We Tried It: Getting a Full Glam Squad Treatment at Our Desks

Who tried it: Alex Apatoff, Senior Style Editor; Andrea Lavinthal, Style and Beauty Director; and Brittany Talarico, Associate Style Editor

What is it: One-click total beautification, thanks to a genius collaboration that allowed us to summon a Glamsquad team to our desks using only the Uber app (and it cost $40!)

Why I did it: We’ve been intrigued by the proliferation of on-demand beauty apps like Glamsquad, The Stylisted and Vensette. And an in-office service at a major discount during New York Fashion Week seemed like as good a time as any to try one.

Level of difficulty: What’s less than zero? If you count the anxiety of watching emails pile up in your inbox while you’re sitting very still for a curling iron as difficult, perhaps a 0.5? Two of us tapped the “GLAM” button on our Uber apps and miraculously managed to each snag a Glamsquad hair-and-makeup team, heading our way in a tricked-out SUV (as noted by a tiny lipstick floating across the Uber screen, see below).

Brittany (below left) and Andrea (below right) decided to split up a pair to save time, while Alex (at bottom) went full diva and had two stylists working on her at once. Below, check out how it felt to get the celeb treatment as our coworkers walked by with mouths agape and eyebrows raised.

Courtesy Brittany Talarico and Andrea Lavinthal

Brittany: In a perfect world, Glamsquad would team up with Uber all the time, not just during Fashion Week. Nabbing a car was super efficient, and as soon as my stylists arrived they were throwing around ideas. Elyssa touched up the makeup I already had on, providing amazing skin coverage and taking away the shine on my face (a result of running around all day in the heat in heels.) She added a little liquid liner for a dramatic effect on my eyes, and I was ready for a night out. (I happened to be celebrating my upcoming wedding at a cocktail party with family and friends, so the impromptu glam was perfect timing.) For my hair, Erin sprayed a ton of dry shampoo for texture and curled my entire head. I had a bit of Goldilocks ringlets going on at first, but by the time I went to the party, my strands fell into a soft, loose wave. (The key was a pro tip from Andrea: flip you hair over, shake it out and you’re set.)

Andrea: It was so fast that it felt like a movie makeover montage. It took under 10 minutes for the hairstylist to transform my sad, frizzy ponytail into bouncy curls. As for makeup, I told the pro that I didn’t want anything resembling a smoky eye, as going full Kim Kardashian in an important meeting isn’t a great look. So when she whipped out a face-contouring palette I was a little concerned that I didn’t make my “no extreme anything” vision clear enough, but Elyssa heard me loud and clear. She lightly brushed bronzer on my temples, under my cheekbones and along my jawline then showed me how to blend a bit of lighter powder under my eyes and a blush on just the right spot on my cheeks to “give my face more structure.”

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Courtesy Alex Apatoff

Alex: I knew exactly what I wanted for my hair: some variation of this Julianne Hough look, which I try monthly and fail at regularly. I described it vaguely, then selected a makeup look from the Glamsquad app (like Drybar, they give you looks to choose from if you’re feeling indecisive — I chose “the Icon,” dialed down four notches). My extremely professional team got down to business immediately, with Shaneek blow-drying out my day-old hair before flipping it over to braid. Once that was secure, I wiped all my makeup off so Tiffany could start with a clean face. We chatted favorite products and generally had a good time giggling — it was exactly how I imagine celebs feel pre-award shows. All I needed was a champagne flute.

Courtesy Alex Apatoff

The Verdict?: Awesome! Alex wishes she’d shown a photo of her inspiration to get it a little closer — while the finished product (above) was beautiful for a wedding it was a little too fancy for my parties that night, though it was easily toned down with a few pins. All three of us loved the convenience and the A-list experience (and the fun gift bag that came with the Uber experience). In NYC and want to try it? Tap on your Uber app and enter “UBERGLAM” in the promotional field today from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm (and maybe hide your keyboards at work — hairspray is a beast to wipe off!) Or just call your own Glamsquad if you feel like you deserve a treat!