When it comes to makeup, I’ve always been a Sephora kind of girl. There was the thrill of going into the store, getting a free 15-minute makeover and trying the newest, innovative products in the beauty world. But what I was missing out on was a brand that sells on their own website, one whose product quality is equally as phenomenal as Sephora, if not more: Glossier.

The affordable yet premium beauty company, which sells makeup, skin care, body, and fragrance products, started as an online-only shop but recently opened a showroom and pop-up on Lafayette Street in Manhattan’s Soho. As someone who was unfamiliar with the products they carried, I was incredibly curious to check out the showroom...and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. There was a myriad of people sampling items in the pale pink and white colored room, as well as ladies in lab coats providing excellent customer service to those who wanted to place an order. Once you picked out the products that you wanted to take home with you, the employee would tap her iPad a few times and within a few minutes, your name would be called and you would be handed an adorable plastic logo bag with the items you chose. I took home a load of new merchandise--below you will see descriptions of some of my faves:

1. Body Hero Daily Oil Wash: Inspired by oil cleansers and creams used on your countenance, this seven-oil blend cleanses, hydrates, and refreshes your skin. It sucks out grime and sweat prior to providing a smooth layer of moisture that leaves your skin feeling baby-fresh. The after-scent even smells like baby powder due to an orange blossom neroli blend! After a long day of dance, this product was a huge relief for my dry, calloused skin; I highly recommend it, especially as skin gets dry when seasons are changing.

2. Balm Dot Com: One of the brand’s most popular products, this universal skin salve is usually used as a hydrating, long-lasting lip balm. It is packed with antioxidants and natural emollients to moisturize and repair your skin, such as castor seed oil, beeswax, rice bran, and rosemary leaf extract. You can also apply it to cuticles and rough skin patches if they need an extra boost of hydration. Another plus: the salve comes in different flavors! The one that I purchased at the showroom was “Birthday,” inspired by popular dessert shop Milk Bar’s famous cake. I loved how the balm gave my lip a holographic, shimmery finish that left me feeling confident when I left my house.

3. Milk Jelly Cleanser: although many people love to use gritty cleansers because they exfoliate your skin, those are not always great to use daily. However, Glossier’s Milk Jelly Cleanser is the perfect product to utilize twice a day! You can apply it to wet skin as you wash your face in the morning or even on dry skin in the nighttime to dissolve makeup and grime. Its creamy gel formula, which is also pH balanced, does not fail to leave your skin feeling mega healthy and soft (I mean, it’s made with five different conditioners!). The cleanser is also made with poloxamer, the same cleansing agent used in contact solution, so it will clean pores while staying gentle around the eye area. After one use, I established this item as my newest go-to cleanser

4. Priming Moisturizer: I no longer need to spend my cash on both a high-quality primer and moisturizer. This hydrating creme does double duty! The moisturizer had a light, creamy feel to it and plumped my skin with moisture to create a fresh canvas to paint makeup on top of. Not to mention, it did a fantastic job of blurring pores on my skin, as well as reducing redness and inflammation, thanks to the anti-redness complex (a soothing mix of tea and honey) in the product. It’s a win-win-win-win-win situation!

5. Boy Brow: As someone who is extremely faithful to Benefit brow products, I have to admit that I was hesitant purchasing an item from another brand. But Glossier’s grooming pomade exceeded my expectations tremendously. Its creamy wax formula, inspired by traditional hair pomade, is nothing short of brilliance and left my brows thickened, filled in, and kept in their place without feeling too stiff (thanks to natural beeswax and carnauba wax in it). Boy Brow comes in four shades: blonde, brown, black, or clear. I recommend getting one shade lighter than your hair color (I got blonde) to leave your eyebrows looking natural yet filled in and perfectly groomed. And not only has Glossier filled in my brows for me, but also filled a makeup and skincare void in my life ;-)

Go to www.glossier.com to shop their variety of products!