Glossier Play Gitter Gelée
A few months ago Glossier knocked our socks off with the launch of Glossier Play, the fun, sassy sidekick to the laid back feel we have come to know and love from Glossier. The sister brand to Glossier, Glossier Play promises more freedom to express oneself, have fun, be bold and enjoy colour. Of course, I couldn’t help but pick up a few bits when they launched and thought with festival season readily approaching now would be the perfect time to review the Gossier Play Gitter Gelée.
What is it?
The part of a cleverly curated collection which truly sparked my interest were the Gitter Gelées. Gorgeous little pots of joy. Essentially glitter suspended in a gel which is tacky enough to allow the particles of glitter to adhere to the skin and then dry down, leaving no sticky residue.
What Glossier Play say: “Add this one-step glitter gel anywhere you want a jeweled effect. The multi-dimensional paillettes mirror everything as you move, changing and reflecting color everywhere you look. Comfortable, wearable, and long-lasting, thanks to a transparent gel base, this is an instant mood boost that stays shiny and stays put for 12 hours. No fall out, no flaking.”
Texture
A cooling gel texture which allows the glitter particles to adhere to the skin as the gel dries. It sets and does not remain tacky on the skin. All gel bases are transparent, allowing the colour of the glitter to do the talking.
Application
Unlike traditional glitter, a separate glitter adhesive is not required with the Glitter Gelée. This is a major bonus for those sparkle lovers who dislike the faff and mess of glitter. Simply dab a finger or rubber applicator into the gel and pat onto the eyelid. Build up layers for a more opaque finish.
Finish
The gels come in four different colour glitter mixes. The two I bought to try out and review are:
Phantasm ‘opalescent with holographic specks’ Glossier Play
This contains larger pieces of glitter which catch the light like beautiful holographic jewels.
Bijoux Bijoux ‘metallic gunmetal with flecks of platinum’ Glossier Play
A gunmetal gold, rather than a brassy gold. The glitter is small and builds up well.
Claims:
•Cruelty free
•Vegan
•Dairy free
•Gluten free
•Nut free
•Hypoallergenic
•Ophthalmologist tested
•Dermatologist tested
•Not safe for lips or lip area
Full Ingredient list
Phantasm: Aqua/Water/Eau, Polybutylene Terephthalate, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylene/VA Copolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, PVP, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract.
Bijoux Bijoux: Aqua/Water/Eau, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Glycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyurethane-33, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, PVP, Polyurethane-11, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract. May Contain/Peut Contenir (±): CI 16035 (Red 40), CI 19140 (Yellow 5), CI 77000 (Aluminum Powder).
Packaging
Oh, Glossier Play…why? oh, why? The mind boggles as to what happened in the Glossier product development meeting that OK’d this packaging. My only thought is perhaps they were trying to instil a sense of fun into the opening of each item. But where there should have been fun, came much frustration. In a society in which we’re trying to do better, be better and live better for our environment, we as consumers want and expect the brands we buy from to do the same.
An outer cardboard box, housing a plastic tear open bag (who knows if they’re recyclable) that contain the goods. Glossier Play, the cardboard box is, fun and pretty and would suffice.
Hopefully, this excessive packaging will be looked into. My makeup isn’t a toy, nor is it a Tampax, this is what these tear open bags remind me of…
Size of pots
The Glitters are £12.00 for 3g (£4.00 per g) of product and available from Glossier.com.
In comparison, Lemonhead LA ‘Spacepaste’ glitter gels are £20.00 for 15ml (£1.30 per ml).
There has been criticism online regarding the size of the glitter pots and I have to agree that they are rather small. In comparison to the similar product from Lemonhead LA, it’s quite a leap in price per gram/ml. However, the shelf life once the glitter gelée is opened is 6 months so you need to use this product up quickly. You would have to be a true glitter aficionado to use a very large pot in that timeframe. Of course, that doesn’t negate value for money.
Whether the size of the glitters bothers you or not will be down to personal preference. Die-hard Glossier fans may see past this, as may beauty enthusiasts or makeup artists like myself who love to try the newest kid on the block (and still pull Glossier up on it). It doesn’t take away from it being a great product, however, it also doesn’t mean that there aren’t more affordable options on the market.
Glossier has recently launched larger sizes of their most beloved skincare items for the same price, perhaps certain makeup items may follow suit…
Product removal
Glossier Play’s Glitter Gelée is a breeze to remove. There is no scrubbing needed here. But if we’re going to wear things that sparkle, let’s remove them consciously. There are two things to take into account in my mind, the safety of your eyes and that of marine life.
Let’s not wash glitter down the sink and into drains which inevitably end up in the ocean. To safely remove glitter I suggest dampening a cotton pad with eye makeup remover, holding the pad onto the eye area for 10-20 seconds (depending on how much makeup you’re wearing), then gently wiping away to the temple. Always wipe away from the eye area. Never go back in with a cotton pad that has glitter on as you may risk glitter falling into your eye. Repeat the step with a clean side/clean cotton pad.
If you wear a lot of glitter, Megan Dugan has tips for removing it here.
Final thoughts
Are they the first to do it? No. Face paint artists will long know of the brand Snazaroo who have a similar gel glitter product, as do Lemonhead LA glitter. However, Glossier Play certainly bring this type of product to the masses with their cult following of Glossier.
Where Glossier Play can do better
By now we all know we need to be doing more for the environment, don’t we? I, like so many others online, have a massive issue with the unnecessary packaging. The consumer has no idea if it is recyclable and being completely honest, it is pretty pointless. It reminds me of the ‘egg surprise’ toys my 4 & 6 (sorry 6 and a half 😉 ) year old nieces LOVE…
‘Bio-degradable’
The glitter itself. As far as I’m aware (from the ingredient list) the glitter is not bio-degradable. Whether this is possible in this type of formula or not I’m unsure, however, this would be a massive thing to consider when launching a new glitter product today-in my mind. However, and this is a big one, I urge you to read this blog post ‘The truth about bio-degradable glitter‘ by Lemonhead Glitter’s CEO and founder Megan Dugan. In which she covers the term ‘bio-degradable’ and what that actually means in terms of marketing and the real meaning of ‘eco’ and bio’ when talking about glitter. Also mentioned is that there is only one manufacturer who has certification that the material they use (eucalyptus) is responsibly sourced. So only glitter companies buying materials from this one manufacturer actually sell true bio-glitter. I highly recommend reading this article.
Back to the Glitter Gelée
I’ve had a little bit of a moan and grump but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the actual product, I do. It’s fun and easy. The Glossier Play Glitter Gelée take all of the guesswork and the hard work out of glitter application. There’s no faff or fallout. Simply dab and go. The colours are fun and the glitters are buildable with great longevity. We can also forget about any makeup bag glitter avalanche (yep, been there) as there’s no chance of spillage: just make sure you tightly secure lids to prevent the gel from drying out.
They can be worn alone or over both powder and cream eyeshadows and the Glitter Gelée’s mixed themselves. All in all, they’re fun little pots of sparkly joy that are perfect to add a bit of shimmer to any festival or festive look.
Bonus extra:
I also bought the Blade, the eye pencil sharpener from Glossier Play. It is great, does exactly what it says on the tin and I love that it collects all the sharpened swirls within the container (rather than them annoyingly falling on the floor).
Need some inspiration looks for glitter? Check out my post ‘Makeup looks for Spring/Summer 2019‘!
These look so pretty and seem to swatch pretty well. More so than most body/eye glitters that I’ve tried.
They really do! In fact, I did the swatches first and then played with them again in a look today (pictures to follow on my instagram!) and they come out more beautifully the more I play with them!