Do you remember when you were younger, wandering the aisles of Sephora and selecting makeup based purely on its packaging and collectability? That was me. I went from Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes—which are back now, so cue my 12-year-old-self stocking up on all of them yet again—to Marc Jacobs’ stunningly sleek line.
I bought everything based on packaging—from perfume, to mascara, to my all-time-worst addiction: lip products. Every time I returned home from the candy store that is Sephora, I would lay out my new purchases on the counter, proudly showing my parents what I had bought, and every time I would get a response to the tune of: “Wow, does marketing work!”
I thought I had kicked my obsessive beauty habits when I got into skincare, focusing on product ingredients rather than packaging. That was, until I met Glossier.
Yes, I know—Glossier is so Instagram, and it’s culty, blah, blah, blah—well, I don’t care. If you haven’t tried Glossier because you’ve made fun of the girls who rant and rave about having whole medicine cabinets full of it, then maybe you should see why their medicine cabinets are full of it.
That’s what I did a few months ago. I had run out of my Chanel Le Correcteur concealer, and, determined to find a concealer just as good but not with a $50 price tag, I of course turned to bloggers and the internet. I was faced with a barrage of suggestions. If there’s one thing I’ve learned when it comes to beauty, one person’s holy grail product is another person’s least favorite thing they’ve ever tried, and vice versa—it’s just a fact. However, on almost every list I found of the “Top 10 best concealers of 2021,” Glossier’s Stretch Concealer was mentioned, and with rave reviews. So, I impulsively bought the Stretch Concealer and Skin Tint duo. I never wear foundation, but a skin tint for when I’m feeling fancy or going out? Why not.
After a week of using the Stretch Concealer, I was hooked. Only one thing was off: the color. I had chosen G10, but it was definitely more for my summer skin than my February in-the-middle-of-a-blizzard skin. I contacted Glossier’s customer service, and they sent me G11 and another Cloud Paint sample for FREE and let me keep G10 because I’d already opened it. Ok, now I was really hooked. Responsive, helpful, and happy customer service gets me every time, largely because it never happens.
A few weeks later, looking for a way to reward myself for having completed midterms, I began perusing the Glossier site yet again, adding things to my cart before deleting the page, telling myself that I “didn’t need” Balm Dotcom because I already had about a million other lip balms rolling around in my purse, car, desk drawer, and nightstand.
However, a few days later, as I opened my Instagram, a post popped up from Emily Weiss, Glossier’s founder and CEO, announcing the arrival of the Glossier Beauty Bag: the ultimate bag for your daily routine. I was immediately attracted to it—from its clean lines to its massive logo, and even to its striking pink, I knew I had to have it. And, once I saw the removable organizer, I was ready to hit purchase—and I did exactly that. I bought the Glossier Beauty Bag and the Makeup Set 2, which includes a Balm Dotcom, Boy Brow, Haloscope, and Cloud Paint of your choice.
Now, I know what you’re all thinking—wow, you really fell for it; Glossier got you again. You know what? They did—and it was worth every penny. Upon arrival, the Beauty Bag was in its very own Glossier dust bag, a touch that as a handbag fanatic, I especially appreciated. As soon as I opened it, I was in love. I immediately began packing it full of all my makeup and everyday favorites; and wow, does it hold a lot.
Prior to the Beauty Bag, my cosmetic bag was an ancient crushed velvet YSL Beauty bag with a toothpaste stain on the front that my mother likely got free with her purchase at Neiman Marcus fifteen years ago. To say that the Beauty Bag was an upgrade would be an understatement. With all of the compartments provided by the removable felt insert, I can cram more than everything I need inside, but in an organized and easy-to-access manner. Now, instead of throwing everything into a small yet bottomless pouch, where I spend five minutes looking for the lip gloss that I just know I packed, it’s staring up at me from its very own compartment right next to my Cloud Paint.
In closing, the Beauty Bag is fantastic. And, while I’m sure there are other cosmetic bags out there that are just as good, no there aren’t.
