Glossier, CLE Cosmetics, and RMS Beauty are brands I'm very familiar with; I've been using Glossier's Cloud Paint, Balm Dotcom, and Generation G Lipsticks as well as CLE Cosmetics' Melting Lip Powders for a long time now, and the one RMS Beauty product I used in the past was a dud. But December wound up being the month where I tried a bunch of products from these brands that were either new or new to me, with interesting results.
Glossier: Stretch Concealer + Wowder
A lot of Glossier's products have been elevated to cult status, with their fans swearing up and down that they're holy grail, must-have items. Two of these products — the Stretch Concealer and Wowder — have been hyped up enough that I've been super curious about trying them, so I asked Zack for them for Christmas.
The loving guy that he is, he came through and I had quite the little pile of Glossier gifts under the tree, including the concealer and powder.
Stretch Concealer, shade G10: I'll start by saying that choosing the right shade was pretty difficult, and one of the reasons why I can't stand online-only brands (and no, having two stores on opposite US seaboards and a temporary pop-up that hops around the globe doesn't change their online-only status). I wear NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer every day in the shade Medium 1.5 Macadamia, which is a perfect match for my skin tone; going off of Glossier's somewhat limited product descriptions, I went with shade G10 (light-medium), but I think I may have chosen the wrong shade.
In a side-by-side comparison to my NARS concealer, the Stretch Concealer appears more pink and cool toned in person than on the models on the site. It's not the worst color match I've ever experienced, and does make my eyes look a little brighter, but it's not the perfect color match of Macadamia. I'm wondering if G9 (warm-medium) would've been a better choice (I suspect it is, but I have my reasons for not wanting to order another one of these, which I'll get into shortly).
Ultimately the shade choice didn't end up mattering much because this product just hasn't worked out for me since I've been using it. The product description claims this concealer is buildable, and it is — if you want it to look cakey. Like most of Glossier's products, this isn't meant to be full coverage even if they're trying to sell it as being buildable. This is clearly meant to be a light coverage, "I'm just running out to do a couple quick errands" sort of makeup, or "I don't have dark circles but for some reason I'm wearing under eye concealer anyway" sort of makeup. Attempting to layer too much on is going to catch up with you later on in the day, especially if your skin is as oily as mine is.
The NARS concealer does a really amazing job at covering up my dark circles, lasting all day, and never making my under eyes look dry or cakey. One or two layers of the Stretch Concealer isn't enough to cover mine up; if I use more to cover them I can expect my under eyes to look like a hot mess really fast, and if I use less to avoid the cake I may as well just not be wearing any concealer at all. This concealer also causes bad mascara transfer and raccoon eyes, which never happens to me with the NARS Radiant Creamy.
The last test of this concealer is to just wear one or two light layers and not set my under eyes, to see if the product on its own lasts longer. But I can't recommend this product, especially for fellow oily-skinned individuals. I'll be sticking with my NARS concealer.
Wowder, shade G8-G10: My experience with the Wowder was like night and day compared to the Stretch Concealer. I've tried a few different powders and setting sprays to try and control my oil production and nothing has ever made a difference. If anything, I've felt like I'm even oilier by the end of the day when I use those products, and have given up on trying to find something that works.
While Wowder doesn't totally eliminate my shine (I don't think there will ever be anything to keep my forehead in check), it does make a considerable difference on my nose and cheeks, without making me look super matte and dulling my skin's natural sheen. This powder is light as air, and the brush is crazy soft.
The powder wound up being a better color match than the concealer, despite the fact that the concealer is in the same shade range as the powder. It doesn't look like I'm wearing powder and disappears into my skin tone. Wowder can be purchased either on its own or with the brush; while I have a powder brush, I decided to get the brush since it's designed for use with the Wowder. I think the Wowder would perform well even if you were using your own, non-Glossier brush (as any product worth its salt should), so don't feel like you have to buy the brush (though it is really nice).
Unlike the Stretch Concealer, I can and do recommend Wowder if you're looking for a natural looking setting powder that actually does achieve some oil control, without making you look unnaturally flat and powdered.
RMS Beauty: lip2cheek
The only RMS Beauty product I'd used before their lip2cheek is their Eye Polish, which is one of the worst beauty products I've ever used. As with Glossier, RMS Beauty embraces the no-makeup makeup/natural makeup look, which is how I prefer to wear my makeup, as well, and why RMS Beauty appealed to me. But after their Lunar Eye Polish lasted about an hour before settling into my lids and almost completely disappearing, I was turned off of the brand and didn't want to try anything else.
After stepping into a local shop the day before New Year's Eve, I saw their RMS Beauty display and decided to swatch some stuff, and came across the lip2cheek product. This is a multitasking product that can be used as both lip and cheek color; the color Spell really drew me in, so after swatching it on the back of my hand I decided to give it a try.
As a lip product, this isn't great but not horrible. The color is barely visible and the texture becomes less creamy on the lips; I don't suffer from chapped lips, but if you do this is an unforgiving product that wouldn't be great for you and will stick to any dry patches in a strange way. It's better to add as a base under another lip color, especially if you're trying to tone something down or make it more nude (Spell is described as a "modern nude dusty rose" on RMS' site). As a blush, it's beautiful. I loved the flush of color this gave and the fact that it was able to stand up to my oily face and last. The color is natural and very flattering, and while it's not the best lip product, this shade is especially pretty for a monochromatic look on the eyes and cheeks.
I'm on the fence about recommending this, solely because of the cost. I think it's a lovely blush, but not at $36.00 for such a small pot. But if you don't mind the cost and are looking for a blush from a clean beauty brand, this one is pretty nice.
CLE Cosmetics: Melting Lip Powder
I've been a big fan of CLE Cosmetics' Melting Lip Powder since I discovered them about a year and a half ago. The formula is extremely interesting: in the bottle it's a powder, but once you use the doe foot applicator to put it on your lips, it turns into a quasi liquid and feels almost cool to the touch. The result is pillowy soft, matte color on your lips. I have the colors Hot Choco and Mocha Creme, but once I saw their new color, Nude Blush, I knew I had to try it.
Nude Blush is a perfect springtime color. It definitely comes off as more "blush" than "nude" on me, and I think looks best as a blush as opposed to a lip color. (The Melting Lip Powders are encouraged to be used as a multitasking product on the eyes and cheeks, in addition to the lips.) Used in the winter when it's cold, the pink color on the cheeks gives you that "I've been out in the wind" flushed looked.
For those of you looking for a more nude shade (who are somewhere around my skin tone), I'd recommend Mocha Creme. If you're looking for more of a brown based nude with a little pink, go with Hot Choco. Also, be aware that a little goes a VERY long way with this product; I honestly think it's going to take me years to get through one of these bottles, let alone three. In order to avoid wasting powder, slowly remove the doe foot applicator from the bottle. The powder can run all over if you're not careful; I tend to slowly remove the applicator and then tap it on the inside of the sides of the mouth of the bottle to remove any excess. You also don't want to get any of that powder on your clothes, because I have no idea if it stains.
Note: I'm not affiliated with these brands and links in this post are not affiliate links. They're included merely for your convenience.
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