A growing controversy in the beauty world has sparked debate online after makeup artist Ngozi Esther Edeme accused celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta of copying elements of her signature “transition blush” technique. Edeme, who is professionally known as Painted by Esther, has become widely recognised for popularising the dramatic airbrushed blush look across social media, particularly on Black women with deeper skin tones. Her work on stars including Kelly Rowland and Doechii helped bring the technique into mainstream beauty conversations.

The makeup artist recently shared an emotional TikTok video where she opened up about her concerns regarding Patrick Ta and his brand’s latest blush launch.

“I’m honestly very nervous to make this video,” Edeme admitted. “But, I don’t like being scared to say things because you know how easy it is for them to ‘angry Black women’ us.”

Fighting back tears, she went on to explain that she had experienced what she described as several “weird” interactions involving Ta and his team over the years.

“I have had really weird experiences with Patrick,” she said, claiming there had been at least “two or three” incidents in the past.

According to Edeme, one recent situation happened while she was visiting Los Angeles, when she allegedly received a booking inquiry from Rima Minasyan, the co-founder of Patrick Ta Beauty.

The controversy intensified after Patrick Ta announced a new product called the “Transition Blurring Blush Duo,” a launch that many online quickly linked to Edeme’s signature technique.

“The timing of things is very convenient,” Edeme said.

She also pointed to similarities between her tutorials and Ta’s recent promotional videos. In one example, Edeme explained how she described a powder puff as the “holy grail” tool for creating transition blush, which Ta later used during a tutorial for his own launch.

She additionally claimed Ta repeated her unusual phrase “back of your palm” during application instructions — wording she said stemmed from her own accidental misuse of the expression.

In response to the backlash, Patrick Ta publicly denied ownership of the makeup style while also acknowledging Edeme’s influence.

“I do not own this look,” he said, while crediting Edeme for helping popularise the technique, particularly through her work on reality star Olandria.

Although Edeme has never claimed to have invented transition blush herself, she has frequently cited iconic artists such as Danessa Myricks, Pat McGrath and legendary makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin as inspirations.

Aucoin famously used the soft-focus blush technique throughout the 1980s and 1990s on supermodels including Naomi Campbell. His 1997 book, Making Faces, showcased the gradient blush style now commonly referred to as transition blush.

The debate grew even larger after beauty influencer Jackie Aina shared a review of Patrick Ta’s new blush products during the controversy.

“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.”

While reviewing the products, Aina described herself as the “target demographic” for the launch. She said she felt “indifferent” toward the Liquid Transition Brightening Blush, though she praised the blush duo itself.

Some viewers criticised her for not directly addressing the situation between Edeme and Ta, but Aina made clear she did not want to become involved.

“I’m not inserting myself in [Painted by Esther and Patrick Ta’s] situation,” she explained. “It is not my job to fight his battles and it never will be.”

The controversy has also reignited discussion around previous accusations made against Patrick Ta. In 2024, influencer Avonna Sunshine went viral after posting a TikTok video in which she destroyed Patrick Ta products while accusing the brand of failing to pay Black creators.

“I’m sick of seeing companies profit off of the Black dollar and they’re not paying Black creators,” she said at the time. “How would you feel if someone stole from you?”

Patrick Ta later apologised publicly to Sunshine, but online criticism has resurfaced following Edeme’s recent claims.