I’ll put it like this: Even my 72-year-old father (who knows nothing about beauty aside from the occasional face mask I make him try) has heard of Glossier. The brand is just that well-known. If pressed, he could even list off a few of the biggest top sellers like Boy Brow (which he adorably calls “Boy Stuff”), Cloud Paint, and Balm Dotcom. Of course, he does have a beauty-obsessed wife and daughter, but when I asked him when and where he first heard of the brand, his reply was a perturbed, “Do you think I live under a rock?” (I suspect his addiction to scrolling through his Google feed, but what do I know?) Anyway, I digress.
Earlier this year, The Cut reported Glossier’s worth at a cashmere-cozy 1.2 billion, and while the brand might be known for its syrupy shimmer and pink packaging aesthetic, it’s basically untouchable where product demand is concerned. Everyone knows Glossier, and everyone wants it. But of course, we have some thoughts as beauty editors.
Despite its ironclad following, some products are superior to others (just being honest!), and as people who—quite literally—receive and try hundreds of products every month, we’re pretty good judges of formulaic character. Ahead, we’re sharing the 11 best Glossier products we’re truly obsessed with and have rebought after ravaging our initial free ones. Keep scrolling! Your beauty editor–approved Glossier shopping guide awaits.
I, like basically every other human being on the planet, have a major love for Boy Brow. It’s the brand’s top seller, after all! That said, I buy the clear formula because I actually prefer my brows in a pretty natural state. (If I have any sparse areas, I simply fill them in with Brow Flick—more on that below.) Since my brows are naturally pretty dense (and dark), and my actual hair is so light, I like the way the Boy Brow’s clear non-goopy formula fluffs and conditions my brows with hold and polish but doesn’t leave them feeling tacky, hard, or with a weird opaque residue like so many other clear brow gels and pomades I’ve tried.
You can read our in-depth reviews of Brow Flick here, but without question, this handy, low-maintenance pen has managed to become one of my all-time favorite Glossier products. I love it more than Boy Brow (yes, really) and appreciate how easy and goof-proof it is to apply. I’ve never used a pen that yields such natural and seamless results sans effort, skill, or nerves. A quick flick (sorry, couldn’t resist) and you have perfected brows in less than a minute. Surprisingly, my first pen has yet to dry up, but I’ll be restocking the second I run out.
Okay, this is my can’t-live-without-it mascara. And that’s telling because I’m probably the pickiest mascara consumer on the planet. I naturally have long, dark lashes, but there are pretty much only three formulas on Earth that I can actually stand. This one, though, I love. The wand and formula are both perfect—never making my lashes gloopy or droopy—just lifting, darkening, and lengthening them so that they look like fanned-out extensions. I will buy this mascara until my dying day, and I tell anyone who will listen that they should too. The best part? It’s only $16—a godsend for someone who has champagne taste on a beer budget.
I’m obsessed with Euphoria, so when I found out the show’s makeup artist, Doniella Davy, used this highlighter on Rue, my longtime love for this product only intensified. This is one of the only highlighters I’ve used that actually looks completely natural and looks like skin—especially after it’s had a little time to sit and melt into your complexion. Pro tip: It’s also a magical glow-inducer your clavicles never knew they needed. Even if my skin is congested or hasn’t been on its best behavior, a couple of strategic swipes of Haloscope (I love Quartz) on the tops of my cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, and chin do wonders and still manage to earn my skin compliments during meetings or at events. I know some people say it can veer greasy, but as long as you use it sparingly and don’t use it with too many other dewy-textured products (I apply it to bare, moisturized skin or layered atop a matte foundation), you should be good.
I’ve never completely outgrown my deep infatuation with Lip Smacker circa the late ’90s and early 2000s, and Glossier’s assortment of whimsically scented balms is the best grown-up alternative I’ve found. I love everything about this universal skin salve and keep a tube in every drawer, bag, and pocket I own. It heals everything from chapped lips to cracked cuticles, smells amazing, lasts forever (a little goes a long way), and is affordable to boot. I love the un-tinted Birthday, which has a super-subtle shimmer and was inspired by Milk Bar’s famous Birthday Cake, but there are also have more refined options like the fragrance-free Original, Rose, Mint, and the newest addition, Berry.
Glossier’s buzzy new hand cream is reminiscent of the brand’s cult-loved, musky fragrance, Glossier You ($60), with a more clarified, less perfumy emphasis on fresh, clean notes.
I’m actually not a lip gloss person, so the fact that I’m taking the time to write about lip gloss is a testament to how fab these new tubes from Glossier are. If I had to choose, the red would be my favorite, but I love all three and wear each shade regularly, which is why I recommend just taking the plunge and buying all three shades. Plus, considering so many lip glosses are exorbitantly priced these days, going with all three colors in one go is still a better deal than the majority of tubes sold solo on the market. I love these glosses because they truly deliver on that “your lips but better” appeal and don’t pack too much color, shine, or glimmer—just a poignant enough punch to make your pout look significantly better in an ultra-low-maintenance way. Plus, the texture isn’t sticky or glue-like at all. It’s juicy, and it’s perfect, and I’m honestly just not sure how Glossier managed to make such a perfect gloss when so many have failed before it. And so ends my TED Talk on the amazingness of Glossier’s Lip Gloss.
As you’ll read below, both Courtney and I love Cloud Paint, which is another one of the brand’s best sellers. It’s consistently added more gorgeous shades since the product launched, but Puff (one of the OGs) is still my favorite. Plus, I know so many celebrity makeup artists who use it. It’s easy to manipulate on your face so you get the perfect amount of color and diffusion, and unlike a lot of cream-and-cheek formulas, it’s almost impossible to overdo it. I love to layer Puff with other powder blushes if I want a more intense makeup moment, or I’ll just use a tap of this on bare skin for those days when I’m not wearing makeup but need to breathe just a little bit of life into my sleep-deprived complexion. I also love to use it on my lips and eyelids. Basically, give me this, Haloscope, and Lash Slick, and that’s all I need to walk out the door.
I’m really picky about brow products, and this one is up there with my top favorites in the category. I usually use a pencil to add some definition in my arch, but this stuff adequately fills in any sparse areas without making my brows look too blocky.
This gel blush is perfect for everyday wear. It melts so easily into the skin and leaves a super natural-looking flush. It’s really easy to layer, too, so you can control how much color you deposit. I’m obsessed with the shade Storm and literally wear it every day.
Honestly, this reminds me of the types of eye makeup products marketed in the ’80s, but maybe that’s why we like it so much. The cool blue shade is my favorite, and I always get tons of compliments when I wear it—more so than any other type of brightly pigmented shadow I’ve worn.
Our audience engagement editor, Jasmine, put Futuredew to the test shortly after it launched and was “pleasantly surprised.”
My favorite thing about this lip lacquer is that it can be kept subtle, but it’s also easy to layer up to an impossibly shiny, opaque finish. This taupe shade called Pony is my uniform.
