Your Shortcut To The Perfect Pout Could Be This Gloss

Have you heard? Lip glosses are officially back.

This early 2000s beauty trend has staged the mother of all comebacks - along with brown lip liner, shrunken navel-grazing cardigans and tiny shoulder purses - and is ready to reprise her starring role in our makeup routines, more than 20 years after her shiny debut.

But this time around, the humble lip gloss has had a bit of a glow-up. She’s come back from summer holidays, ditched her Juicy Couture tracksuit and pink Motorola flip phone (RIP), and is ready to take on this new decade with a more grown-up, chic and paired-back look.

What Has Changed About Lip Glosses?

This new generation of lip glosses no longer have that thick, sticky consistency that used to drive us all bananas. 

Remember marching to school with a couple Lancôme Juicy Tubes stuffed into your dress pocket, and a slick pout of freshly-applied gloss smacking your lips together? I mean, sure we looked cute, but it was a total logistical nightmare. One gust of wind and all of a sudden every hair on your head was stuck to your lips.

Thankfully, 2020’s new wave of lip glosses have retained all of their fun, but ditched the annoyingly sticky formulas. Instead, they’re now infused with nourishing skincare ingredients and often a subtle hint of colour, perfect for those days where you want some kind of lip look, but an actual lipstick is just too hard. 

But before we step back into the proverbial beauty time machine and jump on board the lip gloss train, there are a few things we should be on the lookout for when shopping for a new gloss. 

Take Bobbi Brown’s Crushed Oil-Infused Lip Gloss, for example. It ticks all the boxes. 

What's So Good About This Lip Gloss?

• It has a super smooth formula that glides evenly over your lips with a doe foot applicator

• It comes in 12 subtle, natural-looking colours that enhance the appearance of any pout

• The formula is loaded with delicious hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid & botanical oils

• Has a hydrating, plumping effect with a comfortable, non-sticky finish

• This gloss also provides antioxidant protection from environmental damage

• Plus, there's no parabens or sulfates or mineral oils

So, How Do You Pick Which Shade Is Right For You?

When it comes to choosing the perfect lip gloss colour, it all depends on what you want to get out of the product. Is this going to form part of your everyday product arsenal? Do you want a colour that is basically your-lips-but-better? Or are you looking to make a bold statement with your lip colour when you’re off-duty? 

Either way, as a general rule, people with cool undertones or pale skin suit colours with blue or purple tones, while those with warmer skin can pick products with red or orange hues. If you sit somewhere in the middle, pick whatever colour you normally love to wear. For example, I prefer pink and red lip colours, as opposed to traditional nudes or browns - and I hate coral. But it’s purely personal preference and there is no right or wrong answer. 

And If You're Going From Desk To Dinner....

Here are my recommendations for sprucing yourself up for a dinner date after a long day at the office. Tip: keep these bad boys in your handbag for unexpected after work drinks.