1P2L: Pencil Eyeliner with Glossier Colorslide + Glossier Play Mini-Reviews

Like most beauty bloggers, I assumed Glossier was about due for a "more full-on" makeup range, and I figured Glossier Play would be it. When they launched a range that prompted some excitement and a slew of criticisms, my initial feelings toward the four new cosmetics and two new tools were relatively mild. Yes, I was excited for the highlighters, but my reaction to highlighters is as instinctual and simple as my two-year-old niece's response to french fries. The lack of professional swatches on multiple skintones--something Glossier has been relatively good about for the past few years--leads me to believe that the launch was a little rushed.

All of this said, I received a slew of Instagram messages and emails when this line was announced, so clearly there's been some hype and interest surrounding the range. And frankly, a fun, colorful cache of products I could buy with the store credit you lovely people have earned me (thanks!) couldn't have at come at a better time. Between Kirby fighting a nasty bout of shingles and me being whacked with the depression hammer, the first half of March reminded me just how important fun and relaxation are.

Now, a lot of people have complained that this launch doesn't suit the "Glossier look." I can't entirely agree. For starters, there's a reason why they're launching these products under a sub-brand: they know it's not their usual no-makeup-makeup. But more importantly, this strikes me as "cool girl" party makeup, the kind of stuff naturally pretty people slap on their faces when they go out and want to try something a little different. None of it is designed for precise cut creases or stage-worthy Instaglam looks, and in my opinion, that's very Glossier.

There's also been a lot of debate about the design and environmental impact of these products. This delightful post from Auxiliary Beauty sums up most of my feelings about this. I'll add that I thought the 1970s-as-seen-by-Y2K-teenagers fonts and boxes were very cute. They hit me right in the "oh fuck that was middle school" nostalgia. However, like most people, I think wrapping each product in an extra piece of foil, then putting in to a box, is a wee bit excessive. It's also suspicious to me that Glossier claims they spent two years preparing this brand, yet they didn't think to use biodegradable glitter. Their consumer base is almost all Gen Z and Millenials, and we're groups that tend to worry about climate change and plastic consumption. To their credit, Glossier has listened to the criticisms; they will phase out the foil packets and plan on reformulating their products with biodegradable glitter.

Since I'm ranting, may I also point out that Glossier is STILL doing that "this is so unique and there's nothing like it" marketing, and it just doesn't work for them? Colorful pencil eyeliners and glitter gel have been around for decades, but they're releasing ad copy like this:

For the millionth time: there are more marketing tactics than the appeal to novelty. Customers like me are drawn to how easy and effortless Glossier's range is, and some are drawn to the "cool factor." But I'm not seeing a single, not-a-Glossier-rep person gushing over how "new" and "original" these products are. Play to your strengths, Glossier.

Enough complaining; let's get on to the swatches, looks, and reviews!

As mentioned, Glossier Play was launched with four new makeup products and two tools. The first makeup product is Colorslide, a range of colorful eyeliners. I got five shades: Adult Swim and Disaster Class for day-to-day wear, and Early Girl, Nectar, and Jumbo for experimentation and fun. All of these shades are matte, but there are metallic colors in the range, if that's more your gig. The Colorslide pencils are $15 each.

I've also sharpened them with the Blade sharpener. I get that a sharpener isn't something most people are going to lose their shit over, but this is a pretty nice one at an agreeable $4. It comes with a purple "cleaning stick" that you can twist in the sharpener to clean out the blade.

Next, we have those not-yet-biodegradable Glitter Gelees. I have three of the four shades: Glass Bonsai, Phantasm, and Firewalk. They're all technically suspended in a clear base and are, therefore, meant to be layered or used as sparkle rather than as full-on eyeshadows. But you can see that some of the shades contain a bit more of the fine shimmer, which makes the base seem less clear; this is most obvious with Firewalk. Phantasm, meanwhile, contains no fine shimmer and is all larger, more obvious holographic glitter shapes. Glass Bonsai is somewhere in the middle as far as opacity goes.

The product I was least excited for, shocker of shockers, was the Vinylic Lip. Yes, a liquid lip product in a click pen with a spongey applicator takes me right back to my first order from ELF, I'm not gonna lie. But I'm not a huge gloss person, and I find clicky pens a bit of a pain to use. It took me 41 clicks to get product out of Pony, and a whopping 71 clicks with Baby. I also find Glossier's color descriptions a little weird: Pony is less "taupe" to me and more mauve, and "Baby" reads more like a strawberry pink than a saturated, blue-based red.

By contrast, I was beyond hyped to see that they were releasing more full-on highlighters, because...highlighters. I purchased the two lightest Niteshine shades, the yellow-based Pale Pearl and the pink-based Platinum Rose.

Here are two looks I created with my Glossier Play products. (The only one not shown here is the Glitter Gelee in Glass Bonsai.) On the left, we have my attempt at something a little more full-on. I used the Jumbo and Disaster Class liners as bases, then added Glossier Lidstar in Cub to the center of my eye and topped it with two layers of Firewalk Glitter Gelee. I lined my lower lashline with Nectar. On the whole, I enjoy the eye look:

Interestingly, neither the Colorslide pencils nor the Glitter Gelee applied the way I expected. Glossier describes Colorslide as a "technogel eye pencil," implying it has a smooth gel formula. I actually found these pencils very waxy, and they tugged at my lids a little as I applied them. Disaster Class was especially difficult to use and applied patchy when I tried to use it as a base. Also, while I was able to get some intense color out of the Colorslide pencils, it took at least two layers to reach full saturation, sometimes three. And using these all over your eyelid when they're a waxy formula that catches? This can happen:

Yeah, that's frustrating.

In short, you can use these as eyeshadow bases, but it's a real pain in the ass, and some of the shades work better than others. These also take a little more effort to transfer to your waterline as compared to a true gel or khol-type pencil. If you're going to get these, go for the more pastel, interesting shades, like Nectar and Easy Girl, which are perfectly serviceable and can be tough to get in a decent formula. As a whole, though, I don't think these eyeliners are particularly special.

I had much better luck with the Glitter Gelees. Now, some people have complained these glitter gels made a huge mess on their face and left a ton of fallout all over their cheeks. In video reviews that stated this, I noticed that the person would apply the glitter to their eyelid, then immediately start blinking and moving their eyes all over the place. A product like this needs a minute to dry, so just be patient and keep your eye as still as you can right after application. I had absolutely zero glitter fallout or movement from all three Glitter Gelee shades after they'd dried, which sort of stunned me.

For the second, more natural look, I used Easy Girl and Adult Swim on my upper lashline to create a simple, slightly winged eyeliner, then lined my upper waterline with Adult Swim and tapped a bit of Phantasm Glitter Gelee at the corner of my eye. Phantasm is the glitter most people are excited about, and I can see why; it's just really fun and pretty.

For both looks, I used their Detailer to apply the glitter. A silicone applicator is definitely the best way to apply these, since it gives you more control and limits the mess, but you don't have to buy this one. Plenty of other brands make cheap silicone applicators.

Both the Colorslides and Glitter Gelees had great staying power; there was no fallout and minimal fading/smearing throughout the day. I use baby oil and cottons to remove them. The glitter is especially tenacious and should be kept out of your plumbing as much as possible, so you'll probably want to hold the oil-soaked cotton on your skin for a while to loosen it up.

For the more dramatic look, I wanted a super-shiny, very bold, definitely red lip, but I didn't get that with the Vinylic Lip in Baby. In fact, when I tried to layer it, I got only slightly more color, but I also noticed flakes on my lips that I didn't see before--see above. And it still never became "high shine" like Glossier promised. It's a thin, lightweight, decently comfortable formula with a faint strawberry smell. Nothing terrible, nothing to write home about. Frankly, I think Glossier should have produced colored versions of their regular gloss instead, since it is far shinier and more full-on than this formula.

I'll definitely get more use out of Pony, which I used for the softer look. One layer gave me that wearable, work-appropriate mauve shade that's perfect for work.

Last, but not least, we have the Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate. In terms of payoff and shine, I'd say these are like Glossier Haloscopes and Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors had a baby: they're shinier and more obvious than the Haloscope, but they manage to do it without being sparkly a la the SSP. It's a nice product with a thin, liquid formula that can be built up. Just make sure you blend them out fast, because they dry within seconds. I'm wearing Platinum Rose on my cheekbones in the full-on look, Pale Pearl on my cheekbones and under my brows in the more natural look.

While I really enjoy these and will get good use out of them, I have two quibbles. First, the shade range is just plain dumb. Platinum Rose and Pale Pearl are almost identical on your skin, and the two darker shades look similarly close. If you're releasing glitter gel and colorful eyeliner, and if your ads are full of disco and rave-inspired shots, you should probably come out with some more interesting colors. A lavender, for instance, would've been an on-trend option. Second, these suffer from the same packaging problems as the Lidstars: the lids are small, smooth, and difficult to turn. Anybody with limited hand mobility is going to have a rough time opening these highlighters.

When it's all said and done, I don't think this launch is as terrible as some people are making it out to be, but I also don't think it's full of products you have to rush out and buy. True, I really love the Glitter Gelees, and I'll use the Niteshine Highlighters regularly. But one of each, tops, will probably be more than enough for most people. And while the Colorslide pencils and Vinylic lips aren't dreadful, they certainly aren't worth it when you have brands like Colourpop producing better stuff at a lower price. If Glossier wants to improve this range, I suggest that they:

• Fulfill their promise to use biodegradable glitter in the Glitter Gelee,
• Improve the shade ranges for several of the products, and
• Focus on creating what their fans have actually been asking for, like a cream bronzer or a tinted moisturizer/foundation with a bit more coverage. 

PS: I'll be taking a very short break from writing this blog to focus on work. I should be back by the end of March!

PPS: WHERE IS THAT GODDAMN CANDLE YOU PROMISED, GLOSSIER?!

Note: All of these products were purchased with Glossier store credit earned via an affiliate link. I have not been paid to test, photograph, or write about anything in this post. My reviews are always honest. Actually, Glossier is probably a bit sick of sending me so much free shit, given how poorly I've rated some of their releases. Sorry, guys.

1P2L: Powder Blush with Tarte Paaarty

Confession: I haven't really used a powder blush in almost three years. Don't believe me? Just look back on old posts that demonstrate how I organized and downsized my collection. The last time you clearly see several powder blushes is in 2014. As time went on, I owned fewer and fewer products, and much of what left were my powders. After buying and trying mountains of makeup, I eventually reached the conclusion that creams and liquids worked better on my dry skin and were easier for me to apply.

I own a powder blush right now, though, because I got one free from Sephora for my birthday: Tarte Paaarty. I only recently started using it because...well, I hate typing the shade name, to be honest, but mostly because I'm still devoted to my cream blushes. And when I did decide to use it, it was as an eyeshadow--thanks, Pat McGrath! A blush is a blush, though, and I did used to love some of my powders, so why not give this guy the full treatment?

On the left, we've got Paaarty used as a traditional blush. Frankly, I didn't like this shade on my cheeks; despite the fact that I'm quite fair, I had to do quite a bit of building to get the color to show up. It did blend very easily, though, and I think it works well with the red lip.

I definitely prefer using this as an eyeshadow, though. Blended in to my crease, Paaarty adds some warmth and depth to my eyes. I'm pretty lazy about eye makeup these days, but I love the look of this so much, I've kind of gotten more in to eyeshadow. If I weren't so hyper-aware of my spending habits, I'd probably pick up another powder blush in a different shade at the drugstore just to use it on my eyes.

As with the last 1P2L post, there's a lot of unintentional product crossover here: I've been testing the YSL Touche Eclat, Catrice Long Lasting Brow Definer, and Dior DiorShow mascara for the last week, so without thinking about it, I used all three products in both looks. I also used Glossier Boy Brow and the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly in both looks, but that's mostly because I'm in the mood for brushed up brows lately, and because the NARS concealer is a staple for me.

There are two different shades of MAC Face & Body foundation in these photos as well. On the left, I'm wearing N1 and C1 with White, since I was trying to use up the last little bit of N1 I had. On the right, I'm wearing just C1 mixed with White. I thought the latter mixture was reading a bit dark on me, but seeing these photos confirms that the switch was probably a good idea. N1 has always been a hair too pink for me; I've just been able to get away with it because Face & Body is so skin-like.

Oh, and see that Butter London Glazen Eye Gloss? That review is coming soon! Spoiler alert: I think I'm finally out of the disappointing products rut.

1P2L: Liquid Eyeshadow with Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadows

I'm re-using this photo from a previous post because I think it encapsulates my feelings re: Josie Maran's Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadows: they are a treasure. I love them. I adore them. I worship them. If they were a human being, I'd consider dumping my fiance and marrying them instead (but of course, I'd make the right decision in the end). Apparently, because Josie Maran hates happiness, they're being discontinued. I've complained about this before, so I'll resist the urge and will simply point out that this should work with any liquid or cream eyeshadow.

To demonstrate how versatile these can really be, I tried to create two looks with different tones and a different number of liquid eyeshadows. Obviously, I'm boring and not a makeup artist, so the one major difference is the color scheme...but I tried.

On the left, I used all three of my Josie Maran liquid eyeshadow shades, using the lightest (Playa del Pink) in the crease, the brightest (Rio de Rose Gold) on the lid, and the darkest (Beach Sand) smeared in to the lashes. Paired with Besame Portrait Peach lipstick and Glossier Beam Cloud Paint, it's a very warm, orange-heavy look that I actually enjoy.

On the right, I applied a base layer of Wet n' Wild Brulee eyeshadow all over my lid, then carefully applied Beach Sand as an eyeliner. This would actually be much easier if you had a thin brush that you dipped in the product, but I don't have any super thin brushes anymore, so I just used the tip of the applicator. My eyes are deepset, so you only get that peek of Beach Sand.

Again, you can do this with most well-formulated liquid and cream eyeshadows. Matte cream shadows can also be brushed through the brows like a pomade, provided they're the right shade and a suitably dry formula. Creamier shadow formulas can double as blushes or highlighters.

Here are the products I used for the above two looks. In both, I'm wearing the Maybelline Dream Cushion foundation, partly because I'm testing it for a review and partly because I'm aiming for slightly glowier skin on-the-lazy in these looks. In fact, a lot of the products double up in these FOTDs: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer under the eyes, Glossier Boy Brow for a bit of texture over those shiny eyes, a cream highlighter, a bright blush...I'm not that creative.

Photographing both of these looks has reminded me that I still need to find a replacement for these Josie Maran eyeshadows. I've yet to find another I love nearly as much, so perhaps that will be my quest for 2017. That, or nag Josie Maran so much that she puts these bad boys back in to production.

1P2L: Lipstick with NARS Jungle Red

When I get stumped by my makeup, I'm tempted to buy a new product, illogically thinking that'll make everything fresh and exciting again. The smarter thing to do, of course, is to use what I already have, but try a few new looks or alternative application methods. With that in mind, I've decided to start a new series called 1P2L (1 product, 2 looks). The goal? To use the same product to create discernibly different looks. I'm not a makeup artist, so of course none of my creations will be particularly awesome or unique, but I do hope they'll serve the "stop buying shit you don't need" purpose.

For lipstick, I decided to try out my newest shade, NARS Jungle Red. The look on the left is meant to be very soft and youthful, while the look on the right is a more traditional winged liner deal.

The trick with the lips on the left: use your lipstick as a stain instead of applying it at full opacity. You can do this two different ways. The first method is to rub your finger on the lipstick, then pat the color in to your lips, using a clean finger to spread or press it in without distributing more pigment. The second method necessitates a thin layer of slick lip balm on the lips; then you brush the lipstick on using light, feathery strokes, applying as literal pressure as possible. I actually did both here--pressing with my finger for a base layer, then adding balm and a bit more lipstick on top for more color--but do whatever works best for you.

Obviously, the more full-on look is just the lipstick applied straight from the bullet. I still recommend a few additional steps, though: exfoliate your lips beforehand to get a smooth application, and use a lipliner to keep the shape relatively straight, even if you're using a very forgiving shade.

Here are the two piles of products I used for these looks. (I certainly didn't rub a candle or some perfume on my face, but it's an instagram photo, sooooo.) For the lighter look, I skipped foundation and kept the brows a little softer and messier, but I also applied a much stronger red (Stila Hibiscus) to keep the face from looking too bare. For the heavier look, I added winged liner and darker, more drawn-on brows to balance out the darker lipstick. And since Jungle Red is a satin matte, I tried to create a glossier finish on the other parts of my face.

Using lipstick as the first product for 1P2L may seem like a copout, and it...kinda is. I talk about using your lipsticks as a stain all the time. But it did encourage me to get rid of Jungle Red, since I have similar shades I consider more flattering on my skintone. Small victories!