MicaBella/MicaBeauty: Questions about their products

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Originally Posted by thesqueeze /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Amazing! I absolutely love their eyeshadows and if you can find a kiosk it's totally worth getting a few since they usually do deals when you purchase a couple of colors.  Love love love the stuff and I can't seem to find as good of a deal online anywhere.
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Then I guess you haven't looked at all

 
I have had a couple people I know buy this brand. Almost every one of them had some kind of reaction to the product. Wether it was breaking out or some kind of rash. I have noticed the sales girls to be REALLY pushy. Every time I walk past the kiosk, even if I have already said no to them, they still try and get me to look at it. I've never tried it personally, but since the people i know who have tried it had bad reactions too it, I won't be getting some any time soon.

 
I wouldn't try it either if people I know have had bad reactions something that should be relatively inert.  I'v heard of the product name but nothing about the actual product but if some people are having allergic reactions to it, I'll stay clear as well.

 
Originally Posted by SophieIowa /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I just found this forum yesterday by searching for ''micabella'' into Google.

I had a pretty bad experience with the saleslady. She didn't listen to anything I was saying!

I had virtually NO MONEY WITH ME, about thirty dollars. And I needed that thirty dollars to buy shirts for my new job which requires you wear blue tops. I had just moved into my own apartment too, I told her there was no way in heck I could buy a 200 dollar makeup set right now.

''WELL ILL GIVE YOU A DEAL, I CAN ONLY DO THIS FOR ONE PERSON A DAY - HOW ABOUT $150??''

NOOOO leave me alone!
It makes me wonder how they are trained. Apparently they will be fired if they don't get a lot of sales, because everyone here is seemingly gettng pushed around by these people at the mall.


I noticed that too, that on the last three posts of the first page, it's all people with ''1'' post raving about MicaBella...
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Well first of all let me give you a little history of the sales people for Micabella and other kiosks you find in the mall, it should explain why most customers feel horassed.

The people working at these kiosks are hired by the owner of these kiosks who then goes online and takes people from Isreal who have posted job listings and are looking for a more lucrative paycheck. Once they fly themselves over here there are usually no more than 2 people working at 1 kiosk, and they work 6 sometimes 7 days a week from open until close and sometimes stay open even after the mall closes. This is because the owner of these particular kiosks only pay commission for what the sales people sell. If they do not sell, they do not make any money. Thus they must say whatever to make a sale. They are not trained professionals, they are told what to say by their boss and thats it. And they are not interested in whats best for the customer, but whats the best sale for themselves. And i am not saying you can't fly people over from foreign countries to sell a product, but i've been working in the biggest mall in the world for awhile now and i've gotten to know the sales people very well and are friends with a few actually. Infact my office (which i'm in right now) is about 5 feet away from a Micabella kiosk. I also know quite a few dirty secrets for other branded kiosks that claim to sell high quality products just from networking with the sales people. As well as, people love to spill the beans about a company if they got fired or quit. But honestly i don't blame them for the lack of knowledge the sales people of Micabella have, i blame their superior. I just wish they did a mini training course teaching them everything about the product, and maybe some better methods of approaching customers instead of chasing them, i've even seen a few sales people grab customers shirts to get their attention. :s

Now the quality of Micabella on a scale of low to high quality, would be a medium. All ingrediants on the label are not listed. Foundation colors are some-what limited. It consists of a very sparkly powder which sort of gives off the look that you are going to prom. Although from reviews people say it gave them a glow, but it consists of tiny sparkles. In my opinion sparkles do not give a glow, what should give a good glow is a luminescent ingrediant rather than sparkles. Eye shadows are well pigmented and do offer a nice selection of sparkly colors. I also find that some of eyeshadows go on less intense than they look, which i personally i like sometimes. Other than that, the prices are insane, from my knowledge it's mother company isn't Louis Vuitton lol. But do not be completely sold on what the sales people are telling you. Do your own research on the company, there are some sites where chemists and bio technologists have tested these products and can give you a detailed inspection of the products and whether they are truly of good quality and good for your skin. And i think thorough research would be highly recommended for this product for people who have skin conditions or sensitive skin just to be on the safe side. From my knowledge, they don't claim to be hypo-allergenic or non-comedogenic. But i will say, there are a variety of things you can do with the eye shadows as previous posts have mentioned which i think is unique and cool. But in my overall opinion, i would recommend other mineral makeups. There are plenty more reputable mineral make up lines that offer better quality at a better price. Hope this helps!

Dr.Zee

 
I looked into buying Micabella products ever since they opened up the kiosk in my city's mall. I was pretty intrigued at first, but the more I went, the more I was turned off from them. The idea is kind of neat, where you can use one pigment for so many different things, (lip gloss, shadow, eyeliner, nail polish, etc.). Micabella is definitely overpriced. I don't mind paying $20 for an eyeshadow pigment, especially where pigments last me so long, but the containers are so small! You're better off paying the extra $2.00-$3.00 and getting a MAC pigment, which I am in love with! I can't say i've never wasted my money on Micabella before....This morning my fiance took me down to the mall to look for a good brush set. Micabella sells a beautiful one for $180 + tax (Canadian Currency!!). I didn't want to pay $180, and there were 2 brushes in the kit that I didn't want whatsoever. The lady gave me 10% off, so it came to $182 and some change. And she swapped out the 2 brushes for 2 other Mica brushes (a bit lower in quality) but I would find more use for. I tried to get more money off, where 2 brushes weren't worth what the others were. Waste of my time! She wouldn't even try to work around me a bit. I was stupid enough to buy the brush kit....I was really hurting for some brushes, and i'd have to wait 6-8 weeks for shipping if I were to buy MAC or Sigma or anything like that. 

Edit: Also, the colours are a bit too sparkly for me. I don't mind some brightness in my shadows, but only sometimes. I'm more of a 'matte colour' person anyways. My comments are all my personal opinions and are not here to offend or upset anyone. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

Love the brushes, dislike Micabella very much. 

 
OMG is all that I can say about this make-up.  I love the stuff and totally addicted.  I have had it for over a year and am still using the same pods for the eye shadow.  It is made in the USA, not tested on animals and is made from pure mineral pigments.  It can be mixed with water and tamed dowm or amped up with lots of glam and glitter.  You can buy the base products there or use your own foundation eye base to set it.  Never going back to ID or other mineral products form eye make-up.  THe Rose water is nice, but I am not so impressed with their skin care line as I am the actual make-up products.  

 
I just found this site after trying to find reviews on Micabella. Like most of you I was harassed by a sales girl. I walked by her once and was able to say no. I walked by again as the mall was closing and she got in my face, dragged me over to her cart and started doing the 30 second demo on all of the things their product does. As a makeup artist, I've seen this kind of product a hundred times. I first saw them in the late 90's/early 2000's. There was actually a different kiosk in my mall at the time selling the stackable sets. I allowed the girl to make her sales pitch because as a makeup artist and a cosmetic consultant, I understand the point of trying to make a sale. I know that they work on commission so I over looked her pushieness and gave her a chance. Once she told me the price I heckled her a bit and she said that since I was her last customer she'd sell me one color for $10 but that I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that I got a "$25" product for $10. So I got a color I wanted to experiment with and she put it in a bag. Then she started mumbling something about selling me their "special lipgloss" which we all know isn't special at all. She got really annoyed when I told her that I only wanted the eyeshadow. So I'm about to leave and her partner comes up and starts badgering me about not being able to afford a $25 eye shadow but I had a Sephora bag. She asked me what I bought at sephora. I told her I bought brush cleaner and she kept trying to convince me that if you soak your brushes in a sink full of really hot, soapy water, it cleans them better........ummm, hi, if you're going to make claims about being in the business you should probably know what you're talking about. Long story short, as a makeup artist and makeup consultant for a company that sells toxin free makeup, Micabella is not the best stuff out there. It's way overpriced and like someone else said, the company should give some sort of training on how to talk to potential customers. If nothing else, I'll use the makeup on face charts and wont have spent much.

 
You are indeed  a very  patient person, leslieslocker. I'd probably have stuffed the piggie down the salesperson's throat and reclaimed my 10 bucks on the spot...

 
Really its a  very good product i have seen many people who are using micabella products ang having good experience.

 
I’ve tried so many mineral foundations and have never been satisfied, I’ve go back to using channel. The minerals themselves will not go bad. It sounds to me like those salesladies were way too pushy!

 
@topic:  Micabella isn't bad. I really like the shimmery finish on the eyeshadows and I love the fact that the product actually stays on your face and doesn't wear off easily. The color selection is fabulous too!

  I do think it is overpriced though. I have been in other stores that sell mineral makeup for a much lower price. And I'm not one hundred percent sure that Micabella doesn't have an expiration date. How the heck does makeup last forever??

  Honestly, I don't think the salespeople (that sell Micabella) are well trained and I don't think they know what they're talking about. I also wish they actually just had a normal store, not a kiosk. I have an aversion to kiosks for some reason. Stores seem more trustworthy and more professional to me.

BTW, the reason I say I think the salespeople at Micabella don't know what they're talking about is because I bought some eyeshadow from them, and the lady who sold it to me didn't seem to know what colors to recommend, or even how to recommend makeup colors properly. She just literally said, "oh, let me see what color your eyes are..brown! Everything goes with your eye color!"

  This is actually completely false. I wasn't exactly sure of my color season for a while, and I kept changing my mind about what season I thought I was.

  I actually know that I'm a dark autumn now. I had a professional analysis done by Lora Alexander online, and I am sure that she is correct. I tried on some different things in a store just to make sure, and the dark autumn colors definitely look the most "right" on me! And my absolute worst colors do seem to be summer palette pastels, and even some really light earth tone colors look very "blah" on me too. I need the darker earth tone colors for balance.

  But there are definitely makeup colors that are ideal for each color season, and ones that are right out.

  And because I wasn't sure of my season at the time and still thought that I might be a dark winter, I ended up picking out a bright, cool pink eyeshadow that doesn't look that natural on me, just because I tend to be drawn to pink. The salesperson didn't seem to be able to tell that pink wasn't the best choice for me. She was just aggressively pushing me to buy anything, to be honest with you, and I never find that to be a very impressive trait in any salesperson. I understand that they need to make sales so they can earn commission, but as a person who sells makeup I think it is critical that you understand color analysis, and that you can tell what colors are good for any given person, and what is right out for them. You won't get repeat sales if you recommend bad products or bad color choices for people.

  So yeah, my verdict is this: Micabella is actually okay. The salespeople often suck and I wouldn't necessarily listen to them. (I hope I'm not going to get flamed for writing my honest opinion lol!)

  I believe they have a website and you can order their makeup online too. (At least they used to.) They are very expensive though, but if you don't mind splurging a bit I would recommend buying their makeup online and skipping the mall altogether.

 
In mineral makeup there really isn't anything that would go rancid or harbor bacteria - zinc oxide is antibacterial. If your foundation does not become moist somehow it's ok for very long time. pressed stuff is pressed with natural oils and Iredale's stuff has some skin healing organic components added and does have a expire date but your basic mica, TiO2, ZnO and FeO mix is practically eternal.

I don't think Micabella employs professional makeup artists... products are not that bad but salespeople are not as knowledgeable as they should be.

A small scandal has erupted in one Estonian beauty forum: a client was treated disrespectfully by a Micabella consultant - after trying on the foundation she returned the following day wishing to buy it and was greeted with "if you're not buying don't waste my time". An inquiry sent to the main office resulted in additional insults "customer should respect the consultants work and not bother them when all they want is free makeup" (loose translation on both cases). There have been more such incidents.

 
It's interesting that you mentioned Micabella does not hire professional makeup artists. I agree completely. I'm not a makeup artist, but I know I do my makeup well. When I visited Micabella she kept pressuring me to let her do my makeup. (Even though I already had mine applied.) Eventually I got annoyed and gave in. I asked that she starts with a primer, because I have a dry t-zone and didn't want the powder foundation to make me look like my nose was peeling off. She said that "they were out" of primer...hmmm (funny because everytime I've called back since...just to see....they said they were "out" and expecting a new shipment soon..)

Now, besides the fact she took about 10 minutes just to do my concealor and foundation, she caked it on...And I mean CAKED it on! I wouldn't even let her touch my eye makeup. The girl could hardly hold the brush. If Micabella DOES hire professionals, they have incredibly low standards for what they believe is good.

I ended up going to the drugstore, buying NYX foundation (I normally dont like drugstore foundations, but I was 30 minutes away from my house and needed to be somewhere!!!) and it looked 100% better than the strange application Mrs. gave me.

 
Originally Posted by AlexandraRae /img/forum/go_quote.gif

It's interesting that you mentioned Micabella does not hire professional makeup artists. I agree completely. I'm not a makeup artist, but I know I do my makeup well. When I visited Micabella she kept pressuring me to let her do my makeup. (Even though I already had mine applied.) Eventually I got annoyed and gave in. I asked that she starts with a primer, because I have a dry t-zone and didn't want the powder foundation to make me look like my nose was peeling off. She said that "they were out" of primer...hmmm (funny because everytime I've called back since...just to see....they said they were "out" and expecting a new shipment soon..)

Now, besides the fact she took about 10 minutes just to do my concealor and foundation, she caked it on...And I mean CAKED it on! I wouldn't even let her touch my eye makeup. The girl could hardly hold the brush. If Micabella DOES hire professionals, they have incredibly low standards for what they believe is good.

I ended up going to the drugstore, buying NYX foundation (I normally dont like drugstore foundations, but I was 30 minutes away from my house and needed to be somewhere!!!) and it looked 100% better than the strange application Mrs. gave me.
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I've noticed that their sales associates try to take off and re-do people's makeup (that they have already spent time and effort doing) and I think it is extremely rude and inconsiderate of them (to do that.)  Luckily, that never happened to me, but there is another company that sells nail products and hand lotions and stuff that seems to operate the same way as Micabella. Unfortunately, I can't ever remember what they're called, but they sell this special nail buffing product that makes your nails super smooth and shiny without having to apply any nail polish. Like Micabella, they sell their products out of kiosks that are set up in malls, not out of an actual store. And their sales people are just as rude and pushy.

  One time I had a full manicure done at a nail salon in the mall close to where I live. Maybe about ten to fifteen minutes after I'd just had my nails done, I was walking through the mall, and I got ambushed by the lady at the nail product kiosk. She was like, "oh let me show you this product!" And I just gave in and was like, "oh okay." I figured I'd probably end up buying some fancy hand cream or something. Before I could even think, she took off the nail polish from one of my fingers. From the manicure I'd just paid money for. She did the demonstration of her nail buffer. And yeah, the product is sort of neat and somewhat impressive at first sight, but really??  It was so rude that she took off my nail polish (from only one finger) without asking me if it was okay. And I didn't have the nail polish at home to re-apply it. It was from the salon! I had to remove all the nail polish so my fingers would match.

  So, yes, I agree. All these companies that operate out of kiosks in malls seem to hire people who behave really unprofessionally and don't seem to know how to make a sale properly.
 

 
Originally Posted by LadyDragonFire /img/forum/go_quote.gif


I've noticed that their sales associates try to take off and re-do people's makeup (that they have already spent time and effort doing) and I think it is extremely rude and inconsiderate of them (to do that.)  Luckily, that never happened to me, but there is another company that sells nail products and hand lotions and stuff that seems to operate the same way as Micabella. Unfortunately, I can't ever remember what they're called, but they sell this special nail buffing product that makes your nails super smooth and shiny without having to apply any nail polish. Like Micabella, they sell their products out of kiosks that are set up in malls, not out of an actual store. And their sales people are just as rude and pushy.

  One time I had a full manicure done at a nail salon in the mall close to where I live. Maybe about ten to fifteen minutes after I'd just had my nails done, I was walking through the mall, and I got ambushed by the lady at the nail product kiosk. She was like, "oh let me show you this product!" And I just gave in and was like, "oh okay." I figured I'd probably end up buying some fancy hand cream or something. Before I could even think, she took off the nail polish from one of my fingers. From the manicure I'd just paid money for. She did the demonstration of her nail buffer. And yeah, the product is sort of neat and somewhat impressive at first sight, but really??  It was so rude that she took off my nail polish (from only one finger) without asking me if it was okay. And I didn't have the nail polish at home to re-apply it. It was from the salon! I had to remove all the nail polish so my fingers would match.

  So, yes, I agree. All these companies that operate out of kiosks in malls seem to hire people who behave really unprofessionally and don't seem to know how to make a sale properly.
 
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I am "lucky" to have both of these kiosks in my mall.....and of course they happened to be RIGHT next to each other. I usually duck into a store if they're trying harder than normal to get me to try something. I had a similar experience with a hand creme guy that makes me wonder why I didn't press charges. You know those fun happy go lucky metro guys that you love to take with you when you're shopping? He was one of those but obnoxious. I had just gotten acrylics put on for my sisters wedding and I was doing some last minute things for the wedding. I was in a hurry and tried to get past the kiosk without getting harrassed. No such luck. Mr. Grab Hands takes my hand, pulls me toward his station and starts talking about some kind of new cuticle oil. He asks if my acrylics are my real nails and of course I tell him no. So he's like "oh, well I must show you this oil it's good for you, helps repair the damage from the acrylics. This one looks loose." He tried to pop one of my hr old acrylics off. I nearly decked him. The sales girl next to him looked surprised that I started screaming in his face. I marched right over to the security office which was conviently located only 20 ft away (gee I wonder why) and wrote a report on what happened. The next time I went past the kiosk in the mall Mr. Grab Hands glared at me. A few weeks later I heard that he'd been fired for doing the same thing to another girl.

I just don't understand why companies take the time to hire someone who obviously doesn't know what they're doing instead of hiring someone who yeah might expect to be paid more, but that can actually talk to customers and sell them the right products and build a clientele.

I don't know about Sephoras nationwide, but I absolutly ADORE my Sephore girls and guys. Every time I come in they say hi, they know me by name (could be because I'm in there about once a week). They show me new products and we talk trends or swap tips. It's like gabbing with your girlfriends about the things you love most. They are never pushy. They understand color, application, and price range. If you ask to try a product, they grab one of their trained makeup artists to show you how to apply the product, what colors look best on you, even little tips that they know are used in the industry. It'd be awesome if companies trained their sales people like the Sephora people are trained. I have to say that I like working with my Sephora girls and guys better than my MAC girls.

 
Ladies, there is absolutely no reason for you to hide from these people.  Your shopping experience should be one of pleasure and hiding from a kiosk is UNACCEPTABLE!

We had the same problem at our mall and a few of us gathered together and went directly to the mall manager office and complained.  We threatened to never return if they didnt get these sales people in check.  Not only are their tactics rude, but they threaten the business of those stores near the kiosks since shoppers purposely avoid walking thru there.  Sales will drop and the higher rent paying stores will close down.  Its simple business and economics.  Hit them in the wallet and management will respond to your favor.

I always say no and continue to walk.  My mother was once stopped by the "flat iron" girl and I had to pick my mother off the chair and pull her away from the sales lady.  My mother said I was rude and when I told her she could by the same $300 iron for $80 at Sally's or something she looked shocked!  Obviously its not the same product, she said.

My response: "Yeah, whatever! It doesnt matter, in six months you'll buy another product to replace this product with whatever new fad is out there."

Anyway, I digress.  The point is - complain to the mall managers and they will put an end to pushy sales tactics.  The kiosks are still there but they are not as krass as they used to be.

 
Originally Posted by fishchick72 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Has anyone heard of this brand? I saw it at a kiosk in the mall, but didn't really stop, didn't want to hassle with a salesperson--but it did look like mineral makeup to me. Has anyone tried it? How are the ingredients?
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It's a complete RIP OFF. DO NOT BUY. If they say you can get your money back it's a LIE the receipt clearly states NO REFUNDS. Here's my story from the main makeup forum.

So I'm at the mall today and went to Sephora. Picked up a few items and left. As I was walking through the mall I saw the Mica Bella kiosk and was curious. So I ended up getting a make over from her and like the makeup but told her I wasn't sure since it's pricey and my husband would be furious if I spent that much on it. She said, "oh you can return it if your husband doesn't like it." Okay. So I paid $130 (after tax) on a foundation, bronzer and four eye shadows. I ended up having to go back to Sephora because the eyeshadow palette I bought was broken. The manager and I are chit-chatting and she notices the Mica Bella bag and we start talking about and she tells me, "you do know they don't refund". I pulled out the receipt and sure enough on the bottom it says NO REFUNDS. Exchanges within 14 days. I'm pissed because the girl told me I could get a refund. I told her I wasn't sure because of the price. It's VERY expensive and to be perfectly frank I could get pure mica from TKB for dollars! So now I'm stuck with $130 of product that I do NOT want. Ever been pressured into buying something, told one thing only to find out another? I'm either going to get a refund from her OR going to dispute the amount with my bank.

I did go back a few hours later (just came back from the mall) and am LIVID. I can't get a refund. $130.44 WASTED. I'm filing a complaint with my bank to dispute the charge since the products made me itchy. I removed the makeup and my face is redder than usual. I have rosacea on my cheeks, not my neck, yet my neck is all red. I'm here trying not to scratch my face because it itches badly. I will be going back to the mall tomorrow and give that girl a piece of my mind because I'm not going to be swindled out of almost $131 on products I can't use. I'm also filing a complaint with the mall because she told me several time I could get a refund and yet here I am sitting with a few products that I can't use.



 
Overpriced.

You can't get a refund even if you don't open the packaging and just bought it within a few hours.

Itchy.

Do I recommend it? NO. Avoid, avoid, avoid!

 
I like micabella pigments, and although I don't know about it's lasting, the foundation gives really good coverage. I haven't tried it, but they put it on a friend of mine to demonstrate, and she said it felt god. I wouldn't take it to heart without trying though.

I'm lucky enough that although there's a mall stand, the salespeople actually don't assault you unless you're looking at things, and let you leave if you want, or leave and come back with the same deal another day. They sell everything discounted too (powder marked $65 or so on website sell for $40, pigments for $10) before they're even trying to really make the sale.

 

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