Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Best Lip Gloss

My 17 favorite lip glosses for all budgets

By Julyne Derrick, About.com Guide

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Your search for the best non-sticky, moisturizing lip gloss is over. I've done the research to find the most popular lip gloss on the market from steep to cheap, including Allure Magazine's best pick, to Sephora favorites to Makeupalley's best.
More bests:

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lipgloss in Sangria

This lipgloss is a hands down favorite of Allure Magazine readers and was named the lipgloss winner in the 2010 Best of Beauty Awards. According to Allure, "This gloss easily transitions from day to night: The color's not as vampy as it sounds—it's actually a sophisticated berry—and the formula truly lasts for hours." I know only a few lipglosses last for hours and it's a huge selling point.

A Great Lip Plumper: Purple Labs "Huge Lips, Skinny Hips"

This is my latest obsession. This gloss tastes great and stays on for hours, which is rare for a lip gloss. There's so much fun in the packaging of Purple Labs products. Each product I've tried comes with a note in from Karen, the "Creatrix" of Purple Labs. She tells stories of dating before she met her husband, how she finagled a backstage pass at age 6 at a pro wrestling match and she even shares her favorite Goji Berry Smoothie recipe. But what I love about the "Huge Lips, Skinny Hips" lip plumper isn't the fact that it comes with the renowned weight suppressant hoodia, or the fact that it tastes sooooo yummy on, what I love is the way the gloss feels. I actually feel as if I have pillow lips when I'm wearing this stuff. I'm not sure if it's the lip plumping lemon peel extract, but I love it.

Clinique Long Lasting Glosswear

Pricegrabber

Allure Magazine named Clinique Long Lasting Glosswear its best lip gloss of 2009. It comes in 18 shades and protects lips with 15 SPF. I've tried Juicy Apple and loved it. It's a favorite shade of Allure's, along with Tenderheart, Guavagold, Clearly Pink and Goldspun. $14

NARS Lip Gloss

Pricegrabber

NARS Lip Gloss is one of Sephora's best selling lip glosses. Non-sticky, moisturizing and long-lasting, NARS Lip Gloss comes in a plethora of shades. Out of a whopping 1,582 reviews on Sephora as of the time this was written, it average 4.5 out of 5 stars. It's a fan favorite on Makeupalley.com, too, with 78% of users saying they'd buy it again. $24

Aveda's Nourish-mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze

Lip gloss infused with color provides the perfect combination of shine and color boost. Aveda's rehydrating lip glaze is one of the glosses that once you try, you'll never stop buying. It's Vogue Teen editor Amy Astley's go-to gloss and it remains a favorite of mine as well. It's meant to plump up lips and diminish the signs of lip wrinkles, but I love it because it's not goopy and the color (Astia) is just the perfect red on me. Comes in many shades from barely there to bold.

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Origins "Once Upon a Shine" Sheer Lip Gloss

Origins lip glosses get overwhelmingly great reviews on Makeupalley.com and Origins own website (not everything gets 5 stars, but the lip gloss does). Users loved it for its minty taste and incredible shine. The colors are sheer (Origins calls it "barely there") and there are 10 shades to choose from. $14.50

Christian Dior Creme de Gloss

An Oprah magazine and a Makeupalley.com favorite, Dior's Creme de Gloss is more like a lip balm than a gloss, according to one Makeupalley.com top reviewer who writes, "The texture is creamy and coverage is opaque like a lipstick instead of sticky like a gloss." Reviewers love it because the colors are highly pigmented and flattering to skin tones. One wrote, "It lasts and lasts, and never forms the white line on the inside of my lips." $25

MAC Lustreglass Lip Gloss

MAC's lip glosses have been a perennial favorite of years. It's sheer with just a bit of shimmer and comes in several shades (clear is pictured here). Some users complain it's a bit too sticky, while others swear by it as their favorite everyday gloss. About $14

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

At about $5.75 and up, you can't beat this basic drugstore lip gloss. It's not sticky, there are loads of colors to choose from and it lasts a long time for its price. Extra bonus: it has SPF 15.

Chanel Rouge Double Intensite in Rose Pearl

A couple years ago, I spent the day with my friend Maryellen and noticed that her lip color remained constant through a full day of walking around Brooklyn's Prospect Park, shopping, drinking coffee and eating lunch. Over a late afternoon snack I marveled that the color was still in place. "Good grief, Maryellen, your lip color has not budged all day." Her secret was Chanel's Rouge Double Intensite in Rose Pearl. You apply the color, let it dry and then put the gloss over it. Of course I went out and bought myself one and when it ran out, I bought another. I've turned brides on to it because it stays on for so long. You do have to reapply the gloss, but the color won't budge. It's not cheap, but it's worth the price. $39