Tales from an Anonymous Younique Whistleblower

A few weeks ago, we were excited to see the appearance of a new website, that said “…this blog posts insider information about multi-level marketing (MLM) companies. Whistleblowers. We are especially interested in hearing from ex-employees of MLM companies, who know the inside stories…”

Calling themselves MLM Confidential, they seem to style themselves as the ‘Anonymous of MLM’ who mainly want the too-hot-to-handle accounts. 

Much to my delight, it transpires that they have attracted the attention of a Younique ex-employee. When I say ’employee’ I mean someone that was literally employed by Younique, LLC — they were on the payroll, they got paid holidays, they went to work at the head office in Lehi, Utah; they were not a self-employed “independent presenter” selling shite makeup.

These posts have been popping up periodically over the past few weeks. For your viewing pleasure, we have condensed these “Younique Tales” into this handy post, as we’re sure it will come in handy for future reference. We’ve also included a summary of the gist of each message. They appear to vary in length, with some tales being longer than the others. 

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Younique Tales by ‘Anonymous’

These were all published in 2018.

• Younique Tale 01 – The whistleblower tells us how much it costs to bring the MOODSTRUCK SPLURGE Cream Shadow to market.
• Younique Tale 02 – More importantly, how much does it cost Younique Corporate to bring their Complete Brush Set and Presenter Kit to market? The whistleblower reveals this, and tells us of how much care and detail Younique put into the manufacturing process. Think “minimum quality and maximum markup.”
• Younique Tale 03 – What’s going on with Younique Corporate’s “big company bonus” that was promised this year? The whistleblower discusses how recent company sales will affect said-bonus.
• Younique Tale 04 – Younique have an eau du toilette range, don’t you know. So what do Passionately Yours, Me™, Dreaming Of You, Me™ and Yours and Only Yours, Me™ consist of?
• Younique Tale 05 – The whistleblower talks about the TOUCH Pressed Powder Foundation. Did their ‘new’ pressed powder shades actually match their liquid foundation counterparts? Do any of the products contain sunscreen? I think we know the answer.
• Younique Tale 06 – Here, we learn about Younique’s changing marketing strategy. Apparently, the idea is to “just sell to the Presenters.” Does that mean that this “uplifting, empowering and validating” company will be encouraging their presenters to stockpile?
  

• Younique Tale 07 – It transpires that claims made about the MOODSTRUCK HOTTIE™ Lip Plumper and Moodstruck Minerals Lucrative Lip Gloss are questionable. Non-sticky and non-drying? Plumping? The truth will set you free.
• Younique Tale 08 – Some concerning information about Younique Corporate’s stance on incorporating sun protection into the products. Talc, however? Talc (a known and proven carcinogen) is fine. What’s the best way to avoid increasing the cost of reformulating the products? Produce the ridiculously expensive TOUCH BEHOLD® SPF 25 Broad Spectrum Finishing Powder to put on the top!
• Younique Tale 09 – How is the “bestselling“ MOODSTRUCK 3D FIBER LASHES+™ and the “billion-dollar valuation” faring since the Coty buyout? 

“Presenters are finding that they’re competing with other Presenters to sell junk no one wants to buy.”

(By the way, in August 2019 Coty announced it was selling its controlling stake back to the owners of Younique. A short-lived ‘romance’ of a few years.)

• Younique Tale 10 – The whistleblower discusses the “tax haven” we know and love as The Younique Foundation. How much of Younique’s sales actually goes to this ‘charity’, and is it “a front to make Younique sound infinitely more philanthropic than it actually is?”
  
  

  

• Younique Tale 11 – Younique photoshopping their models and product images? Surely not. What are the chances of seeing “an older or overweight Younique employee being used as a model?” And what’s this about the infamous  MOODSTRUCK ADDICTION™ Shadow Palette Anniversary Edition having crooked mirrors? Quality control must be slacking.

“You’d better believe that every. single. model Younique uses is Photoshopped within an inch of her life. Retouchers can spend entire days on a single image. Younique also regularly uses its employees as models to save money.“

• Younique Tale 12 – We have seen our fair share of ‘Independent Younique Presenters’ who claim the products are vegan and cruelty-free. Here, the whistleblower tells of how Younique Corporate dance around the debacle.
  
• Younique Tale 13 – Younique by name, but not by nature, apparently. The whistleblower discusses the remarkable similarities between their
  Lip Bonbons Tinted Lip Balm and Fresh, Inc.‘s Sugar Tulip Tinted Lip Treatment.
  

“…For all the extra money you’re paying for a shitty product, you’ll also get less of it. Younique’s products simply don’t last.“

• Younique Tale 14 – Just where are Younique’s products manufactured, and by whom? The whistleblower advises us that it varies, but most lip and face products are from Oxygen Development (headquarters located in South Florida). Interestingly, the MOODSTRUCK 3D FIBER LASHES+™ are made in China – perhaps that’s how so many fakes made their way into the market?
• Younique Tale 15 – We find out a little bit about the monthly Customer Kudos bundles. Are they a way to bring excellent value to Presenters and customers, or to shift unsold products that are about to expire?
• Younique Tale 16 – Surely a wholesome, honest company such as Younique would never even have heard of the term “lawsuit” – the whistleblower advises otherwise.
• Younique Tale 17 – Let’s find out how much it costs Younique Corporate to bring the Royalty Detoxifying Masks to market…and how much they sell them to Presenters for.
• Younique Tale 18 – Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or in this case, which came first – Younique Products, or The Younique Foundation? Corporate claim that the makeup line was started in order to make money for the Foundation…but is that entirely accurate?
• Younique Tale 19 – We’re back to discussing the decline of the “bestselling“ MOODSTRUCK 3D FIBER LASHES+™ again. If there are truly 1 million Presenters now, how are they finding enough customers to go around? Are Presenters making any money?
• Younique Tale 20 – Now, we hear of alleged internal bullying, namely towards Younique’s former in-house makeup artist, Ashley Quai. She recently closed her  Younique Instagram account,  and has a new account here. Word is she is being edged out – could it be because her enthusiastic personality is at risk of upstaging co-founder Melanie Maxfield Huscroft? The whistleblower describes Quai as “legit fantastic“, although she did terrify Elle in her tutorial video of how to apply the infamous MOODSTRUCK ADDICTION™ Shadow Palette Anniversary Edition.

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  Younique Tale 21 – Just how involved is Melanie Maxfield Huscroft in the makeup production process? More importantly, why did Younique decide to sell makeup, when they could have been far more successful selling shoe jewellery?
• Younique Tale 22 – The whistleblower reflects on last year’s launch of the Touch à la mode Powder Luminizer. Apparently, they went down a royal treat at the Black Status Retreat.
• Younique Tale 23 – Coty have set out sales quotas for Younique Corporate, but have they met them? The whistleblower also talks about the Coty board-members, and just how much these men in suits know what beauty is.
• Younique Tale 24 – Younique Corporate is launching a customizable skincare line, to combat poor sales of products such as the Royalty Detoxifying Masks. Sounds like the Chief Sales Officer, Tori Poulter, has some really logical ideas surrounding this.
  
  

  

• Younique Tale 25 – What’s the deal with the Younique Exclusive Car Bonus? The whistleblower makes it sound positively to die for.
• Younique Tale 26 – What’s the deal with Defend Innocence and ripples?

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