So, I need to start this post with some backstory. When I was in college I was completely obsessed with these Christian Dior lip glosses called Plastic Shine. They were amazing, very thick, sticky and plastic-y. I had the red, and this dark, dark purple that looked black unless you really spread it thin (but why would you!?!). I was in my early 20′s and it was so deliciously avant garde looking to wear super shiny, opaque black gloss…or something.
Anyway. The point of that story is that after my tryst with Plastic Shine, I didn’t wear glosses again until maybe the last 3 years. They seemed like a lot of trouble. Putting on lipstick was easier, my hair didn’t get stuck in it, and it stayed put. Gloss is sexy though, right? Shiny, pretty lips definitely work with a fun pinup or retro look, if that’s what you’re going for. Plus gloss doesn’t dry out your lips and makes them look bigger. So…I had to find some glosses I could tollerate again. Thankfully, I have!
Bare Escentuals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polishes
Ok, so I know that glosses that are supposed to make your lips plumper kind of have a bad rap. But these are actually tolerable, tingly but not painful or intense. Plus, the boxes they come in feature the art of Neryl. Each gloss has a girl’s name and a corresponding drawing of a girl with it. Adorable, right? I own Kanani (top) and Trixie right now. The original line features a terrific array of sheer colors, the shimmer is subtle, and they have good staying power. They also make a line that are more opaque, and a line they call “cream” that have no shimmer. They are kinda sticky, so not the best for long haired gals on a windy day, but aside from that, great stuff! Not to mention the tubes are huge, so the $18 isn’t so bad. The wands have a doe foot, making them easy to apply. Only a serious glossaholic could make quick work of these!
Josie Maran – Argan Natural Volume Lip Gloss
I just recently became a fan of Josie Maran’s cosmetic line, and have had the opportunity to try several things. I find these glosses to be outstanding. Very smooth in texture with a delicately sweet dulce de leche flavor, they are easy to wear. Like her other products, these glosses are full of beneficial, moisturizing ingredients, many of which are organic. It doesn’t have the best staying power, but it’s better over a lipstick. The wand has a doe foot as opposed to a brush. This sheer, nude shade is called Optimism, but I plan to try some of the pink shades very soon!
MAC – Lipglass
Of course Lipglass has to appear on this list. One thing I will say about the Lipglasses is that I don’t like them all. Some of them — and I am sure there’s a reason, I am just not aware of it — have a brush wand instead of a doe foot and I find them annoying to apply because the brush tickles. It’s a minor issue but I always ask which ones have the doe foot when I am there. The Tinted Lipglass has the doe foot and is a pigmented, shiny gloss with staying power. Pictured above are Russian Red (top), a pink that they don’t make anymore but is similar to Pink Poodle (middle). Last is a Lustreglass, which has more shimmer plus the shine, called Venetian. Lustreglass does have a brush wand but a MAC makeup artist used it on me and I had to have it. It’s not as pigmented as Tinted Lipglass, but the shimmer adds a layer of dimension that’s amazing. I will say if you are someone who mashes your lips together a lot, you might find that these glosses do get goopy and you’ll need to reapply fairly often. They are definitely sticky but that’s where the staying power comes from. In my experience the Tinted Lipglass works better over lipsticks, but the sheer formulas work well on their own or over a lipstick. Lipglasses have the same subtle vanilla flavor that all MAC lip products have. You just cannot beat MAC’s selection of colors and finishes, and they are really not that much more expensive than glosses at the drugstore these days.
So, did I include your favorite? If not, leave me a comment and tell me about the glosses you love! Next week, we get down to brass tacks and talk about actual lipsticks!
Per usual, all the opinions here are mine and I was not compensated by anyone.
