Glossier… its the name on every beauty and fashion bloggers lips right now. The American-based cult beauty brand has just launched its products on the U.K market. I was dying to get my hands on some of these extremely aesthetically pleasing products, so much so that I placed an order with DPD Parcel Wizard. Three days later, my parcel arrived at my United Kingdom forwarding address. So, is it worth all the spectacle? Or is it all just totally over-hyped?
I have to admit, the story behind the brand and how it came into existence stands out to
me. The CEO, Emily Weiss started her beauty blog Into the Gloss in 2010 and her website
quickly accumulated a large readership. From there, Weiss decided she wanted to create a beauty brand that celebrates and highlights the natural beauty of each and every woman.
Four years later, Glossier was born. Weiss has been careful in her approach to marketing
and production and has created a distinct unified look for her brand – think lots of dewy
complexions and cheeky, playful imagery. Glossier has also successfully garnered a strong social media presence with the help of a popular Instagram page and numerous youtube sponsorships.
First on my list of items to try was their Milky Jelly Cleanser. I would categorise my skin as pretty even-keeled the majority of the time but every now and then I definitely fall victim to one or two major skin melt-downs. The Milky Jelly Cleanser is a very simple, non-irritating face wash with a beautiful subtle rose smell that doesn’t leave your skin feeling over- stripped and dry. I wouldn’t recommend it for removing your make-up as I think its a bit too gentle for this purpose. The cleanser is priced at £15 so it falls somewhere between department store and high-street skincare brands like Boots and Garnier. This gets the seal of approval from me.
Another skincare item I was curious about was their Priming Moisturiser, unfortunately I was disappointed by this. The idea behind this moisturiser is that it will act as a flawless base for any make-up you will later apply on top. I can get dry patches on my skin and this simply didn’t offer enough hydration for me. I also think there are cheaper alternatives already available on the market from your local chemist. Perhaps if
you were more on the oily side this would suit you a little bit better? The retail price is £18.
One of Glossier’s most-loved products is Boy Brow, which promises to give you fluffier and more natural looking brows. This was another of the stand-out products for me, I picked up mine in the shade brown and my brows certainly did look naturally thicker, darker and more stream-lined – think Gigi Hadid or Cindy Crawford. I can’t help but think of Benefit’s Gimme Brow as a product that achieves a very similar look. Glossier Boy Brow will set you back £14, versus Benefit’s similar product that costs £20. Not bad, Glossier!
Natural radiance seems to be Glossier’s calling-card so I was dying to dabble in some of
the brand’s tools for creating a glowing complexion. The Perfecting Skin Tint retails for £20 and promises to even out discolouration and leave your face looking toned, smooth and dewy. The Skin Tint is said to fall somewhere between the land of bare skin and full-on make-up however for me this was a little too close to bare skin. The product was a tiny bit too light coverage for me and felt that I needed to apply lots of concealer over top to camouflage imperfections. This might be the right product for you if you hate the feeling of heavy foundation on your skin or if you have been lucky enough to have been blessed by the skin gods.
Haloscope and Cloud Paint are the brand’s liquid highlight and blush items. I picked up the Haloscope highlighter in Quartz, I rub a little bit over the tops of my cheekbones to give a natural-looking glow. I picked up my Cloud Paint in dusk which I also apply with my fingers to give a subtle lift to my cheeks. I definitely loved the feeling of these products on my skin, in particular during the day time when you don’t want to look like you are masquerading as a disco ball. The products perk up your face but you still look like yourself.
So what is my overall verdict on Glossier? I believe the brand is undoubtedly aimed for a
particular market, if you like minimal, natural and glowy make-up this just might be the
beauty brand for you! Prefer getting all dolled up the nines, then maybe give this one a
miss. My favourite products are most definitely the Milky Jelly face cleanser, Boy Brow and the Haloscope highlighter. I think I’m going to start using these on a daily basis but maybe try something else for my special nights out. Other products in the range include a Moisturising Moon Mask that promises to increase skins hydration along with a Wowder powder that promises to leave just the right amount of dewiness on your skin. The temptation is palpable, oh well I guess there goes my next pay cheque.
Fiona Keveney – Fashion Writer
