What it’s like working at the most Instagrammable brand in the world

Glossier is undoubtedly the most ~aesthetic~ beauty brand out there. The muted pinks, minimalist packaging, and I-just-waltzed-out-of-the-sea dewiness have earned a cult following online, and come to life in New York City.

Mia Berrin works at the Glossier showroom in downtown Manhattan, a location that’s flooding the beauty blogosphere and attracting lip balm addicts from far and wide.

I meet her in the penthouse shop and she greets me excitedly, sporting a jumpsuit that feels like a cotton candy version of what bad-ass female mechanics wore the 1940s.

“I love it, but it’s so hot now, we’re trying to figure out if we should cut off the sleeves or something. I want to take one home but they won’t let me yet,” Mia laughs.

She walks me around the showroom. White walls with glossy posters, high ceilings and sleek mirrors, plus all the makeup you could want: it’s an Instagram-obsessed millennial’s dream.

Mia is a rising junior at NYU, studying drama. Originally from Florida, she’s also a singer and leads a band called Pom Pom Squad. She’s taking summer classes, writing music and playing shows with her band, all the while working at the cutest store in SoHo.

Mia has been working at Glossier since they opened

“Back in December, Glossier was opening the showroom and said they were looking for people, so I put in an application, did several interviews, and ended up on the opening team as a greeter. Now I work on the floor as a showroom editor,” Mia told babe.

She fell in love with Glossier before joining the team

“They did a pop-up shop when Phase Two came out, and all the cool girls I knew were going so I wanted to check it out. I ran there between class and a rehearsal, popped in and bought the concealer and a lipstick. I used them for the next year!”

Her roommate, Miranda, who works as a greeter, directing passers-by to the high-rise shop, got Mia hooked on the Milky Jelly Cleanser. “She let me try it, and then it got to the point where I was stealing her moisturizer everyday so I was said, okay, I have to get my own.”

Mia says everyone has the same reaction when they learn she works at Glossier: do you get a discount? I’m wondering the same. She laughs softly and tilts her head, “They treat us very nicely, that’s what I’ll say.”

The showroom’s been increasingly busy since opening

“We have a lot of regulars, and tourists who stock up for all their friends. It’s cool, there’s definitely a lot of love for the brand.”

But despite the job being fun, Mia says it was challenging to stay on top of school. “Between working every weekend, keeping up with the band, and being a full-time student, it’s definitely been a little crazy. You don’t realize how much time you use on the weekends to actually get stuff done, so I became super aware of my time, figuring out where it was going and how I was spending it, which was cool.”

Luckily, she says, the Glossier managers are really cool

“A lot of us are students, so they’re very understanding. You don’t realize how much you need the weekends to get stuff done, so I became super aware of how I was spending my time.”

Mia’s daily routine is (obviously) almost solely comprised of Glossier, but she doesn’t pressure customers to buy more than they can. “I have access to the products, so this isn’t an achievable skincare routine for everyone, but usually I’ll wash my face with the Milky Jelly Cleanser, use the Super Bounce serum on my lips, and add the Priming Moisturizer Rich and balm. I’ll let that settle while making a cup of tea, and just chill out.”

“For makeup I’ll use the Skin Tint, a little bit of blush (cloud paint in Haze), concealer and highlighter. It takes like 7 minutes, it’s awesome, and then I can just roll out.”

The showroom is always lively, an eclectic mix of casual shoppers and beauty influencers

“Emily Weiss (of Into The Gloss) comes in a lot which is great, she’s a sweetheart.” Mia remembers they’d only met once, but when Emily saw her again, the blogger remembered that Mia went to NYU.

“She came back in and was like ‘Mia! How is school?’ I thought that was really cool. She loves being interactive and interviewing people for Instagram stories, it’s awesome.”

Another perk is curating the Glossier playlist

“We get sick of the music so fast because it’s on loop for hours, so we always fight about who gets to pick the album,” she laughs. “It’s a lot of Frank Ocean, Blood Orange, Rihanna, a lot of T-Pain. I try to switch it up and see what songs I can sneak in. So far, Tame Impala is fine, and Thunder-cat sometimes.”

But in terms of beauty, Mia always recommends going back to the basics. “Start with the skincare. Your skincare should be your foundation.”

She explains the challenges of helping customers fight ‘problems’ like uneven skin or blemishes

“The hard part of working in the beauty industry is when girls, or guys, or anybody comes in – we get a lot of older women as well – and they ask ‘what do I need, how do I look younger, how do I get rid of this, how do I shrink that…’  You know, fuck it. It’s about how you want to feel beautiful, not how to make other people not notice something.”

“You’re going to get sold an idea of beauty everywhere you go. Pore size is genetic, you have the face you have, so learning to love you can be the hardest part but it’s the most important. Nourish your body and be nice to your skin, and resist coming in with the expectation of leaving looking like the girls in the ads or the girls on Instagram. Leave with the expectation of looking like your beautiful self.”

@ellcasado

@TheTab