Anyone who suffered through the 1990s incarnation of lip gloss, with the attendant pain of picking sticky hair from across their face, might well dread its return. But consider this: the matte lippies that have been in style for the past few seasons fade strangely and can leave lips feeling desert dry. So perhaps it’s time to give a shiny pucker another try—especially since the new generation of glosses are less sticky and more nourishing, or promise lip-plumping effects previously only offered by injections.
“Formulations have definitely improved,” says hair and makeup artist Andrea Claire. “Back in the day when I did hair for Canadian Idol, singers used to specifically ask for no lip gloss because they almost felt like their lips were stuck together when they were singing, and of course their hair would get caught when they moved.” The products she works with now might be oil-based and contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid and collagen to moisturize or peptides to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. They’re more wearable too. “It’s not that superjuicy dripping-off-the face look. It’s more street, more like the average mere mortal can wear,” Claire says.
Makeup artist Sarah Tanno agrees. “Nowadays, glossy lips are all about that natural, dewy vibe we’re loving,” she says. She says that the trend comes partly from the fashion for bigger, plumper lips, but “it’s also a rebellion against the matte lip fatigue that many of us have been feeling.”
What’s the best and most modern way to wear lipgloss today? Tanno recommends layering different products. “Recently, I love pairing the Haus Labs by Lady Gaga Le Monster Lip Crayon in Mahogany Matte with the PhD Hybrid Lip Glaze in Guava. The Mahogany shade adds great depth to any makeup look with the glaze on top giving it a gorgeous shine,” she says (Tanno is the global artistry director for Haus Labs as well as Lady Gaga’s makeup artist).
Claire says that layering can be a good way of getting a longer-lasting look, since glosses tend to fade faster than lipstick. “Just apply lip liner all over, then blot and apply the gloss over the top,” she explains. She also recommends using a sheer lip pencil to trace the outline of the lips, which can prevent colour from bleeding. Rather than using the applicator that comes with your gloss, she suggests tapping colour on with a fingertip to get a bit more oomph.
Want to try the next gen of lip gloss? Here are six to get you started.
Annabelle Bigshow Hydraplump Plumping Lip Gloss
This gloss has moisturizing vitamin E and hyaluronic acid to make lips feel more comfortable and look plumped, and it comes in 11 shades from subtle to dramatic, plus a transparent gloss.
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Big Lip Plumpgasm
To get maximum plumping effects, many lip glosses use mild irritants to make your lips swell a little. This gloss contains cayenne pepper and will tingle when you apply it. Also in the mix: hyaluronic acid and Collageneer (an ingredient that’s said to stimulate collagen production). It comes in two versions of the brand’s signature Pillow Talk shade—one for fairer skin tones and one for darker.
Clarins Lip Comfort Oil
The French brand was one of the first to make tinted lip oils that are shiny but comfortable to wear. This season it has launched three new limited-edition colours—Joyful Yellow, Daring Orange, and Passionate Pink—that are more pigmented than the original shades but still as kind to skin (90 per cent of the formulation is skin-care ingredients).
Haus Labs PhD Hybrid Lip Glaze Plumping Gloss
This gloss contains vegan collagen, which reportedly plumps lips, peptides to target fine lines, and moisturizing prickly pear oil. Sarah Tanno says Lady Gaga’s favourite shade is Guava, a soft, warm pink, but there are another five to choose from.
Maybelline Lifter Plumper
This gloss comes with a warning that it delivers intense heat, thanks to the inclusion of chili pepper. If you can bear that, it will give you up to 30 per cent bigger lips. The tingling effect can last for up to an hour, while the plumping lasts even longer, and it comes in eight shades.
Milk Makeup Odyssey Lip Oil Gloss
“All slick, no ick” is the tagline for this oil and gloss, which contains four oils for moisture and ethically sourced crushed gemstones to give shine. It comes in three cream shades and four shimmering ones, plus a clear gloss, and is flavoured with sweet vanilla and agave.
