When it comes to Jeffree Star‘s latest controversy, makeup artist Nicole Faulkner (a.k.a. @lipsticknick) thinks “art is subjective.” The Director of Global Artistry for Morphe, 28, says the popular YouTuber, 34, is “coming from a good place” when it comes to his new Cremated palette.

“Jeffree had this concept, name and color story picked out way before [the coronavirus pandemic],” the Los Angeles native explains. “Anyone who knows him or his brand knows he is always committed to giving his fans creative new concepts all in the name of art. The palette sold out in a matter of minutes! I’m very happy for him.”

She also noted she is “grateful to have [her] art featured on the front of every palette.”

Jeffree released his latest palette on May 22 — and was immediately met with backlash over what fans felt was an “insensitive” theme, with shade names like “The Morgue” and “Angel of Death.” “Nothing ever comes from a bad place, so if you were thinking that, absolutely not,” he said in his video addressing the drama on YouTube before the palette even dropped. “My brand, I created this to make people smile. I created a brand for all the weirdos and the people that didn’t really feel like they fit in, so in no way was this created to be offensive, ever.”

The former singer maintains he has been working on the makeup collection for over a year. He also claims his trademark for the name was approved in September 2019.

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“There were some people saying, ‘Jeffree it’s a little weird timing, there’s a lot going on in the world,’” he added in the May 20 video. “But for me, this is art and I never come from a negative place you guys. My own father who passed away and my two dogs that passed away last year are all cremated and it is a tradition in my family.”

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Nicole — who recently lost two pant sizes by working with her trainer Kaley Hatfield — is definitely standing by her pal. In fact, she recently “reunited” with him and filmed a YouTube video with him where she recreated his campaign look from the Cremated launch. “I’ve missed him like crazy! We’ve both been quarantined separately for months,” she notes. “It was so nice to see him again.”

Reporting by Diana Cooper