Product Review: Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen

I received this felt-tip liquid eyeliner pen in the June 2012 MyGlam sample bag.

I have tried it several times since then, but will not be using it as a permanent product. Here's why:

I swatched this product on my hand several times to see how easily it would come off. It took a while, and would fade to a pale streak of dark blue, but it would come off with time or makeup remover. I looked for a list of ingredients online, as I generally do for products bearing the symbol that says their ingredients list is available elsewhere, but I could not find a list ANYWHERE. I, like an idiot, figured it would probably be just fine and I was being paranoid, and I tried wearing it.

I got it in my eyes and it stung like the blazes, which made me decide that a) I probably shouldn't persist in wearing this product and b) I really, really wanted to know what was in it. I contacted Marbella through their customer service form on their website, and never received a response. After a while I contacted MyGlam through their own customer service form. Here is the email they sent me:

Hi Jo,

Thanks for contacting myglam. Please find the below ingredients for Marbella's Eyeliner Pens

CONFIDENTIAL: Property of Marbella Cosmetics. Any duplication is strictly forbidden & illegal.

WATER - AQUA
OLETH-20
ACRYLATES COPOLYMER
TRI (C12-C13 ALKYL) CITRATE
PVP
BUTYLENE GLYCOL
OLEIC ACID
PALMITIC ACID
STEARIC ACID
PHENOXYETHANOL
IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA
ETHYLPARABEN
PROPYLPARABEN
BUTYLPARABEN
DMDM HYDANTOIN
ISOBUTYLPARABEN

xoxo,
[redacted] with myglam

As you can see, there are a number of products listed on this that many makeup consumers would be concerned about, the most hot-button being the four (four!) different parabens. Paraben compounds are a concern to many people because of a tentative link with development of Alzheimer's. I personally don't exclude them from products I use, but I recognize that many people do. If you have further questions about parabens, there is much more information available on the web that is accessible with a quick search.

Also listed are two formaldehyde-releasing compounds (imidazolidinyl urea and DMDM hydantoin). These compounds release formaldehyde slowly over time, and are used as antimicrobial agents in a wide variety of products. Formaldehyde is considered to be toxic and carcinogenic in humans, although it is considered acceptable use in very very small quantities. However, people can have certain allergies (to formaldehyde or to imidazolidinyl urea itself) which may be triggered by this product. This SHOULD be stated on the packaging, but is not.

What concerns me most about this is the statement at the top of the email claiming that it is illegal to duplicate this list. I asked MyGlam about this statement, and here is their reply:

Hi Jo, 

Sorry for the confusion. It's definitely not illegal to share the ingredients. The Marbella brand included that language and I'm not sure exactly what they mean by it. We can ask them for you you can contact Marbella's customer service at [redacted] if you'd prefer. Please let me know if you have any additional questions we can answer for you. 

Best,
[redacted]

I tried contacting their customer service number, but it rang and rang and went to someone's personal voicemail, so I am redacting it from this post because I do not want to accidentally give out someone's personal number.

It seems here as though Marbella is trying to claim that their ingredient list is confidential and should not be distributed, which is in direct violation of FDA regulations concerning cosmetics packaging. A product MUST either list the ingredients on its packaging, or in cases where that is not possible, clear directions must be included for where to access a list elsewhere or for how to obtain a list from the manufacturer. By their very nature, the ingredients in a cosmetic product CANNOT be confidential. The fact that Marbella does not list their ingredients online anywhere, did not respond to my queries about the ingredients, and apparently thinks that their ingredients list can be confidential are all things that concern me greatly. This concern is made worse by my suspicion that they're so reluctant to release the list because they are aware that many of these chemicals are shunned by the makeup consuming community.

I respect MyGlam for responding to my queries as openly as they could, although it still concerns me that they sent out this product in the first place. I am not making any accusations of illegal behavior, merely stating the facts, but according to the FDA:

It is illegal to introduce a misbranded cosmetic into interstate commerce, and such products are subject to regulatory action. Some of the ways a cosmetic can become misbranded are

• its labeling is false or misleading
• its label fails to provide required information
• its required label information is not properly displayed
• its labeling violates requirements of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 [FD&C Act, sec. 602; 21 U.S.C. 362]

This information is available on the FDA website here: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/CosmeticLabelingLabelClaims/default.htm

Marbella liners clearly do not bear on their packaging the required labeling information, i.e. a list of their ingredients or directions for locating or requesting a list of their ingredients.

Product Review: Philosophy take a deep breath oil-free energizing oxygen gel cream

I received this product in my June MyGlam bag and have been using it daily since then. I actually haven't been using moisturizer for a while because I ran out of my favorite brand and it's no longer manufactured, so I think I've had a pretty good test of this product. I'd heard of philosophy before but neither I nor my roommate had ever tried them, so I was unsure what to expect.

I wasn't that big on this product when I first received it, but I am determined to give everything I receive in my sample subscription boxes a good try, and this moisturizer definitely grew on me. I'm still scornful of philosophy's pseudoscience claim of "This cream diffuses energizing oxygen to detoxify skin and support cell respiration," but I can set that aside in the face of my actual enjoyment of the product. My skin feels much softer than it did at the start of the summer despite the ridiculously drying heat here and the fact that I've been taking many, many shifts at the telescope, where the air is much drier. I've also noticed a slight improvement in breakouts on my cheeks, which I was very surprised by! I may consider repurchasing this product if I run out of the other (very very nice but ridiculously expensive) moisturizer I got in my GlossyBox and don't receive any others to try in the near future. 


This product is still rather expensive for my tastes, but I'm enjoying it much more than I expected. It might be a splurge item in the future. We'll see. 

Product Review: Zoya Nail Polish

I have heard amazing things about this product and was really excited to try it when I got it in my GlossyBox. I love nail polish and am pretty picky about what brands I will buy and use, because my nails go through a lot of wear and tear working with pure acetone and lots of fiddly vials and jars in a chemistry lab and with lots of big heavy machinery at my telescope job. I hate having nail polish that chips easily, and so OPI is usually my go-to polish since I've had great luck with it not chipping and with the top coat protecting my polish pretty well even when I'm working directly with pure acetone.

Unfortunately, I was less than pleased with the results I got from the Zoya polish. I'm not even working in labs or at the telescope right now, just taking an easy summer class, and this polish started chipping the first day I was wearing it. It also took forever to dry. I liked the color, a sort of shimmery teal, but I was so disappointed with the quality of the polish. The final straw for me was when a chunk flaked off for no reason into the soup I was eating. I want to wear my nail polish, not eat it.

I'll definitely be giving this to my roommate or otherwise trading it for something. This polish is not worth my time.