MissChievous

[handmadedolly]

I'm highly reconsidering my subscription towards her because of her reaction to people who commented in an objective manner to her stupid, petty, ignorant and mostly unprofessional post on her facebook page.

People saying it's "unprofessional" of me - how mighty fine the air must be up on that high horse of yours.

Well now, look who is talking. She won't take criticism where it is due and won't admit mistakes where it is due.

A professional statement would be something along the lines of "I've had a bad experience with an eye cream I was sent to review by L'Occitane, bla bla bla, if you have any sensitivity to the ingredients in the product, please make sure to test on a disclosed area beforehand to rule out a reaction before putting it directly on your eye area."

She could also help L'Occitane by emailing them about the reaction for research purposes. I know I've had allergic reactions before and the company I emailed the information about had looked very throughly into it and of course compensated me for the trouble. One of those companies was Clinique, a company that prides itself with its hypoallergenic products - a sample of their eye cream caused a burn around my eye, I had to receive medical assistance and of course, medication for it. It took almost a month for it to heal, as well.

That was my personal experience with the cream, would I tell everyone and their grandmother that cream doesn't work and will cause that reaction for everyone? No, because 1) it won't 2) everyone is different 3) Clinique is a renowned company that wouldn't put a dangerous product for sale.

She also goes on about how people - just like myself who have supported her career and made her the YouTube personality she is, and allowed her to even have the opporotunity to review these products (and be completely unappreciative when showing them off...) - are basically "haters", and how unloyal we are to her because we are backing up a multi-million corp. Had she read half the comments she would see that no one has been backing L'Occitane's back, those people were just pointing out her wording was poor and she could have paraphrased it better.

Also, loyalty is given to those who deserve it. She has been rude, unappreciative and completely biased in all of her YouTube career, and considering her lack of knowledge about so many of the products she uses I would not value her opinion so blindly any day.

[poulet]

A professional statement would be something along the lines of "I've had a bad experience with an eye cream I was sent to review by L'Occitane, bla bla bla, if you have any sensitivity to the ingredients in the product, please make sure to test on a disclosed area beforehand to rule out a reaction before putting it directly on your eye area."

That's true.

But - she's a chick in her thirties who makes youtube videos with her camera in her apartment. She's not really anything professional. She can in fact say whatever the crap she wants. How that makes her look is a different pair of pants.

[handmadedolly]

Not entirely correct. She's a chick in her thirties who makes YouTube videos with her camera in her apartment, and she does it for a living which makes it her profession so she is required to act and carry herself more professionally than that. Earlier in my life I was a chick in my early twenties who made graphics with my computer in my apartment, making me a freelance graphic designer, if I made half the comments she makes publicly I wouldn't have any customers and in her case, she wouldn't have any products to review.

I'm not saying she needs to kiss their ass, not at all. But she needs to act with more grace in her step if she is looking to venture out of YouTube one day.

Like I said no one was underestimating how awful her experience must be, but she handled it poorly and carried on to behave poorly towards her subscribers with that comment of hers later on.

[poulet]

Yes, but her profession has no contract and the end product is not meant to be seriously consumed. By that I mean - women watch her makeup in their spare time and it never gets more serious.

[Dandelion]

I think a good rule to follow is to only review the products you like. If you don't like a product, especially if it was sent to you, just don't mention it in your blog/videos. As has been said above, people react differently and have different tastes. Recommendations by youtubers are fun things to watch, that's all, they are not guidelines anyone should depend on.
And she should have contacted the company about the cream directly instead of bashing them on her page.
What a cow!

[daddyoh]

I think a good rule to follow is to only review the products you like. If you don't like a product, especially if it was sent to you, just don't mention it in your blog/videos. As has been said above, people react differently and have different tastes. Recommendations by youtubers are fun things to watch, that's all, they are not guidelines anyone should depend on.
And she should have contacted the company about the cream directly instead of bashing them on her page.
What a cow!

i disagree. i don't like that attitude that bloggers have lately, i want to know when something doesn't work almost more than i want to know why someone loves it.

i don't like julia and yeah, she could have handled this differently, but knowing bluntly that this gave her a horrible reaction means i won't buy it bc it's not worth the risk. i'd rather that than a glowing review that i end up resenting.

[Vojvodkinja]

Getting sued?!

Where the fuck do we all live.

Well, welcome to capitalism, where everyone can get sued for pretty much anything.

[yll]

I thought the look she did in her last tutorial was pretty, but what the fuck where those silly faces and posing in the beginning?!

[loopyloo]

I think a good rule to follow is to only review the products you like. If you don't like a product, especially if it was sent to you, just don't mention it in your blog/videos. As has been said above, people react differently and have different tastes. Recommendations by youtubers are fun things to watch, that's all, they are not guidelines anyone should depend on.
And she should have contacted the company about the cream directly instead of bashing them on her page.
What a cow!

i disagree. i don't like that attitude that bloggers have lately, i want to know when something doesn't work almost more than i want to know why someone loves it.

I 100% agree with you. I absolutely hate the 'I only review products I like' attitude that is all over YT and blogs recently (and not just in the beauty community). I won't follow people who have that attitude. The reasons?

1) Those people just end up sounding like they are constantly advertising everything.
2) How can I tell whether that person is discerning or not? Maybe they like everything because they have incredibly low standards.
3) How can I know what you are like as a reviewer unless I hear what you do and don't like. It gives me a better idea of what pleases you and what suits you and then I can decide whether you are worth listening to.
4) It suggest you don't have the courage of your convictions and I don't have time for anyone who doesn't have the balls to speak up when they encounter an overpriced or badly-made product.

[tubhouse]

I don't think it's appropriate to do a negative review of a product you were sent for free. I do think it's appropriate to give your honest opinion when asked directly as long as it's not defamatory.
If you paid for a product yourself then by all means have at it.

[clairebear]

She just loves to crap all over something and be a total b*tch. She could've said it didn't work for her and gave a reaction but not completely hammered the product. Not every product works the same for every one, she should know that being a "beauty expert" and all . I like seeing the negatives to products because it can help decide if I really want to buy it. Julia is just one cold broad and will take any opportunity to cut someone or some thing down. She has never shown any graciousness towards all the free product she gets, she doesn't care and knows there's plenty more companies to send her free stuff.

[sugarandspice]

I think there are two different issues here:
a} giving a product a bad review
b} the way you word that negative experience you had

Regarding to b, I would have very likely been less 'harsh' about it- simply because I enjoy writing/talking more in a diplomatic way- I find you usually obtain the best results like this, using detailed periphrasis and keeping a certain distance between you and the topic, than using fewer words and throwing it out there impulsively. Still, even using wording I wouldn't have, I can't bring myself to criticize her for it- not a choice I would have made, but we ARE different people and have different approaches.
Which brings me to a} I really, deeply appreciate a guru who does review a product negatively when they feel it's well deserved. Of course eveyone's reaction to a product is gonna differ, especially if it's a skincare one, I'd assume that to be a given to every viewer who's had any sort of experience with any products at all? How many of us tried something that our friends raved about and found out to be not as great for us? Even beside that, here's what I truly believe: every guru who reviews exclusively products they liked is only doing so to not alienate companies- only so to keep receiving free stuff from the PRs. They are doing the brands and themselves a favour- not us, the viewers, who can definitely use bad feedback as well as good one. I like someone who has the guts to put it out there that, no, this thing they got for free didn't work at all, because then they sound more genuine even when liking a product- less like an infomercial à la Fowler, if you will. Maybe it is a cultural thing though- we Europeans, at least from what I've been able to tell, tend to be less concerned with being politically correct than Americans do.

[gossip_girl]

@Sugar and Spice
I don't agree with some of your observations. It's not a European vs American political correctness, that's pure fallacious reasoning. It's about how one comes across as a professional who works with corporations. If you are a business which Julia is, it's wise to make alliances with others established in the same business. There is a way to tell someone to go to hell so nicely they will ask you for directions. I'm all for a bad review, I applaud those, but her way was to throw the baby out with the bath water. It sucks look what it did to me !!!! Hell, all products do that. There's a reason why people are told to patch test something, and L'Occitane has tonnes of heavily fragranced products. She's mentioned many things she's allergic to, so taking the piss out of someone who is more established as a business than yourself is dumb. Had she done it differently other businesses would not see how she provides feedback and choose not to work with her. Bottom line, YouTube is losing it's appeal, these gurus need to start aligning themselves as a potential business. Contact the company first tell them your experience and then make your claim "This product did not work for me it made my skin irritated or may have something I'm allergic to; however, when I spoke with their PR person they were kind enough to offer me either another product to try as well as a discount code for my subscribers for agreeing to try their product. Sadly, it didn't work for my body chemistry, but your results may vary" She didn't lie, she explains what happened and she let the company know as well. They can't fix what they don't know. It's a business model.

[heyheyheynow]

yeah, it was definitely unprofessional and sensationalistic the way she posted about that eye cream. Even an "Oh no, I had an allergic reaction to this cream! Read the ingredients carefully!!" would've been better than baldly stating, "Do not buy this eye cream" which is insinuating that it will cause everyone to have a reaction.

Apparently there's been a shitstorm on her FB page, see her comment at the top:

[dazzle]

She's so unbelievably stupid. That's like being allergic to peanuts and telling everyone, "Don't buy this peanut butter! I had an allergic reaction to it!"

Besides, didn't she talk about having to take anti-histamines before? She's probably just more sensitive. No reason for a generalized bad review.

[EuhmYeah]

Long time lurker here

I just saw the reply Occitane wrote under her rant on FB. They stayed calm and gracious. Very professional. Kudos to them.

Did she ever mentioned how she hurt her back? Or is it still unknown? And is the name of the injury known?
Did she have a hernia?

Her engagement ring... wow... I read it all here and saw the photos. I completely agree with you about the size and how she thinks about it.

Now I'm going to see if she replied on fb already

[nooname]

How she handled this L'Occitane "accident" is a disgrace. She should have said that that product gave her a reaction but that doesn't mean that it'd be the same for other people. A word of caution is something, yelling "do not buy..." is something else entirely. It also came to my mind that she uses Smashbox makeup - is she aware that that sh*t is made in China and perhaps residues of that on her skin might have increased the chances for her to get a reaction with some L'Occitane eye cream eccipients? Just saying...

[Throne]

[

[Throne]

She's so unbelievably stupid. That's like being allergic to peanuts and telling everyone, "Don't buy this peanut butter! I had an allergic reaction to it!

This! If its you tend to have allergic reactions to certain chemicals or perfumes, why would you willingly put it on the most sensitive part of your face? And then after *SHOCK* your eyes become inflame.(DONT BUY IT! ITS THE DEVIL!)
I find it interesting though how she tested the product on her hands, but it didn't cause a reaction on that patch of skin. This leads me to believe that perhaps her combining the crème with something else, maybe her makeup remover or moisturizer put on before caused a chemical reaction of some sort, causing a reaction.

I appreciate how open she was about her experience but she could have discussed it in a more professional way, since it could not have conclusively been the creme's fault as it did not react everywhere. And no Julia, im not on a high horse for criticizing your unprofessionalism on testing your free products. If your going to walk the walk, calling yourself a "professional makeup artist and beauty blogger", you better be able to talk the talk. Thats why these companies send you products in the first place.[/quote]

[macnw20]

Wow.. just wow. I saw that "L'Occitane" thing and thought to myself, OMG.. the Drama Queen is at it AGAIN. How do we know she didn't have another product on and mixed this with that. Long shot, I know. However, what is the point of posting your puffy "just woke up" face and screaming "DO NOT BUY!!" There is a way to handle mishaps, and honey, that ain't it.. But then again, it is Julia, she must draw attention to herself.. naturally.

If the product caused this, she should have written the company, told them about it.. THEN.. and only THEN.. would be ok to say.. FYI.. this happened to ME.. had no other products on my face, I put it on my eyes and it was bad/good/burned/was fine and X hours later I had this reaction.. Personally, I wouldn't have posted anything.. I would have just written them and advised. Its not like she's the first person to have product reaction. I had a horrible reaction to Neutrogena's Naturals.. I didn't post it all over the place.. Reactions happen all the time.. So glad I un-subbed from her.. she's just a mess.. and the begging to "like" and all that, was just too much.. too too much..