My Complete Florence By Mills Review: The Honest Truth After 6 Months of Testing
Hey there!
So you‘re probably wondering if those Florence By Mills beauty products that explode your TikTok feed actually live up to the hype. I feel you! The gorgeous founder Millie Bobby Brown could tell me to slap crisps on my face daily and I‘d probably try it if she said it gives you glowy skin. 😂
But before you race off to dump $100 on cheek tints and lip oils just because an Instagram influencer raved about them…I want to save you time, money and breakouts by telling you the real truth.
See, over the past 6 months I‘ve personally tested just about every Florence By Mills bestseller out there. Why do I have the inside scoop? Well, reviewing beauty products is kind of my thing…I‘ve tested over 500 (!) of them for blogs and magazines after battling acne left me desperate to understand ingredients, formulas etc.
So consider this your no-BS download on all things Florence By Mills – from its top sellers to silly flops. I cover it all after wearing these glorified Gen Z products in the real world. Grab a snack, settle in, and let‘s dig into that dreamy…dewy…glow!
My Experience With the Brand
First, what even is Florence By Mills? This new-ish beauty brand burst onto shelves in 2019 founded by Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown. The whole vibe is about rebelling against unrealistic beauty standards insert hair flip.
Products aim to make you ~glow~ by celebrating your unique beauty, skin type and all. It‘s all vegan, cruelty-free, blah blah. So not entirely clean but gentler formulas geared to young skin. Oh and everything is named after Gen Z slang obvs. Because we millennials are ancient now?!
I‘ll admit the messaging totally targeted my 30-something self feeling old AF. Florence By Mills sells this dream that its See You Never concealer will zap my eye bags after scrolling TikTok all night…its Lash Boss mascara will convince people I‘m well rested 💤. Sign me up, right?!
But yeah, no. After testing a bunch of products for 6 months I learned to ignore the marketing and pay attention to what they actually DO for your skin. Here‘s where the rave reviews led me astray…
The Bestselling Heroes I Wanted to Love
First I tried all the iconic top sellers with thousands of gushing reviews. I mean c‘mon – 4.8 stars and glowing endorsements can‘t be wrong. Or can they? 😒
Here‘s what really happened for me:
Dreamy Dew Moisturizer
This lightweight water gel moisturizer promises to hydrate without making you an oil slick. I get oily AF in summer so I was pumped for Dew to mattify.
The Reality: It‘s…fine? Very basic hydration and zero mattifying. I didn‘t hate it but wasn‘t wowed either. Felt indistinguishable from my usual Neutrogena Hydro Boost. For $20 I expect more.
⭐⭐⭐ 2/5
Zero Chill Face Mist
Misting your face is self care 101 for beauty TikTok so I was jazzed to refresh makeup and hydrate skin with this rosewater spray. Reviews showed people using it ALL day?! Sign me up!
The Reality: It‘s literally rosewater, which doesn‘t actually hydrate that well. Felt slightly tight after not dewy. Does nothing special but the bottle is cute.
⭐⭐ 2/5
Swipe Up Eye Primer
An eyeshadow primer that smooths lids, prevents fading and makes sparkly shadows pop? Be still my millennial heart! TikTok showed it making fun colors stay vibrant for 12 hours. Oh baby!
The Reality: I didn‘t love the silicone feel and found it made shimmers look dull. Creased by hour 5. Felt meh.
⭐⭐ 2/5
See You Never Concealer
This got SO much hype for covering dark circles without settling into lines or feeling heavy. The pics showed it brightening like crazy. I couldn‘t wait for flawless under eyes!
The Reality: Sheer to light coverage only and emphasized my fine lines by creeping there. The sponge applicator soaked up half the product too. Buh bye!
⭐ 1/5
…you getting the picture here? 😒
Honestly my hopes were way too high after those rave reviews. When products don‘t deliver as promised I get salty. 😂 These hero Florence By Mills products ended up just meh.
But surely the brand isn‘t a TOTAL bust right? Keep reading for the gems I ended up loving.
The Faves I Can Get Behind
After a meh start I almost gave up on Florence By Mills completely TBH. But then I tried a few more affordable bestsellers that restored my faith! These ones actually lived up to expectations IMO:
Be a VIP Liquid Lipstick
This claims seriously saturated matte color in just one swipe. I got the coral red shade CEO and YUP – opaque brights in one coat. Stayed flawlessly through dinner without fading or feathering. Felt comfy too!
The Reality: High impact color payoff meeting its claims. Love!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Cheek Me Later Cream Blush
Tons of reviews showed this blendable cream blush giving the perfect natural flush. I bought two shades and yes – lightweight, seamless cheek color!
The Reality: Soft, blendable, with 6 hour longevity. Gives a rosy glow without glitter chunks. Obsessed!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Lash Boss Mascara
This promised length, lift and volume sans clumps or smudges. I got Twiggy eyes in one coat! Lasted 10 hours then removed cleanly with zero residue.
The Reality: Lived up to claims big time. Lengthy, fanned out lashes that wore beautifully. My new holy grail!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Lip Oil in Glow Yeah
Dull winter lips were no more after one night with this nourishing, candy-scented lip oil! Smoothed flakes and left such a juicy glossy finish. Warmed by body heat too. Divine!
The Reality: Ultra conditioning formula that turns crusty lips plump and supple again. Obsessed!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
So while some Florence By Mills really disappointed me, these all-star products got added to my permanent lineup. Especially Lash Boss – tubing mascaras usually smudge on me but this wore perfectly.
I‘d say focus on the liquid lipsticks, cheek and lip products over complexion or priming ones. And definitely don‘t buy just because an influencer raved! Temper expectations first.
How Florence By Mills Compares to Trendy Clean Beauty Brands
Wondering how Florence stacks up to those other Insta-popular clean beauty brands? I got you! Here‘s my hot take after trying them ALL (so you don‘t have to 😉).
vs The Inkey List: More fun branding but weaker formulas lacking standouts
vs The Ordinary: Way more enjoyable to use but slightly less effective
vs Milk Makeup: On par in terms of quality and non-toxic standards
vs Ilia: Can‘t compete in luxe feel and sustainability efforts
vs Youthforia: Similar cutesy but girlboss vibes, but FBM has more makeup
Overall Florence sits squarely in that mid-range for quality but offers Gen Z friendly branding. I don‘t think the formulas quite justify $20 average pricing though.
For context I‘m 33 with combination acne-prone skin. My top concern is hydration followed by brightening hyperpigmentation and sun spots. I prefer lightweight gels and dewy finishes without heavy oils.
So your wants may differ – oily folks might love Dreamy Dew more while dry skins expect richer creams. Just temper expectations if you don‘t fit the young oily/blemished skin type!
The Breakdown: Should You Actually Buy Florence By Mills?
Alright, final verdict time!
drumroll please…
I think how much you‘ll like Florence By Mills really depends on your age and what you want from it.
For high school and college students on a budget who love playing with trendy makeup, 100% yes! Most products work great for young combination or oily skin types.
Especially try the fun eyeshadow palettes, cheek and lip colors. Just know complexion and priming products can be hit or miss. Read reviews first!
For millennials and Gen X concerned with anti-aging etc, I‘d skip. Formulas don‘t cater enough to fine lines, dullness and sun spots. Stick to trusted brands like First Aid Beauty or Sunday Riley.
And for clean beauty purists who want totally non-toxic, sustainable formulas from farm to face, again I‘d look elsewhere. Florence By Mills uses lots of synthetics and plastic packaging.
The Best Florence By Mills Products Are…
If you‘re set on trying this IG famous brand, start with these heroes:
- Be a VIP Liquid Lipstick
- Cheek Me Later Cream Blush
- Lash Boss Mascara
- Lip Oil in Glow Yeah
Avoid the supposed "magic" primers and concealers. And the under eye brightener Bakeed Lights – OMG tragic clumpy glitter fall out!
Final Florence By Mills Review Score
⭐⭐⭐ 3 out of 5 stars
Some fantastic makeup heroes (!!) let down by gimmicky skin care claims not delivering much.
So are you rushing off to grab that Lip Oil in Glow Yeah or nah? Let me know if you have any other Q‘s!
Until next time,
Cat
Beauty Product Obsessive 💄
