Hi, my name is Emily, and I am a lip gloss girlie. Long before I was even a makeup girlie, I was a lip gloss girlie. Chalk it up to being one of the few beauty products I was allowed to use as a young teenager. But it’s something that I’ve always had a soft spot for. As a result, I’ve tried more lip glosses than I’ve tried any other makeup product. And I know what I like and what I don’t like. So, for today’s edition of Save, Send, Splurge, Skip, we are chatting about glosses that I love at all price points. And maybe a gloss or two that I’m not so wild about. Let’s get into it!
SAVE (Budget Up To $25.00)
Let’s start with the obvious one. The MAYBELLINE LIFTER GLOSS – $20.99 has been my favourite drugstore gloss for years now. The formula is perfection. So smooth and glossy without feeling heavy or sticky. And the ever evolving range of shades is *chef’s kiss*. Maybelline rarely nails their lip products (in my opinion, please don’t yell at me). But these are icons for a reason.
Now, affordable lip gloss is something I could talk about all day. There are that many good ones. So as you can imagine, picking a second one to highlight was tough. Ultimately, I settled on the MECCA MAX GLOSS BOSS LIP GLOSS – $19.00. I know, it’s not a drugstore pick. But the formula is so light and lovely. There is a fantastic range of finishes as well. From sheer to opaque. And there are some sparkly ones too!
SPEND (BUDGET $25.00 – $50.00)
I have to say, I almost had a harder time narrowing down my picks here than I did with the Save picks. But when I think of lip glosses at this price point, Fenty was the first brand to spring to mind. The FENTY BEAUTY GLOSS BOMB LIP LUMINIZER – $36.00 were some of the earliest products from Fenty to go viral back when they launched. And it’s so easy to see why. They leave my lips looking so juicy and plump. Smaller shade range in comparison to some of the glosses that I’ll be talking about. But the shades they do have are so universally flattering. They also have versions that are more opaque and versions that will plump your lips.
I know that I’ve talked up Tower 28 a lot this year. And I’m going to do it again. The TOWER 28 SHINE ON LIP JELLY – $27.44 glosses are lowkey amazing. Formula wise, it’s almost closer to a lip oil. It’s so nourishing on the lips. And it’s free of any ingredients that are known irritants to the lips. There are two different formulas in this range. The Lip Jelly’s which are the more sheer and the Milky Lip Jelly’s which have some opacity. Personally speaking, I do prefer the Lip Jelly’s. But you can’t go wrong with either.
SPLURGE (Budget Over $50.00)
Listen, I will be the first person to admit that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good quality lip gloss. Having said that, if the CHARLOTTE TILBURY COLLAGEN LIP BATH – $53.00 has no fans, then I’m dead. These do contain peppermint extract which helps plump the lips. But the minty feeling of this is so light and it doesn’t irritate my lips at all. Also, the Lip Bath has, by far, the cutest applicator out of all of the glosses that I’ll be talking about.
Another one that I was reaching for a ton during the winter was the DIOR ADDICT LIP MAXIMIZER – $62.00. Much like the Lip Bath’s, the Lip Maximizer has that cooling sensation on the lips. Though I will say that it’s less intense. For me though, it’s the insane shade range that makes this lip gloss truly stand out. 40 shades with a huge range of finishes. A true luxury lip gloss.
SKIP (No Budget)
As a lip gloss connoisseur, it might surprise you to learn that I’m actually not that picky when it comes to formulas. I only ask three things. One, please don’t taste gross. Two, if you have glitter, I don’t want to feel it. And three, tingle good, burning bad. And on that note, the ESSENCE WHAT THE FAKE! EXTREME PLUMPING LIP FILLER – $6.00* is a prime example of a gloss that burns the ever loving piss out of my lips. This gloss does have capsaicin extract. Which can have a plumping effect. But it was way too much for me.
Another one that I’m not wild about is the HOURGLASS UNREAL HIGH SHINE VOLUMIZING LIP GLOSS – $51.00. The problem I have with this one is two-fold. Firstly, while I don’t mind a minty gloss (see the Splurge section), the scent of this is a little too close to toothpaste for my liking. Also, and this is specific to the glitter variety, I can feel the glitter when I rub my lips together. I keep this shade specifically because it’s gorgeous. But I don’t wear it very often.
Finally, for an honourable mention, I have decluttered every L’Oreal lip gloss that I’ve ever owned. The formula is pretty good. But why does every single one of their lip products have to smell and taste like that? You know exactly what I mean.
And that is a wrap on my gloss picks! Let me know in the comments what your favourite lip glosses are. And also which ones I should avoid.
Cheers and love
Emily xo