Yet another YouTube beauty mainstay has entered this year’s holiday launch fray, though she arrives to this year’s festivities slightly wounded.
After a disastrous lipstick launch on May 30, in which customers reported finding black holes, hairy fuzz, and a gritty texture in their lipstick bullets, Jaclyn Cosmetics — Jaclyn Hill’s namesake beauty brand — insisted that it was not the result of contamination but instead caused by cotton gloves used for quality control in the lab. In a bid to make things right, the company ultimately processed full refunds to anyone who bought the product, even if they didn’t return their purchase.
Nevertheless, it was a gutting moment for Hill, whose brand had been in the works for years, and who was widely seen as one of the most capable beauty influencers in terms of creating and moving product. Prior to Jaclyn Cosmetics, Hill had collaborated with fellow beauty brands Becca and Morphe — on a highlighter called ‘Champagne Pop’ and an eponymous eyeshadow palette, respectively — that became cult-favorite items as well as massive sellers.
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Roughly five months after the botched lipstick launch, Jaclyn Cosmetics began teasing a return earlier this week on Instagram, and last night Hill dropped her holiday collection reveal video. The sophomore launch comprises three different highlighter products and three brushes — one to go with each of the powders formulas. The highlighters range in price from $24 to $49, and the brushes range from $20 to $24. Different bundles are also available — ranging from $39 to $120 — comprising various brush a product combinations. All of the items will drop on the Jaclyn Cosmetics website at noon ET on Nov. 26.
Of her long-awaited return, Hill says, “I have felt so humiliated and like such a failure…but I truly believe in the depths of my soul that I was put through that situation for a reason because I had a major wake-up call.” Hill says that she was cocky prior to the launch of her brand, and then quickly brought back down to earth. She also says she added 20 new employees to the Jaclyn Cosmetics team. “I’m gonna keep going and I’m not gonna stop until I say that it’s time to stop,” she affirmed. “I am in control of my own destiny, and only myself — and same for you.”
Of course, it remains to be seen whether consumers will be able to regain trust in Hill, or whether they will even have interest in her brand given an increasingly crowded landscape. Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson launched their blockbuster Conspiracy Collection on Nov. 1, whereupon all items promptly sold out, and fellow beauty guru Tati Westbrook also sold out of her initial run of 100,000 eyeshadow palettes — priced at $48 apiece — amid the launch of her color brand, Tati Beauty.
You can check out Hill’s reveal video below:
