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“I’m honestly very nervous to make this video,” said makeup artist Ngozi “Esther” Edeme, professionally known as Painted by Esther, in a TikTok video. But, “I don’t like being scared to say things because you know how easy it is for them to ‘angry Black women’ us.”

I’ll only speak about this once.

Known for her “transition blush,” a dramatic, airbrushed blush technique including the under eyes in blush placement, Edeme has famously popularized the look on Black women with richer skin tones like Olandria, Kelly Rowland, and Doechii. Except, now, makeup artist Patrick Ta is accused of stealing her technique. 

Holding back tears, she begins to explain: “I have had really weird experiences with Patrick,” she said. Citing at least “two or three” prior incidents, “the weirdest one recently was, I was in LA [and] I get a booking request from the other half of Patrick Ta,” she said about the brand’s co-founder, Rima Minasyan. 

My new melted flush blush technique with New Impressionist Multistick from @KosasI build the flush in stages, layering blush into the complexion process so the color looks melted into the skin instead of sitting on top. shop it today at kosas.com, @sephoracanada @sephora+ @kohls #KosasPartner #ad

After accepting the booking request for a “do-and-go,” which means she would do Minasyan’s makeup then leave, Edeme gets a text from her agent the day of the appointment: “[Minasyan] wants to record you doing the glam.” Immediately, Edeme cancelled. “It’s not a one-to-one lesson, it’s not a teaching lesson, it’s none of that,” she said about the service Minasyan booked. “I found that very strange… If you want me to teach you, then that’s a different service.” 

Transition Blush Tutorial @Patrick Ta Beauty

Then, just last week, Patrick Ta announced the upcoming launch of his latest product: the Transition Blurring Blush Duo. “The timing of things is very convenient,” Edeme noted. In a tutorial with Kosas, for example, she mentioned a powder puff was the “holy grail” to transition blush, a tool Ta then used in a tutorial for his new product. Then, Edeme said to use the “back of your palm” (instead of the commonly referred verbiage of “back of your hand”) for application, which was a literary mistake Ta repeated in his own tutorial. 

In response to Edeme, Ta said “I do not own this look” and tagged Edeme crediting her for popularizing the look in her work, specifically on Olandria. While Edeme has never claimed to be the originator of transition blush, often referencing legends like Danessa Myricks, Pat McGrath, and most notably, Kevyn Aucoin, she has undoubtedly been responsible for its popularity on Black women in the past few years.

We heard “transition blush” is having quite the moment right now… Long before the term started circulating online, this technique was first published by legendary makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin… and later refined by incredible artists like @PaintedbyestherIn 2018, our Neo-Blush was created with the purpose of honoring Kevyn’s legacy and teachings. We’ve been delivering customizable color, dimension, and glow for almost a decade. Just a little beauty history lesson #transitionblush #kevynaucoin #neoblush #paintedbyesther #patrickta

To the point, Aucoin’s team credited her influence in a response video. “We heard ‘transition blush’ is having quite the moment right now,” read the caption of a video on Aucoin’s official TikTok account. In a history lesson about transition blush: “Long before the term started circulating online, this technique was first published by legendary makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin… and later refined by incredible artists like Painted By Esther.” 

Rising to fame in the 1980s and ‘90s, Aucoin’s blush was seen all over the faces of supermodels like Naomi Campbell, the cover of Vogue, and even as creative director of Revlon’s Ultima II line. In 1997, just five years before his passing, he released a book, Making Faces, which introduced the blush technique which is now known as “transition blush,” his signature airbrushed, gradient technique Edeme references in her work.

#fyp #paintedbyesther #patricktabeauty

“In 2018, Kevyn Aucoin’s Neo-Blush was created with the purpose of honoring Kevyn’s legacy and teachings,” the TikTok caption continued. However, Patrick Ta’s new blush duo was also called out for drawing a direct comparison to the Black-founded Juvia’s Place Blushed Duo in both packaging and shades, and priced at $10 dollars more. Meanwhile, his blush duo has less pigment, and although he demonstrated the look on Black women, is much less visible than the iconic Edeme’s. 

#transitionblush #babypinkblush #patricktabeauty #patricktablush @Patrick Ta Beauty

As if the controversy couldn’t get any more layered, Jackie Aina Asamoah posted a review of Patrick Ta’s new blushes in the midst of it all. “It wasn’t until Makeup by Mario went on Patrick Ta’s YouTube channel where he finally showed this technique,” she said. “Ever since then, it is exactly how I’ve done my blush.” 

In the review, she said she’s the “target demographic” for the blush, and while she’s “indifferent” towards the Liquid Transition Brightening Blush, she likes the blush duo. In the comments, however, viewers expected her to address the controversy. “I’m not inserting myself in [Painted by Esther and Patrick Ta’s] situation,” she responded. Instead, she’s simply reviewing a new launch just as any other product. 

it’s time to wake up why a lot of people still loudly support Juvia’s place but more importantly….why are some of you weaponizing them against me. hold yourself to same standard you hold Jackie Asamoah to, challenge

But, it wasn’t until commenters kept mentioning Juvia’s Place’s Blushed Duo did Asamaoh make a follow-up video. “I’m never going to support Juvia’s Place,” she said sternly, citing how the brand “can not take constructive criticism” and “disrespected” her during a dispute with founder and CEO Chi-Chi Eburu in 2019. “You will absolutely not call me a sell out, you will absolutely not call me a hypocrite, you will absolutely not say that I pick and choose, while also name-dropping Juvia’s Place in my comment section,” she said.

As for Patrick Ta, “if you guys collectively don’t want to support Patrick as a brand, you absolutely have that right,” she said. “It is not my job to fight his battles and it never will be.” While the controversy with Painted by Esther does not involve Aina, it’s not the first time a Black woman has accused Ta of theft.

Any guesses on who it might be?

In 2024, influencer Avonna Sunshine destroyed Patrick Ta products in a viral TikTok video with one million likes. “I’m sick of seeing companies profit off of the Black dollar and they’re not paying Black creators,” she said, exposing Ta for unpaid invoices. “How would you feel if someone stole from you?” He since apologized to Sunshine, but now, less than two years later, he’s under fire for the same reason. 

This goes out to all my girls like @Paintedbyesther @lex michaela and every blush loving artist who pushed the needle forward with their artistry! Sometimes integrity is more important than capitalizing on a viral moment.#blush #makeupartist #transitionblush #midtoneblushing #baddieglam

Additionally, a makeup artist affiliated with Patrick Ta, Shanell Sorrells, said, “it’s important, as a fellow artist, to give artists their credit when they’re literally influencing beauty culture in real time,” questioning why the launch wasn’t a collaboration with Edeme. She then admitted “I’m just a little confused with this launch.” The same was said by Jalana Torres, founder of “The Beauty Of” Substack, who says it’s a look you can achieve without buying an entirely new product. 

“I would hardly call this pushing the category forward,” Torres said about the blush duo, citing that buying a specific product for the under eye and cheek is unnecessary. Instead, she questioned why simply placing a regular blush isn’t enough. Others, like beauty creator Chelle’s World, asked the same question. “Why are we creating products for problems that don’t exist?” 

The quotes from the Byrdie article are embarrassing and I very much feel this is a rip off of @Paintedbyesther#patrickta #blush #paintedbyesther #patricktabeauty

♬ original sound – jalana

Historically, the beauty rituals of Black women have long been stolen from, whether it’s the beauty controversy Painted By Esther Patrick Ta transition blush

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