one minute i'm watching grace helbig do a "sweater weather" tag, whatever the hell that is, and the next thing i know i'm on ingrid nilsens' channel who tagged her learning how to tightline my eyes. wow, i've always wondered about that. looks a little painful. oh look, there's a video about how to use the concealer, i knew i was doing it wrong.
several videos and "vlog" playlists later, i discovered fleur de force. the english accent, the english countryside, the dogs, that hair, i was hooked. there's something about having a person talk at you about a product that isn't going to make a commission off of it so much less annoying than a customer service rep.* and what's best, the person on youtube can't interact. if i decide i'm not feeling the product, fast forward, skip. no awkward "um, maybe something else" conversation while they desperately try and convince me that i really need this brand new $100 foundation.
i've spent far too many hours dodging the sales people in the beauty department b/c i just want to browse. i've had too many suggest products for me that make me want to say, look at my face. do you see the subtle make up? listen to my voice. do yo hear me asking for a tinted moisturizer? why are you suggesting this pancake creme compact with full coverage? i always try to steer toward the less made up of the team but truth is, most people working the beauty section are there b/c they don't mind spending an hour getting ready in the morning. i just can't, even when i don't have a 6am call time.
long story short(er), i liked fleur. she wasn't shady about where products came from, a trend i discovered as i binge watched a few of her contemporaries. not claiming "a friend sent me this." please, the pr rep at that organic food company is not your friend. the cooking channel with her husband was adorable, and the make up style was more me. jump cut to a year later, she's written a book and going on a book tour, stopping in santa monica. so i bought the book and stopped by barnes and noble on sunday afternoon.
the last book signing i went to was ages ago for a cookbook. we waited in line, said a quick hello, love your stuff and were off. not fleur and mike, they both talked to every person for what seemed like, at least when i was blathering on to them, an excessively long time. they also gave me some excellent travel advice for my upcoming work move, but more on that later.
i didn't take a photo with either of them like most of the fans did, or go in for a hug b/c i felt a bit awkward about it. watching vloggers is a one way street, you see so much of them and they see zero of you. it feels a bit like approved stalking. i didn't feel like we were really in a hugging place. or maybe i'm just too closed off. or maybe i'm just over sensitive about privacy having spent so much time on film and tv sets.
the book is a great read and the illustrations are gorgeous. it's mostly tips on beauty, fashion, travel, work, self and a little more get to know fleur. even mallory enjoyed it.
so go check her out, and be prepared to spend several hours clicking "next."
*i do realize that professional beauty youtubers do paid adertisements, get sent products, get paid off of links if someone purchases the item, but it's less pushy than a bloomingdales sales associate on a sunday afternoon.
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