A two-year eyeshadow hunt became a Saie shade. What UGC creators can take from it

What happened

On October 15, Saie launched Bellini, a new shade of its SuperSuede Baked Eyeshadow developed with creator Hannah Chody.

The backstory is the interesting part. Chody's favorite shadow, Tom Ford's Golden Peach, was discontinued. According to Allure, she posted her first search video in August 2023 and spent about two years testing replacements, some sent free by brands and some she bought herself. She tried more than 50 shades, though she did not film every one, and would often go to stores with a Golden Peach swatch on her hand to compare.

Glamour reports that Saie reached out after the search took off, and Allure places that in fall 2025. Cosmopolitan's newsletter adds that she had met Saie founder Laney Crowell on a brand trip in 2024 and stayed in touch with the team, and it describes about 10 versions worked through over a few days in Italy. Bellini joined the line as a permanent shade, not a limited drop.

On results, Allure cites Business of Fashion saying the shade sold out within hours. Allure also reports Saie's claim that it was the most-searched brand on Sephora's site that day, and Sephora's confirmation that it was among the top-searched. We have not seen sales figures.

Why the series worked

Chody has over 387,000 followers, according to Allure, and that likely helped. But three things about the format stand out to us, and you can borrow them:

• One clear question. Can anything replace this shade? Every video answered the same question, so each one made sense alone.
• A fixed reference point. The shadow she had lost was the thing to beat. That gives each test a clear question to answer.
• Results that could disappoint. Most of the shades lost. That is why a win meant something.

Three UGC concepts to pitch to similar brands

These are ideas for brands in the same category. They are not a claim that any brand is looking for them.

1. The replacement hunt

• The idea: a short series about finding a replacement for something loved and gone, ending on the brand's product.
• What to shoot: the empty packaging or the old swatch, three real options on skin in the same light, and an honest verdict.
• The ask: three videos, with the first two ending on a question.

2. The yardstick test

• The idea: one fixed comparison the viewer can check. The same arm, the same window, the same time of day.
• What to shoot: the product at application, after four hours, and after eight.
• The ask: one video, with each time stamp cut as its own short ad.

3. The seven-morning log

• The idea: a week of real use, with one sentence a day, including the day it did not work as well.
• What to shoot: ten seconds each morning, in whatever light you actually have.
• The ask: one 45-second video, plus the daily clips as raw footage.

Before you pitch

• Do the testing for real. The FTC's Endorsement Guides do not let you describe an experience you did not have, and products you receive for free generally need disclosing.
• Check competitor names with the brand. Naming another company's product in a paid ad is a legal question for the brand, so offer a version without the name.
• Price a series as a series. Quote per video, and quote usage separately. Our piece on creator ad spend explains why.