With its focus on simplicity and feel-good products, the American makeup brand Glossier made its way to the UK on 9 October. Having stumbled across Glossier on a procrastinating scroll through YouTube, I was excited to see it’s arrival on our shores. It’s not hard to predict what happened next (under the guise of ‘treat yo’ self’), but let’s just say I won’t be having much of a social life in the next couple of months.
Perfect in time for winter, their range of moisturising, skin-loving products aims to keep your skin glowing all year round, even in the colder months. With an emphasis on ‘happy makeup’, the company has risen to a cult-like status, selling a range of products which aim to enhance your natural features rather than change them dramatically. Put Glossier into YouTube or Instagram and you’ll see the widespread popularity of this brand, whose mantra “Skin first. Makeup second” encourages a natural, ‘no-makeup make-up’ kind of look. As someone who had been waiting patiently for Glossier to arrive in the UK, I worried that the products wouldn’t live up to my expectations, but my fears were short lived.
Considering the fact that they market themselves as a skin-care brand, I was particularly excited to try their famous milk jelly cleanser, a translucent gel which helps to remove excess makeup and give your skin a good clean. The biggest thing I noticed is the way this product feels afterwards. Whilst some cleansers can tend to leave your skin feeling dry and tight, the conditioning feel of the milk jelly cleanser means your skin is both clean and moisturised. As well as this, the cleanser has really helped with the odd breakouts, and any I do get are calmed down by the soothing formula. With some of the priming moisturiser, your skin feels happy, clean and ready to face the day (unless it’s for an 8:30, it’s not working magic).
Unfortunately, however, the perfecting skin tint and stretch concealer weren’t particularly special. Although the skin tint is promoted as more of a tinted moisturiser, I was still disappointed to discover how little of an effect it had. The product may make a small difference to my overall skin tone, but I’m not sure if it’s worth £20. The stretch concealer definitely has a lot more coverage and is great for under the eyes, but its moisturising consistency means that it doesn’t really work on blemishes. Due to it’s focus on skin care, I definitely get the feeling that Glossier is aimed towards people with clear skin. If you tend to have a lot of breakouts and have a more oily skin-type, Glossier’s foundation and concealer may not be your best option.
Two products which everyone seems to have fallen in love with (including me, goodbye bank account) are the eyebrow gel boy brow and the liquid blusher cloud paints. One of my favourite things about both of these products is how natural they feel and look: it truly is a face v2.0 kind of situation. The eyebrow gel really helps to highlight the natural shape of your brows, picking out some of the smaller hairs and giving them a much more defined look. Alongside this, the cloud paint (packaged to look like acrylic paint!) is amazingly pigmented and simple to apply, meaning it’s quick and easy to give yourself that healthy, flushed look without the regular exercise and balanced diet.
Having purchased a wide range of the products, I can honestly say that they work well together. Whereas some make-up brands tend to have a stand-out product, everything which Glossier touches seems to turn to glow *wink*. Following a day of wearing Glossier, my skin feels moisturised and smooth, avoiding the ‘cakey’ feeling. My ultimate favourite has to be the boy brow eyebrow gel. As a self proclaimed brow product addict I had high hopes for trying out the brow gel, and I am so happy with the result. The gel helps my brows to look defined whilst making the most of my natural arch: if you need to add to or change your shape, you might need to use a pencil on top just to fill in any gaps you might find. Out of all of the products, boy brow, the milk jelly cleanser and the cloud paints are the ones I’ll be purchasing again and again.
Despite my way-above-budget splurge on makeup, I do believe that most of my money was well spent. With most products sitting between the £10-£20 range, Glossier is definitely a brand to consider if you’re looking for a more luxurious feeling product without the ridiculous price tag. As well as this, it’s a cruelty free brand, which is a massive tick in my book. Not only is the range wonderful to look at, but Glossier’s message is a great way to get more people to feel comfortable in their own skin. It’s refreshing to find a company whose makeup aims to enhance rather than cover; Glossier is all about celebrating how different, imperfect and wonderful our faces are.
