I Wore Glossier Play for 3 Days and Here's My Honest Take
If you’ve known me for a while or happen to stumble upon my writing, you may or may not know that when it comes to makeup, my daily routine is quite simple. Yes, I’m a fan of the no-makeup makeup look, not only because I don’t have the patience to do a full look every morning (hey, I’m an Aries), but also because I tend to hit snooze on my alarm way too many times in the morning (I’ve written a lot about that, too). Not to mention that as somebody who has had eczema all of her life, when it comes to the skin on my face, my priority is making sure it isn’t constantly dry or filled with red patches.
Another thing that I’ve come to terms with over the last five years is my undereye circles. I went from a self-proclaimed concealer guru who only wanted her dark circles to disappear to somebody who embraces her undereye circles and uses concealer on her own terms. After much trial and error, I’ve found my favorite light-to-medium-coverage concealer: Glossier’s Stretch Concealer. I’d recommend it to anybody who wants light coverage without looking cakey, and I would recommend the brand's Boy Brow and Cloud Paint to anybody who wants a natural-makeup look with minimal effort. Together they have become my makeup trifecta, and whenever I’m feeling extra, I throw the brand's Haloscope highlighter into the mix, maybe even use it as eyeshadow if I'm feeling daring. So you can imagine the extent of my makeup knowledge: I can do a good brow and highlight, but when it comes to eye shadow or anything more complicated, it’s slim to none.
When Glossier teased Glossier Play to the world, I was intrigued. Ultimately, I wanted it to be a lifestyle brand or something interactive, so when the reveal came and it was dialed-up makeup, as a non-makeup-enthusiast, I was initially underwhelmed. Would I ever use colorful eyeliners, or did I just like the idea of them? Plus, after carefully opening each individually wrapped package, I thought, are these products worth the hype? That’s why, when our fashion and beauty features director suggested I review them, I was equally excited and taken aback. How would I, a makeup amateur, incorporate these effort-inducing products into my daily routine without looking like the little girl from that
Vine?
Nevertheless, I took the challenge and wore some of the Glossier Play products in addition to my daily Boy Brow ($16), Stretch Concealer ($18), and Cloud Paint ($18) for three days, and this is how it went down (expect puns ahead):
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Photo by Bianca Nieves1/3Day 1: Cool Colored Cat Eye
On day 1, I wanted to play it safe. So I asked myself, how do I literally dial up my usual Glossier makeup routine? Instead of trying the brightest and boldest colors in the collection, I gravitated toward Color Slide in Adult Swim ($15) for my cat-eye look. It reminded me of the channel that introduced me to anime, and it’s like an electric blue but a bit more toned down. Even though I achieved my cat eye after much trial and error (hey, I hadn’t used eyeliner in years!), Color Slide lived up to its name and glided on smoothly — especially after I sharpened the tip of the eyeliner with Blade ($4). As for the rest of my face, I applied my usual Stretch Concealer in G9 ($18) under my eyes and on any dark spots; Cloud Paint in Beam ($18) on my cheeks; and Boy Brow in black ($16). I decided to swap out my go-to Haloscope in Topaz ($22) for Niteshine in Platinum Rose ($20). And wow, what a great decision! I absolutely loved how smoothly it applied thanks to its precise doe-foot applicator, and the pigmentation made me feel shiny but not too shiny. However, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt my look wasn’t dialed-up enough, so I applied Glitter Gelée in Phantasm ($14) under the edge of my cat eye, and thanks to The Detailer tool ($6), it looked perfect, which made me feel like the pro I am not. Overall, I was very content with this blue-hued look.
Photo by Bianca Nieves2/3Day 2: Orange Explosion
For the second day, I wanted to go for a bold lip. Glossier’s Generation G collection $18 in Zip and in Leo are two of the lipsticks I have in constant rotation, so I was excited to try out the Vinylic Lip ($16). However, after talking to some colleagues, we all agreed that the Vinylic Lip would work (and look) great as blush and eye shadow, too. Since I had yet to buy Cloud Paint in Dawn ($18) and I love a good orange-red lip color, I chose Vinylic Lip in Casino ($16) for my monochromatic look, which I call orange explosion. The name is mostly because I knew that this look could go wrong, very fast. However, if I do say so myself, it turned out great and is my favorite look out of the three. Vinylic Lip’s high-shine finish is perfect for blending until you get the shade you want on both your cheeks and eyelids, just like the Gen G lipsticks, which you can use to vary your look based on the number of swipes you use. I used just a small amount on my cheeks and two strokes on each eyelid to complete this look, which proves a little can go a long way. Verdict: I highly recommend the Vinylic Lip since you basically get three products for the price of one.
Photo by Bianca Nieves3/3Day 3: Subtle Smoky Eye
For my final look, I wanted to achieve a smoky eye, or at least something that resembled a smoky eye without the hard work of applying lots of eyeliner and eye shadow — I know I don’t have the patience or skill to do that. Sure, I probably would have achieved a more intense look by using Glitter Gelée in maybe Bijoux Bijoux ($14), but luckily, Nite Shine’s consistency and color range was perfect for what I wanted. That being said, I took Niteshine in Molten Umber ($20) and applied it on the crease of my eyelids and Niteshine in Platinum Rose ($20) on the inner corners of my eye as well as under my brow bone. Plus, I put on some Vinylic Lip in Blow-Up ($16) both on my lips and on my cheeks again. Because once I find a makeup hack I like, I stick with it, which is how I feel overall about Glossier Play’s products.
Will I be dialing up my makeup routine every day? Probably not. However, whenever I feel like I want to switch things up, Glossier Play’s Color Slide eyeliners, Niteshine highlighters, and Vinylic Lip colors will come out to play. Here’s to makeup baby steps!
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