Because of all of the drama happening with the lab, the collaborative BECCA and Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette isn’t really worth reviewing at this point. However, I did want to talk about the palette a bit and the subsequent frenzied drama that has surrounded it in the last 48 hours.
To keep the story relatively short, the gist of the problem is that all of BECCA‘s products are made in the USA, whereas this eyeshadow palette was made in China. Via various social networks (Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter), both BECCA and Jaclyn Hill have addressed the issue as best they can. It seems that BECCA (in order to meet the timeline and demand for this launch) outsourced their product to another lab because they were assured that the quality would be identical. It turned out not to be, and YouTuber Rita B mentioned it in a video almost a week ago now after getting her hands on the palette. She was already well versed in BECCA‘s eyeshadow formula and noticed a discrepancy right away.
The ingredient deck turned out to be absolutely identical to powders by the brand Catrice. Catrice is a lovely brand, but their products go for a far cheaper price point, and therefore do not contain the usual ingredients that BECCA puts in their shadows. I’m not an ingredient junkie – I haven’t a clue what most of these items do, or do not do in my products, but I am aware that talc and occasionally some mica can be used as filler products and the palettes made in China had far more talc in them.
I watched all of the promo videos for this palette as I’m a fan of Jaclyn Hill, and she repeatedly said she was very hands on with this collection, but identified that the only shade she worked on in this palette was Champagne Toast (second shadow from the left). She’s said many times that the formula is not hers, but the colour and finish were. Some people reported having incredibly patchy eyeshadow palettes, while others said they were buttery and soft. Determining whether there were good or bad batches is near impossible to find out, as I feel everyone has a very different gauge of how shadows work on their own skin.
As a result of this backlash (and some of it was pretty intense and vicious), BECCA and Jaclyn Hill decided to pull the eyeshadow palette from the collection. The palette is no longer available on Sephora online and will not be sold in stores when the collection launches there mid-June. Sephora is accepting any and all returns with a full refund for this eyeshadow palette.
As I hadn’t tried the palette before the drama happened (about 48 hours ago now), I can’t say for sure what my initial reaction would have been to these shadows. I put them on my eyes for the first time this morning, and sure, they’re a little bit powdery (on the level of LORAC powders), but had someone not told me about this different lab in China producing these shadows… I honestly doubt I would’ve noticed the difference. I love eyeshadow, that’s for damn sure (just check out my palette collection video!), but unless an eyeshadow is truly, TRULY terrible, it’s really hard for me to discern minute changes in formulas.
On me, I noticed zero fading throughout the day.
Sadly, the internet always prefers the drama llama route and people absolutely blew up about this online. I understand though – if you’re paying BECCA prices (which are certainly not cheap) but you’re getting Catrice-level ingredients (read: cheaper), then it’s offensive to the customer. But there’s a heck of a lot of us out there that bought this because we like both Jaclyn Hill and BECCA and simply wanted to support their endeavours. I doubt many of us would’ve noticed the quality difference had it not been brought to our attention.
So anyway, what did I do with this palette? Well, I noticed right off the bat that the colours were similar to my BECCA Ombre Rouge palette, so I swatched them side by side:
And low and behold – three of the shadows in the Champagne Collection Eye Palette are near enough to the Ombre Rouge one that I just decided to return it. While the palette I received seemed to work just fine for me, I didn’t feel it was unique enough to warrant keeping it at the near $50 CAD price point. (I am keeping the face palette and will review it shortly.)
On a personal level, I don’t feel cheated or duped and I will continue to buy products by BECCA. I feel like BECCA made a bad decision to outsource their eyeshadow to another lab and are suffering because of that mistake. I do feel like the eyeshadow palette was an afterthought for this collection and it’s entirely possible that they came up with the idea and then panicked to produce it quickly for the deadline. It’s a shame that it ended up this way, but hey, they pulled the plug on it due to quality and they’re easily providing refunds via Sephora. At this point in time, there’s not a heck of a lot more they can do except learn from it and move on. I suggest we all do the same as well.
I like your bit at the end. Yeah, they made a mistake, but I’m sure they’ve learned from it. Thanks for the review. Can’t believe how similar it is to the other palette!
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Thank you so much for saying that about my last comments. I was a bit worried they’d come off a bit strong – but I am concerned about how some people are reacting so strongly to this. At the end of the day, it’s just makeup and it’s not like they’re putting illegal ingredients in products. We can all return it and go about our merry way.
They dealt with it super well on social media I thought. Their instagram post seemed very truthful and not like they were trying to cover anything up. I think the real issue here is that it was essentially the ombre rouge palette! Either way, it looks great on ya
I thought it was handled incredibly well too, but there’s a lot of people out there with a lot of hate for Jaclyn Hill and for YouTuber/makeup collabs that really blew this way out of proportion. Had I not compared the palette to the Ombre Rouge (or not owned it) I probably would’ve kept the palette since it did work out well on my eyes.
Like you said, I think they were being truthful. I sincerely doubt this was done to deceive people – they just thought they could produce it faster, so they went with that option. Lord knows we’ve all made similar mistakes in school or at work – this just happened to be far more in the public eye.
Bravo to your bit at the end. I’m so tired of the drama, and it’s not like they tried to hide any of what was happening.
Jodi recently posted…Dry Shampoo Showdown: Batiste, COLAB, LUSH
Exactly. They didn’t berate their bad reviews on Snapchat like some other brand. Or defraud their customers credit cards like yet another brand. Or throw in bad chemicals in their product like another one. It’s just makeup, we can all return it if we’re dissatisfied. This was the most honest and transparent I’ve seen a brand be as a result of critiques, and it’s refreshing!
PREACH
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Three cheers for the bit at the end. Admittedly, I’m kind of over Youtuber collabs, myself, but I feel like they did exactly what they should have done in this case after they made a mistake. However, I don’t actually have any of the Becca eye palettes… and I kinda want this one.
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Thanks Trysh! I’m okay with YouTuber collabs… when it’s one I enjoy! haha!
I see nothing wrong with what BECCA has done to resolve the problem and I’m glad they addressed it. Some people just need to calm down!
I agree with your last paragraph, shame on Becca for this but it doesn’t stop me from purchasing from them. I think it’s an expensive mistake by Becca and I hope this is a lesson learnt for them. Again, I got a lucky escape this time and thank goodness I decided to refrain from purchasing the eye palette alone.
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It is definitely a super expensive mistake to make… but I know we’ve all been there at one point or another – just less in the public eye!
I think the backlash on Jaclyn especially is crazy – I mean the comments to Becca were insane too, but she is only 1 person where Becca is a whole company! They were really terrible! I quite liked my palette as well and don’t feel like I was duped either – I think people need to relax and not just go attacking everyone because they think they can hide behind their instagrams!
Love Champagne Toast on your eyes, but makes sense to return it as 3 of the shades are very similar to Ombre Rouge!
I actually read your post a few days ago! I wish people weren’t getting so dramatic about this. It just feels like a lot of pent up jealousy towards Jaclyn Hill which is really just ridiculous. How come people don’t feel this way towards movie stars? Eeesh.
Becca really did seem to handle this well- but for an afterthought, this palette really is quite beautiful! Glad you’re liking it 🙂
Jen recently posted…Beauty Shop Love: Jacob & Sebastian
Yeah it’s a well put together palette that I think a lot of people would’ve enjoyed!
From a PR perspective, I think they handled this extremely well! I mean, they pulled the product because the consumer wasn’t happy. That costs SO much money! I love the brand and although they tried to pull a fast one, I think, at least they have learned a (costly) lesson. That being said, the palette looks really pretty on you!
Julie recently posted…Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette review
I can’t even begin to comprehend how much this would’ve cost them to pull from the shelves. I wonder if the lab is also held responsible? Depends on what the contract is though I suppose. Like whether or not they were required to use the ingredients to produce the shadows, etc.
Sephora’s refund policy allows returns on pretty much anything; Becca and certainly not Jaclyn Hill aren’t doing anyone a favor by saying that they can get a return because that’s something that consumers are already entitled too. Becca gave the lab the formula for this eyeshadow palette. “The lab” didn’t just up and decide that they would use cheaper ingredients for this product. It’s what Becca wanted! The fact of the matter is that Becca AND Jaclyn Hill did fans of makeup and the youtuber herself a disservice by believing that none of us would be the wiser about the difference in quality. All cosmetic companies have a series of quality control checks on products, and these products weren’t made at the last minute. Eyeshadows alone take at least six months to produce! What Becca and Jaclyn Hill are implying is that no one noticed the difference in quality in this eyeshadow palette and Becca’s previous eyeshadow palettes. They are saying that no one, in AT LEAST a six month period noticed that the majority of their products weren’t up to their usual standards. That’s crap, and it’s unprofessional for them to try and play their consumers like that.
Jaclyn Hill said numerous times since she announced this collaboration that she was hands-on for the entire product line. Now that there is backlash, she’s saying that she just chose shades, the formula isn’t her fault (and it’s not, but her going back and forth in what she’s ‘responsible’ for isn’t doing her any favors). Both Becca and Jaclyn were content to sell this product (and they did sell quite a lot in the initial release) and not say a word about the lower quality products. It was only after there was an uproar over customers doing easy reading on the back of the product boxes and the numerous negative complains through social media and Sephora’s website that they finally decided to come clean about this issue. They were willing to sell a drugstore quality product for high-end price. There’s no drama in this, but concern that a well-known makeup brand and Jaclyn Hill herself were willing to throw their integrity out the window all for money. That hurts, that’s disrespectful to people who have been her fans for years, and it’s unprofessional.
Also, the face palette also contains mineral oil, talc, and mica. There has been some speculation that the face palette display was made in the US (as it says on the back) but that the products themselves were also made in China. Waiting on Becca and Jaclyn to make an announcement on that, but maybe they’ll just wait until this product is re-released as well.
Since all of the details aren’t readily available, a lot of it is completely up for debate. I don’t know how labs work – my speculation is only that the lab said they could produce the same shadows, and then didn’t. I don’t know what kind of ingredient deck approvals go through – like if the lab was required to use the same ingredients and then just didn’t.
I’ve been watching this launch since the day it was announced and I never recall hearing Jaclyn say that she was responsible for every single shadow in this palette. Most of it was on snapchat, but my recollection was that she claimed Champagne Toast and said that BECCA slotted the other shades in to match it. I remember this specifically because I actually thought it was a really weird thing to choose ONE shadow and then let other people do the rest. In my eyes, she’s never gone back and forth on this matter, so I’m not entirely sure where people are getting that.
As for the face palette, I’ve been using it and love the blushes. I’m not sure about the highlighters yet though… the formula does feel a bit different, but I only used it for the first time today and yesterday so I’d have to do a direction comparison to my older Champagne Pop.
So as Jaclyn Hill said herself (*squeel*), this review and discussion was very fair and well versed (as your posts usually are). I have no idea why people are going crazy about it. Mistakes are made. If I don’t make a mistake a day then something must be wrong lol. It completely escapes me why people are so fickle about these types of things. Okay so you got a crappy product. Cool, I’ve gotten/ used tons of crappy products. She was completely transparent and you can return it. Problem solved.
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hahah can’t believe she responded – what a surprise that was! Oddly, this felt like one of my calmer posts, but I really wasn’t expecting it to get as much exposure as it did!
Your point about making mistakes is bang on. This just happened to be in the public eye! Since it’s so easily returned I haven’t a clue why people are so angry!
I can’t believe that I’m actually surprised about the outrage. I think that people blow things out of proportion when they’re jealous of something or someone (JH and the past success of her collaborations with the brand). It’s a shame, though, because I’m sure they both did work quite hard on it, and it seemed like a beautiful palette. Kinda of regretting not getting it now that I won’t be able to any more.
Katherine || The Green Bows
Katherine recently posted…Honest to Goodness, it’s Chocolate
I think a lot of people sit at their computers waiting for Jaclyn to fail. It’s a sad state of affairs when people just WAIT for something like that, but it’s the sad reality. 🙁
Yes to all of this!
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<3
When I first saw people tweeting about this, I went to watch her SnapChat bc everyone was like “she’s throwing BECCA under the bus” “it’s fraud” and I when I saw it I was like, um really? It’s fraud yet they’re pulling a product that hasn’t even been out for a month? How is that equal to fraud??? That makes absolutely no sense, and the reaction to all of this has been wild.
Was it the smartest decision to test a new lab out for a collection like this? No. Should they have done better QC before the palettes were released? Yes. But is this fraud/BECCA + JH being greedy? I don’t see it that way at all, and it boggles my mind that so many people are so vehemently against her and the brand around this. It’s like they were waiting for her to fail. If you don’t want to support her, that’s fine, and if you got one of the bad palettes, return it. But constantly asking them (angrily) why they used a different lab/ingredients when they’ve already explained what happened is pretty nuts in my book. I feel like they reacted as quickly and as best as they could to fix things, and like you said, I really hope that people move on from this.
Hi Kimmie! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Jaclyn’s Snapchat was really calm, yet understandably stressed. I see nothing related to fraud or whatever – it’s so ridiculous.
Totally agreed that they shouldn’t have tried out a new lab. And this only helps to solidify that you can’t get something quicker without a loss in quality. They pulled the plug on the product which (I have no doubt) has cost them potentially millions of dollars. It’s an expensive mistake to make, but they DID yank it back.
Even when I first subscribed to Jaclyn a few years ago, I always had the nagging sense that because she appears so lovely, friendly, stereotypically gorgeous with an edge, good makeup, etc. that there would always be people waiting for her to fail. And it’s held true ever since I made that assumption. It’s a sad thing, but one that seems to be pervasive in our society. On the other side of it, I’m sad to see that she got stuck on the shit end of the stick this time round. I’m eager to see her rebound though!
Ohmygodddd I love the look. I totally suck with eyeshadows so I got the face palette instead and I’m out of town so I can’t even test it out.
I’ll definitely still support BECCA and Jaclyn – at least they fessed up about the mishap.
Maria | Pink Petals
Thanks Maria! The face palette has been great for me! I’m not in love with how Prosecco Pop looks on me, but that’s more of a shade thing really. The blushes though? My god… stunning.
It’s nice to see some rational people on this site about this issue. I got my eye palette during the first release and it seems fine. I have done some lovely eye looks with it. I feel badly for Jaclyn Hill. Mistakes happen. Anyone remember the varying shades of Lolita? No one went totally insane over that. Nor should they. I love to see women succeed on YouTube and all areas of life. We all should. Because successful strong women empower us all. If we could support each other think of all that could be accomplished in this world.
Hi Michelle! Thanks for your sweet comment. You’re absolutely right – people went ballistic over this towards Jaclyn Hill and KVD has very, very little backlash (even in regards to the duo blushes that launched and then were quickly removed from shelves!).