I can’t say that I’ve always been a lipgloss girl, but ever since my discovery of the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors about three years ago now (woah) I’ve been a convert. Gone are the gloopy days, the balmy ones are here and there’s nothing like a one-stop slick of gloss on the lips to nourish, colour and give a wash of shine. In fact it’s pretty rare that I reach for a lipstick now, unless I’m in the mood for a red. They’re easy and take a matter of seconds to apply. What’s not to love? Well of course there’s still the ‘hair + wind + lipgloss’ issue, but I’ve separated the messy duds from the tack-free formulas and here are my pick of the latter. Not a strand of hair in gloss to be seen…
Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors – my original non-stick gloss find and still in my eyes, the best. Every time I’m out in a group of gals one will get this out for a reapplication and about 50% of the group will follow with good reason – they’re just that good. The only downside is the lack of shades – six in total just doesn’t satisfy my need for them. I need a coral in this formula man. 05 is my current favourite, though in the past 02 lead the pack, however if you’re in doubt you can’t go wrong with one of the pinks. They’re a classic.
Tanya Burr Lip Glosses – why hello colour! Tanya’s glosses are seriously packed with pigment making these the most ‘lipstick-y’ of the bunch. Love ’em. They smell (and taste – shhhh) great and the sponge-tipped flat applicator is one of my favourites. Picnic in the Park is my go-to and is a shade that looks pink in the tube, but goes kinda coral on the lips – a nice perker-upper if you will. Chic is another good’un and a more nudey shade that’s very MAC Patisserie like…
Laura Mercier Lip Glacés – these are basically the Clarins I.L.N.L.P’s (that acronym looks way too much like ‘ill nips’ for my liking), but with a tad more stick – but not too much, hey they still make this edit – which makes them longer lasting and they have a better colour range. I do find the applicators of these to get messy and on a few occasions these have been the cause of a gloss expolision in my bag (you have been warned), but I am a fan of the formula. Orange Tulip is my favourite, though it was a limited edition shade so is a bit of a toughie to find, but if you want a nice ‘not too beige’ nude then Bare Peach is the one.
Maybelline Coloursensational High Shine Lip Glosses – if you want an easy to find and cheap pick then say hello to Maybelline’s sheer and sheeny offering. I’d say these offer the least colour of the four, but they one – smell delicious, two – go on smoothy without a brush induced streak in sight and three – are an absolute bargain. Personal highlights from the range include the bubblegummy Pink Shock which looks horribly unwearable but is surprisingly flattering on, Glorious Grapefruit a coral that I’m applying one handed as I type this and Cashmere Rose a creamy light pink which was my first purchase from the line-up.
Slick on, give your lips a smack and let that ponytail down…
Comments