Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Fleur De Vie: The Review.


Oh y'all, it is a HAPPY HAPPY TUESDAY for two great reasons.

1.  I have a makeup/skincare review today! #sofun

2.  I GET THESE STINKIN' BRACES OFF TODAY!!  (Goodness gracious, I hope I didn't just jinx that since I'm writing this before they actually come off.)

If you don't remember, I got braces on my bottom teeth 3 months ago.  I hated them with a passion from the second I got them on and that feeling has only intensified since then.  Thankfully, the 10 months the doctor told me I'd need to wear them has turned into only 3.  I have not had the most positive experience with the orthodontist's office I chose for a multitude of reasons and my kids will NOT be getting their braces there.  I'll get more into that at another time. ;)

But back to #1.

A few weeks ago, Brandi, a friend of mine from college sent me a message on Facebook. Brandi and I lived together my last year of college along with our other roommate and sorority sister, Becky.  Becky and Brandi were BFFs since childhood and living with them was so much fun!  We had the cutest little house that we also shared with Becky's Boston Terrier puppy, Hudson and Brandi's tiny little chihuahua, Nelli.  I totally lucked out when I scored a room in that house.

Anyway, Brandi was contacting me to see if I might be interested in doing a product review of a makeup and skincare company she works for that is based out of Craig's hometown in Alexandria, LA.  She said she was a Beauty Advisor for them and wanted to send me some products to try out in exchange for a review.  

Help out a friend, get some free goodies and spread the word about a company from the hubby's hometown?  Of course, I said YES!

And to top it all off, if I'm going to be taking beauty advice from anyone, it's this girl.


Did I forget to mention that she is STUNNING??  And she just seems to get better with age.  I mean, if I didn't love her so much, I'd probably hate her.  ;)  She's just as sweet, cute and bubbly as can be too.  Plus she's got a precious little family.

And check out this dream home.


Is it not picture perfect??  #sosouthern

I could totally go on and on about why I will listen to any kind of beauty advice this girl gives me but I won't.  I'll just get to the good stuff.

Brandi is a Beauty Advisor for a company based out of Alexandria, LA called Fleur De Vie. Fleur De Vie is a direct sales company that was founded six years ago.  The founders wanted a simple and safe line of skincare and cosmetics that were are also affordable.  Both founders had been involved in direct sales before and wanted to not only provide amazing products but also give people an opportunity to make an income.

So when they said "simple and safe", they meant it.  The thing that sets this company apart from so many others is that everything is Plant-Based and all of the ingredients are listed and easily recognizable.  (Think citrus oil, aloe, etc.)  We've all heard about harmful chemicals in our skincare.  So if we can get the same results without them, I'm all for it, right?  Who wouldn't be? #signmeup

I was super excited to see what I was being sent.  I had no idea so when I checked the mail one day and saw my package had arrived, it was like Christmas came early!

Look what all she sent me!!


So I want to stop here before I go any further and reiterate what I will always say when I review a product. This is a 1000% honest review from start to finish. If I don't like something, I'll tell you.  But if I love something, I'll tell you that too.  ;)

Here's what she sent:
1.  Smooth Operator (Primer.  Possibly my favorite product out of all of it.)
7.  Bronzer

Ok, so I'm going to start with my FAVORITE product out of the whole group.  The Smooth Operator Primer was, for lack of a better term, simply amazing!!  I had absolutely no preconceived notions about any of this stuff when it arrived.  They just showed up, looked pretty self-explanatory and I tried them.

I've tried a million primers before.  Some I've loved.  Some I've hated.  And some have been fine.  This one was so different though!!  I just thought it was going to be a normal primer...smooth it on and your makeup will stay longer.  But as soon as I put applied this stuff to my face I was pretty amazed.


It comes out white but the little microbeads burst when you start to apply it and it ends up matching your skin tone.  First of all, that's so cool.  Second of all, it makes your skin look almost airbrushed!  I literally did a double take the first time I put it on.  I had no idea it was going to make my skin look better!  I thought it was just going to help my makeup stay longer!

Brandi says you can wear this alone (I'm all over this in the summer!) or under your makeup.  Not only does it blur those fine lines but it minimizes the look of pores and just gives an overall look like you just hit your face with an awesome Instagram filter.

Check it out here.

My second favorite product was the facial cleanser


 I can be super picky about my facial cleansers.  Mainly because I am a creature of habit and tend to stick with Neutrogena until my skin starts to get too dry during the winter.  So this came at the perfect time.  

The first time I used it, all I could think of was "I feel like I'm at a spa!".  It smelled exactly like what I smell when I get a facial.  And not one of those hyrdrofacials I get sometimes where the chemicals make my eyes burn.  This smelled like one of those good, cleansing, feel-good facials.  I was IN LOVE.  It was thick enough to where I felt like it really got in there and cleaned my skin well but gentle enough to where I didn't dry my face and realize my face tight from how dry it was. 

Like I said, it felt like what they wash your face with when you get a facial at a spa.  Delicious.  And it smelled so clean and so pure.

Highly recommend.  I'll be ordering more when I run out.

As for the Regenerating Creme and Eye Cream...it's hard to say after just a couple of weeks.  But they smell amazing, like the cleanser.  They haven't broken my face out.  And I love the texture of both of them.  No complaints!

And as for the makeup, I found the quality of the bronzer to be almost identical to my expensive Nars bronzer.  The color is almost identical, it goes on the same (smooth) and stays put the same.  Only it's less expensive!  So choose this.  ;)


And I also really liked the mineral foundation powder.  I tried to wear it alone, over that awesome primer but just felt like it wasn't quite enough.  It was fine, I just felt like I could look a bit better with a little more coverage.  So the next time, I used it as a finishing powder over the Clinique foundation I've been obsessed with lately.  I really loved it that way.  


I don't normally use a finishing powder of any kind but I loved using this with that really cool foundation brush to tone down some shine throughout the day.


And then there's the mascara! We all know that I LOVE mascara!  (Check out my post HERE.)

So I really really liked this mascara.  It didn't flake on me or leave rings under my eyes at the end of the day.  And I loved the brush.  It was so precise!  I felt like I was in total control of "designing" my eyelash look.


It was a tiny bit drier than the ones I normally use.  But maybe I got an older tube.  Regardless, I thought it did a great job.  It lengthened, it gave me volume and it separated my lashes.  Four out of five stars for sure.

And to finish this review off, let's talk lips.  I am not a lip person.  I usually choose to play up my eyes over my lips. And doing both at the same time makes me feel like a clown or like I'm prepping for a pageant.  I'm just always going to drift toward a more natural look.

However, I did love the cool lipstick/lip gloss duo.  It was a pretty rose color too.  I think it was a little too pink for my skin tone but if they got more of a berry color, I'd be all over it.  

For the record, it looks much darker like this (below) that it is in real life.


Once you pull it out of the tube, it looks like this.  I loved the gloss by itself!


And the lipstick is gorgeous.  I just can't really make the color work since I have such pink undertones already.  


And I haven't used a lip liner in forever but this one was really cool.


I ended up using it all over my lips and then slapping on the lip gloss over it.  Is it weird that I'm such a novice about lip stuff??

This was me yesterday morning (dirty hair and all, no filters and no touch ups) after using all the products.

And me again at the end of day, waiting on Sonic to provide us a late dinner.  #basketballnight


So there ya go, friends.  This company is growing and changing.  They are working on revamping their packaging which, in all honesty, was one of my only critiques.  I thought the labels could be so much better.  (Truth? In my head, I was totally reworking those labels!)  

But apparently, the company thinks so too.  They are working on their image and trying to attract the younger audience while still maintaining amazing products. I think the younger audience would love their line, personally.  They just need to get their name out there! Because seriously, their product line is legit.  I just washed my face a couple of hours ago and I seriously want to go in there and do it again just to use that cleanser.   

So if you decide to try anything out, here are the details:

Check out Brandi's FB page HERE. She's got a video of a "live" party that she did for a hostess on there right now so you can see her in action and hear more about the products.  Be sure to tell her I sent you!

And if you'd like to order anything (that primer, y'all..and that cleanser...just sayin'), go to the website HERE and be sure to type in BRANDI B for the Advisor.  We want my girl to get credit for this since she was sweet enough to send me goodies!  


BRANDI B!  Don't forget. :)  And you can also sign up to receive the newsletter and receive 10% off your first order!

If you have any questions about anything, I know she'd love to answer them!  Or I can definitely try too.

And, as for the business side of this, I know this isn't for everyone, but you never know who might be looking.  So if anyone is interested in joining their team, I'm sure she'd love to talk to you about that too.  (And no, she didn't even mention anything to me about saying that stuff.  But I know there are a lot of stay-at-home-mamas out there looking to earn a little extra money.  And there is NO shame in direct sales or a company like this.  So go get yours, Mama!)

Ladies, I LOVE supporting other strong women out there trying to earn a living or even just a little side money, while also raising their little families.  Let's always do our best to support one another!  I have been brought to tears before by some of the sweet emails and messages some of you have sent me, especially over the past few weeks.  Please know they mean so much and I usually end up teary after them.

So if you get a chance, I'd love for you to at least go give Brandi's page a "like" and check out the products on the website.  (Remember to give her credit if you decide to make a purchase!  Again..that primer...that cleanser... wink wink).  

Happy Tuesday, friends!


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10 comments

  1. You are GOOD at these reviews! Last week I read and couldn't wait to drink that special coffee and this week I need that primer STAT!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your interest! Here is the link to the primer☺️

      https://myfleurdevie.com/product/smooth-operator/

      Delete
  2. I looooove a beauty review!!! This one was so helpful too!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please continue reviewing products! Your honesty is the best part of each review. Can't wait to try the primer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the interest! I'm including the link for the primer☺️

      https://myfleurdevie.com/product/smooth-operator/

      Delete
  4. I love your reviews! You can totally tell you're authentic. I am heading to Brandi's fb page now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think I need to try that primer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm adding the direct link to the primer 😁

      https://myfleurdevie.com/product/smooth-operator/

      Delete
  6. Thanks for your interest!! I've included the link to this awesome product!!

    https://myfleurdevie.com/product/smooth-operator/

    ReplyDelete

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