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The Six Glosses That Make My Lips Look Shimmery and Voluptuous

Rio Viera Newton making a kissy face.
The author’s plumped pout. Photo: Courtesy of the author

Do I like the feeling of hair sticking to my lip-glossed lips? No. Does anyone? Again, no. But minor inconveniences aside, when you want something a tad more fun than lip balm, but don’t want commit to a full-on lipstick, glosses are exactly the thing. In my opinion, there is no beauty product that can make a pair of lips look as soft and voluptuous as a good gloss.

If, in the past, you’ve avoided lip gloss out of fear that it would make your lips appear too ’90s, I have good news: there are no shortage of light glosses that’ll give you a subtle, pretty sheen. And if you, like me, are craving juicy, full, shimmery lips: well, there’s no shortage of options for you, either. Below, a few of my all-time favorites.

Clear and plumping lip gloss

I honestly wear this product every single day. It’s completely clear, for those who don’t like shimmer, and is packed with collagen, which will plump up your lips a bit without any sort of scary, burning sensation. It also contains coconut oil to nourish and soften your lips.

Lip glosses with subtle tint and sheen

When Fenty Beauty first launched, a few of my colleagues and I traipsed over to Sephora after work to check out the products. The rave reviews for the universally flattering lip gloss had been popping up everywhere on the internet, and we each decided to carve out $18 to test it out. Every single one of us looked good in this shade. It’s slightly rosy-pink and has a bit of shimmer but is still somehow supersubtle. It also is very nourishing — I found it actually hydrated my lips instead of drying them out. This is the perfect finishing touch for a glowy, sun-kissed look.

I’m obsessed with this gloss from Dior. It comes in a bunch of different shades, from deeper reds for when you want a tint of color to pretty nudes for when you want a subtle shimmer. Either way, it’s the perfect high-shine formula with a subtle sheen to bring immediate life into your lips. I love the shade So Real for the perfect nude gloss. I should mention a lot of these colors are online exclusives.

You know that Marc Jacobs perfume Daisy that everyone was obsessed with? This is its high-shine lip-gloss counterpart. It has a supersubtle sheen that highlights your natural lip while adding a bit of shimmer for volume. This gloss is great for everyone — even for those who are generally frightened of shimmery glosses.

Tinted lip gloss

When I’m layering gloss over a lipstick, I love using this Bobbi Brown lip gloss in scarlet. I love this product on it’s own for a subtle, non-shimmery red tint, too, but over red lipstick it just creates this extremely high-shine, editorial look that I’m obsessed with (especially when wearing all black). Plus, it never makes my lips feel sticky or uncomfortable.

Clear and minty lip gloss

Victoria’s Secret has some of my favorite lip glosses — first, because I kind of love their fruity, extra scent; but mostly because, honestly, who doesn’t want to feel like a VS Angel when they’re walking down the street wearing lip gloss? There are a ton of super-glittery glosses from VS, but I love this minty shine gloss most. It’s totally clear but packed with a minty punch that feels cool and soothing on your lips. I’ve also found that it’s shockingly long-lasting.

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The Glosses That Make My Lips Look Shimmery and Voluptuous