Only half way though - but I can relate so much- I’ve been taken advantage of so much no one wants to pay for work. I’d spend hours and days on editing videos yet people refuse to pay for content. So I opened my own site and now I promote the product I sell and what I FEEL like sharing. No longer working for free 🙌🏻 those brands can go ahead and make their own videos.. they’ll fine it’s not so easy 😊
Thanks! My experience is brands Who would send me product would ask me to film videos so when I asked to be paid for my time specifically can remember only charging $130 for a full swatch video which would include all coal media mini videos as well and the company said no. (They wanted me to film for free product that I don’t need) I also had a brand this is vague don’t want to get into detail: but ask for a video for something very specific and I didn’t want payment but I asked for something else that wouldn’t cost them anything extra but would be a benefit to both of us and they said that me promoting them.. helped me... Safe to say I never mentioned their brand again on my channel. There has been many many more of the same things
Cristine doesn't give herself enough credit for her impact, she literally caused a huge upheaval and trend in the nail, fashion, and makeup community and industry. She literally defined a few years of time with holo.
Legit, I had no idea how much impact she and others at that time had. If it weren't for Cristine, I would have no clue there was indie brands. Like how much of there success was due to Cristine?
She gets a lot of hate in the indie nail community and has done for a while. I interpret it as mainly jealousy. You point out the good she does, but it never seems to be enough for them. It’s like they just want to bitch about her and hold her 100% for the behaviour of each and every one of her “dumb” and “rabid” fans. It hurts my heart to read, I love Cristine.
I for sure noticed a HUGE trend in many brands creating a ton of holographic items right after Cristine became very RU-vid famous. Suddenly, everyone had some product with holo on it.
Child actress, car shop employee, nail blogging, masters thesis, finding Ben, stat.can, RU-vid, Halo Taco: That's 8 past lives Cristine, you're running out of time!!!
For real! That is the main reason I was mad at a "certain company" that was recently trying to drag Cristine into the mud, because Cristine is so antidrama. It was cruel.
I am so glad Cristine addressed this. I've met a major indie brand owner who talked crap about Cristine and told me stuff other indie brand owners have been saying about her. I'm not going to go into details, but it reflected poorly on this brand owner, not Cristine. I have the impression that some people are jealous and frustrated that Cristine has succeeded as highly as she has. They sacrificed so much to start their nail polish companies and frankly struggle and work super hard for years and haven't seen a fraction of the same success and traction as Cristine. They're envious and spread toxic emotions amongst themselves. They think it's unfair. They don't get how Cristine's success was sparked by her RU-vid channel. But to make assumptions and talk crap about Cristine is childish and wrong. I was very disappointed to hear it. I told the person that Cristine was the one who introduced me to indie polish in the first place. If it weren't for her channel, I wouldn't have stumbled upon her brand. Sigh.
I am pleased to see that you didn’t disclose the owner's information. He might have had a bad day, and hopefully, your comment will resonate with her/him.
@That One But then you wouldn't have her image. You'd be devolving into the same petty high school bs that those companies are doing. Calling out companies that are actively harming others is fine, but to just call out someone so you can sick your fanbase on them doesn't do anything but spread the negativity around. That same attitude is in part why they haven't seen the same success, in their careers if they are in a pr department or with their business if they are the owners, that Christine has. It all comes around and nobody wants to work with someone constantly talking shit.
It's definitely a struggle to know your value, AND having brands accepting that and not trying to take advantage. The nail blogger union was great back in the day, it helped me realize how much I was being taken advantage of, in a world where brands are very quick to say "we don't have a budget for this but we do want all this free content in this specific way, in exchange for some bottles of nail polish/makeup/whatever". It still happens (I STILL get multiple emails daily asking for professionally edited photos or raw video footage for brands to use for their own advertising in exchange for product lol), and the more people who accept PR as payment, the harder it is for everyone to get fair pricing, so it's really important to realize that you are a tool being used for marketing, and you do have a monetary value, and product isn't payment. Of course that doesn't mean you have to get paid for every single thing you do - for me, I don't get paid for the majority of my content, but it's content that I am sharing of my own will and for the love of polish haha - but don't enter into brand deals or contracts, or do anything you wouldn't have done for free anyway, without working out a fair price.
Kelly, please do not underestimate the hours. You work hard. You work at least three jobs at doing a movie. Beauty industry is so much better paid than you. I watched a video of Claudia Sulewski. She is on Instagram, had 1 million followers back then. Nothing as big as Cristine with her more than 7 million followers. I think Claudia is now lot better known because she moved in with Finneas, brother of Billie Eilish. Claudia and some other influencers were flown to bora bora. First class. She was allowed to even take a friend for free. Got at least three days of all inclusive luxury resort. There were tons of make up in the bathroom, tons of luxury products on the bed. Just give aways. They did some diving and rides on the water, just having fun, go eat, go dance and filming each other for 15 minutes having a holiday. I think the company was revolve. Now you please watch what she got and think again. You should get invited to do your nail art on bora bora in a luxury resort. Your movie would look like... Fly first class to luxury resort... Have a quick look at all the nail product in your bathroom. Hold a glass of champagne in your hand showing your nail polish. Have fun, party, go swimming. Go to bed and wave a kiss to the camera. Next day film breakfast with friends. Maybe new nail art. Go to a boat and eat finger food with maybe another nail polish on your nails. Go back home first class or with private jet with your accompanying friend and some other youtubers. Wave a kiss to camera with some nice nail polish. Nail artists really get horrible conditions from beauty companies. Don't you think? Please do research how much a professional hand model charges per hour. Please charge extra for every single photo. Check how much a professional photo costs. How much is a photographer per day? How much is a studio per day with lighting and backgrounds etc? This is all what the beauty company has to hire, set up and pay for. If you don't do it for a ridiculous low price. Plus a story around the nail polish, made by a director. If an actress does a commercial spot, she can get deals of 5 millions just on mascara. Did you know the liquid in any mascara is worth not even one dollar? I know from a person working in a chemical company in Switzerland. For advertising on mascara, think of how much they spend... Plus the camera team, plus the studio, plus make up team, plus hair dresser, plus catering.... The beauty companies have got the money. The less you charge for your hard work the more goes to their own pockets. All the best for your future.
Totally just recently started watching your videos and love them and your fantastic personality! I'm just recently getting back into nail polish after going au naturel for years. Still learning self control on not sitting there and picking off the polish though XD
Omg Kelli, you and Cristine are both amazing people and there is a specific brand that was recently talking crap about Cristine and her top coat. I can’t stand that. You two are someone that younger people can look up to and I hope you stay in the mail polish world and on RU-vid. Much love!!!!!!!
Fuck! I am always thinking about that and wondering how they organized their time. How come? They don't have a life besides halotaco, youtube, podcast and day job. I want to do great things with my life too.
@@Kakashii26 "Paid subscribers get premium content". Did they expect to snark & bully way to very very low cost (product) pics? I haven't been in the cosmetics industry, but in other industries sale people give away samples like it's popcorn.
I had a client asked me, if I were to add a watermark, could it be their brand name and I’m like ????????????? Blows my mind how dumb these clients can get 😩🙄😒
The drama queen inside of me really wanted them to out the brands that screwed them over and the other nail bloggers who bitched about Cristine on Facebook. But the adult side of me can really appreciate how they didn't mention their names.
And if you click on the next page of that link, someone says, "... it kinda seem the girl who posted the convo of them is PPP...look at all her other posts she made a thread about herself and keeps protecting PpP?! she said she lives in PA too which is where PPP is lol i hate simply n she is so annoying but that is so pathetic of PPP if its her" so... yeah, it's PackAPunchPolish.
This podcast is so good because there are no tricks and buffoonery, it's just a lighthearted but still honest conversation where I really get to know a couple of creators who I really like and relate to 💙
There was a behind the scenes podcast that at first I thought was pretty cool. Then it became obvious that it was actually just a way for the people doin the podcast to make money. I felt...cheated.
@@myrojyn Oh no, felt cheated by who Christine and Ben? Which behind the scenes podcast did you watch? It sounds like I'm interrogating haha but I'd actually be interested to watch it if it can give me some better perspective on podcasts as a medium/industry
Anyone else notice the difference on Cristine's face when talking about the struggle with other brands vs. her face when talking about Holo Taco. It really shows how much she cares for her own brand!
This whole podcast is basically Cristine saying "idk I liked it so I did it and then I was good at it so people paid me to do it" over and over again haha. I think that is what so many people are missing these days. They don't want to take the time to enjoy and get good at whatever it is they're doing. Everyone wants to jump right to having a huge audience, getting free product, getting paid, and a lot quit after they don't get all of that quickly. People don't understand how much time goes into perfecting a craft and building an audience.
Not to sound cliche, but I’ve been here since before holo taco AND polish mountain AND your RU-vid channel!! I’ve followed your Instagram since your very beginning :) I totally feel nostalgic when I look at the holo taco site and it’s one of my favorite parts about it!!
When Menchie was just chillin on Beyyyns shoulders😂I died of too much cuteness! *Edit* I wasn’t expecting Cristine or anyone to like this so thank you so much!
I love they talked about this. Starting small from scratch is hard. My husband loves photography and he wanted to profit out of it and make a business to have some extra money so he started doing small, free photoshoots for realtors and shops or restaurants. He went to a coffee shop and he loved the architecture so he offered to take pictures for free if they let him add them to his portfolio. This included post production and free use. They said yes and he happily took the pictures and told them they could expect them in a week or week and a half. They got upset and said they wanted them in a couple of days, feeling they could demand a due date even though there was no payment or contract involved. I don't understand how businesses feel its ok that someone is trying to be fair and humble and they take advantage and even belittle entrepeneurs.
Love to hear that Cirque and Fun were supportive of Holo Taco. I am pretty loyal to Cirque after you loved their black polish and I love their collections. I will have to support Fun more too. This was all so interesting and I love learning more about your experiences. Hope your eye gets better 😭😭
I love that you never use the company name when talking about negative experiences. I also love that you used the names of the companies that you have enjoyed working with and that support you.
I am just speculating - but she is one of the only college educated and professionally working big RU-vidr....... I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that she is so aware and respectful and also well educated.
Literally though....... I will never stop being amazed by how interesting Cristine and Ben can make *any* topic. Every single podcast has incredible rewatchability and the topics have just been like _"how we met" "cats" "why aren't we married" "school" "nail polish"_ like what witchcraft is this??
My daughter is obsessed with your neon cat sign! She keeps saying "Kitty!" in my ear, but never seems to be looking when Zyler or Menchie walk by lol Update: She saw Menchie and was appropriately excited :)
menchie: Sitting politely in the background and respecting bc shes a good girl *meanwhile Zyler is flashing his bitthole to the world and annoying ben* :
me too! it was such a huge relief to hear their relationships with Cristine were positive and remained supportive bc they were such a big part of her channel/branding in the early days
I will saw that I agree with Ben whole heartedly about Cristine being so influential on bringing indie polishes to the mainstream. I had never heard of let alone owned an indie polish until I started watching Cristine and how own F.U.N. and Cirque and Color Club and Starrily, etc.
I think Cristine is incredibly mature in all of this and even when other companies try to bring her down because she is their competition now, she knows that the ones who try to put others down will eventually fall themselves, it is a bit sad to see brands act like jealous high schoolers
Same. I think we like them because they're able to present completely silly topics and very serious topics while bringing something to the conversation. They're able to have an intelligent, honest, and civilized conversation.
Just randomly noticed how Ben holds his posture and moves slightly differently when he has a cat sitting on his shoulder. Like Menchie has taught him the subtle nuances that makes it more convenient for a cat to use him as a cat tree. What a good dad.
I was here before Polish Mountain! But after the "no voiceover" days. I'm not good at nail art, but I liked Cristine's dry, sassy, more adult humor paired with cool nail designs. Spent a summer making decals (dee-kals) from random magazines and sponging on gradients - I was really inspired! Not that "older fans" are better than new ones at all, just reminiscing.
I remember Christine from nail blogging because we were nail blogging at the same time! I stopped in 2016 as well. I blogged for nearly 7 years. I had a new post up nearly every day and did my nails every day. I got burned out and it stopped being fun
That question about why Cristine does her own swatches was great. I'm glad to hear that they are considering bringing in swatchers of other skintones. Different undertones would be appreciated too. White skin seems to make nearly any nail polish pop but on my brown fingers that is not the case. But you can't go wrong with one-coat black which I love.
"It's really hard for an artist to know his worth." I work in animation, and I can relate to this so much. It is very common to take advantage of artists, with the dumbest of excuses ("it's your passion!", "I can give you visibility!", "This would be a great experience"). Yes we are artists. And yes, we are professionals, like any other job.
Simply’s voice was so tremulous when she was talking about all shit behind her back, I really wanted to just hug her :( I’m really happy that she has Ben with all his support cuz it’s send really tough
39:14 being in therapy I can share that forgiving yourself for feeling bad back then is part of resolving this emotionally. I’m specifically talking about Ben’s comment of “shaking reassurance into your past selves”. It is good to mentally do that but at the same time empathize with why your past self felt that way (because you didn’t have the knowledge you have now). I’m so happy that you have that knowledge now =)
Every time they say, that brand or company. I secretly want to know the real names. Then I realize how amazing Cristine and Ben are. They don’t want to use their influence for anything negative. *applause* be a better human today than you were yesterday 💕
I want to say that Ben wearing nail polish and it not being remarkable for anyone, him, Cristine or the audience is such a wonderful indication of the progress that has been made in regard to gender 'norms' and how gender is expressed. Ben is not a member of any of the supposed 'expected' groups of cis-men who would wear nail polish comfortably and without it being notable. He's not scene, goth, emo or any other label that is more traditionally prone to expressing themselves with more traditionally 'feminine' accessories and products. But, seeing him in nail polish doesn't come off as strange or out of place. I know we've got a long way to go, still, but just knowing that this is becoming more commonplace and accepted makes me happy.
I noticed that too and it made me really happy. My brother and I got our nails done. He decided to get his pinkies painted lol. It might seem small, but men like Ben and my brother are helping to normalize men expressing their creative interests in ways that stereotypically have only been permitted to women. I really hope more men feel confident enough to wear nail polish. Everyone deserves to have sparkle and color in their lives!
For the thing with the baking blogs and long posts before the recipes: you can't copyright a recipe. If you want to protect your intellectual property, you need those posts before (and they need to be a specific length in relation to the recipe)!
I love how Ben can answer a lot of these questions too! He really seems so invested! (For example when you answered the question about photographing your nails and holo!)
Simply is just so humble and honest. She grew up her whole brand as a passion without expecting anything in return, learned a lot in the process and I'm so happy she's successful now. It's people like these who need to be recognized.
Cristine thanks for the Closed captioning as a fan for many years that relies on captions I love when a creator takes the time to make their content accessible to all. Love from Australia 🇦🇺, Stay Safe.
Cristine thank you for making this! As a photography student it is important for people in art for advertising and commercial use to know their worth and the worth of their art.
I remember when she addressed it on no doing sponsers anymore. Part of it was she just got tired of brands being slimy and expecting too much of her. Such a mess
Big companies try and do the same to small companies all the time. Like the Big 3 auto makers are huge and so is any potential business with them. They use that lure to try and bully free product and service from small companies - and they do this at all points of contact - from their buyers to supervisors on the floor. If companies don't watch it, they actually lose money dealing with the Big 3.
I think another reason why there are whole life stories before recipes is to make a longer page length to fit more ads. Gotta get that ad money some way I suppose and they're just manipulating the factors they have control over
When you are ready to expand the models from only Cristine to more people, how cool would it be to also include male models. Maybe it will inspire many more people to enjoy fun colored nails!
This happens often or maybe just where I happen to be in a group and it gets picked up. (I wasn’t part of the one that happened to Cristine nor did I have discovered her yet. I found her through YT.) But yeah it’s a weird sort of tatic people use, it’s even more obvious by their writing patterns and stuff.
Many photographers, videographers, graphic designers, editors... suffer a lot about intrusion in their fields because there are a lot of people who are willing to do it for free/in exchange of free products or for clout that is not going to transfer in money. Ben is right when he said companies lack respect for influencers and professionals. Make no mistake, clout is never a form of payment. And building portfolio is just an excuse for companies for not paying what they know they should be paying. And many followers do not equal quality, so I encourage to have prices straigh away. I'm totally against giving work for free so always give a budget. And stick to it. Self-worth is so important in the art field, because if you dont value your own work, nobody is going to pay for it. Good luck to everyone!
I miss the days when you could get honest product reviews from independent bloggers/vloggers. Cristine is a left over (young looking) relic from a different age of beauty blogging.
This made me somehow feel proud of Cristine and how far she has come. Also wish I had half the drive Cristine has at learning how to do her own photography and videography..
Jfc, I know this is all in the past now, but I am genuinely SO ANGRY to hear that a brand would DARE to send you an e-mail so nasty it would make you cry over you posting someone else's pictures first when they didn't even pay you, omg, I am fuming! 😤🤬 Edit: Omg, the nastiness just goes on in this podcast! Jesus Christ I am so angry on your behalf I can't even process.
Really appreciate and love how much integrity you both have, especially nowadays when people are using drama to get their attention and focus on them. Just the fact that you don't name names and you don't care to is absolutely refreshing in the best way possible!!! You guys deserve all the success your having! It's lovely to see a brand with the respect and approachability that you have. I'm so happy for your success!!! And fyi, my god THANK YOU for creating HALO TACO!!!! I've always been obsessed with glitter and you took it and made it everything today!!! Love everything you do!!!!
I’ve been a long time follower of you and have enjoyed the journey you have gone through. When you announced your own brand I literally said, “I don’t usually pay over $10 for nail polish but I will for Halo Taco because I know it’s going to be worth it.” And with every launch you continue to amaze me! Now your polish is all I wear and helped me find my love of nail polish again. So keep doing your thing and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
what makes her different from others that she took her studies and knowledge seriously. it's so evident in the way she speaks, this confidence does not come from any random overnight fame. much love her. Kudos girl ♥️
Funny enough I did my MA capstone on food bloggers and so I can confirm there are people that do read the big block of text before the recipes and feel a connection to the blogger. It is there for those people.
Wow, as a former professional photographer and digital producer, it breaks my heart that you and so many others have been taken advantage of. You provided the services of a hand model, photographer, stylist, director, editor, and producer AND you provided the license to use the content unlimitedly. These services are often provided by many people and the company is BILLED for each professional service, AND the company pays license fees for how they will use it. And as an influencer, your exposure in getting eyeballs will increase your fees for promotions on your platforms. For anyone still doing this, PLEASE know your worth!
I know Ben joked about CutePolish not being able to be on like he always does at the end of every show lol BUT it would be really interesting for them to have someone else on who can sort of show how it was different for them when they started doing nail art online compared to how it was for Cristine. Perhaps in the future.
I truly have a lot of deep respect and admiration for both Cristine and Ben. Wouldn't it be nice if the entire world/RU-vid world had their attitude about life in general? It doesn't cost a penny to be gracious, loving, honest, and kind.
@@chidxrra Thanks for the T. I can imagine how everybody is running to avoid the fallout or to capitalize on this, even though Shane's old videos were known. I never watched Jeffrey Star, but the whole thing with James Charles gave me the impression that he is a bottom feeder.
Love this podcast, shows the reality of starting a business and making a name for yourself. Some business are feisty and want to get everything for free and others will value your work if you value your work. Great life lessons 👌moral of the story is know your worth we all have something to bring to the table
hey Simply And BEYYYYYYYYNNNN I was wondering if you could do a podcast all about tea. I have recently learned I hate Coffe so I feel tea can be a great alternative. if you made a podcast about teas and equipment that may or may not be a favorite of yours I feel like we could learn a lot about different types of tea. just a suggestion love you guys bye!
I know this maybe an odd comment on this video but... I love listening to and watching the podcast because it gives me a better appreciation for how much Ben has been apart of and involved in Cristine's journey as "an influencer" and with the creation of HoloTaco.
Cristine and Ben are such good people. They are so caring and I love hearing their thoughts on such interesting products. They can make us laugh and teach us. GOSH I LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD ❤️
One of the most impactful things I learned in art school was the importance of treating yourself and your brand as a business, with your work as the product. It’s hard to figure out how much to charge when you’re first starting out - this was one of our most asked questions for professionals who came in. There were various opinions on formulas or standards in regards to pricing but the most consistent thing we were told is to never establish yourself as an artist who works for free. They were never against pro bono work as long as you were doing it for the right reasons, but there was always a warning against constantly doing free work because of the way it alters or establishes your reputation. Doing free work as a way of garnering attention can work to a certain extent, but it often sets a precedent that you don’t want to stick as you make your way in the professional world. Businesses and individual customers will come to expect free work, and when you eventually decide to charge money they will often be angry and feel entitled to more free work. Artists already struggle to establish themselves as providing a product worthy of payment to the average person, and not valuing your work as a commodity from the start can really make that even more difficult. It can be extremely hard to convince yourself of your worth, especially starting out (I myself am still struggling with this), but it’s very important to do so. So thank you Cristine for sharing your experiences on this and reinforcing the importance of self-worth for artists of all kinds.
