Glossier Review: Phase 2 Set, Haloscope and Cloud Paint
After lusting over my American friend's Glossier stash, I was finally able to try a few products for myself as Glossier started shipping to Canada in July. I ordered a Glossier Phase 2 Set, as it comes with most of my make-up essentials (the only thing it was missing is mascara.) I also ordered a Haloscope; a highlighter stick with a balmy core, and Cloud Paint; a creamy blush. The packaging seems to match the overall aesthetic of Glossier; minimal. Their simple approach to makeup is very appealing to me, especially as someone with a chronic illness. Most of Glossier's makeup line can be easily applied with your fingertips, so there is no need for sponges or several brushes. My order arrived in one business day, which I was extremely thrilled about. After trying all of the products, I feel happy with the quality of everything based on how much I paid. I would describe Glossier as the missing link between high end brands sold at places like Sephora, and drug store brands. It seems to be right in the middle of both worlds – which is very appealing to someone like me who finds things like "strobing" and "contouring" to be a bit intimidating. Another thing that I really appreciated about Glossier is how approachable and inclusive their brand feels. I could find models wearing their products on both fair skin, and deeper skin tones. (This was personally helpful when trying to decide on what shade of Cloud Paint I wanted.) In a world of increasingly challenging makeup trends, their products felt simple, universal and essential. Their minimalist style seems to focus on the basics, which I had forgotten about after my pulmonary hypertension diagnosis. After being stamped as "sick for life," I became very self conscious about my appearance, leading me down the rabbit hole of brow pencils, lip liner and smokey eyes. Needless to say, Glossier's marketing and products felt extremely refreshing to me. As I scrolled through their site of glossy-eyed girls with dewy glows, I remembered that makeup can be easy – and simple. If you are interested in purchasing any of Glossier's products, you can receive a 10% off of your first purchase by clicking here. Please feel free to let me know what you think of some of the Glossier products you've tried, I would love to hear your recommendations!
Glossier Product Review Glossier Phase 2 Set This kit is meant to accompany the Phase 1 set, which focuses more on a skin routine. Phase 2, which I purchased, focuses more on make-up essentials. The Glossier Phase 2 Set contains: Boy Brow: Like mascara, but for your brows. This is probably one of my favorite brow mascaras that I have tried to date. I purchased it in brown, which matches my brows perfectly. I find that other brands look too red for my medium brown brows. The product lasts all day, and even survived the heat wave I wore it in today. Boy Brow coats your brows to help enhance then, and keep unruly brows in place all day. This is a great product if you are looking for something that is natural looking, but will still enhance your brows. It is very easy to apply, and is build-able. I find I only need two coats to get my desired look. My only complaint is that I wish the tube did a better job of removing and saving excess product. Generation G Matte Lip Stick: Although this is marked as a matte lipstick, I would consider this more of a stain. It is quite drying, so I would recommend exfoliating your lips before wearing. This lipstick shows every dry crack and dead piece of your skin on your lips. That aside, this product has some serious lasting power. I ordered Generation G in Zip, which is a universally flattering poppy red. I love that the colour is build-able. One swipe will give you a natural touch of red, a few applications over your lips will build it to a more intense colour. I like throwing a bit of Burt's Bees lip balm over top to add a little shine and moisture. I would say that this product could be considered a lip stain because of its staying power. I like this product, and am interested in trying other colours. However, it would be nice to see a more moisturizing lipstick available from Glossier. Stretch Concealer: I was so surprised by this concealer – it really delivers a natural looking finish as promised. I purchased Stretch Concealer in light, which matches my skin tone perfectly. Other brands I have tried are too "salmon" coloured to patch my fairer skin- even the lightest shade is often too dark for me. It applies nicely, and blends into skin instead of sitting on top and flaking - a problem I've faced with other concealers. Out of everything I purchased, this is one of the standout winners. I use my index finger to lightly tap the product onto my under eyes. It stays dewy, opposed to looking cakey and drying as the day goes on. Perfect product if you want a little light coverage that is easy to apply. I have some serious bags under my eyes, and I was happy with the coverage it gave me. The Glossier Phase 2 Set was well the $50 CDN, and contained three products I was interested in purchasing anyways. The set was a great introduction to Glossier as a brand, especially if you are more interested in their make up, opposed to their skincare products. I would purchase all three of these products again. I also tried a few other products, because other than mascara, I consider blush and highlighter an essential to my make up routine. Haloscope: This is a highlighter stick, so it is best applied by tracing the stick across wherever you want a bit of glow (like your cheekbones.) I purchased Haloscope in Quartz, which is noted as being a universally flattering shade. The centre of the stick is made of balm containing several oils – the oils also seem to help blend the product and even add a hint of dewiness. However, the balm did not blend over top of my BB cream and caused it to come off. I found this product worked better on skin that has only been moisturized. Once applied, it gives a really subtle and dewy translucent glow. This is the perfect product for someone who is looking for a highlighter that gives a natural glow, not a glittery sheen. I swipe this product across my brow bones and my cheek bones, and gently blend it with my finger tips. This is a very minimalist approach to highlighting both in application, and pigmentation. I really wanted to love this product, but I find the balmy center unnecessary. It left my skin feeling a little greasy, and I never thought I would say this – but I need more glow from my highlighter. I don't want to look like I have craft glitter rubbed all over my face, but Haloscope wasn't enough for me. (You can find a similar product by Smashbox, which is less greasy and is slightly more pigmented.) Cloud Paint: The packaging of Cloud Paint (a cream like blush) is very reminiscent of a tube of water-colour paint. As someone who went to art school, I was VERY excited to try this product based on the packaging alone. I decided on getting Cloud Paint in the colour Dusk, a rusty-rose shade. I had a difficult time deciding what shade to get, and decided on Dusk after watching a video on the Glossier website, which showed how the product looked on a model closer to my fair skin tone. To use Cloud Paint, I applied a very small amount of the product to my finger tip, and blended it into my cheeks. A little goes a long way with this product! It is highly pigmented, so I would recommend going slowly with this product. Cloud Paint is another standout winner. It blended over top of my BB cream as well, but was also perfect to wear on its own. I would buy this product again, and am interested in trying other colours.
