Goodbye Shimmery Lip Gloss, Hello Liquid Lipstick
The new incarnation of lip gloss is nothing like its sheer, sticky predecessor. From top: MAC Vamplify lipgloss in Push Some Buttons, What’s Going On, She Rebel, Everybody’s Talking, A for Attitude, and Suggestive. (Photo: Jon Paterson)
Lip gloss has been experiencing a resurgence, and this fall I finally understand why. Gone are the shimmery, sugary, sheer glosses we associate with Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton and that early 2000s Juicy Couture vibe (which I may or may not have been really obsessed with — I’ll let you guess). The new lip glosses are more like liquid lipsticks — highly pigmented, shiny but not too sticky, and much more sophisticated than their prior incarnations.
I was finally won over by MAC Vamplify ($20), a collection of 17 bold shades that come in a long, skinny tube with a flexible wand. The one throwback element I liked: that signature vanilla scent I recognize from MAC Lipglass ($15), the gloss that got me hooked the first time around. With Vamplify serving as my gateway gloss, I’ve discovered a handful of other formulas that are now steady in my makeup rotation. Here are five others to try now:
Giorgio Armani Ecstacy Lacquer in Boudoir ($38) feels ultra wet on application but dries down to a juicy-looking finish that’s I’d define as shimmer for grownups.
Chanel Glossimer in Chene Rouge ($30) applies like the more sheer Chanel shades I’d abandoned a decade ago but results in a super wearable, glossy brick red — this coming from a woman who insists she can’t pull off red lipstick.
Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer in HD Garnet ($8) is a bright berry red shade with a gel-like texture that is opaque and subtly shiny.
Kat Von D Everlasting Lipstick in Vampira ($20) applies like a fresh coat of paint, drying into the perfect matte vamp shade that stays put for hours.
Make Up For Ever Artist Plexi-Gloss in Lilac Pink ($19) is a fresh take on the pinky glosses of 2002, but if you prefer to go bold there are 35 shades in the collection to try.
Related:
Beauty Trend: Glossy Lips Rule
