You’ve probably heard of Glossier by now. If not… I don’t really know what to do with you, honestly. Even for someone a bit ~out of touch~ as myself, Glossier has the sort of reach that I will find out about it, and I will hunt it down, even when it’s unavailable in my home country. And I will get my greedy little paws on it by any means possible… namely, by using a standard US forwarding address service. Hey presto!
As an avid Youtube watcher (that sort of crept up on me, but when I stop and think about my phone usage, it’s hella true), I kept hearing Glossier’s name being thrown about every which way. Even on the British Youtubers’ vids — whom I obviously prefer to the US ones — when it wasn’t available in the UK, either. I mean, these people were flying to NYC ostensibly to stock up on these cult products (and probably also to munch down some juicy, delectable Levain cookies).
So what’s all the fuss about?
To be straight up with you (as the kids say), Glossier is the kind of brand that’s perfect if you don’t want to wear too much makeup. This is the perfect juxtaposition to my previous post on Fenty Beauty’s Holiday Collection, wherein glitter was the key to everything. Instead, Glossier flies in the face of the traditional beauty industry, and pretty much sticks it to all those ads that have told women they weren’t good enough without painting slap on their face. Instead, Glossier’s ethos is that you’re already enough — and here’s some light tweaking you can do to feel good if you so choose.
… which is obviously why I am now IN LOVE with Glossier.
It started off small (as it always does) — and it kind of snowballed real fast. REAL FAST.
I decided to get one of their starter packs, containing the Milky Jelly Cleanser, the Priming Moisturiser, and the Birthday Balm Dot Com. Let me break this down for you.
This Milky Jelly Cleanser has been all over the internet… and at first, I didn’t get it. I love the packaging: this squishy, soft plastic and super minimalist labels. It’s just fun to use. But the first time I used it, my skin wasn’t so keen. True, I kept it on for probably way longer than is intended (this is what happens when you blast music in the shower), and I did feel it irritate my skin a bit.
THEN I used the Priming Moisturiser, which literally gave my skin a red-red-red reaction.
After watching Ingrid Nilsen’s Glossier video (which I probs should have done before ordering), she mentioned that the Priming Moisturiser has Retinol in it, which is known for irritating skin and causing sensitivity. She actually flagged that it was pretty dangerous for this not to be outwardly mentioned, because using Retinol in the sun can damage your skin pretty badly too. Soooo, my tomato face reaction was not out of the blue! To be honest, I haven’t really used it since.
A fail-safe bet is the Balm Dot Com — how could you go wrong with a lip balm? And this isn’t just a lip balm: it’s touted as an all-over balm, designed to remedy any dry skin on yo boday. I decided to pick the Birthday Balm flavour (there’s 6 to choose from), which happens to have a little bit’o glitter in it — perhaps not best for rubbing on dry elbows. But it’s so pretty! And it smells like vanilla cupcakes.
It’s also quite a dense formula — reminds me of Lucas’ Papaw Treament in a way, particularly when it’s cold (because the texture changes a lot depending on the weather). Actually, this particular balm also reminds me of the Nuxe Reve de Miel (similar here), in terms of the thick texture and slight grittiness. I’m keen to try more of the flavours/scents — particularly the Coconut Balm Dot Com (which I may or may not have just ordered last night. Black Friday yassss).
Once I’d picked up the starter pack, I figured: why stop there? I had heard a LOT about their #1 bestselling Boy Brow pomade, and being someone who woefully neglects their eyebrows in the name of the au natural look, I decided to give it a whirl, in the shade Blonde (to lessen the chances of “angry brow symptom”). It’s a teensy tiny cutie of a product — a small bottle with an even smaller wand, designed to comb and groom your brows to perfection.
I had actually used an Etude House product just like this back in Korea — the Colour My Brows pomade — but it was way more intense and did nothing for me (as in, it wasn’t flattering; it actually did way too much in terms of product and pigmentation). This experience put me off brow products a bit — but Boy Brow has reignited the flame. The FLAME.
Of course, I had to pick up the Stretch Concealer — or lawd knows I’d never hear the end of it via the incessant Youtube mentions this product has earned. This comes in a cute little pot with a silver lid, and actually feels rather expensive. I’m not really someone who ever uses concealer — ever — but I still decided this was hyped enough to buy. Go figure!
I’d actually like to mention that one of the more memorable times I decided to wear concealer, while I was in Korea, I was inundated with mentions of how less tired I looked. A backhanded compliment if I’ve ever heard one, but you can’t say it didn’t do its job! Something about brightening that under-eye area just rewinds the clock so you’re like 7 again. Just what I was going for, actually!
This concealer is super creamy, light, and sheer. You probably can tell this is a running theme: Glossier is into sheer, glowy, natural-looking skin, and they don’t stray from this. If you want to hide a ginormous blemish, this won’t be the one, but if you want a little bit of brightening without drying your under eye area, this could be a winner.
So, at this point my cart was full, I was trigger-happy, and ready to shut up shop — but I just got this feeling there was more I wanted. MORE! I’d heard Estee Lalonde talk about the Generation G lipsticks, specifically in the colour Like, so I decided to throw that in to the digital cart too. Because why wouldn’t I add another lip product to my overflowing cupboards?
You can see Like second from right in the above picture; from L-R it’s the Perfecting Skin Tint, Stretch Concealer, Cloud Paint, Generation G, and Boy Brow.
The thing with these lipsticks is they actually come out a lot sheerer than they seem “in the bullet”. This colour Like, for instance, looks really quite dark and merlot-y, but it just gives you a light wash of colour on the lips. I’m still not 100% convinced this is the best colour for me, but it does easily pull together a look — without making you look like you painted your face in goop. Which is great!
Of course, I couldn’t go past the Perfecting Skin Tint that I’d heard so much about on The Anna Edit and elsewhere. Be warned: if light, skin-like, almost-isn’t-there makeup annoys you, then this will not be your thing. It really is barely-there — and I love it. It’s like a really sheer take on a BB cream, which I also fell in love with because it didn’t feel heavy on my face — something I used to really dislike about makeup. Praise be to Jebus that the beauty industry has progressed as much as it has!
Oh, I almost forgot that I also threw in a Cloud Paint. I know, I went a bit cray and bought everything. I KNOW. But it was something I really wanted, and I make my own money, honey… so why the heck not. Plus, I enjoy being a bit spendy from time to time, and looking forward to an online purchase is surely one of a millennial’s truest pleasures. So there you have it!
These little blushes are possibly the cutest ones I’ve ever seen — and that’s a lot coming from a K-beauty diehard fan. Well, I would say the Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Pastel Cushion Blusher in Coral that I use most days would give it a run for its money. But still, the little art paint touch is a good one. You also need the tiniest amount of product so give your face that lit-from-within glow. I opted for the pinkest shade, Puff, which is also ridiculously cute. You can see it in the above picture — it’s the middle swatch.
By now, I’d pretty much shopped-out the Glossier site (well, not entirely — hence my order last night which will be detailed SOON). Now it was time to wait… and trust that my forwarding address would be 100% legit. This was actually a big relinquishment of control for me, and really, it could have gone awry REAL quick. But it didn’t!
I actually was really impressed with MyUS.com — the site was easy to use, clear, and they got the job done! If you’re an Aussie or in another country without any Glossier goodness, you can click here to get a free month’s membership and 20% off your first shipment. Yasss gurl!
I just realised I actually did these in two shipments — I started with the Intro set, and then picked up all the other things the next day or something. This has become a bit of a tradition for me: I get sucked into hype, freak out, reel myself in and make a restrained purchase… and then hit it HARD the following day. All part of the fun!
Everything did arrive smoothly — the first shipment came completely in the box with everything, and the second one was just the famous Glossier pink pouches — I think the box was removed to lighten the load. It is a nice monogrammed box, but for a hoarder, I don’t mind if someone gets rid of clutter for me.
And so, that was my introduction to the fabulous and fresh Glossier. I also want to mention that the founder, Emily Weiss, is a total G (so to speak!) and inspiration to young laydeez like me. She seems like a real self-made self-starter, and just gets on with it. Her marketing angles are genius — and they’re all because she listened to her customers. It sounds simple, but surprisingly few companies get that. I also love that it started from Into the Gloss and grew organically — so good.
And that’s a wrap! Have you tried Glossier? What are your faves — and do you think its worth the hype? Let me know in the comments!
Steph x
Click here for a FREE MyUS.com 1 Month Membership + 20% off your 1st Shipment!
