First and foremost, I am going to state I have never given her or her company a dime.  Obviously, I am not affiliated since I do not and have not owned any of her products and was never sent any.  If I was, I would have given a review.  I’m going to try to keep this as fair as possible.  If you need elaboration, please let me know.

When the “repackaging scandal” first broke, I chose not to get involved.  Now, why didn’t I choose to get involved in the repackaging scandal?

• Buying a single mica, or two micas, and mixing them with fillers and adhesives (iron oxides) is not literal repackaging.  Wholesalers sell these ingredients separately, and to include them all she would have to mix them herself.  As Jessica Allison states, it only takes a pinch in a pound to make a product’s formulations unique.  It’s hard to fight that one.  Plus, you can’t copyright a color.  And while you can copyright a specific formula, it doesn’t mean those pigments aren’t available to other companies and that they can’t make a near identical product.
• Many companies have duplicates.  You can Google MAC eyeshadow duplicates and find a number of duplicates available.  Again, you can’t copyright a color.  This is nothing new in the cosmetics world.  From company to company on the ‘net, and the research I’ve done, her products do at least have a different texture than the other brands, even if they have an identical color.
• While the price to product ratio sucks, this is nothing new as well.  You’re paying for a name and an image, not for the product itself.  I can’t scorn her for doing something so many other companies do as well.
• Her video about how she formulates her products pretty much answers any and all questions in regards to where her products are made.
• There’s nothing illegal or immoral about using one mica and mixing it with the proper additives if that mica is the color you were looking for to begin with.  It wouldn’t be the first company, including many high end brands, that have only used one or two micas to achieve a color.
• As far as her advertising, I’m again going to quote Jessica Allison: “All companies currently (and always will) push the line of truth as far as they legally can to sell their product.”  How many mascara ads use false eyelashes?  I have yet to find one that doesn’t.
• If you Google for Lime Crime duplicates, you’ll find several suggested duplicates for one color, including multiple TKB duplicates (meaning TKB has duplicates of their own colors).
• Again, I can’t scorn her for something other companies have done, time and time again.
• In addition, I didn’t see why that many people would be surprised by her atrocious business practices since it was the same way when she had her clothing line (Again, you can Google this and filter through the information.  There were a lot of unhappy customers.)

As for the lipsticks, I’m unsure, I’ve never tried them.  Grey (Gothique) had previously posted a picture of a lipstick box, where people were disputing that the products said “Distributed by Lime Crime,” however, looking at some of my MAC, Nixie, Lancome and L’Oreal boxes, they all say the same thing.  This is not evidence of her using a private label.

While I’d be very interested in trying out her lipsticks, I can’t bring myself to pay $16 plus shipping and handling for a lipstick at this point in time — especially if I’m not familiar with the formulation.  If anyone would like to send me a tube or two, I’d be happy to give it a fair review and try it out.

Here’s what really bothers me about the whole ordeal:

Xenia’s not only getting angry about people saying she’s repackaging, but at people who offer colors that could, or would, serve as duplicates for hers.  Again, duplicates are far from unheard of in this industry.  As I said earlier, MAC has plenty of duplicate alternatives found by cosmetic lovers, but you don’t see them threatening anyone with a lawsuit.  (Let’s remember duplicate means identical, or nearly identical, and again, every company has them.)  While I can understand the irritation regarding the word “repackaging” (please read my list above), the word duplicate should offer no harm to her or her company.

Moving on for my readers to provide you with information to assist in you educating yourselves about the product.  Seeing as I’ve only fiddled with a couple Lime Crime eyeshadows purchased by friends, I’ve never purchased them myself I am unable to offer more cost efficient duplicates, so here are some suggestions:

It was brought to my attention that Lime Crime does not allow product reviews that are less than four stars to be posted on their website.  I’d like to direct everyone to Make Up Alley’s Lime Crime Reviews, where as long as you register (it’s free) you can post and read honest reviews that are available to anyone looking to purchase.  While the reviews may not be posted on Lime Crime, many people do use this to research products.  If you had a negative experience this is an excellent place to let people know.

Please keep in mind there have been customers who disliked the product only to be denied returns and have to file a PayPal dispute since Lime Crime does not offer returns on their products.

I recommend using Google to search for Lime Crime duplicates, where many sites have posted swatches to help you make an educated choice in your shopping experience.  If you want to save some money, definitely harness the power of Google to find what is most suitable for your wallet.  If you choose to purchase Lime Crime, I sincerely hope you thoroughly enjoy your product!