Arbonne - is it really as bad as it sounds?

To many, Arbonne - a premium health, cosmetics and skin care brand, is suspicious and untrustworthy.   You only have to type Arbonne into the internet and there's so many people wanting to bad mouth this company so what have they done that's so wrong? 

I was first told about Arbonne by some friends. Genuine friends at that, who would never mug me off or try to commit a daylight robbery. My husband and I have known them for years and we are as close as family members so I had and still have no reason to doubt a word they say. A couple of members of their family and their friends had signed up to become what is known as an 'Independant Consultant' as a side-line that would hopefully perhaps become a lucrative earner whilst they carried on with their normal lives and therefore didn't jeopardise anything they were already doing. These people had put some money into this but only out of choice and as you would any serious business opportunity. When they told me about it, the main thing I was interested in was the make up range. Which girl wouldn't be?  I thought I'd give it a whirl and support them, perhaps in the same way people buy Avon from their friends/family and collagues. The mascara and lip gloss I bought were some of the best products I've ever purchased - the lip gloss was a beautiful, strongly pigmented berry colour and the mascara was hands down the best mascara I've ever used. I'll hopefully do a proper product review on them soon so you can see them for yourselves if you so wish.

Back to the point...

Whilst I was happily using these products I googled Arbonne, just to learn a bit more about the brand, its history and to see more products that I would fancy trying. What I found by looking at links other than the Arbonne site itself, was a lot of vitriolic, knee-jerk reactions from some people that didn't seem to grasp the concept  properly or had been tricked by less than trustworthy people into signing up to be a Consultant when they didn't understand the full picture of the business. From the get-go, my friends had been transparent about their involvement and what you did or did not have to do. My understanding at the end or it was that it was a premium Avon, with the incentives it offered 25 years ago...lavish gifts, holidays, good money and a less saturated market. Oh and no door-knocking. Having actually looked at being an Avon Rep myself last year, the lady who rang (repeatedly) to give me more information and then turned up at my door one night with brochures was passive aggressively coercing me into joining. Nobody seems to be on the same witch hunt about Avon, even though it's the same kind of package. Maybe because it is a familiar name to people so they are less intimidated by it? Of course I was guilty of reading all these reviews on forums but my conclusion was still the same - that irresponsible people are misselling what could actually be a perfectly good opportunity. It shouldn't be sold as a get rich quick scheme but sadly that's what some people are doing and even if you could get people involved under those sketchy terms, that is a shaky and not very sustainable way to grow a business, no matter how seductive at the outset.

Because I'm so obsessed with  the mascara and lippy I'm considering signing up myself, but rather than do the approach that people are recommended to do, I've decided that I'll take the slow and steady approach if I do opt in, and order things I'll use rather than lots of expensive stock. Anything else is a bonus really?  After all, business is something you need to invest in if you want to make big money quickly, but it's not the only way. 

I'm a Bad Gal!

For the past 3 years I've been religiously using Benefit's 'Bad gal lash' Mascara. I've had the Black, Blue and Plum variations (still need to try the Brown) and have been pretty impressed with them all. In fact I love everything  I've ever tried by Benefit.

I think it all starts with the packaging. It's all really well designed - pretty, kitsch, just totally gorgeous. Sometimes products can be style over substance but Benefit are just as good as they first appear.

I'm currently using the Plum one which suits my green/brown eyes well and picks out the green colour more than other colour mascaras. The only fault I have found with it is that sometimes it smudges onto just below my eye which I didn't find happened with the other colours. My favourite so far has been the Bad Gal Blue Mascara which brightens your eyes up so you can look really fresh even if you're not feeling like it.

It's not one of those tacky blue colours that you see chavs wearing either as it's only really obviously blue in the sun. Even then it's a classy, subtle blue. I really would recommend it to anyone no matter what colouring. It's a great all rounder and comes in at only £15.50 in most shops/websites.

I'm looking forward to trying more Benefit products very soon!

Illamasqua Stalker

Hi, I'm Tilly and I'm an Illamasqua stalker.

I would like to say an addict, and in ways I think that's probably true but it's purely been an affair of the mind which can be just as dangerous and exciting as a physical love affair. Recently two friends of mine showed me some recent additions to their make up bags and every piece was Illamasqua. The packaging is exquisite, really alluring and sort of like the make up packaging version of a low cut top, enough to keep 'em wanting more! And that's before you get to the product itself! I've admired it from afar in Fenwicks but have not yet taken the plunge for reasons I will explain.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows that unless times are very hard and money is tight (yes and yes) I cannot resist trying new makeup products. Unfortunately for me, I'm saving very hard indeed so right now there's no spare cash for things I don't 'need'. Now I think this is matter of opinion. I do need Illamasqua. Not even just want, it's become almost a basic human right so why have I been left out of the club? Moolah is the obstacle between myself and the most stunning make up I've ever seen. ouch. Painful but true. So the plan is to do as much research as I can so that when I can afford to buy at least one piece (please God, let me afford more) then I have an informed choice planned.I have dark hair and really quite pale skin as some of you might have noticed from a pic in an old blog post, and I think a great statement blusher or eye colour would be the order of the day or maybe the year.

What would you recommend ladies and gents?