It started with a panicked call over the walkie-talkie. A former makeup store manager who posts as @sortaspookymom says one of her employees summoned her to the front register in a tone she had never heard before. Waiting there was a furious customer with her arms crossed, seven identical black eyeliners lined up on the counter, and a demand for a full refund on every single one. What happened next took about ten seconds and did not require a single word.
The creator tells the story while doing her makeup, and she clearly still enjoys it. “No one had ever yelled for me like that,” she recalls. “So I booked it to the front register.” Her employee quickly filled her in. The customer wanted her money back on seven products, all the same brand, all the same color, and all of them past the store’s return window.
Before the manager could say anything, the customer, whom the creator jokingly nicknames “Gertrude,” launched into her complaint. She had bought all these eyeliners, there was hardly any product in them, they were expensive, and she had been saving every one of them to prove that the store was ripping people off.
The manager found the accusation a little much. “Ah, yes, I am ripping people off,” she says with a straight face. “I am in the board meetings. I am in the lab creating products.”
The Problem Was Sitting Right on the Counter
The manager says she knew what was going on the moment she looked down. The seven items were gel pencil eyeliners, and every one of them looked like it had been used and never sharpened. “I could already feel what was about to happen,” she says.
The customer kept going. She said she got only one or two uses out of each $20 eyeliner before it was done. She had tried twisting the bottom to push more product up, and nothing came out. She wanted to know how the manager could sleep at night selling something with so little inside.
“I’m not exactly sure what it is about gel pencil eyeliners that make people think that they’re retractable,” the creator says. Some eye pencils do twist up, but many of the creamy gel styles are wooden or sharpenable pencils, and once the soft tip wears down, the only way to reach the rest of the product is to sharpen it.
Instead of arguing, the manager pulled the pencil sharpener out of the brush belt she wore on the sales floor, sharpened one of the eyeliners, and handed it back to the customer. She did not explain. She did not say “see?” She just held out a freshly sharpened pencil with plenty of product left in it.
Her employee stood frozen, watching. And the customer? “Without saying one word, without even acknowledging me, Gertrude picks up all seven of her pencils and walks out the door,” the creator says.
@sortaspookymom
No refund was issued, and none was needed. The customer walked out with seven perfectly good eyeliners she apparently thought were empty, which may have been the best outcome for everyone involved.
How to Tell If Your Eye Pencil Needs a Sharpener
This mix-up is more common than you might think, especially now that makeup counters sell so many look-alike products. Before you toss an eyeliner or lip liner, check which kind you have.
A twist-up or retractable pencil usually has a plastic barrel, and turning the end pushes the product up. Many of these are labeled “no sharpening needed.” Once you can no longer twist any product up, it really is finished.
A sharpenable pencil looks like a short, fat or slim wooden pencil, though some have a plastic or painted casing. Turning the end does nothing. The product runs all the way down the length of the pencil, so a pencil that seems empty after a few uses is usually just dull at the tip.
Tips for Sharpening Soft Gel Liners Without Wasting Them
Gel and kohl pencils are soft by design so they glide on smoothly, which also means they can crumble or smear in a sharpener. A few simple habits help.
Chill the pencil first. Ten to fifteen minutes in the refrigerator or a few minutes in the freezer firms up the creamy formula so you get a clean point instead of a gummy mess.
Use a sharp, clean sharpener and turn the pencil gently rather than forcing it. Wipe the blade now and then with a tissue or a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol so leftover product does not build up.
Sharpen often. Many makeup artists sharpen eye pencils before each use, because removing the top layer also removes bacteria that may have collected from your lash line. That matters for eye health, especially if you have sensitive eyes or wear contact lenses.
Replace eye pencils on a regular schedule even if they still have product. A common rule of thumb is about a year for pencils, and sooner if the texture changes or the product smells odd. And never share eye makeup.
Know the Return Policy Before You Stockpile
The other lesson in this story is about timing. The customer saved seven eyeliners as “proof,” but by the time she brought them in, every one was past the return window. Many beauty retailers will accept gently used makeup back within a set number of days, often somewhere between 30 and 60, but policies vary widely and some require a receipt or a store account.
If a product truly does not work for you, return it promptly with your receipt rather than waiting to build a case. Ask a staff member to show you how the product works before you buy a second one. And if something seems defective, a calm conversation at the counter usually gets further than an accusation, as one manager with a pencil sharpener can confirm.
More From Cultivated Comfort
- Man Spends the Most Money He Has Ever Spent at Costco and Shows the Grocery Bill for the Week
- Guest Spends a Night at the Ritz Carlton Paris and Finds It Old Looking Expensive and Short on Customer Service
- Her Receipt Showed a Zero Dollar Service Charge but She Was Billed 20 Percent Extra and Got Two Dollars Back After Asking
