If you’re looking for a refresh in your beauty routine this spring… These brands are for you! From social media giant, Glossier, to the brand born on Etsy, Herbivore Botanicals, if you’re interested in beauty these are some brands that will definitely deliver.
Glossier
Glossier is like that one friend you have who always looks so effortlessly put together. Her hair is perfectly messy like it’s straight out of Pinterest and her skin is glowing and absolutely free from all flaws. You’d guess she does at least two or three face masks a week and always goes to bed before 10 pm, unless of course she’s out with her girl gang.
Glossier is perfect for today’s cool girl. The packaging has a distinguishable aesthetic and the products themselves are innovative and unique compared to other beauty products that exist today. Glossier’s brand is all about the natural beauty that’s underneath. Their slogan “Skin first, makeup second” emphasizes the brand’s commitment to skincare. Glossier has two main lines of products: skincare and beauty.
The brand was created by Emily Weiss. Weiss is from a small town called Wilton, Connecticut. It’s reminiscent of Gilmore Girls, and it was there that while babysitting for a neighbor who worked for Ralph Lauren she managed to convince them to give her a shot at working there. Her love of fashion and her distinguishable taste propelled her further into the industry when she began to work for Condé Nast in various assistant jobs. This was what inspired her to start her own beauty blog: Into The Gloss. From there, her blog gained a cult following as it interviewed beauty insiders and gave suggestions and reviews. Three years later, Glossier the brand was born.
The skincare line includes serums, called the Supers; its very own sunscreen, named Invisible Shield; moisturizers; face wash; and various other products that work to help your skin look its best. It’s makeup line has become expansive as well. It includes lipsticks, liquid blushes, highlighters, concealer, brow gel, and foundation among other things.
The Glossier “look” resembles a fresh face-nothing is overdone. All of their products are meant to enhance the natural beauty that lies beneath it. It leaves you thinking of looks that off-duty models might wear-it looks effortless, easy, and seriously cool.
Milk Makeup
When you think of what a modern cool girl is about, it’s all about minimalism and simplicity. These girls don’t stress themselves out with tons of products. Milk Makeup is all about multi-use and creativity. Their products are meant to be experimented with. Not only that, but the brand is cruelty free. Nothing says being cool like being educated on important issues.
Milk Makeup’s most popular products are fairly unique to others on the market presently. A good number of their products come packaged as sticks. There’s the Cooling Water stick which acts as a de-puffer and soothes irritated skin. One of the most popular products is their Blur Stick which primes the skin and reduces the appearance of pores. They also have a product called the Sunshine Oil which nourishes the skin and moisturizes deeply.
All of the packaging is unique and simplistic, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Milk Makeup is a brand that’s fun and eccentric. It changes what we think makeup should look like and presents it as what makeup could look like. The beauty line is cool and quirky, but it’s also functional and straightforward.
The Ouai
The Ouai (pronounced “way”) is a hair care line created by Jen Atkin. For those who don’t know her, she’s a hairstylist to the Kardashians, Jessica Alba, and JLo, too. She created the line for her celebrity clients who wanted their hair to look healthy and felt healthy, but they didn’t have the time to go through the expensive and burdensome treatments that could provide those results. That’s why the Ouai boasts nutrient rich formulas in its brand. One of its most recognizable products, the Ouai Wave Spray, has coconut oil and other plant extracts that nourish your hair and rice proteins that make it hold a wave.
One unique product that the Ouai offers are supplements for hair. Yes, actual, little pills that you can take that are meant to help with an array of issues from thinning, to oiliness, and dryness. Aktins teamed up with a doctor to create these supplements to fix hair problems that styling products alone couldn’t fix. The supplements include amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids, which both help make hair shiny, strong, and healthy. Another supplement contains biotin which increases elasticity and growth. The last supplement contains vitamins A, B, and E help regulate sebum production in the hair, which reduces oiliness.
The Ouai offers styling products, supplements, and even shampoo and conditioner that can be selected for your specific hair type by taking a quiz on their website. Among all their products, the brand also sells merch of the brand, ranging from slippers to tees and pins to hats. From their fun merch and chic packaging, the brand has a large following with at least 401k followers on Instagram, and Atkin herself at 2.2M followers.
Herbivore Botanicals
Herbivore Botanicals is an all natural skincare brand based in Seattle. It was started by husband and wife team, Alex Kummerow and Julia Wills. Kummerow bought Wills a soap making starter kit in 2011, and she was hooked. Wills quit her job and focussed on making soap. She ended up making so much that she and Kummerow began to sell it at their local farmer’s market and on Etsy.
Etsy is where the brand blew up. Urban Outifitters, Anthropologie, and Sephora all reached out to Herbivore Botanicals. Their Etsy shop is still up, but no longer takes any orders. Since they’ve grown, the branch has expanded past just soaps. Now they make clay masks, facial oils, body polishes, and moisturizers, plus more. The brand draws heavily on inspiration from Hawaii, specifically Kauai, where the couple spends a lot of time. Many of their ingredients are tropical, including coconut, hibiscus, pineapple, and jasmine.
The aesthetic of the brand also helped launch it into popularity. Wills drew the inspiration for the packaging from old, luxury fragrances. The packaging really helped Herbivore Botanicals move past its reputation as a hippie, all natural brand. The combination of all natural ingredients and chic packaging has elevated Herbivore Botanicals to a level of popularity that Wills and Kummerow never anticipated.
Hopefully, this is a helpful guide! Have fun this spring, and don’t be afraid to try new products–they could be life changing!