Glossier Review – Is It Worth The Hype?

Glossier has definitely been one of the most hyped beauty brands this year!  For me, I have Anna (from The Anna Edit) and Fleur De Force to thank for introducing me to the brand.  They are two of my favourite bloggers and their blogs and YouTube channels were the first place I heard about Glossier.  Since discovering the brand, I have been seeing the products EVERWHERE!! They are all over Instagram, blogs and YouTube.  The most frustrating thing is that the products are currently only available in the US.  However, they are due to come to the UK before the end of this year (hurraaaaay)!

Feeling hard done by (poor me) that I had to wait until later in the year to get hold of the products, you can imagine my absolute delight when my friend so kindly offered to pick me up some things when he visited the US last month!! Yippppeeee!

Sometimes I find that over hyped products can be such a disappointment because your expectations have been set so high. However, I have been trying out the Glossier products since I got them last month and I have to admit that I am absolutely sold!!!!  They are worth every bit of the hype and more! I am definitely the kind of girl who uses about 10 different brands at any one time, so I very rarely have an entire skin or makeup routine that consists of items that are all from the same brand.  Having said that, Glossier has definitely won me over.   It is also rare to find a brand that does well in both skincare and makeup (generally its one or the other), but again Glossier has nailed it with both!  That is why I wanted to do this Glossier review for you all!

I have not tried everything from the brand, but I have a good mix of skincare and makeup so I will go through the ones that I have got…

Before I start going through the actual products, I just need to say that I absolutely love the whole concept of this brand.  Their sales approach and branding is just so different and refreshing.  They mainly operate online but they have one store in NYC which is in a Penthouse and they call it their ‘showroom’. Inside the very glamorous showroom they have samples of all of their products on display for customers to test.  Once you decide what you would like to buy, you tick the items on an order sheet and they are taken from the stock room and packed up for you to take home :).

The packaging of the products is very minimalist and simple but extremely pretty – the pastel colours (my favourites) making it very photogenic, which is probably why they are all over Instagram!  When you make a purchase they also pack your products up in these very handy pink bubble wrap bags which are such a novelty, and have become somewhat insta famous in their own right.  They are the perfect size for an airport cosmetic bag and the fact that they are bubble wrapped and plastic means that you don’t have to worry about spillage and breakage which is so, so handy.  In addition to that, they give you a bunch of branded stickers which you can use to personalise your glossier products which I think is such a nice touch.  So far, we have great branding, marketing, packaging, and shopping experience….. now onto the actual products!………..

Sorry, one more side note.  Another cool thing that Glossier have done is grouped their products into sets.  They have a skincare set called the ‘Phase 1 Set’ and their makeup set is called ‘Phase 2 set’.  I love the idea behind the sets.  They have marketed them in such a clever way.  They say, ‘If you only use three products every day, make them these’. The idea is that if you could only by three items, the ones that are in the set are the ones that you should buy.  So they have built the sets around their top products, and when you buy them as a set it works out cheaper than if you buy all three items individually. Brilliant!!

The Phase 1 set (the skincare one) of course included the three items that I wanted to buy anyway (they are right), so I choose that instead of buying them all separately.  Then I bought a few individual pieces from the makeup range, as I didn’t want everything that came in the ‘Phase 2 set’.

The Phase 1 set is $40 and includes the following:

• Milky Jelly Cleanser ($18 if bought separately)
• Priming Moisturiser ($22 if bought separately)
• Balm Dotcom (in your choice of flavour) ($12 if bought separately or 3 for $30)

As you can see, you save $12 by buying the Phase 1 set.  Of course this is only worth it if you actually want all of the products in it.

Glossier state that, “Together they form the backbone to your daily skincare routine: three not-so-basic basics that keep skin clean, moisturised and happy each day’.

In addition to the Phase 1 set, I got:

• Cloud Paint (Beam) ($18 or 2 for $30)
• Stretch Concealer (Light) ($18)
• Generation G (Jam and Crush) ($18) – My lovely friend actually gave me these as a gift so I thought It would be good to include them in this review to.

Now I am actually going to talk about the products….!

Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser

Milky Jelly Cleanser was definitely the product that drew my attention to this brand.  It sounded very interesting to me and like nothing I had ever tired before, so I was so excited to finally get it.  Disappointingly however, out of everything that I have tried, the cleanser is probably my least favourite product.  That is not to say that the cleanser is ‘bad’.  If anything this just says how much I love the other products!

Given the name of the product, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from it.  Well, I guess I kind of thought it would be milky and jelly-like lol but it really isn’t! The cleanser comes in a very simple plastic bottle with a pump, which I really like, but when you pump it out it actually feels more like a thick balm-like product (which I enjoy – oils and balms are my favourite kind of cleansers).  I was expecting it to have a much lighter consistency.  You can use the cleanser on dry skin, which I also love. I use 2-3 pumps and when I massage it into my face it melts away my makeup and then I just rinse it off with a cloth.

Whilst the product feels nice on my skin as I use it, I don’t feel like it does the absolute best job of cleaning it completely.  I find that this cleanser is better to use as a second cleanse (for days when you have makeup on) or as a morning cleanse.  It is a very gentle product and didn’t irritate my skin or anything like that, but I didn’t really notice any nourishing benefits either.  I want a cleanser to do more than just take my make up off.  I want my skin to feel good after using it and I just didn’t get that with this one.  Additionally, I like my cleanser to have a nice scent (preferably an aromatherapy / essential oil scent like lemon, eucalyptus, lavender etc) to make removing your makeup at the end of a day feel like a little bit of a treat, but the Milky Jelly Cleanser doesn’t really have that.  A lot of reviews say that it has strong rose scent, but I found it to have a bit of a plastic-like scent more than anything.  I don’t want to make this sound like a terrible product, because it certainly isn’t, but there are definitely other cleansers out there that I much prefer.  I will definitely finish this one but I’m not sure yet if I would repurchase it in the future.  It also comes in a really small bottle (177ml), so I don’t think it will take me long to get through!

Glossier Priming Moisturiser

I’m not very fussy when it comes to moisturisers.  I usually prefer a good oil or serum and then just go with whatever moisturiser I have available.  Maybe that’s just because I haven’t really found one that I have loved…… until now!  I am so impressed with Glossier’s priming moisturiser that I already know that I will repurchase this again in the future!  This product provides the perfect balance between skin that is nicely moisturised, and skin that is prepped and ready for makeup.  I have quite dry skin and I was afraid that this might be a little too light for me but it’s perfect for day time. I probably wouldn’t use it at night because I prefer something a bit heavier and more moisturising in the evening, but as a day time moisturiser / primer, this is ideal.

The product comes in a very simple (but elegant) tube that manages to be convenient and pretty at the same time.  Although, I do find that because the texture of the moisturiser is quite light and runny, sometimes it’s easy to squeeze out too much from the tube.

The product contains hyaluronic acid which makes it feel very comforting and hydrating on the skin.  It also feels very soothing and does a good job at reducing redness.  After I use this I feel as though my skin is perfectly prepped for makeup as it also improves the texture of my skin.  This is just an all round really lovely product.  They also have a richer version of this priming moisturiser that I would love to try.  I think it would be great for night time.

Glossier Balm Dotcom

Balm Dotcom is definitely my favourite product from the brand so far.  It is marketed as a hydrating, long lasting multipurpose lip and skin salve that is packed with antioxidants and natural emollients to nourish and repair dry, chafed skin.  I love a good multipurpose product, but to be completely honest, I have only been using this product as a lip balm so far and for that purpose I LOVE it!!! There is a selection of flavours to choose from and their packaging is so, SO cute! I went for the mint version but it also comes in an original, cherry, coconut, rose and a ‘birthday’ (this one contains shimmer) version.  As a lip balm it is thick, nourishing and long lasting.  Everything I want in a lip balm!  The mint one also makes my lips feel a bit tingly and hot, which I love from a lip product – it makes me feel as though it is working lol.  This just sits on my desk and I have been using it non-stop since I got it! I definitely want to try some of the others and I’m sure I will be updating my Favourite Lip Balms blog post soon.  As with most of their products, you can bundle them up into a trio and save money if you buy them together.  I’m not sure how the flavoured version would work as a universal salve, but I can see how the original one would be great.  However, whilst the size of the product (15ml) is a perfect lip balm size, I’m not sure it is quite big enough to use anywhere else.  Maybe on cuticles or a small patch of dry skin.

Glossier Stretch Concealer

Stretch Concealer is hands down the best concealer I have ever tried!!! Move over Nars and Urban Decay, there is a new concealer favourite!

I have very dry and dehydrated skin around my eyes and this has led me to be incredibly fussy about under eye concealers.  For a long time now, I have been switching between Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer, and while they are ‘okay’ they are definitely not perfect! Concealer tends to get very dry and cakey under my eyes, and settles in every little line and crease which is the opposite of what I want!

Glossier’s Stretch Concealer is like a little jar of magic! I LOVE it!!! It has a really light, smooth and creamy consistency that blends so easily and is barely noticeable on my skin.  Not only does this brighten my under eye, it almost makes them look moisturised and glowy.  The concealer contains nourishing oils that give a dewy glowing finish.  I never thought I would say that about a concealer! The only down side of such a moisturising concealer is that, if I do not powder over the top of it, sometimes mascara from my bottom lashes sticks to it throughout the day, but that is something that I am willing to put up with for this product.  Even though this is a potted concealer, which I generally associate with a more high coverage product, this one is very lightweight so it doesn’t have a lot of coverage to begin with.  However, it is very buildable.  If you are someone who has very dark under eyes, you might want to use a colour corrector before applying this.

It comes in a little glass pot and a little goes a long way.  I can see myself having this one for a long time.  I never want to be without it! Lol

Glossier Cloud Paint

Cloud Paint is another one of my favourite products by Glossier.  It is a cream blush product in a tube.  We all know I love cream products and this one is definitely a new favourite.  It has a gel-cream formula and is incredibly easy to use despite being a cream product.  It comes in four different shades and I got the colour ‘beam’ which is a bright peach colour.  I squeeze a tiny dot of this out of the tube and onto the back of my hand.  A little goes a long way so you only need a very small amount.  I just pat it on my cheeks with my fingers and it blends in seamlessly to leave a very natural but pretty flush of colour to my cheeks with a silky finish.  When blended out the product is sheer but buildable so it is very easy to work with.  I love that it comes in a little tube too as it keeps it nice and clean.  This tube looks small but given the amount of product I use each time, I will probably have this one tube for my entire life! I love it! 

Glossier Generation G

The Generation G lip products are very interesting and something a little bit different.  The idea behind them is that they are supposed to be a lip colour that gives the look and finish of ‘just-blotted lipstick’ (without the need to blot).  The best way to describe them is a kind of like a tinted matt lip balm.  They come in 6 different colours.  As I mentioned, my friend kindly gifted me ‘Jam’ and ‘Crush’, which are gorgeous raspberry and magenta shades.  The formulation is sheer with the first swipe, but buildable to a deep colour with 3 or 4 swipes, so they are a great day and night product. The packaging is very simple – they come in a basic plastic wind up tube (which of course you can personalise with your sticker collection lol).  They are an all round very handy lip product.

So this Glossier review covers everything that I have bought from them so far.  I have to say that this is the most impressed and excited I have been about a new brand in a long time.  I really love all of the products I have tried.  I have definitely been bitten by the the Glossier bug, and I am more excited than ever for it to eventually reach the UK!

Sorry that this Glossier review was so long… if you have made it this far, well done! But I didn’t just want to talk about the products alone.  I feel as though the brand as a whole deserves a shout out.   I love everything about it, from the quality of the products to the branding and packaging to the pricing strategy.  As I said before, I haven’t tried absolutely everything from the brand, but based on what I have tried, I’m feeling very positive about the rest of their products and I really hope to try more soon.

Please let me know in the comment section below if you have any questions on any of the products I have discussed, or if you have tried any of the Glossier products yet.  I think they are going to be very very popular when they get to the UK! I for one, cannot wait!  So to answer my own title – “Glossier Review- Is It Worth The Hype?” – 100% yes!

 

 

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