A few months ago I finally decided to get my hands on some Glossier products. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and to see for myself if Boy Brow lives up to its seemingly cult-following.
I am drawn to Glossier because they portray their brand as ‘un-makeup.’ They offer their customers the idea of a fresh, “I woke up like this” face, which stands in contrast to most, layer-it-on makeup routines.
After much deliberation, I opted to try three products: Boy Brow (at the top of my list), Generation G, and Haloscope.
BOY BROW:
Boy Brow appealed to me because I am always trying to fluff out my brows, and the application looked so easy. The first time I used it though, I was really disappointed. I was expecting it to magically fill in any gaps in my brows. I quickly started using it in tandem with my Anastasia Brow Definer (not pictured here), and I really like the results. I use the pencil to fill in the gaps, and then apply the Boy Brow to darken the overall brow. But my favorite feature about Boy Brow is how it keeps my brow hairs in place, nice and tidy throughout the day.
In the last few weeks I have been experimenting with embracing my brows with a few gaps, and using just the Boy Brow. If I am in a hurry in the morning, it makes my (skimpy) makeup routine even faster. I ordered Boy Brow in Brown, and will definitely be re-ordering when mine is out!
Side note: I am thinking about trying Rodan + Field’s Lash Boost on my brows. I have heard it is supposed to help them fill in. And speaking of lashes, I recently got my second lash lift at Lash and Beauty Lab in Portland, and I can’t recommend them enough. They did not ask me to share this, I just love what they do!
GENERATION G:
It was really hard for me to pull the trigger on ordering lipstick over the internet. I am definitely a try-on kind of gal when it comes to lipstick. But again, the ‘undone,’ nature of Generation G appealed to me and I decided to take the risk. I went for the shade ‘Like’ which is a soft pink. I have to layer it on quite a bit to get it to show up, and for some reason it always seems lighter on my upper lip. I am happy with the overall look, but I still only wear it a small percentage of the time. It’s the sort of thing I put on when I want some color on my lips, but I don’t want my lips to scream ‘we’re wearing lipstick!’ For example, to a Saturday morning kindergarten soccer game.
HALOSCOPE:
Haloscope is a facial highlighting product that goes on sort of like a big chapstick. I wanted to try this out because of the ‘dewy skin’ look it promised. Here, I applied it in semi-circles along the very top of my cheek bones, but it plays nicely into my already dewy cheeks. I like this product quite a bit, though I tend to reserve it for days when I feel like I need a little more impact with my makeup. I really like the way it pairs with bare skin.
I ordered Haloscope in Quartz, which is a soft, pearly-pink shade.
The shift in my makeup philosophy.
My approach to makeup has shifted quite a bit in the last year and a half. I became more interested in skin care (more on that below) and less interested in makeup. I started working a lot harder at taking care of my skin, and have stopped wearing most of the makeup I used to wear. I am not talking about types of product, but rather amount of product. As seen in my last makeup post, my routine used to include concealer, foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, primer, eye shadow, brow pencil and mascara.
Now, most days (about 5-6 times per week) I am bare-skinned! I moisturize, do my brows, add my mascara, lip color and then call it a day! It is very freeing, and I have finally come to see my actual skin as a beautiful, finished product rather than a bare base to build upon. It took me months to get here. One day, I realized I viewed my made-up face as foreign, instead of my own skin as unfamiliar. I much prefer it that way.
I have no beef with makeup. I still wear mascara every single day. I almost never leave the house without it. In the photos above, I am sporting my ‘made up’ routine which consists of a bit of foundation on my t-zone, a little bit of powder along my jawline, blush, brows and mascara.
My preferred skin care routine.
A little over a year ago I started using the Rodan + Fields skin care line. I was tired of the regular breakouts that plagued my face, and wanted a solution. I have been very, very happy with the results, and have since tried a handful of other products by R+F. If you are interested in hearing more, I can certainly expand on this topic in a future post. I’m still using my CeraVe products (the hydrating cleanser and the moisturizer), which seem to work well with my R+F products. I have heard a lot of good things about Beautycounter, but I don’t want to rock the boat with my skin right now. Though their commitment to clean products is pretty amazing. I’d love to hear from you guys, do you have a favorite brand when it comes to skin care?
This post is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links.
I used to wear full make up every day until I discovered Glossier. Now I just apply sunscreen, boy brow, haloscope, and lip balm. I feel much freer and more natural than I ever have.
That sounds amazing! I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to untangle myself from the ‘full-face’ approach. It is freeing indeed!
Thanks for sharing this. Boy Brow was my first foray into brow products and I liked it well enough, but it ran out really quickly. I switched to Elizabeth Mott’s Queen of the Fill and it seems much better for the price. I learned a lot from giving up makeup for Lent last year and realizing no one really noticed. Now, I just wear a bit of powder foundation, highlighting blush, and the eyebrow gel.
Isn’t that interesting? I remember when you did that. We often scrutinize our appearances far more than others! The less I wear makeup the less I want to wear it!
I use Mad Hippie products – cleanser, Vit A serum at night, and Vit C serum in the morning. In summer I use their moisturizer but in winter I need something heavier or my skin gets dry. I’m on a roller coaster of always trying a different winter moisturizer and need to just commit to something.
Sounds really interesting, I’ll have to check them out!
I also used to have a full face before I’d ever leave the house having had really problematic skin since my teen years. After shifting to oil cleansing (with affordable 100% jojoba oil) everything cleared up and I have since gone makeup free most days, I religiously scour ewg.org/skindeep for product recommendations. I am pretty hooked on beautycounter, they have good basics that smell nice (and pretty packaging). But I also love Desert Essence daily moisturizer, a big container of grease-free face lotion for $8. I DIY my body scrub with sugar, almond & jojoba oils, vegetable glycerin, and essential oils. It’s taken me about 3 years of trial and error to narrow down my medicine cabinet and makeup bag. When I do wear makeup it’s mascara (juice beautyxgoop), liquid eyeliner (w3ll people), concealer, blush, lip sheers (beautycounter).
I have to second the oil cleansing! I have very mixed skin : from dry to oily and, to my surprise, oil cleansing helps both incredibly. My skin looks noticeably worse on mornings when I didn’t oil the night prior. I use Sir Kensingtons Rose Hip oil from Whole Foods and love it! I also always “deep condition my face” while I’m deep conditioning my hair with a coconut oil face massage. Feels lovely and although my skin is shiny for a few hours, totally worth it in my book.
Oil cleaning sounds so interesting! Did either of you have a ‘transition’ time for your skin when you started using it?
I also tend to wear a pretty natural face for the most part and recently ordered Glossier products for the first time in an effort to support that. I was surprised that overall I was pretty disappointed, though I think part of that had to do with my colour choices – I love a bright lip so I picked Generation G in Poppy but it’s just kind of waxy and orangey – uncomfortable to wear and really emphasises any yellow in my smile. Their stretch concealer was also a disappointment; I wanted something to brighten up my undereye but otherwise be foundation free and I find that this concealer doesn’t really set so it moves around a lot and wears off very quickly. I like the boy brow and the cloud paint blush is lovely, and i’m interested in the haloscope for sure. I just don’t know if another whole order is worth it for that!
Yeah, ordering makeup online makes me feel like I have to order multiples to justify it. I have given up concealer all together. If I am adding any makeup for the day, I’ll dab some foundation under my eyes, and that is usually good enough for me. I think my problem with concealer is that is always seemed to ride a top fine lines and make them look for noticeable. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
I’m a total Boy Brow addict – my brows aren’t too sparse, but they are very light. I have to dye them every few weeks, and Boy Brow keeps me covered through my next tinting. I agree with Leah, it does run out quickly. I stocked up during their Black Friday sale, and their referral credits are pretty generous. I’m less than impressed with their lipstick, though.
Still working on establishing a good skincare routine. I have rosacea, and just about everything irritates it. I was disappointed with my last derm, and am overdue to find a new one to help me combat it!
For skin care, I’ve been using Paula’s Choice for decades. Right now, I’m using the Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser and Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel twice a day, the Skin Balancing Ultra Sheer Daily Defense SPF 30 in the morning and the Hydra Light Moisture Infusing Lotion at night.
I wear generation g in “Leo” almost every day because it makes my lips darker and fuller but doesn’t look like lipstick at all. I love how it brightens my whole face up. I also love using boy brow in conjunction with anastasia brow definer.
but I also like the look it gives me all by itself. I have thick eyebrows with weird bald spots and I stopped waxing them a while ago in an effort to embrace that unusual part of my face, and boy brow is one of the best products to enhance them.
I love their stretch concealer too!
Great article! I have sensitive skin and I’m in the process of paring down my beauty routine to natural/simple products. I like the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser if your skin is fussy (similar to Cetaphil) and the Lengthening Mascara from Beautycounter has been a surprise success for my short, straight lashes. But, my very favorite makeup line is from rmsbeauty.com. Simple ingredients and easy application has me completely sold. I wear the “Un” Cover-up and Lip2Cheek (a 2in1 product) every day and it just feels good. Like I’m doing something healthy for my skin. You might like it too!
Thanks Marissa, checking them out now!
I second trying RMS. I use the highlight, bronzer, and lip2cheek and I can’t rave about them enough. A little spendy, but they last forever and make my skin look and feel GOOD.
This is a topic I’m passionate about. The clothes we wear are important; but what we put on (and absorb through our skin) also deserves careful thought. For makeup, I like some of the brands mentioned above–W3ll people and Juice Beauty–as well as Alima Pure, Ilia Beauty, and RMS Beauty.
When it comes to skin care, though, the absolute hands-down best company I know is a small, female-owned company called Blissoma in St. Louis. They make amazing products. I’ve used them for a few years and am not even tempted to try other brands. I highly, highly recommend them. (You can get 10% off with this referral link https://go.referralcandy.com/share/RWCT68Z). I love their cleansers, their masks, their toners–really everything. Their candles are also the best “clean” candles I’ve found.
That’s a strong recommendation! Their stuff looks really interesting. I wish someone would just tell me exactly what I need. It is confusing to navigate all the beauty products in the world! ><
I’ve heard really good things about Luna Nectar’s Moon Boost Lash and Brow Enhancer, like a natural version of the R+F Lash Boost
I also love glossier products! I love the minimal feel to the whole routine! For skin Care I recently discovered a brand called Evan Healy they are based in Washington. It’s a organic holistic brand that focuses on allowing your skin to breathe, she calls it farm to face skin Care. It’s worked really well for me and has clean and minimal ingredients which I love! Definitely worth looking!! You can get it at whole foods or online.
I would be interested in learning more about Roden + Fields. There are so many choices for products, it is too overwhelming! Right now I don’t have much of a skin care regimen. I use Cereve cleanser and moisturizer. I have noticed my skin breaking out more and would like to have more of a routine. What made you choose R+F over other brands? Are their products clean? Xo
I agree, it IS overwhelming. I think that is partly why I chose R+F, there are just 4 lines to choose from, based on the results you’re going for. In fall ’16 I started using the Unblemish Line and it cleared up my skin. Now I sort of use it in maintenance, if that makes sense. The rest of the time I still use my Cerave. But what I found was sometimes I needed something stronger, and that’s where the R+F came in. I think I am going to try their anti-aging regimen next! As for ‘clean’ I really don’t know! But I think their product’s ingredients are listed on their site.
I used to use boy brow until about 4 months ago and used to really like it… until it gave me a horrible rash. It is not fun to have a rash under eyebrows. After leaving my brows alone and doing a search for a similar product I settled on the 100% pure green tea fiber brow builder in medium brown. I used to use the same boy brow color as you and I prefer the color of the 100% pure product as it is more neutral/cool which brows tend to be (boy brow was a little too warm to be honest). If anyone is looking for a natural alternative to boy brow (or had a reaction like me) this is the best I’ve found so far. I use Face Glow by Graydon (also a natural product) like haloscope, though there is a tint to it that may not work for really light skin. I just use it like a highlighter on my cheek bones and eye area not as a full face primer. Hopefully this will help those with equally sensitive skin find something similar!
Glad to hear good things about Rodan + Fields. I’ve also had acne prone skin, then discovered phace bioactive products and saw serious results. If you’re ever looking for another brand (and it meets your standards) it’s so worth it!!!
Good to know Jess, thank you!