How Glossier Healed my Broken Heart

my skincare origin story

I have two questions for you:

1. How and when did your skincare journey begin?

2. Where were you when you watched your first 'Get Ready With Me' video on Glossier’s YouTube channel?

My answer to both is the same. I was in Philly and sitting in an orange armchair in my living room. It was February 2017, at approximately 9:47 PM, and I’d just ended a FaceTime where I’d asked a guy to take me back. He said no, and rightfully so; 48 hours earlier, I’d declined his proposal to be his girlfriend. I’d bungled it, letting my silly brain sabotage me into thinking he was “too nice.”

So there I was, feeling embarrassed and angry with myself. How could I have screwed this up so badly!?!? This man was kind, patient, hardworking, ambitious, and oh so handsome. He was also 6’4.5”. A dark day in my history, indeed.

I called my mom and asked, “How do I forgive myself?” She replied, with tenderness, “You just do, Sugar.”

We hung up, and I sat in a silence of regret.

What followed next was most certainly an effort to numb my feelings, but sometimes good things come to us in mysterious ways.

I opened my browser to the YouTube homepage and clicked on a thumbnail that looked something like this:

Or this:

Or more recently:

Transfixed. Transported. Transformed: three words to describe my state of being after watching video after video of gorgeous, everyday women get ready for their day.

As I watched these creative professionals roll out of bed and splash water on their faces, I felt something inside me shift. These women symbolized “main character energy” in a soft, sparkly, empowering way. They took care of themselves and approached their days with intention, grace, and worthiness. I wanted to bottle that magic and drink it for breakfast; I wanted it to wash away my remorse, my 2:30 AM bedtime, my fears of growing up and making mistakes.

Before I discovered Glossier, my skincare routine looked something like this:

A few weeks post-discovering Glossier, it looked something like this:

I had the tools and inspiration necessary to distract myself from a broken heart and bruised ego. I read article after article on Into The Gloss, and took meticulous care organizing my medicine cabinet.

I couldn’t believe I was spending $22 on soap, but this felt bigger than just soap (and it was! The skincare industry was massively growing, valued at a humble $184.6 billion in 2024, LOL!).

I didn’t realize it at the time, but my new (not-free) hobby amounted to self-care from multiple angles. Not only was I beating myself up for ending things with a great guy, but I was in therapy every week, healing my relationship with food and body image. In short, loving myself didn’t feel easy. It felt complicated, layered, and jagged.

Yet twice a day, morning and night, I slowed down. I cleansed my face, poured toner on a cotton pad, and finished with a serum and moisturizer. I rubbed lotion on my thighs, the same ones I spent hours criticizing.

I let myself feel like a soft, sparkly, empowered woman.

Are we aware of our healing as it happens, or even the vehicle in which it arrives? I’m not sure when it showed up, the self-forgiveness I was seeking, but it did. It reminds me of this quote from one of my favorite books, The Kite Runner, written by the extraordinary Khaled Hosseini:

“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”

I can’t pinpoint the moment I stopped feeling horrible. All I know is that self-compassion made its way into my heart. The 2017 version of me was piecing her life together, doing the best she could. I was coming into my own, and becoming is a bumpy road. Amidst all my lotions and potions, I found my glimmer again.

These days, I still invest in skincare. I found a talented esthetician who helped me find products best suited for my skin type (shoutout

Amity Insamity

!), and my current routine is minimal and straightforward. Applying skincare remains a grounding practice in my day-to-day, a moment just for me, a conduit for self-love.

• Soy Fresh Cleanser PM

• Balancing Hypotonic AM/PM

• Soothing B3 Serum AM/PM

• Vitamin C AM

• Resveratrol Lift PM

• Intensive Repair Serum (as needed)

• Finishing Oil AM/PM (this is technically a beard/shaving oil, but it’s incredible for combo skin!)

• Mineral Sunscreen (this is the product I switch up the most; I love trying different sunscreens!)

• Body Oil

My biggest piece of advice for anyone curious about investing in their skincare is to first invest in a knowledgeable esthetician. Everyone’s skin is different, and it’s helpful to have a professional lead you in the right direction.

ANYHOW! The guy who wouldn’t take me back? That amazing man???

We started dating again.

It turns out he was also on a healing journey. I found skincare. He found meditation. Tomato/Tomauto, Potato/Potauto. You know what they say, no two journeys look (or cost) the same!!!!!

Best of all? We just celebrated our first year of marriage.

All thanks to Glossier (kinda).