Does Glossier Live Up to its Dewy Skin Claims?

Main image – Glossier

Ah Glossier…the brainchild of beauty site Into The Gloss, and the toast of glowy skin enthusiasts everywhere…

Known for its won’t-bankrupt-me price tags and cruelty-free formulas, the brand is as much a firm favourite with beauty editors as it is with anyone who likes their makeup on the ‘yes I promise I just woke up like this’ side of subtlety.

So as a fan myself, I thought I’d go through a couple of my favourites (and one not so favourite) for anyone yet to dip their toe into lake Glossier.

Glossier Lash Slick (£14 for 8.5 g, Glossier)

 

Similar in its subtle lengthening effect to Lancome’s Hypnose, this mascara contains shine polymers and fibres to make lashes appear glossier and slightly longer- but in a way that just makes me look like I have naturally great lashes.

The effect is the sort of subtle finish I really like for everyday makeup. Although because of its natural effect, this means it isn’t a mascara I find particularly volumising or would use for a statement look. It does work really well alongside a lash lift though- helping to separate and lengthen.

I also really like the addition of biotin (vitamin H) to help condition lashes.

Great for: Natural-looking lashes.

Not-so-great for: Those who like a dramatic mascara look.

Glossier Cloud Paint (£15 for 10 ml, Glossier)

 

Easily my very favourite product from Glossier (and possibly almost any blush product I own), Cloud Paints make such a good job of simplifying, dewifying, and just putting the fun back into the makeup process that you start to wonder why no one thought of putting blusher into teeny paint tubes earlier.

Literally like playing with finger paints (but this time as an adult), Cloud Paints offer a wash of colour that looks scary out of the tube but offers a subtle wash on the skin.

Almost impossible to mess up when applying (I should know- my makeup skills are almost nil), I love how quick these are to use, as well as the dewy prettiness of the shades.

A particular favourite is Dusk, a warm apricot shade verging on terracotta out of the tube, that blends to a subtle flush of nude peach on the face.

One word of advice though, these are so pigmented that if you do accidentally spill any on anything white don’t bother trying to clean it up, just move house.

Great for: A subtle wash of colour.

Not-so-great for: Putting on without washing hands afterwards since this colour stains.

Glossier Solution (£19 for 130 ml, Glossier)

And a final word on my foray into the brand’s skincare collection with the Glossier Solution an acid-based toner.

Now before I start I will say that I think that is a really effective acid…it’s just a little much for m particular skin type.

Promising gentle chemical exfoliation in a 10% formula, Solution contains a blend of AHAs, BHAs and PHAs to cover pretty much you want everything from an acid- like cleaning dead skin cells, unplugging pores and brightening skin.

Since AHAs work deeply to dissolve the glue holding dead skin cells together, while BHAs penetrate pores to unblock them (and in turn prevent breakouts) and PHAs (a larger molecule than AHAs and BHAs) work on the very surface of the skin (making skin less UV sensitive than the other two), this toner should theoretically work for most skin types.

But although I’ve found this effective, my problem with this is that I don’t find it particularly gentle. Better for when my skin is oilier, on days when my skin is sensitive or dry I find this quite harsh, unfortunately.

This means that I’ve to cut down the amount I use this- making the 130 ml here slightly unnecessary for me.

Great for: Really oily skin, and even then I think there are better acids.

Not-so-great for: All other skin types as I think this just isn’t gentle enough.

Glossier currently ships to the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden, making it pretty hard to get your hands on unless you live in any of those countries so I’m really hoping they open up worldwide delivery soon.