Florence by Mills Review

It’s always exciting when an environmentally conscious brand pops up in the market. Especially one with such values as Florence By Mills. Clean beauty, vegan and cruelty-free. But have these products matched my expectations? Get ready to find out.

When a new eco-friendly brand arrives in the market it means more options to choose from. Besides being a clear sign that things are changing. Florence by Mills is no exception. 

Vegan, cruelty-free skincare and makeup, with a clean formula that is good for you and the planet. What’s the most honourable of all? To see that younger generations already perceive this as what should be the normal and what we need in order to thrive. Why do I say this? Because this brand was created by Millie Bobby Brown. Well, you must know her best as Eleven from The Stranger Things.

What is Florence by Mills all about?

Clean ingredients and formulas. That are good for you and the planet. No parabens, sulfates, dyes, animal testing or animal by-products. 

Even though it is mostly marketed to a younger audience, it caught the attention of a lot of millennials. Mostly because of the brand’s concept and the array of cool skincare products.

Is Florence by Mills an affordable brand?

Not exactly. If you consider that it’s main target audience are teenagers, their products aren’t as affordable as other drugstore brands. One of their products costs 35,95€. Yes, I know that the product formulas aren’t the same. But let’s be honest, when you’re a teen (or pre-teen) you don’t have your own money and I know my mom wouldn’t be ok with spending this much money on a skincare routine for me (over 30 for just two products) when I was a teenager. And she isn’t the only one thinking like this.

However, if you compare Florence by Mills price range with high-end skincare brands… you can’t say these aren’t exactly expensive. 

My experience with Florence by Mills

Let’s be honest. When this brand launched at Douglas España I had to do some thinking (and deep breathing) before placing my order.

I wanted to buy pretty much everything. From skincare to makeup. I’ve even considered doing a 30 day test or a full-face makeup, but my budget didn’t allowed me to.

So I’ve decided upon three products that would solve some of my products: a face moisturiser, a lip oil and a cream blush.

Let’s see how it went.

Hydrating Lip Oil

My lips went through a really dry and sore phase this Summer. Nothing that I had at hand would work, not even my no-nasties lip balm.

So I’ve decided to give this Glow Yeah Hydrating Lip Oil a try, because it had mango butter and paracress flower in its composition.

During the first few days I could tell that my lips were no longer sore and that the cracks disappeared. I was so happy about it that I decided to give it a go and buy some other Florence by Mills products.

Unfortunately, this lip oil stopped working for me about a week after I started applying it. Suddenly, it no longer moisturised my lips and it seemed like I was using a gloss. 

I’ve decided to stop using and give it another go a few days later. The same thing happened. 

This hydrating lip oil costs 16,95€ for only 8 ml of product. Which isn’t exactly the most affordable thing in the world. And no, I have no intention of using it ever again. Making this a complete waste of money. By the way, any ideas on how I can repurpose it?

Would I recommend this product? Absolutely not. It’s quite expensive for what you get and if you have a similar experience to mine, it ends up being a total waste of money. So, if you’re looking for a lip oil… I would rather recommend you the one from Bell Hypoallergenic (6,99€) or getting some organic mango oil. 

Dreamy Dew Moisturizer 

This year has been a hard one for my skin. Going from oily to extra dry within a couple of hours. As I was running out of my Avril’s face cream, I wanted to give Florence by Mills Dreamy Dew Moisturizer a try.

It wasn’t an easy choice, because it costs 17,95€ for just 50 ml. But hey, I am all about natural ingredients, clean formulas and I’ve paid more for a non-clean-beauty face cream in the past.

As it is targeted for a younger audience and suitable for all skin types, I thought that this would be a good fit for me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. 

Soon after applying it, my skin started feeling oily and itchy. Initially I thought it was because of the face mask I was wearing. I’ve applied it again a couple of days later after taking a shower and I had to wash it off my skin about 20 minutes later. Because of how uncomfortable I felt. 

To prevent throwing this product after using it twice, I gave it a new purpose. I’ve turned it into an a face scrub, by adding some sugar (that I brought from some Café, as I don’t have sugar at home).

Would I recommend this product? Well, everyone’s skin is different and has different needs. In my case it was a total miss, but if you have really dry skin this might work for you. However, if you’re looking for a clean beauty face cream, I would recommend the ones from Avril Cosmetics instead. 

Cheek Me Later Cream Blush

If there’s one thing that the lockdown have brought into my life, it was makeup. And watching makeup channels on YouTube. 

Probably because I wasn’t allowed to leave my teeniest tiniest studio apartment for months. It was cold (and dark) outside and I needed to add some spark (and joy) to my life.

After listening some pretty good reviews on Florence by Mills Cheek Me Later Cream Blushes, I decided to give this brand another try. 

And yes, the blushes are good. They last long on your skin, they don’t fade throughout the day, the formula is natural and you can even use it on your lips.

Unfortunately, at least here in Spain, you’re not allowed to use the store testers since this whole thing started. As I had some trouble finding out online the tone that suited me best, I’ve looked up for help at one of the many Douglas’ locations here in Madrid.

I ended up buying a product based on someone else’s recommendation, without checking the color and being allowed to open the package.

Guess what? It wasn’t the right shade for me. I have fair skin and a little bit of rosacea, depending on the day. And it turns out that the Stellar Sabrina makes me look like Heidi.

In case you’re wondering, I’ve already tried applying it in a bunch of different ways: with a beauty blender, a brush and even my fingers.

Always discarding a bit of product in my arm before applying it to my face. The result is always the same. Which is a shame.

Would I recommend this product? Yes, but only if you can see the shade yourself before buying it. Otherwise you might end up with something that isn’t the right fit for you.

Would I recommend Florence by Mills?

Well, I can’t say that I had the most positive experience. I’ve spent 51,85€ on three products that haven’t worked for me at all. But again, this is my personal experience. We all have different needs and expectations.

Just because I had a not-so-positive experience, it doesn’t mean that Florence by Mills is a bad brand.

However, I would rather recommend you brands like The Ordinary or Avril Cosmetics if you’re thinking about creating a more conscious beauty routine. Both more affordable and easier to find.