Getting slick with Glossier

Earlier this week, my good friend Haley, a.k.a the Glossier plug, slid me the 411 on the skincare brand’s London pop-up shop.

I think Glossier is just the bee’s knees, especially in terms of its beautiful, positive, clean and inclusive web presence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I felt it was only right to pay my respects. Plus, I hadn’t been to any fashion events since Burberry, so I was long over due. After running some errands, I moseyed on over to Marylebone to check it out.

Glossier being Glossier, you could tell even from a few yards away that you were in the right place. There was no mistaking this obscure little venue off a side street for anything else.

As soon as I stepped inside, I was hit with a scent I could only clock as tuberoses.

 

Most of the goods were housed in a little showroom straight ahead. There, hip femmes of all ages and complexions were streaking and dabbing on Glossier products.

My main area of interest were the scented Balm Dot Coms. Every now and then, I go through periods of using the original BDC faithfully (Syracuse winter demanded it).

I would say the mint made the strongest impression on me. It was a very sweet mint, but more of in an Oreo than a 5 Gum way.

The coconut was heady and strong, as was the cherry. The birthday cake didn’t do much for me scent-wise. I merely impressed me with its shimmer.

For the most part, I swatched some lipsticks (Jam was lovely and dark and creamy!) and swiped on some Boy Brow.

I decided to take a peek upstairs. There I found a second showroom, with slightly different goods (I hadn’t noticed highlighters or blush downstairs) and a perfume room.

 

I was keen to sample the brand’s inaugural perfume, Glossier You, for myself. I had an idea from Bustle’s article on what Glossier You smelled like to 19 different people.

Having tested it in person, I agree with Aileen Orticio’s assessment that it smells clean, fresh and only slightly sweet. I also agree, as Hannah Caldwell pointed out, that Glossier You has quite the straight-out-of-the-dryer quality to it. I enjoyed it a lot.

In the second show room, I tried out the Haloscope highlighter in Topaz, the Cloud Paint blush in Dusk and the clear Lip Gloss.

For the most part, trying out these products confirmed what I knew from using Glossier’s Skin Tint last year.

Apart from being a “skin first” institution, Glossier can also help construct the appearance of bare, dewy skin and shining lips.

Essentially, Glossier has really nailed the whole “no-makeup makeup” look.

The Boy Brow looked like my regular, naked eyebrows, but smoother and a smidge sharper. The highlighter just gave me a few drops extra of shine upon my cheekbones. And the Cloud Paint in Dusk is truly the color of my flushed cheeks after coming in from a nippy London day: a bright, ruddy, soft brown.

Which is to say that Glossier isn’t your brand if you’re looking for max coverage, alien hues or dramatic anything. It’s for when you want to look like the best version of your regular self. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

As a whole, I’m glad I got a chance to visit Glossier in person. Just like with the Justice League Experience, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I have to say: if this set-up was a permanent fixture for Glossier, the space and the location aren’t half bad.