Reader Score
77%
77% of readers
recommend this book
Critic Reviews
Good
Based on 5 reviews on
The "compulsively readable narrative of beauty, business, privilege, and mogul-dom" (The New York Times) that reveals--for the first time--exactly wat happened at Glossier, one of America's hottest and most consequential startups, and dives deep into the enigmatic, visionary woman responsible for it all.
Called "one of the most disruptive brands in beauty" by Forbes, Glossier revolutionized the beauty industry with its sophisticated branding and unique approach to influencer marketing, almost instantly making the company a juggernaut with rabid fans. It also taught a generation of business leaders how to talk to Millennial and Gen Z customers and build a cult following online.
At the center of the story lies Emily Weiss, the elusive former Teen Vogue "superintern" on the reality show The Hills turned Into the Gloss beauty blogger who had the vision, guts, and searing ambition needed to launch Glossier. She cannily turned every experience, every meeting into an opportunity to fuel her own personal success. Together with her expensive, signature style and singular vision for the future of consumerism, she could not be stopped. Just how did a girl from suburban Connecticut with no real job experience work her way into the bathrooms and boudoirs of the most influential names in the world and build that access into a 1.9-billion-dollar business? Is she solely responsible for its success? And why, eight years later, at the height of Glossier mania, did she step down?
In Glossy, journalist and author Marisa Meltzer combines in-depth interviews with former Glossier employees, investors, and Weiss herself to bring you inside the walls of this fascinating and secretive company. From fundraising to product launches and unconventional hiring practices, Meltzer exposes the inner workings of Glossier's culture, culminating in the story of Weiss herself. The Devil Wears Prada for the Bad Blood generation, Glossy is not just a gripping portrait of one of the most important business leaders of her generation, but also a chronicle of an era.
"It’s not a dry business book, nor is it stuffed with salacious details. As I told a (beloved) fashion journalist friend over text message: Glossy is more of a vibe than I thought it would be…I also found Glossy compulsively readable, as in: I read it in two nights."
"Meltzer’s 2023 book, Glossy, is a rich, gossipy history of the company’s rise...Mostly, the book left me marveling at how selling a business in this environment was as much about selling yourself as any particular product."
"An authoritative guide to Glossier's industry context and an astute analyst of the brand's appeal."
--New Yorker
"Meltzer emphasizes the entrepreneurial savvy of the brand's founder, Emily Weiss, who blogged in the mornings before her internship at Vogue and eventually secured funding from the same venture capital firm as Apple and Google, turning Glossier into the rare billion-dollar company helmed by a woman."
--New York Times, 33 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall
"The juicy (but fair) deep dive that the Glossier empire deserves."
--Vogue
"It's an extremely balanced (yet delightfully juicy) look at the booming beauty business, the cutthroat startup space, and the compelling era of the Girlboss."
-Nylon
"We urge every beauty lover to read Glossy by Marisa Meltzer. It reveals an insider's view of Glossier--aka, the beauty brand that transformed the world."
--New York Post
"Meltzer vividly reconstructs how Weiss's ambition propelled Glossier's birth and rise."
--The Cut
"Combining in-depth interviews with former Glossier employees, investors and Weiss herself, Meltzer's exposé is for anyone with a thirst for Devil Wears Prada style peeks into the inner machinations of glamorous industries like beauty."
--W Magazine
"A probing, inside baseball-esque examination of the millennial pink makeup and skincare giant...[Meltzer] draws a compelling portrait of the company's enigmatic and somewhat cagey founder."
--Interview Magazine
"An inside look at what it took to build what was the millennial brand of the moment, and for millennials like us...well, we couldn't get enough."
--theSkimm
"A detailed, thorough, and balanced portrait of the woman behind the brand...delivers on the juicy, illuminating details readers are surely expecting."
--Coveteur
"A forensic cross-examination of an era-defining company and how it embodied a moment in wider culture...a fascinating portrait of one of the most prolific female CEOs of the last decade."
--CNN
"Essential reading for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes mechanics of the beauty business. It reads like a true crime thriller for industry obsessives."
--Jessica Defino, The Unpublishable
"Journalist Marisa Meltzer chronicles the rise of Glossier and provides a rare peek at its founder."
--Katie Couric Media
"A fascinating exposé on the inner workings of the billion-dollar beauty brand Glossier and its notorious founder, Emily Weiss."
--Marie Claire
"I could not put this book down... It's a dishy (albeit well-reported) examination of the 'girl boss era' and is a compulsively readable book."
--NBC Select
"A meticulous feat of beauty reporting."
-Airmail
"Glossy tells a great business story... but it's also the story of a captivating, yet fairly unknowable, person."
--Puck
"This is the rare business book that's actually fun to read."
--Vulture, 24 Books We Can't Wait to Read This Fall
"[A] delicious character portrait of Glossier visionary Emily Weiss... The book bursts with expansive interviews, from ex-Glossier employees, fashion visionaries, and Weiss herself."
--Bustle, 35 Best New Books of Fall 2023
"A piquant, deeply reported history of the brand."
--Vanity Fair
"A bombshell exposé and study of corporate feminism that reveals for the first time what exactly has gone down at Glossier under the leadership of Emily Weiss."
--The Millions, Most Anticipated 2023
"Meltzer's reporting is fantastic... I devoured this."
--Grace Atwood, The Stripe
"A striking attempt to capture the founder as a human in all her complexity, operating within a system that leaves little room for failure and is quick to criticize."
--Emily Singer, Chips + Dips Substack
"Multi-tasks as highly readable brand memoir, founder manual and 21st century history of the business of beauty."
--Navaz Batliwalla, Disneyrollergirl
"Delivering behind-the-scenes intel... a beauty and fashion tell-all."
--Booklist
"Lean-in-style feminists and fashionistas alike will revel in the rise of this woman-led business."
--Publishers Weekly