Let me start this off by saying a got four Color Slides, three Glitter Gelées, a Vinylic Lip, a Nite Shine, and both of the tools from Glossier’s latest launch entitled Glossier Play. A quick scroll through the comments made it apparent the launch didn’t impress others as much as it impressed me. If you’re not up to date on the launch, allow me, a person with a sick obsession for the creators of millennial pink, to fill you in. On February 22nd, Glossier announced a sister brand would be arriving soon but didn’t specify what the brand would entail. The comment section went wild with speculation of a new social media platform (possibly in the form of a rival for YouTube since the name involved “Play”), a game, and a review service, among other things. For me, I immediately thought the brand would incorporate “going-out” makeup thanks to a few hints.
via Glossier
Into the Gloss, the blog which Emily Weiss (the founder and CEO of Glossier) started years ago has two main features on the site. The first is the “Top Shelf” chronicling the beauty routines of important people in many different job fields, whether it’s in beauty or beyond. The second is the “Top Shelf After Dark” where the same people talk about what they do when they go to events or downtown on Friday or Saturday nights. It’s clear to me, as someone who has been reading ITG for years, that the routine when going out is important to the editors and creators of Glossier. This was my first hint of what Play would be. My second was the fact that Glossier had just released the Milky Oil a few weeks ago. The Milky Oil’s purpose is to break-down hard-to-remove makeup meaning glitter, waterproof eyeliner/mascara, and other things most would consider to be going-out staples.
When Play was finally launched, I was over the moon while others were left wondering why Glossier had so much hype around a new brand when the brand could’ve just been a continuation of Glossier. This is where I have to disagree. I’m grateful for the strides Glossier has made in the beauty community with showcasing skin with visible pores, bushy brows, and making blush haters turn into blush fiends. Since I started wearing Glossier almost three years ago, I’ve seen other brands try to mimic them with style, packaging, and advertisements, which has opened the beauty conversation to the public and made them see that makeup can be for people who don’t feel comfortable with original makeup standards of plucked brows, heavy foundation-ed skin, and a shimmery highlight instead of a natural-looking glow. Glossier has democratized beauty in the natural sphere and now it’s time for them to make glitter and colorful eyeliner acceptable to a wider audience as well.
I know a lot of Glossier fans were disappointed with the launch of Play, but I believe the long-term effects will make people who support Glossier proud. The only ways in which I was disappointed was with the lack of swatches of the products. In usual Glossier fashion, there are swatches of makeup items on a variety of skin tones, which Play was lacking. Only pictures of the packaged products were shown, which made buying the items a small hassle. This forced me to do some digging on Instagram to find influencers who received the products beforehand and made swatch photos/videos. I saw a screenshot of an unnamed person saying they have a friend who works for Glossier and said the campaign just isn’t finished yet. This left me with questions surrounding why Glossier would come out with a rushed campaign. Maybe the point is for buyers to do some digging and look for swatches on Instagram because more honest reviews from fans and swatches under different lighting sources than perfect studio light are on that platform. Aside from this, I feel lucky to be a part of a time in history when beauty is such a reachable and celebrated topic and I can’t wait to receive my items so I can *~play~* with you guys and share swatches of my own on my Instagram story.