I Don't Have a Skincare Routine, So I Tried Glossier's Newest Product

Imagine this: You’re on a noisy street in SoHo, which leads you to a modern office building. You enter through unmarked doors, then take a sleek elevator up a few floors. Upon arrival, you’re greeted by friendly faces, and on the wall in front of you is a beautiful close-up of a woman; her skin is radiant. To your left is a midcentury-modern pink couch with pink orchids. You have arrived at the headquarters of the beloved millennial makeup brand Glossier. But this is just the beginning. Sure, this is where the magic happens, and it doesn't take long to understand why this brand has garnered a cult-like following. But besides its straight-up-chic offices, hyped product drops, and highly Instagramable packaging, there are two things, in particular, that have made this beauty brand stand out since its inception five years ago: its connection with its consumers and its approach to beauty.  

No other beauty brand has quite harnessed the power of consumer feedback and turned it into products like Glossier has—and its most recent development is no exception. In fact, inspired by our cultural obsession with dewy skin, CEO and founder Emily Weiss and her team created the first-of-its-kind, easy-to-use, long-wear hybrid serum-oil, Futuredew. Designed to give people the dewy glowy that is most often the result of a multi-step skincare regimen, this oil-based serum, a fountain of youth for your skin, is available for only $24.

Read on to learn more about the magic behind Glossier’s innovative skincare product, plus what happened when yours truly incorporated this wondrous serum into her previously nonexistent skincare routine. 

About the Product

"Skincare can be a waiting game,” Weiss explained to several editors at a product preview last week. "So we wanted to create something that kept the post–skincare routine glow instantly while also helping skin over the long term.” She continued, "A lot of people outside the beauty industry struggle with how to build a skincare routine, so we wanted Futuredew to be easy to use no matter your routine.” 

Surprisingly, Weiss confessed that since Glossier began formulating this serum, it’s the only skincare product she’s been using—yes, really. Her trick to applying it? After washing her face, she quickly applies two pumps all over. Then, based on what she’s feeling, she wears it as a standalone or will apply her everyday makeup. One of the great things about the serum is that you can easily incorporate it into any skincare routine, whether you have a full regimen or nothing at all. It can act as a post-skincare base to makeup, or you can just apply it and go. 

Like other Glossier products, Futuredew is certified-vegan and cruelty-free. It’s made with a blend of four oils, minerals, sugarcane, and the fruit extract evodia rutaecarpa. The jojoba, grape-seed, evening primrose, and rose-hip oils provide an instant dewy effect while delivering vital moisture, so if you wanted to, you could ditch your moisturizer entirely. The fruit extract is meant to enhance the skin’s brightness over time, the sugarcane locks in moisture, and the minerals create a reflective glow. 

The question we had was, Is the glow-up actually real? For a skincare novice like myself, I was curious to see if using just the recommended two pumps of Futuredew could change my skin for the better? So I decided to put it to the test. Take a look at my before and after photos coupled with my honest assessment of Glossier’s Futuredew below. 

Four days of Futuredew usage. 

Ease of Use: Honestly, I love how easy this product is to use, especially for someone who has limited experience with serums. I’m admittedly not a skincare-routine person—I dedicate more time to my curly hair routine and choosing an outfit every morning—but after washing my face, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Futuredew is super easy and not at all time-consuming to apply.

How to Apply: At first, I was skeptical. Upon first glance, it can look a bit too greasy for my liking, but keep in mind this is from the perspective of a woman who typically uses zero products. The serum itself clings nicely to the skin, so once it evaporates a bit, the dewy glow becomes more natural-looking. As far as pairing it with makeup, I added some of my usual Pat McGrath foundation on top of my red spots. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there wasn’t the oiliness I often feel when pairing other products together, which was great. 

After seven days of Futuredew usage. 

Duration Expectation: After a few days, I got used to the dewiness, and, dare I say, I looked forward to applying my two little pumps in the morning. I was quite surprised to see my skin still looked pretty dewy after a full day in the office, and it kept my skin feeling effervescent throughout the rest of the evening. 

Long-Term Effects: I will be the first to admit that the first day I tried Futuredew, my skin was a hot mess. I had a few pimples; a mosquito had attacked me; it was not great. But over a few days of using the serum, my redness died down, and I started to look less like a walking vampire—it seemed to be working. As far as serious long-term usage, I’ll have to keep using it to really feel any lasting effects. That said, using this single product has me sold on this whole skincare routine thing. 

Final Verdict: It’s definitely a great intro product for anyone who is skincare-averse and prefers a minimalistic approach to their skincare and makeup routines. I honestly can’t be bothered most days to do anything to my face, but I found Futuredew to be a fun way to begin to build my skincare routine, and it was exciting to see myself glisten a bit. As far as if it’s my new holy-grail skincare product, only the future will tell.

Shop more of our favorite Glossier products:

Next: 7 Editors Tried Glossier's First Launch of 2020—and the Results Are Unanimous

This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.