Lisa Frank has collaborated withMorphe on a colorful, 90s-inspiredmakeup line.- Some
beauty fans have praised the collection, saying it helps them relive their childhoods. - Others say it's a painful reminder of a failed crowdfunding deal that cost them money and hope.
Lisa Frank teamed up with Morphe in 2020 to release a vibrant makeup collection that reminded some people of colorful cartoons from their childhoods.
But for others, the '90s-inspired makeup line brought back painful memories of a failed Kickstarter campaign that left them feeling disappointed, frustrated, and out hundreds of dollars.
The line, which consists of eye shadow, makeup brushes, and more, is being rereleased by the makeup brand on Friday with new products. Here's what you should know about the collection.
Morphe first announced a collaboration with the '90s brand Lisa Frank last year
The beauty company announced the collection in November 2020 with an Instagram photo showing some of the products.
"Discover the magical universe of @lisafrank, the Queen of all things bold and bright!" the caption said.
The collection was released online, in Morphe stores, and through other retailers. It included rainbow sponges, cheetah-print brushes, and a Lisa Frank-themed version of Morphe's beloved 35B palette, which was discontinued in 2018.
The packaging for the products also featured Lisa Frank cartoons like tigers, aliens, and unicorns.
On Friday, the collection is being relaunched, and it will now include two new lip crayon trios.
Many Lisa Frank fans said they were ecstatic about the collection
People on Twitter previously said they were interested in purchasing the Lisa Frank x Morphe makeup because it reminded them of products they had as children.
Others said they were excited to have another chance to buy Morphe's beloved 35B palette.
-idk (@mindfulpanda) November 16, 2020
-les (@leslievasquezz2) November 12, 2020
Others, however, were skeptical of the collaboration
Other beauty fans previously said the Lisa Frank x Morphe collaboration reminded them of a similar makeup line from years ago that never came to fruition.
-Smokey Glow✨ (@glow_smokey) November 11, 2020
-Lizzie (@nocturnalizzie) November 11, 2020
-A.Speck.In.The.Universe (She/her) (@JustaGrlLuckyMe) November 12, 2020
- Jen Luv (@JenLuvsReviews) November 11, 2020
Glamour Dolls started an online campaign in 2017 to fund a Lisa Frank makeup line, but the full collection never saw the light of day
Glamour Dolls, a New Jersey brand, started a campaign in 2017 to fund a Lisa Frank makeup line. The original sales pitch has been removed from Kickstarter, where it raised $370,063, though you can still see the incentives offered to hopeful customers.
Some of the brand's goals are also on Kickfurther, a business-focused crowdfunding site where Glamour Dolls raised $313,189.
The highest-priced pledge options, at $100 and $200, offered a range of Lisa Frank-themed beauty products and accessories including an eye-shadow palette, lipstick, makeup brushes, and more.
Over 5,930 people backed the project, and 1,709 people purchased the highest tiers.
Though Glamour Dolls kept fans updated throughout 2017 on Kickstarter, some grew frustrated at the end of the year when it began selling Lisa Frank makeup through retailers like Ipsy and Hot Topic but hadn't sent rewards to its Kickstarter backers.
Glamour Dolls acknowledged this frustration in updates posted on its Kickstarter page. But it went silent after September 21, 2018, when the company said it was "encountering issues" it "never imagined" when its founders "enthusiastically began this campaign."
It finally returned on April 20, 2020, with an update from cofounder Peter Georgotas saying that Glamour Dolls had not "stopped fighting" to get backers a "resolution on this project." The update also said Lisa Frank "threatened to take legal action" against Glamour Dolls in July 2018 if the company continued to update backers about the status of its collaboration.
"To date, we have paid over $750,000 to the artist in artwork fees, royalty advances and sales royalties (much of which was for the products you purchased and did not receive)," Georgotas wrote. "It included all the money raised by this Kickstarter campaign, whatever money we had as a business and loans that we and our families personally took out to continue paying into the license."
Representatives for Glamour Dolls and Georgotas did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Several Kickstarter backers told Insider they were furious with Lisa Frank and wouldn't support the Morphe collaboration
Gina Hamilton, a 36-year-old from Virginia, told Insider she first backed the Glamour Dolls Kickstarter campaign on February 24, 2017, with $100. She'd even received a postcard, bronzer, and a single eye shadow by November of that year.
But then, she said, "everything fell apart." She said that she didn't get a refund for the products she never received and that she no longer trusted Lisa Frank.
"I'm no longer a Lisa Frank fan," Hamilton told Insider. "I will NOT be buying anything with her name on it. It's a real shame because I loved her stuff when I was younger."
Hamilton said she felt that the Lisa Frank brand had "discarded" the Kickstarter backers "like trash." She added that she thought the company should "address the issues" and "refund the money it stole" before moving on.
Dana Sandersfeld, 32, from Rockford, Illinois, had a similar experience. She said she backed the campaign in April 2017 and received two small makeup products but never received a refund.
"To be quite honest, I'm pissed off," Sandersfeld said when asked about her thoughts on the Lisa Frank x Morphe line. "We went through so much just for Lisa Frank to turn around and act like nothing ever happened."
"I do not plan to buy it or support Lisa Frank in any way, shape, or form," she added. "Lisa Frank ripped off so many people and doesn't seem to even care, which is upsetting because when I was a kid I had Lisa Frank everything, from stickers to backpacks."
Others said they weren't sure whether Lisa Frank or Glamour Dolls was to blame - so they're boycotting both
Lizzie Hunsaker, a 26-year-old from Seattle, described her experience backing the Glamour Dolls Kickstarter as "a bit of a roller coaster." She told Insider that while she was originally excited about the concept and donated $75, Glamour Dolls became "a mess," with infrequent updates and arguments among backers.
Hunsaker said that she asked Glamour Dolls for a refund in August 2018 and was told she'd be given one but that she had to get her money back from her bank after the company failed to do so. So when she saw the news that Lisa Frank and Morphe were collaborating, she was "shocked."
"I'm certainly not happy that Lisa Frank is collaborating on makeup when the products she had supposedly designed and OK'd years ago never got sent to the people who paid for them," Hunsaker said. "Still, I don't know for sure what went down between Lisa Frank and Glamour Dolls, so I can't definitively say that she shouldn't do this.
"If the giant mess was all the fault of Glamour Dolls, then she shouldn't be punished for their failures," she continued. "However, I think both parties have at least some of the blame for everything that went wrong, so I'm choosing to just never buy from either company again."
Like other backers, Dorothy Reichle, 41, from Buffalo, New York, said she received two small products and no refund from either brand. And now Lisa Frank's collaboration with Morphe, she said, "feels like a slap in the face."
"I'm not sure who I should be mad at - but I've lost a lot of respect for Lisa Frank over this," Reichle said. "I haven't seen any information on their end either, so right now Lisa Frank is just as guilty as Glamour Dolls, and it shows some nerve to go and collab with another makeup company while a lot of us still haven't gotten what we paid for."
When asked whether she'd purchase anything from the collection, Reichle said she didn't think so. "It makes me feel like someone just took my money, gave me nothing, and dangled what was to be in front of my face," she told Insider.
Stephanie, 37, from Washington, told Insider that she purchased the highest backer tier in 2017 and never received products or a refund. She said that while her experience "still stings a bit," she'd buy the new collection "for sure" - she described herself as a "rainbow fanatic, makeup user, and Lisa Frank hoarder."
Morphe and Lisa Frank stood by their collaboration in 2020
In an email previously sent to Insider, a representative for Lisa Frank Inc. said it "entered into a business arrangement" with Glamour Dolls "several years ago."
"Unfortunately, Glamour Dolls completely failed to live up to our agreement, which includes their obligations within the Kickstarter campaign, failing to manufacture and deliver the products that our fans rightfully deserved," the representative said. "The Lisa Frank Company knows how you feel, as we did not receive what Glamour Dolls promised us either.
"After many months of pushing Glamour Dolls to live up to its contractual obligations and deliver products - to our fans and retailers that ordered products - Lisa Frank Inc. reached the point of exasperation, terminated the agreement with Glamour Dolls, and contacted the Federal Government," the statement continued. "To say we are disappointed by the events that transpired as a result of this license is an understatement."
The Lisa Frank Inc. representative said the company was "excited about the upcoming collection" with its "trusted partners at Morphe" and that it knew Lisa Frank fans would "love these quality cosmetics that bring the joy of Lisa Frank to life."
A Morphe representative added in a separate email to Insider that while it didn't "have any visibility into prior collaborations or projects with other brands," it was "excited to partner with Lisa Frank."
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