By 
In 2018, Glossier opened their second brick-and-mortar store in the US. During that year, I was first starting to get into makeup and of course, Glossier was my top favorite brand. I would watch their videos of girls getting ready for the day to see what products they were using in order to incorporate them into my skincare routine. I went to the opening day of the former Melrose location and stood in line for 45 minutes to get in. Through social media, Glossier was able to gain a very loyal international fanbase, but they didn’t ship internationally. People from all over the world left repeated comments on their IG posts: “Please ship to (insert any country)”. In other words, Glossier was booming.
In 2020, the pandemic caused a handful of business closures, including Glossier’s physical retail stores in NY and LA. During that year, a group of ex employees created the Instagram account @outtathegloss. On this IG account, ex employees shared how incredibly unprofessional and toxic the work environment was. Allegations include racial microaggressions, poor working conditions at the NYC store and bad management.
I’ve talked about my love of Glossier on this website many times and I have to say, I was shocked when this information came out. If you’ve never had the chance to walk into a Glossier store, I can tell you that it’s like stepping into a pink cotton-candy world where everyone embraces each other and is united by their love of beauty. It’s all smiles and greets. No one would ever think that horror stories would take place behind the scenes. I even toyed with the idea of working there, as I’m sure many Glossier-lovers did.
Many loyal fans went cold turkey and stopped buying from the brand altogether. How could Glossier, the brand that was your friend, do this? It was like Glossier, the millennial cult-favorite brand, had betrayed us. Their direct-to-consumer approach was different from all the traditional makeup brands. Some people say that this is the harsh reality of retail, but would people have taken the same harsh approach if Estee Lauder or a big behemoth like Sephora had had the same accusations? Following this incident, Glossier experienced a drop in their IG following number. Before everything happened, the brand’s following was at 2.8M million followers, now it’s at 2.6M.
After Glossier’s retail closures in 2020, the brand got back into physical retail in 2021 with new spaces in NYC, LA, Seattle, London and Miami.
I went to their new flagship store in LA, which opened in late 2021 on the same street.
I got there 10 minutes before they closed and quickly checked out the store. It was empty and the staff was getting ready to close. Then, I drove by the following week on a Sunday and a long line of people, mostly young girls wearing bucket hats and mom jeans, eagerly stood in line waiting. This was very reminiscent of the old store. Since I live pretty close, I decided to go back later in the day and to my surprise, there were no lines. It all depends on what time of the day you go.
My hat is off to the design team. The pink hues, the marble ampi-theater style seating area and the giant-sized products offer a true immersive experience. Each of Glossier’s new stores has its own distinctive style. For the LA location, the team was inspired by old Hollywood studios, hence the giant globe statue with Glossier’s smiley face logo. The plants and flowers added a beautiful touch to the space.
In this new store, you have a lot more personal space to walk around more freely. At the old store, once you placed your order you had to stand awkwardly and wait for the employee to shout out your name, whereas here, you can lounge in their gorgeous marble seats while you wait.
The products are neatly laid out and people are encouraged to try the testers using disposable wands.
I tried their After Baume cream and I was pleasantly surprised by it. If you have dry skin, this will be a “puffer jacket” for your skin, like they state on the website. It reminded me of the Weleda moisturizer, but the consistency was less thick. I put it on the back of my hands and it felt so incredibly rich and moisturizing. I’ll probably buy this after my night cream runs out!
Glossier merchandise is also available at the store.
I really liked the futuristic-themed display they had with all their products.
The Glossier experience in LA goes beyond the physical store. The brand has also created a different space in the adjacent alley, called Glossier Alley. Here, customers can enjoy Alfred’s coffee surrounded by topiaries and a marble fountain designed by the Haas Brothers, all meant to encapsulate you in a whimsical pink wonderland.
The address is 8523 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Glossier’s Instagram
Thoughts
I loved checking out the store, but I feel like my excitement about the brand has dissipated. Many beauty brands have entered the market since 2018, like Tower 28 with their best-selling Bronzino Illuminating cream bronzer. In my opinion, Glossier waited way too long to expand their makeup line. They released Glossier Play in 2019, which was kind of a flop. Only fairly recently did they release cream bronzers and makeup palettes. For me, another huge mistake was to stop uploading Get Ready With Me videos, where non-celebrities would show their morning routines. These videos had a calming energy that was loved by many. Before Vogue Beauty videos were a thing, Glossier was the OG of Get Ready With Me videos! Even though Glossier uploads from time to time, they definitely missed their opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.
Although Glossier has come a long way since they first released their Milky Jelly cleanser, the brand focuses too much on skincare. I remember in early 2018, I was one of the people who asked them to release a palette. My wish was granted 3 years later. The same thing goes for the bronzers.
When I went to the store and looked at the products, many of them transported me to late 2017, which was when I first discovered the brand. As of February 2022, the brand has not released new blushes. Maybe a powder formula? A new packaging? A compact duo? The Cream Cheek is their best-selling product and I feel they could have taken so much advantage of it.
Their Perfecting Skin Tint has looked exactly the same since they first released it. What about a light-to-medium coverage foundation that goes beyond the 4 Skin Tint shades they’ve had since 2017? The same thing goes for their Stretch Concealer and Invisible Shield Sunscreen.
This article is from May 2017 ⬇️
Invisible Shield in 2022 ⬇️
Their new monochrome palettes don’t pique my interest. During the last few years, colorful makeup has been all the rage, especially with the release of Euphoria and the boom of people recreating the makeup looks. Their Lid Star cream eyeshadow should have come in more shades and a more striking formula. These were too soft and I can count on one hand the times I used it. They acted as a nice eyeshadow topper, but not for an eyeshadow base. That’s why I think Halsey’s brand, About Face, is killing it with their ultra pigmented and colorful eyeshadows.
Here’s my bottom line about Glossier: It’s a great brand, but it has been stuck creatively for quite a while.
If you want to read my full review of the old store, click here.
