Another month, another scandal or two. Welcome to Dramarama, where I break down the scuffles happening in the indie beauty community. Spring has sprung and with the flowers blooming, so has the drama. Grab your cup and catch the tea.

Begging For PR… again?

It’s no surprise that people hound brands for free products but when people go for small indie brands and then cop an attitude if the brand says no, we have a problem. Royalty Cosmetics is far from the first brand to post about this issue but it has been a recurring theme for the brands I follow on IG that boast less than 10k followers. PR costs money to send out and most people that do manage to snag goodies don’t even post with the products!

Each brand has its own requirements to be considered for PR but the bare minimum is making sure you follow the brand. Royalty Cosmetics’ CEO Rachel Diane posted the following on the brand’s IG:

My take: Um, excuse me but the nerve of people makes me sigh. I have discussed PR and my feelings haven’t changed. Support the brand first by buying from them and reposting/sharing what content the brand puts out. If you create content of your own, focus on quality and promote them BECAUSE YOU TRULY WANT TO. The begging for PR is lame and disrespectful, to say the least. I’ve been transparent about when brands have sent me things to swatch or to use in a post, but I have never approached a brand begging for products. Do better, besties.

A big brand strikes again!

Plagiarism is serious but that line becomes blurred in the beauty community. There are only so many shapes, colors, and concepts that can be considered “innovative” before brands get slammed for copying. Well it’s Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) turn in the hot seat as makeup enthusiasts noticed the “similarity” between the Norvina Volume 6 palette ($60) and Blend Bunny Cosmetics’ Surge palette ($43).

The issue some Twitter users saw is that some shades from Surge seem like they were cut, copied, and pasted by Norvina into her palette. (Rows 2, 3, and 5 of Blend Bunny; the 2nd, 3rd, and bottom rows of Norvina Vol. 6). 

Some were determined that Norvina copied while others pulled their own receipts, with one Twitter user saying that the ABH Norvina lab samples were from April 2021. Another person said Norvina Vol 6 looked like the Laroc Lost In Paradise palette. This debate plagued Twitter for a few hours before people eventually agreed that there were so few concepts or colors left to create products so “let’s just move on.”

My take: I’m tired. Every time I look, another brand is accused of copying another brand in some way, shape, or form. The only way I even consider a case of plagiarizing brands is dupes and we’ve discussed those here on Indie Clique as well. If a brand hasn’t completely ripped off another brand’s artwork or EXACT color story, then it’s not an issue. Talking about this makes me give the biggest eye roll (see Dramarama #2).

Non-drama of the month: The indie launches of the month were electric and NOT accused of any wrongdoing so we have that. You can find those Roundups on the blog.

What do you think of the drama? Sound off in the comments and be sure to follow Indie Clique here and on social media (links below) so you don’t miss any drama, reviews, or Roundups.

Photo credits:

Royalty Cosmetics’ IG Story

Twitter screenshots of ABH v BB

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