All the Tarte Influencer Trip Controversies: Drama, Room Sizes, and Beyond

#TrippingWithTarte: We love it, we know it, and we occasionally raise our eyebrows at it.

If you’re anything like Us, you’ve been keeping up with Tarte influencer trips for years. From beauty influencers sharing posts from Turks and Caicos to Alix Earle inviting her mom along on the brand’s Dubai trip, and Ken Eurich and Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia patching things up in the British Virgin Islands, these trips are brimming with drama, exciting activities, and more.

The latest Tarte brand trip took place in January 2025, where Eurich and LaPaglia repaired their friendship, while JaNa Craig, Mei Mei Monstaa, and others enjoyed the sandy shores of Neckter Island, played tennis, and created a plethora of content.

Some fans expressed their disappointment on social media over the influencers’ revelry amid the spreading wildfires in Greater Los Angeles.

“Tarte consistently makes me roll my eyes. Their brand trips usually leave a sour taste in my mouth, but especially now—sending all these influencers to a lavish private island while people lose their homes and loved ones,” one user remarked on X.

In light of the ongoing crisis, Tarte contributed $250,000 to World Central Kitchen for wildfire relief and donated all proceeds from January 8 through January 11 to the organization.

Additionally, they provided $10,000 to the Los Angeles Department and another $10,000 to the California Wildfire Response Fund for wildlife rescue, all while the influencers participated in the Neon Beach Olympics.

From friendships blossoming and breaking to hotel room size controversies, stick around to explore the various dramas that have unfolded during Tarte trips.

Influencers Spreading Rumors About Each Other

Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield revealed their plans to fabricate a rumor about someone on their Bora Bora Tarte trip; however, their plans were thwarted when a tropical storm canceled the trip.

After “campaigning” for her chance to attend a Tarte trip for “years,” Schofield conceived the idea of generating “the most outrageous rumor” to see how quickly the others would discuss it online.

“We cooked up this mischievous plan for our live shows,” Mongeau explained. “If you’ve seen any of these trips, you know the routine. Rumors circulate, drama ensues, and things explode on the internet.”

Schofield chimed in, “We were contemplating, ‘What kind of drama should we stir up on this trip?’” Although they couldn’t craft a rumor about one of the attendees, plenty of other drama unfolded among the influencers.

Brianna Chickenfry and Kennedy Eurich Drama

During an episode of her “Dumber Blonde” podcast, Eurich called out LaPaglia for her previous unkind behavior on a press trip.

“I receive an email about the Tarte trip,” Eurich noted, referencing her January 2025 trip to Neckter Island, British Virgin Islands.

After her manager informed Tarte that Eurich was interested in attending and requested the guest list, the cosmetics team asked her to hop on a call, igniting her suspicions about whom else might be coming.

“I sensed that it might involve: someone Kennedy doesn’t get along with is attending.” During the call, Eurich discovered that LaPaglia was on the guest list as well. “Here’s the deal,” she said. “If Brianna Chickenfry had simply said, ‘Hey girl, I’m sorry for being rude,’ I would have been like, ‘Girl, you’re awesome.’”

“Who knows?” she continued. “Perhaps she’ll apologize during this trip, and everything will be sunny and filled with butterflies, but she doesn’t strike me as the type to apologize.”

Eurich shared a clip of the podcast on her TikTok account on Monday, January 13, while still vacationing with LaPaglia. In response, LaPaglia posted a TikTok on Tuesday, January 14, showing a clip of her and Eurich confirming they had “squashed” their beef.

“It was resolved,” Eurich stated, with LaPaglia admitting, “Alright, I was a bit harsh.”

Eurich responded, “No, I was harsh. We both were.” LaPaglia proposed that due to their similar personalities, they may often “clash,” and teased a vlog coming soon.

Unequal Hotel Room Sizes

Tarte faced criticism in April 2023 when influencer Cynthia Victor posted a room tour from the brand’s Turks and Caicos getaway.

Viewers quickly noticed that Victor’s accommodation significantly paled in comparison to Meredith Duxbury’s, who enjoyed a beach-front view, a walk-in shower, two balconies, a vanity, and more.

Upon returning from the trip, Victor addressed fans’ comments, acknowledging that her room was “way too small.”

“As a brown minority creator, I often feel like I get the short end of the stick,” she explained. “I hope people understand that it was never about the size of the room, but about being treated equally alongside my peers.” Victor added that she spoke with the Tarte team, who clarified that while certain rooms were pre-assigned, others were randomly assigned.

PR Gifts

Not all gifts seem equal from Tarte. After several influencers, including Halle Kate and Olivia Boblet, received $700 Mini Hermès Kelly bracelets in a PR gift in September 2024, some creators shared on social media that they received similar packages but with a $30 necklace in place of the designer item. Eurich was among those who received the Every Jewels name necklace and took to TikTok to express her feelings about it.

“They are favoring certain individuals, and this is messed up,” she remarked. “You all are on my s— list for this. It’s twisted.”

Later, during their Neckter Island trip, Tarte’s CEO and founder Maureen Kelly made it right by gifting the beauty influencer an Hermès scarf and mini Kelly bracelet.

“Better late than never!” Kelly mentioned in the video.

How Much Do the Trips Cost?

With luxurious locations and five-star accommodations in places like Dubai, Bora Bora, Greece, Hawaii, and Turks and Caicos, fans have speculated on how much these influencer trips cost the brand, while observing the guests partake in spa days, photoshoots, snorkeling, jet skiing, and more. TikTok user Jill Justine, who claimed to have managed the influencer trips, assured fans that these vacations were “far more affordable [for the brand] than you might think.”

“Most of the time, all those experiences were complimentary due to partnerships with the hotels, events, and other experiences, since they also gain exposure,” she explained.

“Honestly, the only expenses we sometimes faced were for the flights. And even then, we’d occasionally partner with airlines to cover those costs too,” she added.

What is Tarte getting out of the trips?

Tarte benefits from these extravagant trips by networking with influencers and gaining exposure to their millions of followers.

Kelly mentioned to Forbes in February 2024, “We consider our investment in relationships to be mutually beneficial. We get to know our amazing influencers and value their unique viewpoints, while they experience a fun, relaxing getaway and familiarize themselves with Tarte. To us, this is far more advantageous in the long term than a one-off media campaign, like a multi-million dollar Super Bowl commercial.”

Kelly also noted that “initially, we simply couldn’t afford any other strategy.” She added, “We had to be clever — we connected with influential figures and media outlets, allowing them to discover and fall for the brand and its products at their pace and on their terms.”