Glossier Haul Review

I just put most of an ass of effort into this post only to have my computer restart on me and lose the entire thing. Times like this make me want to weep in a corner with a lamp, pencil and composition notebook.

Back in May I posted a small(ish) Glossier haul over on Instagram. I had been hemming and hawing over Glossier for some years now. My initial response was one of guarded cynicism back I first noticed them a few years ago. After years of brainwashing through both Instagram and YouTube I found myself intrigued by the brand’s aesthetic which could only be described as a healthy mix of minimalism and an inflated sense of self-importance. My God, does Glossier’s brand aesthetic resonate with me! 

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A post shared by Morgan (@stunted_giraffe) on Apr 11, 2019 at 4:52am PDT

I finally gave in to the siren’s call this past May in a giant, revenge fueled shopping spree. My darling husband threw a lot of money into equipment and supplies to canvas for his political candidate of choice and while we do see eye to eye politically, I am a selfish child and I would like to spend money on my interests.

After a couple of purchases Bill checked the account balances and glanced up at me. “Are we even now?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

I ended up purchasing the Perfecting Skin Tint foundation, Stretch Concealer, Cloud Paint cheek tints, Lidstar liquid shadows, and Wowder face powder. I really wanted to buy a Generation G lipstick but I have seen mixed reviews regarding changes to the lipstick’s formula and performance over the years. Auxiliary Beauty has an incredible review that breaks down the product.

The Perfecting Skin Tint might be the closest thing to perfect foundation (for me) that I’ve found. I purchased the shade G5 which is a pretty spot on match for me in the winter. The formula is so thin though that it provides virtually zero coverage. It really just evens out my skin tone more than anything. All of my blemishes and spots still show through. I realize this isn’t ideal for a majority of the population but I want my foundation to look like skin, I don’t want to look like I tried to enhance my features at all (yay subterfuge). The Perfecting Skin Tint manages to even out my skin tone ever so slightly but allow me to still look like a normal, flawed human. I love that this product is so sheer that I can apply it with my fingers and have it look natural and non-streaky. This is especially useful when I’m running late in the morning and need to look presentable quickly. This isn’t ideal for people with sensitive skin or that prefer the cleanliness of using tools over their fingers though. It also means that I have a ton of brushes that are more or less useless when I use Glossier products. The only downside I’ve personally experienced is that it can look quite slick by the end of the day and it usually wears off of my mouth and nose region at about the 5-or 6-hour mark at work.

Less impressive was the Stretch Concealer. I also purchased the shade G5 and it is a perfect shade match for the foundation (not all products within the same makeup brand have analogous names or shade codes). This product is a cream concealer that is quite balmy. This concealer tends to move around a bit on me. I only use it for extra coverage if I’m trying to conceal a spot, not to brighten under-eye circles or anything spectacular. Unfortunately setting it with powder doesn’t help much. My biggest complaint about this concealer is that it adds extra texture to my face. I feel like it enhances my pores and looks shiny whenever I try to wear it so I tend to never really reach for this product.

The Cloud Paint cheek tint is perhaps my favorite product by Glossier. I purchased two shades: Dusk and Storm. Dusk is a beautiful, rosy nude and I would call Storm a deep, blushing rose shade. Dusk is my go-to cheek product. The shade gives the most subtle, natural flush to my cheeks. Really, it’s ideal for my skin tone if I want a natural, no-makeup-makeup look. It’s really hard for me to over-apply this shade. In fact, I have to make sure I apply enough to show up sometimes. Storm, on the other hand, is a beautiful shade that is very easy to overdo if I don’t concentrate on my application. I typically wear Storm if I’m going for a bolder look or want to look like I actually played in makeup that day.

I like the formulation of the Cloud Paints. They are creamy, blendable, and opaque and I prefer them over gel cheek products. While I do enjoy gel cheek products, I find that they slide around when I try to apply them where Cloud Paints stay put and seem more akin to a tamable stain than a gel blush. The packaging may be aesthetically pleasing but good lord, I have to be as quick as a ninja to get this out of the paint tube without pulling enough to paint the entire side of a barn. God help me if I need to try to squeeze some back into the tube. Application can be a bit tricky as well. Once I get it out of the tube it starts to set fairly quickly so I have to work fast to apply it to the correct areas of my face before the product sets. Honestly, powder blush is much faster to apply but the end result is absolutely worth it, especially if I’m wearing Dusk. I guess the take-away here is I’m grateful I still have a baby in diapers because wet wipes have become my best friend when using Cloud Paints.

I didn’t have much hope for the Lidstar liquid shadows but I think I may have been wrong in my initial hesitation. I’m all about that pressed powder eyeshadow life. I’ve never understood the purpose of liquid eyeshadows; the pigments can be out of control, the formulae too heavy, the finish too shimmery, the final look creases. I wasn’t very excited about the shades of Lidstar available but I took a wild stab in the dark and purchased Slip and Cub and I don’t think I could have found a better duo for my overall style. Slip is a very sheer baby pink with a golden shimmer and Cub is a rose gold with a warm shimmer. Slip borders on being too light but it works on me as an all over lid shade. It sheers out wonderfully so I can apply it pretty high toward my brow bone. Cub is a beautiful, deeper-but-barely-there shade that gives my eyes a nice warm shimmer without looking too much like I’m wearing makeup. I love that Cub is warm toned, not the omnipresent cool-toned taupe that never seems to work for me. It really gives my eyes just the slightest bit of depth and shadow while making me look alert and awake in the mornings before my third cup of tea. Can you tell that of the two shades I tend to favor Cub? What’s nice about these shades is that they’re sheer enough that any creasing at the end of the day is pretty minimal. They blend very easily and most importantly; they don’t leave my lids feeling sticky like most liquid shadows do. They dry down to a nice, powdery finish after about a minute. I’m certainly going to have to purchase other colors. I’ve got my eye on you, Herb.

The last product I purchased was the Wowder. Issa powder, what can I say? The Wowder is touted by Glossier as the end all be all of face powders. I bought the shade G5-G7 and I was a little concerned that it would be too light for me but so far it seems to blend well enough. Maybe I’m just not well equipped to comment on a face powder since I just don’t really use them. It works well to set the skin tint or Stretch concealer after a couple of hours but the coverage is too light to use as a powder foundation. I also dislike the powdery texture my face has when I set my makeup immediately after applying my base makeup. Is this a serviceable powder? Absolutely. With its lighter coverage it fits my needs. Is it Baby Jesus in a jar? Not so much.

Bonus: I used a few additional, non-glossier products in this shot trying to get the no-makeup makeup look. I’m wearing the Perfecting Skin Tint, Stretch Concealer, Cloud Paint in Dusk, Wowder, Balm dot com in rose (acquired from a long forgotten Ipsy bag), and Lidstar shadows in both Cub and Slip. Special appearances were made by Clinique Quickliner (reviewed here), Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, Covergirl Flourish mascara (reviewed here), Benefit Gimme Brow+ (reviewed here), and Pixi by Petra Endless Silky Eye Pen in RoseGlow. I used a moisturizing primer since I always prime my face. I also cheated a little and used an eye primer knowing I wanted to get the look to last as long as possible throughout the day. The following pictures were taken the day after I received the items. I took the before pictures in my car immediately before walking into work.

8 AM, fresh faced

You can already see the marks from my glasses.

The look on my face says "Christ, I forgot there's a security camera back here watching me do this."

The makeup doesn't hold up very well through 8 hours of running around a building without touch-ups. It was already barely-there to begin with but my after pictures show spots on the bridge of my nose where my glasses picked up my makeup. My foundation and concealer also started to run a bit so I look like a brown disco ball. Its a great look for people who like a bit of sheen, but I have combo/oily skin anyway so I just look unbathed. I couldn't help myself though so the after pictures also include a heavy application of the Clinique Almost Lipstick.

I look like I got in a bar fight at the lab.

I reapplied lipstick (pretty heavily) immediately before taking this picture.

My glasses clearly leave a mark in my makeup on the bridge of my nose.

I wasn’t really happy with the original before pictures. I really feel like that picture did the brand a disservice and decided to try again, changing my application method to better suit some of the brand’s quirks I’ve come to know. In this picture I used MAC Extreme Dimension mascara and I decided to forgo the Pixi liner and the eye primer. The blush shows up a little more but it's still pretty non-existent in a comfortable, very "natch" way. I said natch! Am I cool yet?

Aw, and here I thought my pictures were getting better.

Glossier truly is a god of the no-makeup-makeup look and this is most unfortunate for my bank account. I’m already planning for buying additional shades of the Lidstar liquid shadows. I also have my eyes on Boy Brow, Lash Slick mascara, Colorslide eyeliner, and the new shades of lip gloss. I may even purchase some of the skincare products, I just have too many other skincare products I want to try first.