A teenager has claimed a fake Kylie Jenner cosmetics kit caused her top lip to blister and balloon up ‘like a slug’ which left her needing urgent medical treatment.
Larissa Reynolds, 19, bought a fake version of the cult product for £5 in April where it languished in her make-up drawer until last week.
The carer for the elderly wore a copy of the matte liquid lipstick in shade Love Bite with no apparent problems when she went out with friends on Thursday night.
But by the following morning, her lip started to tingle and eventually ended up swelling to the size of a 2p piece and she feared her ‘lip was going to drop off’.
Larissa Reynolds, 19, said her lip started to swell and eventually ended up being the size of a 2p piece
Miss Reynolds (pictured) is now speaking out to urge young women not to risk their health by buying counterfeit cosmetics
Miss Reynolds, a carer for the elderly, wore a copy of the matte liquid lipstick in shade Love Bite
Miss Reynolds, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, said: ‘At the end of the night there was a tingling sensation on my lip but I didn’t think anything of it.
‘When I woke up it was a small lump which was pretty sore and about the size of a 1p piece.
‘As the day went on I could feel it getting bigger and bigger – it felt like my lip was going to drop off.
‘At its biggest size it was yellow, it looked like I had a slug on my lip, and it was hanging over my bottom lip, it was horrible.’
The genuine kit, sold by theAmerican television personality and model Kylie Jenner, is available to buy from her website for $29.99.
And after Miss Reynolds noticed her lip started to swell, she put ice on it in a desperate bid to reduce the swelling and rang a friend who urged her to go to hospital.
She said: ‘I felt quite ill and was a bit run down. I FaceTimed my friend who told me to go to hospital.
This is the fake lip kit which Miss Reynolds used after purchasing it online
‘I tried ice but it just took the swelling down a tiny bit – as it got bigger it went yellow too.
‘I couldn’t get to A&E so rang my doctors and got an emergency appointment where my GP confirmed it was definitely an allergic reaction and I was told to throw the lip kit away.
‘I was advised to take allergy relief medication which I bought over the counter and was told if it got worse and started to affect my breathing to call 999.
‘It’s quite frightening to think fake make-up can cause a reaction like that.’
She bought the fake make-up from a girl over Facebook who also sells the products at car boot sales and is now speaking out to urge young women not to risk their health by buying counterfeit cosmetics.
Miss Reynolds added: ‘I want to show people what could happen if you buy fake make-up.
‘It’s tempting because the real thing is a lot more expensive and I got mine for just £5.
‘The swelling has gone down but it still feels cracked underneath.
‘I don’t want anyone else to have the same reaction as me. I want everyone to know it’s just not worth it, I’ve learned the lesson the hard way.’
Founder of Safety In Beauty campaign Antonia Mariconda said: ‘Fake cosmetics continue to remain a top five priority of concern at Safety in Beauty.
She contacted the woman she bought the product from and she quickly replied to apologise
This is the genuine version of the product she bought online and is priced at $29 from the Kylie Jenner website
Miss Reynolds’ lip started to tingle and eventually ended up swelling to the size of a 2p piece
‘With social media increasingly adding pressure certain brands have become status symbols and high prices are driving younger customers to seek out cut-price bargains.
‘Fake cosmetics contain potentially dangerous sub-standard ingredients that can lead to serious skin reactions and have long term implications – we urge all people looking for cut-price brand cosmetics to not buy online unless from reputable sources and online retailers.
‘If unsure please check with customer services of the brand and they’ll be able to quickly tell you if the product or brand is genuine.’
A Facebook spokesman said: ‘Items, products or services sold on Facebook must comply with our Community Standards, as well as the Commerce Policies.
‘The sale of goods, items or posts that we determine may be or are fraudulent, misleading, deceptive or offensive is prohibited on Facebook.’
Kylie Cosmetics has been approached for comment.