Any purchase that you make — whether it's a blouse from a sketchy online site or tacos from a food truck on your block — can be a risk. Taking a chance on an up-and-coming makeup brand can feel even dicier at times, but that didn't stop hundreds of customers from supporting Honey Kissed Cosmetics, a Black-owned beauty company started by entrepreneur Nikuale Williams.
Social media was dazzled by the brand's Crushed Diamond Illuminators and sparkly lip glosses, which looked ravishing on deeper skin tones. Finally, there was a hip makeup line that didn't consider Black women an afterthought. We even swatched the illuminators at R29 and were amazed at the quality. With all of the buzz, the demand for Honey Kissed went through the roof. It's the supply that appeared to lag behind — based on several reports of people claiming to be missing their orders.
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It all came to a head yesterday, when someone (likely a disgruntled customer) presumably hacked the brand's page, spilling all kinds of tea and sharing messages about backorders and refunds that were supposedly never fulfilled. "Hey bitches... if you’re wondering where your orders are... DON’T. You’re never gonna get them. But thanks for your money!" the person tweeted from the @HK_Cosmetics account. The hacker prompted the page's 44,200+ followers to start a thread of grievances, and kicked things off by sharing what appeared to be unanswered direct messages to the brand. The hacker also alleged that whoever was running the Honey Kissed account muted phrases including "wheres my order," "mail," "scammed," and "i still havent gotten my order from."
The jury's still out on the validity of these claims and images, but there are plenty of pissed-off customers who support them — with complaints that far pre-date the recent hack. "I ordered from honey kissed cosmetics and it took 4 months just for me to get my highlighter," @__kaiann tweeted on January 22. "And bc of that, I will never place an order with them again." And on May 2, 2017, @PeaceWithBri tweeted this: "I probably won't be ordering from Honey Kissed Cosmetics anymore. The shipping is crazy long. I ordered a whole MONTH ago. Still, no update."
Williams took to her personal Twitter page to address the drama, and also announced that she will officially be closing Honey Kissed Cosmetics for business, acknowledging her own professional faults and also citing financial strain. "I can definitely admit that I did NOT run my business in the best way possible," she wrote. "I'm 100% aware of it and it's the reason that I had already made up my mind about not reopening when I was able to resolve the concerns that I do have."
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What I have to say to everyone: pic.twitter.com/S9EIe06Dtp
— chocolate chip (@nikuaIe) March 22, 2018
She welcomed customers to direct message her if they haven't received their products. She also left this warning for potential Black business owners: "PLEASE consider the pros and the cons. Do NOT let the money cloud your vision because it is not easy to handle a high volume of demand no matter how much you try and convince yourself that anyone can do it. There's a reason that not everyone does it." We've reached out to Williams for additional comment, and will update the post if we hear back.