't speak for the lasting power of these products.
These are my honest first impressions about the products:
- Lip Balm: Hardly any color at all. If you're familiar with the L'Oreal H.I.P. lip balms I would say it's a dupe. It's not worth it to me.
- Eye shadows/Life Palettes: Not amazing in terms of pigmentation. You do get a fair amount of color that seems to show true to what you see in the palette but I wouldn't expect extremely rich color. Not super dry or buttery smooth either. There are also several lip colors in the palette. I felt that the fall out from the shadows and blush would get into the lip glosses and ruin them. I brought this issue up to Michelle during question/comment time. She said the packaging wasn't final but it seems they didn't do anything about it. It also seems overpriced even with the quantity of eye shadows included. She's also selling a palette a quarter of the life palette size.... except it costs almost half of what the life palette costs. You can honestly find better at the drugstore. Wet n Wild is more pigmented.
- Lip sticks: Very creamy and pigmented. Quite beautiful actually. Even the sheer lipsticks pack enough color based on what I tried.
- Brow pencils: I felt like there wasn't enough variety in color but maybe it's because I prefer using taupe. It waxy enough so that you don't get a blob of color when applying. It gives more control. One girl used it on her brows and she got so many compliments. Pretty good.
-BB cream: Seemed a bit on the pink/cool tone side.
- Blush/Bronzer: Some of them look very bright in the pan but when you put them on they're actually more natural looking. I think they were pretty and blended well. I don't use bronzer so I wish they were sold separately.
-Concealer in tube: Reminds me of Sephora brand concealer.
- Concealer palette: I love the concept. It comes with a base color, one lighter, one darker and two correctors. You get a small well to mix the colors. I have terrible dark circles from studying a lot. Since I couldn't put it on I don't know if it's really good but it didn't leave a lasting impression.
- Mascara: I was wearing mascara so I didn't try it
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />.- Liquid liner: Dries matte. Cracks when skin is stretched beyond the state in which the product was applied.
- Eyeliner/water liner: Smooth and creamy. I think they might stay on for quite a while. When I rubbed them hard they didn't budge.
- Illuminators: I didn't try any of them but a girl said the the highlighter looked very natural and you don't get chunks or specks of glitter showing.
- Powder: It's very light. Much lighter than what it looks like in the pan. They all seemed pretty similar in color to me. Couldn't put it on my face so I can't say much.
Didn't try the foundation.
Again I can't speak for the lasting power of these products.
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I have followed Michelle Phan's channel and blogs for a long time, and I really wanted to believe that she was a legit business woman. However after seeing all of the controversy unfold regarding her skincare line IQQU (Michelle claiming it was FDA approved when in fact, it was not) her jewelry line Ever Eden being of extremely poor quality, and her MyGlam/Ipsy venture (sending out re-labled products, charging customers and sending glambags with missing items and causing allergic reactions etc). It just totally discourages me from buying anything that is associated with her because of the way she responded, it was so unprofessional. I feel like this whole makeup line just screams to me that its yet again another rushed and lazy $$moneygrabbing$$ opportunity. I was reading on another gossip forum, that one of the round compacts she used from EM in a recent video, is already an existing product from Loreals own line. Honestly, if you want a better investment I would say, get a Ben Nye palette because you are getting more product. Just my two cents. It is expensive, but at least you know you are getting a good product and reputable company.
and btw, I am not hating on her. It just annoys me to see her jumping onto all these new projects and then immediately abandoning ship, as soon as the criticism starts rolling in. Instead of actually addressing the issues. Hopefully this time around she will actually care about this line.. we'll see =
and btw, I am not hating on her. It just annoys me to see her jumping onto all these new projects and then immediately abandoning ship, as soon as the criticism starts rolling in. Instead of actually addressing the issues. Hopefully this time around she will actually care about this line.. we'll see =
ZeeOmega
Zee
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Oh wow. The way they're marketing and getting reviews for this line is so weird. It's like they've decided to just toss out best practices altogether. Isn't the point of a large group like L'Oreal running it is to take advantage of their experience and market reach? Sounds more like they're trying to make a quick buck off of Michelle's name.
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That's crazy to know. It seems like Em makes us think that it is based on the opinions of make up users. That's too bad that you, as someone who tried the product before it launched, wouldn't trust the reviews as it seemed like they just put you in a room and made you say something about it without really trying it properly (ya know... Trying it on your face, wearing it for a whole day, etc)
I guess now we just have to wait until some beauty bloggers come up with a review of the products before we can actually find out how the quality is
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@Pandaristi @zadidoll Thanks for clarifying guys! I wished Michelle did a co-branding with Lancome instead. Like what MAC did with Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj. Since Lancome has brand loyalty, she'll be able to penetrate the upscale market easily.
L'Oreal owns Lancome but I see what you mean. I think it would have been better had Lancome did a Michelle Phan line within the Lancome brand kind of like how Jesse's Girl works with Julie G and she has her line under the Jesse's Girl brand.
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I agree with most of things you've captured here. I've typically launched tech products for IT folks and trade shows are a common launching pad. It's not the only one though a good option. I will say an NDA for a new product line is standard for lawyers to feel better and provides the option to sue if needed, due to intellectual property/design or formula theft and such.
However to another person's point, the gushing reviews on the site aren't ideal and dangerously biased. Sure bloggers are highly recommended/required to include disclaimers, reviews are not the same as trained journalists or an intensive review group like Good Housekeeping Institute. Don't get me wrong, I read plenty of blog reviews and appreciate their opinion. If I had a choice do I want Beth Blogger or professional reviewers with a more scientific approach, I take the latter on new stuff that's costing me a pretty penny.
There's so much that feels wrong when you actually want this product line/Michelle Phan to succeed. Shrug.
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I look forward to reading your review of the actual quality of the products. I can actually trust your opinion since the reviews on the site are mixed (I don't see how some people can say that a product it "really pigmented" and then another say that they aren't pigmented at all.) it makes it seem like the reviews are all faked. I myself am a "broke" college student and the only high end makeup I own is the benetint I received in my ipsy bag last month so it was quite the bummer for me to see her products at such a high price. I felt like if I was going to finally buy my first high end products I would definitely be going with products I KNOW will be good and not on a brand new line like em.
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Well I just figured that the reviews were written by those who tested the products before they were released and earlier in the feed someone mentioned that they were just able to swatch them and not actually use them on their face so I assumed they weren't using a base etc.
