Lip gloss is back, but not as you know it. Forget about the sticky mass that acted like flypaper for your hair.
Now you can expect your lipstick to add shine without being sticky and to be packed with skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid and collagen-boosting peptides.
Unfortunately, these stylish glosses come with a higher price tag. So is it worth spending over £20? CLAIRE COLEMAN puts them to the test…
Costing over £20, are the chic new glosses worth it? Claire Coleman puts them to the test…
love at first blow
Summer Fridays Lip Balm, £23, cultbeauty.co.uk
Summer Fridays Lip Balm, £23, cultbeauty.co.uk
In eight shades, each with a corresponding flavor (usually sweet), these squishy tubes have been popping up all over TikTok.
The lip-loving ingredients include shea butter, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid and, at first glance, they really live up to the hype. Soothing and softening, they offer a touch of color without a sticky feeling. Layer for an all-over glitter effect.
4/5
Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Gloss, £30, victoriabeckhambeauty.com
Beckham tops billing
Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Gloss, £30, victoriabeckhambeauty.com
This lives up to its elegant shine in a heavy glass tube with a soft wand applicator in ten shades. Blackcurrant oil, vitamin E and aloe vera soothe, soften and hydrate.
It’s called “the epitome of the ’90s chic era” and it’s hard to disagree. At £30 it’s the most expensive I’ve tried and the cost means I can’t give it full marks.
For a serious adult glow, this is the one.
4.5/5
No pillow pout
Jones Road Cool Gloss, £22, jonesroadbeauty.com
Jones Road Cool Gloss, £22, jonesroadbeauty.com
Available in ten shades, this lightweight formula has castor seed oil, beeswax, and shea butter to soften and soothe. It comes in squeezable tubes, and while the colors look pretty bold, the results aren’t always so bold, in part because they seem to separate into pigment and oil.
The “fresh” refers to its minty fragrance, which is said to help plump the lips by slightly irritating them and stimulating blood to rush to the area. Unfortunately, no pillowy pout materialized and the mint flavor stuck in my throat like overchewed gum.
2/5
Ciate London Dewy Gloss, £18, ciatelondon.com
Maximize humidity
Ciate London Dewy Gloss, £18, ciatelondon.com
Ciate calls it a glossy lip jelly, but to me it feels more like a sheer liquid lipstick. It comes in a hard plastic tube with a soft applicator, is available in four shades, and is filled with moisturizing seed oils and hyaluronic acid.
It offers a subtle wash of color and although it was very shiny at first, it soon melted into something that looked more super hydrated than glassy.
If you’re looking for a cheaper version of VB’s Posh Gloss, this one is close.
3.5/5
Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment, £16, rhodeskin.com
Turn up the volume
Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment, £16, rhodeskin.com
Created by Gen Z icon Hailey Bieber, it comes in a squishable tube and is packed with impressive hydrating ingredients (shea butter, cupuacu butter, and babassu oil) and plumping peptides.
Available in five shades, it’s buttery soft and provides intense shine and subtle but buildable color. However, it is the stickiest of all these glosses.
4/5