TikTok creator Ashley Smith (@ash_loves_condiments), who’s a popular creator with over 1.3 million followers, recently went viral after questioning the quality of her Rare Beauty highlighter.

In her clip, which has garnered over 3.3 million views, she addressed Selena Gomez directly.

“Hey, this video is for Selena Gomez,” Smith says, holding up the compact. “Ma’am, what happened here?”

She explains that she bought the highlighter six months ago and loved it, but now she’s facing an issue.

Holding up the container of the highlighter, Smith presses into it with a metal tool, saying, “What happened? Look at this. It’s rock-hard.”

However, the reality is, the pan is simply empty. There’s no product left. What she’s scraping is the bottom of the container, called a “godet,” but Smith doesn’t seem to realize it.

She continues explaining her situation, saying, “I went to use it a couple of days ago and I was like, why do I feel like it’s not really potent anymore?”

Smith then says she attempted to scrape what’s left of the highlighter, assuming a film had developed over the top. However, as she pressed a knife into it, she realized it was “petrified.”

“I’m just so confused and I want my like what $40 back,” she concludes, “Troubleshoot, maybe take that one back to the lab.”

The TikToker quickly backtracks

Less than 24 hours after posting the video, Smith responded to the criticism by stitching a clip from TikTok beauty influencers @theLipstickLesbians.

In their video, they explained that the base of the specific Rare Beauty highlighter is called a “godet,” a common part of makeup packaging that holds the product and allows it to dry properly.

Sitting in her car, Smith admitted, “I didn’t know, you guys,” while addressing the harsh comments she received. “Y’all are so mean in the comments,” she said.

She then clarified her usual content focus: “Look at my page. I do food stuff… I don’t do make-up… I buy cheap [expletive] from Walmart.”

Finally, she apologized directly to Selena Gomez: “Miss Selena, I love your product, so I apologize. I literally have never seen anything like that before.”

Smith also shared a screenshot of her conversation with Rare Beauty, where the brand offered her a restock, writing, “Hi Ash! We saw how much you’re loving the Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter & would love to send you a restock!”

Viewers fiercely defended the product

In the comments of the original video, users were ruthlessly criticizing Smith for her mistake.

“Trying to get freebies or something?” asked one user. “Its literally empty.”

“It’s the terracotta tile it’s baked on, shared another. “It’s pretty much finished.”

“Ima hold your hand when I tell you this…” joked a third.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Ashley Smith (@ash_loves_condiments) via email and TikTok messages. We’ve also contacted Rare Beauty via email.