ARBONNE: THE REALITY

As you guys already know; I write predominately about beauty in my spare time. I recently got approached by the lovely Nina who has become an Arbonne representative. I had never heard of the brand before, therefore I was curious to find out more. At the meeting, I realised that the presentation was really about becoming a consultant yourself. Although the spare cash would be lovely I was not sold on the multi-level marketing model. If I were to start my own business - it would be monetising this little space. I guess you could compare working for Arbonne to working for Avon, or YouUnique etc. However, I did receive a couple of product samples from the calm skincare range to try at home which I have collected my thoughts on. I have found in the past that a lot of reviews from similar companies are from consultants themselves, which could be seen as a conflict of interest for the consumer. So as someone who is not selling the products read on for Arbonne: the reality.

First up, I would like to point out that I really liked the green ethics of the company. I love finding beauty brands that create cruelty-free products. Arbonne completely vegan and 100% recyclable. Arbonne base their products on botanical principles. There seem to be popular beauty buzzwords surrounding the products. But you have to be careful with advertising - just because it says 'pure, green and simple' does not mean they are completely natural. In fact from reading the ingredients list I could see lots of synthesised chemicals.

Gentle daily cleanser (£18.00) 

The cleanser was lovely to use. It is sulphate-free and removed excess oil and dirt from my face leaving my skin feeling refreshed. This is something I appreciate after a long day. I enjoyed using it and I would repurchase. The bottle was is fairly large and a little goes a long way which balances out the price.

Gentle daily moisturiser (£27.00)

This was the only product that I could quite honestly say that I really, really disliked. I just could not get passed the smell. It reminded me of the medical steroid cream smell. Although this isn't exactly a strong smell, it is not one I would like to pat all over my face. I'm sure that it is decent enough at moisturising, but I just didn't agree with it at all.

Soothing facial serum (£37.00) I really enjoyed using the serum. It was much more lightweight than I expected, and it created a smooth barrier on my skin that stayed throughout the day. This prevented the cold air drying my skin out - fab for this time of year.

Soothing eye gel (£24.00)  

It was refreshing to use and helped any puffiness under my eye. What more can I say? It was a really good eye gel.

Perfecting liquid foundation in Buff (£32.00) 

The foundation was lightweight and easy to apply. It was a little shiny due to the SPF 15 in the formula. My biggest issue with the shade options is that they seemed very yellow-toned, which I wouldn't usually mind, but the shade buff was too dark for my skin and oxidised during the day. I would give the range a second chance but with a lighter shade, but I do not hold much hope for it as it reminded me of Benefit's flawless finish foundation (which again my skin didn't agree with.)

Makeup primer (£27.00) 

The star item of the show. The finish was so smooth and left my skin velvety soft. I think this may even be one of the best primers I have ever used. It left skin ridiculously smooth throughout the day and prolonged foundation wear. Saving my pennies for this primer for sure!

To sum up, there were products I loved and ones I wasn't overly keen on. But I seem to find this with all skincare, cosmetic and just branded products in general! Have you guys ever used Arbonne? What were your thoughts?