Because his social media followers asked him to, beauty guru, singer-songwriter and entrepreneur Jeffree Star (Los Angeles area/USA) reviewed products of the Bhad Bhabie CopyCat Makeup line on his YouTube channel. Bhad Bhabie's real name is Danielle Bregoli who became famous on TV (Dr. Phil show) for being a teen causing troubles. Her phrases went viral on the Internet and she became an Internet celebrity and a rapper with now more than 6.2M subscribers on YouTube. Some people love her, others hate her - but what else is new on the Internet. Bregoli this month signed an endorsement deal with Copycat Beauty - a company who duplicates products of expensive makeup brands and sells them at a very low price. Jeffree Star did not appreciate most of the products very much while testing them but three of them got his very sought-after distinction "Jeffree Star Approved". Would I buy one of those products though I highly trust Jeffree Star's reviews? No, I wouldn't! And this is why.
The Truth... Bhad Bhabie copyCat Makeup (YouTube, Jeffree Star - 12.5 M Subscribers)
Jeffree Star gives a first impression review, not a continuing wear test for a whole day, in his YouTube video. He stretches that he reviews products, not people associated with the products. Copying was a common thing in the beauty industry - his own products are counterfeited and duplicated all the time.
Would I buy counterfeited or duplicated makeup products?
I find it okay when makeup creators get inspired by other brands to make good products. For example I like that many brands with a limited shade range learned from Fenty Beauty by Rihanna about
inclusiveness, also that everybody is now more aware of the many undertones of skins and so in foundations and concealers because Morphe Brushes made it a big thing. I also find it okay for a company or makeup creator to create a formula with new attributes, a lipstick of a certain colour or a palette with different red tones after he/she saw it somewhere else and thinks that the own customers would like that too or probably will like it in the next season. Every company has to focus on their customers' wishes or the trends they might like.
What I don't like is counterfeit makeup because it is deceiving customers and harming brands fincancially (and thus their staff too) when people think it is the original but it is a skin irritating counterfeit and they do not buy from the brand anymore. And sometimes counterfeit products can even cause severe health issues.
I also don't like when a company dupes the whole product, not only the color of a lipstick for example but also the packaging and the marketing concept of another company and then pretends it was the same for less money. But are the ingredients of the same quality, e. g. is it also without pesticide, also mere natural, also vegan, also cruelty free or whatever the original product is? Is the makeup product good for the skin? Does it also stay on for the whole day at work? Probably not.
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Actually, (now that I am a grown-up woman) I would never deliberately buy beauty or makeup products from a company whose business concept is to copy a whole product/line and live on the creativity of others. But the thing is when I look for an eyeshadow palette on Amazon, Ebay or on another sellers' platform, if I am not a makeup specialist I do not know what is an illegal counterfeit (if the platform owner does not check the sellers on the platform), what is a dupe and what is an original brand product - since an average makeup buyer does not know all global brands and all global retailers. Not all affordable makeup products are counterfeits or dupes and also not every affordable makeup product made in China is a counterfeit or a dupe - there are good companies as well as illegal counterfeit producers and counterfeit retailers in all countries. Since I got deceived myself I now only buy makeup, food, and anything else that touches my skin or gets into my mouth from the original brand or from their authorized/trustable retailers.
Again: Not all affordable makeup brands are duping - as far as I know. Maybelline, e. g., is not too expensive. They may be inspired by others (like everyone else is inspired by others) but I have not seen that they said a product of them is a dupe of someone else's or as good as a specific product of another more expensive brand (let me know if you have other knowledge).
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Yes, some brands are very expensive:
Some because they have their own laboratory with skilled lab personell (and employees in Western countries are more expensive than in Asia, Africa, Latin America or Eastern Europe. We have higher social standards,we have higher costs of living etc. the employees have to be able to pay),
some because they use high quality ingredients like essences from organically grown rare flowers/herbs or whatever special ingredients,
some because they use expensive high quality jars and packaging created by designers - pieces of arts then poshing up your makeup stand,
some because they have an old and confidence inspiring name (and brand building is expensive too),
and some because of all of that.
I can't afford to buy everything from expensive makeup brands like La Prairie (Switzerland), Sisley (France) or Gucci (Italy). But I do it once in a while: a special lip stick, a certain eye cream, a special perfume. If I want a certain product of a more expensive brand that normally is over my budget I would rather save till I have the money or work more (or find a better paid job/better paying customers) than buying from a company like CopyCat Makeup or other companies whose business modell is duping. My main reason is:
I just wouldn't enjoy the fake product.
What do you think?
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