Glossier Super Pure Serum, Milk Jelly Cleanser, and Generation G Review

So I'm finally doing part 2 of my Glossier product reviews after having thoroughly tried out these last three items in my initial order from Glossier (for part one I reviewed the boy brow and the stretch concealer here).

So let's start with this Super Pure serum.  I have a history of sensitive, acne-prone skin so whenever I see a product promising clearer skin I'm always down to try it out.  Unfortunately for me this product did not work :( . (<--lol that is exactly how my face looked for a week, with a zit that wouldn't go away on the left side of my chin).  So this product is supposed to prevent zits by clearing sebum and whatnot.  But I still developed a zit.  And then I made the mistake of putting it on the zit for the first couple days of inflammation.  At first it looked like the redness went down but then the zit just wouldn't go away.  And it kept getting bigger with multiple white heads (so gross, I know).  Eventually I treated the zit how I normally treat zits (first pop it with this tool and then let it dry out on it's own.  Sometimes I'll also ice it to calm the inflammation).  I read else where that this product worked for them, but I think it really does depend on what your skin is like (I mean I can't even handle Neutrogena without breaking out).

Luckily, I found more success with Glossier's milky jelly cleanser.  An initial look at the ingredients did show that there is one possible pore-clogging ingredient (isopropyl myristate) but it's way down on the ingredient list, and I found I had no issues with this cleanser.  In fact I would say it works really well.  It removes all makeup and doesn't leave any kind of residue.  But when I use this product I still end up rewashing my face with my favorite charcoal cleanser from SkinSalvation.  But I find when I use both cleansers, there's no trace of makeup after (as opposed to when I just use the charcoal cleanser alone).  Out of all the products I've purchased from Glossier this is definitely one of my favorites (along with the boy brow).

And last but definitely not least, Glossier's generation G matte lipstick.  I purchased it in the color Zip.  I'm not a huge fan of matte lipstick since it tends to be a lot more maintenance than I'm used to (making sure your lips are not flaky and also making sure the matte lipstick doesn't bleed).  The last time I tried a matte lipstick it was from Nars and it was a terrible experience.  Not only did it really dry out my lips but it bled to the point it looked like I had clown lips.  Ever since then I've been weary of matte lipsticks and have stuck with my usual lip glosses or balms (a current favorite is actually the RMS lip shine in Sacred).  But I have to say Glossier did a great job with their generation G matte lipstick.  It goes on smooth and it's pleasantly not drying (well yes it will be a tad drier than a lip gloss or balm, but it's not that much drier).  And best of all it doesn't flake my lips.  So if you're looking for a great matte lipstick, definitely give this a try.

So some final thoughts about Glossier:

~ It's definitely a trendy brand right now with their minimal and slick packaging and great marketing.  And yes some of their products are good (maybe even 'cult-worthy'), like the boy brow and milky jelly cleanser.  But I'm not about to jump on the Glossier band wagon since like a lot of beauty brands, sometimes the hype is bigger than the actual results they deliver.

~One thing that turns me off a bit from this brand is all the packaging that this brand uses.  They products not only came in individual packaging but also with an exterior pink plastic pouch.  And then all of that was in a box.  Of course some people may like that, but to me it's such a waste.

Glossier Boy Brow and Stretch Concealer Review: The Good and the Bad

source

At first I was going to do one review for all the different Glossier products I bought but I'm going through them all so slowly since I really take my time when it comes to trying new makeup and skin care (sometimes when I use too many products at once my skin just freaks out and then I'm not sure which product was the one that triggered it all).  So for today I have for you a review of Glossier's Boy Brow and Stretch Concealer.  

First the Boy Brow, which I have to say does live up to the hype.  My brows in general are fairly thin since an unfortunate over-plucking incident early on in my adolescence (a story for another time), but recently I've been using this lash and brow growth serum (and it really works!).  And now that my brows hairs are growing quite long, Glossier's boy brow has been pretty clutch in keeping my brows looking groomed and polished.  The short wand is perfect for combing your brows while simultaneously filling them with their cream-like formula.  At first it looks like there's a lot of product on the wand and that it might make your brows look too dark but looks are deceiving.  As you comb it through, it really does blend it with your natural hairs.  I'm using the brown color and it blends in perfectly.  I should warn you though that once you comb through the formula, you don't want to touch it until it dries otherwise it somehow loses its magic and starts to look like you painted your brows heavily (I made this mistake when I accidentally went overboard with this product and then tried to wipe some off with a tissue--nope don't do it, it totally backfires on you).  I really love this product but I'm not sure I'd repurchase this when I think about it from a sustainability stand point.  Yes the product is awesome, but all the extra plastic just for a brow product (when really my Shu Uemura brow pencil already does a decent job) seems a bit like a waste.

source

Now for the bad: their stretch concealer.  I need concealer most to hide my zits and general redness on my face.  The concealer itself is a bit greasy but does have decent coverage.  But the big no-no for me is their pore-clogging formula (even though they say it's not).  How do I know this?  First I tried it out and then where ever I used it, I started getting a couple of small whiteheads. So then I cross checked the full ingredient list of this concealer to this list of comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredients from a well respected acne spa treatment center in San Francisco (I went there a couple times and I actually use a lot of their products regularly).  And lo and behold the number one ingredient of this concealer is a pore-clogging ingredient (Octyldodecanol).  Talk about false advertisement.  So if you're planning to use this on pimples, don't.  But if you have fairly tough skin and are going to use this for under-eye darkness then it might be worth looking into.

Anyway I'll try to get the second half of this review out which will include Glossier's milk jelly cleanser, Generation G matt lipstick, and their Super Pure serum.