🎶 Why do you build me up, Buttercup, baby 🎶 Just to let me down, and mess me around 🎶
This song by The Foundations played in my head as I glared down at Glossier’s Generation G before tossing it in the bin. Just kidding, I haven’t thrown it away yet. But yes, I splurged on the infamous lipstick, and frankly, I feel… for lack of a better term, betrayed. The gang over at Glossier’s HQ has always had a knack for creating products most of us didn’t even know we needed. From the Milky Jelly Cleanser to the Haloscope, it seems like this millennial perennial fave of a beauty empire can do no wrong in the industry.
I haven’t met anyone who didn’t want to look like the Glossier girl who’s constantly surrounded in an air of je ne sais quoi, so I decided to pick up Glossier’s Generation G in ‘Like’ as well as the Boy Brow in ‘Clear’ in the hopes of bearing a little more semblance to the brand’s poster children. While the Boy Brow literally took my arches to new heights (it has found a permanent spot in my tiny holy grail group), the Generation G fell way short of expectations. Let’s see what went wrong here.
By Jade Yeo
Apparently, Glossier upgraded their Gen Gs in formula as well as packaging, giving their translucent white tubes an opaque renovation which makes them a little less flimsy. When I took off the cap for the first time, I thought I was sent the wrong shade because as you can see, it looks really dark for a “light powdery pink”.
PROS
Though the colour looks super pigmented in the tube, it goes on sheer, and it’s actually a perfect match because I wanted a… what the kids call… MLBB (My Lips But Better) shade. It glides on smoothly and does exactly what it claims: gives the look and finish of blotted lipstick, sans blotting. These Gen G mattes would probably work best for those who are new to lipsticks, since the shades are soft and they deposit the right amount of colour, so you can’t really go wrong with them. It gives the impression of effortlessness, when the truth is, you paid an unjust amount for the product sitting on your lips.
CONS
When I gave the lipstick a quick sniff, I died a bit inside. Nevertheless, I proceeded to swipe it on my lips, and…
Instant regret. As someone who’s gone through 4 tubes of natural, organic lipsticks consecutively, being introduced to the Generation G was like punishing my lips with a formula that’s equivalent to toxic waste. Not only does it smell like burnt plastic (or Crayola, as a few negative reviews have compared it to), it tastes like it too. As the day went by (I was hell bent on wearing this out for a full day), that taste dissipated a little, but so did its ability to keep my lips moisturised. They were parched by the second hour and the colour was starting to settle into the cracks. Not a good look at all.
I know they were aiming for a matte finish but the formula is almost devoid of hydrating components. That’s not how it’s done. While that could be easily remedied with a coat of lip balm under the Generation G, I simply can’t forgive the smell and taste of it. I don’t even wanna think about accidentally ingesting some of this. In fact, I wore my Gen G out of the house this morning (second time’s the charm?) in preparation for this review, but by the time I reached the office, I wiped it off and put on my Juice Beauty lipstick instead. Much better.
A note to Glossier: Please get rid of that repulsive scent and amp up the moisture – I want this to work out between us. Until then, it seems like we’re just not meant to be.
Glossier Generation G, $34.80. Available from altcos.com.
Main image: Glossier Facebook
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