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Monday, January 11, 2016

Review: Glossier Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve and Priming Moisturizer Buildable Hydrating Creme

Glossier Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve and
Priming Moisturizer Buildable Hydrating Creme
(retail: $12 - $25)

Even if you don't read Into The Gloss, I'm guessing you've already heard of Glossier at this point. But just in case you haven't, Glossier is a brand of skincare that was created by Emily Weiss in 2014. Emily Weiss is also the founder of Into The Gloss. If you're new to the brand, I strongly encourage you to read more about Emily and the brand HERE, to get a general idea of the brand's philosophy. For even more info about how the brand was created, definitely check out Emily's Glossier introductory post from 2014 HERE.

Before I get into my review, I should mention that Glossier products are only available online. You can purchase them directly from the Glossier site HERE (shipping is $4.50 on all orders, but if you order the Phase 1 Set, shipping is always free). If you're outside of the US, you can purchase Glossier Balm Dotcom in a 3-pack on Net-a-Porter HERE (NOTE: if you're in the US, Net-A-Porter offers free ground shipping on all US orders, so that's one way to get around shipping fees). I also want to mention that I spotted some Glossier listings on Amazon, but they all say "out of stock" (like this one).

By the way, I want to mention that the Phase 1 Set, which contains both Balm Dotcom and Priming Moisturizer, as well Skin Perfecting Tint and the brand new Milky Jelly Cleanser, retails for $80 with free shipping, but today and tomorrow only you can get $10 off with code HEY2016 on the Glossier site HERE (ends at Midnight on 1/12).

I purchased my products from the Glossier website a little over three months ago, so I want to show you what the packaging looks like (because it's ridiculously cute):


Full disclosure: pale pink is my favorite color. So Glossier already started to win me over with this cute box.


My order came with a sheet of super-cute stickers and a pamphlet containing product info about the entire range:



I know it's not a huge deal, but I think that little unexpected touches like a smiley face and waving hand on the bottom of the box are so nice. It indicates to me that the people behind the products care about your entire experience, including "unboxing". 


The products themselves come in a pink zippered bubble pouch.

Glossier Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve
(retail: $12, 0.68 oz.)
Priming Moisturizer Buildable Hydrating Creme
(retail: $25, 1.7 oz.)

PLEASE NOTE: Both tubes look a little deflated in my pics, and that's because I actually forgot to take pics of these products before I first started using them (aaaah, the life of a beauty blogger!). So keep in mind that the photos of these tubes were taken after I already started testing the products (a few weeks in). Both tubes were nice and full when I first received them.

Let's talk about the pricing for a moment. I think that both products are priced fairly, but I think the moisturizer is priced more fairly than the salve. Why? Well even drugstore moisturizers can cost from between $20 and $40 these days, and oftentimes you may pay around $25 for 1.0 oz. This Glossier moisturizer contains 1.7 oz. for $25. Totally in line with drugstore pricing.

As for the salve, well if you were only going to use this on your lips, this tube would last you forever, making the $12 price tag a bit easier to justify. But since this product is designed as an all-in-one salve for cuticles, rough patches, scrapes, chapped lips, etc., I think it's a bit pricey considering that it's $12 for 0.68 oz. For comparison, other popular petroleum-based all-in-one salves like Smith's Rosebud Salve retail for $6 (0.8 oz.), while Lucas Pawpaw retails for around $9 (0.9 oz.). But I'll get into whether I feel the price of Glossier is justified (for me at least), in a moment.

Priming Moisturizer Buildable Hydrating Creme
(retail: $25, 1.7 oz.)

Ingredients
(Made in the USA)


Glossier Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve
(retail: $12, 0.68 oz.)

Ingredients
(Made in the USA)


Priming Moisturizer (left), Balm Dotcom (right)

Priming Moisturizer Buildable Hydrating Creme Review

I have been using this moisturizer off and on (more "on" than "off") for three months now, primarily in the daytime. In short, I LOVE IT. As you can see in my swatch above, this is a thin formula (sort of reminds me of Olay Complete, in terms of consistency). It's not super watery, so it doesn't come rushing out of the tube or anything like that. But it's very easy to spread across the skin, and it sinks in very quickly, even on my oily skin. 

In the months that I've been using this product, I can tell you that my skin feels considerably softer to the touch, and I love how it makes my makeup look. I feel that it does truly "prime" the skin, making my skin ready for smooth makeup application. It's not that this is a two-in-one primer + moisturizer for me, because it doesn't act as a foundation primer in the sense that it doesn't significantly extend the wear-time of my makeup, but it makes my makeup LOOK better. This product doesn't make my makeup look greasy or cakey throughout the day, but I actually find that it does extend the wear-time of my foundation and powder by a tiny bit (not for hours and hours, but things seem to stay put a little bit longer when I wear this moisturizer). I was totally not expecting that.

What I love the most about this moisturizer is that it's fragrance-free (lately my skin is a bit more sensitive to highly-fragranced skincare), and it just makes my skin feel so darned soft. I also love that this product delivers some lasting moisturization, which I appreciate in the cold weather we're currently experiencing in my area. Since I have oily skin, it's tricky to moisturize without my skin feeling like an oil slick by mid-day. I do not get that from this product. I feel that it delivers some nicely balanced moisturization that lasts from morning to night. I have not experienced any unusual skin irritation or breakouts while I've been using this product. Overall, I think this is a solid moisturizer that does exactly what I hoped it would do. It moisturizers, doesn't turn my face into an oil slick, doesn't break me out, and it makes my makeup look better.

Glossier Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve Review

If you had asked me how I felt about this product before I tried it on my lips, I would have said "Meh. It's nothing special." When I first got this, I was excited to try it on my cuticles, rough patches, and skin irritations. I find that for those three purposes, this product works about the same as plain ol' Vaseline for me (both are petroleum-based). But unlike Vaseline, this product also contains other skin-loving ingredients such as castor seed oil, lanolin, rice bran oil, etc. So it kind of bummed me out that I didn't really see any dramatic improvement to my cuticles or rough patches when I used this salve.

But then I tried it on my lips.

For the record, I have chronically dry lips, and I'm a lip balm fanatic. I own and enjoy a lot of pricier lip treatments including but not limited to Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment, Anthony Advanced Formula Lip Balm, and Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm. I also own Smith's Rosebud Salve and Lucas Pawpaw. When my lips start to get chapped (when they start to sting, turn red, and flake), I have used all of the products listed above as overnight treatments. I have applied them all before bed, hoping to find some serious relief and healing by morning. At best, with all of the products I mentioned above, I have seen good, but not great, improvement in the morning. But Glossier was MUCH better. 

About three weeks ago, my lips were starting to get that red, burning, stinging feeling, and I knew I had to take action before things got worse. So I decided it would be a good time to try Glossier Balm Dotcom on my lips. I applied a thin layer right before bed and hoped for the best. Well, in the morning I was absolutely shocked to discover that the stinging feeling was gone, the redness was gone, and the dryness was about 10% of what it was the night before. I repeated this process the next night and by day two, my lips were completely back to normal. I have to tell you that this never happens with my other lip treatments. I usually have to slather at night, and then apply multiple times in the day to get mild relief (even with Fresh, my most expensive lip treatment). 

I realize that everyone's skin is different, and there may be some of you who love this product on your cuticles, dry patches, AND lips. And there are some of you who probably won't think it's that great for any of those areas. All I can tell you is that I wasn't wowed by this product until I tried it on my lips. For me, it's absolutely magical for my lips, and I'm so very, very happy I took a chance on it.

I should also mention that this salve is fragrance-free (no scent at all to me), and the flavor tastes pretty much like petroleum jelly. But it doesn't FEEL like petroleum jelly on my lips. It's creamier than that, and not quite as slick and greasy. It's slick--don't get me wrong--but it's not a super greasy and thin type of slick. This salve has some heft to it, and the staying power is great.


I also want to mention that in addition to loving both of these products, I absolutely adore the understated packaging. As I mentioned before, my favorite color is pale pink and well, how could I NOT love that signature "G" on the packaging??

FINAL VERDICT: There's a lot of hype about Glossier right now, and I went into it intrigued, yet skeptical. But I can now tell you that after three months of using these products, I adore them both. If the Priming Moisturizer also contained SPF, I think it would be my new holy grail facial moisturizer (because I'm lazy like that I love moisturizers that also contain SPF). It doesn't contain SPF, but I still love it and reach for it just about every morning to wear underneath my makeup. I love how it makes my makeup look, and I love how it hydrates my skin, leaving it so soft to the touch without turning it into an oil slick. As for Balm Dotcom, it's not a winner for me in terms of being a universal all-in-one salve, but I absolutely love it as a lip treatment. For me personally, it works better than all of my other salves and lip treatments when it comes to soothing and healing my severely chapped lips. So the $12 price tag is completely justified for me, since one tube will last forever if I'm only using it on my lips. If you've been intrigued by the idea of Glossier, I hope this review helps. I cannot wait to purchase some other products from this line based on my experience with the salve and moisturizer.

Again, Glossier products are only available online. You can purchase them directly from the Glossier site HERE (shipping is $4.50 on all orders, but if you order the Phase 1 Set, shipping is always free). If you're outside of the US, you can purchase Glossier Balm Dotcom in a 3-pack on Net-a-Porter HERE (NOTE: if you're in the US, Net-A-Porter offers free ground shipping on all US orders, so that's one way to get around shipping fees).

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
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26 comments

  1. I'm not impressed with the ingredient list on that moisturizer. There's no red flag, but there's no anti-aging ingredients or anything other than simple moisturizers and aloe in there. The botanicals are pretty much for show--there no good evidence either of them will do anything. If all you want is a simple moisturizer, you can certainly get it for far cheaper than that. You can also get a much better formulation for skin health like olay or cerave for that price point, and if you are willing to look outside the drugstore, you can get far superior formulas from Korean brands for a fraction of that price.
    Fragrance free could be the REAL selling point though for those of us with really sensitive skin or scent allergies. WHY is it so hard to find good fragrance-free skin care? I can always add the scent I want, but I can't take it out! Many a promising product has landed in the bin for that offense at my house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for sharing your opinions here!

      All I can tell you (and what I always strive to tell you in my reviews), is how these products work for me. And there's something about this particular combination of ingredients in this moisturizer that works very well for my skin. I have used Olay Complete (used to use it for years) and it always turned my skin super greasy by mid-day (I just "dealt" with it). So when I find something that makes my makeup look great, doesn't turn my skin into an oil slick, doesn't break me out, and also delivers the perfect amount of hydration to my oily skin, that's a winning combo in my book.

      But like you said, there are certainly a ton of other options out there, and I'm glad you have found some winners at lower price-points! :)

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  2. I got two sample sin the mail. Unfortunately, I could not try them as the product was squeezed out the top of the packet by the machine at the post office .

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  3. I have the coconut balm dotcom and it is a nice scent. If you subscribe to the site they sometimes have free shipping offers, that's how I got mine.

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    Replies
    1. I was wondering about the coconut version! Thank you, and thank you for the tip about the free shipping offers! :)

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  4. I agree with the first poster. The ingredients list is a far cry from HG status to me; I stalk my local TJMaxx and Marshalls often and they have a decent collection of all natural facial products with better ingredients and lower price point than the products listed here. That's not to say this product doesnt work - just that it's not worth the hype. If it's skincare you're looking for, many Asian companies are the bomb.com in that dept.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your opinions! I agree with much of what you said but for me personally, these products were actually worth the hype. As a result of blogging, I've tested and reviewed many, many moisturizers (natural brands, mass/drugstore, indie, Asian, etc) over the years and, for whatever reason, this one works so beautifully for my particular skin that I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! Lol. As for Asian skincare, I'm a huge fan (I have some new reviews coming up, actually, if you like Asian skincare reviews!). :)

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  5. Thank you G as always for your thorough and honest review. I have been looking for a great lip treatment and have been debating between most of the products you said you already own. Now I have decided to try the Balm dotcom. If this works as well for me as it did for you, you will have saved me a lot of money once again! Thank you :-)

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    Replies
    1. You're so welcome! I really appreciate the kind words, and you now have me on pins and needles as to how you're going to like Balm Dotcom! Please, please keep me posted after you get it? My fingers are crossed!! :)

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  6. I realize I'm saying this given that you love the Salve for your lips, but have you ever tried Bite Beauty's lip mask? I got it last winter when my lips suddenly started to chap while sleeping. It was my God send. And it smells and tastes amazing. Plus the tube is only half way finished and I've been using it often all year long. (Which makes up for the hefty price tag.)

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    Replies
    1. It's so funny that you say that, because I've been hoarding some samples for the last few months! I want to stockpile free samples so that I can try them for an extended period of time before I commit to a full-size purchase. Since it's so pricey, I need to make sure I REALLY love it. :)

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    2. You can always ask for a sample at Sephora. If you're friendly with a sales gal, they usually give generous samples.

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  7. Thanks for this review, I've been curious about trying these products for a while now! I too suffer with dry, chapped lips so will definitely be giving the salve a go.

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    Replies
    1. You're so welcome!! I would absolutely love to know what you think when you get it! Please keep me posted? Fingers crossed! :)

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  8. While I don't think these products will work for me, I LOVE that they are mostly fragrance free. (I see the cleanser contains rosewater, unfortunately) So many times I have to disregard excellent reviews of a product because it contains fragrance! I hope one day it'll be next to impossible to find fragranced facial care instead of the other way around :) Glad you found something to help your lips!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, KD! And yeah, hopefully we see more fragrance free skincare options this year! Just recently my skin has become a bit sensitive to highly-fragranced skincare...when I was younger it never bothered me at all. :(

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  9. You should try the Paula's Choice Lip and Body Balm. My mom, sister, and I all have chronically dry/allergy prone lips. This is the only thing I've found that works. I got them both hooked on it now. And it's great for elbows too. If you're a new PC customer you can get $10 off $15 with this link (and the balm is $12). https://goo.gl/Z6NgeZ

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  10. I love aquaphor for my lips. Now they have a "lip treatment" too, not sure if its any different, but aquaphor for me is HG.

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  11. Hey G, I found a code that gave me $5 off site wide AND free shipping! Like you, I seem to be having major problems with dry & flaking lips lately. So I got the Balm Dot Com for only $7 shipped, whoo!
    Code is: MILKYJELLYRACHEL. What a win, glad I did a search. I'd have bought the moisturizer too, but I JUST bought the ELF daily basic moisturizer so I gotta limit myself somehow.
    Thanks for all you do for your readers!

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  12. Aquaphor Lip Repair is HG for me. It's even more effective if I put a dab of cocoa butter Vaseline over it. Try that: the lip repair should be around $5 for a tube that will last for months of bedtime applications.

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  13. I'm just so-so about the balm dotcom. There's nothing wrong with it but I like others better. I find it sinks into my lips so much that there's nothing left when I wake up.

    But I LOVE the moisturizer! I am on my second tube now. I have dry skin and strictly use this as a daytime moisturizer (need something heavier at night). I realize that there are no special magical ingredients in it but, like you, I find it just WORKS for me.

    BTW, I also like the skin tint a lot. It's very, very lightweight and thin, but gives you a glowy complexion. I don't find that it gives much coverage at all but it's great for those days you don't feel like going all out. Also, I often use it and then concealer for the spots that need a bit more, a bit of Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder on top, and it looks great!

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  14. I love their branding and packaging and love the concept of a "no makeup look". Can you relay any experiences with the tint or their new makeup line? Also, where and how does sun protection fit into their Phase 1 regimen? After the face wash and before the moisturizer I presume? I emailed their customer service address with these inquiries and received a disappointing (canned) response.

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  15. I'm going to be 48 this summer. Was attracted to this brand because growing up/living in Hawaii, I don't wear much makeup. That said, I love the moisturizer and skin tint! I watched the YouTube on how to apply (I was using too sparingly) and it just...works! Evens out the uneven skin tone; makes me look glowing but not oily ( I do have combo skin). I will re-order. I have used Oil of Olay BB/CC (the spf made it too white). I use this for the office; if I'm in the sun on the weekend, I have my sunscreen.

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  16. Interesting, I bought the salve recently, and it's now marketed as "coconut balm dotcom" universal skin salve, has sort-of the same ingredients as yours, rearranged, WITH fragrance, which is coconut, as far as I can tell and synthetic, since there is no coconut extract of any kind in the list.

    ReplyDelete

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