Alissa Ashley has joined the ranks of those who now consider themselves ex-fans of Jaclyn Hill and her makeup. The influencer watched "lipstickgate" go down just like the rest of the beauty community. After witnessing all of the hairy-sweaty-melted drama unfold with the Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics lipstick launch, Ashley questions Hill's integrity and has decided not to feature Jaclyn Hill products on her YouTube channel anymore or to use them personally.
The influencer took to her YouTube channel to speak out against the Jaclyn Hill lipstick situation and explain why she felt the need to use her platform to do so. She also redirected her fans and/or Jaclyn Hill's ex-customers to other brands that provide non-problematic nude lipstick formulas.
Her video dropped before Hill published her official statement about the lipstick issues on her YouTube page. Ashley circled back to acknowledge Hill's statement, and then doubled-down on continuing not to support her.
Alissa Ashley started off her YouTube video with this message to her subscribers.
"… please don't buy or use the lipsticks. At this point, they are considered dangerous and I don't want you guys to experience what others are currently experiencing," her message reads. "This entire situation is extremely disappointing and moving forward, I do not plan on supporting ANYTHING with Jaclyn Hill attached to it because I think she lacks integrity and doesn't seem to be handling this situation with any sense of urgency."
She also made a point to encourage current Jaclyn Hill fans to reevaluate why they stand by their fave.
"If you are a longtime supporter of hers, I know it may be hard to want to see her for anything less than perfect, but after this entire scandal, I think it's time to really start thinking about who you are supporting. That's all and I hope you guys enjoy my video," she closed her message.
Like many beauty fans, Ashley couldn't overlook the fact that Hill has had previous quality issues with products attached to her name.
The pattern is certainly there.
Ashley recounted that Jaclyn Hill's palette done in collaboration with BECCA Cosmetics had to be recalled due to quality issues. "With the Morphe palettes, [she] had to do some stuff with that. Basically, it's kind of like a record of things not really being up to standards quality-wise and then they fix it later on. I did not expect it to be what it is right now with people literally having reactions," she explained.
Ashley did make sure to note that Hill hasn't had an issue with every launch, but that it's "enough to take notice and recognize a slight pattern."
Ashley also provided her theory about exactly what happened and what Hill's role was.
"I genuinely feel like the lipsticks that are being sold were expired. I think that because all of them have the same batch number. I was watching a couple of videos and I guess each lipstick shade should have different batch numbers, whereas all of the lipsticks have the same batch number, which doesn't make any sense at all if you have been to labs," she explained.
She also took note of the screenshots that Jaclyn Hill fans shared, which reveal that Hill had lipstick tubes posted to her social media pages back in 2017.
Alissa Ashley provided what she feels is the best solution for fans who bought the faulty Jaclyn Hill lipsticks.
The influencer believes that beauty fans should simply turn to other brands for nude lipsticks. "I'm gonna show you guys some nude lipsticks I really think are gorgeous," she said. She showed 30 different lipsticks that people can use. Ashley also tried on each nude lipstick and included a variety of shades for different skin tones. She promoted brands like Mented Cosmetics, MAC Cosmetics, Marc Jacobs, Bite Beauty, and more.
After Hill uploaded her long-awaited video to explain what really went on with her faulty lipstick launch, Ashley did circle back to her video to provide an updated statement.
She still isn't cutting Hill any slack after her explanation. Ultimately, Ashley still holds her responsible for doing a disservice to all of her supporters.
"So, Jaclyn has uploaded a video explaining what happened with the launch," Ashley wrote in the comments section of her video. "What I took away from the video is that this was a rushed launch, the lab used is absolutely terrible (an inside source further confirmed that for me because this lab has a bad history), there was zero quality control, and overall these are things that should’ve been attended to before launching to thousands of customers."
Ashley also has trouble believing that Hill had no idea that there was anything wrong with her lipsticks before she began shipping them to her customers.
"I refuse to believe that with all of the testing of the product that she didn’t notice these things in at least ONE of the lipsticks," Ashley asserts. "In regards to them being expired, I genuinely don’t know what to believe. I think this entire thing is just a mess. The things she described regarding the lipsticks are not normal, and given lipsticks are some of the easiest things to formulate in the lab, I just feel like there shouldn’t be so many issues."
WELP. There you have it. Ashley is over Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics before the brand can truly even begin, based on what she knows about Jaclyn Hill's product launches and her own professional knowledge of how makeup is made.
