It’s that time of the year again: holiday gift guides aplenty! This year, I’ve broken out my gift guides into best of selections for blush, eyeshadow, highlighter, lipstick, lipgloss, palettes, and brushes. These guides feature permanent formulas so that they can be useful anytime during the holiday season or even into next year. For limited edition holiday products, you can check out our list of the top 50 highest-rated holiday products, which updates as I post more reviews for holiday products. Here’s a look at the best lipgloss formulas I’ve tried:
Anastasia Lipgloss
Anastasia Lipgloss ($16.00 for 0.16 fl. oz.) is supposed to be “opaque” with “high-shine” that’s “non-drying.” It is one of the more pigmented lipglosses out there that has a smoother, more cushion-y consistency that typically spreads well across the lips. My experience from wearing the formula is that they are often lightly to moderately hydrating and wear three to five hours. Check out our list of the top 15 Anastasia Lipglosses, plus here are of my favorite shades are: Weekend Barbie, Purple Rain, Orchid, and Warm Bronze.
Availability
Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Color
Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Color ($52.00 for 0.07 fl. oz.) is supposed to be a “lip stain with an ultra-glossy finish” that has “intense, vibrant color” and “long-lasting high shine.” The formula feels lightweight, almost watery, when initially applied but thickens and feels more like a moderately tacky gel after thirty to forty seconds. It has great staying power with the glossiness lasting for six hours and the color itself still going strong eight to ten hours later (after two meals and coffee)–by the end of the day, it has more of a natural sheen to it (like a lip stain) but looked even. It does stain as well. I would forget that I was wearing it, which is a testament to how comfortable and hydrating it is for all-day wear. The coverage is nearly opaque but has that slight translucency that you would expect to see in a lip stain. Some of my favorite shades are: Infamy and Red Corset.
Availability
Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks
Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lipgloss
Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lipgloss
Some of my favorite shades are: Canary, Naked Plum, and Plum Gold.
Availability
Sephora, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bobbi Brown
Cle de Peau Radiant Liquid Rouge
Cle de Peau Radiant Liquid Rouge ($48.00 for 0.18 fl. oz.) is supposed to be a long-wearing “glossy stain” that give lips a “shiny, vinyl look” with “rich color.” The consistency is smooth, lightweight, and like a watery cream when initially applied, but it develops into a lighter weight gel texture after a few minutes. Most of the shades have medium or greater coverage, long-wearing, high-shine, and are hydrating while worn. There is a subtle floral scent to the formula, but I did not notice it except in the tube and did not encounter any taste. They look more like a stain than they actually behave like one, as I only found the darkest shades to leave behind any trace of color after it had worn away. There is a slight tackiness after an hour or so, but it never turned truly sticky.
Some of my favorite shades are: Mepicka Red, Chenille, and Bugatti Red.
Availability
Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Cle de Peau
NARS Velvet Lip Glide
NARS Velvet Lip Glide ($26.00 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is supposed to be a hybrid between lipstick and lipgloss that is hydrating, richly pigmented, and comfortable to wear. They have stronger color payoff, a non-tacky consistency, and a smoothness to their consistency that is a lot like a good lipstick, while they have a plusher, thicker texture that gives lips a plumper, fuller look along with a glossy sheen that is more like a gloss.
Some of my favorite shades are: Unspeakable, La Maine Bleue, and Bound.
Availability
Sephora, Nordstrom, NARS, Neiman Marcus, Saks
Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer
Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer ($8.99 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is supposed to deliver “true color clarity” with “vivid high-impact shine and a “lightweight feel” that is “never sticky.” The gloss has a creamy consistency to it that is a little gel-like, and though it doesn’t feel heavy, it is a thicker consistency. There’s a light tackiness to it initially, which I find develops to a noticeable tackiness after a couple of hours–if you don’t like thicker, tackier glosses, I don’t know that these are for you. If you like bolder, more pigmented glosses, you’ll find some real winners in this range! Some of my favorite shades are: HD Rose Quartz, HD Citrine, HD Pink Ruby, and HD Sunstone.
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Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gel
Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gel ($14.00 for 0.12 oz.) is supposed to be “inspired by gel nail polishes” with an “ultra-light” texture and hydrating formula. They’re lightweight, comfortable to wear, and mostly non-sticky. Despite having a smoother, mostly non-sticky feel, the formula has decent wear time (three to five hours) and is hydrating. The range varies a lot with respect to pigmentation–some are very sheer, others are more opaque! Some of my favorite shades are: Fresh Peach, Pomegranate Delight, Deep Rose, and Nude Alert.
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Surratt Beauty Lip Lustre
Surratt Beauty Lip Lustre ($32.00 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is described as “sheer,” “long-wearing,” and “moisturizing.” It is a light-medium thick, tacky gloss that feels very smooth going on and holds on well, even with a really sheer shade like this one. This gloss lasted for four hours and was somewhat hydrating while worn. I like the more shimmery shades in the range, which have great shine and sparkle. Soigne is my favorite that I’ve tried.
Availability
Sephora, Barneys, NET-A-PORTER
YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain
YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain< ($36.00 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is supposed to have the “texture and shine of a gloss” with the “long wear of a stain.” I’ve long been a fan of the Glossy Stain formula for a long-wearing gloss with (often) good pigmentation. The formula has a thinner, more watery feel initially but thickens as it “develops” on the lips. Some of my favorite shades are: Corail Aquatique and Rouge Gouache.
Availability
Sephora, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks
Urban Decay Revolution Lip Gloss
Urban Decay Revolution Lip Gloss ($22.00 for 0.17 fl. oz.) is a new, permanent formula just in time for summer. The range includes fourteen shades to choose from with the majority leaning brighter and bolder. The formula is supposed to give “high coverage” in “one coat” with a “creamy” texture that is also hydrating. Some shades are less opaque (nowhere near one coat pigmentation!) and a few could have applied more evenly. The glosses feel creamy, almost gel-like, as they’re so smooth, initially, but all of them developed tackiness over time, which helped them to wear longer than the average gloss with a range of four to six hours of wear. The formula was hydrating for me, and it is comfortable to wear as long as tackiness isn’t a deal-breaker for you. Some of my favorite shades are: Shadowheart, After Dark, Quiver, and Big Bang.