When you think of Glossier, your mind probably conjures up images of the pastel pink packaging, the legendary Boy Brow and the lip products that have become synoymous with the cult label.
From Balm Dotcom in its myriad of flavours and tints, to Generation G, the label knows its way around pout protection. Strangely enough though, despite the ever-increasing variants launched of these two hero products, Glossier was yet to introduce an opaque lippy, until now.
Filling the gap in its offering and to the delight of its loyal fan base, G Suit is the newest product in the range and the brand’s first full-coverage lip product. It’s a unique cream texture that comes in nine shades that range from a lively true blue-red, to a warm peony pink via a cool, dusty mauve. There’s browns, reds, pinks, purples and berries across the full spectrum.
Yet, even though there is an emphasis on vibrant colour, in the signature Glossier style, you can be sure that you’re still treating your pout to the nourishing ingredients that are in its other lip products. The quartet of moisturising ingredients ensure that they are kept moisturised and hydrated, while also offering that sought-after blurred effect when applied onto the lips. Rose wax silica is to thank for that perfectly undone bitten-lip pigment, while black raspberry seed oil counteracts dryness, orchid complex encourages the formula to glide on and shea butter is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants to leave a healthy sheen.
So, does the new lip product withstand the ES Best test? We find out.
Buy now - £18 | Glossier
Ellie Davis, Shopping Editor
Favourite shade: Strike
This is not the kind of product that you can apply without a mirror - not unless you’ve had a lot of practice. The colour is incredibly pigmented and only a little amount makes a big impact. The angled nature of the applicator allows you to follow the contour of your mouth with precision. Once the colour is in place, it doesn’t budge.
Texture-wise, the cream almost looks like a powder on the lips, it’s very lightweight in feel but does have that blurred, bitten look like you’ve dabbed it on using your finger. It’s precisely imprecise in an unusual way. The finish is matte but the feel is far from. Instead of drying your lips and revealing their (sadly) cracked nature, it has a subtle sheen from the moisturising ingredients so no overlay of lip balm necessary.
My shade of choice Tempo is one of those perfect red hues with a slight orange undertone rather than purple/blue. It is spot on in terms of a classic red that seems so challenging to find. This is not a subtle lip product, anything but so we’ll reserve it for when we need a statement making makeup look and keep Balm Dotcom for everyday.
Abha Shah, Deputy Shopping Editor
Favourite shade: Shift
If you’re talking about desert island beauty products, lipstick is clamped firmly in my hand. Forget everything else; I need a good colour to keep my spirits up.
A great tube of lipstick can work wonders, bringing life and animation to your face by using it not just on your lips, but lightly across cheeks as blush and even more faintly as eyeshadow too. I normally have at least two tubes rattling around in the bottom of my bag for emergencies and even more at home. Lippie: I lap it up.
So naturally, Glossier’s latest drop G Suit caught my eye. It’s got a great colour range with options that really will work for all skin tones, wrapped up in the pleasingly stripped back and sleek packaging that is the brand’s hallmark.
With medium tan Indian skin, I went for Shift, a deep red hue and prepared to meet my new handbag favourite. Well, not quite.
The formula caked onto the angled brush which led to an overload on my lips, despite wiping off as much excess as I could. The brush also doesn’t deliver the clean lines I’ve seen in other beauty heavyweights which meant a messy finish along the lip line. And it feels quite drying, probably because it’s a cream with a matte finish rather than a hydrating gloss or tint.
It does hit hard in terms of pigment though. Rich, deep colour that has lasted hours without re-application, so kudos to Glossier for that.
Saskia Kemsley, SEO Shopping Writer
Favourite shade: Tempo
Aside from instantly recognising Glossier’s iconic pastel pink packaging, I went into testing G Suit pretty blind. I find applying any matte, pigmented lip product without a balm underneath blasphemous (the main reason why I’m a die-hard fan of Glossier’s tinted Balm Dot Coms and glossy UltraLips), so I instantly prepped my lips with a layer of Vaseline.
The arrowhead-shaped precision applicator allowed me to glide on the product like butter – something that was surprising given the matte finish – filling in all those hard to reach and problematic corners with the utmost ease. Perhaps due to fact that I primed my lips with Vaseline, I did find that the product went on quite patchily, resulting in the odd spot or clump. This was nothing that couldn’t be solved with a few extra swipes of the applicator.
‘Tempo’ is the most delightful berry hue, which I found complemented my paler complexion. The product wiped-off with a tissue with relative ease, which makes me think that it’s not the kind of matte finish designed for long-wear and totally non-transferrable use – it’ll require a few reapplications throughout the day or night. Nevertheless, simply applying a Glossier lipstick is, in my eyes, part of the aesthetic experience. Touching up your preferred shade in a darkened club, or during brunch, is what being a Glossier girl or guy is all about. The pink tube is designed to be seen.
After removing ‘Tempo’, I applied the next shade, ‘Flip’, without re-moisturising my lips. The summer berry alternative to the initial wintery shade that I tried, to my surprise, the opaque lipstick felt super balmy. It also went on far less patchy than when I applied Vaseline first. Though still easily transferrable (a peck to the back of my hand proved this), it won’t slide off your lips in the same manner as Glossier’s sleek and shiny UltraLip.
My one qualm was that I found it applied quite thinly, meaning that just one layer doesn’t give you a totally opaque appearance. I personally quite liked that some of my natural lip texture was visible and not completely painted, but you’ll need to apply G Suit more than once for a fully finished look.
All in all, I adored both shades, found that my lips felt moisturised by the surprisingly balmy texture and am happy to declare that I am officially an opaque lippy fan. G Suit shall join her pink tube friends in permanent residency in my handbag.
Buy now - £18 | Glossier
