Does anyone else feel guilty when you’re getting ready to go out without your dog? They somehow know they won’t be coming with you. I work from home when I’m not having meetings or co-working at The Wing, so getting dressed up (as in, a full face of makeup and high heels) is a special weekly, not daily, occasion. I spend a lot of time with Artemis, both at home and taking her to dog-friendly places as much as possible. But sometimes I have to leave her at home, and I feel guilty, curling my hair and putting on Boy Brow while she stares at me.
Artemis has always been a beauty queen in my eyes—I liken her snaggletooth to supermodel Lauren Hutton’s signature gap-toothed smile. Her eyes naturally end in the cat eye that I wish I could draw on myself with a steady hand. She requires very little grooming; she is, as Into The Gloss might have described an off-duty French model’s beauty routine, low maintenance. So when Glossier and Bark collaborated on a set of dog toys, I knew Artemis had to have them. What I didn’t know that was that she, too, would become a Boy Brow devotee.
The Glossier x Bark dog toys come in Balm Dotcom and Boy Brow, two of Glossier’s bestselling products. Artemis’ favorite of the two is the Boy Brow because it detaches into two parts—the furry brush end providing endless tug o’ war fun. Both plush toys are outfitted with Bark’s signature sturdy squeaker, in case your dog loves that for playtime. (It took months of training to help Artemis not be scared of the noise, so it’s not an important feature for us.) The toys are crinkly, so I don’t recommend them for quiet playtime. But because Artemis loves her Boy Brow brush so much, I feel a little less guilty getting ready and preparing to leave her at home. She’s too busy chewing on the brush head.
That said, are these must-have toys for your dog? Just like how no-makeup makeup is not everyone, these toys are not for every dog. Artemis loves the Boy Brow brush, but she completely ignores the pleasantly millennial pink Balm Dotcom. (I guess I’ll be using that as a mini throw pillow!) If you love Glossier and you have a dog, it is worth the purchase for the Instagram opportunity. Because you know, gotta stay on brand. The Cut reviewed the toys with five dogs and one cat, and the reception varied across the board. (The cat did like it.)
Glossier’s love for dogs is not new. There’s an entire Instagram account, @dogsofglossier, featuring dogs who visit the Glossier showrooms and popups. In 2014, two years before I had even adopted Artemis, Into the Gloss introduced me to the Aesop, Malin+Goetz, and Kiehl’s dog washes that we now use for our weekly baths that Artemis dreads and I cherish. Millennials: We love dogs and we love Glossier. I’m only surprised this collaboration didn’t happen earlier. What I’m really excited for, though, is sharing Artemis’ pictures with the toys on Instagram, joining in the conversation and community with other enthusiastic dog moms. That’s the real value from owning these toys.
Photography by Tayler Smith