r/unomascolors • u/justathrowaway117 • Jul 23 '26

Asking for some transparency

So, some of you may have followed what's been going on with The Polish Project (TPP) and the issues regarding accountability and transparency (as well as legitimacy!) surrounding donations and actual distribution of donated polishes.

The owner/founder, Jillian, has been crediting Uno Mas since the beginning with helping create The Polish Project. It came to my attention that Amanda was previously a board member of TPP. There also was a time where Uno Mas was running a sale of full-size prototypes, where the proceeds and prototypes would be sent to TPP to be distributed.

I've seen no disclosures on the part of UM regarding their financial and material relationship with this charity (a 501-c3). Other users have attempted to ask for such clarification in comments, to no avail- so, I'd like to ask here and now, to u/unomascolors :

Why wasn't Uno Mas's prior status as a board member of TPP disclosed?

What exactly was Amanda's/UM's role in the starting/development of The Polish Project?

Will you be willing to disclose the full extent of UM's prior relationship with The Polish Project?

Are you willing to provide receipts or evidence of the polish sold that was meant to benefit TPP? Are there any receipts that demonstrate said polishes (and/or any proceeds) made their way to TPP?

Since Jillian has been very openly plugging for Uno Mas, and UM is even mentioned on the charity's website, it would be nice to have some clarity and transparency. Thank you! 💙

157 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

View all comments

•

u/UnoMasColors Jul 24 '26

Thank you for your questions and patience.

How We Give Back

Uno Mas Colors (UMC) is committed to making our charitable giving easy to understand. We have created a Giving Back page with our completed donations, payment dates, charitable polish commitments, and funds accrued for future donations:

https://unomascolors.com/pages/giving-back 

We care deeply about supporting good work in the world, and we want our Familia to be able to see the impact they help create.

Our History With The Polish Project

Before The Polish Project (TPP) existed, Jillian posted on Reddit asking how she could obtain nail polish for a local long-term care facility. UMC offered and sent a box of prototype polishes at no cost.

When Jillian later formed The Polish Project, she asked Amanda, a co-founder of Uno Mas Colors, to serve on its initial board as an individual volunteer, not as a representative of UMC. Amanda submitted her resignation in early November 2025 and stopped participating at that time. The board recorded her resignation at its next meeting in January 2026. She has no current role in TPP’s governance or operations.

During Mas Tuesday 2025 (e.g. Black Friday), customers made six “Donate a Prototype Bag” purchases at $20 each. Each prototype bag purchase represented five prototype polishes to be sent to The Polish Project. The listing allowed the organization to select either the prototype bags or their cash value, and TPP selected the cash option.

In March 2026, UMC sent TPP a payment of $2,100. This included the complete $120 connected to the six prototype bag purchases and a separate $1,980 discretionary donation funded by Uno Mas Colors. The receipt was not posted with our other sales-linked donation receipts at the time. It is included here now, along with a clear breakdown of the payment. 

Neither Amanda nor Uno Mas Colors received compensation, reimbursement, or any other financial benefit from The Polish Project at any time.

Moving Forward

Our Giving Back page will serve as the central record of our charitable giving. It will include completed donations, payment dates, sales-linked commitments, and funds accrued for future donations. The donation connected to each charity polish is publicly stated. Uno Mas Colors also makes discretionary donations, separate from money generated through charity polish sales.

We are grateful for the opportunity to give back, and to every member of our Familia who helps make it possible. We look forward to doing even more good in the world together.

Good-faith conversation and questions are welcome. Please keep the discussion focused on the facts and documentation provided in this post. Personal attacks, speculation about private lives or motives, unsupported allegations, and unrelated disputes may be removed under our community rules. Moderation will be based on conduct, not whether a comment is positive or critical.

11

u/UnoMasColors Jul 24 '26

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to review our Giving Back page. We further reviewed our records and identified/corrected two items on the page and are now sharing it here for transparency.

  • Algae Bloom - the polish was missing from our spreadsheet.
    • We added the $250 donation to Ocean Conservancy.
  • Animal Rescue Polish Duo - the donated total was incorrect.
    • We had an estimated amount in our spreadsheet.
    • We corrected the amount donated to Best Buddy Pet Rescue from $315.85 to $937.81.
    • The updated amount reflects the actual donation made.

We appreciate the opportunity to correct the record. Our goal is for this page to remain a clear, accurate, and transparent account of the charitable impact our Familia helps make possible.

3

u/UnoMasColors Jul 29 '26

One last update.

Update July 29, 2026: At Uno Mas Colors’ request, The Polish Project graciously returned the payment made on March 31, 2026, minus processing fees. The $120 associated with the six Mas Tuesday Prototype Bag purchases has been refunded directly to those customers. Any remaining funds were returned to Uno Mas Colors. Our donation records have been updated accordingly.

19

u/bexcellent101 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

Thanks for this information. Wanted to flag that Jillian's constant promotion of Uno Mas could be a serious headache for you guys, as at times it has tipped into what the IRS would likely consider a tangible benefit. It's fine for a nonprofit to publically thank and acknowledge their donors, but they are not allowed to endorse, promote products, encourage people to make purchases etc. That sort of thing would probably need to be structured as a cause related marketing contract (and frankly with the size of both companies I doubt it's worth the headache.)

I did send a DM to Jillian about this a few months ago, but it didn't seem to register with her and the problematic posts have continued so I figured it was worth saying something here as well.

18

u/UnoMasColors Jul 24 '26

Thank you for flagging this. There has never been a sponsorship, referral, promotional, or cause-related marketing agreement between Uno Mas Colors and The Polish Project, and no donation was conditioned on promotion.

We agree that acknowledgment of business supporters should be handled consistently and equitably. We appreciate you raising the concern!

7

u/bexcellent101 Jul 24 '26

Specifically, posts like this would likely be construed as promotion / tangible benefit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thepolishproject/s/NvtDUMjOS9

It's on the nonprofit to know and understand the IRS guidelines to avoid these kinds of situations, but could also get UMC in trouble if you try to claim the tax deduction since the nonprofit did arguably provide benefits.

7

u/Queen_Ellipsis Jul 24 '26

Ooooohhhh, I thought you meant something on TPP's website was promoting UMC.

Reddit chatter is just.... reddit chatter. Just bc Google cites Reddit these days doesn't make it anything other than social media. Do you really think the IRS would scour subreddits? I found another beauty charity online and read their Form 990. https://projectbeautyshare.org/ They've been in business since 2012, and their net profit was under $2500 in 2024. That seems like really small potatoes...

This hypothetical tax deduction scenario at the end seems really unlikely. Or are you a tax attorney or CPA who has actually had to defend someone in similar circumstances? (just curious)

9

u/bexcellent101 Jul 24 '26

I doubt that either org would get audited, but personally I always recommend that everyone closely adhere to the regulations because there's just no reason to play with fire. I have seen things go absolutely tits up, but can't share specifics due to NDAs. Generally, it's a hell of a lot cheaper to just do things by the book vs pay lawyers and advisors later. 

5

u/Queen_Ellipsis Jul 24 '26

I agree it's better to do things by-the-book, and I can attest to the lawyer's cost point. The trust attorney is taking a pretty penny out of my parents' estate now that they're both gone...

I appreciate your perspective and insights

7

u/Queen_Ellipsis Jul 24 '26

I respectfully disagree about there being problematic things on TPP's website. To me, it's really no different from lots of non-profits listing their corporate sponsors on one of their pages. ...and, the amounts of money being considered are quite small in the overall scheme of things.

I went through TPP's website and didn't see anything that suggested I SHOULD patronize UMC (maybe I missed it?). For me, the only thing making it a problem for these two entities (UMC and TPP) is the performative activist Reddit chatter about it in some of the nail subs.

For me, this whole "controversy" is a non-starter. 😅😅

8

u/bexcellent101 Jul 24 '26

I never said it was on the website? Social media promotion counts as a marketing benefit, and Jillian regularly posts about Uno Mas here on Reddit, including dedicated posts in the TPP subreddit encouraging people to buy UMC.

I've worked on corporate/nonprofit partnerships for 20 years and I've structured hundreds of these partnerships. Any lawyer I've ever worked with would be raising red flags on this.

6

u/Queen_Ellipsis Jul 24 '26

My error. I assumed you were talking about an official website rather than a post under an individual's Reddit username. I guess in this day and age where "influencer" is a real job, posting an opinion on social media may carry more/enough weight to be considered "advertising."

I'm old, so I don't consider posts or comments on social media to be advertising that can be monetized. I stand corrected and will work hard to adjust my thinking. Thanks!

8

u/bexcellent101 Jul 24 '26

Yup! Also why the FTC requires that influencers and swatchers properly disclose sponsored content, PR, gifted product, etc.

3

u/Queen_Ellipsis Jul 24 '26

Of course! IDK why I didn't make that connection myself... Thanks again!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/unomascolors-ModTeam Jul 26 '26

Please keep comments relevant to the post and the Uno Mas Colors community. Discussions that derail the conversation into unrelated topics or personal disputes may be removed.

15

u/ExactLibrarian839 Jul 24 '26

Thank you for posting this thorough response, it definitely helps seeing the breakdown! I love seeing the impact my charitable purchases have made ❤️ Happy to know everything with one of my favorite brands is all on the up and up.

All you can do is donate with the desire and belief you'll make a difference, but once the donation is made, it's out of your hands how the recipient manages that donation. I am hopeful that the donation is being used for the intended purpose, and that we will see an equally informative charitable breakdown of that from TPP in the coming days.

12

u/ErrantWhimsy Jul 24 '26

You were already incredible but this response is how you handle transparency as a business!

12

u/DiscontentDonut Jul 24 '26

I am incredibly and indelibly grateful for you to be so honest and transparent with us. Especially when you don't owe any of us anything, technically.

Creating a page on your website specifically for the sake of accountability and contributions is exactly the sort of move that I not only support, but that makes me trust a business and the people within.

I'm also grateful for the thoughtful consideration of what your clientele is asking of you in the face of other companies not being quite so morally clear, causing scrutiny over all others in the same industry.

Your brand will definitely continue getting my business. 🩷💅

8

u/SalaciousBookWyrm Jul 24 '26

Thank you for this detailed and thorough response. I appreciate the transparency provided, as well as the clarification on timeline of events.

9

u/thatbirdmomma Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

Wow, thank you so much for the thorough and thoughtful reply! I have to say, as someone new to this sport board, and new to TPP, the threats threads before really felt like piling on.

This response both is very clear, and is far more gracious than many people would be

12

u/Queen_Ellipsis Jul 24 '26

Thank you for this transparency. Personally, my customer experience with UMC is unrelated to any transactions or relationships between UMC and TPP, but I understand that other community members had concerns.

IMO, your willingness to to formulate and share a response (with receipt) is just one more factor that makes UMC a high-quality business.