Exclusive: Launching today, Glossier Play is about having fun with your make-up, whatever your age, says founder Emily Weiss
Few brands can boast the cult status enjoyed by Glossier. First launched in the US in 2016, followed by its UK launch a year later - before the brand even landed on our shores, rave reviews from across the pond rendered it the beauty disruptor we all wanted to try. With industry insiders and best friends alike smuggling products back home from trips stateside and showering them with praise, it was clear that this was something special.
It makes sense then, that the brand’s latest innovation, Glossier Play, which launches today, has sparked similar mass hysteria. In the week since Glossier’s new sister brand was first teased on its own dedicated Instagram page, the platform has already amassed a following of over 60,000 fans. So what can we expect from the newest line? We chatted exclusively to the brand’s founder, Emily Weiss, to find out.
The core values remain. Like Glossier, this is a brand built on collaboration. After all, Glossier’s USP comes from listening to its customers, asking us what we want, and giving it to us. Rather than speaking down, or dictating what we should to be wearing, this is a brand that speaks to women and involves them in the conversation. The main difference with Glossier Play is “there will be more colours, more textures and more ways to express yourself” says Weiss.
Despite having already cracked eyeshadow and blusher in the original line-up, Glossier Play is a more extensive dive into the world of colour. As in 2014, Glossier Play is launching with just four products that have been exactingly curated, and are available in 28 shades, alongside two new tools. “Our team has been working on Glossier Play for over two years, obsessively nerding out over formulas, searching the world (literally) for the best materials, and finessing shades until they were just right” says Weiss. “With Glossier Play, you’ll find colors you’ve never seen before, luxurious textures that move with you, and products that breath excitement back into your makeup routine".
In fact, Weiss is on a mission to inject an element of playfulness. “We looked at the industry and saw that luxury makeup had become moody, serious and intimidating. These products are meant to breathe fun back into your makeup bag and make getting ready the best part of going out” she says.
It’s notable that five years after its creation, Glossier has stuck so stringently to its principles. In a letter released at the time of Glossier's launch, Weiss noted “it’s easy for fun to fall by the wayside”. Now, with Glossier Play, it's an issue she seeks to address.
With it’s trademark Instagrammable packaging and heavy social media presence it’s easy to see how this brand will be embraced by millennials, but how does it appeal to generations of women? The answer is in creating products that are simple, attractive and most importantly, effective, with silky textures and long-wearing staying power. As for the gutsy shade range? It's best saved for the fearless. This is a brand for women who are comfortable enough to know what they like, but brave enough to try new ways of doing things. “Our job is simply to provide the tools for self expression and leave the rest up to our customers" says Weiss. "Some of these shades are unexpected - [there's everything from khaki to magenta] - but we have a hunch they’ll become the ‘new neutrals’ once they’re in the hands of our customers”. Here's what Glossier Play has in store.
Colorslide Technogel Eye Pencil, £13
This is an intensely pigmented, crease-proof gel liner which glides on effortlessly and comes in 14 shades. You’ll find the classics - black, navy and grey - and modern twists such as a pretty khaki, moss green, deep, sultry burgundy and a skin-warming copper. Joining them are some stand-out shades, too, like eggshell blue and magenta for the rule breakers. Use it with Blade, the brand’s new sharpener.
Vinylic Lip High Shine Lacquer, £14
This is a satisfying click-pen applicator that distributes a wash of high-shine colour across lips. Surprisingly smooth, this offers none of the usual stickiness. Instead it plumps lips with a bold streak of colour. Pick it up in six shades including Baby, a siren red, Bank, a rich plum and Blow-Up, a rose pink.
Glitter Gelée Multigrade Paillettes, £12
This is the answer to disco eyes. Perhaps not one for everyday, it's the ultimate in party make-up, or for a pick-me-up. The glitter gel creates a multi-dimensional sparkle for instant “occasion” eyes. It comes in four flattering shades, a bronzey gunmetal, a burnished gold, a pretty opal and a romantic garnet. It has its own dedicated tool, The Detailer, for precise application.
Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate, £17
A buildable pearlescent highlighter which can be mixed into your base, worn alone or dotted along the high points of your face to give skin a healthy glow. Available in four shades - a deep bronze, a pretty copper, a rose gold and champagne - it works across all skin tones and has a built-in doe-foot applicator to make applying it easy.
