Hi friends!
Lemme tell you, I used to really, really dislike lip gloss. Everything from the stickiness, and the gloopiness, to that horrible white line that would form between your lips after a few hours of wear. As a teen and young adult, I used to wear MAC Lip Glasses – I honestly don’t know how I did it. They must have been the stickiest thing next to Elmer’s Glue! So I quickly gave them up and decided to go with regular lipsticks and/or liquid lipsticks for many years.
Somewhere around 2019 – wouldn’t you know it – lip gloss started making a slow comeback into my collection. It started when I was gifted the DSL Gloss from indie brand The Sexiest Beauty. The formula was lovely and hydrating, and didn’t make my lips completely stick together – hooray! It was then that I realized that gloss formulas had come a long way since the 90’s and 00’s, and perhaps the category was worth another look.
Fast forward several months and now I have a small but well-rounded glossy lip edit that I’d love to share with you today. There’s a little something for everyone here, but this list is especially great for those of us who are normally averse to glosses, as I once was.
Without further delay, let’s take a look at my glossy lip edit! Lip swatches will be shown towards the end of the post.
DISCLAIMER: this post contains some gifted items, but all opinions are 100% my own.
FOR THE MINIMALISTS
THE SEXIEST BEAUTY DSL (DIAMOND SHINE LIPS) GLOSS
As I mentioned above, this was my gateway back into the world of traditional lip gloss. It’s a simple clear gloss with no fancy frills, but the beautiful thickness it has really cushions and hydrates the lips. Instead of a standard doe-foot applicator, this one has a small little brush that’s really easy to fit along the contours of your mouth. Out of all the glosses mentioned here, this is probably the stickiest but it’s in no way overly offensive. You can read more about it and see me wearing it in this earlier post.
FOR THE PAMPERERS
WANDER BEAUTY LIP RETREAT OIL IN OASIS
This recently came into my collection after Wander gifted me some products last month. Oh, this has quickly become one of my new lip obsessions! It’s a lip treatment with nourishing ingredients like apricot & avocado oils, niacinamide and vitamin E, amongst other goodies. It feels sooo good! But instead of a traditional oil, it has the shine and feel of a gloss without much, if any, stickiness. I absolutely love the wand here, which is tapered, fuzzy and flexible; it feels like a cushion against your lips – heaven! I have Oasis which is totally clear, but it also comes in three color tints.
Read this Q&A where Wander co-founder Divya Gugnani talks about using Lip Retreat on her lips and cheeks!
FOR THE LUXURY LOVERS
HOURGLASS UNREAL HIGH SHINE VOLUMIZING LIP GLOSS IN SUBLIME
I received a mini of this Hourglass gloss as a gift-with-purchase during one of my (many) trips to Blue Mercury, and from first swipe it was love! This formula is incredibly hydrating and nourishing, and feels closer to a treatment like the Wander Beauty. It does have a minty taste and that tingly sensation that is indicative of most lip plumping products, but I do not find that it plumps my lips at all. I have the shade Sublime, which is a beautiful matte nude pink that would look lovely on so many skin tones. You can read more about it and how it compares to a lower-cost drugstore gloss in this earlier post.
FOR THE LONG-WEAR OBSESSED
LANCOME L’ABSOLU LACQUER IN BEIGE SENSATION
If you like the shine of a gloss but want some longevity, then this is the product you need to go for from this list. That’s because it’s not a traditional gloss, but instead an amalgamation of several textures – the high-pigment of a lipstick, the shine of a gloss, and the longevity of a stain. It’s truly an amazing product, and I absolutely love it! When you first apply it you get tons of shine that gently wears down to a stain for long-wear throughout the day. I have the shade Beige Sensation, which is a medium brown-pink. You can read more about it in my full review here.
FOR THE FUN-LOVERS
TOWER 28 BEAUTY SHINE ON JELLY LIP GLOSS IN XOXO AND SPICY
Tower 28 is a new indie brand that I discovered on Instagram last year, and their ShineOn Jelly Lip Glosses have gotten a lot of attention and praise in the last few months – for good reason! These are beautiful. The texture, the colors, the packaging; everything has been executed perfectly. The formula has a lovely thickness that feels really nourishing, but it’s in no way sticky at all. I have two shades: XOXO, which is a bright fuschia pink, and Spicy, which is a warm red. The color pigmentation is amazing and much bolder than you’d think for a gloss. I totally recommend checking these out!
Swatches of my glossy lip edit. Clockwise: Lancôme L’Absolu Lacquer in Beige Sensation, Wander Beauty Lip Retreat Oil in Oasis, Tower 28 Jelly Lip Gloss in XOXO, Tower 28 Jelly Lip Gloss in Spicy, Hourglass Unreal High Shine Lip Gloss in Sublime.
Where do you stand on lip glosses? Love ‘em, hate ‘em, or somewhere in between? I’d love to know!
xo, Erica
PIN IT!
I used to wear those MAC lip gloss so, too and I remember the stickiness! There’s nothing more embarrassing than when your crush finally speaks to you but your lips are stuck together! 🤣
Haha, very true!
Lovely flatlay
Thank you! ❤️
I love Lancome’s lip glosses but I hate the scent of them so I struggle to wear them. But I actually love any kind of gloss, especially MAC’s hahahah I know they’re sticky but I still love them
Yes, the Lancome stuff tends to be very scented which is a shame. Oh gosh, I couldn’t take it with the MAC ones – wayyy too sticky for me!
Ahahah love them! I have one that I got around Christmas always with me. It’s the perfect nude
I like lipgloss now and again but I tend to use them more like lip toppers. Rimmel’s Oh My Gloss is a nice formula that isn’t sticky. Makeup Revolution’s lip toppers are the same 😊
I’m intrigued by the Rimmel recommendation! I tried a gloss from Revlon that didn’t do it for me, but I haven’t really explored many drugstore options yet.
I bought my Rimmel gloss a few years ago, I wonder if the range is still available 😊
Oh who knows then. Things go out of rotation so quickly these days!
I used to hate glosses too only because the formula was horrible. But I really liked wearing them. I am so glad the formula has changed since, and it has gotten better. I absolutely love glosses now and love wearing them on a daily basis.
I definitely don’t wear them everyday (I think I’ll always still prefer lipsticks to be honest). But I certainly reach for them more than I ever did before!
Love liquid lipsticks, think I’m more prone to wearing glosses in the colder months than liquid lips because my lips get very dry very quick 🙁
I barely wear liquid lipsticks these days! It’s usually colored balms or really hydrating lipsticks. And sometimes a gloss 😊.
Lip gloss is probably my favorite out of all makeup. These are all sooo gorgeous on you, Erica, especially the Tower 28 shade! 😍
Thank you girlie! ❤️
I really like Fenty Beauty’s lip gloss (although a bit pricey). It’s not sticky, and it gives just the right amount of shine.
Sometimes I like to top a lipgloss look or a simple makeup look with a fragranced hair mist! Nice smelling hair just adds to the overall result.
Have you ever tried one? If so, what did you think?
Check out my blog for fragrance reviews at
fragrances.home.blog
And let me know in the comments section!
Thanks Erica!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I’ve wanted to try the Fenty Gloss Bomb for so long. I have a feeling I’d really love it. I’ve never tried a fragranced hair mist before, so I’ll have to check out your blog then. Thanks!