Do you remember that dress you tried in dressing room which made you look lean and got you into believing that you have dropped a dress size? It felt like a prize at the affordable price tag it came at! It was the perfect one for the weekend party you had to go to. You couldn’t wait to get back home and think of the perfect accessories to match with it.
You reach home and try it on. One look at the mirror and you have a sudden flashback of the chocolate laded pancakes you had the previous week. It’s a disaster!
How did that happen? You see, changing room mirrors can trick you into believing something else with the right lighting. That’s what happened when I purchased Nykaa Paintstix lipsticks.
When Nykaa launched these lipsticks, it made various claims which tricked me into buying these lipsticks with the intention of adding more long-wearing lipsticks to my vanity. But these Paintstix lipsticks are beyond disappointing! And not just because of the (claimed)formula, but because I received used lipsticks! See the pictures below for reference:
Clearly someone played with my lipsticks.
Now, have a look at the scratches on the packaging:
Are you thinking whether I contacted Nykaa or not? I remember when Nykaa site was launched in India, I was on cloud nine! For one year, I shopped from them like crazy and even recommended the site to my friends as well as family. I was ecstatic every time they got a new brand on board. However, my happiness was short-lived. In the past one year, I have received wrong products, wrong shades, products with bad packaging and what not! The temptation led me to purchase Nykaa paintstix lipsticks! No calls as their lines are ALWAYS busy! Numerous e-mails sent and not a single reply received till date! I had no interest in sending a mail regarding this to them but I still did! That teeny tiny hope, you see! As expected, no reply again! I shopped from them after a long time (approx 3 months) and clearly, this is my punishment for shopping from them again!
I wanted to discard these lipsticks but since I had spent Rs.1275 on them, I thought of at least trying them for you guys. But the misery did not end!
– The packaging of these Nykaa paintstix lipsticks is flimsy. I can hear the bullet make noise when I move the lipstick left and right. It means that it can break anytime.
– The finish is not a soft matte finish, as per their claims. It is satin.
– They transfer, they transfer a lot. ‘Nude spice’ and ‘Peaches n Cream’ disappear majorly even with light snacks and drinks. There’s a clear ring formation. ‘Tender Rose’ wears down completely after 3 hours and the only saving grace is the light tint it leaves behind. This shade also bleeds a bit.
– Also, 3.5gm for lipsticks priced at Rs. 425 each? 3.5gm for lipsticks that will require frequent touch-ups? Really?
Had these ones been marketed as regular lipsticks, it would have been a slightly different story. Because of the claims made by them, my expectations were higher. Not to mention, I have received used lipsticks.
Have you tried Nykaa Paintstix lipsticks? Do you like shopping from Nykaa? Do you also wish you could take your home mirror with you when going shopping for clothes?
Update: I received a call from Nykaa customer care regarding this issue. After 14 days. For a moment, I went numb. This was their first time responding to one of my many emails. Need I say anything more?
Hey, Heena!
I am sad but also glad to know beforehand as I was going to try this particular product soon!
I also read a few reviews that said the shades absolutely do not match the ones shown on the website.
The horror of used lipsticks to top it all!!
I did see some deceivingly altered pictures on their advertisement that keeps popping up.
Sorry to hear that your paintstix turned out to be “PAIN”STIX! What a disaster….
Refreshing to read your articles, nonetheless!
Love,
Push.
Hey Push, the shades shown on a site are always different in person. I’m aware of that. But sending used lipsticks and making gibberish claims with the intention of deceiving people into thinking something else isn’t okay!
Pain stix! You said it right. 😧😧
Thank you for your comment, Push. Glad you are enjoying the space 🙂
I have shopped just twice from.them n my experience has been good…
I was very excited about their lip crayon launch but I will stay away now after reading this post….
BTW have tried contacting them on Twitter or Facebook ? Brands take queries there a bit more seriously…
Happy you haven’t been a victim!
Honestly, I have given up on them. If they have the audacity to send used lipsticks, not reply to any of the mails sent in the past, I’m pretty sure that all they will have to offer is a good set of excuses.
Also, if the only way to get their attention is by taking things up on social media, they should consider discontinuing their customer service.
They give refund.. write on their post.. i read ..
Hey Hiral,
I have written many mails to Nykaa and haven’t received a single response.
Hey push….
“pain stix” is right name…
Now i dont want to try these.
Thank u so much Heena
You’re most welcome, Manisha!
🙁 I ordered 2 in mid week :'( I could have got something else
Used lipstick seriously!! It’s time they focus on service than launching brands or products. The kajal was useless anyway.
I keep reading about the bad experience, but after you have had one too I’ll think twice before ordering any.
Oh no! You did?
I have had bad experiences before too but this one just crossed the line.
I also read about a lot of similar incidents on their Instagram and Facebook channel..’ll be maintaining distance from now on.
Horrible!! Used lipsticks at the price you have paid. This is very bad, Nykaa!!! I hope you get a refund and soon! I am also thinking of looking up other sites and stop purchasing from them. Been hearing mixed reviews
I haven’t received a reply till date to any of the mails sent to them in the last few months, let alone a refund.
Yea.. better to be safe than sorry.
That’s so horrible. Even I have same hate-love relationship with Nykaa. At times i believe they sold old backdated products and next moment I am happily buying new launches. Generally I buy things which are on discounts and only makeup remover or brands which are not easily available, else I try staying away from them.
A wise SA at store told me that how is it possible that they give 50% discounts on products which brand website and company outlets can never give. its just bcz they buy stock which is nearing expiry.
For nykaa inhouse products I have keep myself away from them. I bought nailpaints and they were so water like and color hardly show. So never had high hopes with their new launches. I would say save a little more and trust your regular brands.
To my surprise many bloggers give such good reviews about these products. (i know they are paid and its there profession so no complaints) but just think what would have they have done incredible in formula if product is for 400 bucks.
Absolutely right, Shikha!
Even I have received products from them nearing expiry date. Argh! That’s bad! Did you write to them about the nail paints?
It’s just that I like trying new launches but if I knew I’ll be in for this kind of experience, I would have maintained distance from the very starting only.
Agree but aren’t bloggers celebrated for their brutal honesty?
I don’t really think I’d wanna try these Paintstix. Getting wrong shades and wrong textures are disappointing…
Making a sale is just the initial part. Service & customer care are major pillars of any brand. I feel like the brand is lagging behind in this. BTW have they gotten back to you or nothing yet?
Yes, I even added the update in the post.
I received a call from them after 14 days! Given how she communicated with me, it’s normal on their side to contact customers after this long. She said I can get a refund provided I return the lipsticks to them. It was too late for me as I had already discarded these paintstix lipsticks after trying for review purpose.
I posted this review after waiting for a week for their response. The fact that they never responded to me in the past 1 year to any of my mails obviously made me assume that they aren’t going to reply this time too. Also, if they take this long to get back to their customers, they should really put it up on their website. I still feel very bad to see my hard-earned money go down the drain.
I also communicated the same to her i.e. never having received any response to numerous mails sent in the past but all I got was the generic apology statement and no action.
Absolutely true that they really need to concentrate on their customer service a bit more since it is getting worse! I too had recommended them to many friends but now I myself order much less since they hardly bother to inform even when the packages havent been shipped out even after 2 weeks of ordering! I am totally skipping this product for sure 😐
Oh my! Have you received it now?
I understand that sometimes wrong products, wrong shades or broken products can get delivered but if this happens, they should fix it asap. Why makes customers run after you? The series of my bad experiences with Nykaa in the past one year has been really frustrating. Needless to say, I have taken the same route as yours.
Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you girl , saved me from another heart break 👍🏼😙
You’re most welcome!
I had kept away from nykaa for a very very long time because I didn’t like the way they were aggressively sponsoring all the famous bloggers. It was way too irritating. But finally decided to buy from their luxury store and I loved that their products were hundred percent original whereas in other sites you would not know whether the seller would send the genuine thing and after a good many purchases I got a good impression because of the original products. But their customer service is the worst in the world. They never reply and if they do it’s after you’re done with the issue. But even that I was able to forgive. What I absolutely couldn’t tolerate was when they posted only the pros from my review and conveniently deleted the cons. I felt as though they cared only about their profit. That they would cut down the voices that expose any flaws. I now don’t purchase as much as I used to from there. I trust Amazon and everyone can learn a lot from Amazon. They always place the customer first and promptly correct their mistakes when they unfortunately make them. The worst thing is that the bloggers who actively endorse such companies become less trustworthy in the eyes of the public even though they might be very sincere.
Wow! That’s something new. I didn’t have the slightest hint of them changing reviews according to their convenience. But again, I’m not surprised.
Agree, customer service is pathetic. They should take a leaf out of Amazon’s customer care service. Once, I received two damaged beauty products and they offered me a refund for them. How amazing! It’s sad to see how most blogs as well as YouTube channels today have become a goldmine for companies. I miss the honesty and authenticity. It’s the readers/viewers who need to become more informed of their decisions.
Thank you for the feedback, Ann 🙂
I purchased four lipsticks from Nykaa and got them a week ago. Two lipsticks were from the Painstix collection and I too was greatly disappointed. I got the shade Purple Monster and Feelin’ Pretty. Purple Monster is pretty matte tbh but the other one is satin and none of them survive meals at all. The other two lipsticks were from the So Matte collection and I have the same complaints from them too. I cannot believe these horrible products got such great reviews on the Nykaa app. I’m never purchasing Nykaa lipsticks ever again.
Hey Debbie,
So sorry you had the same experience.
Ethics are becoming a thing of the past these days. As a blogger/consumer, it’s our duty to know when to draw a line and stop supporting a brand.
Hope your next makeup purchases are awesome!