Anastasia Beverly Hills has a HUGE Instagram following. So the cult-fave makeup brand recently took to the social media platform to unveil their new holiday liquid lipsticks.
Each video included 1) the name of a lipstick shade, 2) where it would be available, and 3) three different videos of three different models applying said shade.
Again: three different models applying the same lipstick shade.
If you're wondering whether all three lipsticks are actually the same shade, you're not alone. Twitter user saintdyana reposted screenshots of the videos, which sparked a looong thread in which people tried to figure out exactly what the hell was going on.
Some people swore that the black model had actually been given a completely different lipstick.
"They gave her some pink/coral shit."
When someone suggested that the pH levels of the models' lips had something to do with it, people pointed back to the damning evidence: the different-colored applicators.
And then there were those who were frustrated with how basic the black model's application looked compared to her peers.
Twitter user Lissababes930 went as far as deciding to return her recent purchases: "I'm returning all those liquid lipsticks I bought on sale and my dipbrows & lipsticks."
This backlash illustrates an exponentially growing frustration that many black women feel toward the larger beauty industry.
So it's no surprise that Fenty Beauty — a cosmetic brand featuring 40 foundation shades launched by Rihanna, a black woman herself — was also mentioned.
BuzzFeed has reached out to Anastasia Beverly Hills for comment.
UPDATE
The following day, Anastasia Beverly Hills uploaded a second set of videos showcasing what appears to be three new lipstick swatches on three different models' arms. Again, only three lipstick shades are listed.
So naturally, people were even MORE confused.
Several hours later, the company posted a message on the same Instagram story, claiming that "the wrong series of swatches were used for our model Dora."
A PR rep for Anastasia Beverly Hills then responded to BuzzFeed's request for comment: "Unfortunately, a mistake happened while posting, and we apologize."
"Our mistake! Our social media manager unfortunately posted the wrong clips for model Dora for our new Liquid Lipsticks, and we did not internally catch the mistakes until user comments drew our attention to the uploading errors last night. This footage is shot on an iPhone and then collaged with additional footage for Instagram Stories—our social manager mistakenly confused which clip went with which post. We want to thank everyone who helped call out this mistake, and we apologize for the confusion. We work with Dora often and consider her a part of our glam family. It’s always our intent to represent her—and all other ABH models—accurately, as our customers look to swatches to determine if a shade of lipstick or eye shadow suits their personal skin tone. Unfortunately, a mistake happened while posting, and we apologize."