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When I found out about this book, I knew I had to get my hands on an ARC. I used to be a hardcore Glossier fan, religiously checking Into the Gloss and spending all of my birthday/Christmas money on the brand's newest releases. (Of course, this was in 2015, when I was a teenager and still believed in earnest that a brand could be your friend.) I am fascinated by the company even now, with their "cool girl"/"no-makeup-makeup" marketing--the way they insist on being "real," while also suggesting that you should change your eyebrows and your skin and maybe your lips while you're at it.

So naturally, I was excited about this. And some parts of the book were really fun. My nosy side enjoyed delving into Emily Weiss's moneyed background, and it was fascinating to learn more about Glossier’s workplace culture, often at odds with their public image.

Still, I expected more. As another reviewer mentioned, this is not a bombshell exposé at all. Very few secrets are divulged, and much of the information will be old news to long-time fans of the brand. They might get a little thrill from all the name drops, though. (Eva Alt! Annie Kreighbaum!)

I thought the work was strongest when it leaned into its commentary about gender and class, and weakest when it came to analyzing Weiss herself. (The enigmatic Glossier founder appears in a few interviews and yet manages to say very little at all.) Meltzer's portrait of Weiss is painted with ambivalence, with the last chapter coming to a weak conclusion about Weiss simply being a woman who was trying her best.

Overall, it was a quick, fairly enjoyable read, I just think I wanted something a bit more hard-hitting and analytical.