August 3, 2017

Taste Beauty Glamspin Causing Outrage on Sephora

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Yesterday, Sephora had an app exclusive release of the new Taste Beauty Glamspin which caused all sorts of outrage in the review section. You might recall I jokingly dissed the last Taste Beauty release which was the Felicia the Flamingo Lip Balm. Some of you like me felt like these types of kitsch lip balms don’t exactly fit in at Sephora where as others thought the lip balm was adorable and even purchased it.

Honestly, I grew up on lip balms like this. They might have even been a gateway drug of sorts into the world of makeup. I had dozens of different lip balms as a child and to this day I still love cutesy lip balms. But Taste Beauty, well, it’s a little too immature for me.

The recent release of the new Glamspin is $10 bucks and it features three scented lipglosses in strawberry, peach, and grape. It’s shaped like the popular spinners that we are seeing on the market at the moment.

Now, all is well and good with the release but yesterday a lot of users started taking to the review field to express their dislike of this release. Comments about ridiculous the release was started popping up but what really started to outrage Sephora users was the fact that Sephora allegedly started to deleted these so-called “negative reviews”.

It’s hard to say if Sephora was right or wrong in this situation but I’m leaning towards taking their side. Why?

Ok, so I am in agreement this is kind of dumb release but the review field is there for a reason and it’s not to rant about a product you haven’t yet tried. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves when someone puts a five star rating on something that literally just popped up on Sephora with a comment like, “I LOVE THIS! Can’t wait to get it!” That’s not only not helpful but also an abuse of the review form. The point of the review space is to leave a comment in it after you’ve tried the product not to just express how you can’t wait to try something.

Now, many times I’ve heard Sephora users express how they leave a poor review only to have it disappear later. Allegedly, Sephora has deleted poor reviews from their site according to some people. I personally never left a review on Sephora’s site so, I can’t say if this is true or not. But yesterday, people were expressing complete outrage that some of their negative comments, note I call them comments not reviews, from the Taste Beauty Glamspin listing. I’m looking at the listing in the app this morning and a lot of the comments are still there. So, if Sephora really did delete comments, I’m not seeing it because the review score at the moment is pretty darn low.

How do you feel about this situation?

How do you feel about the Taste Beauty Glamspin?

Do share 🙂

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About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Mary

    It’s not for me…. but if it was an app release no one actually has the product yet so those comments are definitely not reviews. How do you review something you don’t even have yet? If people don’t like something, here’s a novel idea… don’t buy it. Move on. Click the x and off the page. Why be a jerk and make a dumb comment? Just my 2 cents.

  • Angie

    Do people really have nothing better to do? In my opinion this “Glamspin” looks like something Sephora could have used for an April Fools gag. I saw it on their site a couple days ago and thought it was a joke at first. As for the deleted reviews Sephora was 100% in the right to take them down. These people didn’t purchase the item and are more or less troll comments. I know Sephora wouldn’t delete a legitimate negative review as I’ve seen many on their site before.

    • Sarah

      I agree. They didn’t buy the product, they’re just being negative and hateful for the sake of being negative and hateful. Sephora has every right to take down reviews from those who didn’t buy it or try it.

    • Megan

      Sephora definitely deletes legitimate negative reviews. Especially on new launches. I’ve had my negative reviews deleted even when I clearly state that I’ve purchased and tried the product.

  • Liz

    Ugh I hate it when people write reviews on things they’ve never tried. It’s so ridiculous. I think reviews (good or bad) by people who haven’t actually tried the product should be deleted.

  • momo

    I had a review deleted from the sephora site once! It was a few years back for a nail polish set that was super hyped and turned out to be super low quality, I got curious and followed it for a little while it and reviews disappeared regularly, so that business with reviews getting deleted is for real at least for this single sample.

    But also, lighten the f up people. There’s simply the fact that I don’t give a dang if you don’t like the platonic state of spinner makeup, but also the level of vitriol is redolent of people just hating on the youths out of jealousy and fear and all that, as if you dismiss it out of hand it will erase the passage of time and your inevitable irrelevancy. Just put the $100 face cream in your cart and let the fidget spinner be, gurl, and I’ll keep my judgement off of the review section and right here on beauty blog chat where it belongs. 😛

  • Sarah

    It’s just a silly product! If you hate it so much, don’t buy it!

    I actually read the reviews to see if a product is worth my money or not. When people abuse the reviews like this, it makes it impossible to determine if the product is good or not. If you INSIST on complaining so bitterly about a silly, kitschy product, then take to social media.

    This is so stupid. It’s makeup. And no one is forcing you to buy a gimmicky little product. No one.

  • Erin

    I have left three reviews on Sephora website. Two of them were four stars and are still on (I left them last year). The one negative I left was deleted the day I wrote it. So at least in my case, I can say they do delete, even if the review was of the product and not negative against Sephora.

  • Nemo

    I’m with you! One of my biggest pet peeves when I am reading reviews “I can’t wait to get this” or even better they give it a couple stars and say “my order came 2 days late” or something else irrelevant to that specific product. Why do people think that should translate to a poor review?? How is that helping anyone make a decision about buying that specific product? Sorry rant over haha

    • Isabella Muse

      Totally agree! A lot of comments make no sense at all and aren’t relevant to use of the product/formula/etc!

  • Angela Spivey

    I don’t blame Sephora……they aren’t deleting negative REVIEWS, they are deleting negative comments that don’t need to be there. There is no need for those types of comments, I agree with Mary – if you think its a dumb product you don’t have to buy it.

    As far as the product goes, I love this idea. I take my 9 yr old daughter with me to Sephora sometimes but there isn’t much that I would buy for her in the store – she has no need to be wearing makeup yet (my personal opinion). But now she has something that she can get and feel like she’s part of the makeup shopping experience!

  • Deb

    I have no problem with Sephora deleting comments on a product that someone hasn’t purchased. That section is for reviews, not general comments. Sephora DOES delete bad reviews. It’s happened to me 3 times. In each case, my review was based on the claims of the particular product. And in each of those reviews I simply stated how the product didn’t perform based on its claims. No ranting or raving, just not a glowing review.

  • Victoria

    I actually really like the idea of Sephora having a small selection of makeup geared more toward kids and tweens. I had a full Tinkerbell makeup collection as a kid (remember the peel-off nail polish) and a bigger kit that I was allowed to play with but not leave the house with on my face. This would give kids tagging along with their moms/aunties/grandmas to Sephora the sense of getting something “high-end” instead of those obvious kiddie makeup kits. That’s another thing I like about a lot of the K-beauty packaging; it’s very kid-friendly in addition to being fun for those of us who never stopped loving whimsical design.

  • Carol

    Totally agree with everyone. First of all, I read the reviews of products because I want to see what other people who have actually tried it have to say. I am sick of people leaving “reviews” for products they haven’t tried yet. Like Muse said, it is supposed to be a review of the product not a place to rant. I don’t blame Sephora for weeding out the ranting comments, however, they should NOT ever delete an actual poor review. That is not right.

  • Rebecca

    I can also confirm that Sephora deletes negative reviews, even if they are legitimate – by legitimate, I mean that someone who has purchased and used the product – though it is most often someone who leaves a negative review on a product that he/she shouldn’t have bought in the first place, i.e. “This anti-acne cleanser is too harsh for my dry, sensitive skin” – well duh – or “I don’t like this waterproof mascara because my facial cleanser didn’t get all of it off” – again, well duh. The other typical scenario is several negative reviews on a newly released product that they are really hyping – I’ve had my own reviews deleted in that situation. If they are investing heavily in a new launch, they’re not going to risk having it tanked before it gets off the ground, even if it’s a crap product.

    But I think they are right to delete “troll” reviews from people who haven’t bought or even seen a product, as well as complaints about customer service or delivery time. And if you are so mature and important that a silly novelty product offends you, then you should be too mature and important to spend your time leaving a snarky review!

  • Megan

    I’ve left negative reviews on products that I purchased and tried and had a defect (ex: Sol de Janiero fragrance has faulty packaging, leaked everywhere.). Sephora deleted it! I tried over and over bc I legit didn’t want people to buy a product that leaked out during shipment and waste their money. Sephora only left my review up when I put 2 stars instead of 1. I’ve also noticed that they tend to delete negative reviews on new launches the most. Shady as hell.

  • kjh

    Anticipatory reviews are a problem all over, esp. on Beautylish, which is more ‘serious’ than Sephora. Idk why they don’t take them down out of policy. Jeffree gets five stars on untried products, even if they were broken! (The classic js problem). For a few generations of iOS, my iPad was unable to consumer review on S. So I have quit doing it. S website is not iPad friendly, and the revamp hindered many people on many platforms. But I had a classic ‘refuse to publish’ moment. I skerwered the touch in sol eyeliners as ‘torture.’ Now, Ulta won’t let you use certain words, like ‘fire,’ even in a good way (which it was, but I have been hit by that twice.). At the same time, I wrote a glow ball on mufe AS. Mind you, the 5 star was up before I had finished the third review of whatever. REALLY. Up in seconds! But the touch in sol was never published. Even though I noted how gracious S had been with the return. And boy, were those liners gorgeous, but unusable. Refusal to print reviews seems to be a thing whereby they can keep the rating to at least average, three star. You can read complaints about this all over. Frankly, I’m so generally annoyed w/S, that any ratings WOULD be influenced, so it’s good I quit.

  • Sheree

    They absolutely do delete negative reviews. I left a horrible review for the reformulated UD All-Nighter spray, which to me (and many others, apparently) smells like a dirty ashtray. They got it off there quick as a bunny.

  • S

    I was totally against this because my first impression is that they’re profitting off of items meant for mentally ill and autistic folks’ coping mechanisms, but after reading the comments, I realized that there may be people, like people said, children, who are both autistic and have love of makeup who may love this. Weird I didn’t see it from that angle considering I’m one of those autistic makeup lovers, hah.

    • kjh

      Were the spinners actually designed for that population…and spread virally to the general public? Or did the families and support personnel for autistic and sensory disordered individuals just recognize how good the spinners could be? Just as a substitute for sib or other negative behaviors, the fidget spinners have great applications. Think the wave has crested on general popularity. As to this or any product, if you think it is stupid, don’t buy it. And if you haven’t tried it, don’t review. S has some new to them acne dots at $15. But I should not review them and say you can get Cosrx for 5$. Or Nexcare for 7. That’s not the place, and I did not try them. People really are losing their boundaries about what comments belong where.

      • S

        I am not too clear on the origins of the product itself but all I know is that a lot of autistic folks use it for calming techniques (lot are marketed as stim toys), and it got popular for the general populace as well. While I don’t think everyone using it is a bad thing, it does rub me in the wrong way when it’s simultaneously popular but mocked as being “stupid” at the same time (and I’m using censored word here, using things that help autistic folks for fun but mocking autistics at the same time just doesn’t fly for me).
        I do agree leaving “reviews” that aren’t reviews should be deleted! I rolled my eyes when I first saw this but didn’t write a review because it’d be misleading. I was simply making an observation from reading the comments that what I thought was negative could potentially be a positive thing! 🙂 The only time I’m okay with people “reviewing” things they didn’t buy are mega/value sets that they calculate for me as not being a good deal haha.

  • Christina

    Oh yeah, I hate that about the review section on Sephora’s webpage. People use it as a forum rather than what it’s really intended for, which is like you said, a review of the product after you have used it. That being said, I have found that some of my reviews, positive or negative, don’t pop up on their webpage sometimes, which really discourages me from reviewing a product. I once negatively reviewed a foundation, and it showed up for one day and then was taken down. I have no idea why, seeming as it was a real review. LOL!

  • TropicalChrome

    I’m with the others – a lot of those aren’t reviews, they’re opinions about whether Sephora should or should not be selling that product. (And frankly, I think selling kitschy stuff like that cheapens their brand, but it’s their brand.)

    If they are deleting negative reviews that have reviewed the actual product in question, well, that says a lot to be about their integrity (or lack thereof). Not everything they sell (or anyone else, for that matter ) is going to be good. If all the reviews of everything are nothing but good, I don’t believe them.

    But all that having been said, sheesh, it’s just lip glop in a trendy package. Really not worth getting one’s hackles up over.

  • Ashley

    Awwww! Reminds me of something I would have adored as a kid too! Honestly I kind of want it lol
    But I actually completely agree with Sephora *ducks* because the review section is supposed to be a review of the product itself, not 5 stars OMG can’t want to get this. Honestly it’s such a pet peeve of mine…or negative “reviews” like these…you can voice your thoughts on social media or blogs but in my opinion you shouldn’t review something you haven’t tried. *Steps off soapbox*

  • Lorraine E.R

    It must be frustrating for the company too because their product isn’t even available yet but the rating sucks, all because people can’t keep their negative comments in appropriate places for them. I am fine with them deleting non-reviews in the review space. The bigger issue of them deleting negative reviews in general is more worrying though. Hopefully there’s an explanation for that.

  • CL

    People either don’t know or don’t care that Sephora has a forum on its own site for comments like those. They definitely shouldn’t write reviews for products they’ve never even held in their hands.

  • Elaine Greene

    Great topic. Thank you for posting on it. The lip spinner dodad is of no interest to me but I do believe that Sephora removes some negative reviews / comments. While that is their right, it means I don’t take their ratings as a 100% representation of consumer feedback. I believe they are inflated. I take them into account, but also consider other reviews.

  • Julia

    I don’t know much about Taste Beauty but it seems like people forgot about the flamingo lip balm they came out with a few months ago… I think Taste Beauty just does a lot of novelty lip items and I don’t see what’s wrong with it. They clearly put it out because there’s a market for it.

  • Jojo

    I bought one for my 9 year old daughter last night when this popped up. She is into fidget spinner so I thought it’s cute and it looks like colorless balm kids makeup anyway. And yes the reviews are stupid, ppl should not be leaving reviews without trying the products I agree with you! And it’s $10, no harm done. If it doesn’t spin and lip balm is crap I can always return it. Why are ppl leaving mad comments it’s funny

  • Tabitha

    Ok it is unfair to review a product that hasnt been tried out. But Sephora is guilty af for deleting poor reviews, its happened to me a few times. My reviews were valid on products I tried. Korres Saffron Elixer for $100 a bottle? Garbage. Boscia White Charcoal Setting Spray? $38 garbage that burnt my face. Leneige Lip Mask? NOT better than Bites Agave Lip Mask. These are just reviews of mine in the last month that didnt rank high enough to be posted. I feel like the number of stars you rate a product coincides with your review being deleted. I’m going to experiment & give what I call the Pass Products nothing lower than a 3 star rating, just so my review is read by others. I feel like giving a 1 star review will automatically get you booted from the reviews. I’m sure the cosmetic companies pay for this when a new product is released. It’s maddening. Sephora used to be a place for trusted reviews but IMO something has changed & now they pick & choose what their customers read about products. I like to have the freedom of honestly reviewing a product that I have either spent my own money or used my saved points to try, which is something Sephora has taken away lately. I mean I agree giving a poor review on an item you haven’t tried yet out of spite is not only bad but childish as well. But all of us true makeup lovers recognize this act because we know when the products are released and we know when a customer is just giving a poor review without trying something. Every single product with an anticipated release is going to suffer those complaining of pricing or packaging or product amount. KVD Saint/Sinner everlasting liquid lip kit releases got a lot of these. Or people that complain about a sellout when they see the prompt to receive an email on restock, when in reality it hasn’t even been released yet. Sephora needs to spend more time evaluating the reviews. If they want to push a “social community” section of their app- they’d do well to let us have it, with honesty.

  • Patti Zayac

    The reviews section for any retailer is to add your comments/thoughts regarding a product you have purchased…not for a sounding board because you don’t agree with the seller for making the product available. If you don’t like the product, move on, bitch to your friends. Sephora has every right to remove comments that aren’t reviews. I find it annoying when someone adds a “review” and says “Can’t wait to get this”…that’s nice, maybe come back when you have something to say about the product after you tried it. As for this spinner thing, yes, it’s kind of a childish product, but I never thought Sephora was a high end retailer anyway…they sell various brands of makeup and beauty products.

  • melissa

    I am a 37 year old mother of 3 boys who enjoys attending Pokemon League to play the card game with my kiddos. I own 2 fidget spinners and recently bought my comic book geek husband a Captain America fidget spinner (which he loves). Needless to say I immediately went out and bought this Glamspin and got free shipping as a VIB Rouge member. So while this product does not suit many, there is a niche market for this. Had there been a boy version of this with a less glossy appearance, I would have been all over it as it is a struggle to get my boys to use chapstick on their crusty lips. Chapstick inside a spinner….Amazeballs.

  • Brandi

    I agree- Review space is for REVIEWS. Hello People! Go to Facebook, Twitter, or any other social forum and rant. It’s a product for sale, it is makeup, Sephora is in the business of selling such items…. It is annoying to see such absurd behavior over lip balm. It’s a novelty clearly. Why all the hate? Move on if it’s not for you, it is not necessary to rant and rave over a product you aren’t even going to purchase. I guess it goes back to the saying, “Haters gonna Hate”. Just sad to see so much hate over lip balm. Am I the only one who thinks this is beyond ridiculous?

  • Deborah

    I can’t imagine what the big deal is? Just because some people don’t like this product, others will. In life we are given a huge amount of choices because we don’t all like the same things. Look how many car models
    there are – homes – movies – books – cosmetics – food (!) to name a few. And anyway, what is there about this to be angry about? I am quick shocked.

  • Jodi

    My wish came true???!!! I’ve been sending Sephora telepathic hints to certify that reviewers are genuine “consumers”!
    It makes me crazy that people post their OPINIONS vs an actual REVIEW!!!!I’d hoped that Sephora would develop a system for deleting comments made by fools who’ve never used the product! Otherwise this crap distorts reality & negates the usefulness of reading accurate reviews!
    Additionally, the negative “Star” ratings distort the buyers perceptions! Knee jerk reactions to low “Stars” produce preconceived notions – In the past ( “Pre-MUSE ) I personally, lost interest in pursuing on item with 3 or less stars! In contrast, I would purchase a 5 Star item only to be devastated by the poor performance!!!
    Hurray for The Muse! So thankful to have discovered a highly credible resource for accurate & honest reviews!

  • Iris

    It’s not for me but I think it’s cute as was the flamingo. If the product isn’t released and people are commenting to voice their opinions on how “bad” it is without trying it, I feel Sephora is within their right to remove the review.