When visiting the French Quarter in New Orleans, we weren’t prepared for the Truffoire Gourmet Skincare salespeople and their Black Truffle Instant Repair Syringe guerilla sales tactics.

It seems like every article warns you about the “Where’d you get those shoes?” scam, but nobody ever mentions watching out for predatory Truffoir skincare salespeople. Be prepared and don’t get lured in!

These salespeople lurk outside the Truffoire Gourmet Skincare stores in the French Quarter. Sometimes they have something they are giving away. Our first encounter was with a man handing out soap samples. Seems nice right? Well, they don’t even sell the soap in the store.

The soap is just a ploy to get you to come in the store. He will hand you the soap and then ask for you to come in the shop so he can wrap it in plastic wrap. He’ll mention how you don’t want to stick that soap in your purse/bag/etc. It will get it all messy! Just let him wrap it up.

The Truffoir Skincare Hard Sell

Once you step into the store, they will try to get you to try the Black Truffle Instant Repair Syringe. They don’t mention it costs a whopping $1,250. That is not a typo.

They will smooth it under one eye, and the transformation begins immediately. You can really notice a major difference. The Black Truffle Instant Repair Syringe works like magic and all the wrinkles smooth out. I wish I’d taken a photo of my friend Heather who had it done.

She said she could feel it tightening on her face and you could visibly see where they’d applied the product vs. where it wasn’t, because the product area was totally smooth.

After trying to the product, they will tell you just for you today you can have this amazing product for only $600!

The salespeople are all very nice, but it’s very car salesy, and it took us a while to drag Heather out of there.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment—especially when you’re traveling. A $600 “deal” can feel urgent, but it’s rarely essential. Still, if an unexpected expense throws off your trip, check what New Orleans cash advance providers actually cover before deciding. And while dropping hundreds on skincare isn’t something we’d recommend, it’s equally important to use any cash advance only if you’re confident you can repay it with your next paycheck.

Truth About the Black Truffle Instant Repair Syringe

While the Black Truffle Instant Repair Syringe does work immediately, Heather didn’t like the way it felt afterwards and couldn’t wait to wash it off her skin.

And while it looked amazing right away, within about 20 minutes, it started turning white and peeling/flaking where it had been applied. I need to mention that it was applied over Heather’s make-up, so it could be the combination of makeup and product causing the discoloration and flaking.

It appears to create a kind of film over your face, and the more you move that area where it’s applied, the more likely it is to start cracking and flaking off.

My friend Jenna also ended up trying it in a store on a different street, after a salesperson complimented her hair and then asked her to come in the store to tell them where she had it done. They only treated one side though and left the other as-is. Jenna’s treated area also ending up being weird and flakey around the edges after 20 minutes. She also did not like the way it felt on her skin.

Truffoire Gourmet Skincare

Truffoire is a high-end skincare brand that uses truffle extracts as a key ingredient in its products. The brand offers various skincare solutions designed to address common concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, and uneven skin tone.

Two of their signature ingredients are black and white truffles, which are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids, promoting hydration, anti-aging benefits, and a revitalized appearance. Truffoire markets its products as luxurious and transformative, emphasizing long-term benefits like improved firmness, hydration, and a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles.

You can purchase Truffoire cosmetics directly through their website at their full price. Or you can just wander the streets of the New Orleans French Quarter and wait for a salesperson to pounce.

As a side note, not one person asked me about my shoes.

New Orleans Street Hustle

In case you don’t know about the “Where’d you get your shoes?” scam, every travel article insists it’s a popular street hustle in New Orleans especially in tourist-heavy areas like the French Quarter.

It typically involves a person approaching a tourist and claiming they can tell them where they “got their shoes.” If the tourist agrees, they answer with, “You got them on your feet!”

The technically correct answer is followed by a demand for money, usually around $10 or more. They hope the tourist will pay up to avoid further confrontation or embarrassment. In some variations of the scam, the hustler may offer to clean or shine your shoes and then demand payment after performing the unsolicited service​

I have been to New Orleans many times and have never once run into this. The closest thing was a guy trying to wash our windows at a traffic light.

So, if you’re planning to visit New Orleans, watch out for skincare salespeople and window washers. Street hustling shoe bets don’t seem to be a problem anymore.