Glossier Boy Brow and Stretch Concealer Review: The Good and the Bad

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At first I was going to do one review for all the different Glossier products I bought but I'm going through them all so slowly since I really take my time when it comes to trying new makeup and skin care (sometimes when I use too many products at once my skin just freaks out and then I'm not sure which product was the one that triggered it all).  So for today I have for you a review of Glossier's Boy Brow and Stretch Concealer.  

First the Boy Brow, which I have to say does live up to the hype.  My brows in general are fairly thin since an unfortunate over-plucking incident early on in my adolescence (a story for another time), but recently I've been using this lash and brow growth serum (and it really works!).  And now that my brows hairs are growing quite long, Glossier's boy brow has been pretty clutch in keeping my brows looking groomed and polished.  The short wand is perfect for combing your brows while simultaneously filling them with their cream-like formula.  At first it looks like there's a lot of product on the wand and that it might make your brows look too dark but looks are deceiving.  As you comb it through, it really does blend it with your natural hairs.  I'm using the brown color and it blends in perfectly.  I should warn you though that once you comb through the formula, you don't want to touch it until it dries otherwise it somehow loses its magic and starts to look like you painted your brows heavily (I made this mistake when I accidentally went overboard with this product and then tried to wipe some off with a tissue--nope don't do it, it totally backfires on you).  I really love this product but I'm not sure I'd repurchase this when I think about it from a sustainability stand point.  Yes the product is awesome, but all the extra plastic just for a brow product (when really my Shu Uemura brow pencil already does a decent job) seems a bit like a waste.

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Now for the bad: their stretch concealer.  I need concealer most to hide my zits and general redness on my face.  The concealer itself is a bit greasy but does have decent coverage.  But the big no-no for me is their pore-clogging formula (even though they say it's not).  How do I know this?  First I tried it out and then where ever I used it, I started getting a couple of small whiteheads. So then I cross checked the full ingredient list of this concealer to this list of comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredients from a well respected acne spa treatment center in San Francisco (I went there a couple times and I actually use a lot of their products regularly).  And lo and behold the number one ingredient of this concealer is a pore-clogging ingredient (Octyldodecanol).  Talk about false advertisement.  So if you're planning to use this on pimples, don't.  But if you have fairly tough skin and are going to use this for under-eye darkness then it might be worth looking into.

Anyway I'll try to get the second half of this review out which will include Glossier's milk jelly cleanser, Generation G matt lipstick, and their Super Pure serum.

Supergoop! Review of Barre to Bar Beauty Set

Just a quick beauty review for you today.  I had mentioned that I'm in the search for a good sunscreen that won't melt off my face in the summer, won't break me out and also gives me some coverage to even out skin tone.  This search has been harder than I anticipated due to my super sensitive skin (if I don't break out, sometimes I get a rash, but most of the time I just break out).  So when I saw this Supergoop! Barre to Bar set I though I would give it a shot (I kept seeing the brand in magazines and such so I finally caved into the marketing).  I love trying little sampler sets like these since it allows me to try it without committing to the full size.  So here's a quick rundown of each product:

The Daily Correct CC Cream in Light/Medium: in short, a dud.  It was greasy and gave my skin a pinkish tint (obviously not a match for my asian skin tone).

The City Sunscreen Serum: I loooooove this!  This is probably the only thing I would rebuy out of this whole kit (and probably the only thing I will use up).  This is a super lightweight sunscreen with zero sunscreen smell and no greasiness.  Also doesn't break me out.  This could become my everyday go-to sunscreen for under foundation (if I don't find a good tinted sunscreen).

Perk up lip and cheek treat: I didn't really like this for my lips and I never used it for my cheeks.  The taste/smell is subtle but slightly of sunscreen (it's SPF 50).  I prefer to use my RMS lip shine in sacred even though it doesn't have SPF.  We'll see, I might keep giving this a chance.

Defense Refresh Setting Mist: I originally loved this product thinking I could just wear my regular foundation and then use this as a setting mist to provide extra SPF coverage.  However after using it for a week, I'm not a huge fan.  First, you can definitely tell there's alcohol in their formula (especially if you don't shake it as well as you're supposed to) and that alcohol can definitely cause a sting near your eyes even if you have them closed.  Also the mist doesn't really give you all that much SPF coverage since it's really just tiny droplets of SPF (you'd really have to spray it on good for actual SPF coverage I think).  And lastly I sprayed these on my arms in an attempt to use up the product and got it all over my car's black leather interior.  That stuff is hard to get off, lol.

So final verdict?  Don't buy this set but do check out that serum if you're looking for a good everyday base sunscreen.  Thus the search for a sunscreen with coverage continues, though I am now a huge fan of that serum (I use it under my usual SPF 15 lotion for extra coverage).  In the meantime I'm trying out several products form Bella Cuore and will let you know what I find!