Ya’ll better engage the crap outta this video! The amount of work that went into this is crazy. The research, the editing, the amount of LINKS in the description! GORL! Hope you get a break lol So proud of you.
I’ve had the very unique experience of not being a user of meth but been trusted to be around those suffering from active meth addiction as a sober person (including witnessing them smoking and booting meth.) So much of Brandon’s behaviour exhibit the tell tale nature of meth use. The emotional rollercoasters as it ebbs and flows in the system, the disordered thinking and paranoia from lack of sleep. Distancing of people who you love that disapprove or would disapprove of what you’re doing. The isolation it brings. The anger when you know someone doesn’t have a clue what is really going on and you would never trust them to tell them because people have picked up on the strange behaviour but attributed the abnormal behaviour to things you’re actually not doing and accuse you of a lack of morals you do still in fact have. I see the confused mix of compassion and judgment of homeless people happen to middle class users who up until becoming a part of the meth community didn’t really understand why people were on the streets and are in the process of dismantling their old prejudices because they don’t want to apply it to themselves and also thinking they have a better control over their meth use than everyone else. I believe even if someone close to Brandon like his partner did know the full extent of his use it would be very hard to convince Brandon he’s got a problem when you don’t see you’re average crack head running a multi billion dollar business everyda. His argument in a sense is already won. And he’d likely be too deep in addiction and sleep deprivation to see the collapse as his own doing. They’ll jump through the biggest hoops to blame anything but the meth, they don’t even know they’re doing it.
But could not all of that be true also for a cocaine user? Because usually you need quite a bit of money to sustain a coke addiction. The lack of sleep all of the things that you shared I believe that can be universal with crystal meth, Coke and crack.
I have lost all of my friends to this awful addiction 😞 I've seen them do it smoke it snort it everything and it is horrible and I have watched people that have had money go down to the bottom of the barrel in and out of jail. It's a horrible horrible addiction 😢 I counted my funeral pamphlets the other day and I had 10 friends that had passed away 😢
@ Yes it does apply to all amphetamines users but meth lasts for longer and is cheaper so often what starts as a coke habit ends up being crack or meth. In some ways meth is the workaholics drug, less conspicuous trips to the bathroom and higher for longer.
I think it’s interesting that people who have either never done drugs or have never been close to people who have done drugs, don’t recognize that people are on drugs. You can usually determine the drug based on the behavior, too. I wish there were more awareness around drugs aside from what most people are limited to, which is one or two highschool lessons of “drugs are bad, don’t do them.” And not for the sake of demonizing people-but for the sake of trying to get them the help that they need before they’re too far gone.
I agree. I had dated a very bad off addict. It was quite obvious but he was so deep in the addiction that even if I asked if he was on drugs at that moment (which he indeed was) he would lie to my face without hesitation. Anyway, it was a nightmare- I’ve been sober for 4 years now!
I only just started the video, but I work in the mental health/substance use space. If someone has an addiction, there's only very little you can do to help them with the addiction itself. Ultimately they have to be ready and take the initiative. It's quite sad. ETA: Now that I've watched more, I'm seeing mental illness plays a large role here too. And it's kind of the same is addiction, you have to be ready for the help.
@@emoolovesyouboo my sister and my nieces have been addicts at some point in their lives. They did meth, you can definitely tell what drugs people are on by the behavior. It breaks my heart to hear people make negative comments about addiction because I know they’ve never had someone close to them suffer.
as someone with a seizure disorder i really appreciate that you put a flash warning before the intro, thank you for caring about people who can be affected by these things 💜
The thing that really stands out to me in this story was how much love there always was for Brandon. He did hurtful things and put the company at risk, but they recognized that he wasn’t fully himself and never stopped loving him.
Watching someone spiral into the thralls of addiction will do that. 💔 You put up with so much, because “if only they weren’t an addict” they’re still the person you love and you don’t want to give up on them. 😞
Jen I'm so impressed with your new content and how your passion for cosmetics has evolved into a passion to not only tell the stories of the community, but preserve and document the history that got us here. Keep up the amazing work, and please take time for you and yours to avoid burnout. We can wait for as long as you need for new content, enjoy your trip with your son!
Jen, you probably already know this , but you have an extraordinary talent for making documentaries. The amount of work this takes without a team makes you stand out amongst the rest❤
Totally agree! I cannot even begin to guess how many hours/days/weeks went into this. I hope Jen is super proud of this finished product, because she certainly deserves to be!
I am a current psychology major at Carnegie Mellon and things we learn especially in psychopathology is that mushrooms or other hallucinogenics, even use once especially with preexisting mental health issues can induce bipolar disorder, or even schizophrenia. Such a big difference in personality, it seems like that may be the cause 😔
I agree, hallucinogens can be a wonderful tool for a lot of people but its not a miracle for everyone. I wish more people where educated on this. I feel so sad thinking that he went into it thinking it was going to be positive for him mentally and potentially led to this instead.
I agree with Shamin. I am a former meth user and Brandon's behavior lines up very well with how many of my old friends would act when on sleep deprived benders. Meth makes it very easy to go days without sleep and the longer you go without sleep the more psychosis and paranoia you develop. This is so heartbreaking and so well done incredible job as always Jen. ❤
How heartbreaking the parallels between Nicola's relationship with her father and her relationship with Brandon. How beautiful that she nurtured and protected their brand as a CEO, and now she gets to nurture and protect her children as a mother. 🐌🐒🐆🦋
Wow, I will never just look at my skincare from The Ordinary the same again. I'm left feeling informed but very sad too. We lost someone so special and thought outside the box and had such a good insight. In a way, he's a hero for consumers.
It's another cautionary tale to not try hard drugs. You can tell he was on crystal meth towards the end. He looked frail. And that definitely leads to paranoia.
The Oscar for Best Documentary goes to: Jen Luv!! 👏🏼👏🏼 You could do anything in beauty (or other) with your dedication, talents, authenticity, and open-mind. I'm so glad you are here, though. Thank you, Jen.
Jen - you should be SO proud of these videos. And I hope Nicola comes across them as they are an incredible tribute to her friend, her brand, and all of her dedication and hard work. Well done, what a labour of love indeed, friend 🫶🏻🦋
Someone gifted me this membership during a recent live chat and I'm SO. EXCITED. to be here for this! Only a few minutes in, but your work on this is incredible.
Brandon's story is a stark reminder that addiction is a ruthless equalizer. It transcends age, race, and even immense wealth. It’s insane how his downward spiral began with a single trip, a seemingly innocuous experiment with mushrooms that rapidly escalated into a dependence on the most destructive and addictive substances around. No one, and I truly mean no one, is immune to addiction's insidious grip. Intervention is futile unless the individual themselves possesses the will to stop. Rehabilitation can offer support, but ultimately, the power to break free resides within the person struggling. Even if their world is literally collapsing right in front of them, their focus remains fixed on their next fix. Addiction is a terrifying disease, a force capable of dismantling even the most successful lives, clearly. We will never know what happened that night. It's possible he chose his own fate, but it's equally possible that a tragic accident occurred, perhaps influenced by his struggles. I lean towards the latter. To me it seems unlikely to be intentional; wouldn’t Brandon have wanted to say something? Perhaps some last thoughts or maybe a message? Though I have heard that you never know what you will do or how you will act when you are in that frame of mind. Sometimes people can do or say things that are totally out of character for themselves when they are thinking about doing something intentional. Honestly, I really do hope that he was just incoherently nodding on substances. The thought of him slipping, unaware, is disturbing, but perhaps a less painful end than a deliberate act. These are just some thoughts I had after watching this really good documentary. This was awesome, Jen!! I hope you make more content like this!!
I watched this unfold in real-time. And I was scared for him. I had hoped family or a friend would have been able to save him. Mental health is very serious. I love what you are doing Jen , youre bringing the beauty community together positively and thoughtfully! Knowing history and facts is important.
I had no idea that drugs had been at least part of what triggered Brandon Truaxe's spiral. This is so terrifying. And sad. Very, very sad. And may I just say what an extraordinary person Nicola has been throughout all this, too?
Hallucinogens like mushrooms can absolutely cause havoc - especially if someone may already have underlying mental illness. Amphetamines also can cause psychotic breaks. I had a family member have one. Some people never recover from it- the damage done to the brain is too great. Luckily I had a family member that was able to recover from a drug induced psychotic break- but if required total sobriety and months of work. Sadly, undiagnosed mental health issues often lead to self medication. Don’t do drugs yall.
The same thing can happen with Cannabis and undiagnosed mental health issues. Cannabis can do a lot of good and as someone with a Chronic illness and pain issues I hope one day I can access it legally in the UK and be managed through my Dr. Sadly the wrong strain with the wrong person can do mental health damage, this is why proper research is important and knowing exactly what your are taking and keeping an eye on the dosage.
I thought the tears in my eyes and lump in my throat was just me being emotional. Such a sad story of a man that did so much in his life and the devastating crash at the end😢. Thank you Jen. ❤ 🦋
i've been hospitalized at the psych ward multiple times. i'm not psychotic myself, been there for other reasons, but i've witnessed other patients around me in the middle of a psychotic breakdown, and this is just that. it's so devastating. he should've been helped sooner.
Such a sad story. I feel for those left behind. Feeling helpless while watching someone you truly care about spiral down a destructive path is heartbreaking.💔🐌 Jen, you have produced some amazing and quality work!!! I’m blown away!!! 🤩 Kudos to you my friend!!!👏🏼🫶🏼
I have SO MUCH RESPECT for Nicola (🐌) and the team over at Decium (🐒) and I wish them all the absolute best (🦋) from now on, and I hope Nicola has a wonderful time being a mother. ❤
This was a great documentary. You did a great job on this. I had no idea what happened behind the scenes at The Ordinary. I have 20+ years of recovery from RX drug addiction. You nailed it when you mentioned isolation. In my last year of active addiction, I had cut off everyone aside from my family. They knew I wasn’t acting normal (for me) but they didn’t know what was wrong. My sister suspected because she was sober at the time, and knew the signs. Sadly she passed away from Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome 3 years ago as a direct result of alcohol abuse. Physically and emotionally it’s a lonely disease. I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone. I don’t think Estée Lauder could have allowed Brandon continue to continue as CEO with such erratic public behavior. My heart goes out to his partner and his co CEO. I really enjoy the products I’ve purchased from the Ordinary.
This was so well done and thorough. And took a very tragic and sensitive story and gave it the respect it deserved. His story is the most inspirational and sad story ever.
Just finished watching…IMO Your BEST Video EVER! (I do need to go back and watch Part One…I don’t know how that did not make it into my feed) You should be incredibly proud of yourself and your work, I know I am! Two things: The music you chose for the Brandon and his significant other video was perfect and I loved and cried hearing you share your chalk sense memories! Thank you so much for creating this documentary/biopic! It is, by far, the best thing Ive watched in Months.
OMG! This had me literally in tears! So sad that this brilliant man succumbed to his mental illness. I love the Ordinary brand!! This was such a good story Jen. Bravo to you!!❤
Jen this was so friggin’ awesome, the amount of work it must have taken! I remember a lot of this happening in real time, it was super sad. I think Deciem are amazing, Nicola especially. Brandon was a revolutionary, such a forward thinker.
As someone who purchased Deceim at CVS years ago even though the products expired I couldn’t let go of the products . Every time I would declutter those2 bottles stayed I didn’t know why I couldn’t get rid of them. They were just so special to me and you brought it full circle. Thank you so much.
Jen as a researcher at ❤ being a biology and chemistry major 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 well done. This was beautiful and sad and thorough but extremely important to share. I didn't even know of this company/brand i just love some ordinary products and the researcher in me needed to know all the specifics and history. Well done beautiful you should 1million followers for the deep dives you do alone. 👨🍳 💋 😘
I had absolutely no knowledge about The Ordinary’s history until your deep dives, Jen. This was so informative about Deciem the company and the remarkable life of Brandon. Mad love to you and all that were touched by Brandon’s time on Earth 🐆 🦋 🐌
His behaviour is so obviously mania! I spotted it as mania as soon as I saw it because I had a friend who went through a manic episode and started posting strange and erratic things over Facebook. As soon as I saw her posts, I got another one of our friends together and went over to her place to CHECK ON HER! Apparently she hadn't slept in DAYS, she'd been drinking, her speech was all over the place, and she was paranoid, and we were terrified for her. She didn't want to give us her therapist's details so we convinced her roommate to call her therapist and the roommate and the therapist convinced her to go to the hospital where she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. They started her on medication and her roommate took care of her till she could safely fly home to her family. Brandon's posts for MONTHS were obviously manic. Maybe if he had been with family, they could've ensured that he kept taking the medication after those hospital visits. He needed someone to make sure he took his medication and stabilised. It breaks my heart that he didn't have anyone to do for him what my friends and my friend's roommate did for my friend.
This story is so heartbreaking. I missed the coverage of all of this because I was battling with my own addiction & relapse at the time. I've now been sober for three years. It breaks my heart that he didn't make it, and to see the sadness in the faces of the people who loved him. 😢 You did such a fantastic job on this Jen ❤ 🐆🦋
thank you for all the work, this helped get my mind off the insanity of What is US right now. Thank you for you and your channel . I truly appreciate you
Seriously you deserve an award for this series, and the others you’ve done that are similar! thank you so much for all your work and your kindness, when sharing these stories
Thank you, Jen, for getting this to us today. Have a fabulous time with your kid on the cruise! I have watched Laura and Fain from Travel Spree in The Wonder and they love that boat!
I already knew a lot about this story from watching Nicola's interview but your ability to gather information and present it chronologically is just devine. I love these types of documentary and can't wait to see more. Wishing you only the best!!! ❤ P.S I forgot some of the emojis but I would add them all if I could. DECIEM changed the game. Nicola is a freaking idol. Brandon was a revolutionary and I am sure if he was still alive, the skincare community would be getting even more innovative products for affordable prices, something no other could create or even imagine. It's such a shame that he died both understanding his impact and not truly realizing how influential and respected he was/is 🦋🐊🐒
its so hard to get me to commit to a 2 hour video but ive watched both and i barely care about skincare. which is all to say you are SUCH a good story teller and the amount of research you put into this really paid off.
Jen - what a fantastic job you’ve done with this entire story. The compassion and fairness with which you told it truly makes you a shining star in story telling. This one broke me, I sit here in tears knowing what it’s like to see someone spiral into meth addiction and to be powerless to prevent things. I lost my son in a horrific accident that I’m sure that his addiction was a part of. My heart breaks for those who struggle and those adjacent to that struggle who are powerless to stop the wreckage. 💔 🐅 🐌 🐒
I love seeing the plethora of comments of personal experience or learned experiences from viewers! So helpful and insightful! Jen, you’ve built such a great community here!
What a beautiful, heartbreaking story. Thank you for bringing this to us, I can see how this truly was a labor of love and i believe you gave this story the justice it deserved. I went through several emotions while listening to Brandon's story, and I felt so much for Nicola and what she went through. Her love never wavered for Brandon, people like her are hard to come by. Well done Jen! 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Incredible job Jen! I can't even imagine the amount of work that must've gone into making this. I've used the ordinary in the past, but knew nothing of the backstory, and this turned out to be such a tragic one... I was really glad to hear in your epilogue that despite the struggles and the darkness of the last chapter in Brendan's life, those closest to him still had fond memories and warm feelings towards him in their hearts. 💙🦋
Fantastic job on this and the first half video. This deserves a million plus views it is so well researched and told so well. It is a fascinating story and is a sad story on the perils of thinking you can control the monster that is drugs, even “mushrooms” . Don’t go experimenting on yourself as these things can do a number on your brain. And yet it has a seemingly happy ending for Nicola to get to be “just a mom”. I sincerely hope she enjoys her time rearing her children. 🐌🐒
Jen… the research and sensitivity how you tackled this topic is first class. Love this long content. You didn’t say which emoji to leave for you… so here’s a lotta love 💜💜
I cannot express my admiration for the work that you have put into these two videos. They are absolutely superb and such an open, honest, heart breaking tribute to Brandon, Nicola and the team at The Ordinary. You knocked this out of the park Jen 🌟 🐌🐒🐆🦋
Thank you Jen for your hard work! I have a close friend with this addiction and honestly makes me feel powerless because no matter what I do, nothing seems to help. It is draining but at the same time the guiltiness because you don’t want to abandon your loved ones 😔 thank you!! 🐌🐒🐆🦋
Wow. Just wow. I remember all of this. You did a great job with this Jen! My favorite one so far. You really did this story justice, and respect for all parties. It really brought me back to when all of that happened in the beauty space. I remember watching Brandon's posts and this really felt like I went back in time, but also with so much more context, especially from Nicola's POV. It makes it so much more heartbreaking. Thanks for all of your hard work Jen.
I was following him when he posted his videos on Instagram before jumping. It was truly saddening and I never knew why anyone didn’t pick this story up, except for John Kuckian.
After watching part 1 I was so intrigued but hadn’t had a chance to look into “The Ordinary”. Yesterday I received a notification from Amazon… The Ordinary! I bought alllllll the things, can’t believe how reasonable the products are! Thank you for this series, it was heartbreaking but so well produced ❤
This was an incredibly absorbing story and you did an amazing reporting job Jen. Thank you for all your hard work and in-depth analysis of this content.
WOW. Jen, I cannot imagine the time and effort that went into this series. Talk about a deep dive! I have absolutely loved watching these videos and learning about this story. Brandon certainly was one of a kind. I think it's very telling that his friends and loved ones are still so deeply impacted by him. It makes his tragic ending even sadder. You put so much into telling this story as thoroughly and justly as anyone could. I know this content is hard, time-consuming work...but the next time you decide to do a documentary-style story like this, I will be ready and waiting. This was phenomenal. ❤
I don’t normally comment & only recently started following you (last 6 months), but I just need to shout out how incredibly well researched this video is! I had no idea about any of this but you narrate & explain it all so well & articulately. Honestly SO WELL MADE ❤️ if Netflix cover this, they should bring you on as an expert 😁 thanks for all the effort on this 🦋
The video montage was so sweet. Like it was his own private world, he didnt have to share with the rest of the world. I didnt know anything about him, but he definitely seemed like a special person.
First of all - Jen, you did SUCH a fantastic job putting this together! If there is no real documentary that ever gets produced about Brandon and Deciem, this is just as good. I hope that the Deciem recognizes this. Thank you for putting this together ❤ I have been a loyal consumer of The Ordinary since 2018. I remember when Brandon died. I lost someone very close to me in May 2018 to an overdose, and when Brandon died, I was in the thick of my grief of that person and did not investigate Brandon's death further since. I did not know the extent of his story, his ethnicity, sexuality, etc. I have lost many more people to overdoses since then, and by the end of this video, I was feeling grief for all of them, including Brandon. Listening to Nikola's voice really spoke to me. This is an experience that unfortunately many of us go through. I am grateful Deciem is still around and carries on Brandon's legacy. Not all those who lose their lives to substance abuse get to be make as much of an impact, and be as successful with a legacy like Brandon's. I think it's incredible he got so far as he did when so many never get the chance. It's a heartbreaking story, but very real. May Brandon rest in power 💔
This was such a beautifully sad story. Brandon seemed like a truly amazing person, especially to the people who knew and loved him. I've dealt with the grief of losing loved ones, and it's a very hard time. You did an excellent job with this one, Jen. I can tell you put a lot of time and care into this. Thank you. 🐒🐆🦋🐌
He was undeniably talented and his mental deterioration is tragic, but clearly he was also a master gaslighter and horribly entitled. I feel we should not excuse this type of behaviour just because someone is no longer with us. Yes we should take into account his mental struggles but they don’t give anyone carte blanche to justify all sorts of bad decisions.
Huh... Avestan is close to my office in NYC. Totally gonna hit that up when I'm there in a couple months! I'll happily get ya one if you're interested! :) Beautiful video - really heartbreaking to see how much Brandon struggled 🐆 , and it's devastating to see how those who were closest to him had to bare witness to that pain, culminating in such an untimely and tragic death. Nicola is a treasure 🐌 , and it's wonderful to see that she is able to heal and carry on his spirit. 🦋(I can't make it blue, I think that might be an iOS-only emoji, lol). Excellent video, Jen! ❤
Amazing work, Jen! ❤ I watched this morning and have been thinking of your video all day! The world was lucky to have Brandon while we did…and I also got the Chalk hand soap as a show of support ❤
Great documentary Jen. It's sad and we should all have a little more compassion for those that are fighting addiction. 🐆🐌🐒🦋. Looking forward to the next deep dive.
What a crazy journey! Definitely makes me think differently about the brand knowing how powerless they were in the face of Brandon’s struggles. Nicola is truly an incredible woman for being able to get through all this and congrats to her on her upcoming retirement 🎉
A decent material to show to anyone who wants to try random mushrooms. How a person can be completely destroyed during a Christmas break and be gone in a short matter of time. So sad. I got to know about this story and this person only now because video was suggested, and The Ordinary was just a thing in the market shelves never tried by me, but spoken about a lot by people around. After watching this even I feel like I have a hole in my heart for Brandon passing away. 🐆
Jen, I am in AWE of how incredible you covered this piece. Your professionalism, your dedication into the research, your persistence in acquiring as much as possible to give respect to this piece is a true elite and passionate tribute to Brandon and to Deciem. I am extremely impressed with how thorough you were and I am forever thankful for your expertise. Good work, Jen!! 👏👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉🎉😉👍👍👍
Wow, first of all this one was your best one so far! 💞 I can’t wait for the next one. I also don’t think that Brandon Truaxe killed himself. Unfortunately, people love to believe in conspiracy theories. He just was a man who was hyper energetic who tried some mind altering drugs and it changed him to a point where he became addicted. Then compound that with his parentage and the fact that he was gay only made it worse. The truly tragic that everyone loved him so deeply but he didn’t love himself enough in the first place it seems because he was carrying so many secrets.🐆He was a truly brilliant man though and gone way to soon. He did start a way that no one could stop and changed the skincare industry forever. I am very happy that in the end everyone else found their own path and happiness.
2 minutes and 22seconds in + i just said to myself, "gahdamm. coming through on the visuals i see." LOL! i can tell you put in some serious work on this -- it shows. kudos, Jen!
Ya’ll better engage the crap outta this video! The amount of work that went into this is crazy. The research, the editing, the amount of LINKS in the description! GORL! Hope you get a break lol So proud of you.
@@cjblanch4133 you got it Dude! I’m so proud of our Jen!
I’ve had the very unique experience of not being a user of meth but been trusted to be around those suffering from active meth addiction as a sober person (including witnessing them smoking and booting meth.) So much of Brandon’s behaviour exhibit the tell tale nature of meth use. The emotional rollercoasters as it ebbs and flows in the system, the disordered thinking and paranoia from lack of sleep. Distancing of people who you love that disapprove or would disapprove of what you’re doing. The isolation it brings. The anger when you know someone doesn’t have a clue what is really going on and you would never trust them to tell them because people have picked up on the strange behaviour but attributed the abnormal behaviour to things you’re actually not doing and accuse you of a lack of morals you do still in fact have. I see the confused mix of compassion and judgment of homeless people happen to middle class users who up until becoming a part of the meth community didn’t really understand why people were on the streets and are in the process of dismantling their old prejudices because they don’t want to apply it to themselves and also thinking they have a better control over their meth use than everyone else. I believe even if someone close to Brandon like his partner did know the full extent of his use it would be very hard to convince Brandon he’s got a problem when you don’t see you’re average crack head running a multi billion dollar business everyda. His argument in a sense is already won. And he’d likely be too deep in addiction and sleep deprivation to see the collapse as his own doing. They’ll jump through the biggest hoops to blame anything but the meth, they don’t even know they’re doing it.
This is so sad.
But could not all of that be true also for a cocaine user? Because usually you need quite a bit of money to sustain a coke addiction. The lack of sleep all of the things that you shared I believe that can be universal with crystal meth, Coke and crack.
I have lost all of my friends to this awful addiction 😞 I've seen them do it smoke it snort it everything and it is horrible and I have watched people that have had money go down to the bottom of the barrel in and out of jail. It's a horrible horrible addiction 😢 I counted my funeral pamphlets the other day and I had 10 friends that had passed away 😢
@ Yes it does apply to all amphetamines users but meth lasts for longer and is cheaper so often what starts as a coke habit ends up being crack or meth. In some ways meth is the workaholics drug, less conspicuous trips to the bathroom and higher for longer.
@@veronika_raynexxoo ❤️ it’s rough to watch and the compassion we have is often still not enough to save them.
I think it’s interesting that people who have either never done drugs or have never been close to people who have done drugs, don’t recognize that people are on drugs. You can usually determine the drug based on the behavior, too. I wish there were more awareness around drugs aside from what most people are limited to, which is one or two highschool lessons of “drugs are bad, don’t do them.” And not for the sake of demonizing people-but for the sake of trying to get them the help that they need before they’re too far gone.
I agree. I had dated a very bad off addict. It was quite obvious but he was so deep in the addiction that even if I asked if he was on drugs at that moment (which he indeed was) he would lie to my face without hesitation. Anyway, it was a nightmare- I’ve been sober for 4 years now!
You can smell which drug it most of the time too. Big difference between meth sweat and coke sweat.
I only just started the video, but I work in the mental health/substance use space. If someone has an addiction, there's only very little you can do to help them with the addiction itself. Ultimately they have to be ready and take the initiative. It's quite sad.
ETA: Now that I've watched more, I'm seeing mental illness plays a large role here too. And it's kind of the same is addiction, you have to be ready for the help.
@@omegasobsessionswow, I didn't know this. Thanks for sharing!
@@emoolovesyouboo my sister and my nieces have been addicts at some point in their lives. They did meth, you can definitely tell what drugs people are on by the behavior. It breaks my heart to hear people make negative comments about addiction because I know they’ve never had someone close to them suffer.
as someone with a seizure disorder i really appreciate that you put a flash warning before the intro, thank you for caring about people who can be affected by these things 💜
The thing that really stands out to me in this story was how much love there always was for Brandon. He did hurtful things and put the company at risk, but they recognized that he wasn’t fully himself and never stopped loving him.
Watching someone spiral into the thralls of addiction will do that. 💔
You put up with so much, because “if only they weren’t an addict”
they’re still the person you love and you don’t want to give up on them. 😞
Jen I'm so impressed with your new content and how your passion for cosmetics has evolved into a passion to not only tell the stories of the community, but preserve and document the history that got us here. Keep up the amazing work, and please take time for you and yours to avoid burnout. We can wait for as long as you need for new content, enjoy your trip with your son!
She's taking a well-deserved vacation
I wish Brandon Truaxe was still here today. He was truly ahead of his time and a trailblazer in the beauty industry. RIP Brandon. 💖
@@monz TMI
Jen, you probably already know this , but you have an extraordinary talent for making documentaries.
The amount of work this takes without a team makes you stand out amongst the rest❤
Totally agree! I cannot even begin to guess how many hours/days/weeks went into this. I hope Jen is super proud of this finished product, because she certainly deserves to be!
You spent SO MUCH time editing this, researching, piecing it together. MASTERPIECE JEN!!!
Thank you, friend! 🤗
I am a current psychology major at Carnegie Mellon and things we learn especially in psychopathology is that mushrooms or other hallucinogenics, even use once especially with preexisting mental health issues can induce bipolar disorder, or even schizophrenia. Such a big difference in personality, it seems like that may be the cause 😔
I agree, hallucinogens can be a wonderful tool for a lot of people but its not a miracle for everyone. I wish more people where educated on this. I feel so sad thinking that he went into it thinking it was going to be positive for him mentally and potentially led to this instead.
I once had a psychotic break on regular old weed. It was a one-off luckily, but it was hell
I agree with Shamin. I am a former meth user and Brandon's behavior lines up very well with how many of my old friends would act when on sleep deprived benders. Meth makes it very easy to go days without sleep and the longer you go without sleep the more psychosis and paranoia you develop. This is so heartbreaking and so well done incredible job as always Jen. ❤
How heartbreaking the parallels between Nicola's relationship with her father and her relationship with Brandon. How beautiful that she nurtured and protected their brand as a CEO, and now she gets to nurture and protect her children as a mother. 🐌🐒🐆🦋
Wow, I will never just look at my skincare from The Ordinary the same again. I'm left feeling informed but very sad too. We lost someone so special and thought outside the box and had such a good insight. In a way, he's a hero for consumers.
It's another cautionary tale to not try hard drugs. You can tell he was on crystal meth towards the end. He looked frail. And that definitely leads to paranoia.
@ Yes…another great mind lost to drugs.
The Oscar for Best Documentary goes to: Jen Luv!! 👏🏼👏🏼
You could do anything in beauty (or other) with your dedication, talents, authenticity, and open-mind. I'm so glad you are here, though. Thank you, Jen.
I wish this video could reach more people; Jen did an extraordinary job
Excluding the big picture which is very troubling and tragic, that Drunk Elephant shade/comment might have gone over better these days.
Jen - you should be SO proud of these videos. And I hope Nicola comes across them as they are an incredible tribute to her friend, her brand, and all of her dedication and hard work. Well done, what a labour of love indeed, friend 🫶🏻🦋
Someone gifted me this membership during a recent live chat and I'm SO. EXCITED. to be here for this! Only a few minutes in, but your work on this is incredible.
Brandon's story is a stark reminder that addiction is a ruthless equalizer. It transcends age, race, and even immense wealth. It’s insane how his downward spiral began with a single trip, a seemingly innocuous experiment with mushrooms that rapidly escalated into a dependence on the most destructive and addictive substances around. No one, and I truly mean no one, is immune to addiction's insidious grip. Intervention is futile unless the individual themselves possesses the will to stop. Rehabilitation can offer support, but ultimately, the power to break free resides within the person struggling. Even if their world is literally collapsing right in front of them, their focus remains fixed on their next fix. Addiction is a terrifying disease, a force capable of dismantling even the most successful lives, clearly. We will never know what happened that night. It's possible he chose his own fate, but it's equally possible that a tragic accident occurred, perhaps influenced by his struggles. I lean towards the latter. To me it seems unlikely to be intentional; wouldn’t Brandon have wanted to say something? Perhaps some last thoughts or maybe a message? Though I have heard that you never know what you will do or how you will act when you are in that frame of mind. Sometimes people can do or say things that are totally out of character for themselves when they are thinking about doing something intentional. Honestly, I really do hope that he was just incoherently nodding on substances. The thought of him slipping, unaware, is disturbing, but perhaps a less painful end than a deliberate act. These are just some thoughts I had after watching this really good documentary. This was awesome, Jen!! I hope you make more content like this!!
i dont think it started with mushooms ;)
I watched this unfold in real-time. And I was scared for him. I had hoped family or a friend would have been able to save him. Mental health is very serious. I love what you are doing Jen , youre bringing the beauty community together positively and thoughtfully! Knowing history and facts is important.
I had no idea that drugs had been at least part of what triggered Brandon Truaxe's spiral. This is so terrifying. And sad. Very, very sad. And may I just say what an extraordinary person Nicola has been throughout all this, too?
Hallucinogens like mushrooms can absolutely cause havoc - especially if someone may already have underlying mental illness. Amphetamines also can cause psychotic breaks. I had a family member have one. Some people never recover from it- the damage done to the brain is too great. Luckily I had a family member that was able to recover from a drug induced psychotic break- but if required total sobriety and months of work. Sadly, undiagnosed mental health issues often lead to self medication. Don’t do drugs yall.
The same thing can happen with Cannabis and undiagnosed mental health issues. Cannabis can do a lot of good and as someone with a Chronic illness and pain issues I hope one day I can access it legally in the UK and be managed through my Dr. Sadly the wrong strain with the wrong person can do mental health damage, this is why proper research is important and knowing exactly what your are taking and keeping an eye on the dosage.
My god, I finished this video fully crying. Jen, you are such a good story teller. Thank you for doing Brandon justice 🦋
@@yaelberger8 Yes Mam! I felt like I had a peak into his soul and came out covered in Pride, Glow, Love, Friendship, Respect, and Integrity.
I thought the tears in my eyes and lump in my throat was just me being emotional. Such a sad story of a man that did so much in his life and the devastating crash at the end😢. Thank you Jen. ❤ 🦋
i've been hospitalized at the psych ward multiple times. i'm not psychotic myself, been there for other reasons, but i've witnessed other patients around me in the middle of a psychotic breakdown, and this is just that. it's so devastating. he should've been helped sooner.
I really didn’t expect to get SO emotional from this video.
You did a great job Jen!!!!
Jen this is so high caliber it is just amazingly well done
🐌 I know this video about Brandon, however it's Nicola's love that is the true hero of the story.
Such a sad story. I feel for those left behind. Feeling helpless while watching someone you truly care about spiral down a destructive path is heartbreaking.💔🐌
Jen, you have produced some amazing and quality work!!! I’m blown away!!! 🤩 Kudos to you my friend!!!👏🏼🫶🏼
I have SO MUCH RESPECT for Nicola (🐌) and the team over at Decium (🐒) and I wish them all the absolute best (🦋) from now on, and I hope Nicola has a wonderful time being a mother. ❤
This was a great documentary. You did a great job on this. I had no idea what happened behind the scenes at The Ordinary.
I have 20+ years of recovery from RX drug addiction. You nailed it when you mentioned isolation. In my last year of active addiction, I had cut off everyone aside from my family. They knew I wasn’t acting normal (for me) but they didn’t know what was wrong. My sister suspected because she was sober at the time, and knew the signs. Sadly she passed away from Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome 3 years ago as a direct result of alcohol abuse. Physically and emotionally it’s a lonely disease. I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone.
I don’t think Estée Lauder could have allowed Brandon continue to continue as CEO with such erratic public behavior. My heart goes out to his partner and his co CEO.
I really enjoy the products I’ve purchased from the Ordinary.
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
This was so well done and thorough. And took a very tragic and sensitive story and gave it the respect it deserved. His story is the most inspirational and sad story ever.
Thanks
Thank you!!!!
Amazing video - appreciate your hard work!
Thank you so much!!
Just finished watching…IMO Your BEST Video EVER! (I do need to go back and watch Part One…I don’t know how that did not make it into my feed) You should be incredibly proud of yourself and your work, I know I am! Two things: The music you chose for the Brandon and his significant other video was perfect and I loved and cried hearing you share your chalk sense memories! Thank you so much for creating this documentary/biopic! It is, by far, the best thing Ive watched in Months.
Brandon needed help but, you can’t help somebody who will not accept the help! RIP Brandon 🐌 🐒🐆 🦋
@@PamelaH_HappyVibes I'm sorry but can you tell me why everyone using snail,money, and butterfly?
@ - the very end of the video Jen explains to add these based on who or what you want to celebrate.
I followed Brandon when he was acting erratic, and I just really hoped someone would have gotten through to him. The video Riyadh made, made me sob.
OMG! This had me literally in tears! So sad that this brilliant man succumbed to his mental illness. I love the Ordinary brand!! This was such a good story Jen. Bravo to you!!❤
Jen this was so friggin’ awesome, the amount of work it must have taken!
I remember a lot of this happening in real time, it was super sad.
I think Deciem are amazing, Nicola especially. Brandon was a revolutionary, such a forward thinker.
As someone who purchased Deceim at CVS years ago even though the products expired I couldn’t let go of the products . Every time I would declutter those2 bottles stayed I didn’t know why I couldn’t get rid of them. They were just so special to me and you brought it full circle. Thank you so much.
Jen as a researcher at ❤ being a biology and chemistry major 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 well done. This was beautiful and sad and thorough but extremely important to share. I didn't even know of this company/brand i just love some ordinary products and the researcher in me needed to know all the specifics and history. Well done beautiful you should 1million followers for the deep dives you do alone. 👨🍳 💋 😘
I had absolutely no knowledge about The Ordinary’s history until your deep dives, Jen. This was so informative about Deciem the company and the remarkable life of Brandon. Mad love to you and all that were touched by Brandon’s time on Earth 🐆 🦋 🐌
His behaviour is so obviously mania! I spotted it as mania as soon as I saw it because I had a friend who went through a manic episode and started posting strange and erratic things over Facebook. As soon as I saw her posts, I got another one of our friends together and went over to her place to CHECK ON HER! Apparently she hadn't slept in DAYS, she'd been drinking, her speech was all over the place, and she was paranoid, and we were terrified for her. She didn't want to give us her therapist's details so we convinced her roommate to call her therapist and the roommate and the therapist convinced her to go to the hospital where she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. They started her on medication and her roommate took care of her till she could safely fly home to her family. Brandon's posts for MONTHS were obviously manic. Maybe if he had been with family, they could've ensured that he kept taking the medication after those hospital visits. He needed someone to make sure he took his medication and stabilised. It breaks my heart that he didn't have anyone to do for him what my friends and my friend's roommate did for my friend.
Thank you for being so respectful and having integrity above all else. I really enjoyed this video.🐌
omg I'm taking out my braids and I still have ¼ of my head left, this is perfecttt
This story is so heartbreaking. I missed the coverage of all of this because I was battling with my own addiction & relapse at the time. I've now been sober for three years. It breaks my heart that he didn't make it, and to see the sadness in the faces of the people who loved him. 😢
You did such a fantastic job on this Jen ❤ 🐆🦋
Congratulations on your sobriety.
Congratulations ❤
thank you for all the work, this helped get my mind off the insanity of What is US right now. Thank you for you and your channel . I truly appreciate you
Seriously you deserve an award for this series, and the others you’ve done that are similar! thank you so much for all your work and your kindness, when sharing these stories
Thank you, Jen, for getting this to us today. Have a fabulous time with your kid on the cruise! I have watched Laura and Fain from Travel Spree in The Wonder and they love that boat!
"Just really good writing here... And I just wanted to read that to you because it's really good writing." You have my heart.
Great research, Jen! Worth the wait, for sure. If there's a Pulitzer Prize for YT videos, you deserve one!
I already knew a lot about this story from watching Nicola's interview but your ability to gather information and present it chronologically is just devine. I love these types of documentary and can't wait to see more. Wishing you only the best!!! ❤
P.S I forgot some of the emojis but I would add them all if I could. DECIEM changed the game. Nicola is a freaking idol. Brandon was a revolutionary and I am sure if he was still alive, the skincare community would be getting even more innovative products for affordable prices, something no other could create or even imagine. It's such a shame that he died both understanding his impact and not truly realizing how influential and respected he was/is 🦋🐊🐒
its so hard to get me to commit to a 2 hour video but ive watched both and i barely care about skincare. which is all to say you are SUCH a good story teller and the amount of research you put into this really paid off.
Jen - what a fantastic job you’ve done with this entire story. The compassion and fairness with which you told it truly makes you a shining star in story telling.
This one broke me, I sit here in tears knowing what it’s like to see someone spiral into meth addiction and to be powerless to prevent things. I lost my son in a horrific accident that I’m sure that his addiction was a part of. My heart breaks for those who struggle and those adjacent to that struggle who are powerless to stop the wreckage. 💔 🐅 🐌 🐒
I love seeing the plethora of comments of personal experience or learned experiences from viewers! So helpful and insightful! Jen, you’ve built such a great community here!
This video should be at 100k already. Let's share and get more eyes on this. The work that Jen put into this is outstanding!!❤
What a beautiful, heartbreaking story. Thank you for bringing this to us, I can see how this truly was a labor of love and i believe you gave this story the justice it deserved. I went through several emotions while listening to Brandon's story, and I felt so much for Nicola and what she went through. Her love never wavered for Brandon, people like her are hard to come by. Well done Jen! 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Girl, this whole thing is such a wild ride. Moral to the story, drugs are bad. And mental health is so important.
Incredible job Jen! I can't even imagine the amount of work that must've gone into making this.
I've used the ordinary in the past, but knew nothing of the backstory, and this turned out to be such a tragic one... I was really glad to hear in your epilogue that despite the struggles and the darkness of the last chapter in Brendan's life, those closest to him still had fond memories and warm feelings towards him in their hearts. 💙🦋
Such a sad, tragic story. Thank you for the thorough reporting; it was well done. It also gave me a break from the miserable week
Fantastic job on this and the first half video. This deserves a million plus views it is so well researched and told so well. It is a fascinating story and is a sad story on the perils of thinking you can control the monster that is drugs, even “mushrooms” . Don’t go experimenting on yourself as these things can do a number on your brain. And yet it has a seemingly happy ending for Nicola to get to be “just a mom”. I sincerely hope she enjoys her time rearing her children. 🐌🐒
Jen… the research and sensitivity how you tackled this topic is first class. Love this long content. You didn’t say which emoji to leave for you… so here’s a lotta love 💜💜
I cannot express my admiration for the work that you have put into these two videos. They are absolutely superb and such an open, honest, heart breaking tribute to Brandon, Nicola and the team at The Ordinary.
You knocked this out of the park Jen 🌟
🐌🐒🐆🦋
I truely admire the amount of effort that you put into your content. 🐌 🐒 🐆🦋
Thank you Jen for your hard work! I have a close friend with this addiction and honestly makes me feel powerless because no matter what I do, nothing seems to help. It is draining but at the same time the guiltiness because you don’t want to abandon your loved ones 😔 thank you!! 🐌🐒🐆🦋
Wow. Just wow. I remember all of this. You did a great job with this Jen! My favorite one so far. You really did this story justice, and respect for all parties. It really brought me back to when all of that happened in the beauty space. I remember watching Brandon's posts and this really felt like I went back in time, but also with so much more context, especially from Nicola's POV. It makes it so much more heartbreaking.
Thanks for all of your hard work Jen.
I was following him when he posted his videos on Instagram before jumping. It was truly saddening and I never knew why anyone didn’t pick this story up, except for John Kuckian.
ABSOLUTELY obsessed with the way you present these documentaries. The longer, the better. 🙏
After watching part 1 I was so intrigued but hadn’t had a chance to look into “The Ordinary”. Yesterday I received a notification from Amazon… The Ordinary! I bought alllllll the things, can’t believe how reasonable the products are! Thank you for this series, it was heartbreaking but so well produced ❤
This was an incredibly absorbing story and you did an amazing reporting job Jen. Thank you for all your hard work and in-depth analysis of this content.
I always wanted to know about this company! Your videos are very informative and intriguing …..thank you!
WOW. Jen, I cannot imagine the time and effort that went into this series. Talk about a deep dive! I have absolutely loved watching these videos and learning about this story. Brandon certainly was one of a kind. I think it's very telling that his friends and loved ones are still so deeply impacted by him. It makes his tragic ending even sadder. You put so much into telling this story as thoroughly and justly as anyone could. I know this content is hard, time-consuming work...but the next time you decide to do a documentary-style story like this, I will be ready and waiting. This was phenomenal. ❤
Jen!!!! This was sooo good!!! I even stayed late at work (on a Friday night!) to finish watching this!!! Superb work my friend. Brava!!
The way i have checked every single day for this
This was awesome! I cried a bit with the ending. Thank you for your work Jen.🐌
Jen, I have to say, you are amazing!!!! The Ordinary story is so well done! Much love to you and your subscribers! 🦋
Jen, congratulations on all your work. This is a fantastic achievement and clearly a true labour of love. You are an absolute legend! ❤
I don’t normally comment & only recently started following you (last 6 months), but I just need to shout out how incredibly well researched this video is! I had no idea about any of this but you narrate & explain it all so well & articulately. Honestly SO WELL MADE ❤️ if Netflix cover this, they should bring you on as an expert 😁 thanks for all the effort on this 🦋
The video montage was so sweet. Like it was his own private world, he didnt have to share with the rest of the world. I didnt know anything about him, but he definitely seemed like a special person.
First of all - Jen, you did SUCH a fantastic job putting this together! If there is no real documentary that ever gets produced about Brandon and Deciem, this is just as good. I hope that the Deciem recognizes this. Thank you for putting this together ❤
I have been a loyal consumer of The Ordinary since 2018. I remember when Brandon died. I lost someone very close to me in May 2018 to an overdose, and when Brandon died, I was in the thick of my grief of that person and did not investigate Brandon's death further since. I did not know the extent of his story, his ethnicity, sexuality, etc. I have lost many more people to overdoses since then, and by the end of this video, I was feeling grief for all of them, including Brandon. Listening to Nikola's voice really spoke to me.
This is an experience that unfortunately many of us go through. I am grateful Deciem is still around and carries on Brandon's legacy. Not all those who lose their lives to substance abuse get to be make as much of an impact, and be as successful with a legacy like Brandon's. I think it's incredible he got so far as he did when so many never get the chance. It's a heartbreaking story, but very real. May Brandon rest in power 💔
This was such a beautifully sad story. Brandon seemed like a truly amazing person, especially to the people who knew and loved him. I've dealt with the grief of losing loved ones, and it's a very hard time. You did an excellent job with this one, Jen. I can tell you put a lot of time and care into this. Thank you. 🐒🐆🦋🐌
He was undeniably talented and his mental deterioration is tragic, but clearly he was also a master gaslighter and horribly entitled. I feel we should not excuse this type of behaviour just because someone is no longer with us. Yes we should take into account his mental struggles but they don’t give anyone carte blanche to justify all sorts of bad decisions.
Huh... Avestan is close to my office in NYC. Totally gonna hit that up when I'm there in a couple months! I'll happily get ya one if you're interested! :)
Beautiful video - really heartbreaking to see how much Brandon struggled 🐆 , and it's devastating to see how those who were closest to him had to bare witness to that pain, culminating in such an untimely and tragic death. Nicola is a treasure 🐌 , and it's wonderful to see that she is able to heal and carry on his spirit. 🦋(I can't make it blue, I think that might be an iOS-only emoji, lol). Excellent video, Jen! ❤
This made me emotional! Excellent videos Jen! So happy Nicola 🐌 is living her dream! Deciem completely changed how we interact with our skincare. 🦋
Amazing work, Jen! ❤ I watched this morning and have been thinking of your video all day! The world was lucky to have Brandon while we did…and I also got the Chalk hand soap as a show of support ❤
Great documentary Jen. It's sad and we should all have a little more compassion for those that are fighting addiction. 🐆🐌🐒🦋. Looking forward to the next deep dive.
🐌🐒🐆🦋
I had no idea about all this - thank you for making these videos, Jen!
Some of your best work to date, Jen!! 🎉🎉🎉
What a crazy journey! Definitely makes me think differently about the brand knowing how powerless they were in the face of Brandon’s struggles. Nicola is truly an incredible woman for being able to get through all this and congrats to her on her upcoming retirement 🎉
Jen you’ve done such an incredible job with these deep dives ❤
What a fantastic video!! Actually, what a fantastic series!!! You are so good at this. Please keep it up
A decent material to show to anyone who wants to try random mushrooms. How a person can be completely destroyed during a Christmas break and be gone in a short matter of time. So sad. I got to know about this story and this person only now because video was suggested, and The Ordinary was just a thing in the market shelves never tried by me, but spoken about a lot by people around. After watching this even I feel like I have a hole in my heart for Brandon passing away. 🐆
So very sad 💔 also, Nicola…. What a resilient and strong woman.
Jen, I am in AWE of how incredible you covered this piece. Your professionalism, your dedication into the research, your persistence in acquiring as much as possible to give respect to this piece is a true elite and passionate tribute to Brandon and to Deciem. I am extremely impressed with how thorough you were and I am forever thankful for your expertise. Good work, Jen!!
👏👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉🎉😉👍👍👍
Wow, first of all this one was your best one so far! 💞 I can’t wait for the next one. I also don’t think that Brandon Truaxe killed himself. Unfortunately, people love to believe in conspiracy theories. He just was a man who was hyper energetic who tried some mind altering drugs and it changed him to a point where he became addicted. Then compound that with his parentage and the fact that he was gay only made it worse. The truly tragic that everyone loved him so deeply but he didn’t love himself enough in the first place it seems because he was carrying so many secrets.🐆He was a truly brilliant man though and gone way to soon. He did start a way that no one could stop and changed the skincare industry forever. I am very happy that in the end everyone else found their own path and happiness.
Well done! Thanks for your work to put this together. Really enjoyed watching.
Jen! I loveeee this shift for you. Your videos are so well done, that intro was doc level.
ive been waiting for the completion of this! you did an amazing job! 💙💙💙🦋
🦋 This whole story is brilliant and heartbreaking. Fantastic job, Jen!!
2 minutes and 22seconds in + i just said to myself, "gahdamm. coming through on the visuals i see." LOL! i can tell you put in some serious work on this -- it shows.
kudos, Jen!
🦋
Also thank you. This was so fascinating and I appreciate your handling of it. You have quickly become my favorite channel on UA-cam