We Are Fluide Wants You to Make Up Your Own Beauty Rules

We Are Fluide doesn't shy away from bold colors and bright looks. The beauty brand's products are as vibrant and fun as the community it's dedicated to. The vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free line includes makeup for everyone. The name, inspired by the French word fluide and gender fluidity, fully embodies its ethos. Not just a makeup company, the brand is dedicated to beming a platform to amplify and celebrate queer and gender-expansive beauty.

Offering multipurpose products, colorful essentials, and affordable basics, We Are Fluide is all about expression. The looks you can create are endless, just take a scroll through the brand's Instagram feed. For more on the brand, we hopped on a call with the brand's co-founder Laura Kraber.

The Inspiration

"I came to the idea really through my role as a parent. I have teenagers who I'm raising in New York City, and I've just been so inspired by them and their friends and kids of my friends." She explains, "It's young people today who are leading the way and creating a more expansive understanding of gender identity. I think that that benefits all of us regardless of our identity."

Inclusivity and representation have always been key to the brand's vision. We Are Fluide is mean to celebrate "the beauty of people who are vastly underrepresented in the industry, mainly people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community," Kraber explains.

Hiring is a key part of the brand's dedication to inclusivity. Everyone from the models in front of the camera to the makeup artists, photographers, and graphic designers behind the scenes represents the communities We Are Fluide aims to uplift. Team members are largely people of color

"There's a great quote from Marian Wright Edelman, 'You can't be what you can't see.' In the most simple terms, that's what we want, to make sure our community feels seen, as well as beautiful and appreciated," Kraber says.

"Non-binary beauty is something that has traditionally not been seen," she explains. "A big part of it is just putting people on the cover, doing those campaigns focused around people that are often sort of diversity hire, whereas those are front and center people for us."

"As a feminist woman, I come to the world of beauty, with a lot of baggage around what beauty means what makeup signifies," Kraber explains. "For a lot of people, my age and older, makeup has always been perceived as an instrument of an outdated patriarchal structure. Women wore makeup to improve themselves to make themselves look acceptable to men, or to a certain standard of female beauty, which was often very limited, and very few people can achieve that standard of beauty."

Many of the brand's customers have their own complicated perceptions and attitudes when it comes to beauty. Whether they were shamed for wearing makeup or feeling like they weren't feminine enough or could do their makeup well, We Are Fluide seeks to empower various identities and truly include them. "Our tagline 'makeup the rules' inspires our audience but also inspires us to keep the focus on makeup as what you want it to be," she explains. "Be creative and enjoy it and try things and play and don't feel let go of some of that heaviness or angst or issues that you may feel from your history with makeup."

The Review

In a word, We Are Fluide's products are fun. Sitting with nearly the entire product range in front of me, I had no idea where to start or what look to do. It was basically the beauty editor's version of a kid in a candy store. There are various iridescent shades and shimmery metallics, and a good mix of things you can use every day. Starting with the basics, Browzey Brow Gel ($12) is a clear gel with a tiny brush that catches every hair and keeps it in place. The Big Bang Mascara ($14) gave my stubby lashes a decent amount of length. The Liquid Lipstick ($16) and Lip Gloss ($12) come in various shades, but the neutral Candy Bar and Expansion were my favorites. The gloss was also really comfortable and not sticky.

We Are Fluide Universal Crayon $12.00

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My favorites, however, were the multitaskers. The Universal Crayon ($12) comes in 4 shimmering shades you can use anywhere. It glides on easily and has a sort of balm-like finish. I used the shade Celestial as an eyeshadow and a highlighter.

We Are Fluide Universal Gloss $15.00

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For even more shimmer, I added the Universal Gloss ($15) over the crayon. Despite the name, the gloss has a similarly balmy finish, and you can use it pretty much anywhere. I used it as a highlighter and blush. Overall, what I really like about the brand are the endless ways you can express yourself.