Back in January during the Grammys, Glossier teased it had something big coming. We’re not talking a regular Instagram reveal or some random influencer paid to wear it on the carpet. Nah, the brand got Beyoncé to show up in its mystery product and pose for a photo, which it later shared on Insta with the caption: “Beyoncé wears ___ in ___ (coming soon)✨👀”
Now we finally know what that blank is: Lidstar, Glossier’s first eyeshadow. The newcomer made its official debut on Sunday night at Oscars, where it was spotted on the lids of five more red-carpet heavy hitters: Allison Janney, Greta Gerwig, Tiffany Haddish, Taraji P. Henson, and Maya Rudolph.
Lidstar comes in six creamy, shimmer eyeshadow formulas, ranging from a muted champagne (Moon), pale pink (Slip), and soft lavender (Lily) to three deeper, more intense colors, Fawn (a smoky taupe), Cub (a deep rose gold), and Herb (a golden olive), which is the darkest of the bunch. Each comes with a doe-foot applicator in a millennial-pink-capped tube that, so far, has been compared to everything from Tampax to Caboodles lip gloss to one of those containers nurses use when they draw your blood (chicccc). They’re $18 for one tube or $30 if you buy a duo; a little more than you want to pay, but probably will anyway. Glossier and willpower rarely fall in the same sentence unless that sentence is “I have no willpower when it comes to Glossier.”
Makeup artist Dionne Wynn, who used a combination of Herb and Moon on Haddish at the Oscars, says you can use a brush to put it on if you want more control. For Haddish, she used a round fluffy brush to set the base and a pointy tapered brush to smudge Herb on the lower lashes, then went back with her fingers to add Moon to the center of the lid. But honestly, they’re easier to swipe on with the applicator and smudge around with your fingers.
I know that’s a tired, marketing-type selling point for “effortless” and “cool-girl” makeup brands—believe me, I’m usually the first to roll my eyes at it—but these really are easy and, surprisingly, unmessy. Once they dry, they’re set. And since the color is way more sheer than its swatch teaser implies (the photos in the actual campaign images are more true to wear), your fingers aren’t left with pigment everywhere; just a soft wash of shimmer.
As Haddish put it after trying them, she ready.
That vibe certainly isn’t for everyone, though, so I called in backup and grabbed Glamour staffers who run the gamut in terms of makeup preference. Here’s what each of them had to say.
Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer
First impression: They remind me so much of milky jelly pens. I collected them like a fiend throughout my childhood, so that’s a high compliment (also, the aughts ride again). Think the glowy, self-powered luminescence of milky jelly pens, in a shimmery eyeshadow formula. Tantalizing.
Loves: I’ve recently been getting back into eyeshadow, but I’m an outlier in my friend group. Collectively, we have palette fatigue, but the Lidstars are so easy that I think they’ll be an exception (and even my friends who don’t care about makeup know about Glossier, which does seem like the brand’s key to success). I’d call it a shadow stain, since after the color melts in, your skin shines through. Feel how you may about the brand’s Skin Tint, but in shadow form with some shimmery, pearly action, it’s cool. The formula also lasts like crazy.
Gripes: It’s so sheer you can’t mess it up, but it’s also a little dissatisfying if you really want payoff. The darker shades are buildable, but there’s really just the one dark green shade. Also, as the most boring person in the room, I want more brown and bronze colors.
Favorite color: Lily! The lilac. It feels like a Britney Spears video, “…Baby One More Time” era. Bianca in 10 Things I Hate About Youwould wear it. It’s a defined vibe.
Would she buy it? As much as $20 pains me for a tube this size…yes.
Ana Colón, fashion editor
First impression: Is it a gloss? I feel like I would accidentally put this on my lips. But it’s pretty.
Loves: I like the applicator and that the formula goes on liquid, so I can move it around and clean up mistakes quickly. But as soon as I stop touching it, it dries. It looks crazy in the tube but good on.
Gripes: I wish it came with a guide to help you blend. Hopefully, they’ll make some tutorials.
Favorite shade: Fawn. The brownish one. It’s something I can wear every day and looks like the color of my eyes. It doesn’t feel too crazy, and I like that I can wear it with nothing else.
Final call: Maybe. Actually, I’d say yes, since I have trouble buying eyeshadow. I don’t get it and never can tell the difference with palettes. This formula legit felt special—it’s just maybe not for the Kylie Jenners of the world.
Azadeh Valanejad, social video producer
First impression: The applicator is interesting—looking at it, I wonder whether it’ll be easy to blend eyeshadow the way I want it to. Also, this packaging looks like a test tube!
Loves: I really like the deeper, more pigmented colors, which is exactly what in eyeshadow. The light ones are pretty but blend in too much to my medium skin. I also love that it stays on really well. It doesn’t transfer or crease at all once it dries.
Gripes: It’s a lot more sheer that I thought it would be. I guess that’s Glossier’s thing, but I wasn’t expecting that. Honestly, if you didn’t tell me, I’d think the lighter colors were lipgloss. It’s very misleading!
Favorite color: I love the deep pink, Cub. I’d probably use the light one, Moon, for my brow bone highlight. And for day-to-day, I’d do rose gold with the purple.
Would she buy it?: I’m not sure, TBH. When I got home and showered, it was NOT coming up or smudging in any way, so it’s A+ quality. The application is just so strange to me.
Blake Newby, beauty assistant
First impression: I love how cute the packaging is.
Loves: I love, love, love the formula and how smooth these feel when you put them on.
Gripes: I would make the lighter colors have as much color payoff as the deeper colors. It’s almost like they’re different products.
Favorite color: Cub; it looks great on my deep skin. I’d put that in the middle of my lid, or use it to underline to create a bronzed smoky eye look.
Would she buy it?: Even though I’m into the formula, I think a cheaper, more accessible shadow could get the same job done.
Jennifer Mulrow, assistant beauty editor
First impression: They look like test tubes.
Loves: The formula is much more sheer than I thought it would be, and while the color is subtle, it’s buildable. It’s like a delicate wash that you can’t mess up. I’m impressed by how it really doesn’t budge once it dries. It also maintains this pretty, glistening look long after it settles.
Gripes: I think the price is a little high for such sheer color payoff. And while I love the applicator for precision, it was harder to cover a lot of ground with it when I wanted to create a full lid look.
Favorite color: The celestial lilac shade, Lily, which really brings out my green eyes. I’d wear it all over my lids and put a touch of the shimmery shade Moon at my inner corners.
