For years, I have been a diehard matte lipstick kind of girl. Anything with even the teeniest hint of shine would be relegated to the bottom of the drawer never to be seen again. I was once a gloss fan. However, after years of it constantly sticking to my hair, attracting all manner of debris – from food to flying objects – and always making me look as if I’d just eaten a greasy meal, the allure eventually wore off. But lately I have revisited gloss, because they have changed (and sometimes we all need a change). Formulations are much more elegant and moisturising; you no longer have to suffer childlike flavours (as a grownup I don’t want my lip gloss to smell like Hubba Bubba), and I’ve realised that it softens your features and lights up your face. Also, sometimes, an opaque lipstick can feel quite serious, and a gloss – be it clear or with a hue – is its more relaxed, playful sibling that will swiftly plump thinner lips and add a touch of glam to daywear without the formality that comes with, say, a bold red lip. Admittedly, while I do find myself applying a layer of gloss on my lips and thereafter adding a light swipe of my (matte) lipstick across the centre of my lips – old habits and all that – I am a gloss convert. At least for now.
1. Jones Road Cool Gloss £22, libertylondon.com
2. Dior Beauty Addict Lip Maximiser Lip Gloss £32, dior.com
3. Merit Shade Slick Gelée £26, meritbeauty.com
4. Pat McGrath Labs Lust Gloss £25, sephora.co.uk
5. Lanolips Glossy Balm £10.99, cultbeauty.co.uk
6. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre £20, charlottetilbury.com
7. Lisa Eldridge Gloss Embrace Lip Gloss £20, lisaeldridge.com
8. Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb £18, harveynichols.com
9. RMS Beauty Liplights Cream Lip Gloss £29, spacenk.com
10. Laura Mercier Lip Glacé £25, lookfantastic.com
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