Gwen Stefani's Makeup at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards: Fans Were Not Happy

Eventually, Stefani's makeup artist, Gregory Arlt, felt compelled to chime in. “Well, the armchair warriors out there in social media land had some very strong opinions about this makeup look I did on Gwen for the Billboard Awards,” he wrote on his personal Facebook page yesterday, according to People. "It’s basically what we’ve always been doing, just no upper liner or false lashes (and yes, a pale lip as opposed to a color). You’d think I sent her out with tinted moisturizer and Chapstick from what people were saying!"

Seriously. Of course we associate Stefani with her signature cat eye, but must she wear it every time she makes a public appearance for the rest of her life? It seems many would answer yes, but Arlt says he has zero regrets. "Bottom line? We had fun" he wrote in the Facebook post. "One of the best times getting her ready, with a room full of people who adore each other, laughing and cracking jokes while reveling in the excitement of performing a number one song on an awards show," he said. "Some loved it, some did not, but people were talking which I suppose is never a bad thing. The positive outweighed the 'constructive' and bottom line is that makeup is the ultimate disposable accessory—have fun with it and take it off at the end of the night!"

Plenty of Arlt's fans have also been stepping out in defense of his work. "You are a true artist and Gwen is the perfect canvas," one said on Instagram. "The looks you have created together have been amazing and Gwen was stunning when she walked onto the stage to sing with Blake at the awards. I think the lighting in some of the photos off stage didnt do do your work justice and is part of the cause for some of the negative chatter, though I don't understand why some people must get nasty about it. Gwen always looks amazing and fresh." Here's a reminder—another look Arlt's done on Stefani recently, for The Voice.