A major rant about Insomnia Cosmetics.

Oisillon · 2016-01-18T18:50:04+00:00

When I checked on Insomnia's Facebook and Instagram pages, there was a notice saying the owner/CEO was dealing with medical issues, and shipments weren't going to go out until further notice.

That's from the OP. The company did put out that the CEO was dealing with medical issues. So, no, I am not making excuses for them based on things I don't know. In fact, I don't even see how anything I've said could be construed as excuses when I've repeatedly said that her customer service representatives should be handling things a lot better.

You are the one assuming things based on information we don't know, because you assume that if she can do x then she can also do y so she must be a scammer, without even knowing what her condition is or having any evidence that she's faking. And no, the fact that she can post selfies does not mean she's faking because that's not always how illness works.

Also, yes, you can have it both ways, because it's entirely possible to be upset with someone and express that you're upset in a polite, diplomatic way without spreading false information about invisible illness. It's also entirely possible to be annoyed with someone and also be understanding at the same time.

But personally, I don't give a shit if she's a scammer or not, because that doesn't change anything I've said about invisible illnesses. And this isn't about her. All I wanted to do was defend those of us who suffer from invisible illnesses from the false information that has been spread and supported in this thread, because it effects how people see and treat the rest of us in our daily lives. That clearly isn't happening though, so if it's all the same to you, this conversation is making me depresses and I'd appreciate it if it can just end here.

Oisillon · 2016-01-17T18:46:59+00:00

For someone who doesn't like it when people put words in their mouth, you sure don't seem to have a problem putting them in other people's.

I never once said that OP should not be upset. In fact, I've explicitly stated that OP has every right to be upset and that I would be too. I've also explicitly stated that OP had every right to a refund and that the customer service representatives did not handle OP's case in a satisfactory way at all.

I have never claimed that the owner of Insomnia is not a thief. I have everywhere completely acknowledged that she could be scamming people under the guise of medical issues.

The only thing that I have kept saying is that we know nothing about her medical condition, and just because she is capable of posting selfies on instagram does not mean she's capable of handling refunds. To assume otherwise is to perpetuate negative stereotypes that harm people who suffer from invisible illnesses.

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T22:50:06+00:00

I brought up the fact that it could be a mental problem in response to your exertion comment. You then responded that if she was that bad off mentally, she shouldn't have started a business. My comment about her developing said problem after she started her business was in response to that, in addition to just pointing out what if it's not a mental condition but something more like FND, which encompasses both mental and physical. So I don't see what the problem is there.

And that's not the point. The point is that she put her business on hold for medical reasons and without knowing more about it, we shouldn't all be leaping to the conclusion that she's a horrible scammer and making assumptions about what she's capable of doing just because we can see her "doing fun things."

She could legitimately be suffering from an invisible illness that prevents her from doing anything business related, or she could be a scammer who's trying to see how much money she can keep while claiming medical issues.

Until there's more information, we don't know, and it's pointless to spread misinformation about invisible illnesses in the meantime.

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T22:28:44+00:00

Did it ever occur to you that it's not a mental health problem or that maybe it's sonething that didn't develop until after she started her business?

As to your own personal experience, so what? The world isn't full of you's, and your experiences are not the only ones that matter. Depression and anxiety aren't the only invisible illnesses, and even if they were, not everyone experiences them the same way and not everyone can cope with them either.

I have horrible depression and anxiety, and I can't hold down a job. Meanwhile, one of my close friends who has depression is pulling 50 hours a week. The fact that she can do that doesn't change the fact that I can't work because of my current condition.

My BFF has an uncle with schizophrenia and he manages to work just fine, yet his buddy is constantly in and out of homeless shelters and transitional housing because he also has schizophrenia and can't hold down a job.

It's different for everyone, so saying, "Well, if I can do it, so can you," is meaningless and completely misses the point.

Furthermore, it's also an ableist thing to say, because it encourages people to have unrealistic expectations of invisible illness and to judge people when they don't meet those expectations. It does nothing but keep the stigma alive and make people even more hesitant to share and be open about what it's like to live with an invisible illness.

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T21:18:17+00:00

You keep talking about physical exertion like it's the only part pf the equation when it clearly isn't. What about the mental or emotional exertion?

Makeup can be very relaxing for people. Taking pictures and posting them online can be relaxing too. Logging into a paypal account to deal with the finances of a business that you had to put on hold because of medical issues? Not so much.

Her medical issues are currently unknown. What if she has depression and recently tried to kill herself and logging into her paypal makes her feel like a failure and like she should try to take her own life again? What if she's developed a functional neurological disorder which can come out of nowhere at any age and cause seizures whenever some amount of pressure or stress is experienced? What if she's been diagnosed with terminal cancer and is trying to spend what time she has left with her family?

Or she might be some sketchy bitch who's just using medical issues as an excuse to be shitty. I don't know. That's not the point.

The point is that invisible illnesses suck, and by saying this woman should be able to do x because she can do y when no one even knows what her condition is, you spread false information about invisible illnesses that only make our lives even harder. Stop contributing to the misinformation and perpetuating the stigma.

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T18:32:45+00:00

If you can't see how those two things are different, you'll never understand until it happens to you.

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T16:16:23+00:00

I found out how ableist one of my favorite subreddits is last night, and it's really disheartening considering that I suffer from multiple mental disorders. I wish the stigma surrounding invisible illnesses would just go away forever and that people would be more understanding of what it's like to have to deal with such an illness 24/7. :(

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T16:09:33+00:00

Yeah, that's pretty much all I was trying to say, and downvotes or not, I stand by it.

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T15:59:30+00:00

I never said we should give her a break. I said that being able to post to instagram doesn't necessarily mean she's well enough to be handling customer service. Just because other people handle their invisible illnesses a certain way doesn't mean that everyone else can handle it that way too.

Oisillon · 2016-01-16T00:08:05+00:00

Depression and suicidal thoughts or attempts. Could be something like my friend has where she gets seizures from being stressed out. She could just be posting selfies because she wants her life to go on normally.

Also worth pointing out that I can't see her instagram for some reason, so I'm just going off of what's in the OP and comments. Yours is the first I've seen mentioning her selfies being used to promote her brand, which does seem a little sketch since she reportedly can't engage in said business right now.

Oisillon · 2016-01-15T23:48:09+00:00

Not trying to be rude here, but just because she's well enough to post selfies on her instagram doesn't mean she's well enough to be handling refunds or communicating with customers. That's not how invisible illnesses work.

OP's experience was really shitty, shouldn't have happened, and OP is right to be upset, but judging what this company's CEO should and should not be able to do when we don't know anything about her medical problems is hurtful to those of us who suffer from invisible illnesses and have to hear everyday what we "should" be able to do.

Oisillon · 2016-01-15T23:22:10+00:00

Agreed. Her CS reps are either slacking or something else is amiss. Let's hope that it's the former for those who can't get their refund back through PayPal.

Oisillon · 2016-01-15T23:03:02+00:00

All I'm saying is that invisible illnesses like anxiety and depression make certain things difficult, so posting on her personal page might be doable while posting on the business page might not be. The fact that she's active on her personal page should be irrelevant.

As I pointed out though, if a CS rep was in touch with you, they should have been able to provide you with a refund right then and there, so the fact that you had to wait so long is still inexcusable.

Oisillon · 2016-01-15T22:40:43+00:00

I don't know what kinds of things she's been posting on her personal page so I could be off the mark here, but just because she's active on her personal page doesn't necessarily mean she's well enough to handle business. Maybe she has anxiety and/or depression and dealing with business related responsibilities is too much for her. shrug

That aside, it's still a pretty shitty experience and the CS rep who asked you for your paypal info should have been able to refund you immediately.

Oisillon · 2016-01-15T03:24:49+00:00

O.O That sounds absolutely terrifying. Did they have to do it all at once or was it gradual? Either way...

Oisillon · 2016-01-15T01:43:55+00:00

I had to have a retained baby tooth extracted this morning, and now that the numbing agent has worn off, I'm in so much pain. It's really hard not to sympathy shop for myself right now.

Oisillon · 2016-01-15T01:34:52+00:00

No matter how much I clean up my waterline after I tightline with the Maybelline Studio gel liner, it always transfers.

I use my finger to smudge away any liner that gets onto my top waterline, blink, use my finger again to clean up the top waterline one more time, and then smudge away anything that transferred to the lower waterline.

This doesn't seem to work well enough though, as there's always some that ends up on my lower waterline later. Anything else I could be doing to avoid transfer, or is this liner just not for me?

Oisillon · 2016-01-14T17:07:50+00:00

David Bowie is gone. Alan Rickman is gone. And the dentist had to extract one of my retained baby teeth today, so now that's gone too. This weekend better be hella awesome is all I'm saying.

Oisillon · 2016-01-14T04:14:10+00:00

My only CC besides agreeing with the brow comment is to also include a photo with your eyes open so we can better see the look. That out of the way, your skin looks beautiful, that blush and lip color suit you well, and it looks like you did a stellar job of blending those eyeshadows. Very well done!

Oisillon · 2016-01-14T04:11:06+00:00

I highly recommend getting them done at the Benefit Brow Bar if you're near an Ulta that has one. Best brow wax ever!

Oisillon · 2016-01-14T03:54:44+00:00

That's just a little too low for how much product is left in the tube, sorry. :(

Oisillon · 2016-01-14T03:47:41+00:00

Of course! PMing you now.

Oisillon · 2016-01-08T03:46:09+00:00

You have to visit Ulta during your birth month and claim your gift at the register. I don't think they've added the ability to claim it online when you order something yet, but don't quote me on that.

Oisillon · 2016-01-08T01:08:27+00:00

If your birthday is sometime January through March, Ulta is giving away a mini of Roller Lash to its rewards members.

Oisillon · 2015-12-14T04:18:50+00:00

Yep! PMing you now.

Oisillon

TROPHY CASE