As a nail blogger, I try and keep things positive. But I feel compelled to let my fellow nail dippers know about something really awful I came across so we can all be aware. Plus, I’m a big supporter of small businesses so I wanted this to serve as a resource for them as well.
Who is GH Dip?
So a little background on Chinese-based GH Dip. Founded in 2016, they claim to be “one of the most professional dipping powder brands” according to their Facebook page. Their name has come up often in the various DIY nails Facebook groups. Usually when I hear GH Dips, it’s a DIYer wondering if their product is considered good for a mass produced Amazon merchant.
I haven’t used their products myself. But, I’ve heard that many dippers consider GH Dip to have decent products for a mass-produced Amazon merchant. I get the allure. Dirt cheap dip kits and Prime can be pretty enticing. But for me, I usually stick to the incredible small businesses that supply only the highest quality products.
GH Dip Did What!?
My relationship with GH Dip was pretty non-existent until they followed my nail account on Instagram the other day.
So I checked out their Instagram page and saw right away what appeared to be a stolen photo! I probably would have never noticed. But their post from May 20th jumped out at me because I recognized the photo on the right (see below).
The photo is by Adrada Dip Powder, a small nail supply company founded by Marly Raymondo. I was planning on featuring her gorgeous ombre manicure in an upcoming blog post on summer nail art.
The photo had been cropped which takes out over half the watermark. It appears that the photo is being used to advertise GH Dip dipping kits.
What I Did Next
But, I didn’t want to assume the worst. I thought there was a slim possibility that GH Dip was a supplier for Adrada Dip Powder? Maybe they had an agreement to use the photo? Still, it seemed so sketchy.
So I immediately DMed Adrada Dip Powder to ask if she was associated with GH Dips. She responded to me fairly quickly (it was a Saturday night). Just as I had suspected, GH Dips stole her photo to advertise their products! Here’s a screenshot of our DMs:
Another Stolen Photo
That wasn’t all though, if you notice in the Instagram post there’s another photo on the left. Was that one stolen too? Luckily, that one didn’t have the watermark cropped out. So I was able to find the owner of that photo and send them a DM. Here’s a screenshot of our DMs:
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Obviously stealing photos is nothing new, but there are things that you can do to protect yourself against photo theft.
DON’T FORGET YOUR WATERMARK: Please watermark your photo. My favorite app/platform for watermarking my photos is Canva. I use it for so much more than just watermarking photos.
WATERMARK PLACEMENT: Also, it’s a good idea to place your watermark in an area that isn’t easily cropped out. A way is to wrap your watermark around the cuticle area of your fingers. Avoid placing your watermark in the corners or along the edge of the photo.
WATCH EACH OTHER’S BACK: We can all do our part watching each other’s back! Kudos to @nailsbygenevieve for calling ’em out!
Conclusion
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Support small businesses! Don’t let the cheap prices of these massive Amazon dip sellers fool you into thinking you’re getting a good deal. There are so many better smaller dip companies putting out the highest quality products.
Update: As of Sunday 6/6/21 at 9pm EST, GH Dip has removed the IG post.
If you need some discount codes and recommendations for a reputable dip powder company, check out my Discount Codes page!
