Glossier Review: My Honest Thoughts On The Millennial Beauty Brand Everyone‘s Talking About

Hey there beauty lover! If you‘re like me, you‘ve probably seen Glossier‘s pretty pastel packaging and glowing, fresh-faced models all over your Instagram feed. The minimalist beauty brand has been generating major buzz over the last few years—but is it truly worth the hype? I‘m digging into everything you need to know in this honest, comprehensive Glossier review.

As a beauty blogger obsessed with finding the best no-makeup makeup out there, I‘ve been a Glossier fan since the early days. I‘ve tested out almost every single product to report back on what‘s worth your hard-earned cash. Get ready for the tea on this cool-girl approved brand, from its best selling Boy Brow to its skin-centric makeup range. Let‘s dive in!

What Is Glossier?

Before we get into the products, let‘s talk about Glossier as a brand. If you‘re not familiar, Glossier was founded in 2014 by Emily Weiss, a former Vogue staffer who first made waves with her beauty blog Into The Gloss. The blog featured interviews with inspiring women and became a digital destination for beauty lovers to discover products, tips and trends.

Spotting a white space in the beauty market, Weiss set out to create a line of essential, easy-to-use products wrapped in the now-signature millennial pink branding. Glossier launched with just four products—a cleanser, moisturizer, balm and mist—and has since expanded into color cosmetics, fragrance and body care.

The Glossier mission is all about embracing natural beauty and helping women feel confident in their own skin. In an industry full of complicated, high-coverage looks, Glossier was a breathe of fresh air with its focus on healthy, glowing skin and barely-there makeup.

Glossier‘s popularity skyrocketed thanks to its highly-engaged social media presence, minimalist aesthetic, and community of devoted fans. The brand frequently reposts user generated content and seeks input from customers when developing new products. It‘s all about a conversation with the Glossier community.

Fast forward to today, and Glossier has become one of the most talked-about beauty brands around. The brand reportedly hit $100 million in revenue in 2018 and has raised over $186 million in funding. Not too shabby for a company that‘s not even a decade old!

What Makes Glossier Different?

So what sets Glossier apart from the zillions of other beauty brands out there? Here are a few key things:

Skincare-first philosophy: While Glossier makes both skincare and makeup, the brand has always put skincare front and center. The idea is that if you focus on making your skin the best it can be, you won‘t need to pile on tons of heavy makeup to look and feel good.

Emphasis on natural beauty: You won‘t find full-coverage foundations, bright eyeshadows or bold lipsticks in Glossier‘s product lineup. Everything is designed to enhance your natural features rather than completely cover them up or dramatically alter your appearance.

Minimalist aesthetic: From the product packaging to the marketing campaigns, everything about Glossier‘s branding is clean, modern and minimalistic. The brand‘s signature pink-and-white color scheme and sans-serif font have become instantly recognizable.

Relatable models: Rather than using models who look like they stepped off the runway, Glossier tends to feature diverse, relatable, girl-next-door types in its ads. It makes the brand feel more approachable and authentic.

Focus on community: Glossier has done an amazing job fostering a sense of community and making customers feel like they‘re part of a cool club. The brand is very active on social media and always engaging with followers.

My 10 Favorite Glossier Products

Okay, now that you have some context on Glossier as a brand, let‘s discuss the products! Glossier keeps things pretty curated and is known for its tightly-edited lineup of essentials. Here are my top 10 picks that I consider must-haves:

1. Boy Brow: This is the OG Glossier product that put the brand on the map IMO. It‘s a tinted, creamy wax that you brush through your brows to fluff them up and add some natural definition. I use Boy Brow in Brown every single day for full, modelesque arches in seconds.

2. Cloud Paint: A pillowy gel-cream blush that melts into your cheeks for the most natural, skin-like flush. The formula is super buildable, so you can go as subtle or vibrant as you want. My go-to shades are Beam (soft peach) and Dusk (nude rose).

3. Balm Dotcom: A holy grail lip balm that leaves your lips suuuuper soft and glossy. It also doubles as a salve you can dab anywhere—I love tapping it on my cheekbones for a natural highlighter effect. Birthday Balm Dotcom is my fave for the subtle shimmer and yummy birthday cake flavor.

4. Lash Slick: This is a tubing mascara, which means it wraps around each individual lash to lift, lengthen and define without smudging or flaking. The effect is fluttery, natural-looking lashes (no plastic-y, spidery effect). I wear this on the daily and always get compliments!

5. Milky Jelly Cleanser: A gentle, ph-balanced face wash that feels soothing and never leaves your skin feeling tight or dry. It has a light rose scent that‘s really pleasant. I love using this as a morning cleanse or as a second cleanse at night.

6. Super Pure Serum: This serum is a lifesaver for breakouts and irritation. It contains niacinamide and zinc to calm redness, clear up blemishes and balance oil production. I always notice a huge difference in my skin when I use this consistently!

7. Stretch Concealer: If you like light, dewy coverage, you‘ll love this concealer. It has a very thin, serum-y formula that blurs and evens out your skin without looking or feeling heavy. I dab this under my eyes and on any spots.

8. Gen G: A sheer matte lipstick that provides the perfect blotted, just-kissed effect. The colors are so pretty and wearable for everyday. Zip (poppy red) and Like (light, cool pink) are my top choices.

9. Priming Moisturizer Balance: This gel-cream moisturizer is fab for oily/combo skin. It hydrates without feeling greasy and helps control shine throughout the day. I‘ve gone through 3 jars of this stuff—it layers beautifully under makeup too.

10. Future Dew: Okay, this one is relatively new, but it‘s become a fast favorite. Future Dew is an oil-serum hybrid that makes your skin insanely luminous and dewy. I love mixing a few drops into my moisturizer or foundation for an allover glow.

What I Don‘t Love About Glossier

As much as I adore so many Glossier products, there are a few things about the brand I‘m not crazy about. Firstly, the shade ranges for the complexion products like Perfecting Skin Tint and Stretch Concealer are pretty limited. They definitely cater more to light-medium skin tones.

Another gripe is that some of the makeup can be too natural to the point where it barely shows up. For example, I had to really build up Lid Star (the liquid eyeshadow) to get it to appear on my lids. The shades are gorgeous, but I wish they were a bit more pigmented.

Lastly, I‘ve had some inconsistency issues with a few products. I‘ve gotten a couple tubes of Balm Dotcom that arrived with oil separation and grittiness. Not cute. For the price point, I expect better quality control.

Is Glossier Worth The Hype? My Final Thoughts

Whew, this Glossier review ended up being a lot longer than I planned—clearly I had thoughts! I know I sound like a total fangirl, but I genuinely believe Glossier is worth the buzz for the most part.

No, not every single product is going to change your life, but the overall vibe and ethos of Glossier is so refreshing to me. I love that the brand encourages embracing your real skin and unique features rather than masking them. In a world of overdone Instagram makeup, Glossier‘s aesthetic is like a makeup palette cleanser.

I think Glossier makeup and skincare is especially great for people like me who gravitate towards natural, pared-down beauty routines. If you‘re someone who feels your best with tons of coverage and bold colors, you probably won‘t find your holy grail products at Glossier (which is totally cool—you do you!).

At the end of the day, I‘m just happy Glossier exists as an option for no-makeup makeup lovers like myself. The brand isn‘t without its flaws, but I‘ll keep coming back to Boy Brow, Cloud Paint, and Future Dew on the regular. Glossier, you can just take my money at this point!

I hope this in-depth Glossier review was helpful for anyone curious to learn more about the brand! Let me know in the comments if you‘ve tried Glossier and what your favorite products are. And of course, feel free to reach out with any other questions—I‘m always happy to chat about all things beauty.

Glossier Review FAQ

Before I sign off, I wanted to address some frequently asked questions I get about Glossier. If there‘s anything I didn‘t cover, leave a comment and I‘ll get back to you!

Is Glossier clean/non-toxic?
Glossier is cruelty-free and uses many clean, non-toxic ingredients. However, the brand doesn‘t claim to be 100% natural or organic. You can check the full ingredient lists for each product on the website.

What‘s the best Glossier product for dry skin?
If you have dry skin, I‘d highly recommend Priming Moisturizer Rich, which is a thick, buttery face cream. Balm Dotcom and Futuredew are also super nourishing.

Where can I buy Glossier?
Glossier is primarily sold through the brand‘s website, glossier.com. There are also a handful of permanent and pop-up retail stores in major cities like NY, LA, London, etc. You can check the store locator on the site for specifics!

Does Glossier ever have sales?
Glossier doesn‘t do traditional sales, but they offer 10-20% off during seasonal promotions a few times a year. The brand also just launched a referral program where you can give your friends 10% off their first order and earn store credit. Sweet!

Is Glossier good for sensitive skin?
In my experience, most Glossier products are great for my sensitive skin. The formulas are usually simple, gentle and fragrance-free. Of course, always patch test and consult the ingredient lists if you have specific allergies or sensitivities.

What are the most popular Glossier products?
Based on my research, some of Glossier‘s bestsellers include Boy Brow, Cloud Paint, Balm Dotcom, Milky Jelly Cleanser, and Lash Slick. But really, you can‘t go wrong with most of the lineup!